Hello, everyone. Just a quick few words about this story.

This is an idea of how chracters, there weren't featured in the books experienced their seven years at Hogwarts, with creatures attacking muggleborns, a serial killer on the loose and tri-wizard tournemant. Of course there will be cameo's of our favorite characters, but this is mostly about my OC's.

Chapter I

Her hands were going numb from the cold. Not even her gloves could protect her. Nevertheless, Holly didn't let go of the branch she was keeping to the side in order to get a clearer view of the field. The Crabapple's tree had vivid red colour leaves, it contrasts strongly against the green on the other side and the grey of the sky.

There was clapping and shouting coming from the field, kids running around, from post to post while their team cheered on loudly. Holly held her breath, watching as Julie Parry just managed to skit behind the last post before the ball was returned.

A roar of glee erupted, because that had been the deciding round and they had won. Everyone clapped Julie on the back, the sight of it giving the feeling of something was clamped around Holly's chest. Her thoughts went to when they used to do that to her, especially when she managed a whole Rounder, all four posts in one go. A part of her couldn't help but feel a bit self-contended, never having seen any of the others pull off a whole Rounder off, quite as often as she had. Holly had hoped that for that reason alone, the coach and the teachers would allow her back on the team, but it was clear to her now that her days of playing on the Hawes Side Rounders was over.

It really wasn't fair at all. It had been Mary and Tina who'd called her names and shoved her hard enough, so she fell backwards. They had laughed, turned around, leaving Holly fuming, when one of the white balls came flying at them and hit Mary in the back of the head. It had looked so comical, her falling face first into the damp grass, with Tina letting out a squeal of fright beside her fallen friend, so Holly had snickered, feeling like it was well deserved. But then Tina went and blamed it on her, just because she had laughed and since there was no one behind Holly, where the ball had come from, the coach believed them. That had been the last straw.

Together with the recent mishaps at school, Holly was kicked off the team and this time her parents hadn't been able to convince them otherwise.

Holly heard Coach Kendall blow his whistle and they gathered around him. Practice was over, and it was the last one in this term. The year before they had met up once or twice over the summer holiday to practice but it had been difficult with so many going traveling in different parts of the country or world. Maybe coach Kendall would try again this year and that was what he was telling the team, Holly couldn't hear and whether they were or not no longer applied to her. Soon the group disbanded, and everyone began cleaning up, picking up the cones, balls and bats. Her former teammates moved in an organised sort of chaos, looking a bit like beetles, scuttling around in the dark P.E. uniforms. Soon, they had cleared off and the field was empty.

Holly stayed a few more minutes, hidden among the branches, hurdled up like a squirrel.

She knew she ought to go home, like she should've have done when school was out, as her parents had told her to do.

Holly didn't want to go home, not after being late and not usually at all lately.

Since the mishaps at school, her parents liked her to come straight home with no dilly-dallying. However, the house felt stuffy and Holly often got quite bored, missing her friends. Missing having friends. Her grandparents, especially Grandma Georgie, was the only ones beside her parents who ever really had time for her. Now, with summer, she knew that she would be terrible lonely and have very little reason not to be at the house.

Still, there was no point in delaying the reprimand she was bound to get from either her mother or father or both.

Stretching her stiff limbs, Holly worked a bit of warmth into them, loosening the locked joints. It really was a rather chilly day, even with it being the middle of July. The sun was shining but it looked washed out against the sky that was so pale blue it was more of grey.

The wind had gotten somewhat brash too. Holly thought that maybe that was why Julie had managed to get the ball far enough for her to make it half way around and then make it all the way on Erin's batter.

Grabbing a sturdy branch hanging above her, Holly moved from her spot, so she could climb down, putting one foot down and letting her arms hold most of her weight. It happened far too quickly. There was a crackle and then a Snap!

Then she was falling, and she was sure her heart was going to leap from her chest before even hitting the ground. It is amazing how fast one's mind can think, how many thoughts and questions it could make before a second have past. Most of Holly's thoughts were on the pain that hitting the ground from fourteen feet would cause, or what would happen if she hit every branch on the way down or if she would be able to land properly, like a cat.

