Prologue
Minerva sighed again. How she had gotten stuck with Professor Trelawny, she had no idea. when she had gotten up from the breakfast table, announcing that she was off to address the acceptance letters, the Trelawny fraud and jumped up and exclaimed that she would come also. Trelawny had started coming down to meals lately, for some reason. For the first time in ages, Minerva and Severus were in agreement, they both couldn't wait for her to retreat to her loft in the tower.
But Professor Trelawny insisted that she felt a premonition coming, and she knew it had something to do with the new student this year. So far, she had managed to upset ink all over the desk, and nock all of the lists of names onto the ground, and when they had been so neatly alphabetized! Now they were both on the floor, scrambling around gathering up the papers. Minerva read the names on the paper in her hand, and smiled. It seemed she would never be rid of the Weasleys, another one was coming this year, too. She stood up and brushed herself off, and then stared at Professor Trelawny, who was squating on the floor, squinting at a page of the list.
"What-" Minerva had started to ask, when Trelawny sat on the ground with a plop, and closed her eyes, holding the parchment to her chest, rocking back and forth. Minerva rolled her eyes. Not again. she thought, but before she cold voice her opinions, Professor Trelawny began to speak.
"Thirty years, after the Babe Beat the Beast,
our four founders shall defeat the old evil.
They shall bestow their talents,
upon four young people."
"Rowena, smart steady and true,
Godric strong, brave and willful
Salazar, serious, ingenious and proud,
Helga caring, strong, and powerful."
"These gifts they give,
but beware,
for more is different of these four,
four more dissimilar is rare."
"Crafty the first four are,
disguised will be their powers.
Helga's powers shall not go to a girl,
Salazar's not to a dark boy who glowers."
"When these four meet,
to destroy the infamous evil,
they shall forever
rid the Flight of Death* from their people."
"Teachers must teach them well,
prepare them all the way.
If they do their job wrong,
the world will have lost its saving day."
"These four children shall be offspring
of the Babe Who Beat the Beast,
three friends, and one enemy."
"They will be melded together,
by the token of truth,
and together, at last,
this old evil, will be beat."
(* Voldemort means "Flight of Death" in Latin)
And then, Trelawny let out a gasp, and fainted onto the floor. McGonnagle just stared, and weakly wrote down the prophecy, and quickly stumbled out of the room, rushing towards Albus's office.
Chapter I
Letters of the Unexpected Sort
Annie Dursley's life was a pretty strait-forward and boring one. Annie was an okay student, she got good grades, not good enough to be mentioned, but not bad enough to be mentioned, either. She was much like her mother and father in that aspect, of the norm. She wasn't even that great at sports, though she was so-so at football (soccer in the U.S.), but she never really felt like she enjoyed it. Annie played football rather because it was something to do, not because she liked it. Annie didn't have any ambitions, or really, any logical ones. She told parents that her dream was to fly, but they always thought she meant by plane. They were very narrow minded, and couldn't grasp Annie's want to fly, without aid. The closest poor Annie ever got to flying was riding her 7-speed bike, zooming across the parking lot by her house, no hands, her arms out, her jacket and hair streaming behind her. In fact, she was doing just this the very day that something very un-ordinary about Annie was revealed.
When Annie got home, the first thing she noticed was that her mum, Anita, who is brown haired and dumpy, was not lecturing her about forgetting her helmet again, rather, she was sitting on the coach, holding something in her hand, staring. Her dad, Dudley, was sitting next to her, his chubby face purple, and, the oddest thing of all, there was an owl in the house. A great, big brown owl! Annie's mouth dropped.
"Wha-what?" Annie's mum looked up, angry.
"Stupid trick! I never, I declare, its just rude, to think! TO THINK!" and she tossed the piece of paper on the floor and stormed out of the room, huffing. Her father stared at her.
"Wha-what did I do? And, and the bird, great Scott's, where did you get him! Oh daddy!" One of Annie's favorite animals were birds, and it had been a heart break for her, when, for her birthday, my parents had gotten her a turtle, who was boring and never came out of his shell. She preferred fuzzy or feathered creatures, something active.
"Oh Daddy! Thank you! An owl, for me!?! Oh Da-" He interrupted Annie.
"Not yours." He said tersely "Smarmy thing, look at it, getting your mother upset. No, its not for you, delivered, this, this, childish prank." and he picked up the piece of paper from the ground and handed it to the stunned Annie.
"Ruddy ridiculous, if you ask me, poppycock. Just like with Harry, stupid, stupid boy! Cursed we are!" The paper was yellow, on the outside, there was a seal of a shield, with a snake, and lion, a groundhog or something and a bird on it. Annie opened it quickly, and it read-
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, first class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss Dursley,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted a Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonaggle
Minerva McGonnagle
Deputy Headmistress
"Your not serious!" Annie breathed in an excited whisper "Oh daddy, do you think?" her father looked disgusted.
