It was a muggy, hot July 21st in the year 2004. Even though the day was drawing to a close, it felt hotter than ever, the hottest day that Ducton, North Carolina had seen in over 3 decades. At Terri Park, only two eleven year old girls were left: a tall, pretty, and skinny brunette with auburn and honey blond streaks through her shiny, straight that fell on her shoulders, wearing a black and white striped one-piece swimsuit and black flip-flops; the other was about a head shorter, also pretty, with long, wavy, red hair, startling green eyes, wearing a white swimsuit and matching shoes. They were walking on Pacific drive toward the last two houses on the street, bordering the beaches by the Atlantic Ocean.
"So, Rachel, are you planning on going to Ducton Junior High or Adams Junior High?" asked Lily Evans, the red-headed girl. The other girl, Rachel, suddenly got an uncomfortable and guilty expression.
"I'm—" said Rachel, with a little hesitation. "I'm not going to either of them."
"So where are you going to go?" shock etched on Lily's face as she responded to this new information.
"There's this really incredible school that my mom attended, and she really wants me to go there."
"What school is it? Maybe my parents will let me go there too."
"Lily, it's a very, very selective school. They actually choose you without you sending in an application. I'm so sorry, but if you were accepted, you should know by now."
They finally came upon their destination; two houses were standing next to each other: one was a two-story brick house with a colorful garden; the other was a white house with a large backyard, with a tree house in the tallest elm tree.
"Lily?" Rachel said, with a worried look.
"I have to go, my parents will start to worry," said Lily coldly.
Rachel heard the tone of her voice and decided not to push the subject, not wanting her best friend to become angrier. Without another word, Lily started up the walkway to the white house, and finally entered.
Feeling miserable, Rachel walked into her house and into the kitchen. It was comfortable and cozy looking in there. In the middle of the room was an island table and her parents were occupying two of the six chairs. When she entered, they both looked up at her.
Her mother, in her late thirties, and looked so much like Rachel, smiled and said, "I was wondering when you were coming home. We wanted to wait with dinner until you got here."
"There's a letter waiting for you," her handsome father said. He too, was in his late thirties, with light brown hair, and dazzling blue eyes, which Rachel had happily inherited from him. At his words, she looked at the letter sitting on the table, had a feeling about what it was, and quickly grabbed it and opened.
Ms. Rachel Delancy—
It is our pleasure to announce that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will find a list of your supplies on this letter. The first day is on September 1st. The train leaves at 11:00am at King's Cross, Platform 9 ¾.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress.
First Years are required to have:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter coat (black, silver fastenings)
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
1 wand
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
May also bring cat OR owl OR toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
While Rachel had been reading this acceptance letter, she didn't even notice that her two younger sisters and older brother had entered the kitchen and took their places around the table. She snapped out of her non-observant state when all of them yelled, "Congratulations!"
Rachel looked up at her brother, Thomas, who looked like her dad; her younger sister, Angela, who was very blonde and was only 4 years old; and her youngest sister, Danielle, who was also very blond and greatly resembled Rachel, and she was only 3 years old. They were all beaming at her and she returned it.
"We have a Hogwarts student in our family!" Tommy said enthusiastically. He attended the smaller Wizarding school of Duffletown. Rachel's mother, Victoria, had also attended Hogwarts. Her father, David, was a Muggle (non-magic) so he never attended any Wizarding school.
Danielle and Angela got up and hugged their sister simultaneously. "Go sit in your seats," she told them, and Tommy helped them into their chairs.
"Well, since Rachel is here and she's read her letter, we should probably have dinner since everyone here is hungry." said Victoria.
Before their eyes, a plate of cooked fish and a bowl of rice landed on the table, along with a jug of water. They toasted to Rachel and then had one of the most delicious meals Rachel had ever tasted. By the time they had all finished, all of them were thoroughly full. And with that, Victoria sent them all off to bed, saying that they had an early morning, for they were going shopping for Rachel's supplies.
Morning came all too quickly for Rachel; her mother was waking her up just after it felt like she had fallen asleep.
"Time to get up, Rachel."
"What time is it?" Rachel responded groggily.
"It's only 8:30, it's not even early." Victoria said, trying her best to stifle the laughter that had nearly burst out of her. "Come on, now. I want you ready to go in twenty minutes and meet us downstairs in the kitchen." And with that, she walked out of the room. Feeling slightly resentful, Rachel rolled out of bed and started to pick out her outfit. After five minutes of different possibilities, she picked out a white tank-top with maroon colored flowers on it, some tan shorts, and her black sandals. She went into her bathroom, put her hair together, brushed her teeth, and then went downstairs, where the rest of the family was waiting for her.