Yet, the ground stayed a good distance away and it seemed to take an awful long time for it to get closer. Holly looked around and saw that it wasn't the ground being slow to come at her, but the other way around. It wasn't like in the films were everything seems to slow down, rather, it was Holly herself who had slowed down. Gently, like she weighted no more than a feather, Holly floated down. It felt like she was filled with nothing but air, a balloon slowly descending. Looking down, there was still at least seven feet left and did make her nervous.

Holly managed to move her arms and grab a hold of a rather thick branch, more like part of the main trunk, and clamber onto it. She wasn't about to trust the lack of gravity with the last bit, not knowing what had made it happen or when it would stop.

When she was safely on the branch, Holly felt the familiar heaviness of her own body return, as if it had just popped off for a minute to take a breather and then came back. Moving her head back, she looked up and saw the stump of the broken branch, the rest of it being on the ground now. Seemed the cause had been the rot eating through the wood.

It took a moment for what had happened to sink it, when it did, a great grin broke across her face.

She had flown! Or as close to it as she would ever get without some kind of contraption.

For a moment, the laws of what goes up must come down, had gone for a quick kip and then come back like nothing had ever happened.

She couldn't stop smiling, even when she began climbing down, with great care, testing every branch. Holly was not going to temp the laws of physics twice, not yet anyway. The bark was rough on her one hand while the other was still protected by the glove. She could spot the other one of the ground, purple against green and brown. Once having firmness under her feet again, Holly picked it up, then noticed the hole in her black tights and the raw, red skin underneath.

"Oh damn" Holly muttered, knowing how her mother could get with her uniform. Then again, she wouldn't be wearing it anymore. This had been the last year of school and after the holiday, she would be going to a different one, with a different uniform.

By the trunk laid her bag, a bit hidden by grass and bushes. Holly picked it up and slung it across her shoulder, looking up one more time, as if she could spot where she had floated by some difference in the air. The wind made the leaves dance and the little twigs rattled against each other, sounding like birds clacking their beaks, but that was all.

The way back was a short one, as the field laid close to the row of terraced houses.

Most of them were mirror images of each other, with only the front yard being different; some were neat, others messy, some with toys and some with garden gnomes.

Some had tried to change the outer look by painting the walls, the windows and the door. That's was why, among reddish-brown bricks was blue, yellow and even one or two green houses. Her favourite was the blue one with the purple door and oriental decorations. It was much more interesting than her own, with its normal brick colour, white door and window panels.

It had a small brick barrier and a white gate of the same height, which Holly always found confusing. It was very easy to climb over, Holly had done it all the time when she was younger, liking the idea of earning her way inside by overcoming the challenge and it had to be easy for a grown-up. So, if it wasn't to keep people from breaking in, then why have any kind of fence at all?

From the street, you could see inside the living room, so her mother would often draw the curtains in the evening. They weren't now, and Holly could see straight in and saw the shapes of both her parents sitting in the sofa facing the window, but also, on the sofa just by the window, was a third person. Holly couldn't see anything but the back of the persons head. She gave a little sigh of relief. If they had a guest in the house, her parents couldn't be mad at her, at least not in front of the other person and maybe by the time the guest left, they would have forgotten all about her being late, again.

"I'm home" she said loudly after stepping inside, taking off her shoes and putting them in the closet that was filled with shoes. Most of them were her mother's but there was a lot of shiny black and brown ones that was her father's.

"You're late" came her mom's voice. She was standing in the doorway that led to the living room, arms folded with half of her dark brown hair draped across her shoulder.

There was something in her voice that sounded strange, not the normal scolding tone that came with not following the rules. There was a tightness in her voice, as if her mom was holding something back. Taking a better look at her mom, Holly noticed that she seemed very tense, lips stretched and thin and her cheeks lacked the normal colour.

Then her whole face changed to a look of mild shock, when she gave Holly a proper look. With a flash she was in front of Holly, her long fingers in her wild hair, running through the curly locks and picking bits and pieces of twigs and bark out.

Holly felt rather stupid just then, not thinking about how she looked after having climbed a tree. "What have you been doing?" she asked, and Holly avoided her eyes. Her mom let out a sigh and then added in a softer tone,

"Have you been out by the field again, eh? Watching the team?"