"Come girl! I can't believe you, load of rubbish! And you, falling for it, I've raised a fool of a daughter." Annie gasped as her father grabbed the envelope from her hands and hurled it into the fireplace, which was not burning. Her father grunted, realizing what he'd done, reached in, pulled it out, and ripped it into little pieces and threw them out the window. The owl went out after the pieces of paper.
"Oh Da! Be careful with him! You heard what it said, "we await your owl by no later then June 31!" and now you've gone and thrown the owl in the area out the window, and I wont get go-"
"We will speak no more of this!" Her father glared at her. "It never happened, come to dinner."
"But Da!" she cried.
"It never happened." he said softly and dangerously, his face green this time.
Annie couldn't believe it, she was magic! She would get to learn how do magical things. She would get a wand, and, a broom, oh a broom! She would be able to fly! Mum and Dad would be proud of me then, if I flew in loop-de-loops, and-oh no. That's right, it "never happened."
Dejected, Annie turned towards the kitchen where dinner was being served, her mind working overtime. But, she thought, I shouldn't be sad, I will go to that school, mum and dad can't stop me, I'm magic! She smiled, she would find a way to talk to these magic people, and they could help her escape! Annie entered the kitchen smiling brightly. Her parents smiled nervously at each other, they knew she'd come around.
~
"Buuurp! Ha that one was louder!" Ryan jeered into Kara's face.
"Twasn't!" she yelled "Mine was louder by far!"
"Twasn't" he said back to her in a false falsetto "Mine was louder by far!" he tittered, resembling their older sister Margaret, not Kara in the least, which was his objective.
"You suck Ryan!" Kara retorted. Ryan smiled infuriatingly back. Kara never seemed to be able to pierce his armor, he was always cool like a cucumber. He never got so mad that he couldn't see strait and then did something stupid, like Kara, who did it often. It wasn't fair, the way Ryan could egg her on.
Kara glared at him, anger welling up inside. She felt it red hot, wishing she could smack him, but knowing she would get in trouble if she did. Ryan laughed.
"Trying to burn a hole in my head, weirdo? Ha ha! I-aah!" The window next to Ryan exploded, showering him and Kara with glass.
Kara gasped, Did I? What? Ryan got back up from under the table, he stuck his head out the now-not-there window.
"Musta been a rock." He muttered, "cool, mums gonna have such a fit!" and he skipped out of the room. Kara stared, and then let out a squeak as a large owl soared in through the broken window.
"Ryan! Come look! It's a owl!"
"I won't," he called from the living room. "You are lying, owls don't come out during the day!"
"Ryan! I promise, if I lie you get all my money!" Ryan bounded in, Kara had a lot of money, seeing as she never had anything to spend her allowance on.
"Wow, it is! What's it got on its leg." Kara pulled off a envelope of yellow thick paper. On the front there was some seal, with a shield that had a lion, a raven, a skunk or a badger, and a green snake.
"Wow," she whispered "Look, Ryan it says my name! Miss Kara Andrews, 318, Barloe road, Cokeworth!" she ripped it open, holding it away from Ryan, who was trying to grab it. She read it out loud.
"'Dear Miss Andrews..." Kara and Ryan's eyes grew respectably bigger and bigger as she read further on, into the supplies list.
"A wand! Ryan I get a wand, and a telescope, and, oh Ryan, this is so cool!" Kara, delirious with happiness, didn't notice Ryan was scowling. He grabbed the paper from her.
"You read it wrong," he said, "its got to be for me, you can't be magic." Kara grabbed it back.
"Is to mine! Look "Dear Miss Andrews". Your no miss, Ryan." she giggled and did a little dance.
"You're not either! Look at you!" But nothing could bug Kara now, she was too happy.
When Kara's parents got home, she and Ryan rushed to tell them about the letter and the owl, who was eating bran flakes in the kitchen, broken window forgotten. Immediately Kara's mum's eyes lit up.
"Oh Kara sweetie! I'm so proud, I'm so proud, I had this feeling that you'd be the one!" Her dad smiled down at her. Her mom continued on about how she just knew it and how she was so proud and how Kara was going to have so much fun! Kara was bewildered, her parents knew?
"You knew? What? Are you guys, magic?" she stared at her parents, her dad laughed.
"Nah, your dads just as regular as the rest, but your mum here, well she's just weird." He wiggled his eyebrows up and down and kissed their mother on the cheek.
