Author's Note: I am going to summarize the remainder of Harry's time at primary school, and then I will move on to the acceptance letters and his years at Nightwind School.
Second grade passed and the class moved on the third grade, which was taught by a frizzy, red-haired witch named Ms. Frazzles. She liked using magic when demonstrating things, and when they read books by Muggle writer Roald Dahl and wizarding writer Alison Peasegood during reading class, she would create illusory figures that would act out what was happening. Fourth grade was taught by Mr. Carmichael, and lessons about wizarding theory and the properties of potions ingredients were included. Finally, for fifth grade was Mr. Sato, who included some lessons about Nightwind School, so that it wouldn't be a huge shock when transitioning from primary school to secondary school.
Hermione Granger was curled up on the window seat in her bedroom, immersed in a thick tome about Greek culture that she had checked out from the library yesterday, when she heard the doorbell ring. She looked up for a moment, but then heard her mother answer the door, so she returned her attention back to the book. However, a couple of minutes later, there was a knock on her door. She looked up to see her mother standing in the doorway, a look of puzzlement on her face.
"Hermione, could you come downstairs to the living room? The person at the door said that she is Mrs. Claire Nightwind-Prince and wanted to speak to us about you attending the school she works at."
Hermione, wondering what this was all about, placed a bookmark in the book and set it to one side as she got up. She followed her mother downstairs and into the living room, where her father and a woman of mixed Asian and European descent and in her early thirties sat. Hermione and her mother sat down on the sofa, next to her father. The woman smiled at her.
"Hello, Hermione," she said. "My name is Claire Nightwind-Prince. Now, I am going to ask you what may seem to be an odd question. Have you or your parents ever noticed any unusual things that you have done or has happened around you without any plausible explanation?"
Mr. and Mrs. Granger both looked rather hesitant to answer the question, but Hermione's eyes grew wide and she exclaimed, "I once made a book float down from the top shelf of the bookcase when I was five, because I was frustrated at not being able to read it. After I read the book Matilda by Roald Dahl, I discovered that I could move objects like Matilda could, before she lost her powers, anyway. Also, once I got mad at a girl at school that was teasing me and she somehow fell down, with nobody touching her or doing anything to make her fall. Does this mean I have special powers like Matilda?"
Mrs. Nightwind-Prince smiled again and she replied, "From what my daughter told me about the book when she read it four years ago, your abilities could be considered special powers, but it's not psychic in nature like Matilda's. What it actually is happens to be magic, and you are a witch."
Mrs. Granger stiffened, while Mr. Granger snapped, "Excuse me, but magic, other than sleight-of-hand tricks termed as 'magic', doesn't exist, Mrs. Nightwind-Prince. Is this some sort of prank?"
"Mr. Granger, I know this is hard to believe, but magic does exist," said Mrs. Nightwind-Prince calmly. "Allow me to demonstrate." She took out a polished wooden stick from her skirt pocket and pointed it at the blue-flowered vase on the end table that was next to her armchair. "Wingardium Leviosa!" The vase floated up into the air and she requested that the Grangers feel around it to prove that it there were no almost invisible wires or anything else that was levitating it.
Once they were done, she set the vase down and pointed the stick, or rather wand, at it again. She said another spell and the vase was transformed into a turtle. The Grangers stared at the turtle in shock and ascertained that it really was a turtle before Mrs. Nightwind-Prince turned it back into a vase. She then pointed the wand at her lap and said, "Orchideus!" A small bouquet of various flowers sprouted from the tip to fall onto her lap. She presented the bouquet to Mrs. Granger, who sniffed the flowers and tentatively touched the petals and stems.
"They certainly look, feel, and smell real," Mrs. Granger said. "I think we believe you now that magic exists, Mrs. Nightwind-Prince." She handed the bouquet back, saying, "You can put them in the vase."
Mrs. Nightwind-Prince produced a stream of water from her wand and into the vase before putting the flowers in it. She then turned her attention back to the Grangers. "Let me fully explain things. As you have now been made aware, magic exists. Your daughter can do magic and so is a witch, as am I. A male that can perform magic is called a wizard. In fact, a small but significant percentage of the world's population are witches and wizards, but they mostly live separately from non-magical people, or Muggles, as the wizarding world calls them. There is a Statue of Secrecy imposed on the wizarding world, which means that Muggles are not supposed to know about magic, other than family members of a Muggleborn witch or wizard, a Muggle that marries a witch or wizard, and most elected leaders of the various nations of the world, such as a president or prime minister."
