Chapter One: Do Owls Like Cereal?
Emmeline Fexx sat at the dinner table, picking absentmindedly at her potatoes. She sighed and asked her father if she could be excused. He nodded and she scooted quietly from her chair. She smiled at her mother, who looked secretively down at her food. As if anything else horribly strange could happen to her... Emmeline looked at her feet and practically ran to her bedroom.
She flung open her door, falling onto the bed. She cried silently and looked at the ceiling. Why should it matter to her parents if she was odd? That bizzare, unexplainable things happened around her? Every time she was in a mood, the whole world seemed to change just to make it better for her.
Emmeline just lay there, studying the ceiling tiles. Her long curly brown hair splayed around her and her bright green eyes flicked around at the ceiling, fading closed. Soon, she yawned and was asleep within minutes.
***
When Emmeline woke the next day, she stretched and smiled widely. Finally, a normal day, Emmeline thought to herself. My birthday. It wasn't every day that you turned eleven, right? She pushed herself out of bed and ran downstairs to hug her father goodbye. Even if it was Saturday, her father still had to go to work at his office...
She laughed as her father scooped her up in his arms. She felt really good; he hadn't done this in ages! She kissed the end of his nose and told him goodbye. He had a strange twinkle in his deep blue eyes, like he knew something she didn't yet.
When her father had finally driven away in his dark car, Emmeline walked happily into the kitchen. Her mother smiled and sat a bowl of her favorite cereal on the table before her. Emmeline sat down and watched her mother for a moment. She had a look on her face like Dad had had... Maybe she would be getting a special surprise for her birthday.
Soon, her older sister came padding into the room, her long blond hair swishing. She picked up a yogurt and sat down to eat with Mom and Emmeline.
"Happy birthday!" she said to her sister, reaching across the table and ruffling her hair up.
"Stop Issabela!" shrieked Emmeline, pushing her sister's hand away and smoothing down her curly hair.
The three ate in silence until their bowls were empty. Mom smiled and winked at Issabela, a strange look now also on her sister's face, identical to the one her mother and father had worn. Mom picked up the video camera and they all stood up in silent agreement.
"Living room, Emmy," said Mom, brandishing the camera like a sword before her. They walked into the living room, sitting on the squishy black couches in front of the warm crackly fire.
***
Emmeline smiled widely as Mom pulled out a small, rectangular box, and gave it to her. It was small, unwrapped and simple. Emmy looked at her mothe rand sister. They sat on the edge of their seats, excited and watchful. This must be the big surprise! She opened the box, and pulled out an envelope, bearing her name and their address. Emmeline cocked her head to one side, her hair spilling over her shoulder. She brushed it back and turned over the envelope, pushed on by her eager mother. She tore away the venomous green seal with the strange 'H' on it, pulling out a piece of paper. As she read, her mouth formed the words along with it.
"School of Witchcaft and Wizardry? Yeah right. Nice joke guys. Very detailed." They seemed to have been expecting this. Emmeline raised her eyebrows and wished it could be real. Hogwarts... What a name! If only she could be a witch...
Mom shook her head and whispered, with a big smile, "No, Emmeline. It's all true." Tears clung to her eyelashes and Mom's dark hair fell over her face. She was looking forward to the pet bit, a cat or a toad or an owl... Emmeline screamed and picked up a light box, ever so carefully. She sat and carefully tore away the brown paper. The plain black box had one word across it. The world of witches and wizards had some odd words in it. Ollivander's. She pulled the top off gently, revealing the most wonder-inspiring thing she had seen on the list; her wand. It was long and thin and dark, and felt perfect in her fingers. Emmeline stood, squealed and hugged her family. How had they kept this secret for so long? And why were they not magic? Her mom explained to her then, what the headmaster of the school had told her. She had somehow sprouted magic from somewhere back in their lines, or it had popped out of her, like a mutation.
"Don't get too excited over your wand, though," sighed her mother happily. "Everything you'll need all term is in those boxes." The two shared a silent moment, and then Emmeline ran and began to search through presents, studying the results with her sister.
***
Later that evening, as Emmeline sat on the couch in her dressy, special robes Mom had bought her for special occasions- ones that faded from deep blue to black and back again, with star-like, shining gems scattered on them- she read through her school books, reveling in the glory of this unknown world that she had been flung into so suddenly. She basked in the greatness of it, the wonder htat was building. She had so many questions, ones that these books were beginning to answer.
Suddenly, she heard her father's car. He knew too! She ran to the door just as he called, "Where's my witch?" She jumped up into his arms and thanked him for everything. He smiled mischeviously and said, "Wait here. Don't move and don't peek!" He called to the others, who raced down the steps as if they had been waiting. Mom still had the video camera in hand. He came back in soon with a big box with airholes punched through the sides and a small blue leather pouch. He gave her the pouch, which she now heard rattling with wizard money. He grinned down at her and said, "You're going to need some money, right?" She laughed and thanked him, putting it in her pocket and making a mental note to put it in her new shiny black trunk later. Then, Dad stepped out from in front of the box and gestured for her to open it.
Inside was a tall silver birdcage that housed a big, brown, excited, barn owl. Emmeline danced around excitedly and took her things up to her small bedroom in the corner of the upstairs. She put her money and robes and (most) books away in her trunk, and sat her owl on her desk. She played with a quill between two fingers and smiled to herself, thinking.
***
That night, Emmeline read silently from her books as her owl, named Beetle- after Beetle the Bard- sat on her shoulder. She listened to him hoot and fly around her room, swooping joyfully outside and back in. Soon enough, she fell asleep with her small face resting on her new Charms book.