A/N: This is the last (somewhat short) chapter I'm posting until next week. The lack of feedback has me a little worried - it doesn't seem as if you're liking the story very much. I don't like begging for reviews, it always puts me off a little when authors do that, but with my other stories, feedback has been coming in without having to resort to it. Knowing that a story is appreciated is a huge factor in keeping us going. If you do not like what you're reading, I would like to hear that, too. I will at least give me an idea what I could do better. Provided, of course, that it's not the general story idea what you don't find interesting or convincing. Then, I'm afraid, there's nothing I can to about it at this point. :)

The Very Mysterious Letter

By the time Harry was allowed to spend any free time outside of the cupboard again, the holidays had come, and Harry's own birthday was fast approaching. One morning, when Harry went to fetch the mail like he always did, he found a weird letter among the others in the mailbox. It was addressed to him: Harry Potter, The Cupboard Under the Stairs. What the heck?

Dumbfounded, Harry stared at the envelope. What kind of address was that? And who would write to him? Harry didn't know anybody except the Dursleys and the teachers at his school, and he had never gotten a birthday card in his entire life! Besides, it was a week too early for that.

"You'll figure it out by opening it, but now's not the time, Harry!" urged Tom. "Quick, put it away before your aunt sees it and takes it from you."

Yes, that was sound advice. It sounded exactly like something Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would do. They didn't like things that were unusual, wholly unexpected or weird, and the letter was all of that.

Harry stuffed the thick envelope into the waistband of his trousers behind his back, where it was hidden by his shirt, and handed the rest of the mail to his aunt at the breakfast table. He couldn't wait to read his letter. Cleaning up and doing the dishes after breakfast had never seemed to take this long.

Afterwards, he was sent to mow the lawn and weed the flower beds. Harry hid the letter beneath the mattress in his closet before changing Dudley's old blue corduroys for Dudley's old brown corduroys which Harry wore for yard work. Throughout the entire time he was weeding, Harry's thoughts circled around the mysterious letter. He could hardly wait for his chores to be done.

Finally, Harry was allowed to change back into his street clothes (a pair of second hand jeans from an Oxfam store which at least fit, even if the quality wasn't as good as the expensive brand-name clothes Dudley wore) and a woollen sweater, which Aunt Petunia had accidentally put into the dryer. It now fit Harry, but the material had become tight and scratchy and was much too warm for July, but who was he to complain. Harry hid the letter under his shirt once more and left the house.

On a bench at the local playground, he finally retrieved the envelope. It was not the standard mail size and the paper felt thick and heavy. It had been written with shiny green ink and in a looping cursive.

He had never seen a letter like this. On the back was a wax seal with a crest stamped into it. It looked very impressive. Harry was loath to break it, so he found a small stick and carefully slit the envelope open along its top.

Inside he found a bundle of papers. He unfolded the top one and read:

Dear Mr. Potter,

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

Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

Speechless, Harry stared at the parchment in his hand. Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Was this some kind of joke?

"It has to be," said Tom, just as stunned. "Witchcraft and Wizardry? Really?"

" But who would play such a ridiculous prank on us, and why?" asked Harry, who felt excitement rise inside of him. What if it wasn't a prank?

"Maybe it's true," he mused, hardly daring to voice his hope. "Maybe that's what our super powers are … we're wizards and there are others like us! How would they know that I live in the cupboard under the stairs otherwise? How do they know about me at all?"

Tom was puzzled. "If this is really a school, it's definitely weird. 'We await your owl no later than July 31.' What owl? Is successfully hunting and catching an owl some sort of entry test? Does the owl have to be alive? How do we send it to them? And how are we supposed to find owls to hunt in the London area?"

Harry had no idea and decided to try and make sense of that particular mystery at a later time.

"There's a supply list as well." He lifted the other sheet of parchment so Tom could see it too.

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

- The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

- A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

- Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

- A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

- One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

- Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

- The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK

"A wand? Broomsticks? Cauldrons? Harry, this has to be a joke. I'd say it's a Halloween prank, except it's a bit early for Halloween. "

"How are we supposed to get any of that?" asked Harry, frowning. "Dragon hide gloves? A pewter cauldron?"

"Told you: In a Halloween supply store, that's where."

"There's more, look." Harry lifted up a note and what seemed to be a train ticket, albeit a very vintage looking one. "It says here: 'Please find enclosed your ticket for the Hogwarts Express. It departs from King's Cross Station, platform 9 ¾ on September 1st, 11 a.m.'"

"It has to be a hoax, Harry. I'm sure there's no such thing as a 'quarter' platform. Someone is playing a joke on you, probably laughing themselves silly."

"Maybe." Harry had to agree that it was a possibility. "But what have we to lose if we go to London on September 1st, just to check?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"Nothing, I suppose. Until your aunt and uncle find out that you ran away."

"If anything, they'll be happy."

"But not so much if we return."

"True. But Tom – imagine if this is really our chance to get away from the m! Imagine we have these powers because we are wizards! Weirder things have happened – I've transported myself to a rooftop, I have vanished a solid glass window at the zoo and I currently have another kid living in my head."

Tom silently acquiesced. " What about the owl thing, though? Even if we somehow manage to find and catch an owl, how are we supposed to send it to them? There's no return address on the envelope . I don't believe that a parcel addressed to 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry' would arrive anywhere. And can you imagine the Dursleys' reaction if it is returned to sender and they find a dead owl in side ?"

"I'd rather not." Harry sighed. It seemed impossible, but … For some reason he couldn't explain, he was sure that it wasn't a joke. He was a wizard, and he had been invited to attend a magical school somewhere. They would sort out the logistics somehow.

"Forget about the owl and the rest of the stuff," he said to Tom, resolution in his voice. "We can check a bookstore but I doubt they carry any of the books on the list, and even if they did, I couldn't pay for them anyway. We just have to explain why we have neither sent them an owl nor bought any of the items on the list, and trust that they won't send us back home just because of that."

"So, you'll just head to London come September 1st and see if you can catch a train from a platform that most likely doesn't exist?"

"That's the plan." It was wild and fantastic, and Harry was very likely to make a fool of himself. But the mere chance of there being an escape from his life with the Dursleys was one Harry would not let slip through his fingers.

And on the mere chance that the letter and everything else was real and they truly were wizards, Tom and Harry continued to relentlessly practice their telekinesis. T hey were now able to open the cupboard door whenever the y needed to, and they mostly managed in under two minutes. They managed to make other things move just by their mind powers, but only if they were not too heavy and if there was a certain urgency to move them (which admittedly was rarely the case). Encouraged by their success, even Tom was getting infected with Harry's enthusiasm and started to feel some excitement as well.

They couldn't wait for August to end.