There was something about being accused that always made Holly want to deny everything. It didn't matter if she had done it or not, that was not the point. It was about not getting caught, it was to outwit people and not surrender too quickly if other options are available.

So, Holly scrunched up her face, making sure her eyebrows were close together, and said

"No, I just decided to do some climbing on the way home, since the storm knocked down our oak tree"

She saw her mother was about to argue and Holly prepared for it, but before a second inquiry could happen, her dad poked his head out from the living room.

"What's the hold up, Tessa? You are keeping our guest waiting" he said.

The way he said 'Guest' made it sound like he did not believe in the word, that it didn't fit the person who was waiting. Looking at him, Holly noticed his face looked a bit red and his curly blonde hair was dishevelled as if he had his hand through it multiple times.

He had not changed out of his work suit, as he never wore a tie at home or a blazer. Her mom looked up at him, her lips stretched into a thin line and with her hands still on her, Holly could feel them tightened. Her mother tried smoothing Holly's hair, getting the last pieces of wood out if it, before raising herself upright.

Holly had no idea of what had gotten her parents into such a mood, that her mother looked pale and her father looked angry, so she allowed her mother to guide her into the living room.

In the plush red sofa sat an elderly lady, with her black hair in a bun and square spectacles resting on the bridge of her nose. She was older than her parents, but younger than her grandmother and she was very green. As in she was completely dressed in the colour, from an emerald shirt-blouse to the skirt which was to below the knees with tartan print.

Even her eyes, that skimmed just over the glasses, were green and they were looking directly at Holly.

Holly didn't get why her parents where so fervent with her meeting this woman, usually with visitors a nice Hello was enough. So that was what she did hoping she then could go up in her room or into the garden. She walked the last bit to the woman herself, stretching out her right hand in greeting. "Hello, how do you do".

The woman's eyes gave her a second's glance before taking her hand and greeted her.

"Well enough, miss Garwin, though I have been waiting for some time to meet you" she said in a stern voice and they both let go.

At this, Holly became puzzled. Had they really waited for her to come home?

She never had adult guests, lately she never had any beside her grandparents. The only other times was when they came to complain about her, like her teacher had done when Holly slugged Kevin William for calling her a freak and throwing her book in a puddle.

But Holly had never seen this woman before, not at school or anywhere in the neighbourhood.

So why was she here if it involved her.

"What about we all take a seat" she said, her tone reminding Holly of the teacher at school.

Holly and her parents took a seat on the other sofa, Holly sitting to the right and her mother in the middle. There was a tension in the air that made Holly feel uncomfortable.

"My name is McGonagall and I am a professor at Hogwarts school" the lady, McGonagall, began, voice calm and collected. This was something she had done before, so often she probably script it out.

"And I would like to offer you a place there, a scholarship so to speak"

Holly's brow frowned for real this time, even more confused than before. Why would anyone give her a scholarship? Holly held no illusion about how she was at school, even without the strange incidence, she was no honour student. Her grades varied from barely good enough in classes she found uninteresting to quite good at things she liked. Her behaviour had been described in meetings as unruly, head-strong and a fibber. Not exactly a candidate to some prestigious school as this woman probably was from.

Then again, there wasn't much for her at her current school, but she was going to change anyway, this was the last summer. After the holiday she was going to start at Montgomery Academy, her mother had even planned on taking Holly shopping for the maroon and black coloured uniform.

Looking at her parents, because they had been oddly quiet, Holly saw that her mother was squeezing father's hand very tightly.

'What on earth have gotten into them?'

She would have thought they would be overjoyed that a school wanted to admit her, even seeking her out. She was brought out of her thinking when McGonagall spoke again.

"Now, Hogwarts is a school for special children who is not quite like others"

All at once, Holly felt how any excitement froze and became hard.

That's why her parents had been so weird. They were gonna ship her off to some boarding school for problem children, like a boot camp. They wanted to get rid of her, so they could live normal lives without her. It burned down in her stomach, like coal that blistered her from the inside until she couldn't stand still any longer.

