Chapter 5: Owl Post

Lily was having her summer holidays in June. She had just finished her primary school and now getting ready to begin a new life in a secondary school her parents had enrolled for her in September.

She was reading a Sweet Valley High book when she heard the click of the letterbox and the dropping of letters on the doormat. And as usual, she went to fetch the mail and stumbled across a thick and heavy envelope, made of yellowish parchment. She saw her name and address written on the envelope in emerald-green ink. Strange. Weird, there's no stamp on this ancient looking thing. And it's for me! Lily turned the envelope around and eyed it suspiciously. She peeked though the letterbox hole and looked outside for traces of whoever had drop the envelope. Nothing out there except an owl. Aren't owls nocturnal?

Lily opened the thick envelope, which was sealed with a purple wax bearing a coat of arms: a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'. It looks so interesting and fascinating.

She pulled out the letter and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Miss Evans,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

She gotten into a slight daze and shocked upon reading. What? I'm a witch? But how could that be possible at all? Witches don't exist, do they? She reread the letter again along with the other enclosed parchments. Book list. Map. Hmm…

Lily jumped to her feet and rushed towards her parents' bedroom, holding the stack of ancient paper tightly. I can't believe it. She showed the parchments to her parents zealously.

"Mum, dad, can I go? Pleaseee!" Lily asked pleadingly, giving her sad puppy dog look, which never failed to charm her parents into agreeing with her.

"Are you sure? This might be a prank from one of the neighboring kids." Daryl eyed the parchments apprehensively.

"This is real. I just know that it is." Lily said confidently. This can't be a joke, right?

"We'll erm… owl this lady – Minerva McGonagall – to confirm about this before we make the decision." Dawn suggested. "I think this is too elaborated to be a joke. I don't know. Just woman's instincts, I guess."

"But…" Daryl wanted to argue.

"Let's just confirm about this before making a decision." Dawn sided with Lily. Lily bit her lips nervously, hoping that her parents would agree.

"Alright then, my dear. As long as you are happy." Daryl gave in. Her parents shared the same skeptical look but agreed unwillingly.

"Thanks daddy! Thanks mummy!" Lily kissed their faces thankfully and she hurried down to write a reply for the brown owl, which was now waiting patiently for her by the living room windowsill. This can't be a joke, can it? Grabbing a pen and paper, she thought about a reply, one that would assure her parents and herself that Hogwarts and everything else was real.

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Arabella was playing alone with Barbie dolls in the toy-room when a tawny owl flew in and dropped a letter in front of her. Her friends were all outdoors today but somehow she was not in the mood to be outdoors. Somewhere at the back of her mind told her that she would be expecting something weird today.

She opened the letter suspiciously and her jaw dropped upon reading the first parchment. What? I am a witch? Oh my god! "Wow." She looked through the remaining pieces of parchments excitedly. After regaining her composure, she rushed towards the headmistress' room and asked for permission to attend Hogwarts.

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James, Sirius and Stefanie were eating their dinner together at Potter Manor. James and Sirius were talking about Quidditch excitedly, totally ignoring Stefanie's presence while she ate silently.

"I'm going to be in the house Quidditch team by third year!" James said animatedly, taking another helping on the creamy chicken linguine.

"I'll be in there with you. I'm gonna be the beater!" Sirius exclaimed, finishing his fifth helping of beef lasagna.

"How could anyone ever eat so much cheese at one go?" Stefanie exclaimed, trying to change the topic out of quidditch and getting involved in their conversation.

Just then, Helen Potter entered the dining room and interrupted their conversation.

"Children, your letters to Hogwarts are here!" Helen held out three large envelopes up for them.

"Yeah!" They chorused, completely forgotten all about their scrumptious half-eaten dinner and went to read their long-awaited letter. "Hogwarts! Here we come!"

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Remus Lupin sat down, stunned. How could I be going to Hogwarts? The finest school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I think they must have thought I was normal. But no, I am a werewolf. No one wants to be associated to a werewolf. Remus thought sadly as he folded the letter back

"Was that a letter from Hogwarts, dear?" Adam Lupin asked his son and sat down beside him on the large armchair in Remus' huge bedroom-cum-playroom.

"Yeah, they probably haven't heard that I had became a werewolf." Remus looked down on the floor.

"Honey, that can't be possible. Albus Dumbledore is the wisest wizard around. He wouldn't be sending this to you if he doesn't want to accept you." Adeline walked in and sat beside her son, putting her hand across Remus' shoulders.

"Does that mean I can go? But I am dangerous during the full moon. What can I do? I don't want to hurt anyone else in school." Remus said, eyes getting a little wet from the thought of hurting someone else and resulting in his duplicates.

"Dumbledore had already settled that problem, my dear. You will still be going to the same shack, now known as Shrieking Shack, every month without fail. He had already settled that problem. He'll be telling you the monthly plans by the time you get there. Just go ahead and be any other little boys who attend school. Nothing is going to happen to your schoolmates. Don't worry." Adam assured his son.

"Ok." Remus smiled sadly, but glad at the thought that he can finally attend school and have friends. Friends? No one wants to befriend a werewolf.