Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Maera pulled the heavy papers out of the envelope. She wasn't sure what exactly she was looking at. The top paper was obviously a letter addressed to her, but there was something strange about it. Just when she thought that this wasn't a prank, too.
Any and all hope died within her as she read: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If there was one thing that Maera was sure of, it was that magic did not exist. There was no way that something so wonderful could exist if her guardians' words were to be taken seriously. That thought pushed her to reconsider the possibility, however.
If Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia vehemently denied the existence of all things freakish, specifically magic above anything and everything, then could it actually be real? After all, Maera herself fell into the category of freakish far too often for her to think that freakish things did not exist all together. Not to mention, the things that she has done or that she was blamed for could easily be explained with the existence of magic.
Suddenly looking back on her childhood through new eyes, Maera realised that those times where she'd be somewhere one second and another place in the next made far more sense. The time when she was mad at one of her teachers and that teacher's hair changing to an ugly puce color flashed through her head. Did she do that? Even her freakish ability to change her own appearance now was more logical! Maybe she wasn't as freaky as she thought! If there was a whole school for people that were like her, then that obviously meant that she couldn't be as weird as her relatives believed her to be!
An unfamiliar warmth filled Maera and she looked back down at the letter, absorbing everything that it told her. Aside from the obvious detail about magic, the only things that she truly felt were important and of note were firstly the headmaster's name (why did he have so many and what were all of these titles?), secondly the name of the deputy headmistress, and, finally, that she was meant to reply to this letter with her acceptance by July 31st at the latest.
This last detail was the most troubling to her, as Maera suddenly realised that July 31st, her birthday, was that very day - and it was almost over! She wasn't sure how she was meant to reply, what did the letter mean by owl? Looking around in her small cupboard, she was grateful to find that she had some scrap paper and an old pencil lying around.
Taking these things, she composed a reply:
Dear Deputy Headmistress McGonagall,
I would very much like to attend this school that you have written about, but I would also like to learn more about this world that apparently exists without anyone's knowledge. I admit that I don't presently know anything about magic, and my guardians don't believe in it in any way, but I hope that you might be able to provide me with some information prior to heading to school. Maybe you could send someone to inform me of everything that I need to know? If not, a letter detailing as much as you can tell me would also be greatly appreciated. I hope that this letter finds you well.
Sincerely,
Maera Potter.
Folding the letter, Maera used a second scrap piece to make an origami envelope - something she had learned by watching the other girls at school. She addressed the letter to the deputy headmistress and wrote down Hogwarts, though she still wasn't sure what she was meant to do next.
They expect my owl? She thought, trying to figure out what that could possibly mean. Suddenly, she remembered seeing an owl earlier that day. When she had gone and collected the post she noticed a large, brown barn owl sitting in a tree in the front yard. It had stood out to her not only due to the fact that the owl was out during the day, but also because the owl had been looking at her. Maybe that's what it means! Maybe that owl is waiting for my reply!
She was once again thankful that her aunt had forgotten to lock her cupboard door. All that she needed to do was wait for her relatives to go to sleep and then she could slip out the front door to look for the owl. Determination filled her and she prepared to wait for as long as necessary.
Leaning back on her mattress, she remembered the other paper that had been in the envelope. Keeping one ear open to the noises in the living room, specifically the telly, she picked up the second piece of paper. It appeared to be a list of supplies that she would need for the school - something she hadn't thought of while writing her reply.
How would she even go to this school? She didn't have any money and she knew that her guardians would never give her any money for something so 'freakish'. Maybe the school was prepared for this, though, and they offered scholarships. She was tempted to take her acceptance letter out to ask about this specifically, but she thought that it could wait. If the school was willing to take her, then it was likely that they would provide her with answers to her questions.
Keeping the small amount of hope that she had for this school and for magic to be real alive through each and every insecurity and doubt that she had was honestly a struggle that she was not fully prepared to deal with, but she was willing to do so. She needed this to be real. The monotony of her life had begun to drag on her. Maera could see no future for herself before this letter and now that she could imagine a future she didn't want to give it up.
The list of supplies was interesting. She needed to buy robes, a cauldron, and so many other, magical things. Not to mention the books! The booklist looked so interesting and she hoped that she'd be able to find more so she could learn about this world that she supposedly belonged to.