"I en't going" she exclaimed, jumping up from the sofa before her mother even had a chance of catching her hand. Holly glared at the adults, her hands balled up into fists while tears seared in the corner of her eyes, but Holly simply refused to let them fall. They could stay there and turn to mist, like boiled water.

"Honey, sit down and listen to- "her mother said, but Holly didn't want to listen.

"You can't make me go there, I'm not a problem you can simply send away, I ain't going"

Holly took a step backwards, ready to bolt for the front door. She was ready to fight her mother or argue with her father, what she wasn't ready for was a calm and steely voice to speak.

"Calm yourself down child, good gracious, you are an impatient one. If you let me finish, before you go shouting the whole house down, you might find that it is not what you think".

Holly felt her cheeks flush and the need to refute the older woman.

However, she found herself biting her tongue and giving a small nod, but she did not sit back down. There was still something about what she had that made Holly feel on edge. The word 'Special' sounded too much like 'Nutcase' in her mind.

The anger simmered down, staying under the surface and ready to blow again like a geyser.

Glancing at her parents, Holly caught their gaze which was a mix of disapproval and tenderness. She quickly averted her eyes to focus on McGonagall.

The older woman gave a little nod and cleared her throat "Thank you" and continued.

"As I was saying, Hogwarts is a special school that take children of a certain nature in"

McGonagall's eyes fixed on Holly's. Even with her standing up and the older woman sitting down, it felt like McGonagall was staring her down behind those spectacles.

"Tell me, Miss Holly, have you ever experienced strange occurrences around you? Made things happen that you can't fully explain?"

The voice was low, vibrating in Holly's very being as it dragged memory after memory into the light. The ball that flew at Mary, shattering a glass without touching it, making a flower bloom in the dead of winter, turning one of the boy's hair a sickly yellow and just today, with the loss of gravity in the tree. There were loads of examples and it happened more and more lately.

Holly wasn't sure what to say, so she just nodded, wary of the stranger.

Was the school some kind of place for kids with special abilities? Like bending spoon, reading minds or being able to predict certain things?

Holly couldn't do that and all the things she had done, she had no idea how.

"And this was at times when your emotions were, let's say, intense?"

Another nod. Holly remembered how angry she had been at Mary, how happy when the flower bloomed and frightened when falling.

"Have you any idea of what that means?"

It was the kind of question that had only one correct answer and of course McGonagall knew it. It made Holly believe that this lady was indeed a teacher, because that was how they asked questions.

"That I'm weird"

Holly crossed her arms, feeling exposed under the older woman's gaze. It would be better if her tone was angry, berating or anything other than perfectly seriousness, 'cause the next thing she said should not usually, by any means, be taken seriously.

"It means, young lady, that you are a witch"

Holly wanted to laugh and nearly did, but one glance at her parents and the amusement died right then and then. Her mother was clutching her father's hand tightly, her eyes fixed on the coffee table before she made an excuse to fetch some more tea and disappeared out to the kitchen.

Her father stayed, now holding his own hands in a locked grip.

'They believe her' Holly realised. Her mother was a no-nonsense woman, who had in school refused to attend church even though it was mandatory and as an adult took a very scientific way of life. Neither of her parents had pretended there was anything like Santa Claus, believing in telling the truth but instead had made small games at Christmas to keep the magic alive. So, for her parents to not yell balderdash and demand McGonagall to leave their house immediately, she had to have proved to them that witches were a real thing. Another thought crossed her mind. Was this old woman a witch?

One voice, one that sounded a lot like her dad, kept insisting it had to be fake, a prank or a joke but it slowly faded away as memories of the strange occurrences kept popping up.

She has done something impossible today. She had floated like a leaf, instead of dropping like any normal person would.

"I did those things…. with magic?" she said, tentatively, her arms becoming uncrossed and all of her attention on the old woman, the witch, once again. She barely heard the whistling of the kettle boiling in the kitchen, or notice her father clearing his throat in discomfort.

Her curiosity was peaked, anger gone.

The old woman nodded.

"Are you a witch too?" Holly asked, even if she was quite sure that she was.

"Yes, I am a witch, and I am a professor at a school that teaches young witches and wizards how to control their magic, as well as give an excellent education"

At these words, the older lady seemed to puff out her chest a little, like Holly had seen roosters do.

