Chapter 2

"Harry oh, Harry." I sobbed. "Please let my magic work please." I grabbed my wand, swish and flick. "Raparo." I said loud and clear. The first book began to repair itself. Then the second then the third and finally the seventh. My entire collection sat on the floor at my feet all in one piece. My heart was filled with so much joy I almost screamed. The next task was to figure out where to stash them. I stashed them under the floor boards in my bedroom.

Friday my favorite day of the week. One more day of hell then the weekend begins. The history teacher droned on and on I lost focus and stared out the window. I heard a sudden swoosh an owl was on the other side of the window staring right at me. I blinked to make sure I wasn't just imagining things, I wasn't. It was an owl a big brown owl, and it was carrying something in its beak. Something white. I heard a girl scream the teacher quickly went to the window and shooed the owl away.

"What did you do that for he wasn't hurting anyone." I said.

"It was disturbing the class." the teacher said pulling down the shade. I rolled my eyes, what was it carrying a mouse maybe? That's a dreadful thought. It was looking at me. Maybe it was curious. Science class we were doing a lab looking at different types of cells in a microscope. The lights and the microscope lense were giving me a headache. I stared outside and there he was again the big brown owl with the white thing in its mouth.

"Are you following me?" I whispered to the owl who blinked.

"Hey everyone the wizard is trying to talk to an owl." The whole class stared at me. The teacher strode over and scared the poor thing off.

"That's not funny Eric." She told the kid who just rolled his eyes at her. Every class I saw the owl and every class the teacher scared it away. I was sure it was following me but why. When I got home my mother had dinner on the table. No one said anything ny guess was that dad had had a bad day. It was cool outside so my mother opend the screen door and then her shriek filled my ears. The brown owl had flown in the house and plopped something in my lap, then flown out again.

"What the hell is going on?!" I picked up the white thing which I recognized to be an envelope.

"The owl left me a letter." I said turning it over in my hands. In emeraled green writing were the words.

TO: Ms. Stephanie J Marks

The blue bedroom

1135 Gladsburry Way Makers Town.

"It's a Hogwarts letter!" My mother looked horrified. My Dad tried to snatch it away but I was too quick. I opened the letter and read it aloud.

Dear Ms. Marks,

We are sorry this letter has arrived so late; but, due to some unfortunate events we have not been able to get in touch with you.

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed your train ticket, list of supplies, and books.

We look forward to seeing you on September 1, 2013.

Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts

I read the letter over twice.

"I AM GOING TO HOGWARTS." I jumped in the air.

"This is some kind of sick joke." My Dad said. "It's fake."

"Jake."

"No I thought..." My mother gave him an odd look. I just stood there bubbling over with joy. I tipped over the letter and two smaller objects fell to the floor. One was my key to the bank the other was some sort of potion labeled

TO: Diagon Ally

"Tomorrow can we go get my stuff at Diagon Alley?"

"Yes Stephanie tomorrow you can go get your things." I looked at my mom confused.

"Are you not going to come with me?"

"No, I have to work and your dad well..."

"I am not going on this foolish goose chase." My mother shrugged.

"Ok I will go by myself then."

"I'll go with you Steph." I smiled at my twelve year old sister.

"Thanks Marie but you might get sad seeing as I get to go to the magic school and you're stuck here."

"I don't mind. I want to see it. Besides I love shopping you know that."

"Marie you have school." Dad said.

"No I don't Daddy tomorrow is Saturday. Besides, I am not about to let Steph go shopping on her own that would be a disaster!" She said dramatically putting her forearm to her forehead like the old actresses did in the movies.

"Alright drama queen you can go with me."

"Yay!" she squeaked. That night I could hardly sleep I couldn't believe this was really happening I was going to Hogwarts.

The next day I got dressed as quick as I could. Marie was at the table eating breakfast.

"Come on Marie lets go!"

"Chill out there miss bipitty boppity boo I have to eat first. Low blood sugar remember?"

"Right." Marie was hypoglycemic and needed to eat a lot to keep her sugar levels up. When she had finished we both took some of the potion and headed on our way.

"First stop is the bank." I said.

"Do you think your real parents left you any money?" I was shocked to hear this coming from her.

"My real parents?"