"So what you're saying is that my wife and I are Muggles, or non-magical people," Mr. Granger said. "And we somehow produced a daughter that is a witch. How is this possible?"
"You or your wife most likely have a wizarding ancestor somewhere back in the family tree," Mrs. Nightwind-Prince answered. "You see, it is possible, though quite rare, for a person with at least one magical parent to be born without magic. The wizarding world refers to them as Squibs. Since Squibs cannot perform magic, many of them choose, or if they have intolerant parents, are forced, to live in Muggle society. They then marry Muggles, and eventually most will have a magical descendant."
"I see," said Mrs. Granger, nodding in understanding. "Since you have stated that you are here to invite Hermione to attend the school you work at, I gather this wizarding world has schools?"
"That is correct, Mrs. Granger." Mrs. Nightwind-Prince took out an envelope from her purse and handed it to Hermione. "This is your acceptance letter and list of school supplies. I am a school Healer at Nightwind School of Magic. Yes, it's the same as my last name. My many times great-grandparents were the founders of the school, and they requested that there would always be a descendant teaching or otherwise working there."
Hermione opened the envelope eagerly and took out the first sheet of parchment. "Dear Miss Hermione Granger," she read. "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to attend Nightwind School of Magic. Enclosed is your list of school supplies for the upcoming year. The first term will start on September second. You will be taken to Nightwind School at the start of the last week of August so you may attend Orientation, purchase your supplies, and get settled into the school. We shall see you then. Yours sincerely, Headmistress Hikari Nakamura and Deputy Headmaster Oluchi Ihejirika." She stumbled a bit when reading the second name.
"Is the Deputy Headmaster African?" Hermione asked when she was done. "And the Headmistress is Japanese, isn't she, Professor Nightwind? So Nightwind School must be an international school."
Mrs. Nightwind-Prince nodded. "That is what Geoffrey and Marie Nightwind and their friends had in mind when they founded the school. They wanted to set up a place of learning for talented witches and wizards, or those with great potential, and their descendants. At the time, it was limited to those in Europe, since it was 1468, but as the other continents were explored, the school expanded to include witches and wizards from them as well. The school makes a point of making sure that all the students have at least a basic understanding of other countries and cultures, and emphasizes acceptance and tolerance of all backgrounds, creeds, religions, and what have you."
Mr. Granger raised a brow upon hearing that, since not all schools were that accepting, and of the ones that said they were, there were several who didn't actually teach their students that. Then again, since Nightwind School was open to magical students from around the world, it made sense that they would teach about other countries and cultures and enforce acceptance and tolerance.
"That is very open-minded," Mrs. Granger remarked. "Where is this school located?"
"It's located on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, about a couple of hundred miles away from the west coast of Great Britain. There are spells on the island to hide it from Muggles and protect it from unauthorized people. To get there, Hermione would have to use a Portkey, which is any object that has a transportation spell put on it to take the person touching it to whatever location it's keyed to. It's perfectly safe, and is rather like being teleported, as science-fiction would put it."
"I'm not sure how we feel about Hermione going to a school so far away," Mr. Granger said. "We had been discussing boarding school, but they were all within Britain."
"That is all up to you and Hermione," said Mrs. Nightwind-Prince. "However, I would like to make clear that it is in Hermione's best interest to attend a magical school. As of right now, she is only able to do small things consciously and bigger magics are only done accidentally, when she is upset or otherwise under great emotion. Such events will only continue, unless she learns how to control her magic. That is the purpose of wizarding schools, to learn how to control one's magic and do proper spells, usually with a wand, not the accidental and wandless magic that one does as a young child."
"You do have other options than Nightwind School when it comes to magical education, Hermione. There is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is located in Scotland and accepts only students living in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is a very good school and was founded during the Middle Ages, though it doesn't put an emphasis on acceptance or learning about other cultures. There is Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, which is located in France, which is also a very good school, and North America has the Salem Witches Institute, which despite its name, is actually co-educational. There is also another magical school located in New Zealand for witches and wizards living there and in Australia. I doubt the other schools would fit you, since they would require you to know Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, or several African languages, like Swahili."