"Jim! Honey, as your father is trying to say is, yes, I am magic, I'm a witch." Kara gasped. Her mom? Her plain as the next door lady, boring as mud, read-aholic, totally normal average Jane (Which wasn't her name, it was actually Hermione, but that doesn't matter) mom, was a witch?!
"Your not!" she gasped "I've never seen you do magic!" And then on an impulse "Show me!"
Her mom smiled.
"Alright, I just have to go get my wand, it's been so long sense I used it last!" and she skipped joyfully up the stairs. Ryan and Kara stared. Their mom skipped? Their mom did magic?
They entered the kitchen, and almost slipped in the glass.
"Uh oh, what happened here?" asked their father getting out a broom.
"I broke it."
"Rock right through the window." Both Ryan and Kara answered at the same time. Their father looked at them.
"Well which one is it?" he asked.
Ryan stared. "You broke it? How?" Her mother entered the room.
"Oh dear, what happened here?"
"Kara broke it."
"Not on purpose!" her mother frowned,
"Tell me."
"Well, see, Ryan was teasing me and I got really, really mad, and just when I got so mad I thought I was going to burst, the window did." Her mother stared.
"Magic!" she said triumphantly. "That's one thing they'll teach you at Hogwarts, how to control your anger. Repario!" The shards of glass flew from the ground and into the window frame, leaving it as it was before Kara had broken it. The stood, awed. They were still digesting the fact that their mother was a witch, and that Kara was too. Suddenly, Kara turned to her brother, they smiled a very evil smile at each other and said in unison:
"Oh, Maaaaaaargaret!" and bound up the stairs, leaving their ecstatic parents along, looking at the letter.
***
Brandon Weasley-Brown sighed and looked out the window. It switched from the view of a lush green tree, to where, in the background, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Dean were de-gnoming the garden together. He stuck his tongue out in disgust and hope fervently that window would change soon, Auntie Ginny and Uncle Dean were getting mushy and smoochy again.
Brandon sighed again. It was tough, all his relatives around for his dad's birthday, some lady with bushy brown hair came up that walk, his dad had hugged her, they appeared to be old friends. Uncle Harry, who wasn't even related to him, was also hugging her. So, Brandon thought that's Hermione Granger I'll be, Brandon recognized her from his fathers photo album. Along with Aunt Ginny, and Uncle Dean, there was Uncle Harry and Seamus (who also wasn't related to Brandon), Uncle Fred and his wife Rebecca, Uncle George who was still not married, stuffy Uncle Percy and his wife, Penelope, who was nothing like Uncle Percy, and was Brandon's favorite, Uncle Bill and his wife Bethany, and Uncle Charlie, as well as Grandma and Grandpa Weasly.
Brandon sighed for what seemed to be the fiftieth time. I was hard, knowing that he had the power to wreck his dad's birthday, and he knew he would. Oh no, he wasn't worried about impressing the guests, most of them he'd already met, but it was the fact that today, on the calendar, was circled in red pen for two reasons, reason number 1: Dad's birthday, reason number 2: Hogwarts acceptance letter arrives today.
It was just the right scenario for his mum to come in and pat him on the back and say "It's alright dear, don't worry about it, we will always love you." He thought wryly. Fact was, Brandon wasn't so sure they would still love him. Every single person crammed into this house was a witch or wizard, it was down-right depressing. Brandon was sure he wouldn't get a letter, after all, he'd never shown any magical talent before. Nothing blew up when he was mad, he couldn't get his dad's wand to do anything, or his mum's, and his Uncle Harry's old Firebolt always bucked him off and refused to let him ride it.
His parents despaired of him, Brandon despaired of him. Brandon sighed, Might as well go down there, they are expecting me, the party wrecker. He descended the stairs. Uncle George was the first one to notice him on the stairs.
"Aha! There he is, we were just talking about him, weren't we?" he said, grinning.
"Oh, yes" his mother said, from her chair "I was telling them about the time you pulled off Santa's beard and would let him have it back!" all the adults laughed.
"Mum! That's positively ancient! You need a better story." The bushy haired lady stood up and walked over to him and offered her hand.
"Hello, my name is Hermione Andrews, I was you fathers friend ("More like permanent stitch in the side." "Shush!") at Hogwarts." she turned to his father again excitedly.
"Did I tell you-"
"About that new book you're reading? Thank Go, no." Uncle Harry interrupted. Hermione glared.
"As I was saying, today Kara, you know, my youngest, blew up the window, her uncontrolled anger just fueled her powers, I'm so excited!"
"Who would have thought," Uncle Seamus cut in "That Auntie Hermione would approve up blowing things up in the end."
