Siobhan sighed in relief as she sorted through the bills, and there was no letter with a wax seal. She knew that since Sarah had turned 11, the day that they would receive the letter would be anytime now. Walking back inside she noticed the room was smokier than when she left it.

"Oh Shite," she said as she turned the stove off, trying to control the beastly soup. She moved the pot to another eye, and wiped off the crispy remnants of charred food particles off the bottom, somehow managing not to burn herself in the process.

"Burning dinner again, S?"

Siobhan turned and gave the young girl a half smile, "One more quip like that and you won't be having any dinner."

"Yeah, yeah," Sarah said sitting at the table, "When's it gonna be ready anyhow?"

"When I'm done with it."

Sarah shook her head and turned on the small TV at the kitchen. She wasn't particularly interested in what was on the TV, something about a shooting down in Brixton. What was on her mind was how Siobhan had managed to burn anything. In the 11 years she's lived there, not once has she seen the woman screw up any part in meal making processes. "What's goin' on?" She decided to ask.

"What?"

"You never mess up dinner. What's wrong?"

Siobhan scoffed, "It's hardly burnt, chicken. It just boiled over."

"Still, you never make a mistake. Is something goin' on?" Sarah insisted.

"No, love," Siobhan sighed, "Come get your dinner,"

Sarah narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but did as she was told. She was grabbing her bowl of soup when she saw something fly by the window. She walked over to it, leaning over the sink, to look out, and saw an owl with what looked like… "A letter?"

Siobhan head whipped over to where Sarah was standing, "What?"

"There's an owl with a letter or something," Sarah said peering through the blinds, "Over there."

Siobhan shuffled quickly to the window and there it was, the owl she had been dreading to see for 11 years, and the owl stared right back at her. Siobhan sighed again and went to go get her shoes.

"Hold on, what are you doin'?"

"Going to go get it," Siobhan said simply.

"Get what?"

"The letter."

Sarah was astonished at Siobhan's calm demeanor, "H-How do you even know it's a letter? What if it's for someone else?"

"I just know," Siobhan said walking out the door, putting on her coat.

The owl was still perched on the fence post outside their house. She went over to it, and plucked the letter from its mouth. She eyed the Hogwarts seal on the back before flipping it over to the front:

Ms. S. Manning

53 Riversmead

Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, UK

"What is it?"

Siobhan jumped when Sarah appeared out of seemingly nowhere. "Er…"

"Is that for me?" she asked scrunching her eyebrows.

"Yeah, here," Siobhan said, succumbing to her fate. She knew she'd have to explain eventually.

Sarah eyed the letter before taking it gingerly in her hands. She looked at the weird seal before opening it, squinting slightly to read the cursive on the inside:

Dear Ms. Manning,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Students shall be required to report to the Chamber of Reception upon arrival, the dates for which shall be duly advised.

Please ensure that the utmost attention be made to the list of requirements attached herewith.

We very much look forward to receiving you as part of the new generation of Hogwarts heritage.

Yours sincerely,

Prof. McGonagall

"Wha- This-…This's gotta be a bloody joke, innit?" she finished with a disbelieving smile. "Witchcraft, really?"

"Unfortunately not, love."

Sarah blinked, "What."

Siobhan took in a deep breath, held it for two seconds, and let it out slowly before speaking.

"Come on inside, chicken, I have a lot to tell you."

Alison and her best friend Chelsea were walking back from the pool when her father called her into the house. She waved to her friend before jogging to the porch, and walked in with a bounce in her step. She had a great summer, and was looking forward to what the next school year had to offer. She was going to enter the 6th grade, and she was sure she would get straight A's just like last year.

Walking into the living room, she spotted her parents sitting on the couch, waiting. She furrowed a brow at the sudden change in mood, as she could practically feel the tension wrapping around her like a blanket.

"What is this?" she asked nervously, "What's going on?"

"Darling, we have something to tell you," Joseph said.

Alison sat down, back stiff as a board as she waited for them to continue, "Well? What is it?"

Joseph and Michelle looked at each other before producing a letter from behind the couch, and handed it to the young girl.

Alison looked at her name on the archaic style letter, and the wax seal on the back. Her lips pursed as she opened the letter and read its contents.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? What is this?"

"It's where you'll be going to school next year," Michelle calmly replied. She and Joseph had been discussing about how this conversation would go for 11 years, ever since Kingsley Shacklebolt arrived at their door.

"You're going to have to give me more than that, Mother," Alison said, starting to sweat.

"Dear, do you remember when we told you that you were adopted?" Joseph asked carefully.

"…Yes?"

"There was more to it than that. We didn't chose you, per se; you were given to us." Alison's eyes widened at her father's statement.

"That's not to say that you were any sort trouble, Ali," Michelle quickly corrected, internally cursing her husband's careless wording. "But we weren't- aren't able to have children, so we were looking to adopt. They must've known we were looking and contacted us."

"And how could we say no to a child of magnificent capabilities?" Joseph said, redeeming himself. "You were born from a whole other world people only dream of knowing about. We jumped at the chance to raise you, and I'm glad we were chosen, because you turned out to be such a beautiful daughter."

Alison wasn't aware that she was crying until she felt something drop onto her hands, folded on her lap. She quickly swiped at her cheeks, "Who's they?"

"The Ministry of Magic, sort of like the government, assigned you to us. There had been… issues with your birth." Michelle said.

"I-Issues?" The tears were coming back.

