|Eight Years Later|
"Felicia, breakfast!"
Eleven-year-old Felicia Calk rolled out of bed, groaning. 'It's Saturday,' she thought, rubbing her eyes. Sighing, she ran a brush through her hair and stumbled downstairs.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone shouted as Felicia entered the kitchen.
She took a step back, then started laughing. "You remembered!"
"Of course we remembered." replied her youngest foster brother, Patrick, indignantly.
"Yeah," chimed in his twin sister, Fiona. "You didn't really think we'd forget our own sister's birthday, did you?"
"I guess not." Felicia said, still giggling.
"I should say not!" excalimed her oldest foster brother, Willam.
"Really, Fel, whatever made you think we would?" came her older sister, Raissa.
"Now, kids, settle down." came their foster parents, Charles and Delia Winthrop. The Winthrops were a warm, carig couple who had decided to take in children when it became apparent that they couldn't have any of their own. They had raised Felicia since she was three, and, save a few dreams she only vaguely remembered after she woke up, she couldn't recall having lived anywhere else.
"Now that we're all quiet," Charles began, with a warning glance at the twins, who were notorious for being loud, "Felicia can decide what she wants first: the wonderful breakfast Delia made, or presents."
"Presents!" Paddy and Fi shouted at once.
"I said Felicia can decide." Charles glared at them.
"Oh, don't yell at them, Dad." Felicia interveined. Then, smiling at the twins, added, "Presents it is, then."
Felicia eargerly opened her gifts. She got a locket from Charles and Delia, a diary from Willam, a bracelet from Raissa, and a stuffed dog from Paddy and Fi. Just as she was finishing unwrapping everything, an owl flew in the window and dropped a letter in her lap.
"Get it out!" Raissa screamed, ducking behind Charles.
Felicia didn't hear her. She was too busy staring at the envelope. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." she read aloud. Hands shaking from anticipation, she opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.
Dear Ms. Calk,
Congratulations. You have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed you will find a list of all necessary school supplies, as well as a ticket to the Hogwarts Express. Term begins on September 1. We are most looking forward to seeing you there.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Felicia didn't realize that she'd read the letter out loud until she looked up and saw six faces staring at her.
"Mum, is Felicia a witch?" Fiona asked, tugging on Delia's dress.
"A witch?" Delia said, giggling nervously. "No, of course not, dear."
"Right." Felicia said absently. "I'm not a witch. Now, pass the milk, would you?"
There was a collective gasp; as soon as she had said that, the pitcher of milk had glided along the table, coming to a stop in front of Felicia's glass.
"See, mum?" Fi said, tugging at Delia's dress again. "She is a witch! Oh, I knew it."
"This is so cool!" Paddy exclaimed. "Fel, can you make something disappear?"
"Howaabout we start with the both of you?" Willam suggested sarcastically. "Knock it off, the two of you. Fel, are you alright?"
"I.. I don't know." she admitted. Suddenly it came back to her, the dream she'd always had but never been able to remember. The dream where her grandmother and biological mother disappeared in a flash of green light, almost as if by magic...
"Fel, what is it?" Felicia blinked. She'd been so absorbed in recalling her dream that she hadn't noticed Raissa kneeling in front of her.
"It's nothing, Rais, really. Just a bit spooked, that's all."
"Look," Fi said, holding up the envelope. "There's another paper here."
Felicia took the paper, trembling, and unfolded it. "It's the list of school supplies." she said, "But..."
Felicia gave the paper to her parents to look at. None of them had ever heard of school things quite like this before. "It says to get them at Diagon Alley. Here," she said, pulling a third piece of paper from the envelope, "here's directions."
She handed the third piece of paper, containing directions to a pub called the Leaky Cauldron, over to Charles.
He studied it, and looked over at his wife. She beamed down at Felicia, saying, "A witch in the family, oh, I'm so proud."
"Well, then, we'll go tommorow." Charles said. "We'll make it a family outing. Allright, enough of this for now. Who wants a bit of toast and jam?"
