I stared at the letter in shock. A letter for me? It was so specific, too! It felt weird, like whoever had sent the letter knew everything about me. Did I have some kind of stalker? I hoped not.
Opening the letter as I walked into the kitchen, I began to read, tossing Tony and Dad's letters onto the kitchen table.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) was at the head of the letter, just below a crest of a lion, a snake, a badger and an eagle around the letter 'H'.
'Supreme Mugwump'? This had to be a prank letter. What the hell was a Supreme Mugwump?!
Deciding to at least finish the letter, I continued reading.
Dear Mr. Avalon,
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
Okay, this had to be a prank! A very well written and thought out prank, but a prank nonetheless. A school of witchcraft and wizardry? Me?! I couldn't even do a simple card trick!
Shaking my head at whoever had thought this prank out, I took a look at the second page, deciding to at least finish looking at the requirements.
The second page also had the letterhead that said 'Hogwarts School of Witchraft and Wizardry.'
UNIFORM
First year students will require:
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 pupils' clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS, the third page read.
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
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set of glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
I stared at the letter in disbelief. Seriously? A school of magic. Me? No, this couldn't be possible.
"Whatcha lookin' at, kiddo?" Tony said, coming up behind me to peer at the letter. "Woah, what the heck? A school of magic?"
"Oh, your letter came! I was starting to think it wouldn't." Dad said from where his head was poked into the fridge, hunting for a milkshake.
"You mean. . . this is real?" I asked slowly.
He pulled his head out and took his glasses off to wipe them, which I knew meant big news.
"Yes, Jason, it's true. You see, the Headmaster came to visit me a few months ago. He told me that your name had appeared in a special book the moment you were born, meaning you have magic in your blood. He said you are what's known as a 'Muggle Born', a wizard born into a family that does not possess their own magical abilities. Everything you've read in that letter is true, son. You're a wizard."
"I'm a w-what?" I stammered, shocked. All this was true? I was a wizard? Seriously?! Best. Birthday. Ever.
As Dad filled me in on how the Headmaster had given Dad a load of money for me, seeing as how we didn't have much, my mind began whirling as all the strange occurences that had been happening in the past year finally began to make sense. The time I'd found myself a mile away from home after getting mad at Tony for drinking all my chocolate milk and wishing I could be anywhere but where he was, the time Tony's hair had turned bright green after he teased me for sneezing three times in a row, after putting pepper in my cornflakes, and most recently, the time mum's picture had been accidentally broken. I'd been so upset, wishing it would repair itself that I simply accepted that someone was looking out for me when I found it mysteriously repaired an hour later after looking for a new frame for it.
"We'll be going to Diagon Alley next week, on the 31st." Dad said, breaking me from my thoughts.
"Diagon Alley? What a strange name!" I said. It sounded so mysterious, magical, even!
"Sounds like a maths problem to me," Tony said with a laugh. I elbowed him, almost hopping up and down in my excitement.
"It's where we'll get everything on your list. We're to meet someone called Hagrid in London. He's going to show us how to get in."
I nodded again as Dad took the mysterious wrapped book from work down into the basement library we had.
I was a wizard! I was so excited I couldn't keep still. I found myself in my room, poring over my books, some of them fantasy novels. I picked up my well read copy of The Hobbit. Would I have powers like Gandalf? I hoped so. I'd always wanted to make magical fireworks. Looking at my copy of The Lord of the Rings, I began to wonder if I'd get to fly on a giant eagle - or even better - a dragon! I gave a happy squeal and fell back onto my bed with a sigh, hugging the letter to me.
I had no way of knowing that very soon, I'd be running into Harry Potter again, nor how important his destiny was to mine, and how our two destinies would intertwine with one another. I had no way of knowing that soon, my life would change. . . forever.
A week later, on July 31st, Dad and I headed into London, while Tony went off to one of his jobs, this one at a fruit stall. Walking down a street in London, I took a look at a load of shops as we walked by, wondering where we would meet this Hagrid.
"Blimey. . ." Dad muttered to himself. I followed his gaze and saw a man three times the size of an ordinary man. He was wearing a huge, furry waistcoat and walking with a boy who looked very familiar.
"Harry!" I shouted. Harry turned and saw me and waved. I ran over, Dad following.
"Harry! Fancy seeing you down here! Who's your friend?"
"Oh, right. Jason, this is Hagrid. Hagrid, this is Jason, he's my friend."
"Oh, so ye're Jason, are ye? So you an' ye dad'll be comin' to Diagon Alley with Harry 'n' me, then, eh?"
I smiled at his way of speaking, and how his dark eyes twinkled when he spoke.
"Yeah, we are. Where is it?"
