Disclaimer: Did muggleborns not wander about the stranger that confirmed the odd life events but insisted on taking them away to some unknown location to study for 10 months out of a year with very little information given and removed their possible futures effectively. Even so, i don't own the harry potter books. That right goes to JK Rowling, Warner bros and whoever had the money to buy them and did.
MANSION OF PERKS
A splash of water could be heard echoing through the grounds of the mansion as the tall athletic girl with salt and pepper hair that fell to her mid back dived into the swimming pool. Dressed in a full body swimming suit, the girl expertly swam from the shallow end to the deep end without surfacing, only doing so when she reached the other end. The girl swam lazily back to the shallow end, almost 30 meters back. Swimming was very easy for her, one of the many athletic activities that she often did in her free time.
Sally-Anne Perks was a girl who liked to exercise, especially in the outdoors, mostly jogging to keep herself fit and with a lithe body especially now that she was becoming a teenager. After finishing five circuits of the pool, Sally was resting briefly on the wall of the pool's shallow end when she noticed one of her family's butler's coming towards the pool. His name was Francis, the worker with the most responsibility in the Perks mansion including a cheuffeur when driving my parents or me was an inconvenience to them. Sally had an amicable relationship with him as he was the oldest of workers in the mansion and watched over her as she grew up into this beautiful preteen. Francis came to her and stood a few feet away from the pool. She wondered what she was needed for as she looked at him curiously with her head cocked to one side.
" You have a guest who wishes to speak to you Sally. " She raised an eyebrow curiously. She didn't have any friends who would want to visit her. Her introverted nature and odd occurances that occasionally plagued her took care of that. And her parents would have asked for her if they wished for her to meet one of their associates, so this was intriguing.
" Who would want to see me ? " She asked in bemusement. Francis replied with a shrug and small smile.
" I don't know myself. Some strange woman in old fashioned clothes. Your mother wasn't expecting any visitors today and she doesn't seem know her, she merely asked for you. She is seated in the sitting room with her waiting for you. " He replied to her, giving her a towel he was carrying to dry herself of. She got up from the pool walking towards the mansion's sliding back doors. She was curious as to why a stranger would come to their home. And even more curious as to why she was allowed to enter.
Sally and Francis parted and she branched of to go to her room to make herself more presentable with appropriate clothes for meeting people. One of the many things that her parents instilled in her is that appearance is important. She pushed the door of her room and entered. It was very spacious with a queen sized four poster bed on the right wall, indigo sheets and a dark green duvet neatly organised on a thick comfortable mattress and a midnight blue canopy. A desk besides the bed with neatly polished dark brown wood with a few books and a book shelf near it on the wall filled with her choice books that she liked to read taken from the family library. There was also a door on the left side leading to her personal bathroom and toilet. On the floor was a green plush carpet and the walls had a navy blue wall paper. The right wall also had a door to a walk in closet with her very many clothes including dresses, skirts, jeans, shirts, blouses and sweaters of all colours, some of which she would never wear. On the opposite wall was a large sliding door that led to a large balcony. Sally-Anne Perks was a very rich and privelaged young girl, but far from pampered, she had to earn her keep to get what she wanted.
She decided to go simple for today. A dark blue knee length skirt and black T-shirt with long sleeves. She pulled her damp hair into a high tight pony tail, her usual style and left it at that. Once again, Sally wondered what this woman would want with her. More over an old one in old fashion clothes. Well, she walked to the large sitting room and went to get this meeting over with. She had a new novel she wanted done with and summarised.
Minerva McGonagall suddenly appeared in the high class section of Chelsea London and took a look around her surroundings. The place was populated with huge mansions with large compounds and fences with barbed wires charge with that lightning like stuff. It looked like this particular muggleborn was quite rich and well cared for. The compounds were not as big as those of the rich old pureblood families but was close enough for these particular muggles to be wealthy. Minerva hoped the parents and child would not give her any issues. For all the prejudice of the purebloods being better than muggles, they are both equally quite the headaches if they are rich and snobbish.