"Felicia, breakfast!"
Eleven-year-old Felicia Calk rolled out of bed, groaning. 'It's Saturday,' she thought, rubbing her eyes. Sighing, she ran a brush through her hair and stumbled downstairs.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone shouted as Felicia entered the kitchen.
She took a step back, then started laughing. "You remembered!"
"Of course we remembered." replied her youngest foster brother, Patrick, indignantly.
"Yeah," chimed in his twin sister, Fiona. "You didn't really think we'd forget our own sister's birthday, did you?"
"I guess not." Felicia said, still giggling.
"I should say not!" excalimed her oldest foster brother, Willam.
"Really, Fel, whatever made you think we would?" came her older sister, Raissa.
"Now, kids, settle down." came their foster parents, Charles and Delia Winthrop. The Winthrops were a warm, carig couple who had decided to take in children when it became apparent that they couldn't have any of their own. They had raised Felicia since she was three, and, save a few dreams she only vaguely remembered after she woke up, she couldn't recall having lived anywhere else.
"Now that we're all quiet," Charles began, with a warning glance at the twins, who were notorious for being loud, "Felicia can decide what she wants first: the wonderful breakfast Delia made, or presents."
"Presents!" Paddy and Fi shouted at once.
"I said Felicia can decide." Charles glared at them.
"Oh, don't yell at them, Dad." Felicia interveined. Then, smiling at the twins, added, "Presents it is, then."
Felicia eargerly opened her gifts. She got a locket from Charles and Delia, a diary from Willam, a bracelet from Raissa, and a stuffed dog from Paddy and Fi. Just as she was finishing unwrapping everything, an owl flew in the window and dropped a letter in her lap.
"Get it out!" Raissa screamed, ducking behind Charles.
Felicia didn't hear her. She was too busy staring at the envelope. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." she read aloud. Hands shaking from anticipation, she opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.
Dear Ms. Calk,
Congratulations. You have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed you will find a list of all necessary school supplies, as well as a ticket to the Hogwarts Express. Term begins on September 1. We are most looking forward to seeing you there.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Felicia didn't realize that she'd read the letter out loud until she looked up and saw six faces staring at her.
"Mum, is Felicia a witch?" Fiona asked, tugging on Delia's dress.
"A witch?" Delia said, giggling nervously. "No, of course not, dear."
"Right." Felicia said absently. "I'm not a witch. Now, pass the milk, would you?"
There was a collective gasp; as soon as she had said that, the pitcher of milk had glided along the table, coming to a stop in front of Felicia's glass.
"See, mum?" Fi said, tugging at Delia's dress again. "She is a witch! Oh, I knew it."
"This is so cool!" Paddy exclaimed. "Fel, can you make something disappear?"
"Howaabout we start with the both of you?" Willam suggested sarcastically. "Knock it off, the two of you. Fel, are you alright?"
"I.. I don't know." she admitted. Suddenly it came back to her, the dream she'd always had but never been able to remember. The dream where her grandmother and biological mother disappeared in a flash of green light, almost as if by magic...
"Fel, what is it?" Felicia blinked. She'd been so absorbed in recalling her dream that she hadn't noticed Raissa kneeling in front of her.
"It's nothing, Rais, really. Just a bit spooked, that's all."
"Look," Fi said, holding up the envelope. "There's another paper here."
Felicia took the paper, trembling, and unfolded it. "It's the list of school supplies." she said, "But..."
Felicia gave the paper to her parents to look at. None of them had ever heard of school things quite like this before. "It says to get them at Diagon Alley. Here," she said, pulling a third piece of paper from the envelope, "here's directions."
She handed the third piece of paper, containing directions to a pub called the Leaky Cauldron, over to Charles.
He studied it, and looked over at his wife. She beamed down at Felicia, saying, "A witch in the family, oh, I'm so proud."
"Well, then, we'll go tommorow." Charles said. "We'll make it a family outing. Allright, enough of this for now. Who wants a bit of toast and jam?"