"Mum and Dad, I really want to go to Nightwind School," Hermione said. "I know that Mrs. Nightwind-Prince said that Hogwarts is closer to home, since it's in Scotland, but it doesn't have the open-mindedness that Nightwind School does. She also said that her school accepts students with great potential or talent or are from families that attended. Since I'm not from a magical family, that means the staff of Nightwind School thinks I have the talent or potential to succeed there."
"That's true," said Mrs. Granger thoughtfully, sharing a look with her husband. "If that's where you really want to attend, then I suppose you can go to Nightwind School."
"Thank you, Mum and Dad!" exclaimed Hermione, jumping up and hugging her parents.
Once she'd calmed down, Mr. Granger asked, "Mrs. Nightwind-Prince, could you please tell us some more about the school and the wizarding world?"
"Of course. Here is a list of the school subjects." Mrs. Nightwind-Prince took out a folded sheet of paper from her purse and handed it to Mrs. Granger. Mr. Granger and Hermione, who were sitting on either side of her, leaned over slightly to look at the paper. A brief description of the classes ensued, along with the explanation that many creatures and beings found in Muggle fantasy, like unicorns, dwarves, and centaurs, actually existed, with the beings having their own cultures. This was why there were classes on world culture and the customs of magical beings.
"I can understand that," said Mr. Granger. "I remember that a couple of my former classmates looked down on one of our classmates that was Indian. They teased and bullied him, even when I told them to stop, and it only ended when I got school administration involved."
"Well, Nightwind School has a zero tolerance policy for that kind of thing. Any student that engages in bullying will be lectured and given a detention. If that kind of thing continues, he or she is expelled. That hasn't happened so far, since most of our students are from families that attended Nightwind School and are raised to be accepting, and the ones that aren't quickly learn otherwise."
"That's good for Hermione," said Mrs. Granger. "So what about exams and so forth?"
Mrs. Nightwind-Prince explained about the Basic and Advanced Level exams, which were the equivalent of the Muggle A-levels and how they determined what career fields a student could enter.
"Are there wizarding colleges or universities?" Mrs. Granger asked.
"Not exactly," responded Mrs. Nightwind-Prince. "There are a few specialty schools, like the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts, or ones that allow you attain a Mastery in a certain subject or field. And there are several careers that require you to go through training first. For example, to become a Healer or a Mediwitch or wizard, which is the equivalent of a doctor and nurse, you would have to undergo three years of training first. Jobs in the magical governments also require some training."
"Magical governments?" said Mr. Granger. "So I guess Britain has a Ministry of Magic or something?"
"That is correct," she replied. "All nations have a Ministry of Magic or the equivalent, like the Magical Congress of the United States. Hmm, let's see what else you need to know. Ah yes, there is a town located a short distance from the school, called Windmere. Most of the staff live there during the holidays, and their families, and the shops where you buy school supplies are located there. The wizarding world has its own monetary system." She took out a gold coin, a silver one, and a small bronze one from her purse. "It is twenty-nine bronze Knuts to one silver Sickle and seventeen Sickles to a gold Galleon. I believe the current exchange rate for Britain is approximately five pounds to one Galleon. For Hermione's school supplies, she would need two hundred fifty pounds, and you can decide what extra she might need for pocket money. As for school fees, it all depends on how much a family can afford to pay, and the maximum would be, oh, about two thousand pounds a year."
Mr. and Mrs. Granger had a quick discussion and it was decided that they would pay one thousand pounds a year. They had a successful dental practice, and they had put aside money for Hermione's education, so they could afford it. Mr. Granger wrote out a check for seven thousand pounds after Mrs. Nightwind-Prince told him that the school had an account at a Muggle bank, and she wrote out a receipt stating that Hermione's education was paid in full.
After that, she handed Hermione three books. "The first one is about the history of Nightwind School. The second one gives you some background information about the wizarding world, and the third is about the European wizarding history for the past hundred years. That should give you an idea of what you need to know, Miss Granger. Oh, and a teacher from Hogwarts is due to visit you in a couple of weeks to give you an acceptance letter there and tell you about the wizarding world. If you like, I can contact Hogwarts and let them know that you have decided to attend Nightwind School instead."
"That would be very helpful, Mrs. Nightwind-Prince," said Hermione. "It'll save them a trip."
"All right then," said Mrs. Nightwind-Prince, tucking the check into her purse and rising. "In the wizarding world, we use owls to deliver mail. So on August 25th, you will get an owl delivering your Portkey. It will be set to leave at ten am the following day, so make sure you are holding it at that time. The only things you will need to pack are your clothes, toiletry items, and any books or small items you wish to bring with you. The items on your supply list you will get during Orientation week."
