The night before Poppy's 11th birthday, Melody had hardly slept and tossed and turned, full of restless dreams and bad memories. She got up early to decorate the breakfast table with flowers, candles and balloons. The presents and the party will not take place until after school, but there should still be some festive atmosphere.

As usual, it took time for the whole family to arrive. Poppy in particular had taken longer than usual to pick out an appropriate dress for her birthday from her well-stocked wardrobe. Poppy is quite a pretty girl. She has her father's tall, sturdy build, but thanks to regular lacross-play she is not flabby like young Dudley was. Her straight blonde hair, which to Melody's great chagrin refuses to be put into nice curls, and rather pale skin, however, make her seem a bit dull.
She used to move around a lot with her parents, so she had developed an unerring sense of which girls in a class she had to get on well with in order to be popular.

When all the Dursleys had finally taken their places, Melody disappears into the kitchen to get the pancakes that Poppy loves to eat. She hears the doorbell ring and her heart skips a beat. But she calms down again immediately, because if the letter were to come, it would hardly be in such a normal way. Would it?

Hearing voices, she curiously pokes her head into the living room and is surprised to see her in-laws.
"I know the party isn't until later," Vernon's voice booms. "but we wanted to give little Poppy her first present already" his wife completes the sentence, waving a large package in pink wrapping paper.
"And we've already brought the newspaper", Vernon adds and wants to put it on the table. But two letters fall to the floor and before Dudley can fetch them, his mother has already picked them up. She glances at the top letter and turns white as a sheet.

"Vernon," she shrieks, "it's..." Her husband looks at the letters too. "Dudley" he roars. "surely you don't tolerate such things in your house! My granddaughter will not become an abnormality like your cousin. It's all coming from your wife! She lets the girls get away with everything." At these words something clicks in Melody and she puts the heavy pan she is still holding on the sideboard without caring about possible stains. Threateningly quiet she says "No one, including you, calls my daughter an abnormality. You will either accept my children as they are or you will never see them again. Now you leave and don't come back until you apologise for what you said."

"Mum, what's wrong," Poppy interjects, her eyes wide. "What's abomity" her younger sister Peaches interjects." With unfamiliar authority Melody snaps at the children "Peaches, take the twins and go to your room and make readdy for school! Now! Poppy, you stay and be quiet!" As Dudly looks back and forth between his parents and the mother lion that his dear gentle Melody has turned into, the three younger children leave the room in a completely unusually obedient manner while Poppy tries to become invisible in her chair.

"Diddykins, say something, you can't kick us out of the house for SUCH A THING" Petunia pleads with her son and finally Dudley comes back to life. "I think you'd better go. I have something to discuss with MY daughter now. And it is not your business how I deal with my family! Now go."

"Come!" hisses Vernon "Let's go. I guess we're not wanted with people like that. Get back to us when you've come to your senses." He grabs his wife by the wrist and drags her out of the house while Petunia somehow looks at her son with simultaneous despair, pleading and reproach.

Finally the door slams shut and Dudley drops into a chair.
"Papa," Poppy makes herself known timidly. "Oh my princess, it should never have happened like that!" "Indeed," Melody interrupts her husband. "You should have at least given me a heads up about your parents. Or better still, made sure they didn't turn up today of all days." "Dad, Mum," Poppy calls out a little louder, not used to being ignored like this.

As he makes no effort to answer his daughter's questions, Melody picks up the letter and sits down at the table with her daughter. "Poppy. Here's a letter for you. I'm sure you'll find it strange, but I assure you everything it says is absolutely true. It's not a joke or anything. But here, read it yourself."

Somewhat hesitantly, Poppy takes the letter made of heavy, yellowish paper and looks at the seal for a long time. 'Wow,' she thinks as she opens it. Then she reads the contents and looks up. "Come on, you're joking! Witchcraft?" she sees the serious faces of her parents. "Or is it?" it comes back much less confidently. Dudly nods "Yes, it's all true. There is magic, there are witches and wizards and you are one." Poppy twirls her blonde hair nervously. "Cool, uh, right? And why doesn't Ganddaddy Vern like it?"

"That's a long story I'll tell you later. Grandma Petunia had a sister who could do magic. She died long before you were born. Petunia never liked her and neither did Vernon. But I'm sure he'll calm down, he loves you after all." At least, Dudley hopes so with all his heart.

"So I can do magic? Like that? Like Gandalf? But why can't I do that now?" "Yes you can, darling, you've done magic lots of times. Remember when you wanted so badly to wear that shirt with the kittens and then suddenly you had it on? When you were little, things you couldn't reach just fell over and then think about how a fortnight ago you almost dropped the cake and then it somehow landed back on the plate as if it could fly. That was all magic. But you have to learn to do magic properly first." her mother explains to her, suddenly feeling a pang of envy again, this time not of her sisters but of her own daughter.

"Awesome! Do I get a magic wand? And a pointy hat?" both parents exchange perplexed glances over the 11 year old's head. "There are loads of things here I need for school. " Poppy tilts her head and thinks about the letter. "Does this mean I can't go to Haileybury?"

"I'm afraid not, Princess. Your mother and I think it is important that you learn to deal with your problem. "Problem?" asks Poppy and Melody gives him an icy look. "Well the erm... magic thing" Dudly hates himself right now. He had so firmly resolved to be proud of his daughter and to welcome her magic as a gift, and now he's talking just like his parents.

Into the awkward silence that ensues, the doorbell rings and Dudly takes the opportunity to escape the situation and goes to the door. "If that's your parents, throw them out!" Melody shouts after him with her new found determination.

But instead Dudley comes into the living room with a stranger. The man is wearing a suit, coat and briefcase and if you couldn't tell from the cut that the wardrobe is very expensive, you could easily mistake him for an insurance salesman.

"Good afternoon," the man says, beaming. "I am Justin Finch-Fletchley. My coming has been announced to you, after all." When he sees the three perplexed faces, he looks around and his gaze falls on the second letter lying unnoticed next to the newspaper. "In that letter there, I suppose. Anyway, I'm from the Hogward Alumni Association of Muggle-borns and I'm available to answer any questions you may have regarding your daughter's education."

The three Dursleys stare at him like a ghost until Poppy asks "Why don't you dress like a wizard? You look as boring as my maths teacher."