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Chapter 3 - Jasper

Back in the familiar living room of their house, Rosella and her grandson Steven began to pilfer through the oddities that had been purchased at Diagon Alley. "Well," Rosella said, picking up a large bundle, "here are your books. You might want to give them a look before you start school."

Steven opened up the package and there sat nine books. "I thought I only had eight required books."

"Oh, that other one is mine. I need to brush up on my magic. Go ahead and take the rest up to your room and then we'll go through the rest." Steven picked up the large stacks of books and strained under the weight. He made his way slowly to his room while Rosella picked up the remaining book and read its title "Advanced Magical Charms, Potions, Hexes, and Transfigurations by Albus Dumbledore." Sliding the book into a nearby drawer, Rosella heard her grandson running back down the hall.

Ignoring the rest of the parcels, Steven plopped down onto the floor right in front of the owl's cage. The barn owl started hooting excitedly as it turned in its cage and spread its wings, obviously showing off. Steven now noticed something he hadn't before, "Nana, this owl has a green beak."

"Does it now," she said as she got off the couch and settled onto the floor next to her grandson. "Someone must've been having fun in Eeylops while they were looking around. Want me to fix it?"

Steven looked at the green beak and then into the owl's eyes. "What'd'ya think? Should she fix it?"

As if in response, the owl turned its back on the two sitting in front of the cage. "I'm fairly sure that's a no, Steven. So, what are you going to name her?"

"It's a girl," he said, more as a statement than a question. "Well, I'll name her Jasper, after her nose."

"Excellent name. Do you like that name, Jasper?" Rosella asked the owl. And once again, as if in response, the owl turned back around and gave a rather cheerful hoot and cocked its head sideways. "Another yes. Well, why don't you try out your new quill and ink by responding to Professor McGonagall's letter."

Steven rushed over to the packages, pulled out a small bottle and a feather, sat down at the kitchen table, and then looked up, dumbfounded. "What should I write?"

Rosella got up out of the floor and brought Jasper's cage over to the table. "Tell her that you will be attending Hogwarts on schedule, that you have your supplies, to meet your new owl Jasper, and that your grandmother would like to have a cup of tea with an old friend at her request."

"You know my professor?" Steven said with a shock.

"Yes, I know Minerva. We go way back, back to our own school days. Good friends. Anyway, tell her that and I'll show you how to send Jasper with mail."

After finishing his letter, he handed it to his grandmother. Taking the letter, Rosella opened up the cage and allowed Jasper to waddle out of the cage. Rolling up the letter and tying it around Jasper's leg with string that seemed to come from nowhere, she spoke to the owl, "Take this to Professor McGonagall at Hogwarts School. It's a long flight, so no hurry. All right, Jasper?" Jasper hooted excitedly at her first job and flew to the windowsill. "Steven, why don't you let her out."

Steven walked over to the window and noticed that it was dark outside. He opened the window and Jasper took flight. "Close it?" he asked.

"Yes, it'll be a few days before she returns. While she's gone, we can try out your new wand."

Excited, Steven looked around on the floor and found the box containing his wand. "What are you going to teach me?"

"Well, it's late, so how about one simple spell before bed?" She paused, as if Steven might offer anything but a yes. She continued, "Now, let me just find my old wand."

Rosella got up and closed her eyes. "Let's see, it wasn't in the attic yesterday, so it has to be ... somewhere. I've got it. Accio wand!" From out of the bin by the fireplace, a wand popped and flew into Rosella's hand.

"Can I learn how to do that?" Steven asked hopefully.

"Oh no, that's rather advanced, even with a wand. Now, do just as I do. Hold you wand straight out in front of you. Concentrate very hard because you are about to make your wand into a flashlight. Concentrate." Steven was in a very rigid stance, holding his wand as though there were a huge spider on it. "Now, say Lumos!"

Rosella's wand shot a light out of the end of it and Steven's eyes grew wide. "Lumos!" he said. At first, nothing happened, then a dim light sputtered out of the front of his wand, and then died.

"You've got to have feeling, Steven. And you have to believe it. Your wand will only work if you trust it. Now, Lumos!" And somehow, his grandmother's light grew brighter.

"Lumos!" Steven shouted. This time, the light came out immediately. For a few moments, it flickered, as though it were a flashlight with a failing battery or loose connection. But then, Steven said lumos again and the beam steadied.

"Very good. Now, all you have to do to turn it off is to say Nox!" And Rosella's wand went out.

"Nox!" Steven said, and his wand did the same.

The two practiced the spell a few times and by bedtime, Steven had mastered his first spell. Happily trotting to his bedroom with his wand aglow, leading the way, Steven slipped into bed, yelled "Nox!," and had a very restful night.