"Yea," said Uncle Fred "Heaven knows she was upset whenever we did it, what's your kid got that we haven't?" He laughed. Brandon shifted his weight, the conversation was getting to the subject that he least liked being brought up.
"We got the Hogwarts acceptance letter today, through the broken window, she was so excited, I am just thrilled!." Ron and Lavender both glanced at Brandon, he had gone from red to white, and was trying to make his way up the stairs without being noticed. Why does a half-blood get accepted, when I'm a pureblood and I don't, its not fair! Brandon didn't have anything against half-bloods, or muggle-borns, but all he could think about was that he hadn't gotten a letter. Lavender made a move to stand up, but was distracted by a tap-tap-tapping on the window.
Everyone stopped talking, Aunt Penelope, who was closest to the window, opened it and took a envelope of it leg. She read the address,
"Brandon, dear, its for you, from Hogwarts." Brandon heard his mother sigh, he ripped it open and skimmed the page, checking it many times to make sure it didn't say-"Dear sir, we are sorry, but you have not been accepted, you are not magic, and are the black sheep of the family, the disgrace." but it didn't.
"I'm in." He whispered. He looked up, His dad gave his mom and big kiss. Aunt Penelope, hugged him.
"Good job, dear, I knew you would!" He looked at her
"Did you really?" He asked.
"Yes. Have some cake." and he was happy to oblige.
***
Steven pulled his nose out of his book long enough to glance at his mother, who was staring out the window wringing her hands muttering-
"Please, oh please, oh please come." He sighed, took off his glasses and marked his book.
"Mum, what are you going on about?" He asked, it was just getting to the good part of his book, and he didn't like being interrupted. His mum glanced at him, and then shook her head.
"Your poor father, Neville will blame himself for this, he will, don't you doubt it for a moment!"
"Blame himself for what, mum?" She didn't answer, just kept wringing her hands. They sat like that for two hours, Steven reading and his mother, Hannah, staring out the window, until Steven's father came home from work. Steven didn't know exactly what his father did for work, all he ever said was "Paper work" and when Steven asked where the building was, his father always said "The other side of this town" and winked knowingly at Steven's mother, who smiled a secret smile.
"Well, any mail today?" He asked, giving his wife a kiss. Hannah Longbottom looked down.
"No, dear." His father's smile deflated.
"No? I should have know, it's all my fault."
"What's your fault, dad?" Steven interjected, this was weird, where his parents speaking in code? "It's because I'm good as a squib." Neville muttered.
"A WHAT?" Steven yelled, to get their attention, but it didn't work.
"It is not!" His mother said, "You know it's not true, you are not a squib, look what you've accomplished!" Steven was getting a bit peeved. He was used to knowing practically everything about, well, everything, and this new term squib, was something he knew nothing about.
"What. Is. A. SQUIB!" He yelled, this is getting ridiculous, he thought, as his fretting parents ignored him. He stood on his chair, yelling and waving his arms frantically, trying to get his parents attention. He accidentally tipped over the chair when his movements became too large, and he toppled off.
His parents were immediately around him, asking him if he was all right.
"Yes," he said "and no. What is a squib?" His father turned red.
"Nothing you need to know about, son." he said, helping Steven up.
"Why not? And what was mum waiting for?" he asked, what are they keeping from me? He wondered.
"That."
"Nothing son, nothing at all, forget it. What did you say, dearest?"
"That. That is what I've been waiting for." Steven stared at his parents. Were they going mad? His father, whipped his head around, and to Steven and his great surprise, a owl was sitting on the window ledge outside, preening. Steven gapped, Owls don't come out during the day, its unnatural, they are nocturnal animals, and thus they cannot- and he proceeded to state as much while his father kissed his mother and proceeded to open the window. The owl flew in and dropped an envelope to Stevens feet.
"A messenger owl? How on earth? Who would be? Mum? Da? What are you two smiling about?"
"The letter will explain best." His parents grinned like maniacs at him. He slowly picked the envelope up and opened it.
"No way." he said, for once, lack of words. His mum started sniffling, and his father couldn't stop grinning.
"Yes sir. Steven, your mother and I went there and now you will." Steven stared incredulously.
"This is a joke, right?" His father shook his head, and headed towards the mantel above the fireplace, where, to Steven's amazement he pulled two sticks out of the woodwork, or so it seemed. He handed one to Steven's mother, who started to laugh and cry at the same time. His father aimed his wand at Steven and uttered a word, most decidedly Latin, Steven decided, and little purple butterflies came out of its tip, or so it seemed. The swirled around the room and eventually flew out the window.
"Wow." Steven stared, his mum and dad were, magic? But this made no sense! And so this chapter ends with one determined, one excited, one Thank full, and one dumbfounded child, sitting at home, wondering.
