Chapter One: Letters from Owls and Magical surprises
Amber Aborior was your average, typical ten-year-old girl. But she, of course, did not believe that.
Being the only child of rich, successful parents, she considered herself above-average, and acted that way. She wouldn't call herself stuck-up, just better than people with less money. That's how all of her rich friends acted, and their attitudes had worn off on her.
Despite her being above-average, she would have to agree that her looks were not. After all, there was nothing extraordinary about long brown hair, hazel eyes, and fair skin with only a few freckles.
So all in all, Amber was somewhat happy. Being the daughter of wealthy parents wasn't, contrary to what she bragged to friends, "all that." Every day was the same: wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, do homework, eat dinner, and then go back to bed. So when summer came up, Amber grew excited, because not only did summer mean no school, but also her eleventh birthday.
But to her utter disappointment, her birthday came and went without the excitement that she had hoped for. True, she had a huge party with all of her friends and got more presents then she really needed, but that's what happened every year. That was nothing special to her.
Surprisingly, something did shatter the dullness of summer about a week after her party. It happened like this:
It was a typical day, though rather hot for England, which Amber liked. (Despite living in England for her whole life, she had never grown fond of colder weather and loved summers). Amber was lying sprawled out on her bed, every window in her room wide open, and reading a thick book--or at least pretending to. In reality, she was daydreaming about an exciting adventure. It was a way to distract from the dullness of her life.
Suddenly, a shriek came from outside.
Amber looked up in time to see a large, tawny owl fly in through one of the open windows and land on her dresser. Since she'd never had a pet of any kind, Amber wasn't sure what to make of the large animal in her large, tidy bedroom and was unsure of what to do.
But before she could think of anything, the owl spread its wings and took off again. It flew just above her head, dropped something, then turned around and flew out the window.
After watching the bird leave in amazement, Amber glanced at what the owl had dropped: it was a letter.
Curious, I always thought it was only pigeons that did that, she thought, picking up the envelope and turning it over. The stylish cursive on the cover read:
Ms. A. Aborior Third room on the right 13 Hillsworth, Farnam
Inside it read:
Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Ms. Aborior,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a been awarded a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please see the enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on the 1st of September.
We await your owl by no later than the 31st of July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress
Hogwarts? Witchcraft? Owls? A thousand questions burned in Amber's mind.
Is this for real? she asked herself out loud, and then a sudden thought struck her mind: Am I being pranked?
She looked around, half-expecting people with cameras to pop out…or even just one person who would tell her this was all a big practical joke. When no one came, Amber rose and exited her room.
"Mum!" she called, walking down the long hall toward her parents' room. "I just got a weird letter!"
"What's that, dear?" her mother, Sara, asked as Amber entered the large room. "Something about a letter?"
"Yes. From an owl."
"A what?" Sara looked up sharply from her work.
"An owl, you know…a big bird that flies…" Amber explained slowly.
"Let me see the letter." Her mother had grown pale, and she held out her hand.
Amber handed the letter to her, and Sara skimmed it quickly. A look of surprise and happiness crossed her face.
"Oh, Amber!" she exclaimed. "You've been accepted!"
It was Amber's turn to grow pale. "You mean, this is for real?" she asked shakily.
"Of course it's real...Oh! I need to call your father!" Sara exclaimed, making a dive for the telephone and dialing quickly. "John! You'll never guess what! She's been accepted...I know!...Of course...Okay...Bye!" Her mother clapped her hands excitedly, acting as excited as if she were the one going.
"So, you and Dad knew about this...Hogwarts?" Amber asked suspiciously. "How come you didn't tell me? Are you witches and wizards? Am I-"
"Hold it! Too many questions!" her mother interrupted "Yes, your father and I know about Hogwarts, but no, we're not witches or wizards. Your grandparents were, though. Despite that, your father and I never showed any magical abilities and did not get accepted. We thought that the same would happen to you, so we didn't tell you about it. We didn't want you to end up disappointed." Her mother hopped up and said, "I'll be right back!"
"So I'm going to be a...witch?" Amber muttered incredulously when she was alone. Setting herself on her mother's bed, she took a deep breath and thought about all that her mother had told her--particularly about the whole "magical abilities" thing. Had she shown magical abilities? How would she know?
A few moments later, her mother came back.
"Ok!" she said breathlessly. "I've moved my schedule around a bit, so tomorrow we're going shopping!"
"Great, Mom," Amber smiled, deciding not to voice her other questions yet. They could wait.
After all, she had wanted a more interesting life, and now she was going to get it.
After all, she had wanted a more interesting life, and now she was going to get it.