Jasmine Jones and The Secret of Salem

Chapter 1

The Letter

"JASMINE!"

I sat up in my bed startled as I heard my name being called from the kitchen below.

"Jasmine! Get up!"

I slid my legs off the bed and slipped my slippers on and got up, yawning, and walked to my dresser. I looking into the mirror and saw my hair all poofed up. I yawned again and opened my bedroom door

"Watch out!"

I jumped back as a bludger came flying past my head.

"Jack! How many times have I told you to not play with Jenifer's Quidditch set!" I yelled as my younger brother flew past my bedroom door on a Nimbus 2001.

I Headed down to find my sister, Jenifer, looking through her new Potions kit. Her long brown hair down to her shoulders, with her skinny yet strong body. I looked past her to see my mom making scrambled eggs over the stove. Her short red hair in a bun and her thin and short body making her way back and forth between the stove and Jenifer. I glanced around the corner at my dad, reading the muggle newspaper and the Plymouth Profit. I walked and sat across from him, his short black hair and glasses, almost glued to the newspaper. Her muscular build taking up so much room, the chair could break.

"Ah, Jasmine, your awake" mom had said as I reached for the Profit. "Eat dear"

She whisked up her wand and levitated a plate of Eggs and bacon over to me. A fork following right behind. I grabbed the fork and plate and set it on the table eating up as a glass of Butterbeer floated by. I grabbed it and drank some down.

"Slow it down Jasmine" My dads calm voice echoed out of the paper

"So anything important in the muggle world?" I replied, glancing at the profit

"Nope, just some economic reports and some sports. New Minister in the profit though." He replied back, not really interested.

My dad, who is a muggle, was never really interested in my mothers world, the magic world. He usually tends to ignore it all, or at least most of it.

I finished up my Breakfast when a rasp at the window was heard. I looked over and an Owl carrying two letters was sitting on the window sill. My mother opened the window and took the two letters, and the Owl flew off.

"Ah, Jenifer's 5th year letter, and….your acceptance letter! Oh Jenifer!" My heart jumped when my mother had said those words. I was finally accepted to Salem! I jumped out of my seat and ran across the room and snatched the letter from her hands. I tore it open and read:

Salem Academy for Witches and Wizards

Headmistress Aurora Altor

Dear Jenifer Jones,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Salem Academy for Witches and Wizards. Please find the enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins September 2nd, we await your reply no later than July 31st.

Yours sincerely,

Austin Acton

Deputy Headmaster of Salem

I reread the letter over and over again. Jenifer had already passed by and read her 5th year letter, and shrieked me out of my reading trance when she had found a gold P metal in her letter. She was obviously made prefect. With her being made prefect and with mom sobbing over both of us, Dad had gotten up and left for work, a salesman, what a muggle job it was. Jack had zoomed in with Jenifer's Quidditch set and was immediately whisked off by mom who repacked the set into a chest.

"Well head off to Plymouth Alley later today to get your things" Mom had cried "Gringotts, then Flourish and Blotts then other stores. Even stop by the Ministry to see the New Ministers Speech."

After a few hours, Mom had whisked some floo powder into the fireplace and one by one, we all went in, ending up at Hollybacks Tea Shop, Moms favorite place. She bought some cookies for Jack, who still had three years before he could attend Salem, and we walked off to Gringotts, the Goblin bank.

We found a pearly white building at the end of Plymouth Alley and walked in. It was a small building, of course the main bank in London would be much bigger since this was just an extension building. We walked up to the Goblin at the main desk, showed him our keys and wands, and walked down into the cavern below. We arrived at 111, a number chosen my Grandma, and walked in to our small fortune.

After leaving Gringotts and slipping down the crowded alley, and mom letting Jenifer walk off with her school friends to buy her own things, we arrived at Flourish and Blotts to buy my beginner books.

"What's on the list my Dear?" Said a young man who had walked up to us, obviously spotting the fresh meat to Salem.