With that, she gave the Grangers instructions on how to get in touch with the school in case they had further questions, they thanked her and bid her a good-day, and she left.
Anthony Goldstein exchanged awed looks with his parents. He had known that some odd events had happened around him, but hadn't expected that they would turn out to be magic, or that he was a wizard. He wasn't quite sure if this was a good thing, however. Certainly Jewish folklore had stories of golems, which he supposed were brought to existence due to magic, or something akin to it, but that didn't mean that magic was necessarily a good thing. He knew from history lessons at school that in the past, witchcraft was condemned and those found guilty of it were burned or hanged.
"It's perfectly all right," said Kurt Freidrich. "Magic is not something to be feared, and it is merely a tool. In itself, it is not good or evil; it all depends on how it is used. For example, a knife can be used to chop vegetables, but it can also be used to stab someone. I can assure you that it is all right for a Jewish person to also be a witch or wizard. After all, look at me. I am a wizard and a rabbi."
Mrs. Goldstein smiled a bit uncertainly. "That is very reassuring, Rabbi Freidrich. However, is it really necessary that Anthony attend Nightwind School? We had planned on him attending a Jewish school."
"As of right now, Anthony has had several bouts of accidental magic," Rabbi Freidrich replied. "They will only continue and probably get worse without any training. Also, since he is now aware of magic, there is the chance that he will try to consciously do magic, which could cause trouble. By attending a magical school, he will learn to focus his magic so that he won't do accidental magic anymore, and learn all the proper spells and such. It really would be in his best interest to learn to master it."
"I suppose," said Mr. Goldstein. "But you said that Nightwind School is located on an island in the Atlantic Ocean that has spells to hide it from non-magical people. Isn't there any wizarding school that's located closer to our home, like in Great Britain?"
"Well, there is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is in Scotland. It is one of the best wizarding schools in the world. The only problem is that they don't pay much attention to religion. As Nightwind School is an international school of magic, it has students from all over the world, of various faiths and cultures. So there is me, to be the rabbi to all the Jewish students. We also have a Catholic priest, a Protestant chaplain, an imam for the Muslim students, a priestess for the Hindu students, and an adviser for the Wiccan and pagan students. There is also a small temple in the town next to the school, Windmere, for the students that are Buddhists or practice other Asian religions."
"So I take it that this Hogwarts wouldn't have a rabbi associated with the school," said Mrs. Goldstein.
"That is correct," Rabbi Freidrich said. "By attending Nightwind School, Anthony will be able to attend services at the synagogue in Windmere, and I would be able to help him with any religious studies. When I was student, Rabbi Goldberg helped me prepare for my Bar Mitzvah ceremony, and when I made the decision to become a rabbi, he helped me with that as well. He retired a few years ago and I took his place as the rabbi for the school, though he still helps out and such whenever necessary."
"I really think I should attend Nightwind School, Mother and Father," said Anthony. "I ought to learn to master my magic, since Yahweh saw fit to bless me with this gift, and this is the only school of magic closest to home that also has provisions made for our religion."
"To further set your mind at ease, Mr. and Mrs. Goldstein, you needn't worry about mealtimes, either. There are always several kosher dishes available, placed at one end of the dining tables. The school kitchens are divided up too, so you don't have to worry about cross-contamination. The kosher dishes are made strictly in the section set for them, the halal dishes for the Muslim students in their own section, the vegetarian dishes in their own section, and so forth."
Mr. and Mrs. Goldstein exchanged surprised looks. "We hadn't expected that," the former said. "But as you said, it is an ease on our minds. We don't have to worry about Anthony keeping kosher."
"Nightwind School makes a point of accommodating our students' religions and cultures," pointed out Rabbi Freidrich. "In return, all students are expected to learn a basic overview of other cultures and faiths and to be accepting, or at least tolerant, of everyone else. As the school motto says, 'There is no one true way, and learning is the key to understanding.' At least, that's the English translation of the Latin. Nobody will make fun of or bully Anthony for being Jewish, at least not without earning a detention as punishment, and he in turn will not be allowed to bully anyone else."
"That's a relief," said Mrs. Goldstein. "Well, if you really want to attend Nightwind School, Anthony, then I suppose you can do so. What will he be learning exactly, Rabbi Freidrich?"
