Chapter 1
Chapter 1
"Dirry, Dirry, OI DIRRY!"Shouted a girl of, if I had to hazard a guess, about 10 or 11 years her boyish cut hair flying about her face.
"Oh, sorry Jenny I was…"
"…In another world yes I know, you always are" finished the girl called Jenny
"Hey. Isn't that your mum watching us through that window?" said Jenny
"Yeah I wonder why she's watching us." Said the girl called Dirry inquisitively, her long, long dark red curtain of hair falling as her head tilted back, as she stared into the window where her mother's face could be seen.
The truth was Dirry's mother was recalling the moment in her mind when she had visited the Sun-Hill Orphanage after discovering she couldn't have children, she remembered being shown child after child. Each and every one the plain as the next and the one before except for one, one child of about one year old whose emerald eyes glinted and shone, and whose long, long curtain of dark red hair framed her elfin face.
The truth was Dirry's mother wasn't really Dirry's mother and Dirry had been adopted from the Sun-Hill Orphanage all those ten years before and the truth was Dirry wasn't really Dirry's real name as Dirry was not what Dirry's real parents had called her but Dirry did not know who her real parents were. Dirry's adopted mother did not know who Dirry's real parents were and neither did the nice old woman at the Sun-Hill Orphanage.
Might I add that by saying 'were' I do not mean that Dirry's real parents were dead but I do not mean that Dirry's real parents weren't alive and nor do I mean that they were hovering somewhere in-between because, as of now I am not quite sure of Dirry's parents state of living and neither I am sure are you so while we are all 'none the wiser' of the state of living of Dirry's parents we must get back to Dirry herself.
"Anyway," said the girl called Jenny who always tried to be cheerful whatever the weather, "I've got a secret!"
"Ooh, tell, tell!" said the girl called Dirry who loved a good secret but never blabbed to anyone.
"Err well I'm not sure if I should, mum said…"
"But Jenny we tell each other everything" said a very confused and yet hurt Dirry,
"Well I suppose, but you've got to promise not to tell anyone" said Jenny slowly,
"Promise" Dirry said solemnly
"Forever" said Jenny
"Forever" said Dirry her eyes wide for she knew whenever they did this sequence it was a very big secret indeed,
"You'll never tell" said Jenny,
"Never" said Dirry, their hands clasped together.
"Ok, well this morning I got a letter." Said Jenny, after several moments of silence.
"Yes letters come through the post most days" Said Dirry- a slight hint of sarcasm hidden in her voice.
"It didn't come via the postman, Dirry it came by owl" said Jenny.
"What!" said a very shocked Dirry "by owl, you must be joking?"
"No, deadly serious." said Jenny.
"Well then what was in this elusive letter that was delivered by owl post then?" said Dirry.
"It said I had been accepted for a place at a sort of…boarding school, it's called Hogwarts" said Jenny after much hesitation.
"You never said you'd applied for any schools" said a slightly hurt Dirry.
"I hadn't, I've had my name down since birth" said Jenny.
"Why didn't you say?" said Dirry accusingly,
"Dunno" said Jenny facing the floor.
"So you thought you'd just go along with it while we discussed secondary schools did you, while really you were all set to swan off to some fancy-prancy boarding school did you!" shouted Dirry her face scarlet.
Dirry's face was of course red not because of embarrassment or because her location was of a high temperature. No Dirry face was red because of anger but there was hurt in her eyes- hurt and betrayal- her once loyal friend had kept secret something so important. Maybe Dirry might never forgive Jenny – I do not no. I am not Dirry.
"I'm so sorry Dirry, I should have said, I just…"said Jenny
"Couldn't" finished Dirry for despite her anger she still couldn't help finishing Jenny's sentences. "Now what's this 'Hogwarts' like then?" her anger disappearing a little.
"You've got to believe me when I tell you, ok?" said Jenny
"Ok" Dirry said with trust in her eyes,
"Hogwarts…"said Jenny
"Yeah" said Dirry edging closer
"Is a school…" said Jenny
"For?" said Dirry
Jenny took a sharp intake of breath. "Magic"
"WHAT!" yelled Dirry
"I'm not lying" said Jenny
"I know" said Dirry as she walked away to the pillar box red door that led into the home she had known for almost 10 years leaving the girl called Jenny behind her on the green green grass.
To put it bluntly Dirry wasn't a stupid girl and she had gathered that if Hogwarts was a school of magic then Jenny must be a witch not a bad witch but a good witch like Glinda.
"He he he" laughed Dirry thinking to herself of Jenny in a pink floaty dress, oh how she'd like to see that.
"Dirry, Dirree!"
"Yes Mum?" said Dirry
"You've been out for hours where were you?" said Dirry's mum
"With Jenny" said Dirry
"Oh you two, you'll be together forever" said Dirry's mum laughing
"Mmm…" said Dirry forced to face that this would never happen as when term started Dirry knew that herself and Jenny would be split up forever.
"Now miss daydream, bed!"
The girl called Dirry knew that arguing now would get her nowhere so she trooped up the stairs, arms crossed, face screwed up in mock anger, the sound of her 'mother's' laughter ringing through her ears.
Dirry lay flopped on her bed staring up at the silver stars, painted by her and Jenny about two summers ago, on the midnight blue ceiling. The walls were blue, the duvet was blue, and the chair was blue. In fact the only un-blue thing was one wall plastered with pictures of herself and Jenny; their smiling faces stared down at her. An owl flew past the window. Dirry clutched the heart shaped locket that hung round her neck, carved into the back of it was a small picture of an owl in mid-flight, Dirry had had this locket for as long as she could remember. It was a pretty little silver thing and Dirry was never without it.
Downstairs the old clock that hung on the wall of the entrance hall struck eleven. Dirry's adopted mother often wondered how that clock still worked as nobody ever wound it. She didn't know how it still worked, neither did Dirry, neither do I, neither do you. As the last chime sounded Dirry knew that in one hour it would be Tuesday, Tuesday was Dirry's birthday Dirry knew that, but what she didn't know was what an extraordinary birthday it was going to be.