He took us into a pub that I'd not seen on my glance past. If he hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have noticed it at all. Dad seemed surprised to see it. As he mentioned this, Hagrid explained that only wizarding folk could see it.
The barman, a balding, stooped man looked up as we entered.
"The usual, Hagrid?"
"Can't tonight, Tom," Hagrid said, quite loudly, I thought, clapping a hand on both mine and Harry's shoulders, causing our knees to buckle slightly. "Very important Hogwarts business."
Everyone in the pub stared, and then, to both mine and Harry's shock, began coming over to shake Harry's hand, telling him what an honour it was to meet him and how delighted they were. Tom looked awed upon seeing him, and I began to wonder what the heck Harry had done to make him so famous.
As Doris Crockford shoved me aside to get to Harry for the fifth time to shake his hand yet again, I began to feel distinctly annoyed. They were treating me like a piece of furniture!
"Excuse me!" I said loudly, as someone knocked into me, hard. "I AM here you know! Harry's not the only eleven year old in the room!"
"Jason." Dad said, warningly. He didn't sound as annoyed as he usually would though. I think he felt the same way as I did.
"S-s-so s-s-s-sorry, y-young man." a man in a purple turban stammered, righting himself on a table as he rocked. Evidently, he'd be the one to almost knock me over.
"Ah, Professor Quirrel!" Hagrid said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Harry, Jason, this is Professor Quirrel. He'll be yer Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts!"
"A p-pleasure, Mr. P-P-Potter," Quirrel stammered. "C-can't tell you how p-pleased I am to m-meet you."
"So, you teach Defence, Professor?" Harry asked politely.
"Yes, f-fascinating subject. N-n-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" he replied, giving a rather nervous laugh.
Finally, we left, much to my relief, after Hagrid announced that we had to go, lots to buy. We went out onto the back of the pub, to a small courtyard area. It was tiny. Near the wall stood some dustbins. Hagrid ignored them and took out a pink umbrella. I stared as he tapped the wall in certain places with his umbrella. Making myself commit it to memory, I watched. Two across, three up, tap.
With a final 'tap', the wall split apart, creating a great archway leading to a fantastic alleyway full of all kinds of different shops. Harry, my dad and I dropped our jaws in amazement. This place was incredible!
We walked on, Hagrid pointing out shops to us all. Finally, we reached an enormous building. Hagrid explained it was called Gringott's Bank, a wizarding bank, run by Goblins. He also warned us that Goblins were very clever and smart creatures, and that you would be mad to ever try to rob the bank, as it would not end well for you. Harry and I stopped by a goblin at the door to read a plaque on the wall. I read it aloud.
"Enter stranger, but take heed, of what awaits the sin of greed. For those who take but do not earn must pay most dearly in their turn. So if you seek, beneath our floors, a treasure that was never yours, thief you have been warned, beware, of finding more than treasure there."
I shivered. It sounded ominous. Now I understood what Hagrid meant. We walked inside and I was struck by how big it was inside. We walked up to a goblin who was busy scrawling on a large pad before him and Hagrid coughed.
"We're here to enter the vault of Mr. Harry Potter, Mr. Jason Avalon and a visit to vault 713 for the you-know-what." he said.
The goblin nodded and asked for our keys. Hagrid began rummaging through his numerous pockets, pulling out dried dog food (the goblin looked disgusted at this), a handful of nuts, and finally, two keys. The goblin took us into a room that had an enormous tunnel stretching as far as the eye could see. Before us was a cart made of wood and metal, on wheels, attached to the track. It did not look at all safe, and I was very apprehensive about getting into it. Climbing into it, the cart shot off at a very high speed, at once point doing a full three hundred and sixty degree turn around the tunnel to get to a new path. Hagrid began to look a little green as we finally stopped at vault 687, Harry's vault. Opening it, Harry and I gasped at the mountains of gold, silver and bronze coins. Harry had explained that the gold ones were Galleons, the silver ones were Sickles and the bronze ones were Knuts. Strange names, I thought, but then again, pound, pence and penny were funny names, too, thinking about it.
Hagrid took a handful and put into a pouch for Harry, then we zoomed off to vault 713. Harry looked visibly disappointed when all that was in the vault was a grubby little package. I was disappointed, too. That was Hagrid's top secret business? It didn't even look important. Then again, I reminded myself, brightening a little, in the movies, it's always the small things or the least conspicuous things that turn out to be the most important. Finally, we headed off to vault 726, my vault. My dad and I gasped upon seeing the small mountain of money that was in there. Dad said he had no idea this even existed. Hagrid told us Dumbledore, who I remembered was the Headmaster, had given us all the money we needed for my school supplies and that he currently had it in a pouch in one of his pockets. He explained that this, however, had come from my mother, who had somehow known I was going to be a wizard. Since one of her friends had been a wizard, she had had the friend put gold into a vault for me over the years, until it amassed to this. Taking a pouchful, we zoomed back to the surface, my head spinning from both the extreme ride and the excitement. My mum had known I was going to be a wizard! I was going to get a wand! This was so cool!