Minerva sighed again. How she had gotten stuck with Professor Trelawny, she had no idea. when she had gotten up from the breakfast table, announcing that she was off to address the acceptance letters, the Trelawny fraud and jumped up and exclaimed that she would come also. Trelawny had started coming down to meals lately, for some reason. For the first time in ages, Minerva and Severus were in agreement, they both couldn't wait for her to retreat to her loft in the tower.
But Professor Trelawny insisted that she felt a premonition coming, and she knew it had something to do with the new student this year. So far, she had managed to upset ink all over the desk, and nock all of the lists of names onto the ground, and when they had been so neatly alphabetized! Now they were both on the floor, scrambling around gathering up the papers. Minerva read the names on the paper in her hand, and smiled. It seemed she would never be rid of the Weasleys, another one was coming this year, too. She stood up and brushed herself off, and then stared at Professor Trelawny, who was squating on the floor, squinting at a page of the list.
"What-" Minerva had started to ask, when Trelawny sat on the ground with a plop, and closed her eyes, holding the parchment to her chest, rocking back and forth. Minerva rolled her eyes. Not again. she thought, but before she cold voice her opinions, Professor Trelawny began to speak.
"Thirty years, after the Babe Beat the Beast,
our four founders shall defeat the old evil.
They shall bestow their talents,
upon four young people."
"Rowena, smart steady and true,
Godric strong, brave and willful
Salazar, serious, ingenious and proud,
Helga caring, strong, and powerful."
"These gifts they give,
but beware,
for more is different of these four,
four more dissimilar is rare."
"Crafty the first four are,
disguised will be their powers.
Helga's powers shall not go to a girl,
Salazar's not to a dark boy who glowers."
"When these four meet,
to destroy the infamous evil,
they shall forever
rid the Flight of Death* from their people."
"Teachers must teach them well,
prepare them all the way.
If they do their job wrong,
the world will have lost its saving day."
"These four children shall be offspring
of the Babe Who Beat the Beast,
three friends, and one enemy."
"They will be melded together,
by the token of truth,
and together, at last,
this old evil, will be beat."
(* Voldemort means "Flight of Death" in Latin)
And then, Trelawny let out a gasp, and fainted onto the floor. McGonnagle just stared, and weakly wrote down the prophecy, and quickly stumbled out of the room, rushing towards Albus's office.
Chapter I
Letters of the Unexpected Sort
Annie Dursley's life was a pretty strait-forward and boring one. Annie was an okay student, she got good grades, not good enough to be mentioned, but not bad enough to be mentioned, either. She was much like her mother and father in that aspect, of the norm. She wasn't even that great at sports, though she was so-so at football (soccer in the U.S.), but she never really felt like she enjoyed it. Annie played football rather because it was something to do, not because she liked it. Annie didn't have any ambitions, or really, any logical ones. She told parents that her dream was to fly, but they always thought she meant by plane. They were very narrow minded, and couldn't grasp Annie's want to fly, without aid. The closest poor Annie ever got to flying was riding her 7-speed bike, zooming across the parking lot by her house, no hands, her arms out, her jacket and hair streaming behind her. In fact, she was doing just this the very day that something very un-ordinary about Annie was revealed.
When Annie got home, the first thing she noticed was that her mum, Anita, who is brown haired and dumpy, was not lecturing her about forgetting her helmet again, rather, she was sitting on the coach, holding something in her hand, staring. Her dad, Dudley, was sitting next to her, his chubby face purple, and, the oddest thing of all, there was an owl in the house. A great, big brown owl! Annie's mouth dropped.
"Wha-what?" Annie's mum looked up, angry.
"Stupid trick! I never, I declare, its just rude, to think! TO THINK!" and she tossed the piece of paper on the floor and stormed out of the room, huffing. Her father stared at her.
"Wha-what did I do? And, and the bird, great Scott's, where did you get him! Oh daddy!" One of Annie's favorite animals were birds, and it had been a heart break for her, when, for her birthday, my parents had gotten her a turtle, who was boring and never came out of his shell. She preferred fuzzy or feathered creatures, something active.
"Oh Daddy! Thank you! An owl, for me!?! Oh Da-" He interrupted Annie.
"Not yours." He said tersely "Smarmy thing, look at it, getting your mother upset. No, its not for you, delivered, this, this, childish prank." and he picked up the piece of paper from the ground and handed it to the stunned Annie.
"Ruddy ridiculous, if you ask me, poppycock. Just like with Harry, stupid, stupid boy! Cursed we are!" The paper was yellow, on the outside, there was a seal of a shield, with a snake, and lion, a groundhog or something and a bird on it. Annie opened it quickly, and it read-
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, first class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss Dursley,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted a Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonaggle
Minerva McGonnagle
Deputy Headmistress
"Your not serious!" Annie breathed in an excited whisper "Oh daddy, do you think?" her father looked disgusted.