She looked at the address on the Hogwarts envelope and walked towards the end of the walkway. Minerva grudgingly admitted that the muggles know how to take care of there homes if they are rich with enough money to throw away. The muggle cars that were being driven around looked quite expensive. Though the road looked slightly deserted as it was a Saturday morning with a few jogging and fewer cars driving on it.
The professor had been to such neighbourhoods before, though they were quite few. The muggleborns are mostly middle or low income class and very rarely come one from a rich family. In fact it had been years since one came from such a family. She mentally catalogued what to say and how to talk to these people. Some of the muggles had very extreme reactions to these announcements of their children having magic that more often than not need an oblviate and compulsion charms for their co-operation. While the ministry turns a blind eye in these proceedings, Minerva doesn't like exercising her power on the non magical population.
The woman stopped and stood in front of what looked like the largest of all mansions in the neighborhood. The fence was live with tall hedges . There was a tarmarced walkway to the tall black wrought iron gate. She walked towards the gate while observing her surroundings. The part of the fence near the gate was rid brick and on top of it was one of those muggle machines that resembled a camera, but was moving, following her movements pointing the lens towards her. When she reached the gate, there was a muscled man on the other side of the gate bars standing with crossed arms and dark shades shielding his eyes. He was wearing a black muggle suit and pants.
"State your business her ma'am. The family is not expecting guests today ". The man rumbled without so much as a greeting. Minerva frowned at the attitude.
" I am Minerva McGonagall. I am a professor in a prestigious secondary school, and i have come to offer Sally-Anne Perks a place in this school ". She said to the person. The man looked at her before turning around and walking to the house in the distance. Minerva stood for some moments waiting. Soon the man came back with another man in a similar suit and white gloves and slightly thinner han the first one. The first one unlocked a smaller gate and let her inside.
"Good morning ma'am, my name is Francis, and I'm the main butler of the Perks family mansion. Please come this way." The second man said courteously. He walked towards the large house with Minerva following and continued talking to her.
"The lord of the house is away in the USA on a business trip. The lady of the house and her daughter are here. Mrs Perks allowed you to enter as she wishes to know what you have to say of this school of yours ". He said and led her through the front glass sliding doors to what looked like an entrance hall. The compound was well taken care of and she saw some people cutting down some hedges. The inside was very tastefully decorated. The walls were painted a delicate light blue and the floors were made of dark gray tiles and a white ceiling. There was also a large crystal chandelier with those beautiful muggle lights. Along the walls were portraits and pictures. A married couple's wedding day, a young woman with blonde hair, a girl who looked like the woman except with salt and pepper hair, a man with jet black hair olive skin and many other pictures. Some of the portraits had paintings, some with signitures on the bottom left. A beautiful woman, a group of half naked men in battle armour fighting like barbarians. A grup of girls with bows and arrows in a forested mountain. All the paintings were of very good quality, very expensive. The butler led her to an open door in the hall and led her inside.
The sitting room was also arranged to show wealth. There were a number of small and large couches with small glass tables near them. Their was also a large glass table in the middle with a few books on it. Novels maybe. There was a fireplace in the left wall of the room, a large muggle machine, a television on the right wall and a large glass sliding door that led to a porch looking into the front grounds. There was a woman seated on one of the couches facing the television. She turned and watched when Minerva entered the room with the butler. She gestured for the professor to sit down on one of the couches facing her and told the butler to bring for them some tea.
The woman bore a remarkable resemblance to Narcissa Malfoy. She had platinum blonde hair and porcelain pale skin, a slim figure and sea green almond shaped eyes. She was wearing a bath robe. " Good morning ma'am, i am Cassandra Lenoir Perks. The lady of this house, how do you do ? ". She had a cultured slightly french accent in her cool neutral voice.
" Good morning. I am Minerva McGonagall, a professor in a secondary school in Scotland. I have come to your home to offer your daughter, Sally-Anne Perks an admission to the school because she has the requirements needed." Mrs Perks frowned in thought.
" My daughter is intelligent,yes but i already applied her to a prestigious boarding school in London. Which school of yours is this ? And tell me about it to convince me to tet my daughter enroll in it ? " She asked McGonagall. She started her dialogue.
