One of Clarke's jobs for when his parents were out was to check the mail. Most of the time, the mail was bills or even letters for his mother from her American friends. Not once in his life, had he ever received a letter of his very own so when a fancy letter arrived for him, his heart stopped. He wondered if this was a cruel joke from his stepfather, until memories of the stories of witches and wizards that used to be told by his real father came to mind. He dashed upstairs to hide it in his room before his parents came home. Once it was stashed away in between the pages of his favorite book, he ran downstairs to work on the house. He cleaned the house as quickly as he could manage, and only when he was done did he go back upstairs to his room. He closed his door cautiously and sat cross legged on his blue sheets before gently opening the letter.
"Dear Mr. Torry," he read with a small smile forming on his face. "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 1st. We await your owl-" he stopped his reading and gave an annoyed and worried sigh. "Owl?! Where on bloody earth am I supposed to get an owl?" he mumbled to himself. He pressed his lips together and pushed his orange glasses back up to their place before eagerly pulling Kaitlyn's laptop from his bag. Right away he went to searching for a store that sold owls, eventually he found one at the far edge of London. With no time to lose he tucked the letter in his pocket and ordered a taxi by calling on the house phone. Within an hour he was out the door carrying a bag on his shoulder and in the taxi heading to London. Using money from his hidden piggy bank, he paid the taxi fare and walked the rest of the way to the shop.
The store was a bit peculiar with its bright orange paint and a sign that read Hoots. He gingerly walked inside and to the desk where a young woman stood counting money from the register. She didn't even notice him until he mumbled a very quiet, "Excuse me." She looked up at him with wide brown eyes, completely surprised and enthusiastic to have a customer.
"What can I help you with today love?" she asked with a smile, that spread to both ears.
"I need to buy your cheapest owl," Clarke told her.
"Alrighty, that'll be 133 pounds," she informed him before skipping to the back to get an owl. She came back with a simple barn owl. "This is Penelope, she's kind of wild and she pecks but she's my cheapest."
"Thank you," and with that Clarke took the owl and left the money in the clerk's hands. He quickly left to the nearest park, the bird flapping in her cage. He set the cage on the bench and pulled a notebook and a pen from his bag and quickly scrawled a letter.
"Dear-" he stopped to check who had written him. "Dear Mr. Perkins,
I, Clarke Torry, am pleased to accept your acceptance. I shall see you in the fall.
Sincerely, Clarke Torry" the young curly haired boy signed the letter and looked over at his new bird.
"You don't have to come back, but please. Please find Hogwarts. I'm living in a bloody hell hole and I need to leave… Please just take this.." he begged the bird before reaching in to tie the rolled up lined paper to the bird's leg with a purple ribbon that Clementine had left once at his house. Once he was sure the letter was secure, he released the owl and watched her fly away.
The moment he was sure she was gone, he started his journey to find a taxi that would take him home. He got back home an hour and a half after his parents did, which earned him a beating that left him sore and a sprained wrist, but he didn't care because just maybe the adventure he went on would help him escape from Baldric and his now awful mum who had turned on him for the slimy grease bag known as his stepfather.
After he was sure his parents were passed out, he went to work to write letters to his friends so if he left they wouldn't be worried about where he had gone. The first person he wrote to was Kaitlyn because in his mind she held a slightly higher rank than the rest on his friendship meter. She chose him over Jessica and she never left, and for that she was perfect.
"Dear Kaitlyn,
You have stuck by me through thick and thin. I hated seeing you cry when I told you about the abuse and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I'm running away to Hogwarts, remember all those stories dad used to tell us? The ones about his old schoolmates and being a wizard? I got accepted! I'm leaving first thing in the morning of September 1st. I'll write you if I can. If I can't just know that I know you're going to be a great football player. You'll be a great big sister to that little one that's on the way and all in all you'll keep being absolutely perfect. Thank you for sticking with me for so long. I love you.
With Love,
Your Brother"
Next, he worked on Clementine's, Austin's, Ben's, and finally one for each of the Gutierrez cousins who helped him.
"Dear Clem,
You're a natural born leader, you're observant and strong. You're lovely and kind. I hope you'll become mayor of our silly little town if that's still what you want, kick Jessica's prissy arse in elections. But personally, I think you can take on the world, go be the prime minister of somewhere, go rule, or don't. Just go and change the world. Lead events that can save lives, help the poor, keep working to help others because that's what is wonderful about you. I know you're going to inspire a lot of people. I'm leaving for Hogwarts, that magical school I told you my dad went to. Don't worry about me, for me go inspire and use that wit of yours to make others love you as much as I do.
With love,
Clarke Torry"
"Dear Austin,
Stop being such a prick. I love you to bits but the rate you're going, you're going to give poor Clem a heart attack before 30. Keep defending the weak and small, keep helping others. Go be a famous cricket player. Keep an eye on Clem and Kaitlyn for me please. I hope that you might take my advice to heart. Thank you again for trying to teach me how to throw a proper punch, I did hit Xavier that one time and it was awesome.
With love,
Clarke Torry"
"Dear Ben,
Thank you for sacrificing your soul and dignity to keep Jessica off my back. Those small breaks without her were complete bliss. I'm sorry we kind of tore down your wall of aloofness, don't try to build it back up though because Kaitlyn has a massive crush on you and will probably kick it down with such force you might get a concussion. I pray that you keep having fun with the others because Lord knows you need it. Don't stop enjoying life, live it to its fullest. Also for pete's sake just tell Kaitlyn you like her!
With love,
Clarke Torry"
"Dear Abby,
Ever since my mom stopped caring for me, you've been like a mom for me. You've kept me together for years and even if Kaitlyn wasn't around you let me in the house and comforted me. You have such a big heart, I hope you never get hurt because of it. Please never stop caring. Please take care of Kaitlyn because I know me leaving is going to hurt her. Thank you for every pep talk and warm hug, they were all appreciated.
With love,
Clarke Torry"
"Dear Sam
You're a fantastic person, a little rough around the edges but you're a fighter and tough. You have always been a great help and it's been a joy to watch you and Austin agree on who you should beat up before Abby and Clem turn down the idea. I hope you stay friends with everyone else and never let Jessica to try and intimidate you. I know you don't like school, but please stay in it. You want to be a doctor one day right? Cut into people's chests and save their lives, well that requires school so I hope you get used to it.
With Love,
Clarke Torry"
"Dear Kiara,
Thank you for being so out there and creative. I see you inspire Kaitlyn everyday, PS, you're her favorite cousin. Your wild hair and drawings, and not becoming a model citizen to fit into high school makes Kaitlyn ecstatic. Thank you for your babysitting idea which saved me from so many beatings. I know you're going to be a great artist one day so get yourself out there early. Keep painting, drawing, and whatever else you do. Go to New York or Italy for college don't get stuck here.
With Love,
Clarke Torry"
"Dear Aaron,
You always worked outside the box to try and solve a problem. Use that big brain of yours to change the world. Keep learning, keep trying every crazy hypothesis you can come up with. Don't stop trying no matter how many failures. Work with Clem, she can help you polish your leadership skills so you can do great things.
With Love,
Clarke Torry"
Once every letter was written, he sealed it into it's own envelope and set them each in a book that was given to him by the friend he had written for. That night, he fell into a peaceful sleep dreaming of magic and the impossible.