Aarien yawned as she walked into the kitchen of her home, narrowly missing the island counter, and sat herself down at the family dining table on one of the cozy chairs.

Spread over the table were a plate of eggs, a plate of toast and the morning post. Curiously, she leaned over the plates of food and pulled three envelopes, a circular and a small package off of the table just as her father was reaching for it.

Shuffling through the pile quickly, she found only one thing addressed to her and pulled it out, then handed over the stack to her father, Jack.

She sat back down in her chair and examined the unusual looking envelope. It was yellowish, almost old looking and the fancy handwriting adorning the back side was written in an oddly colored green ink. On the front, a deep crimson wax seal held the flap of the envelope closed. Something has been pressed into the wax, but Aarien couldn't tell quite what it was.

Rereading the flowing letters, she confirmed that it was indeed addressed to her. In fact, it was addressed directly to her. Scanning over the words, she read aloud, "Aarien Jacobson, Celestial Bedroom on the 2nd Floor, 119 Gaither Drive, Wales."

"What an odd letter," she thought to herself as she loosened the seal and flipped the envelope open. Reaching inside the envelope she found two piece of paper. Chancing a quick glance up, she noted that her father was submersed in a bill and her mother was busy fixing bacon to go with the food already laid out on the table.

Feeling confident she wasn't being watched, Aarien unfolded the letter and scanned over the graceful script that consumed the page:

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 Miss Jacobson,

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

Aarien gave a small laugh and tossed the parchment paper onto the table beside her plate. A school for witchcraft and wizardry? What was this? A cruel joke? Glancing at the second sheet of paper, she shook her head and dropped it beside the letter. Robes? A cauldron? Spell books? Somebody had sure put a lot of effort into making this joke seem sincere.

"What's that honey?"

She glanced up at her mother who had brought the plate of bacon to the table and shrugged. "I'm not sure mum, probably just some stupid junk mail where they want me to mail off for Halloween costumes." Again she shrugged as she picked up the letter and promptly tore it in half.

A quick glance at the clock warned her that she was almost late for school. Groaning, she stood up and grabbed two pieces of toast, flopping an egg and two piece of bacon between them. Putting it between her teeth she mumbled to her mother, "Dwn wery but it…"

Pushing her chair under the table, she ran over and hugged first her mother, then her father, then checking the clock again, dashed over to the door and picked up her schoolbooks. She hurried out the door before her parents could protest and jogged down to the street just in time to catch the bus, first making a stop by the trash can to drop the fragments of the letter inside.

As she stepped onto the bus, she glanced up at the sky just in time to see an owl swoop by. Shaking her head, she questioned the air, "I thought owls only came out at night? Maybe that one is really hungry or has insomnia or something."

Ignoring the weirdness of the situation, she made her way back to an empty seat and sat down, letting her books drop to the floor beside her feet. She couldn't wait to be 18 so she could drive herself everywhere instead of riding this awful bus.

Leaning back into her seat, she felt a gentle crunch beneath her. Reaching underneath herself, she pulled out a crumpled envelope that matched the one she had just thrown away at home, but this time it was addressed differently: Aarien Jacobson, Seat 12, Bus 4, Wales.

Her eyes widened as she felt a shiver race down her back. Who was sending these letters? Without even bothering to open it, she pulled the window down just slightly and held the letter out into the morning breeze and let go. Cutting her eyes so she could look behind the bus, she saw the envelope twirl in the wind for a moment before settling on the sidewalk.

"How weird," she thought aloud.

As the bus neared her destination, she gently tugged on the notice cord and soon, the bus slowed to a gentle stop outside the front of her school. Gathering her books from the floor, she hurriedly made her way to the front and dropped her fare into the box, then stepped off the bus just in time to hear the bell ring.

"Funness," she mumbled as she quickened her pace along the worn sidewalk, "At least I'm not late…yet."

Slipping inside the front doors, she waded through the sea of people lining the hallway, stopping in front of her locker. Quickly putting in the combination, she opened it and crammed her books inside, pulling out the ones she needed for her first classes. Lodged between the pages of her Geography book was another letter, this time addressed: Aarien Jacobson, Locker 412, Wales High School, Wales.

Her eyes widened and she quickly stuffed it down into her pocket. Something really strange was happening, but she couldn't quite place what. If this WAS a joke, somebody was going to a lot of trouble to scare her. If it wasn't, well, she didn't want to think about that. She did NOT need a stalker.

Slamming the door to her locker shut, she fought her way back across the hallway and stepped inside her Calculus class just as the tardy bell rang. Skulking over to her seat, she situated herself for another hour of spacing out and napping, but for some reason, she was wide awake.

Reaching her hand into her pocket, she pulled out the letter again and turned it over several times in her hands. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she opened it and read over the fine script again. It was exactly the same except for a line written after the signature of Minerva McGonagall, whoever that was. The line read, "P.S. Don't rip this one up or throw it out of a window."

Feeling another cold shiver embrace her body, Aarien shoved the letter, along with another supplies list into her pocket as she heard her teacher, Mrs. Yearly announce to the class, "Your final will take place tomorrow morning. Please be aware that it will cover everything through Chapter 12, including imaginary numbers. However, I am not confident all of you grasp the concept, so that is what we will work on today.

Miss Jacobson, would you please come to the front and work number 6 from page 431 on the board please?"

Sighing, Aarien forced herself out of her seat and she slowly made her way up to the front. Grabbing the chalk from the tray under the blackboard, she muttered, "I swear if this things writes my exact location, I am out of here…"