" You daughter has the necessary qualifications that would automatically get her a place. " She said carefully. " Have you noticed odd events happen around your daughter, happenings that defy the laws of physics or even logic ? " She asked the woman cautiously. Mrs Perks narrowed her eyes at McGonagall and didn't move. Then, slowly, she nodded.
" Yes. Sometimes odd events would happen around my daughter. How is that connected to this school of yours ? " She asked Minerva quitely.
" This school is what can help your daughter to control those abilities. It is called Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. I think we should call your daughter, she will better understand what am talking about since it is about her. "The woman looked at her with a neutral expression with her arms crossed. Minerva wondered if the woman believed her. Not being the one with magic, she wouldn't be witness to events of accidental magic and her face showed no emotion to tell how to continue.
The butler came back into the room with a tea set and tray. He set the tray on the large glass table and asked for their preferences. After the two women told him and he made and gave the respective women their tea, he turned to leave the room.
" Francis, go to Sally-Anne at the swimming pool. Tell her we have a guest who wishes to see her. " Mrs Perks told the man. He nodded in confirmation and bowed out of the room. She looked back at Minerva.
" There are a lot of holes in your explanation that i want to know. You will have to explain more thouroughly. I will not send my daughter to something i know next to nothing about. Understood ". Minerva nodded and wondered what more that she wanted to know. Her daughter had special abilities, and this is a school that will let her control them.
The woman smiled at her, though it didn't reach her eyes which remained cool and emotionless. She acted like some of the purebloods in the wizarding world with a bit of less disdain and condensation, though it was there. She then turned to the big television and looked at it with concentration, completely ignoring the older woman.
Minerva sat there looking around and wondered what to do. She decided to wait for the muggleborn while taking her tea. The younger woman didn't look like she was going to look away from the television muggle machine.
Sally-Anne waled to the sitting room door and knocked on it. It was never polite to suddenly drop into a conversation. One had to politely ask. " Come in " Her mother's cultured voice called from inside the open door and she walked into the room.
The visitor was seated opposite her mother. She was not that old, maybe her early sixties but the clothes were old fashioned. The dress she wore was maybe what the women in the 19th century wore, though she either didn't know or care . She also had a stern expression on her face as she looked at Sally-Anne. The girl walked gracefully to a chair facing the older woman and sat down primly.
" Good morning ma'am. I was told that you wanted to talk to me " She said with an angelic smile to the older woman and watched with slight satisfaction as her eyes softened and she smiled yet warmly at her. One of the lessons her mother taught her was to give an appropriate outer image to others to gain their approval, or in other cases different yet desirable reactions according to the person in question. It was one of the reasons why her mother was so successful in her trade and she has taught her daughter well.
" Hello child. My name is Professor Minerva McGonagall, from a prestigious school of children with special abilities. I have come to offer you a place in it " she paused and looked at Sally-Anne. The girl merely looked back curiously. She was enrolled in a one of the best secondary schools money could pay for but was curious about this one, especially the part of special abilities.
She continued. " Tell me Ms Perks, have any odd, or unexplainable events happened to you. Especially when you are highly emotional. You can tell me, i will not judge you negatively. " Sally-Anne looked at her thoughtfully. Yes, odd things have happened to her especially when emotional. Though that was when she was younger and had a more strenous hold on her emotions. Once, a mean girl who was taunting her suddenly had pimples and pustules all over her skin, it happened when she was very angry and upset. Other times, when pushed into a pool in school, she came out perfectly dry and another time during a Christmas party when she was very happy because of the present that she got from her mother, a toy telephone, butterflies multicoloured suddenly appeared and started flying around the area. The most common reaction when she was very angry with a big desire to hurt someone, electricity, like lightning would run through her body and jump out at sudden intervals
Sally-Anne was by no means stupid. And neither are her parents. When these events become commonplace, Cassandra and Timothy Perks sat her down in the sitting room and talked about them. Her father Timothy Perks is the one who taught her to be observant and make decisions on her observation and not her emotions. The reason why his company for the importation of various goods and commodities was very successful, especially when some of the clientele do not walk the legal side of the law. It became almost second nature to think of things thouroughly, from looking at peoples mannerisms and acting on them. And it started on that simple Friday evening when she came back home to the summer holidays in near angry tears. From the talks, not much sense was made of the events but the fact that it happens due to anger shame or happiness. Then she learnt how to suppress emotions and with her mother's help she learnt how not to show them to the public and with her father's help how not to act on them. It seemed to help with the odd events, though there were times when it happened completely unexpected.