"Come girl! I can't believe you, load of rubbish! And you, falling for it, I've raised a fool of a daughter." Annie gasped as her father grabbed the envelope from her hands and hurled it into the fireplace, which was not burning. Her father grunted, realizing what he'd done, reached in, pulled it out, and ripped it into little pieces and threw them out the window. The owl went out after the pieces of paper.
"Oh Da! Be careful with him! You heard what it said, "we await your owl by no later then June 31!" and now you've gone and thrown the owl in the area out the window, and I wont get go-"
"We will speak no more of this!" Her father glared at her. "It never happened, come to dinner."
"But Da!" she cried.
"It never happened." he said softly and dangerously, his face green this time.
Annie couldn't believe it, she was magic! She would get to learn how do magical things. She would get a wand, and, a broom, oh a broom! She would be able to fly! Mum and Dad would be proud of me then, if I flew in loop-de-loops, and-oh no. That's right, it "never happened."
Dejected, Annie turned towards the kitchen where dinner was being served, her mind working overtime. But, she thought, I shouldn't be sad, I will go to that school, mum and dad can't stop me, I'm magic! She smiled, she would find a way to talk to these magic people, and they could help her escape! Annie entered the kitchen smiling brightly. Her parents smiled nervously at each other, they knew she'd come around.
~
"Buuurp! Ha that one was louder!" Ryan jeered into Kara's face.
"Twasn't!" she yelled "Mine was louder by far!"
"Twasn't" he said back to her in a false falsetto "Mine was louder by far!" he tittered, resembling their older sister Margaret, not Kara in the least, which was his objective.
"You suck Ryan!" Kara retorted. Ryan smiled infuriatingly back. Kara never seemed to be able to pierce his armor, he was always cool like a cucumber. He never got so mad that he couldn't see strait and then did something stupid, like Kara, who did it often. It wasn't fair, the way Ryan could egg her on.
Kara glared at him, anger welling up inside. She felt it red hot, wishing she could smack him, but knowing she would get in trouble if she did. Ryan laughed.
"Trying to burn a hole in my head, weirdo? Ha ha! I-aah!" The window next to Ryan exploded, showering him and Kara with glass.
Kara gasped, Did I? What? Ryan got back up from under the table, he stuck his head out the now-not-there window.
"Musta been a rock." He muttered, "cool, mums gonna have such a fit!" and he skipped out of the room. Kara stared, and then let out a squeak as a large owl soared in through the broken window.
"Ryan! Come look! It's a owl!"
"I won't," he called from the living room. "You are lying, owls don't come out during the day!"
"Ryan! I promise, if I lie you get all my money!" Ryan bounded in, Kara had a lot of money, seeing as she never had anything to spend her allowance on.
"Wow, it is! What's it got on its leg." Kara pulled off a envelope of yellow thick paper. On the front there was some seal, with a shield that had a lion, a raven, a skunk or a badger, and a green snake.
"Wow," she whispered "Look, Ryan it says my name! Miss Kara Andrews, 318, Barloe road, Cokeworth!" she ripped it open, holding it away from Ryan, who was trying to grab it. She read it out loud.
"'Dear Miss Andrews..." Kara and Ryan's eyes grew respectably bigger and bigger as she read further on, into the supplies list.
"A wand! Ryan I get a wand, and a telescope, and, oh Ryan, this is so cool!" Kara, delirious with happiness, didn't notice Ryan was scowling. He grabbed the paper from her.
"You read it wrong," he said, "its got to be for me, you can't be magic." Kara grabbed it back.
"Is to mine! Look "Dear Miss Andrews". Your no miss, Ryan." she giggled and did a little dance.
"You're not either! Look at you!" But nothing could bug Kara now, she was too happy.
When Kara's parents got home, she and Ryan rushed to tell them about the letter and the owl, who was eating bran flakes in the kitchen, broken window forgotten. Immediately Kara's mum's eyes lit up.
"Oh Kara sweetie! I'm so proud, I'm so proud, I had this feeling that you'd be the one!" Her dad smiled down at her. Her mom continued on about how she just knew it and how she was so proud and how Kara was going to have so much fun! Kara was bewildered, her parents knew?
"You knew? What? Are you guys, magic?" she stared at her parents, her dad laughed.
"Nah, your dads just as regular as the rest, but your mum here, well she's just weird." He wiggled his eyebrows up and down and kissed their mother on the cheek.
