"Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog. Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble." The girl wiggled a little, burrowing herself further into her old comfortable armchair, savoring the flow of words that echoed sing-song like in her mind. Matilda thought it was just magical the way she could be absorbed into a world full of adventure and intrigue, just by reading those small printed letters. She had been exploring these worlds for as long as she could remember, walking the long way to the city library every day to find a book. Her parents had never understood why she read so much, in fact they rather hadn't understood anything about Matilda. Her father, Mr Wormwood, would narrow his piggy eyes at his daughter and bark at her to 'put that damn trash in the bin and pay attention to the TV.' She sighed, and closed her book, thinking she might go downstairs and ask Miss Honey if they could go to the park today. Matilda lived with her school teacher Miss Honey now, after her parents had decided to move away. Matilda was glad she was allowed to stay, as she really loved Miss Honey. Unlike her parents, Miss Honey shared her love for books, and art, and all sorts of fun. She narrowed her eyes at her book and willed it to float over to the large bookshelf on the other side of the room, grinning as the book wiggled into its place between 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Moby Dick'. Matilda loved using her powers, the way she could make things happen by her will alone. Of course she had long ago decided to only use her powers for good, she absolutely hated bullies!
"Matilda" Miss Honey poked her head through the doorway and held out a lovely cream coloured envelope "look what arrived just now! It's a letter for you!" She passed the envelope to Matilda who flipped it over to find a strange crest of some sort on it, with the word 'HOGWARTS' above it. She spent a moment examining the crest, it seemed to have a lion, a badger, an eagle and a snake depicted on a shield. How odd, she thought. Opening the envelope, she pulled out the letter, which was written on a strange, heavy paper that looked very unusual. Miss Honey leaned over Matilda's shoulder and read with her,
Dear Miss Wormwood,
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.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress.
"School of ...witchcraft and wizardry? Is there really such a thing?" Matilda asked, looking up at Miss Honeys' puzzled face. Before she could reply, they heard a loud rapping on the front door. Hurrying downstairs, Matilda opened the door to find a stern looking old woman on the doorstep, dressed in a long tartan gown, and with a tall pointed hat perched on her head. The woman peered at her a moment through her glasses before her face broke into a kind smile, and reaching out to shake Matildas' hand saying "Ah, you must be Miss Wormwood! It's lovely to meet you dear, I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am here to explain your letter to you."
Matilda smiled bemusedly before stepping aside "of course, please come in"
After greeting Miss Honey, McGonagall sat herself primly on the couch, "Now miss Wormwood, I'm sure you are a bit confused about all this, is there anything you would like to know?" Matilda considered this for a moment. "What will I be learning at Hogwarts professor?" "Well, you will be learning, along with your classmates, subjects such as Charms, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, History of Magic and Transfiguration, which is the class that I teach dear." Matilda thought this sounded very exciting, but hesitatingly she asked "but professor how do you know I am a real witch? I don't have any warts, at least, I don't think I do.." McGonagall chuckled, and reached forward to pat Matildas hand "My dear, muggles -that's people who don't have magic- have a few strange ideas about witches and wizards, but I assure you most of it is rather far from the truth. As for knowing whether you are a witch, well, have you ever done something, made something happen, that other people cannot do. That you cannot explain, but just happens?"
The look on Matilda's face must have reflected her excitement, as the older woman quirked a lip and nodded, "Well there you are then" McGonagall said briskly, standing up "Now I must be getting along in a moment, but if you wish, tomorrow I will take you to buy your school supplies, as the entrance is rather difficult to find on your own." Miss Honey showed the professor out and closed the door behind her before turning and enclosing Matilda, who had a large smile on her face, in a hug. "This is wonderful Matilda! You'll go to school and learn all about your magic!"