She began imagining what a magic school would look like. She thought of castles, she thought whimsical buildings where everyone wore pointed hats and robes with stars and moons stitched into the fabric. Holly wondered if the witches rode on brooms or maybe dragons. Did dragons exist? Or other magical creatures like Gryphons, mermaids, unicorns and kelpies?

So many questions welled up inside of her chest, waiting, ready to be ignited like with a gas stove.

"So, you can do magic? Like real magic, not just that sleight of hand or the kind that uses trickery, like the one with cutting a woman in half, but really the legs are just fake and the case in much deeper than it looks."

McGonagall looked a bit shocked but regained her composure and answered yes.

"Can you show me? Right now, can you do something magical, something amazing and real?"

At this point her mother came trotting back into the living room, a pot of tea and a plate of biscuits neatly arranged with her. Normally, Holly would go straight for the biscuits, as she knew her mother only stocked the best for when they had guests, but she was far too occupied.

Her mother sat back down beside her father, looking a bit calmer but still a touch unnerved.

"I don't see why not" McGonagall answered. From inside her sleeve, she produced what could only be described as a wand. A polished, smooth wand-like wood that had some shapes by the handle. She flourished in the air, drew a flat 'M' like shape and said "AH-viss".

Holly marvelled. From the tip of the wand, a small flock of yellow birds appeared. They were no bigger than sparrows and they twittered as they flew around the room, without knocking anything over or down. A smile, reaching from one ear and all the way to the other, spread across Holly's face.

"Fantastic!" she said loudly, her hand stretching out to see if she could touch one of them, to see if they were solid or only an illusion. One flew low enough for the feathers of the underbelly to touch her fingertips and Holly felt the softness of the plumage. She let out a giggle. It was as if, where the burning fury at been, there was now tiny bubbles all floating and bursting, giving a strange tinkling sensation. It made Holly think of the champagne her mother let her try last New Year's Eve.

All too soon, the birds disappeared, out in thin air, just like they came.

She spun around to face McGonagall whose lips were turned lightly upwards.

"Will I be able to do that? Can I learn magic like that, instead of this random stuff?"

And then began a very lengthy conversation that took so long that is was nearly supper when they were done. Mrs. McGonagall explained about something she called 'Accidental Magic', which was what Holly had been doing since she was about eight. She talked about the school, Hogwarts, a rather odd name in Holly's opinion but knowing nothing about the magic world, she kept quiet and simply listened.

"How has she been on this acceptance list when we had no idea about magic?" her father asked, his tone confused and sceptical. Holly always wondered if it was because of what he did, that he was so used to asking questions and not quite believing in what others claimed.

"Well, we have a magical quill that writes down all the children born with magic in a book- "

"Excuse me?" her father interrupted, his face having gone red and resembled a clenched fist.

"Are you saying that you are basing your claim that our daughter is a witch when all the proof you have is some codger that writes it in some book?"

Holly wanted him to be quiet, to not spoil everything with his science but at the same time, it was a good question. McGonagall look thoroughly annoyed at the interruption, eyebrow crooked and lips thin.

"I never said anything about someone writing in the book" she simply stated.

"But you said- "Holly's mother began but was cut off by McGonagall prim voice.

"I said the quill is writing in the book, I never mentioned anyone holding it"

This did not reassure Holly's parents, on the contrary, it enraged them even more.

"This is a scam! A quill that writes on its own accord, recording magical children when they are born. How do you know that it hasn't made a mistake, hmm? I assume that it can do that, like with a computer, it could just be an error"

McGonagall's voice was frosty and demanding attention.

"I assure you that the Quill and book is never wrong, we have never admitted a non-magical child into Hogwarts in the its history and as that was over a thousand years ago, I would claim that it works"

Her steely eyes dug into Holly's father. It was clear he wanted to object, ask how it worked but a hand from mother was enough for him to keep quiet. McGonagall adjusted her spectacles, seemingly satisfied with having control of the conversation again.

"Besides, miss Garwin, is hardly the first in your family have magic or attend Hogwarts, you have to look no further than her grandfather, your father Mrs. Garwin" she said casually.

