Evelyn June Blythe's hand trembled as she read the piece of parchment in her hand for the third time over. An owl had delivered it 5 minutes before, interrupting her family's breakfast.
Dear Ms Blythe, the letter read.
After much discussion and consideration, we, the staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to our school.
This was a big shock for Evelyn. She had not expected to get this letter, never, in a million years. She had known of the school ever since she was a child, of course, and longed to attend, yet she, as well as her parents, had thought it could never be—because Evelyn was part fairy.
Her father, Montgomery Blythe, was a wizard, and an excellent one at that. He had been a well-known member of Britain's magical community, as he was an Auror for the Ministry of Magic. He had many friends and was respected by all. That is, until he met Evelyn's mother, a fairy by the name of Divinity Oleander. After Montgomery fell head over heels for the beautiful creature, people started to talk. A man like Mr. Blythe was not the type to get mixed up with a beast like that, they said. All of Mr. Blythe's friends and family were either offended or intimidated by Divinity, and most of them never spoke to him again. He was saddened by their prejudice, but he loved the creature, and they were married on a beautiful summer's day. Later on, they had a child, Evelyn, and gave her the second name June in honor of their wedding day.
Life was hard for Evelyn. Though she was a striking beauty with sunkissed blonde wavy locks and eyes the lovely shade of bluebells, she was often teased for being "one of those good for nothing fairies". She had been so proud that day in spring three years ago when she had noticed two Neozephyrus quercus wings slowly but steadily sprouting from her back. A fairy's first wings were considered a sign of maturity, or Coming of Age, but now Evelyn wished they would disappear. She felt like such a freak. All the children she met would tease her and call her "Butterfly Blythe", and tell her to "take off and fly away". Her mother, with her own beautiful Celastrina argiolus wings, told Evelyn to ignore them and be proud of who she was. But Evelyn wasn't proud. She was so sure that a half-breed like herself would not qualify for a place at her dream school, Hogwarts. And her parents, though they never directly told her, thought so as well.
But, the letter had come! Previously, it would have been just a dream, but the letter had come! Evelyn read the parchment over once more—and, for the first time in her life, she felt normal. This confirmed that she could be a proper witch.
She put the paper down and quickly raced upstairs to her room, pulled out from under the bed her most prized possession—a genuine fairy's wand, given to her by her mother as a Coming of Age gift and crafted by the most skilled woodcarvers in the Fairy's Guild. It was 11 inches long and made of pine, with a sparkling pink diamond encrusted in the handle. Previously, she had little use for the wand, because although she had grown up being home-schooled basic magical information along with regular Muggle curriculum, she was convinced she was not a true fairy nor a witch and she would never really need it. But now that she was going to the finest institute for magical instruction in the world, perhaps it was time to put it to use.
The night before she was due to leave for Hogwarts, Evelyn began packing her trunk. She stuffed in all of her skirts, pants, t-shirts and blouses. One might say she had a particular interest in fashion. She had customized many of the garments herself to be more accommodating to a fairy—meaning all of her tops had two holes cut in the back to make room for her wings. She laid out her outfit for the next day, her favorite pink silk skirt and white v-neck sweater. She also decided that she would wear her deep violet-blue glass bead necklace, which matched her wings perfectly. At least they are good for something, she thought.
Evelyn was almost done packing when her parents cam into her room. They beamed at her proudly.
"I must admit, Evelyn," said her mother, "I didn't think we would see this day. I didn't think a school like Hogwarts would be so accommodating and accepting. We always knew you were capable of being a regular witch, even if you do have…" She gestured towards her own wings and grinned.
"I'm so excited!" squealed Evelyn. I've never been to such a place." But her face fell. "What—if they make fun of me? Like all of the others my age that I've met?
"They won't," assured her mother. "They'll take one look at you and say, "What a beautiful fairy girl, I wish I was her!"
Evelyn giggled. "Don't be silly, Mum."
"You'll have lots of fun," her father said. "When I was a lad, Hogwarts was like my second home. And it will be yours, too."