"Okay, now that everyone's accounted for," David said, checking his watch, "we should probably get going. Vikki, how do you want to go? Should we drive?"
"It does take a little bit to get there, since it's by the northern side of the beach . . . let's drive." Victoria answered, throwing David the keys.
After they had piled into the midnight blue 2004 Audi S4, got the Danielle into her car seat, David started the car, backed out of the driveway, and went off down the street.
The drive towards the north end of Covington Beach was smooth, since rush hour had been a couple of hours beforehand. David and Victoria sat in the front, talking about work, friends, and colleagues, as usual; Danielle and Angela were playing I Spy with Tommy; Rachel sat there, watching the beach and the people that were relaxing on it, trying to keep her patience. It was actually a halfway short trip, but Rachel was bursting with excitement, and wanted to get there immediately.
Thirty minutes later, they parked by a meter on Main Street in Raleigh, the state capital. David put some money in the meter, and then the six of them started off down the sidewalk.
"It's only a couple of blocks away," Victoria informed them, then added, "Tommy, will you please hold Danielle and Angela's hand."
In no time at all, they came upon an inn called The Leaky Cauldron, which looked a little shabby but comfortable nonetheless. They entered through the front doors and immediately turned left, toward the bar. Walking through the smoky and liquor smelling room, they came upon a back door, which they went through. There was a small alleyway, with a garbage can, and they were facing a brick wall. Victoria pulled out her wand, tapped a brick that was eye level, and suddenly the bricks began to twist and form an entrance.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley!" Victoria said to them.
It was the most incredible thing that Rachel had ever seen. There were many people walking along in groups, laughing and shopping, shops all around, when put together, probably sold everything a witch or wizard could ever need. Taking out the list of supplies, Rachel said, "Where should we start?"
"Um," said Victoria, looking over Rachel's shoulder at the list. "Let's start with your wand, that's always fun. Ollivanders' is just up there, don't go anywhere else, he's the best wandmaker there is."
They walked a few steps and entered the shop. It was a small shop, with large shelves, all filled with long, rectangular boxes, which contained different wands.
"Hello?" David called out into the silence.
An old, very short man, with thin silver hair on a rolling ladder came out from the shelves, climbed down, and faced them.
"Ah," he said, in a slow voice. "Mrs. Delancy . . . 10 inches, dragon heartstring and pine, correct?"
"Right on the money," Victoria responded with a smile on her face. "We need to buy Rachel her first wand,"
Ollivander walked behind the sales counter and beckoned Rachel to him.
"Which is your wand arm?" he asked.
"My right," Rachel responded, feeling slightly nervous.
The man took out a tape measurer, held it up to her arm, then recorded the measurement before making it disappear.
"Wait here just one moment," he said, disappearing amongst the shelves.
Moments later, Ollivander came out with a long, black box, and set it on the counter. He opened it up, took out a wand, and handed it to Rachel. As Rachel took hold of it, her whole body felt warm and comfortable, and it looked as though there was a glow around her.
"Perfect!" said Ollivander, smiling at her. "9 ½ inches, oak and phoenix feather, good for charms and transfiguration. That will be ten galleons."
Victoria stepped forward to the counter, took out her wallet, and handed him ten golden round coins.
"Have a nice day, Ollivander," called Victoria as they exited the store. Rachel crossed off that item on the list.
"Where to next?" she asked.
About an hour later, they had bought all of Rachel's supplies, and they bought her a black and white owl, which Rachel named Pepper.
Still excited about the many magical school purchases, Rachel was extremely talkative on the car ride back, which slightly annoyed her siblings.
After returning home, Rachel dumped all of her stuff in her room, ran down the stairs, and went to the pool to look for Lily. She arrived in about two minutes, and looked at the many kids and adults who were using the pool to cool off, but Lily was no where to be found.
Walking another block, she came upon a park that was deserted except for a swing which was occupied by a familiar redhead. Rachel ran towards it, wanting to make up with her best friend.
"Lily?" Rachel asked hesitantly.
"Hi, Rachel," Lily responded, not looking up.