Her most common reaction, electric pulses, happened when she wished to hurt somebody. So she got a hold of that emotion and summoned it to the forefront of her mind, and with it the desire to see it happen and the visualisation of the sparks. Then power flowed through her, and she just felt the power and control in her as she made the electricity pass through her and even launch onto a target. It was not something physical or tangible, but it was there. Not without a price. It would make her tired and slightly dizzy and hungry. The search for information yielded nothing useful to understand this phenomenon. And she kept my training on electric kinesis a secret from her parents.
Sally-Anne came out of her thoughtful silence wondering what this woman would want with her abilities. The possibilities are endless. The rumours of the government doing secret experiments come to mind. Her parents could protect her from most Interlopers with their various contacts of the past business partners but only if they have any access to her. She decides to go about this carefully.
" If i am to have these odd events happening to me, what would be their significance ? " She asked in a cool steady teacher looked slightly taken aback by her answer but replied anyway
" If so, then you have magic, the ability to manipulate your surroundings with your will. I can show you a demonstration." She said while pulling out a stick with a handle from her purse. Sally-Anne deduced that that was a wand. OK, this was becoming a bit cliché, next she'll say we travel with brooms. Her mother had been silent the whole conversation, merely watching intently. Sally-Anne nodded her confirmation when the professor held up the stick, which she guessed was a wand. She pointed her wand at the glass table and with a simple tap of her wand, the table turned into a white cat. The cat looked around the house in what appeared to be curiosity and moved around the sitting room.
Mother and Sally-Anne stared at the cat in disbelief. Both tried to figure out how this was possible at all. Any form of trickery or illusion. But for the life of her couldn't figure out an explanation besides ... Magic. Which sounded quite cheesy in her mind. The woman seemed quite amused and pleased by the family's reaction to her stunt.
Mother found her voice first. " You were talking of a school for magic, tell us about it " she said, her slight french accent slightly more pronounced due to her french routes and disbelief.
" The school is called Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. It will teach your child how to control her magical abilities to their fullest potential if she has an appropriate work ethic and thirst for the knowledge. Term starts on 1st of September and ends on the 20th of June the next year and they study for seven years. " She finished her probably prepared speech. Mother already looked like she found a problem with this arrangement, probably the one Sally-Anne sees here.
" Professor, my daughter has to study at school to acquire the necessary requirements to be able to thrive in the world with a respectable source of work and your school basically takes all her years to be able to study and get them. What would be your explanation for that occurance " mother asked the older woman. The professor looked suprised, as if this didn't normally happen, though she answered anyway.
" There is employment available for young people with magic, wizards and witches, we call them by the way. One can be a curse breaker, a charmer and manufacturer of magical objects like broomsticks, magical radios, quills for writing or cameras and many other minor and major, expensive and cheap devices that one would use in everyday life. Or a potion master that mix and make many useful and different kinds of potions for sale for hospitals and other areas of use. A healer, or a politician in the Ministry of magic to influence the law making. The possibilities are endless, and with the right amount of work ethic and time given, your daughter can eventually be as rich as you are now ". Mother was thinking through all those possibilities. And so was Sally-Anne. One specific part caught her mind.
" If there are law makers, then you have a society to govern, things to regulate and control, crimes to punish for " Sally-Anne asked the professor. She nodded looking confused as to where her questioning was going. Her mother watched her approvingly, her parents always liked it when her cleverness and pragmatism showed.
Following that train of thought, she continued. " And if i were to grow up, get married and have children, they would grow up with the knowledge of these magical devices you speak of, spells and the society as a whole. Why is it that we didn't know about this at all before you came here and told it to us ? " The teacher took a few moments before answering. Sally-Anne guessed that not all people, if any asked these kinds of questions. Not suprising since not many are that intelligent and cynical.
