James, for one of the first times in his life, was found cleaning his room. Or less of cleaning, more like pushing the piles of cloths, papers, and food wrappers across the floor to create an empty space in the middle of the room. He stood back to look at the area he'd just made. Deciding that it was good enough, he climbed onto his unmade bed, faced the wall, and got ready to do something undoubtedly stupid.

With his hands above his head, and his knees bent, he pushed off hard, to make the most spectacular back flip done by an eleven-year-old boy on top of their unmade bed. But considering the fact that he had never attempted a back flip so he didn't know the proper form, and taking into account that his dresser, which was almost empty because he never put his cloths away, was less than five feet from his bed, meant his feet made contact with the dresser causing his hands to slip and face to smash against the wood floor.

The boy rolled over holding his face in pain. He rushed to his feet so that he could look into the mirror to see whether or not his nose was broken. Upon arrival at the mirror, he found that he could not even see his nose because his square glasses had smashed.

He rushed down the spiral staircase holding his face, and almost falling down due to his blindness. He looked at his hands which were covered in blood.

"Ma!" he called as he made his way into the foyer.

"I'm in the kitchen!" she called back. "And the post has just arrived, you've got your letter I think!"

His letter. That is what every wizard kid in the world waits their whole life for! His mind was completely brought away from his bloody nose and smashed glasses and was focused on nothing else except for the letter. He ran to the letter box and picked up a small pile of blurry white things that he could only guess was the mail. Quickly he flipped through the stack once, twice, three times but couldn't tell any of them apart from one another.

Instead he made for the lounge because that is where his father normally was.

"Dad?" he called as he made into the room.

"Dear lord, what have you done to your face?" said his father in surprise.

"Oh, I fell." James replied. "Can you fix my glasses?"

"Oh of course, give them here." he took the glasses James had handed him. "Oculus Reparo." said his father, waving his wand above them, and immediately new glass appeared inside the frames. James put them back on his face.

"Mom said she thinks I got my letter."

"What letter?" asked his dad.

"My letter from Hogwarts?" he exclaimed.

"Then go ahead and open it."

James flipped through the pile of mail, that was clear now, until he found it. His heart stopped as he looked at the yellowish envelope with emerald green writing. He read the name across the back.

"Mr. J. Potter"

He turned the envelope over to see the Hogwarts crest, a lion, a snake, a badger, and an eagle all on a quarter of the Hogwarts coat of arms. He tore the letter open with exhilaration and pulled from it, two pieces of parchment. The first read,

"Dear Mr. Potter, we are pleased to inform you that you have been excepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Please find enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1st September. We await your owl no later than 31st July.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva Mcgonagall,

Deputy Headmistress."

James looked up at his father in excitement, now with the taste of blood in his mouth.

"You best go show your mother." said his dad. "Also, you may want to get cleaned up a bit."

James bounded down the hall. This was his ticket! His ticket to school! His ticket to a new life! He was pretty much handed a letter that said, 'FREEDOM!'. James made his way into the kitchen to find his mother reaching into the spice cabinet. His mother was an elderly witch, not being blessed with a child until later in her life. She had short gray hair and a round, friendly face. James slipped his arms under hers and waved the letter in front of her face.

"Oh James, how wonderful!" she took the letter and pulled from it the parchment and read it still turned toward the cabinet. "We could go to Diagon Ally tomorrow." she said placing the paper back into the envelope.

"Why can't we go today?" asked James.

"Because your father- Aaaahhh!" she shrieked finally turning around. "What on earth have you done to your face!"

"I fell off my bed. Mom, it's not that bad."

"Won't you look in the mirror!" she exclaimed pointing to one above the sinks. James looked at his reflection and was startled to see that his entire face was covered with blood along with a swollen lip, he looked down to see that the front of his clothes were streaked with blood and when he went to respond, he found that his teeth had blood on them too. Pain began to arise in his face now that he was no longer thinking about the letter.

"Oh come here dear." said his mom taking him by the shoulders and turning him gently around. "Scorgify!" she said waving her wand and in an instant all the blood from his face, shirt, and mouth disappeared. Now he was just left with a bloody nose and swollen lip.

"Let me see," said is mom tapping his nose with her finger uncomfortably. "Well it's not broken, oh, I don't know the spell for bloody noses. But here," and she kissed him on the nose. "How did you fall of your bed? I heard a terrible thump."

"I was trying to do a back flip but forgot to tuck my legs in so I just fell." he replied.

"Oh James. You should to get a tissue." she kissed him on the head and he walked out of the room.

His mother headed toward the lounge. James rushed up the stairs behind her.

"Oh Fleamont." she said taking a seat next to her husband.

"Have you seem James?" he asked causally while reading the newspaper.

"Yes," she replied. "I had to clean him up. Oh I'm worried, he's so reckless and doesn't think before he acts he just, does it. I'm worried about him going to Hogwarts, we won't be able to watch over him and I won't be able to kiss him when he's hurt."

They heard a loud scrapping noise from upstairs as if something very large was being pushed across the floor.

"He'll be fine Euphemia." he replied.

There was a small silence.

"He gets it from you." she said finally.

"What?" Fleamont said putting down the paper and laughing.

"I'm serious, he certainly doesn't get it from my side of the family. We were always careful and cautious. It was you who was the wild boy, never reasoning with the danger and foolishness of it."

"Well," Fleamont started, taking his glasses off. "I was under the impression that my recklessness was the reason you fell for me."

"What?" said Euphemia. "Don't be absurd."

"Absurd am I? I do think I recall a certain girl, on a certain first week of term mentioning that she had never met anyone like me, and that I seem not to worry about anything and am just swept away with whatever wind wants me."

"I never-" she started.

"Or maybe it was a certain girl in a certain hallway taking to a certain Marita Hutbert, 'Oh Marita,'" he started in a higher girl voice. "there's a cute boy with a funny name that I really like, he's just so brave and free, I don't even know if he knows that I exist. He does whatever he wants without fear of consequences. I just want to be more like that."

"I never- Oh. . ." said his wife remembering. "Wait, you stalked me?" she asked.

"Of course I stalked you, I was in love, and for the record I did know you existed. Who knows, maybe James will find a calm and cautious girl too."

WAM!

Came a horrible noise from above them. Then came the sound of rushing footsteps. James ran into the lounge.

"Hey dad can you fix these?" he asked holding out his glasses again, this time with a swollen eye.

"He better find that kind of girl." said Euphemia