He handed the Goldsteins a list of the subjects taught at Nightwind School and explained them all. They were certainly quite surprised to find out that magical creatures and beings like goblins, dragons, centaurs, and unicorns actually existed, and that there were classes taught about them. He added that while ordinary ghosts were real, dybbuks (a wandering spirit in Jewish folklore) weren't. He couldn't create a golem, either, at least not in the way as told in Jewish folklore, and the best he could do was use a spell to animate a statue or something similar until the spell either wore off or he ended it.
Rabbi Freidrich then went on to explain about the monetary system the wizarding world used, how much money was needed for Anthony's school supplies, and the set up for the school fees. He then gave Anthony three books, one a history of Nightwind School, the second giving an overview of the wizarding world, and the third containing a history of the wizarding world for the past century. Mr. and Mrs. Goldstein arranged payment for the yearly school fee (which for them was five hundred pounds), and Rabbi Freidrich explained how Anthony was going to get to the school and what he needed to bring with him. After giving instructions on how to contact the school if they had further questions, the Goldsteins bid the rabbi a good day and he left.
An owl swooped into the kitchen of the Okoro home and landed on the kitchen table, narrowly avoiding knocking over June's glass of milk. June removed the two letters tied to its leg and fed it her bacon rind and the crusts from her toast. Her mother brought over a small bowl of water, and after the owl had drunk its fill, it took off, flying out the open window.
"Ooh, our acceptance letters have arrived!" June squealed, seeing the crest of Nightwind School emblazoned on the envelopes. "Here's yours, Harry."
Harry looking very excited, took the letter that his cousin tossed him and opened it. He scanned the letter, which told him that he had been accepted into Nightwind School, and then he looked at the second piece of paper, which had the list of school supplies. "I can't wait to start learning magic, other than the theory that Mr. Carmichael and Mr. Sato taught us."
June nodded. "That'll be fun. And we'll get to meet other kids our age besides our friends, and hang out more with our friends."
"Yeah," said Harry, smiling. "I wonder who our roommates will be. I wish Draco, Ron, and Neville would be mine."
"You know that's not happening," said June. "Well, you'd likely get one of them to be your roommate, but not all three. You know Nightwind School is all about having us get to know people from other places. You can't do that very well if all your friends were your roommates."
Harry sighed. "I suppose." He then brightened. "Hey, if we all get along really well with our roommates, maybe we could form a second version of the Phoenix Club, like my parents and their friends did."
"That's a great idea," said June. "When our friends come over for your birthday party, let's ask Eileen or Neville who our roommates are going to be. They'll be able to see the room assignments, since they've got parents who are teachers at the school, and by that time everything would be finalized."
Harry agreed with this idea, and when they finished breakfast, ran upstairs to their respective rooms to write to their friends, asking if they'd gotten their acceptance letters too. Within two days, they got letters back from all their friends, saying that they had gotten their letters, and expressing their delight over finally being able to attend Nightwind School.
Kalea Allen was sitting in front of a loom, weaving her first rug under the tutelage of her paternal grandmother, who was Navajo. Her paternal grandfather, who was from the Choctaw nation (which was why her last name was Allen, since her ancestors had been forced to take on English names), came into the room, a small smile on his face. "Kalea, your acceptance letter to Nightwind School just arrived," he said, holding out the envelope.
Kalea quickly set down the weaving stick she was using and took the letter eagerly. There was no question of her attending any other magical school, as her paternal family had gone to Nightwind School ever since they'd gotten acceptance letters back in the late 1700's. While the Muggle government might have forced the Native Americans off of their land and onto reservations and did everything possible to get them to assimilate into white culture, Nightwind School had never done so. While there was little they could do against the government, since the wizarding world wasn't supposed to interfere with the Muggle one, they had never forced the Native American students to assimilate, and in fact included lessons about Native American culture in the World Culture class.
"This is wonderful," Kalea's grandmother said in the Navajo language. "You will be off at Nightwind School, learning magic and meeting new people."
Kalea nodded, for so far, she had mainly met or interacted with people from the Navajo and Choctaw nations, or those living in Hawaii, where her mother (who was native Hawaiian) was originally from. She had two close friends, but one didn't have magical ability, though she was aware of the wizarding world, like many Native Americans were, and the other was a year younger than her and wouldn't start Nightwind School until next year. Therefore, going away to school would enable her to meet new people, and she would likely become friends with her roommates, like her parents and grandparents had done when they had attended school.
