A/N: Ok revised chapter 1 based on some excellent advice. Enjoy.
Tap, tap, tap, something went on the outside of Lucy's window. She threw back the curtain to reveal a dark brown owl sitting on the windowsill with an envelope in its beak. Carefully opening the window, Lucy took the letter, gently petting the bird. "I don't have any treats, sorry," Lucy told the owl. I looked at her with its large eyes, seeming to understand. Lucy closed the window as it flew away. Reading the beautiful script on the back, Lucy plopped down on her bed. It read:
Ms. L Reynolds
Number Eleven, Flowerwell Road
London, UK
Lucy gasped. "Mom! My letter!", she cried. Shortly thereafter, loud footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs at a rapid pace. Suddenly, Lucy's bedroom door burst open to reveal a short woman with tousled auburn hair, a grin spread over her face.
"Lemme see!", Lucy's mother exclaimed. She handed over the letter and envelope, the red wax seal already broken. Her mother fumbled with the envelope, just as excited as her daughter.
"I already read it, I get to go to Hogwarts next month!" Lucy laughed as her mother's blue eyes scanned the words scrawled on the parchment. Her mom smiled down at her, but stopped suddenly, shock spreading over her face.
"Next month?! We have to get your supplies! Be ready early tomorrow morning," she said, turning and rushing out of the room. Lucy shook her head with a smile, collected the letter, supply list, and envelope from the floor where her mother had dropped them in her haste and walked to the window once more. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands, and reveled in the way that the sky was beginning to turn pink from the sunset already. With a content sigh, she set the letter carefully on her nightstand and changed into her pajamas.
Lucy awoke on August 27th to the sound of birds chirping and her mother calling her from the bottom of the stairs. "Get up Lucy, we need to go before Diagon Alley gets too busy!" Groggily, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. A glance at her alarm clock prompted a groan. 6:00 already?, she thought. Lucy had always said that she was a morning person, when, in reality, she wasn't. She stood up and ventured to the small mirror on her desk, settling into her chair. Lucy looked at her face, staring back at her in the mirror. She narrowed her green eyes, glaring at herself, trying to appear serious, but only laughed at the way her scrunched up face looked.
Ouch, she thought as she detangled her shoulder-length wavy brown hair, smoothing it with her other hand after each stroke. With a yawn, she grabbed two gold bobby pins with decorative chain designs on them and secured her hair on the right side. Lucy ran her fingers over her freckled skin, the spots just starting to fade from their darker summer coloring. Satisfied with her appearance, she pushed her chair out and stood up.
Lucy moved to her closet. She stood for a while, hands on her hips, just staring at her shirts, indecisive as usual. Finally settling on a black t-shirt, which read I Prefer My Puns Intended, a red-and-black flannel, and black jeans, Lucy pulled on her black converse and bounded down the stairs, nearly knocking over her mother who was already headed toward the door.
"Hop in the car, Lucy, I forgot my phone," she said, as she went back into the kitchen. Lucy opened the front door and strode to the car, humming lightly. If Lucy's family had to describe her, they would likely refer to her as optimistic and rather stubborn. But, if she was to define herself, just one word came to mind: different. Now, depending on the day, different could be good or bad or a little of both. During her eleven years of life, strange things had happened which could easily be attributed to her magic. However, the Muggle children at Lucy's school only taunted her, especially when something went wrong. Lucy was oblivious to her friends' thoughts of her for one reason and one reason only. Lucy didn't have any friends.
Despite her lack of friends, Lucy still was fairly polite to everyone she met. Although she could be a bit hot-tempered when teased by the other children. Freak, they would jeer, Lucy shooting them a glare and doing her best to walk away. They would chase after her, hurling insults and shouting names. Lucy would finally break and whirl around, charging toward whoever had decided to lead the teasing that day. Usually, she would only yell something about telling a teacher (an action that she would never take), but once she had punched a thirteen-year-old squarely in the face. Even though her mother had to be called to come to the school, Lucy had never felt so satisfied in her life. Of course, she only told her mom that it had been an accident during a game.
Generally speaking, though, Lucy didn't let things get to her too much. Even now, she was happily strolling to the car, humming a tune, slightly off-key. Lucy paused at the car door, closing her eyes and breathing in the fresh morning air. Then, something, or someone, tapped her gently on the shoulder. Lucy turned around to see her mom, gesturing toward the car. "Oh, just you," Lucy sighed in relief. "Let's go." They both slipped into the car and drove off down the quiet street to the bustling place that was Diagon Alley.
A/N: Ok, I hope that if you had read the first chapter previous to my revision, you enjoyed the improvements which I tried to make here. Please review, so I know what direction to take in future chapters and feel free to request things through reviews or PM. Have an adequate day. Wondrously Bookish