Rachel took the red swing next to the blue swing that Lily was sitting on. Though the day was much cooler than yesterday, it was still quiet hot outside, and the swing burned Rachel slightly. The light breeze made the swings creak slightly as the two girls sat there, in silence, looking at the ground.
"Rach," Lily said, finally looking at her friend. Rachel looked at Lily and saw that the brilliantly blue eyes that were usually filled with joy had a tinge of sadness in them. "Can you keep a secret?"
"Of course," said Rachel, getting a grin on her face and sounding more like herself.
"Last night, when I got home . . ." Lily started, but then stopped. It was apparent that she was slightly nervous about revealing whatever it was that she was going to tell Rachel. "He told me that I was a . . . a . . . witch."
"What?"
"A man came and told me that I was a witch, and that I had been accepted to a Wizarding school called Hogwarts."
Rachel's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Oh my gosh!" she squealed. "I'm going to Hogwarts also!"
"Really?" Lily had a skeptical look on her face.
"Yeah, watch,"
Rachel started to swing higher and higher until she was over ten feet high and then jumped off the swing, did a flip in the air, and landed way too softly.
Lily sat there on her swing, jaw dropped, looking at Rachel with amazement. She jumped off her swing and hugged her best friends, all while jumping up and down and chanting, "We're going to Hogwarts, we're going to Hogwarts!"
After a minute or two of chanting and hugging, the girls released each other and started talking about what it will be like to learn magic.
"Well, my mom's actually a witch, but my dad's a Muggle," Rachel told Lily, as they occupied their swings again.
"Wow! Did she go to Hogwarts too?"
"Yeah, and Tommy is a wizard, but he goes to a smaller Wizarding school called Duffletown. He goes there for seven years also, and this is his third year."
"Awesome! So, what does Muggle mean?" Lily asked her. She knew that Rachel had more knowledge of these magical terms and wanted to know as much as she possibly could, before being with witches and wizards.
"It means people who aren't a witch or wizard. But sometimes a witch can be born to a completely Muggle family, and no one knows why."
"My parents were so excited, but Tuney looked really sad. I think she wants to be a witch too."
"Yeah, well, it's not your fault." Rachel told her, hoping it would make her feel better. Lily and her sister, Petunia, were almost as close as Lily was with Rachel, and Lily didn't like it when Petunia was mad at her.
"So, tell me everything you know about Hogwarts. I don't want to seem like an idiot when we go." Lily said.
"Okay. Well, according to my mom, during your first two years, you take Transfiguration, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, and Charms. But when we go into our third year, we have to take those five classes, but we can choose two more. Then, when you're in your fifth year, you have to take your O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Level), and whatever subjects you pass on that test, you can take those classes for the rest of your years there, but in your seventh and last year, you have to take your N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test), and you have to do good on both of those tests if you want to get a good job."
"Wow, what else?"
"There are four houses: Gryffindor, which my mom was in, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. She told me that when we arrive, we'll get sorted into our houses, but she won't tell me what we have to do. That makes me really nervous."
"I wonder what we'll have to do," Lily said.
"Anyway, when are you going to get your supplies?" Rachel asked, wanting to get off of the subject that made her insides feel like jelly.
"I don't know yet. The man told us where to go and how to get there, so my parents are trying to figure out when we're going. Have you gotten your things?"
"Yeah, we went this morning. You'll have so much fun there!"
They sat there, talking about nothing in general, until they noticed that dusk was coming. Deciding that they should go home, and eat something, since they had not eaten lunch, they walked to their neighboring houses, said good-bye, and went inside.
"Mom, Dad, you'll never believe this!" Rachel yelled as she ran into the kitchen, where her parents were sitting, waiting for dinner to be done.
"What's made you all jumpy, sweetie?" David asked.
"Lily's going to Hogwarts also!" Rachel shrieked, jumping up and down and clapping. Her usually well kept brown hair was a little messy from all of the jumping.
"What? How do you know?"
Rachel jumped into the story, telling them about when Lily told her about attending Hogwarts, to the swings, and then about the man that had visited the house last night.
"That is great, Rachel! Now you'll know someone there right away!" Victoria said, very happy in how excited Rachel was.
The rest of the month flew by very quickly. Although Rachel and Lily still hung out a lot, she noticed that Petunia wasn't ever speaking to Lily and that Lily was hanging out with a small boy who dressed strangely. One time, while walking around the neighborhood, Rachel could've sworn she had seen the black-haired boy do magic, but convinced herself that she was imagining things.
