Annabelle looked out her window, gazing upon the city of New York. It was
her sixteenth birthday. July 31st. An owl came flying towards her window at
an incredible speed. She flung open her windows and moved away so the owl
could come in. The owl dropped a letter in her hands and then flew back to
parts unknown. Annabelle watched sadly as it flew off, then closed her
window again. She said on her bed and opened the red, white, and blue
envelope. It was her letter to Magic Wand School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry. A smile spread across her face when she saw that she didn't need
many more new books, which meant she could save her money up for that new
broom she had her eye on. Before she could run downstairs to tell her
grandparents she was going again (which they didn't approve of), another
owl was coming at the window. She opened it and let the owl in.
"Scrounger! Finally you've returned. Why does it take Mary-Beth so long to answer me letters?" Annabelle said showing Scrounger back to his lofty cage. Annabelle ripped open the letter and flung herself back onto the bed.
I Annabelle! /I
I I'm sorry Scrounger was so late, but he just wanted to hang around our house for a few days and just wouldn't leave. So I wrote you a whole new letter. Okay, mom and dad said you could come with us to Diagon Alley, the wizard shops in England where Bethany-Sue just got a part time job helping the woman in the robes shop. I am so excited so DON'T go anywhere. Just think, we can meet kids from Hogwarts there! Hogwarts is so much better then Magic Wand. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY and we are coming for you tomorrow at eight. We are planning on keeping you the rest of the summer too. I love you girl/I
I Mary-Beth /I
Annabelle folded the letter and tucked it under her bed. She ran down the stairs and into the kitchen where her grandmother was making that nights dinner and her grandfather sat mumbling about the stock market. Annabelle cleared her throat and glided towards a chair.
"I was asked to go to Magic Wand again," she said sitting down. Her grandmother turned away from the stove.
"Why do you even bother going? You know what happened to your parents!" her grandmother snapped in her heavy Irish accent. Annabelle brushed her chestnut brown hair out of her face.
"Because I like it and just because they were stupid doesn't mean I'm going to be." Her grandfather began to mumble on and about how his son and daughter-in-law where foolish to even get caught up in magic.
"When do we have to bring you to those stupid shops under the subway?" her grandmother said banging her pots around.
"You don't, Mary-Beth and her family invited me to go to Diagon Alley with them and then spend the rest of the summer with them. Its all taken care of," Annabelle said feeling more grown up then ever, which made up for her grandparents forgetting her birthday. Her grandmother nodded then yelled at her to shoo. Annabelle ran back to her room and began to pack for Magic Wand and Mary-Beth's house. She expected their other best friend Gary would be coming with them. Annabelle picked up Gary's phone number and dialed it.
"Hello?" he answered.
"You're gonna die in seven days," Annabelle said in a scratchy voice. Gary let out a dry laugh.
"Do you take off for holidays mister scary man on the other line?"
"Depends, what holiday is it?"
"Presidents day mister."
"No, why would I take off for that?"
"I don't know, everyone at work is!" Annabelle began to laugh.
"So are you going to Mary-Beth's?" she said laying back on her bed, watching the mid-day sun begin to sink into the white clouds, leaving trails of pinks, yellows, oranges, and light blues behind.
"M-hmm . . .just to torture myself of course. But I am looking forward to going to Diagon Alley. My grandma left us a small fortune at the main Gringotts there and I'm probably going to go on a shopping spree so I don't have to spend our money." Annabelle gasped. She forgot that the European wizard shops used a different system of money then in the U.S.A.
"Crap, I don't have any of the money from Europe . . .how am I supposed to buy anything?"
"Don't sweat it. I'll lend you some because my grandma left us so much and we don't ever go to England. But you better pay me back with our money, I'm not that generous," Gary said. Annabelle laughed.
"Alright, thanks so much."
"Don't mention it. Hey, I have to pack for Magic Wand and the rest of the summer with Mary-Beth. I am just dying to get to school darling," Gary said, Annabelle could hear the sarcasm in his voice.
"Maybe this year you can tell Mary-Beth you like her, fifth years the charm!" Annabelle said, knowing Gary would just chicken out again.
"Oh I will cross my fingers and pray to the lord for my strength!" Annabelle shook her head and hung up on him. She opened her closet and pulled out a huge trunk with two giant magic wands crossing into an X on the top. Annabelle opened the trunk and began piling in her Magic Wand robes with her Magic Wand history books. She closed the trunk and moved to under her bed, pulling out a copy of Hogwarts, A History. It was a book from England that her mother bought before she moved to America and met her father. She held the book in her hand and flipped through the pages, like she did on occasion.
"This is one hell of a school," she said. Then again, she always said that. Magic Wand was an okay school for witches and wizards, but there was no place like Hogwarts. Her first year at Magic Wand, she liked to pretend she was really at Hogwarts. Going to England meant meeting people from Hogwarts, which meant finding out more about it. She threw the book into her trunk and planned to read it again on the rest of her summer break.
