Chapter One
Run Away:
I sunk back into my purple bean bag chair hardly believing it was real. In my hands I held the letter that opened the door to the world I always dreamed was real. No matter how far fetched it was I knew in my heart that it was real. The letter read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Ms. Harper
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term starts 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
I hadn't told my parents yet, afraid of what they would say. I knew they would think I was pulling a prank on them. It wasn't really that farfetched – my being a witch explained a lot. How I got away with all the pranks I had done in the past – not to mention how I did a lot of the pranks I had done.
July 31 was three weeks away I had enough time, though how I was going to get my hands on an owl that would deliver a letter was a bloody mystery. I sucked in a deep breath readying myself for telling my parents. I walked down the stairs slowly, gripping the letter tight in my sweaty fingers. At the last step I yelled.
"Mom, dad I have something important to tell you – and it is not a joke."
"Okay sweetie." My mom said in her obnoxiously sweet voice.
I love my family, I do, but I have to admit – with the exception of Stephan – if I wasn't related to them I would hate them. My whole family was very proud, like Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth (Pride and Prejudice) combined proud. My mom was an awfully thin and had very harsh features. She was a therapist and on the side wrote those stupid books that tell you how to be 'happy' in ten easy steps. My dad was gangly and wore glasses, he taught high school science. He was your classic geek. He was also very embarrassing – without meaning to be.
My little brother, Henry was eight and so adorable it made you want to vomit. He had blond hair (everyone but me did), blue eyes, and freckles scattered across has nose and cheeks. He was a real goody-goody, and that really did not suit me. If I put one toenail out of line and he new about it I had no chance of not getting in trouble.
The one member of my family I was close to was my brother, Stephan; he was older than me by two years. He was perfect but not in an obnoxious way. He got in trouble but he would always apologize later. He was really popular and all the teachers adored him. In looks he was a thirteen year old version of Henry.
I was average in height and weight for my age. Most people thought I was adopted because I looked nothing like the rest of my family. I had honey colored hair with A LOT of red in it, I had a heart shaped face, and big gray eyes. Personality wise I was amazingly different. As I said my family was extremely proud – they would never in a million years admit they were wrong, I didn't really care whether I was wrong or right. I was outspoken against rules I thought were stupid or unfair. I was a prankster, but I mostly pranked people who deserved it. I was asked why I wasn't more like my brother on a daily basis.
I sat across from my parents in the living room and handed them the letter. They read it silently, when they where finished my dad put it back on the coffee table.
"Sweetie your penmen ship has improved greatly." He said chuckling a bit. I stared at him in blatant shock. He chuckled some more at my expression.
"You didn't think we would figure it out that fast did you."
"Figure what out? I told it isn't a joke this is perfectly serious." I shouted.
"Sweetie there is no reason to shout. Why in the world do you go to such far measures to get attention?"
"Attention!? Don't psycho analyze me mom I don't do things for attention I do them because some people need a taste of their own medicine, and this is – in all honesty – not one of those things. I promise."
"Hailey Bee Harper don't you talk to your mother that way. Go up to your room we will not hear another word about this Hogwarts cra – crud I mean crud." He corrected himself as Henry walked into the room. I shrieked a little, grabbed the letter, and stormed off into my room. As I went up I heard my mom say 'A bad egg in every bunch.' I slammed my door so hard my picture fell off the door. I sighed and picked it back up. It was a simple picture in black and white all that was on it was a rose on the bottom of an unmarked grave. I sat down on my bed and realized I had to run away. I would do it in two weeks. If I couldn't be accepted into this world maybe could in another one.