She opens the front door to see a stern woman with black hair standing on the front stoop. The woman is wearing a double-breasted tartan skirt suit, has a green overcoat draped neatly in the crook of her left elbow, and holds a fancy looking envelope in her hand. She hands Haven the envelope - and it is inscribed with ink the same color as the woman's overcoat, she notices as she takes the heavy letter automatically.
"Miss Potter," The woman says with a thick Scottish brogue, "I am Professor McGonagall. I am here to offer you a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and provide answers to any questions you and your family might have upon your acceptance."
"Oh!" Haven says with some surprise, her attention moving between the letter in her hand and Professor McGonagall. She steps out of the doorway, inviting the Professor in and closing the door. "Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon!" she calls. "Professor McGonagall is here about Hogwarts. Please follow me," she adds in quieter tones as she leads McGonagall into the living room.
McGonagall sits primly on the chair opposite the couch; Haven takes a seat across from her, and they wait in silence for Aunt Petunia - beading a tray of tea and biscuits - and Uncle Vernon to join them.
"Miss Haven Potter," Haven reads aloud once everyone is seated. "Second Bedroom, Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging." She opens the envelope carefully and slides the thick parchment out, unfolding it.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wixen)
Dear Ms. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on one September. We await your reply no later than thirty-one July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Haven looks at McGonagall. "If you decide to attend," the Professor tells her, "I will mark you down as attending when I arrive back at Hogwarts."
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
First-year students will require:
- Three sets of plain black work robes
- One pair of Dragon hide gloves (or similar)
- One pair of Dragon hide boots (or similar)
- One winter cloak (black with silver fastenings)
- Casual clothing/robes
- Undergarments
- Pyjamas
Please identify all items and clothing with name tags
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
- The Standard Book Of Spells Grade 1 (Miranda Goshawk)
- A History Of Magic (Bathilda Bagshot)
- Magical Theory (Adalbert Waffling)
- A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration (Emeric Switch)
- One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi (Phydilla Spore)
- Magical Drafts and Potions (Arsenius Jigger)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Newt Scamander)
- The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection (Quentin Trimble)
Please identify all books on the inside covers
All Muggle-raised students should have a copy of the following:
- Brewing for Beginners (Mala Myristica)
- Muggle-borns in the Magical World (Josephina Wyvernia)
- The Magical World in the 1900s Edition 8 (Emilia Vanhart)
- The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts Edition 9 (Thomas Mortis)
- Etiquette, Holidays and Politics for the Muggle-raised (Leta Lestrange-Scamander)
- Magical Affinities (Millicent Gardener) Basic Latin (Corvus Romula)
Please identify all books on the inside covers
All students should have one each of the following:
- Wand Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
- Set of glass or crystal phials
- Telescope
- Set of brass scales
- Set of self-inking quills
- Self-replenishing roll of parchment
Students may also bring one of the following, if desired:
- Owl
- Cat
- Rat
- Toad
Any other animals will be given to the Gamekeeper until the end of the school year
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMS
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions
"If you choose to accept, I will return in a few days, and we will go to Diagon Alley to collect your required supplies; this will give you a chance to meet some of your year-mates, as Muggle-raised students are taken to Diagon together."
"How many students are Muggle-raised?" Haven asks curiously.
"I would say about half of Hogwarts' students are Muggle-born or raised, and the other half are Half or Pure-bloods. There are roughly one hundred sixty students per year, give or take a dozen or so."
"How exactly does this whole thing work?" Uncle Vernon asks abruptly. "Who pays for the education, and the supplies, and what does the education entail, exactly?"
McGonagall turns a gimlet gaze on him. "The Ministry for Magic covers tuition and room and board for all students; maintenance and such is not as expensive as it would be at a Muggle school, given magic, and so the Ministry is really only paying the teachers' salaries. Typically the student pays for their own supplies, unless they or their families cannot afford it, in which case there is a fund set up for them." She purses her lips into a thin line that makes Haven think she's displeased.
"Education at Hogwarts," the Professor says in response to Vernon's final question, "is nearly entirely magically based; we do not teach maths or science unless a student chooses to take Muggle Studies as an elective in their third year. First and second years only take classes relating to Traditional magic. Traditional magic is the kind any witch or wizard can perform regardless of power or affinity, and includes Charms and Transfigurations, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions, Astronomy and History of Magic, and Flying. All of these classes are required until the end of fifth year, when Hogwarts students take their Ordinary Wizarding Levels.
"Near the end of second year, students will take their Terribly Helpful Exams Simplifying Traditional Rules and Lessons, ensuring that they understand the basics of these core subjects. After passing their THESTRALs, they may choose two or three electives to add to their schedule for their third through fifth years. These electives include, but are not limited to, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies. Students will also take their OWLs for the subjects that they choose.
"Upon completion of the OWLs, a student may choose one of two paths. The first is to leave Hogwarts, with the understanding that these students are only trained in Traditional magic and are untrained in whatever their speciality might be. The second possible path is to continue your education; you will be able to choose to take any of the core classes or electives that you have gained sufficient scores in on the OWLs, at NEWT level. If you continue these classes, you will be expected to take the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests at the end of your seventh year.
