The door opened and a female voice sounded through it, " Karen Lillian Snape. It's time to get up. Just because school's out doesn't mean you can spend all day in bed, there are still chores that need to be done, and if your not downstairs in five minuets there will be dire consequences." And with that the door snapped shut.
Karen sighed and sat up to look at her alarm clock, it read 7:00 AM. With a quiet groan Karen raised herself out of bed and prepared herself for the day.
Karen Lillian Snape was a pretty average ten year-old girl; she lived in a house with two adults, and a boy who was, like her, under age. She had long black hair, that always hung in curtains in front of her face, she didn't mind, it made it harder for people to see her eyes, which were the kind of eyes that changed colour depending on her mood.
Karen lived with her adoptive parents, Shelly, and Mike Thomas, and their son, Gregory, who was a few years older then her.
Her parents died when she was young, and she had been sent to Shelly and Mike because they were her only relatives, Mike was her mother's cousin, if they had not accepted her she would have gone to an orphanage, sometimes she thought she would have rather gone to one. Though Karen wasn't very fond of her parent figures she was very close to Greg, he stuck up for her when she was bullied at school, he even protected her from his parents when they got fired up about something, or when Mike went on one of his drunken rages.
With a sigh Karen left her room and made her way down the stairs and through the sitting room to the kitchen, where the others were already sitting around the table.
"Good morning." She mumbled to the room in general as she took her usual seat next to Greg.
" Morning." Greg chirped cheerily, he smiled widely and ruffled her hair, " you're awfully cheery this morning." He commented sarcastically, " I thought you'd be happy, you know, me being home, and you having just finished primary school." She smiled back at him,
" Of course I'm happy, it's just early I was up late last night looking at my school options for next year." Karen put an egg on her plate, a few strips of bacon and a slice of buttered toast,
" Did you see any you liked?" Greg asked her, interested to know what she thought of the school possibilities that his parents had proposed,
" Not really, but I'll pick one if I must."
" Damn straight you will." Mike unexpectedly joined the conversation, " As much as I hate to have to pay for it you have to go to school, and the ones we gave you are the only ones we'll pay for." Karen had been through this conversation before, so she just nodded and said,
" And I appreciate you paying for my education, and I will respect the limit you put on it." She had never been one to argue or antagonize, she did what she could to stay out of trouble.
Before any thing else could be said on the subject Greg changed it, " So, has Cedric been leaving you be while I was away?" Cedric was the same age as Karen, he was also the one who gave her the most trouble, especially in the last few years, when Greg was away at school, but recently things had been happening around her, weird things, like once he kicked a football at her face and just before it hit her it stopped in mid air before dropping to the ground.
" On the most part, yeah." She decided to tell Greg of the strange happenings in privet, Mike and Shelly always got angry when she mentioned these strange things.
The rest of breakfast was pretty quiet, Greg told them stories of things that happened at school mostly about his best friend, Carl, and himself and their misadventures. Before they knew it the clock on the wall chimed eight, and right on time, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Karen said as she rose from her chair and went to fetch the morning post. In front of the door was a small pile of mail that had been pushed through the mail slot, picking it up Karen started to go through it as she headed back to the kitchen, just before she went in however, she spotted a letter with her name and address on it.
Karen Lillian Snape
Number 8 Stine Drive
Bedroom at the top of the stairs.
Karen entered the kitchen and handed Shelly the rest of the mail while she examined the neat slanted writing on the envelope in her hand. Turning the envelope over she saw it was held shut by wax, and imprinted in the wax was a coat of arms, it was a shield divided into four, in the top right corner there was a serpent poised to strike facing the dividing line, on the left was a fierce lion also facing the center line, below the lion was a badger, and to the right on the bottom, was a proud raven, in the center of the four animals was a large " H " and below the shield was a ribbon design that bore words, it read: DRACO DORMIENS NUNQUAM TITILLANDUS
Curious Karen tore open the envelope, by this time Greg realized that she was holding something and leaned over her shoulder to see. Inside the envelope were two sheets of parchment, and something that resembled a ticket. The first sheet of parchment read, in the same neat slanted writing as on the envelope:
Dear Miss Karen Lillian Snape,
I'm glad to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, term starts on September the first, your train ticket and a list of supplies is included. We hope to see you in two months time.
Sincerely,
Professor Dumbledor, Headmaster.
Karen read and re-read the letter, wondering if it was a joke of some kind? Unsure Karen looked up at Greg who had a confounded look on his face, he looked at her, meeting her eyes,
" I guess you don't have to try and pick one of those stupid schools after all." Mike and Shelly looked over at them confused as to what their son is talking about.
" What are you going on about Greg?" Shelly asked from across the table, glancing at his mother he looked down at Karen again, who held out the letter,
" This." Was all she said, handing it over to her.
Shelly read it with Mike hovering over her shoulder also reading it. While they read the letter Karen placed the smaller piece of parchment on the table and examined the list of supplies she had been given:
1 Cauldron,
1 Wand,
Basic Potion Ingredients Kit,
Full set of Wizards Robes,
Standard Book of Spells Grade 1 By Miranda Goshawk
Break With a Banshee By Gilderoy Lockhart
Gadding with Ghouls By Gilderoy Lockhart
Holidays with Hags By Gilderoy Lockhart
Travels with Trolls By Gilderoy Lockhart
Voyages with Vampires By Gilderoy Lockhart
Wonderings with Werewolves By Gilderoy Lockhart
Year with the Yeti By Gilderoy Lockhart
And if you wish students are permitted to have either, an owl, a cat or a toad.
" Where am I going to find a cauldron?" she wondered out loud, " and a wand?" Greg sat in his chair and examined the ticket that she had placed on the table,
" And where the heck is Platform nine and three quarters?" he added to her questions. Mike and Shelly looked at each other then at Karen, they didn't know what to think, or say. " Is there a return address? Maybe you can mail them and ask?"
" No, there wasn't any." She said handing him the envelope. Then looking at the letter that was still in Shelly's hands she saw writing on the back, " Can I see it again please?" she requested, and when it was handed over to her she looked at the back, it read:
P.S
There will be a man waiting outside of The Leaky Cauldron in London for first years that don't know where to go on August the twenty sixth.
Her face lighting up with excitement Karen showed the others the writing on the back of the page.