A pin could have dropped on the wooden floor and be heard. It was if that statement had frozen everyone in shock. When Holly remembered to breath, she let out a very disbelieving "Wha'?"

It broke the silence and her mother too could not believe what the older woman had claimed.

"No, you must be mistaken, my father wasn't some kind of wizard. I admit he liked stage magic and was very good at it, but that was all"

"I am afraid I am speaking the truth, Elias Casterwill attended in 1926, graduated a few years before I myself began my first year. It is quite common for the magic to skip a generation or two if the other parent is a muggle" McGonagall explained, but in turn raised more questions.

"What's a muggle" asked Holly.

"A non-magical person, people, like your parents, who can't do magic"

So, her grandma Georgie was a muggle, as her parents. Holly remembered all her birthdays were her grandpa would put on magic shows. It had always been a good mix of sleight of hand, card tricks, the classics and in the end, always something truly amazing. That was the only time he used a wand.

'His wand! I've been looking at it so often at those shows, wondering why it wasn't the traditional black ones with white tips' Holly realised, amazed. Her grandpa had probably been doing magic her whole life. Excitement threatened to carry her off, until she realised that she would never be able to ask him, well, anything. He had died, only last summer, of a stroke.

'He will never know, I am magic too' and that thought made Holly feel lonely.

The only other magical person she knew, and the news had come too late. A thought struck her, before she could wallow too much.

"Did my grandma know it, that he was a wizard?"

The old witch gave her a pointed look behind her spectacles, one eyebrow raised once more.

"How would I know that? I did not know your grandfather personally, but he might have. Some hide it, some are found out or others simply choses to tell the truth, but never in the beginning. We have very strict laws about revealing the magical world"

She proceeded to tell about something called 'The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy', which was boiled down; not to let muggles know about magi so you couldn't go around willy-nilly and tell everyone. Holly wanted to ask her grandma Georgie right away what she knew about magic.

'Though,' she thought 'I will have to be sneaky about it, in case grandpa never told her' but that didn't seem very likely. Grandma Georgie was rather like a bloodhound at sniffing lies out and grandpa Elias had loved her ever so much, so Holly couldn't see him keeping such a big secret from her.

"Did he know? My father, did he know about Holly?" her mother asked in a voice that shook a little. It seemed at McGonagall began feeling some pity for Holly's mother, because her tone became kinder.

"I really couldn't say Mrs. Garwin. He might have suspected, if the accidental magic has been happening for a while,"

"It has, since she was small, but we never thought much about it, it is only the last few years it has become noticeable" her mother answered, and Holly realised something else. Her mother, however small, was relieved. Maybe because this meant that Holly was not a child acting out, not a troubled kid that needed a correctional facility. Or maybe it was because Holly would learn how to control it.

"Then I think he might have known but chosen not to tell. It can be hard telling people you love a secret they have been keeping for so long, he might not have wanted to cause a rift" McGonagall said, green eyes soft. They continued talking, but not for long. McGonagall produced two letters from a small bag and handed them to Holly. The top one was thick with emerald green ink that read,

Miss. H. P. Garwin

Third Door on the left on the First Floor

Queen Victoria Road 13

Blackpool, Lancashire

and on the back was a red, wax seal that had some kind of crest on it. There were four animals in the corners. A snake, a lion, an eagle and a badger. It was the Hogwarts house crest, Holly realised and wondered what the animals might mean. Not being the most patient one, Holly nearly tore open the envelope and found two pieces of yellow-ish paper folded together. On the first one, again in emerald ink stood in swirling letters.

Dear Miss Garwin

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.

Terms begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July

Yours Sincerely

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Holly looked up from the letter at the professor.

"But that's you, en't it?"

The black-haired witch gave a single nod, a little to the side.

"Yes, as well as being a professor teaching at the school, I also happen to be the Headmistress and Head of one of the school houses"

Holly wanted to ask about what the last part meant, but the witch gestured for her to look at the second page.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

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)

4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

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 Phyllida 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 two)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 Telescope

1 Set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, 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 and Provisions

After having read it through twice, Holly gave the letters to her father's open and waiting hand, then looking at McGonagall again.