"Additionally, you will receive training in the magic you present as having an affinity for, starting in your sixth year. These classes will continue through your seventh year, and then you will receive more specialized training for your affinity for a year after you have graduated Hogwarts.
"After this time, you will be able to join the workforce in the Magical World. Or, if you so choose, you will have the option to return to the Muggle world and find work there with the understanding that using magic in front of Muggles who are not part of your family or your spouse breaks the Statue of Secrecy and will result in a reprimand at best and a trip to Azkaban at worst."
Haven blinks at her, taken aback by the influx of information. "What is the Statue of Secrecy?" she wonders aloud, half regretting the words the moment they leave her mouth. No doubt McGonagall will have as much to say about the Statue as she did about Hogwarts' curriculum.
McGonagall hums thoughtfully. "The Statue of Secrecy is a law proposed by Ralston Potter, Ragnok the Goblin King, Amalina the Veela Queen and Magorian the Centaur Cheiftan to the Wizengamot in sixteen-thirteen. It restricts the use of magic in front of Muggles, for one thing.
"Additionally, it is the name that was decided upon for the barrier that sets our worlds apart; the Wixen World is best described as a pocket world. There are certain points of access that are in the Muggle world, and wixen can leave the Magical World at any time, but Muggles cannot get in. It keeps us safe from each other while simultaneously allowing us to share space. Many cities and towns have a magical-only section in the same place as non-magical fixtures, and it is because of the Statue of Secrecy."
"Okay," Haven says, overwhelmed. She wants to know more about this world. She knows that her parents were part of it, knows they were murdered by an evil wizard when she was young. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon have never hidden her past from her; they told her about magic and her parents as soon as she was old enough to understand, but what little they were able to tell her of the Wixen World was unable to satiate her curiosity. And now she is being invited to a world with a school and teachers who will be able to answer her questions, and she'll be able to learn magic. "I want to go," she tells her aunt and uncle. "I'm accepting my place at Hogwarts," she informs Professor McGonagall firmly.
McGonagall smiles softly at her, and Haven is struck by how much younger it makes her look as the stern lines at her eyes and mouth fade. "I look forward to teaching you," she says before standing and making her way to the door. "I will see you on August first, Miss Potter," she says, and then she disappears with a sharp crack.
Haven wakes up to the smell of bacon and pancakes wafting up the stairs. She gets dressed hurriedly, tiptoeing down the steps and jumping the last three as her dark red hair braids itself away from her face.
"Happy birthday," Aunt Petunia says from where she stands facing the counter. She is piling food onto four plates, and Haven goes over to help set the table.
"Thank you," she says, and again when Uncle Vernon and Dudley enter the kitchen a few moments later wishing the same.
None of them are particularly fond of mornings, so breakfast is quiet; Dudley helps himself to two more pancakes, and Uncle Vernon adds more bacon to his plate. Haven watches as Aunt Petunia adds more fruit and granola to her yoghurt, and stirs milk into her cup of tea.
The sound of the post being delivered breaks the pleasant silence. Haven rises from her seat, places her dishes in the sink to be washed, and goes to collect the mail. There is a letter from Grunnings, a couple of bills addressed to her aunt and uncle, a postcard from Aunt Marge boasting an image of the Isle of Wight, the morning paper, and a box with Haven's name on it. She brings the mail back into the kitchen, setting the box aside with the rest of her birthday gifts, and handing the Dursleys the rest.
Uncle Vernon opens it, muttering about taxes and Marge feeling better, while Aunt Petunia clears the table and sets about washing the dishes. Dudley trundles back upstairs, returning a moment later with a box of his own that he places precariously on top of Haven's pile. He frowns at the stack for a moment, and then carefully begins moving the boxes over to Haven's spot at the table.
At the bottom of the pile is an old wooden trunk, and Dudley struggles to lift it. "Haven," he calls, "come help me move this; it's heavy."
Haven rolls her eyes at her cousin, but she heads over and heaves up the side opposite Dudley's. Together, they shuffle back toward her seat and set the trunk down with a loud thud. Aunt Petunia frowns at them as she dries off her hands and makes her way back to her chair. "There is no need to hammer a hole into the floor, you two; don't pretend you're incapable of putting things down gently."
"Yes Mum," Dudley says, and crosses his eyes and sticks out his tongue at Haven the moment his mother's back is turned.
"Now," Uncle Vernon says, "Haven will open her gifts, and then we'll need to pack everything we need for the carnival this afternoon. We'll be there most of the day, so be prepared, you two. And no setting the snakes free, Haven."
"It had never been to its homeland!" Haven protests. "How could I not set it free?"
Uncle Vernon looks at her imperiously. "Very easily. Let's try not to do it again, especially if it will involve locking other children into the snake's enclosure, hm?"
Haven sighs; Piers had been asking for it, sneaking up on her like that and pulling her braids as she was talking to the friendly boa in the snake house on Dudley's birthday last month. She will never understand how Dudley and Piers became friends, but they get along well enough so long as she isn't in the picture. "Okay," she tells her uncle, and he nods in satisfaction.