" Well we have.." I paused to look at the list "Standard Book of spells Grade 1 By Miranda Goshhawk, A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot…"

I didn't even finish when he arrived with all the books.

"I've worked here enough years to know what all the First years need" he smiled as he handed my mom all the books. As she paid for them I walked out, thinking of what I should go get next.

"Jasmine? Hey!"

I turned around to see Holly Heepers running from Drays Wand shop.

"Holly!" I screamed as we ran at each other and hugged

"You got it! So did I!" She screamed back.

My Best friend was standing before me and I had an acceptance letter. Could this day get any better? She stood before me with her long brown hair to her back and her green eyes sparkling like a starry night. She was tall like me, yet her figure was a bit more like Jenifer's, all thin. Myself, well I had a bit of muscle on me with a bit of dark brown hair, but I wasn't complaining.

We took off, with both of our moms talking behind us, to other shops to buy our equipment. We eventually arrived at DiDi's Owl Emporium. My Mother had bought me my own pitch black owl, who I named Knighty, and then to Drays Wand Shop. Holly ran off to Flourish and Blotts while I entered with my Mother and Jack. A tall, old, thin man walked out, his black skin oily from the hot air that resided in the shop, with his black hair braided into a Jamaican style.

"Hello, Hello, Welcome to Drays how may I help you?" Said the man.

"Jasmine here would like to buy her first wand" squawked my mom excitedly.

"Ah, a First Year" He smiled down at me "Well Jasmine, as an old wizard once said, The wand chooses the Wizard. Have a look around, and when you hear the wand fit for you call out, seek it out, for it shall find you."

He smiled as he talked prices with my mother. I strolled around the long corridors of shelves with wands, with Jack at my side. After passing shelf after shelf, I heard a faint rumbling. I followed the sound like Dray had said, and ended up at a gate. As I pushed to open it, it would push back, locking it self into place.

"Mr. Dray sir!" I called out, not wanting to loose this spot from my memory

Dray had appeared around a corner in a heartbeat "Yes?"

"I think my wand is back there, yet this gate isn't letting me" I demanded, looking back, feeling the rumbling.

He glanced back past me and back, scratching his chin.

"Are you sure its back there?" he said in a soft voice

"Yes, I can hear it" I urged

"Hmmm most curious" he said as he tapped his wand three times on the gate, opening it.

He walked us down row after row of dusty shelves with wands that probably have not been touched for decades.

I led the way until we arrived at a dim lilted section with a green magical barrier protecting a certain shelf. On the shelf, a small box was rumbling in what looked like metal chains holding it down.

"Hmmm" said Dray, "Most …Curious"

He reached his hand through the barrier, unlocked the chains and took the box out, handing it to me

"Take it" he said in a cautious voice

As I took the wand out of the box, a blue wooded wand now laid in my hand. A blue glow erupted for the tip of the wand, and a small flame from the end I was holding, as it burned an Omega symbol from the Greek Alphabet into my right hand.

"Ouch" I replied to the burn, not letting go of my new wand

"Most curious indeed" Dray had said again

"What is so curious?" I replied, putting my new wand in my pocket.

"Nothing, nothing" he said "Walnut, 12 inches, a regular wand"

He strode off, looking back so often. I knew he was lying but what about exactly?

I headed back out front to find my mom paying him and ordering us outside in a strict tone. Obviously the wand hunt had left us missing the new Ministers speech. As we left, Dray had kept an eye on me until we were out of sight, a moment later a large owl flew out of the front door and up into the sky, with a large scroll attached.

After eating lunch at the Tea Shop, we arrived back home and settled in, I laid everything out in my room, fed Knighty, and set my wand, now a burgundy wood wand, on the desk and laid on my bed smiling, looking at the front cover of the Profit, reading about Minister Appleseed's death and the New minister, Cornwalsh, arriving at Gringotts to speak with the Goblins. I turned to page to work on some of the puzzles and trivia, then turned over and went to bed.