This short story is a part of the background of a roleplaying character for a forum game, and also an entry for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Major and Minor Arcana classes.

Marian Leonora Eardley-Wilmot sits under the sun, together with her two best friends. From where they it, they could see the sea and the cliffs, but they pay no attention to it, being used to the sights. Instead, they are talking, about all the important things going on in their little world. Which means, they were talking about the rumours that there would be a new teacher.

The three girls however are rudely interrupted, by Miss Simmonds. "Miss Eardley-Wilmot? There is a visitor for you."

Marian looks up in surprise, she never had any visitors. Not since she went to this school, and that is almost two years ago. And at the previous one she also had no visitors, and she had been there since she was three. But still she stands up, not questioning her teacher. She knows how questions that are deemed to be stupid are answered, and it usually is not with words.

She walks back to the main building, where she knows that the rare visitors go. She remembers that some months ago Barbara's brother was nearby, and he paid her a brief visit. They had talked about it for days. She wondered why she would be visited, she hadn't seen her family in quite a while, but they never showed any interest, most of her letters to her mother were never answered, even though she kept writing her every week. She briefly considers her half-siblings, but they are too young to travel alone, and she hardly knows them, having spent only a few days in all in their presence. Her stepfather is the most unlikely of candidates, he hates her, and was the reason why she was sent from home when she was only three.

And then it strikes her. What if the visitor is not here to see her? But has an actual reason. To speak to her, to tell her something that can't be done through a letter. There is only one thing that comes to mind, death. That could explain it, someone had died. It could be anyone, but somewhere she finds herself hoping that it is her stepfather. She knows that he wants her dead, for her father's inheritance, but it would be ironic if he would die first.

She is told that the visitor is waiting for her in one of the side rooms, and she enters it, still wondering about the reason for the visit. She sees a woman she doesn't recognize, and who doesn't seem familiar to anyone she knows. The visitor is short, and a little plump. She has a very broad face, more like an amphibian's than a human's. The woman smiles at Marian: "Hello there. I'm Jane Umbridge, and there are some important things that I want to talk about with you."

Her accent is shocking to Marian's ears, so boorish, uncivilized. Working class even. That's even worse than the simple fact that it is a little difficult to understand. This ist he kind of person that she never speaks to, and if the other girls hear about this, it will be a scandal. "I beg your pardon? What sort of matter does this concern?"

"Your education. You see, I represent a school for gifted children like you, and we'd like to offer you a position."

For a few moments Marian is speechless, offering her a position at a school? What sort of nonsense is that. She already has a school, one of the best in the world, and she is there right now. "I hope that I don't misunderstand you, but it seems to me that I already do attend a school."

The frog-faced woman smiles, and replies: "Yes, but you see, this is a special school. Hogwarts."

"I have never heard of any school going by that name, so that either means that it does not exist, or that it is for the lower orders. Either way, I do not wish to have anything to do with it."

Now Jane Umbridge frowns: "As I said, it is no ordinary school. Most muggles don't know about its existence. After all, we can't have everyone know about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and you, you are a witch."

The final words strike a chord in Marian. Witchcraft? Wizardry? "I demand that you leave right now. I have no wish to partake in this joke of yours. And tell me, who paid you to come here to make a fool out of me?"

She sighs, producing a short wooden stick from her sleeve and points it at her. This joke is really going too far. "Calthulify!"

"Once again, I demand that you…", she notices something, something really strange. Her sleeve, it is yellow. She looks down, all her clothes have turned yellow. Suddenly she feels afraid, and she stammers: "W-what happened?"

"That is magic. I am a witch. And you can learn the same, to work magic.", she answers, smiling again. She again waves her hand: "anulli"

Her clothes return to their normal colours, and Marian feels relieved. "But, ehm, why would I want to learn magic. Why don't I know about it?"

"I will answer your second question first. We don't want the muggles, non-magical folk, to know about magic. We try to keep it a secret. And why wouldn't you want to learn magic, you could do anything!"

"But how about my prospects? Will I still be able to go to university? And wouldn't my parents protest? And won't it be a huge scandal? When people find out, I mean. Or when they don't, and I just disappear?"

"There is no need to worry about such things, miss Eardley-Wilmot, you will still be able to do whatever you please. I have already spoken to your parents, and they don't oppose it. And no one will ever find out. I have to admit that there might be some complications in your world, but I assure you, there are plenty of possibilities in the wizarding world."

Again she is surprised, a whole wizarding world? "Wizarding world? Are there many witches then?"

"Oh yes, and wizards of course. We have our own school, our own shops, our own everything really. If you don't want to, you never have to speak to a single muggle in your whole life, but of course you can, there are no laws against it."

"Do I have to decide now? This is a lot to process right now. And is there any way in which I can find more information? I am certain that I will have many more questions once I've had some time to think."

"Well, ehm, you will have to send a letter to the school to agree to attend it, the details are in this letter.", she hands Marian an envelope. And as far as other information is concerned, could I maybe come again in a week? So you have some time to think?"

"That sounds acceptable.", Marian replies, her mind struggling to keep up with what she's been told.