"Jim! Honey, as your father is trying to say is, yes, I am magic, I'm a witch." Kara gasped. Her mom? Her plain as the next door lady, boring as mud, read-aholic, totally normal average Jane (Which wasn't her name, it was actually Hermione, but that doesn't matter) mom, was a witch?!
"Your not!" she gasped "I've never seen you do magic!" And then on an impulse "Show me!"
Her mom smiled.
"Alright, I just have to go get my wand, it's been so long sense I used it last!" and she skipped joyfully up the stairs. Ryan and Kara stared. Their mom skipped? Their mom did magic?
They entered the kitchen, and almost slipped in the glass.
"Uh oh, what happened here?" asked their father getting out a broom.
"I broke it."
"Rock right through the window." Both Ryan and Kara answered at the same time. Their father looked at them.
"Well which one is it?" he asked.
Ryan stared. "You broke it? How?" Her mother entered the room.
"Oh dear, what happened here?"
"Kara broke it."
"Not on purpose!" her mother frowned,
"Tell me."
"Well, see, Ryan was teasing me and I got really, really mad, and just when I got so mad I thought I was going to burst, the window did." Her mother stared.
"Magic!" she said triumphantly. "That's one thing they'll teach you at Hogwarts, how to control your anger. Repario!" The shards of glass flew from the ground and into the window frame, leaving it as it was before Kara had broken it. The stood, awed. They were still digesting the fact that their mother was a witch, and that Kara was too. Suddenly, Kara turned to her brother, they smiled a very evil smile at each other and said in unison:
"Oh, Maaaaaaargaret!" and bound up the stairs, leaving their ecstatic parents along, looking at the letter.
***
Brandon Weasley-Brown sighed and looked out the window. It switched from the view of a lush green tree, to where, in the background, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Dean were de-gnoming the garden together. He stuck his tongue out in disgust and hope fervently that window would change soon, Auntie Ginny and Uncle Dean were getting mushy and smoochy again.
Brandon sighed again. It was tough, all his relatives around for his dad's birthday, some lady with bushy brown hair came up that walk, his dad had hugged her, they appeared to be old friends. Uncle Harry, who wasn't even related to him, was also hugging her. So, Brandon thought that's Hermione Granger I'll be, Brandon recognized her from his fathers photo album. Along with Aunt Ginny, and Uncle Dean, there was Uncle Harry and Seamus (who also wasn't related to Brandon), Uncle Fred and his wife Rebecca, Uncle George who was still not married, stuffy Uncle Percy and his wife, Penelope, who was nothing like Uncle Percy, and was Brandon's favorite, Uncle Bill and his wife Bethany, and Uncle Charlie, as well as Grandma and Grandpa Weasly.
Brandon sighed for what seemed to be the fiftieth time. I was hard, knowing that he had the power to wreck his dad's birthday, and he knew he would. Oh no, he wasn't worried about impressing the guests, most of them he'd already met, but it was the fact that today, on the calendar, was circled in red pen for two reasons, reason number 1: Dad's birthday, reason number 2: Hogwarts acceptance letter arrives today.
It was just the right scenario for his mum to come in and pat him on the back and say "It's alright dear, don't worry about it, we will always love you." He thought wryly. Fact was, Brandon wasn't so sure they would still love him. Every single person crammed into this house was a witch or wizard, it was down-right depressing. Brandon was sure he wouldn't get a letter, after all, he'd never shown any magical talent before. Nothing blew up when he was mad, he couldn't get his dad's wand to do anything, or his mum's, and his Uncle Harry's old Firebolt always bucked him off and refused to let him ride it.
His parents despaired of him, Brandon despaired of him. Brandon sighed, Might as well go down there, they are expecting me, the party wrecker. He descended the stairs. Uncle George was the first one to notice him on the stairs.
"Aha! There he is, we were just talking about him, weren't we?" he said, grinning.
"Oh, yes" his mother said, from her chair "I was telling them about the time you pulled off Santa's beard and would let him have it back!" all the adults laughed.
"Mum! That's positively ancient! You need a better story." The bushy haired lady stood up and walked over to him and offered her hand.
"Hello, my name is Hermione Andrews, I was you fathers friend ("More like permanent stitch in the side." "Shush!") at Hogwarts." she turned to his father again excitedly.
"Did I tell you-"
"About that new book you're reading? Thank Go, no." Uncle Harry interrupted. Hermione glared.
"As I was saying, today Kara, you know, my youngest, blew up the window, her uncontrolled anger just fueled her powers, I'm so excited!"
"Who would have thought," Uncle Seamus cut in "That Auntie Hermione would approve up blowing things up in the end."
