Scotland
"Harry had almost forgotten that the exams were still to come, but came they did. To their great surprise, both he and Ron passed with good marks; Hermoine, of course, came top of the year. Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one"1 Anna paused reading out loud for a moment and sighed. "They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life"2
"Anna Rose, let's go!" Nanny called. "We're going to be late"
"Just a second! I'm almost done!" Anna called back. "And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ('I always hope they'll forget to give us these,' said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bertie Bott's Every Falovoured Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three quarters at King's Cross Station"3 Anna breathed. "It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles. 'You must come and stay this summer,' said Ron, 'both of you—I'll send you an owl.' 'Thanks,' said Harry. 'I'll need something to look forward to.' People jostled them as they moved forwards towards the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called: 'Bye Harry!' See you, Potter!' 'Still famous,' said Ron, grinning at him. 'Not where I'm going, I promise you, ' Harry said"4
Slowly, Anna finished reading the book.
If only that were the real world.
England
I ran down the stairs to see what the commotion was about and saw Harry sitting next to my brother Ron at the kitchen table. I gave out a small squeal and ran out again.
"No…that doesn't sound right" Ginny Weasley sighed as she ran a hand through her long red hair.
She scratched out what she had written and started again.
A small red haired figure was in entering the kitchen. She squealed and ran out again after seeing Harry sitting next to her brother.
Ginny reread what she had written.
"Red haired? Is that even a word?" she questioned herself.
She looked at the time it was midnight. "Maybe I'll just go to bed and fix this in the morning"
She looked over at the bed. The figure in it groaned and rolled over into the empty stop she had recently left vacant. Ginny sighed and looked back at her page.
"At that moment, there was a diversion in the form of a small red-headed figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again."5
"Perfect" she mused and let out a laugh.
She remembered that day so clearly and how obsessed she had been with Harry when she was eleven. The figure in her bed sat up and looked at her through blurry vision and his black hair all messy from sleep.
"Ginny love, come back to bed and put that quill away" Harry begged.
Seeing the look on Harry's face that always made her melt Ginny obeyed and returned her pen to the stand. She left her pages on the desk and climbed back into bed with her fiancée.
Another Area of England
Anna had only been in England at her mother's place for a week when a strange letter came addressed to her. She found it very odd because nobody back home knew where her mother was living now. Her Nanny seemed curious about this letter and stayed to watch Anna open it and hoped she would read it out loud. Anna opened the sealed envelope and unfolded the parchment. Written in an unfamiliar hand was her acceptance letter.
Dear Miss Wilder,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Terms begin on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
Rubeus Hagrid
Deputy Headmaster
Anna's mouth dropped on the spot along with her Nanny's. They looked back and forth from each other to the letter clutched in Anna's hand. It was a rather odd sight to see walking by the young girl's room that her mother just had to enter.
"Anna, Nanny? Is everything all right?"
"I'm a witch" was all Anna could spit out.
Foot Notes
1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling, 1997
2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling, 1997
3 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling, 1997
4 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling, 1997
5 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling, 1998