The summer holidays start before Selena is allowed out of the cupboard again, with Harry giving her food and her giving him half. With school over Selena goes to the public library almost all day and Harry walks around the neighborhood to get away from Dudley and his gang. They are looking forward to the end of the holiday. When September comes the Potter twins will attend Stonewall High while Dudley and Pier are going to Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings.
One day in July, their Aunt takes Dudley to buy his Smeltings uniform and leaves the twins at Ms. Figg's house. It doesn't end up being that bad as she isn't as fond of her cats seeing as she broke her leg because she tripped over one, also she gives them cake. Dudley looks ridiculous parading around in his Smeltings uniform that evening and if Harry didn't stopped his sister from laughing she would have gotten herself locked up in the cupboard again.
A horrible smell is coming from the kitchen, it turns out their Aunt is dying some of Dudley's old clothes to make the school uniforms for Harry and Selena. Dudley comes in carrying his Smeltings stick with his dad. When they hear the click of the mail slot Vernon tries to send Dudley to get the mail. "I'll get it," Selena says before Dudley can turn the tables on them. On the doormat there's a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, a brown envelope, and two letters. One for Harry and one for Selena.
Mr. H Potter
The Cupboard under the Stairs
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
Ms. S Potter
The Cupboard under the Stairs
4 Private Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
The envelope is thick and heavy, written with emerald ink on yellow parchment. On the other side there is a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms: a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding an H. Her uncle calls her to hurry up and she quickly throws them into the cupboard before taking the rest of the mail to Vernon.
Later at night, when Selena enters the cupboard she puts all the loose change they managed to scrounge up that day in a bag they have hidden under a floorboard. She grabs the letters from where they landed on the floor and motions for Harry to get inside quickly.
"What are those?" Her brother asks curiously.
"Shhh...They're letters addressed to us. Look they have our cupboard on it," she whispers as she hands him his letter. They hold their own letters in their hands and simultaneously begin opening them.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," they both whisper.
"You think this is some kind of a joke?" Selena says.
Harry scrunches his nose, "I dunno, do they say the same thing?" Wordlessly they switch letters.
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 Mr./Ms. Potter,
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
After a few minutes Harry stammers, "What do they mean they await our owl?"
"Well it seems they use owls to send post, explains why there aren't any stamps."
"Do you...Do you think this is real?"
"It explains all the strange things that happen around us," the older twin says simply. "We could just write them back and tell them that we need more information, the worst that can happen is that they don't answer."
"And how are we going to do that? Moony, do you have a pet owl I don't know about?"
Selena rolls her eyes, "Prince Harry, don't you remember there's a brown owl that's been hanging around the house all day? I'm pretty sure that's the owl that delivered this to us and it's probably waiting for us to give it a response so it can go back."
"Oh, right," her brother says abashedly. Selena goes through her school bag and takes out a piece of paper along with a black pen.
Dear Minerva McGonagall,
We will keep the list of all necessary books and equipment, but we honestly have no idea what you are talking about. This is the first we have heard of witchcraft and wizardry, although it does explain many things. We request more information before we accept our place at Hogwarts.
Sincerely,
Selena and Harry Potter
They both sneak out of the house and as soon as the brown owl sees them it swoops down to take their letter before flying away.