'Papa!' she yelled, charging up the grand staircase, 'Mama, Papa, it came today! It's finally here!' She could hardly contain herself; the crisp envelope held firmly in hand, she ran through the halls, searching excitedly for her parents. She looked into each door she came across, but she could not find them in any area of the large house. Finally, she came across the door at the end of the hallway, her favorite room. This was her family's library, and most days she could be found in the green armchair at the far end underneath the oversized window, reading or studying some sort of text.
This is where she decided to sit after failing to locate her parents. They'll find me eventually, she thought, and besides, I have my letter! Placing the letter on the table, she studied the wax seal and the intricate crest detailed on the outside. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it said. From her earliest memories on, her parents had been regaling her with tales of the school, and their years of attendance. She carefully broke the seal, taking extra care not to tear the envelope in the process, and pulled out the script inside, skipping the formalities and going straight to the body of the missive.
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September the first. We await your owl by no later than July the thirty-first.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Uniform
First year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry nametags.
Course Books
All students should have a copy of each of the following
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phylida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
Parents are reminded that first years are not allowed their own broomstick.
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions
'So, Diagon Alley this Saturday sound alright, my dear?' The girl, startled, jumped and whipped around quickly to see who it was that had spoken to her. 'Papa!' she exclaimed, and ran towards the man leaning in the doorway. 'I take it you got it today?' he asked; the girl wrapped her small arms around his waist and spoke into his shirt as she hugged him tightly, 'I did, Papa. It is so exciting! I cannot wait to see the castle, and start my classes, and make new friends and get new books and quills and robes and –'
'Sweetheart, breathe. We will go Saturday with your mother and brother to get all of your necessary materials. For now, go wash up, it is time to eat supper. We have a guest tonight, so dress pretty, okay?'
'Of course; I will go get dressed now, then.' She headed out of the library and took a separate hallway, veering towards her bedroom. Opening the door, she was faced with a room she did not recognize. The walls were a pale shade of yellow, and there were more windows than there had been this morning, so a large amount of sunlight was streaming into her room, casting a warm glow about it. In contrast, the furniture was crafted of what looked to be well-crafted rosewood. It was dark, but intricately carved, with miniscule designs covering it. She was not surprised, however, to see that her room had changed. It had been like this for a few years now, and the room seemed to change whenever she had a strong emotional reaction to something. Her father had told her that it was just her magic manifesting itself early ('…quite early, don't you think, dear?' she had heard him say to her mother) but refused to say anything else to her on the matter, choosing instead to hand her the book he had gotten her for her 8th birthday on the basics of transfiguration and send her off to the library.
She decided that she rather liked the new layout of her room and went straight to her closet to find an acceptable outfit for dinner. I wonder who this 'guest' could be who we're having tonight. I don't like having guests. Usually they just watch me the whole meal, talking about stuff I do not understand with Mama and Papa when they think I am not listening. She scanned through her wardrobe, finally deciding on a light pink sundress that her mother had bought for her in Paris the week prior. She combed out her hair and pulled it back into a high ponytail so that she wasn't brushing it out of her eyes throughout the course of the meal, as her mother had chastised her for it many times before. Deeming her appearance acceptable, she left her room, making sure the door latched shut before heading down the stairs and into the large dining room; usually the family would use the smaller dining room, but when they had company dinner was always served in the larger of the two.
Her father was talking with a man, but she could not see who it was with the way he was standing. Instead of trying to figure it out, she walked over to her mother and sat next to her at the large table; her mother and father would sit on the two ends of the table, and her brother and she usually sat in the middle of either side remaining, opposite one another. With company, though, she sat next to her mother on one side of the table, next to her brother who sat next to their father, facing the company on the opposite side of the table.
Once her brother had joined the family at the table, their guest sat down and their father gracefully sat in his seat once their guest had been seated. Blue eyes met her own green, and before she saw black, she distinctly heard, 'Pleasure meeting you Miss Malfoy, my name is Tom Riddle.'