AUTHOR NOTE: okay, we don't own anything, we confess… well actually, we own the characters of Jayne, Trip and Esther… though it's not official. But as Trip and Jayne are ("obviously") (snicker) based upon ourselves we kind of own them officially… (and we're sorry if its altogether THAT obvious…) (not) anything you recognize- which will be, MOST of it, ("obviously") belongs to J.K.Rowling. we're just having a bit of fun… (and "obviously" the Hogwarts letter is verbatim and copied straight from "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (or Sorcerer's Stone-depending on where you live)) r&r.
Prologue One: An Extraordinary Girl (or) Jayne's Letter
In an ordinary house on an ordinary street in an ordinary neighborhood in an ordinary town there lived an ordinary girl. Her name is Esther Fizzlestick. She is eleven years old. She has pale blonde hair that is braided into two braids hanging over her ears with pink ribbons dangling from the ends. Her pale blue eyes are hidden behind glasses that take up half of her face. Yes, Esther was an ordinary girl, and this is anything but an ordinary story…
This story is that of the little girl who lived next door to Esther, Esther's best friend. Jayne Doe. An unfortunately ordinary name for such an extra-ordinary little girl. Jayne was also eleven years of age and she had long dark hair that she let hang loose around her face in a black curtain. Her eyes shifted from blue to green to grey. Jayne was an extra-ordinary girl, perfect for this extra-ordinary story…
Jayne's heritage stretched back to ancient Greece and Rome where her great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother a woman by the name of Medea sold her soul (and every daughter's soul in generations to come) to the god of the underworld Hades for a shot at magical powers. Hades had granted Medea's wish and so it came to be that her great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter Jayne Doe had no soul.
One day, Esther and Jayne were playing with Esther's little kitten-forever doomed to be known as Kitty, when a fat little bird flew over with a small piece of paper tied to it's leg. Jayne reached forward in all of her eleven year old curiosity and read the message within.
Dear Miss Doe,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Jayne let out a little whoop and laughed at such a funny joke. She showed the note to Esther who giggled.
"Funny joke Esther. Very funny." Jayne pouted. "How'd you do it? Water down paint? Buy special paper- you must have saved your pocket money for months."
Esther looked up at her best friend with wide eyes. "I didn't. It wasn't me Jayne, honest."
Jayne frowned and sat back down on the grass with a soft thump. Obviously this couldn't be real. Witchcraft wasn't real. Magic didn't exist. It was all someone's idea of a funny joke. But who? If it wasn't Esther. Maybe her parents? No. Johnny maybe? Johnny was Esther's older brother who loved to tease the girls. It was probably him.
"Which one of you girls is Jayne Doe?"
The two girls looked up and stared in wonder at the most peculiar woman. She was tall and thin. She was wearing a dark green dress under a purple dressing gown; and she wore big sunglasses even though the sun was hidden behind thick clouds in the sky.
"Mummy always told us," Esther spoke up. "To never talk to strangers."
The woman bent over and peered at the two girls sitting on the grass. "Then, little Esther, your Mummy is a very clever Mummy. My name is Minerva McGonagall. Miss Doe, it is imperative that I speak with your parents and yourself without delay."
"What does impera-whatsit mean?" Esther asked boldly.
"It means that it is very important." Minerva smiled softly at the two children, something it looked, that didn't happen all that often.
She walked up the front path and knocked twice on Jayne's front door.
