~*~ Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I'm in no way in affiliation with the makers of Harry Potter either. This is just my attempt at doing something else with Harry Potter that will help keep me busy until the new books come out. ~*~
Mandy was in the kitchen washing dishes while her little brother watched TV in the living room. Her parents liked to "go out" a lot recently and she had become the new babysitter. It wasn't really anything new, at least her little brother never gave her a hard time. She stared out of the window and watched a sparrow eating seeds from a bird feeder a couple of feet away. She smiled and then looked back down at the rag she was using to wash the dishes.
When she was done, she went into the living room and sat on the huge armchair in the corner while her brother continued on watching his television program. She grabbed her fantasy novel and began reading a few more pages.
Mandy was a medium sized girl but still was tall for an eleven year old. She had dark brown hair that curled behind her ears and fell almost to the small of her back. However, she was complimented the most on her blue eyes. Everyone said they looked like the bottom of some glistening pool. She didn't care how pretty everyone told her she was, she was one of the most shy girls at school. If she got to know someone, then she wasn't so worried around them and could be herself. Nevertheless, when she got around people she didn't know well she kept quiet and only talked when she had to.
The book she was reading dealt with magic and sorcery. She had been interested in this subject for as long as she could remember. A big reason was sometimes she did things she couldn't explain. For instance, one time a girl had made fun of her hair and Mandy began to cry. When she did, the girl's book bag fell from her hands, and slid down the halls all the way to the cafeteria with the girl running after it. People had said someone had attached it to a string or something, but Mandy didn't believe it. Because of her interest, she would constantly get books and imagine that she could use magic and make some guy fall in love with her, or get revenge on her biggest enemies. Whatever the occasion, she wished for powers.
When she looked up from her book, her brother had fallen asleep on the couch. She scooped him up, and carried him to his bed. When she covered him up, she realized how sleepy she really had become. She yawned and stretched, and then went off to bed herself.
Mandy had been dreaming peacefully when it seemed a loud noise had woken her. She opened her eyes and stared around. She concentrated on the sound some more. After a while, she determined it sounding like a huge bird flapping it's wings outside of her window. She got up quickly and ran to the window. She swept the curtain away, but the sound had disappeared and she couldn't see anything. She shook her head, "must have been a half dream," she answered her own confused mind. She pulled on jeans and a purple shirt, and then went downstairs.
As she was going down the soft-carpeted stairs, she could smell food rising up to meet her. She also could hear the sizzling sausage in the kitchen. She hadn't eaten in a while and her stomach growled to show her that this was a good turn of events. She finished walking downstairs and made her way to the kitchen. Her dad was standing over the frying pan while her mom watered one of the houseplants. Her parents insisted on putting houseplants all over the house. Sometimes Mandy wondered why they even lived inside at all. Every time she turned around, she could swear that she had been thrown outside again.
Her mother looked up from her watering can and smiled. "Hello honey, did you do ok last night when we were gone?"
"Yeah, I did ok, Bryan didn't give me any trouble. Well, he didn't seem to enjoy my cooking, but otherwise it was great." Her father had gotten a little kick out of this statement and began to giggle.
"I only hope that my food won't kill you either sweetums." Again they shared a little laugh. As they were talking Mandy had pulled out some bread and made her a piece of toast. She was just pulling the butter out when they heard the mail slot open up down the hall.
"I'll get it," she said as she put the butter down on the counter. She walked through the house and picked up the mail. She brushed her hair behind her ear as she began shuffling through it. "Bills, Bills, Aunt May, Credit Card, and…" she pulled the last one from behind the stack. She almost put it back with the others and then looked again. It had her name on it. It said:
Ms. M. Brocklehurst
Glorious Bedroom upstairs
20 Blackwater Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. She turned it over and saw a purple seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large H.
"Did it arrive?" her mother asked from the kitchen.
"Yeah," Mandy said and then was broken out of her trance. It wasn't the fact that the mail was a little strange that had her acting like this, it was the fact that she never got mail. She couldn't imagine who would want to send something to her.
She walked back to the kitchen and handed her parents her mail. "Look mom, I have mail!" she exclaimed silently.
Her mother looked over a little curiously and then said, "Well then, are you ever going to open it?" This was what Mandy had been waiting on. She tore the envelope open and pulled out a sheet that seemed to match the envelope.
She unfolded it and then her mother instructed her, "You must read it out loud." She looked at the small neat cursive that was scrawled over the page. She cleared her throat, and then she began to read the letter:
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. Brocklehurst,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
After she finished she had the concerned looks of her parents looking at her. "Is this some type of practical joke," her father asked.
Mandy shrugged, and looked back down at the letter. School of Wizardry and Witchcraft…is that really a place. If this letter was true, then she could go learn how to do magic. She read it over again and then paused. "What does it mean 'We await your owl.'?" She looked up to her parents faces.
"I don't know honey, I've got to go to work or I'll be late," her mother exclaimed.
