Puzzle Pieces
Prologue
Laertes looked up at both his parents' formal faces. The night before they'd been up arguing, though he hadn't heard what, but it made him uncomfortable and frightened; his parents hardly had ever fought. It seemed, however, they had reached some sort of conclusion, as they had called him to the table and were across from him with somber expressions.
His mother was nervous, he could tell because she kept brushing her red curls behind her ear, it was a habit she only did when she was nervous.
"Laertes, your mother and I, we…" His father began speaking.
"It's time you should know, kiddo."
Laertes looked at both of them confused. "Know what, exactly?"
His father glanced at his mother disapprovingly but didn't say anything to her; instead he turned to Laertes, the look on his face blank, as if trying to hide any reaction at all. "Well, Laertes, you…hmm…"
"You're a wizard." His mother said bluntly.
"What?"
"Well, we suspected…but—" His father started but got interrupted again.
"So you know all the fairytales we read you when you were little? About magic? They're real—well, sort of. My mum and dad were a witch and a wizard; it seems they passed that down to you." She gestured at him with a shaking hand.
"All of the strange things that happen around you…that's magic." His father explained.
"And well, the reason we needed to tell you, well, it's, well, I'll just let you see."
She pressed a piece of folded yellowed parchment toward him and then her hands went immediately under the table, her face tense.
Laertes took the paper, looking at it and then up at his parents confused, before opening his letter.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall
(Order of Merlin, Second Class, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Flaunting,
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,
Septima Vector
Deputy Headmistress
"Hogwarts?" He asked looking up again at his parents a curious but impassioned look on his face.