Chapter 3: A Letter and a New Owl

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For the next several days, Briana preferred to be by herself.  She usually stayed away from the places that have a lot of people, like the Great Hall, for instance.  She always had one of the house-elves bring dinner up for her.  She didn't care if anyone was worried about her.  All she can think of was how bad she felt and that someday she will die (this she would like to be soon).  She also didn't care of the people around her.  The place she really loved staying was the bank of the lake.  She would stay there all day and sketch anything she could think of.  She loved drawing, which was a habit that she inherited from her mother. 

One bright and early summer morning, after finishing her lunch, Briana rummaged her trunk for her sketchbook.  She tried to avoid meeting anyone along the corridor and went outside, across the grounds, towards the lake.  She propped down under a tree and began sketching away.  Now, across the grounds, working usual was the groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid.  He was someone Briana looked up to both literally and non-literally.  He was twice as taller than a regular man and nearly five times as large.  He had noticed now, since the news of her parents' death, that she had kept herself isolated and secluded.  At that moment, he had an idea.  He stopped what he was doing, crossed the grounds, and approached her. 

  "Well, Annie, wha' have yeh got there? Another sketch I see?" he said as he sat down next to her. She muttered something that sounded like 'nothing much, it's just something I like to see happen.'  He leaned over and saw something that made his jaws dropped.  It was a picture of the lake with the giant squid's tentacles showing out in the air.  He noticed that there was a tiny figure in one of the giant squid's tentacles. "An' who's that little fella righ' there?"

  "That's me, hopefully." Was all he got out of her. 

  "Annie, wha' has gotten into yeh? This isn' like yeh.  Wha's wrong? Yeh can tell me." Briana stopped sketching for a moment and looked up. 

  "Me, I'm wrong.  I don't like the fact that I don't have parents, Hagrid.  I'm only ten and I turn eleven in November.  I mean I didn't even get in Hogwarts yet, and I probably never will." 

  "Why not? Yer uncle is the headmaster.  I'm sure he'll do matter wha' to get yeh in Hogwarts."

  "Well, first of all, I don't have any parents and only people with parents can go to Hogwarts."

  "Says who? With parents like wha' yeh had? Annie, they would be outrage if yeh didn' get in.  Like I said, yer uncle is the headmaster.  Dumbledore will teach yeh fine."

  "Uncle Albus? He thinks I'm a burden to him; at least that's what I think.  I mean he has so much to do and now I add up with everything else. I don't know, but I think he'll be happier when I'm not around. I think everyone's happier when I am not around.  At least they don't have to feel sorry for me." She put on a whiny little voice, "Oh, it's poor little orphan Briana.  How awful that she has to live alone for the rest of her life." They were silent for a moment and then Hagrid said,

  "I remember how I felt when me dad died.  I was about yeh age but on'y older. I felt like runnin' away, but yeh know what, I didn' because this one day, I was lookin' at this same lake and I saw the sun settin' in the sky.  It was beautiful, Annie, all bright orange and sinkin' down the lake.  And tha's when I realized that during the end of the day, this beautiful thing happens, I'm quite sure tha' at the beginning of the mornin', another one just like it happens, on'y it's the opposite, yeh get what I'm sayin'?  So yeh got to look out fer that because if another day comes, it means it has teh be better that yesterday, yeh get it?"

Briana was looking out at the lake.  She said, "But that doesn't change the way I feel.  I'm a burden to everyone, even you!" With that she ran towards the castle and to her room.  As soon as she got there, she locked the door and sat down on the bed and cried.  She had been crying the last several days.  She heard a mutter and a knob turning.  Someone approached her.  She wanted it to be Hagrid but when she turned around, it was her uncle Albus.  His eyes weren't their usual bright selves, but they were grave. However, as he spoke, his voice was very gentle. 

  "You left in quite hurry again down at the lake that I did not get a chance to talk to you.  You know, if you keep this habit of running away, you might enter a marathon," she looked up to him.  His lips curled into a small smile.  She quickly looked down again.  They were both silent for a moment.  Albus Dumbledore broke the silence by continuing; "You also left this there." He gave her the sketching book she had.  "I couldn't help but overhearing your conversation with Hagrid.  I know that I have a big school to run, Annie, but that doesn't mean that I don't have time for you.  This is all quite new to me, actually. To tell you the truth, I don't know where to start.  It's all quite sudden, these whole incidents.  But I do not want you to ever think you are a burden to me, Annie, never ever. You are a special girl and I know that if you enter Hogwarts, many things will come out of you, good things."