"Ok, well, I'll walk you to your car." She walked with her mother out the hall, still with the letter clutched in her hand. When her mother opened the front door, she screamed with horror.
Mandy was in the kitchen washing dishes while her little brother watched TV in the living room. Her parents liked to "go out" a lot recently and she had become the new babysitter. It wasn't really anything new, at least her little brother never gave her a hard time. She stared out of the window and watched a sparrow eating seeds from a bird feeder a couple of feet away. She smiled and then looked back down at the rag she was using to wash the dishes.
When she was done, she went into the living room and sat on the huge armchair in the corner while her brother continued on watching his television program. She grabbed her fantasy novel and began reading a few more pages.
Mandy was a medium sized girl but still was tall for an eleven year old. She had dark brown hair that curled behind her ears and fell almost to the small of her back. However, she was complimented the most on her blue eyes. Everyone said they looked like the bottom of some glistening pool. She didn't care how pretty everyone told her she was, she was one of the most shy girls at school. If she got to know someone, then she wasn't so worried around them and could be herself. Nevertheless, when she got around people she didn't know well she kept quiet and only talked when she had to.
The book she was reading dealt with magic and sorcery. She had been interested in this subject for as long as she could remember. A big reason was sometimes she did things she couldn't explain. For instance, one time a girl had made fun of her hair and Mandy began to cry. When she did, the girl's book bag fell from her hands, and slid down the halls all the way to the cafeteria with the girl running after it. People had said someone had attached it to a string or something, but Mandy didn't believe it. Because of her interest, she would constantly get books and imagine that she could use magic and make some guy fall in love with her, or get revenge on her biggest enemies. Whatever the occasion, she wished for powers.
When she looked up from her book, her brother had fallen asleep on the couch. She scooped him up, and carried him to his bed. When she covered him up, she realized how sleepy she really had become. She yawned and stretched, and then went off to bed herself.
Mandy had been dreaming peacefully when it seemed a loud noise had woken her. She opened her eyes and stared around. She concentrated on the sound some more. After a while, she determined it sounding like a huge bird flapping it's wings outside of her window. She got up quickly and ran to the window. She swept the curtain away, but the sound had disappeared and she couldn't see anything. She shook her head, "must have been a half dream," she answered her own confused mind. She pulled on jeans and a purple shirt, and then went downstairs.
As she was going down the soft-carpeted stairs, she could smell food rising up to meet her. She also could hear the sizzling sausage in the kitchen. She hadn't eaten in a while and her stomach growled to show her that this was a good turn of events. She finished walking downstairs and made her way to the kitchen. Her dad was standing over the frying pan while her mom watered one of the houseplants. Her parents insisted on putting houseplants all over the house. Sometimes Mandy wondered why they even lived inside at all. Every time she turned around, she could swear that she had been thrown outside again.
Her mother looked up from her watering can and smiled. "Hello honey, did you do ok last night when we were gone?"
"Yeah, I did ok, Bryan didn't give me any trouble. Well, he didn't seem to enjoy my cooking, but otherwise it was great." Her father had gotten a little kick out of this statement and began to giggle.
"I only hope that my food won't kill you either sweetums." Again they shared a little laugh. As they were talking Mandy had pulled out some bread and made her a piece of toast. She was just pulling the butter out when they heard the mail slot open up down the hall.
"I'll get it," she said as she put the butter down on the counter. She walked through the house and picked up the mail. She brushed her hair behind her ear as she began shuffling through it. "Bills, Bills, Aunt May, Credit Card, and…" she pulled the last one from behind the stack. She almost put it back with the others and then looked again. It had her name on it. It said:
Ms. M. Brocklehurst
Glorious Bedroom upstairs
20 Blackwater Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. She turned it over and saw a purple seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large H.
"Did it arrive?" her mother asked from the kitchen.
"Yeah," Mandy said and then was broken out of her trance. It wasn't the fact that the mail was a little strange that had her acting like this, it was the fact that she never got mail. She couldn't imagine who would want to send something to her.
She walked back to the kitchen and handed her parents her mail. "Look mom, I have mail!" she exclaimed silently.
Her mother looked over a little curiously and then said, "Well then, are you ever going to open it?" This was what Mandy had been waiting on. She tore the envelope open and pulled out a sheet that seemed to match the envelope.
She unfolded it and then her mother instructed her, "You must read it out loud." She looked at the small neat cursive that was scrawled over the page. She cleared her throat, and then she began to read the letter:
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. Brocklehurst,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
After she finished she had the concerned looks of her parents looking at her. "Is this some type of practical joke," her father asked.
Mandy shrugged, and looked back down at the letter. School of Wizardry and Witchcraft…is that really a place. If this letter was true, then she could go learn how to do magic. She read it over again and then paused. "What does it mean 'We await your owl.'?" She looked up to her parents faces.
"I don't know honey, I've got to go to work or I'll be late," her mother exclaimed.
"Ok, well, I'll walk you to your car." She walked with her mother out the hall, still with the letter clutched in her hand. When her mother opened the front door, she screamed with horror.