Parchment Letter

Chapter One

"What are you doing, boy? Get the mail and get back here!" Vernon yelled at Harry, who was still looking at the thick letter as though waiting for it to confirm that yes, it was his and he could open it.

Quickly taking the route to the dining room that passed the cupboard under the stairs, Harry shoved his letter through the slot between the door and the wall. He didn't want his uncle finding it and opening it. That letter could contain things that were private, and meant only for him. Whether Uncle Vernon was his relative or not, that letter was Harry's and it was meant for him to read.

Harry rushed into the dining room and placed the other letters on the table, which Uncle Vernon proceeded to peruse.

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The rest of the day was much the same as the days previous. Harry was made to clean up after every single thing that Dudley did. Dudley then tried to beat Harry up in the back yard because he said that Harry made him bored, but Harry got away and hid in a lavender bush.

:0:

That night, Harry waited until all was quiet, except for the snores of his uncle and cousin.

He rolled over in his cramped little cot to look at the letter beside him, his first letter ever. Savouring the moment, Harry took the letter and turned on his tiny torch he'd stolen from Dudley's room once. Holding the torch in his teeth, Harry read the address on the front, double checking that the letter was indeed his. He felt the strange texture of the parchment in between his fingers. Carefully breaking the seal on the back, Harry removed the letter from its envelope. It 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 Mr Potter,

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 begins on 1 September. We await your owl no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

Harry's mind flipped at the first words on the parchment. Witchcraft and Wizardry? Wizards didn't exist, did they? But, according to these people, they did, and they had to be taught somewhere, if they were real.
But what if this were some sort of mean prank, put on by some of Dudley's smarter friends? That would be a good laugh for them. Then again, none of those boys could write this neatly or formally.

What did that last sentence mean, "We await your owl no later than 31 July." Why would he have on owl, and what would he do with it? He supposed that it was some kind of courier system, but instead of pigeons they used owls.
But how was he going to find an owl that was trained for carrying mail? And what would he write, and how would he be able to get to this school? What if he didn't fit in when he got there? There were so many questions and worries bouncing around in Harry's brain that he kind of snapped. Harry took his things, shoved them in a bag and left number four Privet Drive, not knowing where he was going, and not knowing why.

A/N: It always annoyed me that Harry never just kept the letter a secret from his aunt and uncle...