"Yea," said Uncle Fred "Heaven knows she was upset whenever we did it, what's your kid got that we haven't?" He laughed. Brandon shifted his weight, the conversation was getting to the subject that he least liked being brought up.
"We got the Hogwarts acceptance letter today, through the broken window, she was so excited, I am just thrilled!." Ron and Lavender both glanced at Brandon, he had gone from red to white, and was trying to make his way up the stairs without being noticed. Why does a half-blood get accepted, when I'm a pureblood and I don't, its not fair! Brandon didn't have anything against half-bloods, or muggle-borns, but all he could think about was that he hadn't gotten a letter. Lavender made a move to stand up, but was distracted by a tap-tap-tapping on the window.
Everyone stopped talking, Aunt Penelope, who was closest to the window, opened it and took a envelope of it leg. She read the address,
"Brandon, dear, its for you, from Hogwarts." Brandon heard his mother sigh, he ripped it open and skimmed the page, checking it many times to make sure it didn't say-"Dear sir, we are sorry, but you have not been accepted, you are not magic, and are the black sheep of the family, the disgrace." but it didn't.
"I'm in." He whispered. He looked up, His dad gave his mom and big kiss. Aunt Penelope, hugged him.
"Good job, dear, I knew you would!" He looked at her
"Did you really?" He asked.
"Yes. Have some cake." and he was happy to oblige.
***
Steven pulled his nose out of his book long enough to glance at his mother, who was staring out the window wringing her hands muttering-
"Please, oh please, oh please come." He sighed, took off his glasses and marked his book.
"Mum, what are you going on about?" He asked, it was just getting to the good part of his book, and he didn't like being interrupted. His mum glanced at him, and then shook her head.
"Your poor father, Neville will blame himself for this, he will, don't you doubt it for a moment!"
"Blame himself for what, mum?" She didn't answer, just kept wringing her hands. They sat like that for two hours, Steven reading and his mother, Hannah, staring out the window, until Steven's father came home from work. Steven didn't know exactly what his father did for work, all he ever said was "Paper work" and when Steven asked where the building was, his father always said "The other side of this town" and winked knowingly at Steven's mother, who smiled a secret smile.
"Well, any mail today?" He asked, giving his wife a kiss. Hannah Longbottom looked down.
"No, dear." His father's smile deflated.
"No? I should have know, it's all my fault."
"What's your fault, dad?" Steven interjected, this was weird, where his parents speaking in code? "It's because I'm good as a squib." Neville muttered.
"A WHAT?" Steven yelled, to get their attention, but it didn't work.
"It is not!" His mother said, "You know it's not true, you are not a squib, look what you've accomplished!" Steven was getting a bit peeved. He was used to knowing practically everything about, well, everything, and this new term squib, was something he knew nothing about.
"What. Is. A. SQUIB!" He yelled, this is getting ridiculous, he thought, as his fretting parents ignored him. He stood on his chair, yelling and waving his arms frantically, trying to get his parents attention. He accidentally tipped over the chair when his movements became too large, and he toppled off.
His parents were immediately around him, asking him if he was all right.
"Yes," he said "and no. What is a squib?" His father turned red.
"Nothing you need to know about, son." he said, helping Steven up.
"Why not? And what was mum waiting for?" he asked, what are they keeping from me? He wondered.
"That."
"Nothing son, nothing at all, forget it. What did you say, dearest?"
"That. That is what I've been waiting for." Steven stared at his parents. Were they going mad? His father, whipped his head around, and to Steven and his great surprise, a owl was sitting on the window ledge outside, preening. Steven gapped, Owls don't come out during the day, its unnatural, they are nocturnal animals, and thus they cannot- and he proceeded to state as much while his father kissed his mother and proceeded to open the window. The owl flew in and dropped an envelope to Stevens feet.
"A messenger owl? How on earth? Who would be? Mum? Da? What are you two smiling about?"
"The letter will explain best." His parents grinned like maniacs at him. He slowly picked the envelope up and opened it.
"No way." he said, for once, lack of words. His mum started sniffling, and his father couldn't stop grinning.
"Yes sir. Steven, your mother and I went there and now you will." Steven stared incredulously.
"This is a joke, right?" His father shook his head, and headed towards the mantel above the fireplace, where, to Steven's amazement he pulled two sticks out of the woodwork, or so it seemed. He handed one to Steven's mother, who started to laugh and cry at the same time. His father aimed his wand at Steven and uttered a word, most decidedly Latin, Steven decided, and little purple butterflies came out of its tip, or so it seemed. The swirled around the room and eventually flew out the window.
"Wow." Steven stared, his mum and dad were, magic? But this made no sense! And so this chapter ends with one determined, one excited, one Thank full, and one dumbfounded child, sitting at home, wondering.