"When your parents come home from work, we shall tell them the good news," her grandfather said. "Now, I will let you get back to your weaving. If you finish the rug in time, you can take it with you to school and hang it on the wall next to your bed as decoration."
Dean Thomas's eyes widened as Professor Freeman explained things to him. He had known ever since he was eight that his biological father had disappeared when he was a baby and his mother had no idea what had happened. Now Dean was told that he was a wizard, that his father had been one too (and in fact had been an alum of Nightwind School), and from what Professor Freeman had been able to discover, his father had been killed for refusing to become a follower of an evil wizard who called himself Lord Voldemort. The reason why Dean and his mother had no idea about this was because his father had wanted to protect them.
"Well, that explains things," said Mrs. Thomas. "I had wondered about the strange things Dean had done, and how Michael seemed worried or secretive at times. Well, if Dean is a wizard, and is invited to attend the same school that Michael went to, I can hardly say no. Dean, how do you feel about this?"
Dean thought it over. Knowing that his biological father hadn't abandoned him, but instead wanted to protect him and his mother and ended up killed, changed his previous opinion on the man. While he saw his stepfather as a real father, it was nice to know that his biological father had also cared about him. Also, going to a school where he would learn to master his magical abilities sounded interesting. "I would like to attend Nightwind School, Professor Freeman."
"Wonderful," said Professor Freeman, beaming. She handed him three books, one that was a history of Nightwind School and the other two explaining further about the wizarding world, and a list of the subjects that were taught at school. She explained the subjects, then the monetary system that the wizarding world used, and finally set up a payment method for the school fees, which in the Thomases' case was only two hundred pounds a year. (While they weren't poor, neither were they that well off, and Dean had two half-sisters that also needed to be provided for.) After ascertaining that there were no more questions, and explaining how they could contact the school if one came up later, Professor Freeman took her leave.
Frank Chung was sitting in the living room of his family home, watching an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, with his friend Peter O'Hagan, who was a year younger than him and he only saw when Peter was visiting his maternal grandparents's family. Both boys had an interest in science fiction, though in Peter's case, it was because his parents loved the genre and made sure that their children were exposed to it.
"Ugh, I hate the Duras sisters," said Peter, making a face. "I really hope they don't succeed with the civil war they're plotting."
As the show switched to commercials, Frank said, "Well, I'm not going to be able to see if it does or doesn't, since this is the season finale and it's a two-part episode. By the time part two airs, since it's the start of a new season, I'll be in Nightwind School. If I'm lucky, I might be able to catch a rerun of it next summer, but I'd be better off having you watch it and write to me what happened."
"I'll do that," Peter promised. "But I wish I could go to Nightwind School, instead of having to wait until next year. At least I've got my friends in Windmere Primary School, so I'll be with them. You, on the other hand..."
Frank nodded, for his parents (who were both Muggleborn), had chosen to send him to the local elementary school for his early education. While he had made a couple of friends there, they were Muggles, and lately they had drifted apart, since Frank knew he wasn't going to junior high with them. All they knew was that he was going to attend the same private boarding school his parents had gone to, which was not located in their state, California.
"Frank, you've got mail," Mrs. Chung said, coming into the living room. "Judging from the envelope, I would say it's your acceptance letter."
"It's arrived?" exclaimed Frank, looking excited as he bolted to his feet. He practically snatched the envelope from his mother's hand and tore it open. He quickly scanned the first piece of paper, which had the acceptance, and then glanced at the second, which was the supplies list. "Oh goody. Mom, can you write back for me, saying I'll be attending? The commercial break just ended."
"Of course, Frank," said Mrs. Chung, and she left the room, while Frank and Peter's attention returned to the episode.
Mikhail Fedorovich was reading a book when an owl flew in the open window. He looked up, startled, and saw that a letter was attached to its leg. He quickly removed the letter, grabbed a few owl treats that he had on hand for his own owl, and gave them to the one that had delivered the letter. The owl quickly gobbled down the treats, hooted in thanks, and then flew out the window again.
Mikhail glanced down at the letter and he grew excited when he saw the crest of Nightwind School on the envelope. Opening it confirmed that it was his acceptance letter and he opened the door of his room to shout in Russian, "Mother! Father! I just got my acceptance letter to Nightwind School."
