Dad, none of the first-graders matches Rose's description. She's not here. Harry.
With this message, Hedwig flew away...
Ellie could hardly believe her luck as she hurried through the imposing corridors and majestic rooms of Hogwarts. Charlotte led her through the castle, still grinning with excitement. The walls seemed to come alive with whispering portraits and enchanted tapestries gently swaying in the breeze, even though there was no draft in the corridors.
"Can you believe this, Ellie?" Charlotte asked, her eyes gleaming with joy. "We're really here, at Hogwarts, the best school for witchcraft and wizardry!"
Ellie nodded, but she still couldn't quite grasp that all of this was real. Magic was so different, so fascinating, that sometimes she felt like she was dreaming. "It's incredible. I never thought something like this was possible. I mean, just a few days ago, I'd never even heard of magic."
Charlotte laughed heartily, "I come from a wizarding family and even I feel overwhelmed... I can't imagine how you must be feeling."
Suddenly, Ellie felt a collision and found herself on the floor. She stammered an apology as she looked up to see who had bumped into her. An older boy with dark hair stood before her, a slightly amused smile on his lips. "Are you okay?" he asked kindly, extending his hand to help her up. Ellie felt her heart racing as he assisted her to her feet.
"Yes, thank you," she replied, blushing slightly and smiling shyly. Then she realized who was standing before her. The famous lightning bolt scar on his forehead left no doubt: this was Harry Potter, the boy about whom so many stories were told. Charlotte had already told her everything about Harry.
"You're Harry Potter," Ellie blurted out before she could even think about it. Harry chuckled softly and nodded, while Charlotte impatiently stood nearby, urging, "We need to go!" She then tugged Ellie's sleeve and pulled her along.
They reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
"Wow, look at this," Ellie whispered to Charlotte, pointing at the many magical artifacts displayed on the walls. Charlotte nodded enthusiastically. They had hoped to sneak into the two empty seats in the back row when the professor noticed them.
"With your presence, I hardly expected," said Lupin, "Charlotte Diggory and Ellie Lynch... can you explain why you're half an hour late?"
"Yes, Professor," said Charlotte. "We were in bed until just 10 minutes ago. We would never be late for our favorite teacher!"
"Really? I'm quite amazed at your speed of getting up and getting dressed. As your favorite teacher, I want both of you to be here half an hour before the class starts next time and help me prepare the room... Well, as I already said, today we'll learn why it's necessary to defend ourselves and what dangers lie ahead. In the next hour, we'll have a practical exercise and learn some spells for self-defense," Professor Lupin continued with the lesson.
Ellie diligently took notes. Although today's lesson was more theoretical, she enjoyed it. Probably because it was so different from Muggle school. The subjects here were just so much more fun.
"Can someone tell me what dangers we might face where it's useful to defend ourselves?" he asked the class. "Charlotte?"
"Magical creatures, like Grindylows," she blurted out. "We were at a lake during the summer vacation, me, Cedric, Mom, and Dad. Anyway, Grindylows are these small green water demons with nasty green teeth and horns. They have really long, skinny but strong fingers! So, as I was saying, we were at the bathing lake, and I'd never heard of these creatures when one of them grabbed me and tried to drag me down to the lake bottom... but he didn't count on my super annoying, amazing big brother. Ced broke all his fingers! But supposedly, water people keep Grindylows as pets, like we keep owls and cats, but my parents won't let me have a Grindylow in the bathtub, even though I have my own bathroom. It's not like they have to share a shower with him..."
"Thank you, Charlotte, for that very detailed answer," Lupin chuckled. "We'll cover individual magical creatures toward the end of the school year." Charlotte's hand shot up again...
Next on the schedule was Potions class. The gloomy room was filled with the scents of strange ingredients and steaming cauldrons. As Professor Snape sternly greeted the first-years, Ellie knew immediately that this would never be her favorite subject.
"Who can tell me what Asphodel and Wormwood make together? No one? Unfortunate," Snape remarked. His eyes scanned the crowd of students and settled on two Hufflepuff girls who were quietly giggling with each other.
"Silencio!" Snape fired at the girl, and suddenly, Charlotte Diggory could no longer chatter. Ellie widened her eyes in shock and looked at the professor with horrified expressions.
"I do not tolerate distractions in my class," he grumbled.
During the course of the class, Ellie felt an intense gaze on her. She had the feeling that the professor's eyes wanted to penetrate her. Similar to how Professor Lupin had been staring at her earlier.
Over the next three weeks, Snape's looks at her became routine. Every time Ellie attended his class, she couldn't shake the feeling that his eyes were fixed on her. Initially, she thought it was just her imagination, but the more it happened, the more certain she became: he treated her differently than the other students—not exactly friendly, but differently.
Ellie preferred to sit in the library, surrounded by books and parchment scrolls, as she diligently searched for information for her homework. But suddenly, she noticed a shadow casting over her table. When she looked up, she saw an older boy standing in front of her. His hair was messy, his green eyes shone kindly, and he smiled at her.
"Harry, but obviously you already know me. May I ask who you are?" he introduced himself and extended his hand.
"Ellie… Ellie Lynch" she replied, slightly confused, as she shook his hand. Her heart started beating faster again as she realized it was Harry Potter once more.
His smile widened. "You've bumped into me twice now, so I thought it was time to introduce myself properly."
Ellie felt her cheeks blush slightly as she remembered the two times she had bumped into Harry – once on the way to class and the second time in the Great Hall. She couldn't help but smile too. "Oh, yes, I'm sorry about that. I'm just so fascinated by Hogwarts; the pictures move and can talk, and then there are the ghosts wandering around."
"No problem," said Harry, taking a seat beside her with a smile. He spread out his books and started working on his homework.
