Disclaimer: All rights go to JK Rowling
Alice Potter had been busy playing with Mabel, the family cat, when she heard the familiar hoot of an owl from up the chimney. The morning was golden and cool, quiet and cosy. Her mother was somewhere in the kitchen, singing along to the radio. Her father was at work and wouldn't be home for a long time. The lean tabby cat pawed at the long twist of black hair that Alice dangled in front of the cat's face. When the cat heard the owl, she flipped over and glared wide-eyed at the fireplace. Alice, whose curiosity levels were alarming (even for a girl of nine years old), automatically shuffled over to the blackened embers and waited for what she imagined would be a fat feathered creature landing with a thud, spraying ash and soot all over the lounge. Instead, a small envelope soared silently out from the shaft and landed with a delicate flutter onto the carpet. Alice read the address.
"Was that an owl I heard?" called Lily, wondering in to the lounge. As soon as she saw her daughter sitting on her knees, reading a small, unmistakable envelope, her eyes began to water.
"It's for Harry," explained Alice, standing up. "Can I give it to him?" she asked. Lily could only nod. Alice bounded from the room and jumped two steps at a time to the top floor. Without knocking, she burst in to Harry's room.
Harry's room was big and airy and was entirely a reflection of him. Scrunched up paper, empty chocolate frog boxes and apple cores were overflowing from his bin. Clothes were strewn over his desk chair and were spilling out from his drawers. Toy soldiers had been abandoned in the middle of a siege: Harry's army versus Neville's. His broomstick was propped up proudly against the wall in the corner and his childhood teddy bear was squashed uncomfortable underneath his sleeping form.
"Wake up, dozy!" Alice called, rushing over to his bed and jumping on him.
"Whuzzgoinon... whoozat... Alice?"
"It's me, silly! Open your letter!"
"My what?"
Alice grabbed her brother's glasses from his nightstand and handed them to him. Once they were on his face, his eyes landed on the letter in Alice's hand. His eyes widened in horror.
"It's a letter, Harry, not a dragon. Go on, open it!" she thrust the letter into her brother's face. He took it and read the address. Harry Potter, Number 12 Jenks Lane, Sunwood, West Sussex."
He clawed through the wax seal and gauged the letter out. He knew what this was and he knew it had been in the post for many years. He still couldn't shake the feelings of nervousness as he read it aloud to his sister.
"Dear Mr Potter, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..."
Suddenly, all the stories that his father had told Harry as a child came flooding to the forefront of his mind: stories of talking hats and bubbling potions and enchanted ceilings and spell classes and magical beasts and colossal mountains and wonderful teachers and life-long friendships... all the things that made his parents the loving, happy people that they were. Harry looked up from his letter and saw his mother standing in the doorway, tears pouring down her cheeks, beaming at him.
"I've send an owl to your father, telling him the news," she told him through a thick voice. "He'll be home early tonight, so we can celebrate."
Unable to contain herself any longer, she bounded over to her son and threw her arms around him.
"We're so proud of you," she whispered into his hair. Harry was too happy to contradict her, reminding her how long they'd known this letter was going to arrive. They knew that one would arrive for Alice, too, in two years. He could not reject his mother's warmest wishes, not when she was this delighted. Alice tentatively approached them. Lily must've heard her move, because she leaned out and opened her arms to engulf both her children at once.