I do not own anything your recognize. I do, however, own the plot of this story and if you steal it - you will pay. Under a different penname, I have written two other stories similiar too it, however those have failed horribly. Now, I am attempting it again - let's hope this one goes well, shall we?
The Letter
It was a boring day in the beginning of boring summer in boring Tennessee. Or, it was to a girl who lay on her bed, grounded from the computer, staring up at her ceiling.
The bedroom was a mass of colors, nothing matching and yet, everything seemed like it fit. Posters of all kinds decorated the walls and ceiling, bands, movies - even books! A banner that she had bought hung above her bed, the yellow and black colors of Hufflepuff House showing most predominately in her room.
Ever since Meredith Crane was 4, in 1997 she has adored the book series Harry Potter. She vaguely remembers laying down for a nap in her mom's room as said mother read to her out of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Meredith still has the copy of the book that she so loved as a child, it was rather tattered at the edges though.
A sigh escaped her lips as she heard her dogs start barking. With a groan, she rolled out of bed and slid on a pair of flats before going and getting the mail.
Stepping into the sun made her hiss and sneeze, but Meredith still trudged to the mailbox anyway. Once three cars passed (one honking at her) she thought it safe to receive the mail. A quick flick of her wrist, the lid was open and she reached in and scooped out a bundle of magazines and letters.
Shutting the lid, Meredith jogged back to the house, eager to get out of the blazing sun. Of course, it wasn't near as bad as it was in Florida, where her cousin Amelie lived, but it was still bad.
Once she was inside the door and within the reach of the air conditioner, Meredith kicked off her shoes and laid the mail down on the ottoman. She bent down to pet her stepbrother's weiner dog that she was 'babysitting' and a peculiar letter caught her eye.
Meredith's eyebrows rose as her hand darted out and snatched it up. It was rather heavy, seeming to be made out of some type of parchment. There was emerald ink on the front, reading:
Miss M. Crane
Second Largest Bedroom
McMinnville
Tennessee
Thinking it was some kind of a joke, Meredith turned it around but gasped upon seeing the seal that held the flap together. It was a purple wax seal showing a coat of arms with a lion, snake, badger, and eagle on it all surrounding an H.
"It can't be true," she whispered. The dogs, her own two, Ozzy and Tippy, and Mr. Weenie (her brother's) stared at her in wonder and even her inside cat, Oreo, came up to investigate. Or maybe it was because she wanted the rubber band.
Meredith quickly scraped the seal off, making sure it was still intact before pulling out the letter. If it did turn out to be a hoax, it was a pretty darn good one and she wanted to keep the letter.
Inside was more parchment and she unfolded it only to drop the envelope and clasp a hand over her mouth.
Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Registered Animagus)
Dear Miss Crane,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1, but a special summer term has been provided for those few
who have been late. Someone will be by later today to explain the situation to your parents and/or
guardian.
Yours sincerely,
Fillius Flitwick
Fillius Flitwick
Deputy Headmaster
As soon as she finished reading, the house phone rang and she jumped over furniture to get to it after checking the caller ID that popped up on the TV. Seeing it was her beloved cousin, she answered it.
"Yello?"
"Is a color, not a greeting. Now guess what I just got?" Amelie Morgan replied. Meredith just smirked, they always said that to each other.
"Tickets to the next Cinema Bizarre concert?" Cinema Bizarre was one of their favorite bands, they were native from Germany but sang in English.
"Well...no...but I'm working on it!! But I just got a phony Hogwarts letter in the mail," Meredith's eyes widened, "it reminded me of when we were eleven we cried when we didn't get our Hogwarts letter. I just thought I'd call and ask if you'd like me to mail it to you so you could put it on your wall?"
"Well, dear Amelie," Meredith started. "If that's the case, then I must decline as I seem to already have one to pin onto my wall."
"What?! You got one too?! If that's true...could it really be a trick? I mean...no one knows both of our addresses, and the letters came without stamps. I mean..."
"I guess we'll just have to figure out when someone comes and explains," Meredith said. "As it says in the letter. This is very weird."
And so the cousins said goodbye and Meredith sat in the rocking chair, waiting for her mother to get home from work.