"Where do you by all of this? I mean, I haven't seen any shops in Blackpool or even London with all of this, is there, like a special secret magic shop hidden somewhere?"

She wondered if they could go today. If it was quite far and if she could get other things like Seven League Boots, flying carpets, spinning wheels spinning gold or tonics that made you shrink and grow. Did they have magic mirrors that talked to you, did animals talk, was objects alive?

All those questions and a million more swirled in the in her head, feeling like a maelstrom, going around and round.

"Of a kind, the details are explained in the second letter. But in short, there is a pub in London called the Leaky Cauldron, which is a magical spot with the entrance to the shopping street, Diagon Alley. The location is listed in the letter but when your parents see it, all they'll see is a rundown building, but you will be able to see the pub, when you go in ask for Tom, the barman and he'll help you're out" McGonagall explained.

Holly cocked her head slightly and asked

"Why won't they be able to see?"

"Yes, I'll like to know that too" her father said, looking a bit offended. McGonagall sighed, adjusting her glasses.

"Because there is a perception spell placed on the building, anyone without magic will only see the illusion. It is done so no muggle will accidentally stumble in, thinking it is a regular pub"

Holly thought that was very neat and probably very useful. Her parents looked uncomfortable by the idea. McGonagall stated all other practical information was stated in the letter and after answering a few more questions, she told them that she had to get going. They all stood by the door, Holly shaking the older woman's hand with her parents standing at her side.

"I do hope to see you miss Garwin the first of September, until then, enjoy your summer"

Then she went out the door but when Holly ran to the living room window to watch her go, she was amazed to see that McGonagall had already disappeared.

'What a peculiar person' Holly thought, sounding like her mother when they met weird people.

After that, her parents said they would start supper and Holly was too full of wonder, to ponder of the oddness of both of them doing it. Usually it was one or the other, letting their partner to work or to entertain Holly. However, Holly was occupied with all the information she had gotten over such a short time, and she went straight up to her room where she laid flat on her stomach in her bed and opened up the second letter.

Like McGonagall said, it was mostly just directions to the pub, told the parents to bring along their child and ask for Tom. Though it also explained that muggle money wasn't of any use, how they had to exchange it in a bank called Gringotts which was located in Diagon Alley.

Then there was a bit about a train station platform called 9 3/4 at Kings Cross, and how they had to run into a wall!

"Magic people are weird" Holly mumbled, thinking about all the hoops one had to jump through just to get to a school. Was hiding their existence really that important? She personally thought that having magic everywhere would be, well, magical.

'Then again…' Holly remembered when they learned about the witch hunts hundreds of years ago, how they burned or hanged witches. Her teacher had always said it came from superstition and hysteria and none of those people were witches.

But what if they were? Then it was obvious why they didn't want muggles to know about them, it that got them burned.

Holly read the first letter again, setting the other aside for her parents. They would need to know those things. She couldn't wait to get her hands on everything the school demanded, especially the wand and some of the books. Not the History one, 'cause, Holly never particularly liked history. She found it very boring and was not the least bit interested in what people had done long ago in places she wasn't. The name of the authors was rather silly sounding, but she liked them for not being boring. Then there was the talk about bringing animals. That excited her almost as much as knowing dragons existed, but why only those three? Couldn't you bring a dog, or maybe a parrot?

Holly had never been allowed pets, not after the goldfish and then the cacti had died.

She had felt very guilty, she had, or at least for the fish. Although fish wasn't a very fun animal to have, as they did very little. It had been named Hook, because she liked the character in Peter Pan and because she thought it was ironic. He was buried outside in the garden by a small, fish-less pond they had.

If she could choose herself, Holly would want an owl, because it sounded brilliant to have something that none of the kids in the neighbourhood had. A thought struck the her; were there other kids with magical in her neighbourhood? Could there be someone living close by, who felt just as out of place and never having known why? Holly wanted to know, but how would she go about it. She couldn't very well knock of every door and ask the children if they were magical. Not only would that take a lot of time, but she was pretty sure that was breaking that law Mrs. McGonagall talked about.