Mrs. Fedorovich came up the stairs. "That's wonderful, Mikhail, but you don't need to shout," she said in English. While she understood Russian perfectly well, she was more comfortable with English and Yiddish, as she was originally from Israel, and was Jewish.
"Sorry, Muter," said Mikhail, switching to English, but using the Yiddish word for mother. "I just got excited."
"I can understand that," said Mrs. Fedorovich. "Anyway, your father went out a few minutes ago for buy groceries, but when he gets back, you can tell him the good news. I'll send out a note letting the school know that you'll be attending, not that there's any chance of you attending another school."
Mikhail made a face. "I certainly don't want to attend Durmstrang, and Koldovstoretz may be closer to home, but it won't be as great as Nightwind School is. Even if they do play a form of Quidditch on enchanted uprooted trees and not brooms."
Mrs. Fedorovich had to laugh at that. While her husband had attended Nightwind School, his grandfather had attended Koldovstoretz, which was located somewhere in Russia. While he had been slightly disappointed that his son and grandson had decided to attend Nightwind School instead, he had gotten over it, since the school did have a good reputation, and settled for reminiscing about his own school years, which was why Mikhail knew some things about Koldovstoretz.
"Well, I know you're going to have a good time, like your father and I did. You'll probably end up becoming close friends with your roommates, like we did."
"I hope so," said Mikhail. He had been homeschooled, and the only wizarding children he had interacted with had been his cousins. "I'm going to get back to my book now, Muter."
"Veronica, a letter arrived for you!" called Mrs. Gatti.
Veronica left her bedroom, where she had been practicing the violin, and skipped down the stairs. "Is it my acceptance letter?" she asked, for she knew that it was around the time that the Nightwind School letters were sent out, as it was the latter half of June.
"Since it has the school crest on the envelope, I would say it is," said Mrs. Gatti with a smile. "I remember when I got mine. Of course, I also had Father Vasquez explaining everything to me, since I was the first one in my family to have magic, and assuring my parents that it wasn't evil witchcraft. He had to do the same for your father, since he was the same situation as me, Muggleborn and raised in a Catholic family."
"I know, you and Papa have told me the story many times," said Veronica, opening the letter and looking at the supplies list. "I cannot wait to attend school and meet other witches and wizards that aren't family or your friends."
Leilani Roxas gave a start of surprise as an owl flew in through her open bedroom window. "That's odd," she muttered to herself. "I don't normally get owl post - wait, it is around the time that the acceptance letters are sent out." She got up and removed the letter attached to the owl's leg, which proved to be her acceptance letter from Nightwind School. "Wait a minute," she said to the owl, and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from her desk. She quickly wrote a note, saying that she had gotten her letter and was going to attend, then folded it up and attached it to the owl's leg. Before it took off, she gave it some water from a pitcher she had on her nightstand, and the cracker she had left over from her afternoon snack.
Once the owl was gone, Leilani picked up her acceptance letter and went to find her parents. "Mama, Papa, I got my acceptance letter," she said in Tagalog, the main language of the Philippines, where her family lived.
"That's wonderful, Leilani," said Mr. Roxas with a broad smile. "Did you send a reply back saying that you were attending, or do you need us to help you with that?"
"I had the owl wait and I sent off my reply with it, Papa," said Leilani.
"Then we don't need to do that," said Mrs. Roxas. "Well, I'm going to get started on a celebratory dinner for tonight." She got up and went to the kitchen.
"I wish I could attend Nightwind School," said Leilani's younger brother, Stephen.
"Don't worry, in two years you'll be old enough to attend, Stephen," said Mr. Roxas.
"But it's still two years," said Stephen, making a face.
"Celia also has to wait two years," Leilani pointed out, referring to their cousin. "So you'll have her to keep you company,"
Stephen admitted that was true, and Leilani then returned to her room.
Author's Note: As the chapter shows, readers are introduced to the future roommates of Harry and his friends as they get their acceptance letters to Nightwind School. The episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that Frank and Peter are watching is the season 4 finale, "Redemption, Part one." Koldovstoretz, a magical school located in Russia, is mentioned in Wonderbook: Book of Potions. According to the 2014 editions of the Harry Potter books, they play a version of Quidditch where they fly on uprooted trees instead of brooms. The third grade teacher's name is a reference to Ms. Frizzle, the teacher in the Magic School Bus book series and TV show.
