Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Dumbledore, or Whinnie (she's my friend's character)... I only own Gwen so no stealing! xP ahaha
CHAPTER ONE: WHINNIE JEZZABELLE OKLEY
IT ALL BEGINS HERE
I wiped the sweat from my eyes as I scrubbed the laundry in the river against a flat rock.
The heat was scorching my back today; it had to be at least above ninety five degrees. Even the water was warm. A few small fish swam by and my stomach growled. For the past few days, my sister and I had been running low on food. The hunting was usually good, but the Irish forest had become scarce.
"Whinnie!"
I turned to see my fraternal twin sister, Gwen, run up behind me.
"What are you doing out here? I told you that you should wait until night to wash the clothes! You're going to burn again."
I sighed. The trees didn't offer much protection from the sun by the river. I often came home from chores with a scorched back and face. "It needed to be done. The clothes don't shrink when the water is so warm, and I can deal with a few burns."
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Well then, you can finish later. I've managed to catch a couple rabbits. Lunch is served."
We trekked back to the cave that had been our home for over a month now, ever since we were thrown out of our home by our step-father. He believed that we were the "devil's spawn" and often let the drink help him forget about us and all his other problems in life. He only treated us horribly because of what we were born with: wings. Mine, large red-orange wings with white spots. Gwen's were dark brown and the same size as mine. To us, they are our life.
When we arrived back at our little cave, there was not only our lunch waiting for us, but also another animal that was fluttering around rather noisily.
"It's an owl!" I exclaimed in wonder.
"So it is," agreed Gwen. "Hey! It looks like it has a letter or something in its beak."
It took us a while to calm the little bird down, but eventually we succeeded long enough to grab the slightly beaten letter in its beak. We stared in confusion at the seal on the back of the envelope. It had a big letter "H" with a lion, snake, badger, and eagle surrounding it. On the front it got even weirder. It was addressed as such:
Whinnie and Gwen Okley
Back of cave
Ireland
Even stranger than that was the actual letter. I read it out loud:
Dear Whinnie Jezzabelle and Gwen Lora Okley,
I am Professor Albus Dumbledore from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I understand that where you currently live is not an acceptable home for two fourteen-year-old girls, even if they do have wings. Yes I know about you and your predicament. This is precisely why I am writing to you today. I propose the two of you join all of us here at Hogwarts. I assure you that the faculty and students will be very welcoming if you choose to accept my proposal. Trust me when I say that they are all very used to strange appearances and you most definitely will not feel out of place here. Hogwarts has been given the privilege of hosting the legendary Triwizard Tournament (I will explain this when and if you come). Two other wizarding schools, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, will be joining us in October. Our faculty is somewhat limited, and your unique abilities will be a welcome addition to the school. All that will be asked of you is to help the house elves with daily and sometimes nightly chores. In return, we will pay you, provide housing, meals, and anything else you may need. Also, if you wish, you may be tutored. You do have magical blood even if you have not yet discovered it. Of course, we are not forcing you to come to Hogwarts, nor will we force you to stay if you do come. The choice is entirely up to you both. Have a good day.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
P.S. Please send your answer back with this owl as quickly as possible especially if you choose to come. This way, necessary arrangements can be made for your arrival. Thank you.
Gwen and I sat in silence for quite some time as we soaked in all we had read. Thoughts were racing through my head. 'This could be a joke. Maybe someone is trying to prank us or something…Or what if this is real and we can finally escape our awful lives in this cave?' I decided that this couldn't possibly be a prank because no one but our step-father and real parents knows about our wings.
"Well, shall we try this out and see if staying at, what's it called? Oh yeah, Hogwarts. If staying at Hogwarts will do us any good?" I asked my twin.
She nodded, "Yeah I think I like the sound of this place. If they have a bunch of faculty and students, then they'll have to have lots of food right?"
"Mmm… food…." I sighed. Gwen and I need lots more calories than normal humans because of the fact that we can fly. Unfortunately, because we live in a cave and find our own food, we seem to get less than what the average human needs. Not good. Anyway, we sent the owl back with our "yes" and a few weeks later, it returned with yet another letter from Dumbledore. This one was a bit shorter and only included directions to a place called The Leaky Cauldron in London. He said he would send someone there to show us around Diagon Alley which is where witches and wizards get their things they need for magic. We packed up our bags and the next day at dawn started off into the unknown adventure waiting for us beyond this country's borders.
"Ready?" I asked Gwen.
She nodded a little nervously at first, but I could tell by her face that she was set on going.
"Then let's get on with it!" I exclaimed spreading my enormous wings. Gwen did the same and we flew off into the glorious morning sun, ready for a new, unknown adventure.
END/ ch1
WOOT! Ch. 1 of my first fanfic EVER! I'm so excited! My friend and I are writing this together so I don't know when the updates will occur because we can sometimes be verrrryyyy forgetful... -_-' but yeah... Hope you enjoy~