*   *   *

After her talk with her uncle, Briana felt a little bit better.  She didn't feel like isolating herself anymore.  She decided that she would give her uncle a chance; as to they were both new at this situation.  She only had a few more days left at Hogwarts.  She chose those days to spend the mornings helping Hagrid with his duties (of course, he refused) and the afternoons with her uncle.  They have gotten along fairly well. 

During her last three days in Hogwarts, an unexpected thing happened that would change her life forever.  It was a bright and early morning and Briana got ready to go down to the grounds with Hagrid. 

  "Morning, Hagrid!" she called to him across the grounds.

  "Mornin'!" he called back.  "So, wha' do yeh wanna do today? Tend the vegetable patch? Or maybe yeh wanna go in the Forbidden Forest-oh wait, yer not suppose to be there." Briana laughed, one of the many things she getting used to these days.

  "Sure, I wouldn't mind going in there."

  "But yeh can't.  Just tend the vegetable patch wit' me, alrigh'?"  Briana nodded.  She followed him around the back and was greeted by Hagrid's boarhound, Fang. 

  "Oof, oh, hello, Fang," she said as she patted his head.  "So, can I use the ax, Hagrid.  I'm really getting good."

  "Nah, I reckon yeh shouldn' use them ax.  I reckon yer uncle will have me head if he caught yeh usin' that thing. Nah, I reckon yeh should take this seed righ' here and plant 'em, go on."  She took the seeds that Hagrid gave her and put them in the ground.  Just when she was getting the hang of it, Professor Mcgonagall approached them.  She looked as if she was hiding some sort of important news. 

  "Briana, will you come with me, please," she said sternly, looking at her dirty pants and face.  "Follow me."

Briana had no choice but to dropped what she was doing and followed her.  What could I be in for now? I wasn't doing anything for the past few days. She led Briana to her uncle's office.  She gave the password (Chocolate Frogs!), which changed from the last time she went in there.  As soon as they got in there, Briana looked around the office.  Her uncle was sitting behind his desk with his face glowing, his eyes particularly. 

  "Have a seat, Annie," he said.  He noticed her grubby pants and shirt and her dirty face. "I see you have been helping Hagrid with his duties again…" he trailed off. He looked towards his window and then back at Professor Mcgonagall.  They seemed to be having a silent conversation.  Briana was confused and so she got up to go to her uncle's phoenix, Fawkes.  She stroked him for a while. He always gave her a sense of protection whenever she was around him.  Briana grew a bit restless, because her patience wasn't much. 

  "Why am I here, uncle Albus," she said.  But no one answered her, for they were still looking at the window.  "Er, uncle? Why-" She suddenly stopped because she heard a rush of wind coming in.  She looked up the window and saw a small owl with a letter tied to its leg coming in.  Briana recognized that the letter had a red seal with the Hogwarts coat of arms in it.  Briana felt herself grin. This is it. The moment of the truth. The owl flew right to her shoulder and gave her a gently nip on the ear. Briana looked at her uncle, who was looking at her with a big smile on his face.

  "Well, aren't you going to open it?" he smiled.  Briana tore open her letter and read it out loud:

Hogwarts School

Of Witchcraft and Wizardry

~~~~~~

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Ms. B. Sullivan,

  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

  "Oh, uncle! I got in! I got in!" she exclaimed, running up to him to hug him.

  "As you can see that it says right there I should receive your owl no later than July 31, but it is already August.  I wanted to surprise you," he said.  "See, anyone can enter Hogwarts, including you."

  "Oh, uncle, thank you! Thank you!"

  "And not only that, but you now have a new owl for you to take care of while you are in Hogwarts."

Briana stared open-mouthed at the eagle owl on her shoulder.  "You-you mean this is for me?"

Her uncle smiled at her. "You can name her whatever you like. Just consider that owl as an present from me."

Briana smiled her biggest smile.  She never felt so happy in her life.  She felt a hand on her shoulder.

  "Your parents would be really proud of you, Annie," said Professor Mcgonagall.