Arya's mind was swirling fast. She was a wizard…wizardess...witch? And now she was being sent away to a wizard school. Her dad had called it Hogwarts. What a Stupid name…, she thought. Why didn't her dad tell her? Part of her has always known she was different. And she was, she never got pimples or rashes and strange things always seem to happen around her. Once, she recalled at a local farm, she thought she heard the animal's voices in her head. She's always been good with animals, like she understood them somehow. She fiddled with her necklace, a never habit she picked up ever since it was given to her by her father. He had said that it was her mother's and to always have it with her for it will help her in a time of need. She knew that was silly, it was a simple necklace, a single opal in the shape of a heart, slightly bigger than her thumb, on a silver chain. Still, she trusted her father and it was the thing left of her mother, so it never came off. All of Arya's life, it was just her and her father. He told her she was left on his doorstep in a basket. Two days later her mother necklace appeared on her nursery window seal. Arya never understood why her father never remarried… He is such a handsome man…
"Arya."
She was interrupted by a knock on her door and her father's voice.
"Yes dad?"
"Have you finished packing dear?"
"Almost, I'll be done soon."
"Alright, when you're done come downstairs, I have something for you." And with that, he returned downstairs."
After packing what was left of her things into her bag, she hurried downstairs to find her dad waiting for her. At his feet was a large white and silver trunk she has never seen before.
"This belonged to your mother." He explained.
"Where did you get it?"
"When your mother died, I buried all of her stuff beneath the willow in the backyard. Why don't you look inside dear?"
Arya walked over to the trunk and examined it. It was beautiful with jewels similar to the opal on her necklace shining in various places. The front was secured with a heart-shaped lock displaying an old-fashioned key hole. Arya tried the lock but it wouldn't budge.
"Try your necklace dear" her father suggested.
Reluctantly, Arya took her necklace off and stared at it, wondering how her necklace could open the trunk. Then she noticed something she hadn't before. Atop of the pendant was a tiny silver button. It was strange because Arya would often stare at the necklace for hours, examining it. How could she not have noticed this? With a glance to her dad, she pushed the button, the second she released it, a key sprout for the bottom of the heart.
"Whoa" she whispered.
Arya inserted the key in the lock and it fit like a glove. Pushing open the box she gazed into it. Inside were items each more magnificent than the other. Arya picked up a silver hand mirror encrusted with the same opal. As she gazed into her reflection, she noticed something was of. But what? She could not place. Setting down the mirror, she picked up the next item. It was a shimmering white stick with an intertwined silver handle.
"Ah," her father said with a twinkle in his eye, "that was your mother's wand."
"Her wand?" Arya asked. "My mother was a wizard too?"
"Yes, one of the most powerful."
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"It wasn't time."
Arya huffed. She was getting rather tired of that answer. When she would ask her father what her mother's name was, he always replied with, "It isn't time." Arya set the wand down carefully and picked through the other items. A box filled with papers, a white hooded cloak, white boots that probably stopped mid-calf, an opal head band, white gloves, a white and silver stripped scarf and a piece of paper with the numbers 803 neatly scribbled out.
Closing the trunk, Arya hugged her father and thanked him.
"We should get going." Her father said.
Arya nodded.