After setting the phone back down, Jen began to pull out some clothes from her drawers. Kaela looked over at her, getting up to retrieve clothes of her own. She knew too well that by this point, Jen's mind had been set, and there was absolutely no way of convincing her otherwise. They got dressed, grabbed their letters, and began their trip to Veteran's Park.
Upon their arrival, they noticed many other familiar faces, all gathered with a look of sheer confusion on their faces. They had obviously all been united for the same reason, but it appeared as though the one who had called them there was nowhere to be found. Crissy ran up and joined the two of them, questioning the validity of their letters.
The park looked as it did on any other day. The sun shone brightly, no signs of impending doom. Guests of the park stared at the large crowd gawking as the distinct lack of any magical sort around them. Jen sat on the grass and allowed a sigh to escape her throat. She looked around, not noticing anything unusual, until her eyes stumbled upon a creature sitting in a tree.
A small tabby cat rested on a branch, its tail swaying back and forth, barely missing the leaves surrounding it. Jen stood up and approached the animal as its eyes shone in the shadows. Kaela's soft hand fell into Jen's as they stopped beneath the branch. The cat stared back at them from eyes wrapped in circles tattooed into the creature's fur. The cat let out one cry before jumping from the branch. Jen backed up as the animal landed, only two of its feet hitting the ground. As the creature glided from the tree, it began morphing into the shape of a human being. Her eyes still showed the same complex emotion from the shadow, though a mixed sensation of amusement and curiosity fell upon her wrinkle-stained face. Her complexion was pale in contrast to the dark robes she wore, her thin lips blended into her flesh by the sunlight's reflection in their eyes. It was not until she began to speak that they saw the distinct features of the woman.
"Good afternoon. For those of you unaware, my name is Minerva McGonagall, though I ask that you please address me as Professor McGonagall. I have been asked by our headmistress to come deliver you to our realm of magic. I trust that you will all accept our invitation?"
The faces in the crowd all began to look at one another as whispers erupted from them. Jen and Kaela merely looked at each other and nodded, tightly gripping each other's hands, while Crissy stood beside them and took in a deep breath of anticipation.
Professor McGonagall spoke again, her words cut cleanly by her elegant vocals. "If there are no objections, I must ask that you all follow me."
She turned swiftly, raising a wand from her cloak. Pointing it at the tree where she rested before, she flicked her wrist in one graceful movement as a sharp string of light erupted from the end of the wand. The ground began to shift, creating a hole in the earth as the dirt and grass formed a staircase leading beneath the tree. McGonagall motioned for the crowd to enter, mumbling constant bits of, "Hurry now, before the Muggles begin to notice," as the awe-struck group walked down the staircase and under the earth. Once they were all in, McGonagall sealed the top, shifting the earth back to its original position and leaving all of them in an abyss of darkness.
She quietly whispered, "Lumos!" and ignited the tip of her wand, filling the earthly passageway with light. She looked down at her wrist and muttered, "Ah excellent. We're perfectly on schedule." She continued to speak to the group as they began walking through the tunnel, the cool air moist from the dirt around them. "Now, as a rule of Hogwarts, though you are all of different ages, we will consider you all first years, as Hogwarts has just reopened under the leadership of a new headmistress. When we arrive, you will all enter the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony before dinner, which commences after the headmistress has addressed you all. I believe dear Madame Pomfrey (she will be your nurse once you arrive at the school) has already gathered the other students for their shopping. In a moment you'll…" She stopped at the end of the tunnel, where a large brick wall blocked their passage. She began feeling around the wall, as long looking for something out of place. "Oh come now, it's around here somewhere…Ah!" Her hand pushed one of the loose bricks in, and immediately they began to shift. Curling backward and to the sides, they revealed the continuation of the tunnel, which was a large staircase leading upward.