Chapter 1

The Letter

I sat by the door, waiting for the mail. I had been sitting there since five in the morning, waiting for the owl to come and drop off the mail for that day.

"You keep sittin' by the door, and it'll never come."

I pushed back my long chocolate brown hair to see Anthony standing by the door to the kitchen. Anthony had long blond hair and green eyes. He was the oldest, and the first in the family to go off to school. I glared at Anthony with my rich chocolate brown eyes. This was a look I was known for giving the guys in my class when they started to really bother me, and it worked to.

"You know why I'm sitting here. For the three of you, it came on this day, so I should get it today to, since I'm almost eleven."

That's when another boy walked into the hallway. He also had brown hair, but it was lighter than my hair, and hazel eyes.

"Alex, tell Anthony that I'm right about this."
"I wasn't listening to you two fight, Emily told me to tell you that breakfast is almost ready, so you have to come to the table. Anthony, she also wants you to get mum and dad."
"Okay. And Sara, the mail should be here soon, so you might as well wait a few more minutes, just so…"
"Anthony! I said for you to get mum and dad!"

A blond hair blue eyed girl was now standing in the hallway right in front of Alex. She had her hair pulled back into a pony-tall and was wearing a white apron. She had sweat on her face from the heat of the stove, so she was wiping her for head when she spotted me.

"Sara, what are you doin'?"
"I'm waiting for the mail."
"Right. Well, when it comes, come right into the kitchen with it, I want to see if Selena has figured out the Muggle mailing system."

The term Emily had just used would've made any normal human look at her like she was a bit batty. The truth was, that my family weren't normal humans, in fact, they were wizards, witches for the woman. Anthony, Emily, and Alex have all already been to the school, Hogwarts, and now I was sitting by the door waiting for my letter to come.

"Em, she wasn't born Muggle like a lot of your friends at school, she was born a witch like us."
"I know that, that's why I'm trying to teach her how to use Muggle mail."

That's when the mail came. There were five cards for mom and dad, two for Emily, and one for me. The envelope was thick and was made of yellow parchment and the address was written in emerald-green ink. This was the letter I had been waiting for.

"Well, open it."

I turned the envelope over and opened it. Inside was another piece of yellow parchment. I opened the letter and read it to myself.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDARY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Wugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Sage
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 1st September. We await your owl by no later than 31st July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Did you get in?"
"No, I just got into another magic school. Of course I got in to Hogwarts."

I pulled out the list and started going thought it and saw that some of the things I needed, I was going to have to buy them.

"Alright, mum and dad are comin' down."
"The food!"

Emily ran back into the kitchen and then came back out with a spoon in her hand and looked at everyone. When first meeting the Sage family, you would think that the oldest is Emily. She doesn't look older than Anthony, but she does act more mature then him a lot of the time.

"I told you all to get into the kitchen. I need Anthony to get the good bowls for me, I can't reach them, Alex, you set the table, and Sara, get the drinks ready, remember, mum likes white wine and dad like red."

We all went into the kitchen and got everything ready for our parents. I was just finishing up with the drinks when mum and dad came through the kitchen doors.

"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MUM AND DAD!"

Set on the table were five presents, along with breakfast and flowers. The breakfast was mum's favourite, eggs, sunny side up, bacon, non crunchy, mini sausages, light brown, and toast, lightly toasted.

"Anthony, Emily, Alex, Sara, you shouldn't have. This is amazing. How did you do all this?"
"To tell the truth, Emily did all the cooking. Anthony got the plant, Alex set the table, and I poured the drinks."

Mum and dad sat at the table and started eating their breakfast. Emily and I grabbed the last four plants and set them in the living room.

"Oh, you kids cans sit with us, you don't have to sit in the living room."
"It's your day, you two sit together, we'll sit…"
"Sara! There's mail on the table. Did you…"

I held up the letter I got from Hogwarts and mum and dad went and hugged me like the letter was saying I was getting into a very high preppy school.

"We have to go shopping, get you your robe, a wand, your books…"
"Mum, school doesn't start until the first of September, I think I have enough time to get everything."
"Next week than. Now come to the table and eat."

Emily and I placed the four plates on the table and everyone dag in. After breakfast, mum and dad opened their presents. Alex and Anthony picked out dad's present, a new watch and a new computer. Mum got new pajamas, and a necklace that had every ones first name on it. The present for both mum and dad was the biggest present, but not the most expansive present. It was an old grandfather clock that had a picture of mum, dad, Anthony, Emily, Alex and me that let everyone know where we were at that moment, right now, it said we were all home.

"This is beautiful. How did you make this?"
"We got the idea from the Weasleys. Did you know Ron's starting this year too? I hope I'm in the same house as him."
"Look out everyone, she's about to go…"

I hit Alex before he could finish his sentence. Ron Weasley was the youngest boy of the Weasley family. He was tall, thin and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet and a long nose. Ron and I had been the best of friends since he saved me from a swarm of angry bees when I was three. Since then, we've have been great friends.

"So it's settled than."
"Hm, what?"
"Pardon, Sara, pardon."
"Pardon?"
"We're going to Diagon Alley on August 1st and we'll pick up everything you'll need."
"Do you guys know what books you need?"
"Yeah, don't worry about us."
"Just worry about getting yourself ready for school."

For the rest of the day, mum and dad opened up their gifts and set them up. Emily made the meals for the rest of the day, with some help from Anthony when she needed it. Alex helped dad with his computer, and I seat on the couch, reading the letter over and over again to myself. This was my last day of being a normal witch.