"Honey," Joseph said moving over to where Alison was sitting, "I'm going to have to be frank with you, because I see no other way of describing the situation."

Alison nodded.

"You were the product of a sort of… cloning experiment."

Alison gasped, putting her hand on her mouth.

"You, and three other girls survived your birth, and have been given to separate families all over the world, for your protection."

"My… my protection?" Alison asked, moving her hand to the side of her face, "Is someone coming after me?"

"No, honey, it was more to keep you away from the company that, well, made you possible."

"Who made me… possible?"

"That, we don't know." Joseph said.

Alison closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, seemingly absorbing the information, "Am I supposed to meet these other girls?"

Michelle spoke up from the other couch, "Before you get your books and things, we're supposed to meet them, yes."

Alison sighed again, "When?"

"In three days, at Diagon Alley."

"Where's Diagon Alley?"

"England."

"WHAT?"

Rudolph Niehaus was reading the Daily Prophet when he heard the chirp of an owl at the window. He went over to it, stroked its head, and gave it a treat after taking the mail from his mouth. Sorting through the letters, he spotted a familiar looking envelope with a seal that threw him back to his childhood.

Ms. C. Niehaus

1463 16th Avenue

San Francisco, CA, USA

Rudolph chuckled, his daughter's day was just about to be made, "Cosi-"

He was cut off by footsteps rapidly pounding down the stairs.

"Dad!" Cosima said running into the Kitchen, skidding to a halt on the tile floor, "Dad, did it come? I saw the owl, did it come?"

Rudolph laughed at his daughter that was practically vibrating with anticipation, "Cosima, take a deep breath."

She didn't, instead she quickly filled her lungs with air, and expelled it just as fast.

He shook his head and gave her the letter.

Cosima took it and held it over her head "YEAH BABY!"

Gisela Niehaus' head popped in from the family room, "What is all this ruckus?"

"I got my letter, Mom!" Cosima said, attempting to tear it open. "Aw, dude, I am so psyched, like you wouldn't believe."

"Gently, Cosima, gently! We want to keep that, you know." Rudolph said, stopping her daughter's hands from tearing through the delicate paper inside. He slid his thumb under the wax seal and pulled out the folded paper, handing it to his still vibrating daughter.

Cosima snatched the paper and unfolded it, pushing up her glasses with her pinky, "Dear Ms. Niehaus, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Students blah blah blah… Chamber of Reception… blah blah… list of requirements blah… Hogwarts heritage. Whoohoo!" She said raising her fist again in victory before quickly tossing the acceptance letter aside. "Now for the good stuff."

"And what is the good stuff, might I ask?" Gisela asked her still vibrating daughter.

"The textbooks mom, duh. I finally get to learn something useful other than 'Never hold the tip of your wand, always keep your nose of your broom above the brush,' or all the other crap that was in the books you gave me last time. I don't even have a wand." Cosima looked back at the letter maniacally, "Now I can learn how to charm muggles into doing my bidding."

"Cosima Niehaus," Her mother said, scolding.

"Chill, Mom, I was kidding. I'm gonna be a good witch, I'm like probably going to be in Ravenclaw or whatever. I'm totally not Slytherin material."

"Taking after her father," Rudolph said puffing out his chest.

"Or she can take after her mother," Gisela said raising her hand.

"Umm… or not, mom. I heard Hufflepuff was like, loserville," Cosima said with a cheeky smile.

"Excuse me-"

"OOH! I'm totes gonna join the Quidditch team. I'm gonna be the best chaser ever, just like Gwendolyn Morgan. Hey, did you hear she knocked out her boyfriend with her broom 'cause he was gonna propose?"

"Yes, actually I read that, but Cosima-" Rudolph tried to say before Cosima went on another tangent, talking about chess and her friend Scott. "Cosima!"

She stopped abruptly and blinked up at her father.

"We have some news for you."

Cosima looked at her mom, who was sipping at her tea, casually, before looking back at her dad, "What is it?"

"Um, we told you you were adopted, yes?"

"Yeah…" Cosima drawled, "So?"

"That's not all," Rudolph said, "You have sisters, you all were separated at birth."

Cosima looked at him for a moment, "Are you kidding?"

"No, this is the only thing we haven't told you about your infancy. Everything else you know."

"How many?"

"Three."

Cosima put her hands in her braided hair, "Holy watershed."

Rudolph let her pace around for a moment before continuing, "We were going to meet them at Diagon Alley before you got your books and things."

"Sweet," Cosima stared back at him, "Hey, can I get a toad?"

Rachel stared out her bedroom window, awaiting orders from her monitor who had just gone out to the store. She sighed, she knew she had turned 11, it was almost time for her big debut, showing that Dumbledore how much a girl with one fifth of a soul can do.

She furrowed her brow, she forgot about the others, and she wondered whether they would be any obstacle in her way of getting what she wanted.

The door opened behind her, and she looked out of the corner of her eye at the person that interrupted her ponderings.

"Your letter came in the mail today," Olivier said, tossing it onto her vanity.

"Good," Rachel said, turning around, "Have Daniel prepare the floo, I want to leave as quickly as possible."

"It's still three days before shops start opening stores for students," Olivier said carefully."

Rachel raised her eyebrow and shook her head slightly, "Will that be an issue?"

"No, it will be done right away." Olivier said as he began to back away.

"And Olivier,"

"Yes?"

"Turn down the AC, It's chilly in here."