Maya sighed as the car pulled into the driveway and contemplated not getting out. She really didn't have a lot of energy; after running around all day shopping for her new school uniform, she was exhausted. But she knew that as soon as she got inside there was still unpacking and list-making and organising to do. It would be a tiresome end to a long day.

Maya had been going shopping with her parents for her new school things. She was due to start at her new secondary school in September, and her mother (as anxious as always) had decided it was best to get in early. They'd been hoping to get all the shopping done that day.

Their plans had not worked out.

It'd stared with a rude shop assistant who'd snarkily informed Maya and her mother that they "simply didn't stock that blazer" and that they'd have to drive halfway across town for it. Then the shop they were supposed to get her blouse from informed them that they were missing half the sizes due to a delayed order but they were welcome to search through the jumbled garments in the miniscule hope that they might find one. Sure enough, they didn't have a single one in Maya's size. Maya, already grumpy from the pain her feet were experiencing (she was attempting to wear in her new school shoes) would have been perfectly happy to pack it in there in favour of returning home and watching TV. Unfortunately for her, they still had school books to buy.

It was lucky they managed to buy them all before the car broke down and they'd been forced to call Maya's dad at his work and ask him to come rescue them. It'd taken him half an hour to get there and by that time Maya was regretting ever hearing the words "school shopping trip".

"I hope they manage to get your blouse in on time," Maya's mother fretted as they unloaded the car. "The lady in the shop didn't seem all that sure…"

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Mum," Maya replied. Her mother was always worrying about things that would turn out perfectly well without help. "We've ordered them in plenty of time."

Secretly Maya too was praying fervently that the shop would get itself together. She didn't really have as much confidence in their organisational abilities as she sounded. She didn't want to be the only girl with the wrong uniform on her first day! It was bad enough being new, without making herself stand out.

She was so immersed in her worries about her uniform – and so tired from a full day of shopping – that she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. Thus, it was very easy for her to lead the way through the front door, laden with shopping bags, and completely miss the solemn-looking owl sitting on the kitchen table.

Her mother, however, didn't. Letting out a startlingly-loud shriek, she dropped the bags she was carrying. "Walter, Walter, come quick! There's a bird in the kitchen!"

Maya's dad came rushing into the house almost instantly, at the same time Maya's attention was finally drawn to their patient guest. She quickly dropped the bags she was holding and prepared to cower out of the way at the slightest notice. She hadn't forgotten the amount of ornaments broken the time that sparrow had got into the lounge; she had no wish to participate in another fiasco of that sort.

"Uh, I'll be in my room," she said quickly, stepping around the bird carefully as to not startle it.

However, as she reached the door leading to the hallway, she paused. It was an odd bird, she realised, watching it. Her father was waving his arms wildly in an attempt to get it to move and her mother was still shrieking by the doorway. Surprisingly, the tawny owl didn't even flinch. Maya would have expected any bird to start flapping around, but it didn't. It just sat their stoically, watching her parents' antics with a look of utmost derision.

It took a few minutes for Maya's dad to also realise his tactics weren't working on the unflappable owl. "Eloise," he said, turning helplessly to his wife. "It's not budging."

"For heaven's sake, Walter!" she exclaimed shrilly, still cowering by the doorway. "Just shoo it away!"

"I'm trying!" Maya's dad said pathetically. "It won't move!"

"Dad," Maya said suddenly, having been scrutinising the owl the whole time. "What's that tied around its leg?"

Her dad turned back to the owl and blinked comically. "I don't know," he said. "Is it some sort of electronic tag?"

"It doesn't look like it," Maya said, approaching the owl slowly. She didn't know why she bothered being so careful; if her parents' attempts hadn't managed to startle it then she doubted anything would. "It looks like a piece of string."

As she got closer to the owl, it made the first sudden move she'd seen it make since she walked into the house.

It stuck out its leg.

In doing so, it jerked the string and, with a small gasp, Maya saw what was tied to it. "Look, it's a letter!" she exclaimed excitedly. "The owl has a letter attached to its leg!"

"Don't be ridiculous," her mother said from the doorway. "It can't have. It's an owl."

"She's right, Eloise," Walter said, approaching the owl slowly. The tawny owl just blinked patiently up at him in a very dignified manner. "I think… I think we're supposed to take it."

Maya had just been thinking the same thing. "I'll see if I can untie it," she said decidedly. The poor thing couldn't be comfortable with such a heavy thing tied to its foot, at any rate.

"Don't touch it, Maya dear," her mother said worriedly. "It's probably got fleas! You'll catch something."

"You don't say that about Blanket," Maya pointed out. "Speaking of Blanket, where is he? I'm surprised he hasn't eaten this bundle of feathers already. Do we have any scissors?"

Blanket was her brother's cat and he almost always showed up whenever there was drama going on, even if it was only to try tripping people up by winding himself around their legs.

"Here," her dad handed her a pair of scissors before stepping back nervously.

Carefully, Maya approached the owl. "There we are," she whispered reassuringly at it. "Don't move now, that's right. You just sit there and we'll have this horrible letter off you in no time." Slowly and smoothly she reached for the bit of string tied around the bird's leg. He didn't move other than swivelling his head around to watch her as she snipped the string.

She moved back slowly. The owl shook itself and lowered his foot, but he didn't move.

That done, she looked at the front of the envelope which she saw, to her surprise, was addressed to her – although they'd spelt her name wrong.

Maia Webb,
9 Avenue Road,
Feltham,
Greater London

Without pausing, she tore it open.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall

Dear Miss Webb,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into 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,
Professor Bones,
Deputy Headmistress.

She realised that there were two pieces of the stiff paper that she'd pulled from the envelope; she guessed that must be the "list of equipment". She didn't look at it; she was too busy incredulously reading over the letter again.

"What does it say?" her father asked eventually.

"I think it must be some kind of prank," she said, handing the letter over. "An elaborate one, though. It says something about a magician school or something."

While her father read the letter, she quickly scanned the book list. Who on earth was"Bathilda Bagshot"? She'd never heard of her, but apparently she was supposed to buy a textbook by her.

"Well, I have no idea what this is supposed to be," her father said, "but let's focus on getting rid of this owl first." He made a small shooing motion in its direction, but the owl just clicked its beak impatiently.

"Go on, fly away," her dad urged. Maya had expected it to leave now they'd removed the letter, but it sat there as stonily as ever.

"It says "we await your owl"," Maya said, rereading the letter. "Maybe we have to tie a reply to its leg."

"That's absurd," her mother said from the doorway, but her father stroked his beard.

"It's worth a try," he said slowly. "Grab me some paper and a pen, will you?"

Maya did as she was bid and watched as her father wrote out a short reply.

Dear Professor Bones,

Thank you for your letter, but Maya is already registered to start at Lampton Secondary School this September.

Yours Sincerely,
Walter Webb

"I don't think you had to be quite so polite, Dad," Maya told him as he folded it up.

"Do we have any string?" was his only reply.

"Here," she said, handing him what was left of the string she'd cut off the owl. "Use this."

He tied up the letter and attached it once more to the owl's foot. The bird sat there as unmoving as ever. Then, as soon as Walter stepped back, the owl took off without him even having to shoo it. It flapped its way out of the house via the front door they'd left open (causing Maya's mother to scream and duck for cover) and then it was gone.

They unpacked Maya's school things and Eloise left to pick up Rob, who was at a friend's house. Over dinner that night, Maya told her brother all about the owl in their kitchen, who was very disappointed to have missed it.

And that would have been the end of that strange event, had it not been for the knock on the door the next morning.


Thanks to the amazing Whimsical Catastrophe for her betaing skills!