All for the best

Chapter 3

            A little over a month had passed since that interesting conversation Harry had had with Elliot.  It didn't make any sense to Harry, and he privately thought that these 'special' people at Elliot's school were all mental and needed help.  Harry also thought that Elliot was playing some sort of terrible prank on Harry, because neither one of them had received any sort of letter.  That all changed at breakfast one July morning.  The orphanage door opened and Harry could hear voices.  'Ahh... the mail's here.'  thought Harry, though it didn't mean anything to him, until...

            "Harry!  Elliot!  There's something here for you!"  That was the caretaker.  Could it be?  Harry quickly ran to get his letter.  It was in an envelope made of yellow parchment, and written in sparkling emerald ink.

            "What'd you get Harry?"

            "Are you going to that school, too?"

            "Can we read it?"

            Every other child ran to watch Harry and Elliot receive their letters.  It was rare when one of the orphans would actually get a letter.

            "Harry, come with me," said Elliot, leading Harry to an empty room.  "You've been accepted!  That's great!  Go on, open it!"  Elliot had already started to open his.  Harry looked questionably at his letter.  It looked just like Elliot's, and it had the same seal on the back of it: a coat of arms bearing a badger, raven, snake, and lion.  Harry opened the letter, and began to read.  Elliot watched him.

            "No way.  I'm dreaming!"

            "No, Harry, it's true.  Every word of it."

            "But, this means... I'm a-a"

            "A wizard.  Harry Potter, you are a wizard."

            "But how? I mean, were my parents wizards too?"

            "Yes.  Yes, they were witch and wizard."

            "But... but how'd they die?  I mean, whatever killed them, couldn't it had been stopped by magic?"

            "No.  I don't know the whole story, being only a second year.  But I will tell you what I do know.  You have to know!  Where to start...."

            "How?  You can start there."

            "Well, there was a dark, powerful wizard.  His name was Voldemort.  Mind you don't say the name in the wizard world; they don't like the name too much.  Anyway, he killed your parents with a powerful curse."

            "But why didn't they block it?"

            "Well, it's called an unforgivable curse.  I don't think there is a way you can block it."

            "What happened to the wizard?  Was he arrested?"

            "No, Harry, he wasn't."

            "Why not?"  Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing!  A wizard that killed people and was never arrested?

            "Well, he tried to kill you too.  See that scar on your forehead?  I guess that's the most you got hurt.  He lost all of his power after that.  I think he's still alive somewhere, but he's not human enough to come back without help."

            "I... I got rid of him?"

            "Yes, and that made you famous in the magic world.  There are books written about you!  Everyone knows your name.  When I heard it, I didn't want to believe what I heard either."

            "If I am so famous, why didn't some old witch adopt me?"

            "The headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, told me that people had tried, but he put a charm over this orphanage so that only muggles can find it.  I had asked him the same thing myself."

            "Muggles?"

            "Non-magic folk.  You just wait, Harry!  You'll love it there!"

            "But how am I going to pay for it all?"

            "With this."  Elliot pulled out a key from the enormous trunk he brought home with him.  "It's yours.  Dumbledore trusted me enough to give it to you.  It's to your parents' Gringotts vault."

            "Gringotts?"

            "Wizard bank.  I'm still not quite sure on how their money system works.  Wizard money looks like this."  He pulled out three coins, made of gold, brass, and silver.  "Galleons, sickles, and knuts."

            "Where do you buy all of this stuff?"

            "I told you, remember?  In London."

            "There are magic shops in London?"

            "If you now where to look."

            "When can we go?"

            "Well, I guess we can go tomorrow.  That is, if we're allowed.  I have a feeling you'll want to read a little before we go to school."

            "You bet I do.  Elliot, what if I'm the worst in the class?  I mean, I've never done any magic before."

            "You'll do fine.  I was scared too, but I did just fine!"

            That night, Harry stayed up, rereading his letter over and over again, not believing a word of it.  A wizard, him?  No, there had to be a mistake!