Early Saturday mornings. Stereotypically, the thought evokes positive visuals of freshly brewed coffee, biscuits in the oven, peaceful sunrises, and smiling, wide-eyed family members greeting each other over breakfast. At the Benton household, none of these things were applicable to the morning routine. Most of the family did not particularly fancy the taste of coffee. Breakfast was a take-it-or-leave-it affair, but only because nobody woke up early enough to prepare it. Lastly, on this particular Saturday morning, it was so early that the sun was still sleeping soundly, tucked away under the blanketing of the night sky much like the members of the Benton family. They were all night owls, and often seized the lack of obligation on the weekends as an opportunity to sleep in. Speaking of owls...

Peck... Peck...

That was unmistakably the sound of an owl’s beak tapping on Olivia’s window. On any other morning, Olivia would subconsciously pass the pecking noises off as an element of her dreams, but today, she bolted up in her bed. Olivia had been expecting her booklist to arrive from Hogwarts, and Post Owls usually delivered them at the end of August to provide students ample time to purchase their school supplies before the beginning of the term on September first.

Booklists, for most Hogwarts students, were nothing to get excited about. These annually distributed letters listed all the school supplies and books students would need to collect before arriving at Hogwarts. For the greater fraction of students, this information was dismal and only served as a glaring reminder of the conclusion of summer, but for some, booklists were highly anticipated. Academically excelling fifth-year students were eligible to be picked as one of eight school prefects, a boy and a girl from each house, and esteemed seventh-year students were considered for the selection of the school’s Head Boy and Head Girl. The results of this competitive selection were delivered in the booklists. This particular year was Olivia’s seventh and final school year, meaning that she was eligible to be picked as a Head Girl. She had been a Gryffindor Prefect since her fifth year and was yearning for a promotion.

Olivia yanked her blinds up in anticipation. Sure enough, a large, brown Horned Post Owl was perched on her window sill. She took a closer look, anticipating an envelope clasped in the owl’s talons, but her eyes did not meet Hogwarts’ recognizable red wax seal. Instead, she saw a small scroll securely bound to the owl’s leg. 

It must be personal mail.

What a bummer. Olivia heaved a befuddled sigh, wondering who would be mailing her personally via owl - when she was home from school, her personal mail almost always came through the Muggle mailbox.

It might be from Oliver. I haven’t heard from him lately.

She thought to herself, quickly discounting this theory. If her boyfriend were sending her a letter, he would not mail such a small slip of parchment. Usually, his letters were lengthy and detailed. She threw open the window and gently reached out to retrieve the note, motioning for the owl to wait before departing lest she need to respond.

Much to her surprise, the letter was from Davis Ritenour, Olivia’s lifelong friend and fellow Hogwarts student. This puzzled Olivia - she and Davis only exchanged letters via the Owl Post during the school year when they were not permitted to use technology. Davis could have easily called her on the telephone. Her eyebrows laced together in confusion, Olivia opened the letter.

Call me immediately!

-Love, Davis

“That’s all?” Olivia asked herself, lacking understanding. “She could’ve just called me herself.”

Olivia concluded that Davis’ letter was delivered as a joke and sarcastically scribbled “Okay” on the bottom of the paper. She sent the owl back to her friend before picking up her phone to follow the note’s instructions. Olivia was still confused. While post owls were the main form of long-distance communication in magical communities, they never came to strictly Muggle-inhabited areas unless they needed to deliver something. This meant Davis must have received a letter from the wizarding community early this morning, but what? Their booklists always arrived on the same day since they lived nearby. Secondly, she was unsure why Davis wanted to talk this early. It was 8 o’clock in the morning and Davis was never up at this time on Saturday. 

Olivia began the outgoing call, and almost immediately, Davis answered. She must have been waiting by the phone.

“I’m a Gryffindor Prefect!” Davis’ excited voice cracked loudly through the receiver. The bright nature of her voice was not matched by her appearance - her brunette hair was tangled and her glasses were still perched on her nose. “The badge is just like yours! Scarlet with golden wording? Sound familiar?”

Of course! Davis was an upcoming fifth-year student at Hogwarts, and she, like Olivia, had been anxiously awaiting her booklist. She had been a likely candidate for prefect and had been anxious for months. This only beckoned one question - why did Olivia not receive her booklist? She chose to ignore this in the moment, electing instead to congratulate her friend.

