Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Karen. So all HP related stuff does belong to JKR.
A/N: This is another bit of exposition. The good stuff won't really come till the next chapter. But please R&R anyway!
Karen Jameson lay in her bed trying to drown out the obnoxious noise of her foster sister, Mary's, singing lesson. The two teenage girls normally kept to themselves, neither one liking the other much more than puréed chickpeas. Why in the world do my foster parents make the sessions so darn early? Karen asked herself, frustrated. She practically crawled out of bed before putting on her baggy boys cargo jeans, a camisole, and her blue flannel shirt. She grabbed her giant bouncy ball, which was her only form of entertainment that she enjoyed.
She strolled into the kitchen with her ears covered, whistling. Her foster mother rolled her eyes as Karen gave her a look that clearly said, "Why this early?" Karen used it as an alarm for the weekends. She didn't like to get up before she had to, but 8:30 was still a little early. She quickly ate her cereal before heading outside.
"Grab the mail while you're out there, Karen!" she heard her foster father call as she went out. She yelled back in acknowledgement.
She ran out to the mail first before she forgot. Bills, bills, bills, and… "What the hell?" she whispered aloud as she heard something crunch under her feet. There was a letter sitting in front of a small owl. She wasn't that big on animals so she couldn't recognize a specific breed. She picked up the letter to see that it was addressed to her. There was emerald green fancy writing on the front that read:
Karen Jameson17 Church Street
Little Whinging, Surrey
The Front Walk
She flipped the envelope over to reveal an old-fashioned red wax seal with the words "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" surrounding it. She folded her first ever piece of mail and put it in the front pocket of her flannel shirt.
"Hey, Mom," Karen called to her foster mother as she went back inside.
"Yes, Karen?"
"Have you ever heard of a school called Hogwarts?"
"No, why?"
"I got a letter from them." Karen walked into the kitchen and put the other mail on the table. She then sat and opened the letter. It was written on old parchment and had fancy script on the top with the school's name again. The message written in such small, neat handwriting startled her.
Dear Miss Jameson,
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 September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
It was signed by Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress. Also, at the top of the letter, it stated that the Headmaster was Albus Dumbledore. Such odd names… Karen thought as she read the letter over again. "We await your owl by no later than July 31," she whispered. "I don't have an owl…" she went to the window and found that the owl that she almost stepped on earlier was perched on her mailbox.
"What was the letter about, Karen?" her foster mother asked her as Karen walked back into the kitchen. She handed the envelope and letter to her foster mother before trying to grasp the contents of the letter. "How are you going to tell them you'll be there?" Joyce, her foster mother finally said.
Karen looked up, surprised. "You mean I can go?"
"Of course! How could I refuse to let you go?" Karen hugged her thanks and ran to her room. She quickly scribbled a note that said she would be attending Hogwarts in the fall. She then walked outside with her piece of notebook paper and a piece of string. The owl was still perched on her mailbox. Karen approached the animal slowly. It turned its head and stuck out its leg. Karen tied the letter to its leg and watched it fly off.
Karen went back to her room and looked in the envelope again and found it was thicker than before. There was another folded piece of parchment. She unfolded to find that it was a list of school supplies. She read them off silently, thinking about where she could get these. Finally she came to one certain item that caught her eye.
"Where in the world am I going to get a wand?"