"Holly, dinner is ready!" her mother's voice called from downstairs, pulling Holly out of her thoughts. She got up from the bed, about to go down stairs when she realised she was still in her uniform. She went to the door and called "Be there in a minute" and then began changing.

The Hawes Side Academy had red cardigans, a black skirt with black tights and a white polo shirt. This day, regardless of McGonagall's visit, had been the last day she would wear the uniform for school. She had been looking quite forward to that, to make a new start somewhere else.

She pulled on a pair of blue trousers and white and light green stripped blouse, putting her hair in a ponytail and headed downstairs.

Her parents were already sitting in their usual seats, waiting for her. It looked like tonight was pie and mash. Holly eagerly sat down, stomach rumbling in responds.

Despite Holly wanting to talk about everything McGonagall had told them, they ate in silence. Even she could sense the sombre mood rolling of her parents and she knew that this was times when all they wanted to do was think. So, she stayed silent, biting her tongue about Hogwarts and magic every time anything was said. Holly was ready to burst when she was excused from clearing the table and she scurried up to her room, mostly just to get away. She looked at the letters, the torn wax seal. She found every book she had that contained magic and skimmed through them. She was reading Mathilda when her mom came up and reminded her it was bedtime. Holly would usually try and get that time extended, but one look at her mother's face told her that is wouldn't be good. So, she went and cleaned up, brushing her teeth and unruly straw-coloured hair before getting her nighty on and crawling into bed.

When they came up to say goodnight, Holly handed her father the second letter which he took with a stiff arm. But when they left, turning off the lights, Holly found that she could not sleep.

Her whole body fluttered, as if moths were trapped in her stomach.

Curiosity kept her awake with wonderings and how much she longed for the day to buy her new school stuff and then for the first of September.

Much later that night, when Holly had fallen into something of a light, twitching slumber, she was awoken by her need to use the bathroom. On the way back to her room, Holly heard voices from downstairs and noticed the lights coming from the closed living room door.

'They normally never close that door' she thought, stopping by the top of the stairs. The voices grew louder, not very far from yelling but not something that would have woken her up by any means if she had been sleeping normally. Slowly, Holly crept down the steps, avoiding the steps that she knew were creaky. Half crawling, like some wild cat stalking its prey, Holly slithered downstairs and towards the door. It was clear that her parents were having a heated argument, but what about, she couldn't tell yet.

Pressing one ear against the smooth wood, the voices became clearer, though the door muffled a lot of it.

"We'll refuse, we-we'll just not show up" the deep voice, her father said, and Holly was surprised by the stutter. Her father was never in doubt, he always knew what to do, he always stuck to his beliefs and didn't waver.

"But the accidents, the glass shattering, what if it continues? What if it gets worse?" her mother spoke, a slight tremor could be heard even through the door.

'They're talking about me' Holly realised, pressing harder and wishing she had a water glass or something, like they did in the movies. Steps, trudging against the floorboards in a heavy manner. Her father when he was pacing.

"We know nothing about this place or the Headmaster, can't even find it on a map" her father scoffed.

It had never occurred to Holly that her parents might not be as thrilled as she was by the news. For her, it was exciting and new. It was a reason to why she had felt different and out of sorts with the other children and it meant that she was not alone. However, she had noticed that a lot of adults didn't like big changes or for things not to go according to plan. They probably had a plan for her, what she was supposed to do when she grew up and had to get a job.

Her father had already talked of Cambridge and Oxford universities, asking Holly want she wanted to do with her life. Her usual responds were Inventor or an explore.

A stomach-churning thought began forming in her mind.

What if they wouldn't let her go?

'I could run away, get there on my own' but then she remembered what her father said, about not being able to find the school on a map. Besides, she would need money for the supply and was sure her allowance would not cover it.

'I must simply convince them' was her decision. A scuffle, a chair scrapping against the floorboards and Holly knew it was time to scram back up to her room. She managed to do it very quickly and quietly, so that when she heard the living room door open, she was already in her room and in bed.

With determination about her resolution, Holly pulled the duvet all the way up to her chin and let her eyelids droop until they closed, and she fell asleep with dreams filled with dragons, tricky mirrors and birds that fluttered and twinkled.