Chapter One
The Letter
"William!" cried Mrs. Astel. "Get up!"
William sat up in bed and yawned. His brown hair was very untidy at the moment, sticking out in all angles. He slithered out of bed and walked down the stairs to the kitchen.
A buffet of bacon, waffle, and fruit sat on the table. Delicious smells wafted from the food and into William's nose. His sister and twin brothers already sat around the table. His mother, Mrs. Astel, was standing at the counter, cleaning up with the help of magic.
"Where's Dad?" asked William.
"Oh, he had to stay late at work," Mrs. Astel explained. "He'll be home very shortly."
William's father worked at the Ministry of Magic in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. William nodded and took a seat at the table.
"James, could you please pass the syrup?" he asked.
James smiled slyly and handed William the syrup. William reached out, but James quickly pulled his hand away and held the syrup to his chest. "James!" cried William. "Please give me the syrup!"
"No, no, it's okay, Will," said James. "I'll just keep it for myself."
Bartholomew snickered. William stood up and grabbed the glass bottle from his nine year-old brother and scowled, stomping back to his chair. He poured some of the thick maple syrup onto his waffle and then ate it.
Ginny took a bite of her strawberry and then looked at her mother. "Mum, what's the date today?"
"July 29th," Mrs. Astel replied. "Why?"
Ginny squealed and said, "Because I leave for Hogwarts in thirty-three days!"
All of the sudden, a hoot rang outside the open porch window and a Great-horned owl soared through, an envelope in its beak. It sailed over the table and dropped the envelope on William's lap.
"What is it, Will?" asked Barty curiously.
"I don't know."
William looked at the seal on the envelope. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He stood up happily. "It's a letter from Hogwarts!"
The family clustered around William as he opened the envelope. His eyes darted back and forth across the page as he read. "Order of Merlin. . . Minerva McGonagall. . . Dear William Astel, we are pleased to inform you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all nessecary books and equipment. Term begins September 1st. We await your owl no later than July 31st. Yours sincerely, Neville Longbottom, Deputy Headmaster." Will turned to face his family. "I'm going to Hogwarts!"
Mrs. Astel put her hand over her heart and gave a sigh of relief. "I was beginning to think the letter would never arrive."
Ginny grabbed William's shoulder. "You'll love Hogwarts," she said. "I'll show you around and I'll even give you the names of all the spells you learn in your first year!"
"Awesome!"
The door slammed open and Mr. Astel stomped in, furious and impatient.
"How was work?" Mrs. Astel cautiously asked.
Mr. Astel scowled. "A crazy young magician let a wild hippogriff loose in the middle of London! For three hours it flew around and terrorized the citizens. It stole a woman's purse and knocked her unconscious with it."
"That's horrible!" James exclaimed. "Why would anyone do such a thing?"
William rolled his eyes and looked crossly at his younger brother. James and Barty wouldn't hesitate to do something like that.
Mr. Astel continued. "Finally, five of us magicians subdued the hippogriff and caught it. Twenty others were rushing about the city, modifying the memories of everyone who had witnessed it, which was a load of people. It took three hours to track everyone down and modify their memories. That magician will be facing two years in Azkaban."
"What about the hippogriff?" Ginny asked nervously. "Will you kill it?"
"No, no," said Mr. Astel, shaking his head. "We have already decided to send it to the Transylvanian Sanctuary for Dangerous and Endangered Magical Creatures. It'll be a much better place for the hippogriff."
"That sounds like a fascinating place!" exclaimed Ginny. "I think I would love to work there!"
Mr. Astel chuckled. "And I think it would be the perfect place for you."
Mrs. Astel placed her hand on Mr. Astel's shoulder. "Honey," she began, "William has been accepted into Hogwarts."
Mr. Astel turned excitedly to William. "Fantastic!" he cried. "That's the best news I've had all day! That's amazing. We must go to Diagon Alley and return the letter."
William beamed. He was going to be a wizard soon. Barely containing his excitement, he strode out of the room and walked towards the stairs. "I'm going to go bathe," he said. "I can't wait till September 1st!"
His parents were putting together his confirmation letter while he danced about in his room, overdosed with glee.