" There is a law called the international statute of secrecy. It reads that muggles, what we call the non magical people, are not to know the existance of not only magic itself but the magical communities of all countries in the world. The only exception to this law is of the parents of muggleborns like you and your husband, but even then, your are not allowed in majority of the purely magical areas. This law is carried out with muggle repelling charms on the areas of wizards and witches wish to keep secret and memory charms if they happen to come across something remotely magical to block their memories of the events " Sally-Anne narrowed my eyes at the term, muggle. It was clearly derogatory. She obviously thought herself superior to the people with no magic, she was just corteous enough not to show it but it was there. Even the word muggle, which she casually said like a normal word felt insulting to her ears. And she could have been memory charmed before along with her mother, father and cousins. She could feel her mother's displeasure radiating of her and her voice was slighly colder when she next asked.
"My daughter is as you told us a witch and i am her mother. Why are we not informed of this before she is thrust into a world she has no experience in dealing with with peers who grew up in this world and would take suprising things like what you just did here for granted. " Mother said to the professor with the slight hint of condensation like this was obvious. The professor bristled slighty at the tone the younger woman was using with her but reigned in her temper. She seemed volatile. She looked to be in thought for a moment before shrugging.
"Its just the way its done. We simply inform them of the facts after the child's 11th birthday a month before school starts." By mother's pursed lips, that wasn't a satisfactory answer but she looked like she would leave it at that.
Sally-Anne's mother looked at her neautally with a raised eyebrow. For all what her parents had taught her in life, they gave her free reign in making her decisions, showing no signs of approval or disapproval except pride when she shows cleverness and intelligence, and occasionally cunning when necessary. So she thought carefully on the options she has. She was to enter not only an unknown school, but an unknown world with different laws of everything imaginable, including those of physics and possibly common sense by the display of indifference McGonagall showed at the obvious difficulties that she would face. If she would refuse this opportunity she would miss on not only the chance to control her powers but the chance to be part of a secret society. Yet, if she accepted, she would have to face new challenges which were completely unknown to her.
Sally-Anne made her decision and formed a simple plan with a simple motto with complicated procedure. If you wish to survive, know how everything works to use it to your advantage.
" I accept your admission to Hogwarts professor McGonagall. What do we need to do ? " She said to McGonagall. She couldn't help wrinkling her nose at the name Hogwarts. The professor smiled warmly at the little girl. Her mother merely looked back at her revealing nothing of her thoughts
The teacher pulled out an envelope and held it out to her. Sally-Anne reached out for it and looked at the address.
Sally-Anne Perks
Bedroom No 1 East wing 2nd floor
No 9 Sulsberry avenue
Chelsea
London.
They got the address spot on. These guys have a lot of reach and power, and Sally-Anne wanted it. She opened the envelope and removed sheets of parchment that couldn't possibly fit in that space. And the parchment was yellowish, thick and old fashioned. Something that would be found in museums and old fashioned movies of th 18th century. The first parchment was an invitation letter to the school.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
( Headmaster Albus Dumbledore; Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Supreme Mugwamp of the International Confederation of Warlocks )
Dear Ms Sally-Anne Perks,
I am delighted to inform you that you have been enrolled in Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, the most prestigious school of magic that is known in Europe. Enclosed in the envelope as a list of school requirements that are compulsory for school activities. There is also a list of compulsory text books of self study in ones free time or during lessons. They can both be retrieved in various shopes in diagon alley. You will also find that a list of all the Hogwarts school rules has also been included in the envelope which you will need to study and memorize and follow when in school. The journey to school is taken by train on the Hogwarts express boarded on platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross station on Charring Cross road in London. A ticket needed to board the train is similarly enclosed in the envelope.
We await your reply by owl by the 5th of August.
Deputy Headmistress,
Professor Minerva McGonagall.
The headmaster's name was just plain wierd. Sally-Anne just hoped not everyone was named this wierd. What caught her eyes was the titles he owned. He must be quite important to society. Though the names meant nothing to her. The next piece of parchment had a list of things needed for school. It looked like a list for necessary movie props on a Hollywood movie. Discounting some fairly obvious ones.