"Come on Stephanie you cant tell me you haven't thought about that before."

"No Marie I haven't."

"Come on. Mom and Dad both have jet black hair and your hair is like a dirty blonde. Okay more honey color if you ask me."

"My hair color doesn't mean I am not their kid."

"Okay but they both have blue eyes and straight hair like me. Your hair is curly and you have green eyes."

"Who knows I might have just gotten all the recessive genes."

"Then how come when Dads drinking with his friends he always says your niece?"

"Listen that's enough okay just drop it. I don't want to talk about it anymore." There was science between us. I tried to brush the hurt away. Marie wasn't lying though every time he drank he said I was his niece. I wiped a tear from my eye. "Steph I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you upset, this day is supposed to be fun and I messed it up." I gave her a hug.

"Nah the day can still be fun; let's start all over okay M." She smiled.

"Okay Steph."

We entered the bank and Marie went pale white.

"What are these things?" She whispered as we made our way to the front desk.

"Goblins, their harmless."

"Can I help you?"

"I need to accesses my vault please."

"Your name?"

"Stephanie Marks."

"Do you have..." I pulled the key out of my pocket. The goblin nodded and another goblin took us onto the little car. A lap bar came down over us.

"This is gonna be good." I said

"Man I hate roller coasters." said Marie as the ride to the vault began. We went up down and around finally stopping at a vault with a large metal door.

"Vault 465." Said the goblin unlocking it. Maries mouth dropped open. Galleons filled the vault.

"Your mother has been putting a penchen of money in here since you were born." Said the goblin.

"My mother?"

"Yes." He said. I pocketed some of the money and headed out the door.

"Woah you're rich." Said Marie.

"I had no idea." We went and got all the books and potion ingredients. Marie helped Madame Folly fit me into my robes. Finally we went to Olivanders Wand shop. I carried the wand I had gotten for my twelfth birthday from my mom just to see what he would say.

"Interesting," he said as I handed him the wand. "Of course it is not a proper wand seeing as it has no magical core."

"But I used it to do magic." I said.

"You what?" he was aghast at this.

"I used it to do a spell. Watch." Pointing my wand at his broken glasses with a swish and a flick and a "Raparo." They were fixed just like that.

"My... my... my... great scott. I don't believe it." I smiled triumphantly. "There hasn't been a witch or wizard who has been able to do that for centuries."

"Do what?" Marie asked.

"You my dear were able to use the wand just by believing in the magic itself. The last witch who was able to accomplish was Martha Prince."

"That's intriguing."

"Well look like you are all se to go then my dear, good luck on your journey."

"Thank you sir." We strode down the street. "Whats next on the list?"

"The last thing on the list is a pet. An owl, cat, or a toad."

"Epic. What do you think I should get M."

"An owl would be cool, DO NOT get a toad!" I laughed

"To The Magical Menagerie."

"The what?" Said Marie.

"The pet shop."

The entire place was covered in cages. There were owls, raven, rats, rabbits, toads, and cats.

"Look at this one Steph its just like Harrys." I huge snowy owl was looking at me.

"I want my own pet I don't want to copy Harry." I told her. "Good eye though." We looked at many other pets but none of them really felt right to me.

That was not until a stout woman came around the corner with a black cat in her arms. Its leg had been broken wrapped in a pink bandage and the tip of its left ear cut off.

"What happened to her." I asked.

"He was abused by his owners. The poor thing was target practice, you cant see all his scars now because his fur has finally grown back."

"What's his name?"

"He doesn't have one, the previous owners just referred to him as Cat."

"I'll take him." She handed the cat to me and I went up to the front desk.

"Are you sure you want this one?"

"Yes."

"I'll give you a discount seeing as he is damaged."

"No, thanks but that won't be necessary I will happily pay full price for him."

"Alright sign here." She handed me a quill and I scrawled my name on the paper. "Put the type of cat and his name here then sign."

"I will call you Binx." I filled out the paperwork. As Marie and I headed toward home. She looked puzzled.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Binx? What kind of a name is that?"

"Well Jinx is a girl's name so I put a b in front of it and made it Binx." I pet him on the head. "Don't worry buddy when we get home I will change that stupid pink bandage to a blue one. I could have sworn I heard him purr at that idea.