"Open the one from me first," Dudley demands.
She does, and smiles at the green cover of the book inside. She has been hoping for a copy of The Hobbit since she was accepted into Hogwarts; she wonders if Dragons are real, and if she'll ever meet one if they are. "Thanks, Big D," she tells her cousin, and laughs at the face he makes at the nickname. He knows it is less embarrassing than any of the ones his mother has for him, which is the only reason he lets her get away with calling him that.
Haven opens the rest of her gifts: ten pounds from Aunt Marge - less than a quarter of what Dudley had received for his birthday, but then Aunt Marge has never liked Haven, and this is rather generous for her - and a lovely green sundress from Aunt Petunia that she had coveted for months after seeing it in the window of a shop in London. There is a set of earrings - gold and ruby studs - from Uncle Vernon to match her necklace and bracelet, and a picture of a cat from Mrs Figg. The box she received in the mail contains a bag of lemon drops, which she promptly opens and shares with Dudley, who had gotten sherbet lemons from Mr Dumbledore for his birthday. Finally, all that is left of her pile is the old trunk.
"Around a week after McGonagall and Dumbledore left you with us, Dumbledore came back with this trunk; he told us that we were your remaining guardians, and that this trunk belonged to your mother. He said it would be best to give it to you for your eleventh birthday, and so it's been sitting up in the attic, waiting for this day." Aunt Petunia tells her.
Haven has heard most of this story before; when she was almost seven, she was being chased around the playground at school by some boys who had overheard Dudley yelling about her lack of parents, and had landed on top of the roof. Dudley, after finding out, had felt terrible about his part in her bullying. She had told Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon about her spectacular leap, and they'd sat down with her and told her that her parents had been magic, just like her, and that they had been killed by a bad man. Some of her parents' friends had brought her to Privet Drive only a day later, and Aunt Petunia had accepted her with open arms, assuming that Haven would only stay for a week. Dumbledore had returned not long after with the news that her godparents were indisposed, and Aunt Petunia had promised to raise her. This is the first time this trunk has ever been mentioned, and Haven can't wait to see what's inside.
The trunk looks old; the wood is worn, and the silver clasp tarnished, but the lid opens up smoothly, the hinges fail to creak, and the inside smells like fresh cedar and parchment. The trunk is bigger inside than it seems from the outside, and has several compartments. Seven of the sections contain books, and Haven notices that the first section has at least one book on her list for Hogwarts. The eighth section contains several brown leather journals, the spines butter-smooth against the pads of her fingers. Beside that is a brown leather bag, which Haven opens to find more books, and these boast The How-tos of Enchanting , and Enchanting for Beginners , and Advanced Enchanting in gold lettering that curls around the binding. In the final compartment, there is neatly folded fabric beneath two sticks; charcoal gray, red, gold, black and lacy white. Haven lifts out the top one, which unfolds to reveal a garment not dissimilar to the green one McGonagall had had over her arm when she visited.
"Those are robes," Aunt Petunia tells her. "The gray one was for your mother's work, and the red for your father's. The gold one is something called a dress robe, the black one was for school. That white fabric was Lily's wedding dress, I believe."
"Thank you," Haven tells her Aunt and Uncle. "I love it."
They smile at her. "You're welcome, but it wasn't ours to give. This was always meant for you; it's only right that you have it now, at the beginning of your next adventure."
"Why don't you take your gifts up to your room? Dudders will help you," Aunt Petunia suggests. "Then get whatever you need for the carnival together. We'll be leaving in an hour."
"Okay," Dudley and Haven reply in unison. They carry the items out of the kitchen one by one, lugging the trunk up to Haven's room last and setting it down gently at the foot of her bed. Haven throws a bag for the carnival together before sitting down in front of the trunk and carefully tracing the lines and curves of it. She opens it again and pulls out a book from the first compartment - The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk. The cover, like the trunk, is smooth and worn from use, and the book opens easily to show her mother's name written inside the front cover.
There are two important parts to spell casting , the top of the first page reads. First is the necessity of using correct pronunciation and emphasis; often, a spell will be more effective if the caster understands the intent behind it. Second is the correct wand motion. If either the pronunciation of the spell or the wand motion is incorrect, the spell will be ineffective.
Haven spends nearly half an hour reading, her attention caught by notes in the margins of the book in handwriting very similar to her own. WinGARdium LeviOsa, swish and flick, intent, is written in the corner of the second page and circled with an arrow leading to another note written in a different hand, this one more spidery than her mother's graceful loops. Can be used to levitate humans , it says, but not as effective as Levicorpus . Haven traces over her mother's writing wistfully and wishes she could remember her.
"Haven!" Aunt Petunia calls from downstairs. "Time to go."
"Coming," she replies, making her way to the front door, her bag over her shoulder. She makes her way to the car, throwing her bag into the boot alongside Dudley's and a picnic basket. Uncle Vernon starts the car, and he backs out of the driveway as soon as Aunt Petunia joins them.