Together, they worked on their assignments, occasionally exchanging thoughts on the tasks and helping each other out when one of them encountered a problem. Ellie found it amazing how easy it was to talk to Harry. The nervousness she had initially felt quickly faded away, and she simply felt comfortable in his presence.
As they talked and laughed, Ellie learned more about Harry. She heard about his adventures in previous school years, his friends Ron and Hermione, Quidditch, and his interests outside of school. She told him about her first encounter with magic and how excited she was to finally be at Hogwarts.
Flashback
Fascination filled my eyes as I held a letter in my hand. I never received mail, after all. Who would write to me? My name was written in elegant script on the address line:
Ellie Lynch
The little attic alcove
Thames Street 54
London
followed by a red wax seal. I didn't dare to open my very first letter. But my curiosity was, of course, stronger than staring at an envelope all day. Carefully, I removed the seal.
Dear Ms. Ellie Lynch,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Enclosed, you will find a list of all the books and supplies you will need.
The school year begins on September 1st. We expect your owl no later than July 31st.
With magical regards,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
The first tears rolled down my cheeks. How could I be so foolish to think that someone would send me a letter? That this someone might be my family, my parents? Surely, it was just another one of those stupid pranks from the other kids. They were probably laughing at me now.
"Do you find it funny to send me such a dumb letter? 'Oh, look, she's got red hair, she must be a witch.' You're all crazy!"
"As if any of us would bother sending you a letter," Simon laughed. "But whoever it was, the prank worked." Simon now mimicked Ellie's behavior, "Oh, look, I received my very first letter! Oh, I'm so in love with an envelope! I wonder who's writing to me?" He grinned mischievously, "As if anyone would write to you at all! You have no one, and you'll never have anyone! Do you know why you're here? Because your family never wanted you!"
Angry, I crumpled up my letter and threw it at Simon. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I hated the orphanage.
Over the next few days, I received more and more of these fake letters. They seemed to enjoy teasing me. I was starting to wonder how they managed to convince an owl to carry and deliver these letters.
Until the day an elderly woman rang our doorbell. Miss Amy would have preferred not to let her in, but the woman simply pushed her aside. The stranger wore a dark green cloak and a pointed black hat. Miss Amy Clark tried to kick the woman out of her house, but without success.
"Miss Clark, I would like to speak with you and Miss Lynch privately, without prying ears," she said. Miss Amy nodded, and we went into her office. The older woman smiled sadly at me. "My name is Minerva McGonagall, a professor and deputy headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she introduced herself before turning to me. "Miss Lynch? I have yet to receive a response from you regarding whether you would like to attend Hogwarts. It would be a great shame if you chose not to accept the invitation."
"Do you really expect me to believe this nonsense? How much did Simon pay you to pretend to be a witch?" I retorted.
She pulled out a wooden wand. "Wingardium Leviosa," she said clearly. The small potted plant on the windowsill began to float. I stared in shock between the plant and the witch.
"Do you still believe I'm being paid for a child's prank? Miss Lynch, I assume that in the past, things have happened to you for which you had no explanation, correct?"
Ellie stared at the levitating plant, unable to comprehend what was happening right before her eyes. The words of the woman, Professor McGonagall, echoed in her mind. Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogwarts – it all sounded so unbelievable, but here was the proof, right before her eyes.
Slowly, Ellie nodded, still stunned. "Yes, there have been things I couldn't explain, things that happened... differently."
The witch lowered her plant back onto the windowsill and smiled gently. "Miss Lynch, it's entirely understandable that you have doubts. But I assure you that Hogwarts is real, and you are a witch. Your invitation is not a prank."
Ellie's emotions shifted from anger and despair to another extreme - hope. The idea that there might be a place where she could be accepted and understood was overwhelming.
"I understand that this is a lot to take in," Professor McGonagall continued, "but Hogwarts can offer you a new home, a community of like-minded individuals who will help you understand and control your magic."
Ellie looked at the Hogwarts letter that she had crumpled up a few weeks ago and suddenly felt like an outsider in her own world. She had no family, no real friends, but maybe there was a place out there where she could truly belong.
"I want to go to Hogwarts. I want to be a witch," Ellie finally said with determination.
End of the flashback
Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was slowly getting dark outside. The library was quiet, with only muted voices to be heard. As they nearly finished their homework, Harry smiled at Ellie. "It was fun working with you, Ellie. If you have any more questions or need help, I'm here."
"Thank you, Harry," Ellie said sincerely.
After packing up their things, they left the library together. Ellie couldn't help but feel happy about how this day had turned out. She had not only experienced her first month at Hogwarts but also found an unexpected friend - someone who was just as normal and friendly as she had hoped.
The sun slowly set over the picturesque grounds of Hogwarts. Harry Potter sat by the window of his dormitory in Gryffindor Tower, staring at the sky. In his hand, he held a letter he had carefully written.
Hedwig perched on the windowsill. The white snowy owl looked at him with her large, golden eyes, as if she could sense the significance of the letter.
"You know what to do, Hedwig," Harry said softly, extending his arm to hand her the letter. Hedwig inclined her head, as if in agreement, and took the letter gently in her beak. Harry watched as Hedwig rose into the sunset and flew away.
Dad,
I think I've found Rosie. It's quite a coincidence, but I have a feeling it's her. She goes by Ellie now, and she has reddish-brown hair, just like mom, and the same hazel-brown eyes like you. I can't say for sure yet, but there are some signs that point in that direction.
Charlotte Diggory told me that Ellie has a birthday in August and only recently discovered she can do magic. This could all align with Rosie. I'll continue to investigate to make sure.
Our first Hogsmeade trip is at the end of October. Are you really sure I can't go to Hogsmeade? All my friends are going. Nothing will happen to me, I promise. Please sign my Hogsmeade permission slip.
Harry