"Dinner time, be lucky I'm even feeding ya" Annabelle's grandmother called from the stairs. Annabelle shut off her light and strolled down the stairs. Imagine meeting a student from Hogwarts!
"Scrounger! Finally you've returned. Why does it take Mary-Beth so long to answer me letters?" Annabelle said showing Scrounger back to his lofty cage. Annabelle ripped open the letter and flung herself back onto the bed.
I Annabelle! /I
I I'm sorry Scrounger was so late, but he just wanted to hang around our house for a few days and just wouldn't leave. So I wrote you a whole new letter. Okay, mom and dad said you could come with us to Diagon Alley, the wizard shops in England where Bethany-Sue just got a part time job helping the woman in the robes shop. I am so excited so DON'T go anywhere. Just think, we can meet kids from Hogwarts there! Hogwarts is so much better then Magic Wand. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY and we are coming for you tomorrow at eight. We are planning on keeping you the rest of the summer too. I love you girl/I
I Mary-Beth /I
Annabelle folded the letter and tucked it under her bed. She ran down the stairs and into the kitchen where her grandmother was making that nights dinner and her grandfather sat mumbling about the stock market. Annabelle cleared her throat and glided towards a chair.
"I was asked to go to Magic Wand again," she said sitting down. Her grandmother turned away from the stove.
"Why do you even bother going? You know what happened to your parents!" her grandmother snapped in her heavy Irish accent. Annabelle brushed her chestnut brown hair out of her face.
"Because I like it and just because they were stupid doesn't mean I'm going to be." Her grandfather began to mumble on and about how his son and daughter-in-law where foolish to even get caught up in magic.
"When do we have to bring you to those stupid shops under the subway?" her grandmother said banging her pots around.
"You don't, Mary-Beth and her family invited me to go to Diagon Alley with them and then spend the rest of the summer with them. Its all taken care of," Annabelle said feeling more grown up then ever, which made up for her grandparents forgetting her birthday. Her grandmother nodded then yelled at her to shoo. Annabelle ran back to her room and began to pack for Magic Wand and Mary-Beth's house. She expected their other best friend Gary would be coming with them. Annabelle picked up Gary's phone number and dialed it.
"Hello?" he answered.
"You're gonna die in seven days," Annabelle said in a scratchy voice. Gary let out a dry laugh.
"Do you take off for holidays mister scary man on the other line?"
"Depends, what holiday is it?"
"Presidents day mister."
"No, why would I take off for that?"
"I don't know, everyone at work is!" Annabelle began to laugh.
"So are you going to Mary-Beth's?" she said laying back on her bed, watching the mid-day sun begin to sink into the white clouds, leaving trails of pinks, yellows, oranges, and light blues behind.
"M-hmm . . .just to torture myself of course. But I am looking forward to going to Diagon Alley. My grandma left us a small fortune at the main Gringotts there and I'm probably going to go on a shopping spree so I don't have to spend our money." Annabelle gasped. She forgot that the European wizard shops used a different system of money then in the U.S.A.
"Crap, I don't have any of the money from Europe . . .how am I supposed to buy anything?"
"Don't sweat it. I'll lend you some because my grandma left us so much and we don't ever go to England. But you better pay me back with our money, I'm not that generous," Gary said. Annabelle laughed.
"Alright, thanks so much."
"Don't mention it. Hey, I have to pack for Magic Wand and the rest of the summer with Mary-Beth. I am just dying to get to school darling," Gary said, Annabelle could hear the sarcasm in his voice.
"Maybe this year you can tell Mary-Beth you like her, fifth years the charm!" Annabelle said, knowing Gary would just chicken out again.
"Oh I will cross my fingers and pray to the lord for my strength!" Annabelle shook her head and hung up on him. She opened her closet and pulled out a huge trunk with two giant magic wands crossing into an X on the top. Annabelle opened the trunk and began piling in her Magic Wand robes with her Magic Wand history books. She closed the trunk and moved to under her bed, pulling out a copy of Hogwarts, A History. It was a book from England that her mother bought before she moved to America and met her father. She held the book in her hand and flipped through the pages, like she did on occasion.
"This is one hell of a school," she said. Then again, she always said that. Magic Wand was an okay school for witches and wizards, but there was no place like Hogwarts. Her first year at Magic Wand, she liked to pretend she was really at Hogwarts. Going to England meant meeting people from Hogwarts, which meant finding out more about it. She threw the book into her trunk and planned to read it again on the rest of her summer break.
"Dinner time, be lucky I'm even feeding ya" Annabelle's grandmother called from the stairs. Annabelle shut off her light and strolled down the stairs. Imagine meeting a student from Hogwarts!