I would like to point out now that my narrating character is from America, not England. I know this technically out of whack with the requirements of Hogwarts, but I shall make it work! She lives in an apartment, not a flat, so deal with it.

Somehow, my life so far had been… un-noteworthy. I'd not done anything important, and this bothered me. I felt like I had a great fate awaiting me, but it had yet to come. I felt special, but at the same time, I knew I wasn't. My whole life was simply a filler-plot. Until the letter came, I was just the life before the beginning.

My mother and I had gone backpacking through Europe on an exploration of the history of tattoos (my mum's a tattooist at a tattoo parlor in my hometown) right after school was out as a late fifteenth birthday present for me. First, we stopped in England to visit some old family friends, but then it was weeks of jumping from town to town, seeing some epic body art, and getting a little bit of my own. We got back June 1, to a giant pile of mail and a very relieved cat, Lux. We'd had a neighbor feed and water him, but he'd missed us anyway. Lux was a F1 Savannah, a kitten from a mating between a Serval (African wild cat) and an Egyptian Mau, and Savannah's are very loyal and attached to their owners.

We'd crashed in the living room, gear and all, and slept for hours. I woke up the next morning to the smell of feet and coffee. My mom's boots were by my head and she was in the kitchen, I assumed. I knocked Lux off my chest and padded into the kitchen. I growled and poured myself a cup of the hot lifeblood. If I didn't get my coffee in the mornings, I'd end up killing someone.

Mom had made bacon. I greedily shoved a handful into my mouth. Lux butted his head against my leg and complained that I hadn't fed him breakfast yet, so I tossed a piece of bacon into the air. He stood up and jumped, snatching it out of the air. He carried it over to his food bowl and put it in. He was like a well behaved dog, only cuter.

I took another swig of my coffee and went to get the mail. There were bills, advertisements, and a really cool antique-looking envelope with emerald ink writing on it. It was addressed to me, a weird occurrence to begin with; I never got mail. The other weird thing was it was addressed as followed:

MS. R. PRODIGIOSO

FIRST BEDROOM ON THE LEFT

214 RIDGE ROAD, APARTMENT C

CANTON, OHIO

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

I slid a knife under the seal, popping it open. Inside, there were three sheets, one that read:

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. Prodigioso, 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 Deputy Headmistress

The second letter was a list of supplies:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble

Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2
by Miranda Goshawk

Intermediate Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3
by Miranda Goshawk

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4
by Miranda Goshawk

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5
by Miranda Goshawk

Advanced Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch

1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales

Students may also bring and owl OR a cat OR a toad.

The third sheet was a letter from this Albus Dumbledore guy:

Dear Ms. Raynebowe Prodigioso,

Due to an overlook in our system, you have missed four years of instruction. We request you return with our representative immediately to make up the time lost. If you fail to do so, you will attend the make-up classes before and after your regularly scheduled classes.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

What the hell was going on? Was this a joke? Was someone screwing with me? Where was this representative? I peered out the window looking over the street.

Outside was a large, hairy man leaning on a motorcycle. He smiled and waved thick fingers at me. I jumped back and ran to the back of the apartment, looking for Mom. She was in her bedroom, zonked out. I jumped on her and started trying to wake her up.

"Mom, mom, there's this guy on the street, and I just got this letter, and- hey, are you listening?" I hit her arm a bit. She rolled over and smiled sleepily.

"Yeah, I hear you. Nom, nom, there's cheese in the mesquite and the pie is better." I rolled my eyes.

"No, Ma. That's not even remotely what I said. I think you need to get your head out of your stomach." She sat up and took a deep breath. Blinking, she looked at me.

"Okay, so what were you saying? There's a guy, and a letter, what else?" My mom wasn't really awake yet, so I poked her in the ribs. "Hey, I'm up! Tell me what's got you freaked out!"

"Okay, so I just got this really weird letter. It's addressed to me, and it says I've been accepted to 'Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'. I'm supposed to go with their representative, who I'm assuming is the creepy guy outside. Apparently, they overlooked me and I have to catch up."

"What? Let me see that! Is this some sort of joke? What's going on?"

"I don't think's it a joke, Mom. I think we need to hear what that guy has to say." I got up and walked to the front of the apartment. Mom followed me and unbolted the door. I went over to the window and waved the guy up.

We heard him on his way up as soon as he hit the stairs. It sounded like a herd of elephants trying to squeeze into the tiny elevator. When he knocked on the door, it almost came down. Mom opened the door and let him in. He had to stoop to get through the doorway.

"Hello, ma'am. See yeh got yer letter. I'm guessin' yeh'll want a few things explained." I crossed my arms.

"Yeah, that's an understatement. Would you like some tea, or coffee? We don't have much to offer, we just got back from a trip." Even when my mom was flipping out inside, she could put on a façade and appear calm. I needed to keep my mouth shut or I'd say something offensive or stupid.

"No thank yeh, ma'am." We all sat down around the small kitchen table, me sipping my coffee, Mom looking confused. "So, I'll bet yeh think this is some sort'o prank. Well, I'm here to tell yeh it's not. It's a hundred percent real."

"That's impossible. This letter," I said, holding the papers in my fist, "say that I'm a witch! There's no way!" I was a firm believer in things greater than what's accepted as fact. But to think that I may be more was just too improbable. I'd always been the girl who didn't stand out, besides my tats.

"It is possible, 'cause it's true. Yeh still don' believe me, do yeh? What if I show yeh proof o' magic? Will yeh believe me then?" I raised an eyebrow; I was also a firm believer in evidence.

"Sure. If you can show me undeniable proof of magic, then I will go with you to this 'Hogwarts' place." Yeah, like this was going to happen. Much to my surprise, the burly man pulled out a ratty pink umbrella. He pointed it at the small plant-pot of catnip we kept in the windowsill. He said something and it burst into flames.

A long and creative stream of profanity ensued from my mouth. My mom hit me in the arm and told me to watch my language. That scared the crap out of me. My mom was usually very lenient on language since she swore like a sailor. She only cracked down on it when she was feeling scared or angry.

"Um, so I guess this means I'm going to England." Oh joy.

Lol, I know I ended this chapter terribly. The next one is her in Diagon Alley. I'm going to try to get it posted in a reasonable amount of time. Sorry for anyone who's been looking for the next chapter in my Twilight ff. I promise, I haven't given it up! I'm just taking a break from it. If I didn't, I'd probably ruin it, so yeah…..

I had to go back through and check everything for spelling, sorry, Alyson. FF ate it. Why? i have no idea, but now EVERYTHING is correct.