Hagrid took Harry and I to a place called Madame Malkins, telling us to get our robes from there. He then walked off with my dad for a drink after the ride, as Dad was looking a little green, too. Walking in, the Madame Malkin, a squat witch in mauve robes hurried out and put us both on stools next to a blonde haired boy.
"Hello," he said, as Madame Malkin and another witch began pinning the robes on us to the right length. "Hogwarts, too?"
"Yes." Harry and I replied in unison.
"My father's next door buying my books, and my mother's up the street looking at wands." he said. He had a bored, drawling voice, and for some reason, I disliked him immediately, which wasn't like me. I was the kind of person who always gave someone a chance first, but this guy. . I really did not like at all. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first year's can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into buying me one and smuggle it in somehow."
"Have you two got your own brooms?" he went on.
"No." we said.
"Play Quidditch at all?"
"No," we said. What the heck was 'Quidditch?
"I do - father says it'll be a crime if I'm not picked to play for my House, and I must say, I agree. Know what House you'll be in yet?"
"No." we replied. I didn't know about Harry, but I was feeling more and more stupid by the minute, and liking this boy less and less.
"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been. Imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
"Mm." Harry said, looking a bit bored.
"I say, look at those men!" the boy said, nodding to the window. Harry and I looked over to see Hagrid and my father at the window, grinning and holding enormous ice cream cones, nodding at them to show they couldn't come in.
"That's Hagrid." Harry said, sounding pleased to know something this boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."
"Oh, him. I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"
"He's the groundskeeper." I cut in, starting to get annoyed now.
"Yes, exactly, I heard he's a sort of savage, lives in a hut on the school grounds, and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic and sets fire to his bed."
"You heard wrong then, didn't you?" I said, angry now. Who did this brat think he was?!
"Why is he with you, anyway?" the boy asked, ignoring me. "Where are your parents?"
"They're dead." Harry said shortly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Harry." I said. "I know how you feel though, my mum's dead, too. Died when I was a baby."
"Oh, sorry." the boy said, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"
Please tell me he doesn't mean what I think he means.
"They were a witch and a wizard if that's what you mean."
"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families."
As he opened his mouth to speak again, I jumped in. "Other sort? What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean." he replied. "Muggle Borns."
My blood boiled.
"Excuse me?" I said, icily. "I think you'll find that I'm a Muggle Born."
"Oh, s-"
"Don't you dare give me that rubbish. You're not sorry. You're just a spoiled little brat who wants mummy and daddy to buy him everything he wants. You know something, kid? You're just not worth the time or effort. Stay away from me and Harry in school, because to be honest? I really feel like hurting you quite badly right now."
Saying this, I hopped down and left with Harry moments later as the stunned boy stood on his stool, giving me a look of intense dislike. I ignored him and walked out, taking the giant ice cream and walking with Hagrid and my dad, telling them everything.
"Ye wanna ignore people like him, Jason." Hagrid said. Harry had already told me about how his parents had died, explaining how they were killed by a Dark Wizard called Voldemort, who then tried killing Harry, only, for some reason no one else understood, his curse had backfired, killing him and leaving Harry with a lightning bolt shaped scar on his head - a scar I thought was very cool indeed. "If he'd known who ye were, Harry, he wouldn' have said any of that to ye."
"Well, he did." I said, rattled. "Little git."
We finished buying all of our things, and then went our separate ways, with me promising to write to Harry. I'd bought Harry a birthday present of some ink that changed colour as you wrote, and a nice eagle quill. In return, he'd bought me some inks that I liked the look of, too. We both had owls as pets, Harry had a snowy owl and I had a black and white owl. I named him Star, because the white spots on him reminded me of stars in the sky.
Arriving home, I was surprised to find a trunk in my room. Dad explained that it had been sent here by magic. Excited, I examined it thoroughly, becoming disappointed when it just sat there, doing nothing, despite my pointing my wand and saying Abracadabra. I put Star's cage on my table and settled on my bed to read through the course books. As I finished packing my trunk hours later, vowing to put the books in last, I fell asleep, fully clothed atop the covers of my bed. I never saw the book that dad had brought home resting on top of my TV, right above the open trunk. I never saw it fall in, causing one of my robes to cover it. I had no idea this book would change everything.