List of School Requirements for Hogwarts
Please note that all items on this list are compulsory unless hinted otherwise
1 wand
1 cauldron set (pewter standard size)
1 set of scales (brass, standard size)
1 set of standard Hogwarts 1st year potion kit
Crystal philes (minimum of 10)
1 brass telescope
1 leather trunk (medium size, quality is optional to all)
Sets of quills and ink bottles (colours of inks are open for options, though vibrant ink colours are prohibited)
Collection of parchment for note and essay writings.
1 carrying bag for books
Necessary implements for general cleanliness (this should be farely obvious)
The clothes requirements
3 plain black formal robes
3 white undershirts
3 pairs of black under trousers for boys and skirts for girls
3 pairs of white socks
Pairs of appropriate black shoes (pair number and quality not specified)
1 winter cloak (silver fastenings) Optional
2 pairs of protective gloves (dragonhide or acromantula silk)
Pets are allowed (must be owls, cats or toads, getting one is optional)
All types of brooms are allowed (1st years are strictly not allowed to own a broom) Optional
The school requirements were farely straight forward in their meanings. As for the list of text books, they were anything but understandable. It had a lot of things that were hardly understandable at first glance and simply said that it had a lot of things for Sally-Anne to read.
List of necessary text books for self study
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them by Newt Scamander
Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection by Quentin Trimble
The next list, the list of school rules was the longest of the parchments and once again Sally-Anne wondered how that fit in the small envelope. She read some few tidbits that only made her work load all the more extensive. There were some rules that she could understand, like being outside during curfew warranted a detention and loss of points, whatever those were, and so did disrespect to a higher authority. The parts of using offensive magic on fellow students and others had a wide range of punishments from detention to suspension and expulsion depending on the spell used, the intent and result of such actions. And the use of these specific spells called the unforgivables on others warrants immediate expulsion and criminal prosecution as the spells themselves were quite illegal. These and a whole other bunch of rules wifh specific instructions that she didn't bother with now but would later.
Her mind wirling at hyperspeed, she focused on the most immediate of problems. Getting her school requirements. She looked up from her thoughtful spacing out and looked up at the adults in the room. Her mother looked at her amused, as i sometimes do this in one of my episodes of self reflection. Once, Raymond, one of my acquaintances in the school library and table mate for lunch break, jocked that i was thinking of methods to take over the British Isles. The professor was looking at her knowingly, already pegging her for a humble book worm. True, though not completely true. Sally-Anne Perks was not afraid of breaking a few rules as long as she doesn't get caught.
Her mother asked " Let me see those letters ? " Sally-Anne handed them to her. She skimmed the school rules quickly and dismissed it quickly, and paid special attention to the letter of admission. While she did this, the young preteen turned to the professor.
" I assume you will also lead us to diagon alley to get my school things. " I asked with once again what my acquaintances call my signature angelic smile, specifically for convincing elders of her undeniable innocence. Her mother spent hours teaching it to her one idle Sunday. It was meant as a joke, but has been quite useful.
"You assume correctly young one, we could go today, i have many muggleborns in your year to lead to the wizarding world "
" Is this alley one of the places i am allowed to go to ? " Mrs Perks asked delicately, quite finished with her examination of the letters
" Parents are allowed to accompany their children when buying of items. Diagon alley is what you would call the main trade centre for small magical artifacts and a meeting place for most businesses. McGonagall answered. Mother nodded and turned to Sally.
" Prepare yourself Sally-Anne. We are going to collect your school things, i will notify Francis to drive us there. Please wait for us here while we prepare. It will take a few minutes at most " she said the last part to the older woman and stood up from herseat gracefully with her daughter copying her. She flicked the TV remote to switch it off and swept from the room, gracefully, Sally-Anne following her out of the room.
The preteen walked to her room in a fast pace without appearing to run, as was drilled into her. She was lost in thought. All this information was simply mind blowing, and she was going for more headlong. She hoped that this new task of hers was doable. As for clothes, black jeans and a dark blue long sleeved shirt. She would blend into the crowd if her thoughts were correct.
A tiny part of her brain registered that her breasts were developing and she would need training bras and shavers by next year at least. The other part, the part that has always acknowledged self preservation, the part that tells her not to go down that next dark corridor for curiosity's sake without knowing what is there at midnight, asked her repeatedly what the fuck she just got herself into.