“Yes! Lovely! Good for you!” Olivia said in a congratulatory tone, a broad smile developing on her visage. “I bet you were relieved to hear the news! You’ve been rather unnerved lately.”

“Oh, I couldn’t sleep last night! You know, the booklists were scheduled to arrive today, so there was absolutely no chance of me going to bed! Speaking of which, did you get your booklist? Wait, let me guess - you’re Head Girl!” Davis’ bright grin was unfortunately not mirrored by Olivia’s sudden perturbed expression.

“They were scheduled to arrive today? I didn’t get mine...” Much like Davis, Olivia had been fretful about the probability of promotion and was excitedly awaiting her booklists. Her mind immediately filled with what-ifs.

“Oh.” Davis nodded slowly. “Don’t worry! It’ll come in soon enough. I’m sure it isn’t easy for an owl to fly overseas, you know.”

“Exactly! That’s why our booklists are usually delivered by the same owl, so it won’t have to make the trip twice. My list should have arrived today.” Olivia’s voice was decked with undeniable worry. “Are you sure the owl didn’t have my letter when it arrived at your house? Maybe it fell. Could you check?”

“Absolutely.”

Olivia waited as Davis stood from her bed, walked to her window, slid the curtains aside and opened it. She peered out at the ground for a moment, ducked her head back inside, and scanned her bedroom floor before returning to her bed once again and placing the phone to her ear.

“I’ve got nothing.” Davis said regretfully, though she was not able to maintain this tone for long. She was rightfully still excited about her selection as Prefect, and Olivia dared not ruin this moment for her. She pushed her confusion to the back of her mind and rejoined her closest friend in early-morning celebration.

A vexing day had passed without any deliveries. Olivia had only descended further into her worrisome state, and as the beginning of the term crept upon them, Davis dropped her act of reassurance and joined leagues with Olivia. In just a few days, they would need to fly to London in time to prepare themselves before boarding the Hogwarts Express on September 1st. The delayed post was putting them behind.

Olivia’s mother, Julie, had come to blame the late post on a procrastinating owl and decided that, despite the lack of a booklist, plane tickets still needed to be purchased.

“You’ve not been expelled.” She argued rightfully. “Booklist or not, you’re going back to Hogwarts this year, and you need passage to London.”

They booked a flight to London Heathrow Airport on August 30th, and Olivia could rest easier. She planned to visit the Owl Post Office upon arrival to London to inquire about what she had written off as lost mail.

“Maybe the owl died of exhaustion. If I had to fly overseas, I’m sure I’d give out.”

At this point, Olivia was merely reassuring herself. Davis, equally seeking an explanation, determined that her apprehensive friend’s theory was not unlikely.

The following day, Olivia and Davis were taking advantage of the remainder of the summer by tanning alongside Olivia’s swimming pool. The late afternoon sun reflected across the shifting surface of the water, creating an almost hypnotizing effect. Davis, who had accumulated a considerable amount of stress, had given into this hypnosis. She was reclined in a cushioned lounge chair with her eyes tightly shut. Olivia had other ideas. She had always been restless and easily got bored, so when her company fell silent, she reached for her wand. Olivia was aged seventeen and was no longer under the radar of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. To break up the silence, she decided to target some playful spells at her friend.

“Aguamenti!” Olivia chanted firmly, waving her wand-wielding arm in the shape of a sideways letter ‘S’. A forceful jet of water streamed from the tip of her wand, drenching Davis from head to toe. Her eyes opened widely and she sat at attention.

“You’d better be glad I’m in a bathing suit right now!” Davis responded with a laugh, wiping the water from around her eyes and standing to retrieve a towel. “If I were allowed to cast spells, I’d hit you with Incendio!” She joked, referencing the fire-making spell.

“I know the pains of being an underage witch. I had to live through this too!” Olivia said, snickering at her friend. Davis had let her guard down, wrongly predicting the end of the lighthearted jinxing session. When Davis had her back turned, Olivia raised and aimed her wand.

“Cantis!”

A brilliant white light glided from the wand’s tip before coming in contact with Davis’ back, immediately causing her to bellow out the lyrics of The Hogwarts Song.

“Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, teach us something please!”

Olivia erupted in laughter - the Cantis jinx caused the target to sing uncontrollably. Though Davis could not control her singing voice, she could control her countenance, which had developed into a joking scowl. Olivia quickly performed the counter-curse.

“Lovely singing voice you have there,” She joked as Davis caught her breath, “though, it sounded more like yelling to me. You were also a bit pitchy.”

“Just wait until we get back to school. I have some good jinxes up my sleeve too, you know.”

The pair laughed together and enjoyed the remainder of their relaxing afternoon. Olivia’s tantalizing use of legal magic had only increased their longing to return to Hogwarts. Davis especially anticipated their arrival - underage witches and wizards were only permitted to use magic in school, and infringing upon this law would result in hefty consequences at the hands of the Improper Use of Magic Office. Even though Olivia could perform magic, she had to exercise caution to avoid being spotted by Muggles. At Hogwarts, they could use their magic without restriction. They suddenly longed to be on their plane to London. It departed in eight days, which seemed like an eternity to the restless pair of friends.

Around an hour later, the sun began to set, and just as Davis and Olivia were toweling off to go inside, a tawny Post Owl descended from the skies. The owl’s wings quietly flapped as it braced for landing, catching Davis’ attention.

She turned her eyes to the heavens.

“Olivia! Look! The Post Owl is here!” She said, both excitement and relief reflected in her voice.

Olivia glanced up. Sure enough, a Screech owl was preparing to land. Olivia’s heart rate quickened and she felt her stomach churn. This was the much-awaited moment the she would discover if she had been promoted as Head Girl - the moment she had been waiting for all summer. As the owl gracefully landed on the pool deck, Olivia grabbed for her booklist, which was clasped in the owl’s talons. Much to her surprise, however, she was met with more than just a letter from Hogwarts. The owl was also carrying an additional scroll and had a small parcel tied around its leg.

“No wonder your owl was late.” Davis scoffed. “It had to deliver three things!”

“I suppose so...” Olivia said under her breath, relieved that all of her wild worst-case scenarios about the late post had been disproved. “How reassuring! I was convinced my mail been dropped into the Atlantic.”

With a sigh of relief, Olivia reached down and took the letters from the owl, gently untying the twine that bound the package to its leg.

“Who sent the other deliveries?” Davis asked curiously, peering over Olivia’s shoulder. 

“Good question.” The owl prepared for its departure as Olivia gingerly picked up the other letters. One had a red wax seal with an inscription that she immediately identified as the Hogwarts Crest, but the other letter was less recognizable - it was sealed with a navy blue wax seal emblazoned with a family crest. Olivia narrowed her eyes and looked closer.

“Well?” Davis questioned pleadingly.

“It’s from Oliver!” Olivia’s eyes brightened as she read the letter ‘W’ from the stamped words on the wax seal. 

Olivia had been seeing Oliver Wood for over a year. Oliver was a pure-blooded Scottish wizard known for his role as the Captain of Gryffindor’s Quidditch team, and had just graduated from Hogwarts during the previous school year. Oliver furthered his passion for Quidditch by becoming the Keeper for Puddlemere United’s reserve team following the conclusion of his education at Hogwarts.

Olivia began to untie the twine from Oliver’s letter, entirely overlooking her Hogwarts booklist. During the holidays, Olivia returned home to the Americas and Oliver remained in the United Kingdom, so writing was their only form of communication. 

“Olivia! Booklist!” Davis excitedly reminded her friend. “Oliver can wait! We’ve been waiting for this booklist for days.”

“You have a point, there.” Olivia laughed, signaling for the Post Owl to depart. It acknowledged by swiftly boosting itself from the pool deck and opening its wings. The owl soared east, away from the setting sun, quickly gaining momentum and disappearing into the trees. With a conclusive nod, Olivia draped her towel over her arm and picked up her deliveries. “Let’s go inside to open these.”

Olivia eagerly ran towards the house, Davis at her heels. Once inside, she placed the parcels down on the kitchen table and began to peel the wax seal from the long-awaited booklist.

“This isn’t even my letter and my heart is beating out of my chest.” Davis observed, resting her head in her hands.

“If you’re nervous, just imagine how I feel!” