Letters to Hogwarts

Chapter One – An Unexpected Visitor

There was nothing about that particular Sunday to suggest it would be anything out of the ordinary. The sky was dull and overcast, the bipolar weather having decided to compensate for the summer heat of the last few days, and the streets were mostly empty save for a few kids kicking round a football outside the local off-license. When a sudden crack sounded in an alleyway by a block of flats, nobody was around to hear it, or to realise that this Sunday may not be quite so ordinary after all.

Stepping out from behind the row of rubbish bins situated in the alley, the man who had just materialised brushed himself down and cast a quick glance round at his surroundings. He was wearing, most peculiarly, long black robes, which he dived a hand into to fish something out of his inside pocket. Taking out a battered piece of folded paper, he opened it up to squint at the address that was scrawled there. "Flat 413A, Masewell Road, Hardown, Manchester" he read off of the paper, and then looked around again. A grubby, grafittied street sign attached to the concrete building behind him informed him that he was standing in Liffey Court, and so he began to walk down the street in search of Masewell Road.

His dark hair was kept neatly short and his round face had been shaved just before apparating there, in order to give a good impression to the family he would be visiting. It seemed that nobody told him about the negative effect a long robe, like the one he was wearing, would have on regular people...But at this point, it didn't matter. Even if he came to them with a tuxedo, a luxurious car parked outside and throwing money in their faces, once he told them the reason for his visit he would be considered mentally ill.

After all, muggles are not usually open minded when a stranger comes to their door and tells them one of their children is actually a wizard. The parents especially get protective when said stranger also wants to take the minor away to a secret boarding school that may or may not exist, and that was why Neville had to be appear as sincere as possible. He was ready to show them a few magic tricks and explain to them as many times as they requested.

He was a little out of practice in dealing with matters of this kind ever since becoming Head of the House of Gryffindor and, therefore, being considered too important to recruit muggleborn students door to door. But, when this particular case came up in the teacher's meeting, they all agreed it had to be a higher ranking staff member, such as Neville Longbottom, to perform the mission. And Neville agreed deeply.

The young wizard's family in question who he would be visiting were not native to Britain, and the child's name had appeared on the Hogwart's waiting list of magical children after being transferred from the Durmstrang one two years ago. Neville knew that it may be especially difficult for him to convince the child or his parents to let him attend Hogwarts, given that they knew nothing of magic and were already in an unusual situation regarding their immigration status, but it was his duty as a teacher to ensure that every magical child was given the opportunity to learn and practise with the abilities they possessed.

Neville was having trouble locating the street in question, and as he rounded another corner which left him a bit puzzled as to where he should go, he spotted a middle aged woman carrying some shopping bags making her way down the opposite side of the street. He decided to ask her. "Excuse me, ma'am," Neville said as he crossed the road to greet her, "Could you please tell me which direction is Masewell Road?"

She paused a moment to look at him, giving a funny look at the way he was dressed, but keen to get rid of him she pointed him in the right direction without any hassle. Neville thanked her, and a short while later he arrived at the correct block of flats and made his way to the lift. It was a somewhat uninviting building, with grime coating the cracked, faded plaster of the walls, and dust and dirt blending into the grey linoleum of the floor. The lift was also dimly lit and somewhat claustrophobic, very unlike the magical ones at the Ministry, and Neville was grateful when he arrived at his destination on the thirteenth floor.

As he stepped out, the muffled sound of muggle music with a pounding baseline met his ears, playing from within one of the apartments somewhere, and Neville frowned slightly in distaste as he made his way along the draughty corridor, looking for the door marked 413A.

It didn't take long to find, even if he hadn't been actively looking for the number. First, because it was the only one with the name "Nowak" written over the mail slot, apparently with glue and green glitter, and a few stickers of a muggle children's show all over the stained glass of the door. Second, because the music was coming from next door at a really high volume, even though it was still muffled. Neville rang the bell once, and stood straight as he waited.

Not long after a girl's voice yelled something in Polish, a short woman opened the door. She had a round face with a wide forehead she tried to hide under what used to be a fringe, but was now a long side bang. She had a tired, unhappy expression that went very well with the bags under her brown eyes and the loose cut of her clothes, but as soon as she gave Neville a look, she became defensive.

"We are not looking for new religion," she said quickly with a Polish accent, proceeding to close the door.

"Wait, that's not the reason I'm here!..." Mrs Nowak gave him a second chance, but never let her guard down. "I'm Professor Longbottom, nice to meet you, and I have a letter for Janek Nowak." He then handed the letter to her, because he knew it would be detrimental to ask for the boy to come right away. She took the envelope like it was covered in anthrax and, with a bit of effort, read the inscription. Judging by her face, she was sceptical. "Congratulations, you son is a wizard."

"And you are mental." She handed back the letter and, turning to face the inside of the apartment, started saying something in her native language. The only thing Neville could understand was "Piotr!"

She seemed to come to the end of whatever she was saying, and there was the sound of a gruff voice calling back from somewhere in the flat. Neville still couldn't understand what was being said, but it sounded like whoever it was had just been woken up and wasn't going to come to come to the door quickly.

Mrs Nowak turned to look back at him with a slightly worried expression, and then her hand moved as if she was about to just close the door and hope to get rid of him that way, but Neville quickly stopped her. "Please, Mrs Nowak, wait!" he interrupted, "I promise you I'm not mad. If you'd just allow me to demonstrate, I can prove that what I'm telling you is real." He then reached into his robes to produce his wand, and Mrs Nowak shot him a suspicious and sceptical look, but didn't close the door. Neville cleared his throat, gave his wand a swish, and muttered "Muffliato" as he pointed it in the direction of the noise next door.

The sound of the music quickly dropped in intensity to barely noticeable levels, and Mrs Nowak's eyes widened slightly in surprise, having not expected that, but then she narrowed them again. "I think if this is a joke, it's not good."

Neville gave what he hoped was a reassuring look and shook his head. "No, ma'am. That was magic. If you'd please allow me to explain to you, I think there's a lot we need to discuss about your son."

She still looked unsure, but was clearly confused by what had just happened with the noise from next door. An instant later, however, someone had appeared behind her: a man with dishevelled short ginger hair and a moustache, who appeared to have just gotten out of bed judging by the dressing gown he wore. He also looked somewhat confused, and not too trusting of Neville as he came to stand beside Mrs Nowak.

"Did you say you need to discuss my son? Which one? What's he done?" The man sounded rather worried. Briefly, Neville explained everything. Unlike his wife, Mr. Nowak opened the envelope and carefully examined the letter with a frown on his face that grew bigger as he progressed. "You have a school for pulling rabbits out of hats?"

"No, sir...actual magic." Mr Nowak raised his eyebrows, and the teacher knew he had to perform another spell. He then pointed at the door with his wand, turning it from mahogany to bright green for just enough time to prove his point. "Your son has all the potential, he just needs to be guided...May I come in?"

Af first, the couple had their reservations about it, but after the teacher explained why it was best to talk in private about the subject, Neville found himself sitting beside Mr. Nowak in their living room. A little girl, blonde like her mother but with a striking resemblance to her father, paused playing with her dolls to stare at the stranger with curiosity, but her mother told her something in a severe tone and she, despite being reticent at first, went out of the room with a very annoyed sigh. "Coffee?" Asked Mrs. Nowak, but Neville declined politely.

"If I may, Mrs. Nowak, I'd like to talk more about the magical community and what it would mean for Janek if he came to study at Hogwarts," he then continued, "I know this must be difficult for you to take in, but there is more than just a school for wizarding children out there, and if Janek were to accept this place it would open up a lot of opportunities for him within the wizarding world..."

"Wait," said Mr Nowak, still looking confused, "I don't quite understand. What kinds of things would you teach him? Can he get a job as a wizard?"

"Not exactly," Neville explained, "But there are certain magical professions he may later be interested in. Hogwarts would provide him with all the basic skills necessary for a future career in magic - charms, transfiguration, potion making... there are a lot of subjects we teach."

"But what about regular subjects? English? Maths?" asked Mrs. Nowak, "Those are also skills he will need."

"All our alumni from non-magical families have managed to develop these skills perfectly well within the context of our classes," Neville answered reassuringly. "He will be taught everything he needs to get along later in life."

Both Nowaks were still frowning slightly. "And what about fees? Will there be a cost to us? Because that may be difficult..."

Neville went on to explain that, as a state school, Hogwarts was free to all students, including food and board, which caused Mrs Nowak to be slightly alarmed that Janek would be living away from home for several months of the year. The discussion continued further until Mr Nowak mentioned that they ought to at some point tell Janek about the situation.

"But first, Piotr," interrupted Mrs Nowak, "Professor, we have other children. Can they go with him?"

"I'm afraid that's not going to be possible." Neville understood their situation, though, and that's why this was always his least favorite part of the meeting. "Many of the subjects we teach can only be studied if the person has magic."

"But how do you know only Janek has magic?" asked Mrs Nowak "He has an older brother. Maybe he has magic too, and you overlooked..."

Neville then explained why this couldn't be possible, and the mother sighed in resignation when all of her arguments were disproven. She was going to do the same thing for her only daughter, but her husband gave her a pacifying look and she finally gave up.

"We should tell them now," Neville agreed, and Mrs. Nowak went to look for the child. Soon after, she came back followed by a bony boy with a big head, made even bigger by his military haircut, a rugged teenager with acne carrying a big eyed toddler, and the girl from before. The older boys looked puzzled as soon as they saw Neville, but the sister smiled and said something in Polish.

"Janek," said Mrs Novak, addressing the second oldest boy, "This is Professor Longbottom. He is from a...uh, special kind of school and he's here to speak with you."

The boy look puzzled and a little worried, and babbled something to his mother in Polish. Mrs Novak shook her head before giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, answering him in the same language. She then looked to her other children, "Dominik, Anika, I'd like you to meet your brother's..." She almost said 'new teacher' but she still wasn't sure of that yet, so instead said, "...well, he has something we need to tell all of you."

Janek spoke again, this time in English. "What do you mean 'special school'? Why? Is it a good thing?"

The boy looked confused and his mother a little flustered, not sure herself how to explain, so Neville stood up and crossed to Janek, offering him a hand to shake. "Hello Janek, pleased to meet you. I'm Professor Longbottom."

Uncertainly, Janek accepted the hand and mumbled shyly, "Erm...hi."

Neville gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "The school I come from is a school of magic, Janek, and we would like to offer you a place there."

At that, Janek raised his eyebrows and glanced from Neville to his parents, then back again. He looked unsure how to take that news for a moment, then rolled his eyes sceptically. "Yeah, right."

He crossed his arms. His older brother felt the same, but the little girl was curious. Neville drew his wand, as he already knew how the conversation would develop. "Would you like me to cast a spell?" The kid made a gesture of indifference, but before he could say anything his little sister answered:

"Sure! Can you fix that?" she pointed at the couch the teacher had been sitting on. It looked as old as it felt, with its damaged springs about to burst out of the stained and rough fabric, and even some recklessly made fixtures. Professor Longbottom waved his wand, shouted "Reparo!", and the sofa was as good as new.

The two boys looked at each other while raising their eyebrows, but the girl was amazed. "Now the cups!"

"Anika!" Her mother made a gesture indicating her to calm down. Then, she looked at her sons. "Now you believe us?"

Janek looked at his brother, who nodded in agreement. The two boys seemed to have a very close relationship, even though the older brother was rather quiet. "I can do that?"

"And much more, once you get proper guidance."

"What about my siblings? And my parents? Can they do magic too?" the professor promptly said no. That made the girl start protesting about not having such wonderful powers, so she was sent to her room. "Why am I the only one?"

"I'm not sure," admitted the professor, "I only know that you have a rare gift, and Hogwarts is the best place to unleash it."

After that, the visit was a little quiet. Neville explained all there was about the school, the subjects they taught, the sports and clubs they had...but, overall, it seemed his parents were more excited about it than Janek himself, and even the couple had their reservations. Questions about transportation, cost, materials, and even taxes appeared, and when every doubt was cleared Neville asked, "Do you want to go to our school, Mister Nowak?"

Janek glanced down and bit his lip uncertainly before answering. "I'm...not sure. I mean, it sounds great that I can do all this magic and stuff, but what about my family?"

Neville gave him a sympathetic look. "I understand your doubts, Janek, but with an ability such as yours, you really ought to receive the proper training in how to use it. Hogwarts has a programme that helps out Muggle families when their first child is accepted to the school. I'm sure we could reach an arrangement that is best for everyone, although of course it is your choice whether you attend Hogwarts or not."

Janek turned to look back at his parents, as if seeking reassurance, and said something to them in Polish. They replied likewise, but then Mr Nowak said, "Only you can choose, Janek, but whatever you decide, we'll support you as best we can."

The boy then turned back to Neville, looking troubled. "Can I have longer to think about this?"

"Of course," Neville replied, "We would normally ask students to respond by owl, but given the circumstances, would it be alright for me to call again when you have reached your decision? Perhaps in a week's time?"

It was Mrs Nowak who answered. "Um...yes, I suppose," she said a little hesitantly. "Thank you for your visit. I must say this was the last thing I expected."

Neville had risen from his seat and she was guiding him back to the door as their meeting had reached its end. They bade each other goodbye, Neville saying he would see them again soon, and as Mrs Nowak closed the door the family turned to look at each other, realising they had much to talk about.