Maera was also very interested in the fact that she could own a pet, as long as it was either a cat, toad, or an owl. She'd never been very interested in owning a pet given that the Durselys could be considered her own pets, but the thought that she could choose a pet to take with her was intriguing. She wasn't sure which she'd choose, if any, but the thought was still a pleasant one.
By the time she was done perusing the shopping list, Maera was able to note that the telly had been shut off. She sat in the dark of her cupboard waiting. Slowly the stairs creaked with the weight of her cousin followed by the lighter steps of her aunt and then the pounding steps of her uncle.
Her heart began to beat quicker in anticipation. She just had to wait a little longer and then she could sneak out to send off her reply. She could barely keep herself within her cupboard, but the desire for this to all work out had her glued to her seat. She would wait as long as she needed to in order to not get caught. No matter whatever future she might have, she needed to do this without her aunt and uncle finding out. If they were to catch her… she didn't even want to know what they might do to her.
She wasn't sure exactly how long she waited, only that the house around her sounded quieter than she had ever heard it. That is, until her uncle began to snore. Sighing in relief, she slowly rose from where she sat and eased the cupboard door open. The lock pulled against its holder and she groaned softly. How was she supposed to move it enough that she could fully open her cupboard door?
She looked around her and then back at the door. Maera didn't notice anything that she could use to help her. Rubbing her hand across her face she tried to think of any solution available to her. The crack in the door was so small. She feared that her hand wouldn't fit, but it was the only option she could think of. Sticking her hand through the crack, she was happy to note that her arms were thin enough that she could do it - she could move the lock.
Maera carefully pulled the lock from its cradle and lowered her arm before bringing both back into the safety of her cupboard. She'd need to remember to replace the lock when she came back, but for now her attention was on getting to the front door. Slowly easing the cupboard door open, Maera peeked out and into the dark hallway. Looking back and forth, she was happy to note that no one seemed to be around.
She opened the cupboard door further and slipped out. Tiptoeing towards the front door, Maera was extremely careful to make no noise. She was as quiet as a mouse, or she hoped she was at least.
When she arrived at the front door of the house, she looked around before slowly turning the lock. It made a soft noise as it unlocked, but the snoring of her uncle could still be heard above anything and everything else so Maera felt comfortable. She carefully opened the front door enough to walk out and quickly closed it behind her.
She was outside! The first part of her mission was accomplished! Sighing in relief, Maera looked towards the tree that had previously held the owl. At first, she didn't see anything. Disappointment began to fill her again, but she suddenly saw two amber eyes among the dark foliage. Disbelief and excitement fought for the position as her dominant emotion, but she pushed both aside as she walked further towards those eyes.
Reaching the tree, she glanced up at the owl, suddenly unsure. Before she could say anything, however, the owl hopped down to a branch nearer her height level and stuck its leg out to her. Understanding what it wanted, Maera looked for something that she could use to tie the letter to the owl's leg. The only thing around her that might work was the grass.
But that would never work. Grass isn't strong enough to tie something. She thought to herself. And then she remembered, she had magic! There must be something she can do to the grass to help her!
Bending down, Maera carefully pulled a piece of grass out and stared at it in her palm. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, but she'd always heard at school that wishes were magic. Of course, whenever she heard these it was always a birthday wish upon a candle or a wish from a genie that was magic, but maybe any wish was magic? The only thing she could do was try and she was already outside.
Please let this grass become twine or rope or something that could be used to tie this letter to the owl's leg! She thought while holding onto the grass.
The grass seemed to lengthen and gain some weight and, before she knew it, when she looked back down at the grass it was now rope. She'd done magic! This was proof right before her own eyes! Magic did exist!
Using the rope she had just wished for, she tied the letter to the owl's leg. The bird quickly flew off and into the night, leaving Maera to her third part of the mission. Now she needed to get back to her cupboard and make it seem as if nothing had happened.
Retracing her steps, Maera made it back into her cupboard quicker than she had gotten outside. She waited to make sure that the only noise in the house was her uncle's snoring before calming her breathing. She found the lock and pulled it up so that she could put it back onto the cupboard door. This step was slightly more difficult than it had been to take the lock off, but she was able to put it back where it had been.
Should she lock it to make sure that her aunt didn't notice anything? She wasn't sure, but did so anyway. It was better if her aunt were to not notice anything out of the norm. Pushing the lock shut, Maera brought her arm back into her cupboard and shut the door fully. She put the letter and shopping list underneath her threadbare mattress and laid down. Her dreams that night were filled with wonder and hope and magic.