Chapter 1- July 2009
Holly:
The Wiggins were not an old family, or a powerful family, or a rich family. If anything they were a rather ordinary family (ordinary by wizard's standards that is), who found much contentment from raising post-delivering owls. They owned a reasonable piece of land outside of Dartmouth, Devon, where their owls could stretch their wings and take in the fresh air. No Wiggins had ever wanted to go on any sort of adventure, but that suited them just fine for at least four generations. Four generations of Wiggins had merrily gone about their business in the hills of Devon, that is until Holly Wiggins.
Holly had nearly made it to the big rock when she heard her mother's call. She sighed, and turned back towards her house. That afternoon she had been walking up along the creek picking wild flowers and herbs. The creek ran through her family's lot and it was her favorite place on hot summer days like this one. She had spent most of her summer splashing in the water and climbing the surrounding trees just like she had done for every summer she could remember.
She came in through the backdoor into the kitchen. Her mother, Mary Wiggins, was waiting for her when Holly got there; she was sitting at the kitchen table popping the ends off the green bean Holly had helped pick that morning. Her mother took one look at her when she came in, "Holly! You're a mess." Holly looked down and realized that was probably true. She was barefoot and wearing a dress that more resembled an old sack that had been tied around her waist with an old leather belt. She ran a hand through her tangled strawberry hair, pulling a leaf out that must have got caught in her long curls. There was mud on her knees and under her short fingernails and she could feel a sunburn on her cheeks, as she smiled at her mother. "I was picking flowers."
Holly put her basket on the table, beside her mother.
"They're lovely, Holly." Mary said, smelling the blooms from where she sat. "What are you going to do with them?"
"I'll press any I don't have, but I got some of them for Virginia, she said she was going to teach me some potions stuff."
Mary was a little dubious, "Virginia said that?" Her sister was a talented potions mistress, but she didn't seem the type to help an eleven year old girl with anything, but from the way Holly's face lit up, Mary began to think Virginia must have said something to her.
"She said she could show me how to make a potion that could change my hair whatever colour I wanted, or one that can turn dandelions to roses. I think I want to be a potions mistress when I grow up, I could go and work for Aunt Virginia." Holly was grinning, there was a glimmer in her eye that her mother knew meant trouble.
"You can be anything you want, dear."
"Even if I want to be a hippogriff?" Holly gave a cheeky smile that Mary couldn't help but smile at.
"Do you know what hippogriffs like to do?"
Holly looked confused, "What?"
"They like to help their mothers with dinner."
"I don't know if I want to be a hippogriff anymore." Holly mused, sitting down to help her mother with the beans.
They talked idly for a few minutes before they heard a familiar tap on the glass. Holly turned to see a barn owl sitting on the ledge outside of the window. "I'll get it," Holly said as she got up to open the window. The bird flew in and dropped the letter on the kitchen table before going back to perch on the window sill. "Just wait here," the girl said as she went into the pantry to get a snack for the owl. Mary picked up the letter, recognizing it instantly, "Holly!"
"What?" Holly came out of the pantry, biscuit in hand.
"You got your letter!"
"What letter?" Holly went over to the owl, handing him the biscuit.
"Your Hogwarts letter!"
"What!" Holly went over to her mother and ripped open the letter.
Dear Miss. Wiggins,
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
Headmistress
"I'm going to Hogwarts!" Holly was nearly shaking with excitement as she read the letter again.
"I'm so proud Holly!" Mary embraced the girl. "Go tell your father, I'm sure he will be thrilled." Holly was grinning wildly as she ran out to see her father.
Phoenix:
Muggles… Muggle things… Muggle ideas… So incredibly sick of muggles! When you have magic, why do you live like you don't?
Phoenix was brooding as he washed dished by hand while his magical parents sat in the living room having after dinner drinks with a pair of muggles! It's not that he could do the dishes with magic, but that wasn't the point.
He huffed, putting the last plate on the drying rack. He dried his hands, noticing they were pruned adding to his distain towards "the good old fashion way". He was done with muggles.
His mother was a muggle born, and that was fine. He loved his mother; she was one of the best witches he had ever met (though he hadn't really met too many due to his mostly non-magical upbringing). His father though came from a magical family, with many of his relatives having married into well-known magical families, but his father was a muggle sympathiser. He worked for the ministry in the Department of Muggle Relations, meaning he spent his days talking to non-magical politicians in regards to the relationship between the magic and muggle worlds. He used to be a professor in muggle studies, but after the second rise of Voldemort he had quit and never returned. Phoenix was convinced his father wanted to be non-magical, which always annoyed him. Why ignore a gift if you have it?
Phoenix tried to sneak up stairs so that his parents wouldn't force him to sit there and listen to talk about Football and Muggle politics. He went out of the kitchen and tried to slink past the living room to the stairs as quietly as possible. He got past the door and quickly bolted up the stairs, still trying to keep quite.
He flung himself on his bed, pressing his face into his pillow which smelt like fabric softener; his mother must have changed his sheets. He heard the distant murmur of the conversation down stairs, which was oddly comforting. He began to lull.
"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" He sat up quickly. What was going on? "An owl John! An owl!" The muggle woman was shrieking. Phoenix jumped up, snickering. The poor muggle lady scared of the owl, which he guessed had just flown in through the front window to deliver the post. He practically flew down the stairs and came skidding into the living room.
The muggle lady had ducked and covered, looking like a trembling ball in a frock. Her husband, John, Phoenix assumed, was backed into the opposite corner of the room from the owl that was perched indifferently on the fireplace. Phoenix's parents were apologizing to their guests assuring them they had no idea that an owl would be coming for a visit. While the adults were tending to one another Phoenix went over to the owl, offering it an arm to perch on. The owl obliged and Phoenix took it out of the room so he could take the letter from the bird and avoid the questions of why an owl was delivering mail. He let the owl out the kitchen window.
When Phoenix looked down at the letter he was surprised, it was for him. He never got mail. Turning it over, he looked at the seal. A loin, a snake, a badger and a bird? He broke the seal and carefully read the letter.
Dear Mr. Flannery,
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
Headmistress
He was going to Hogwarts… He was going to be a wizard, a real wizard.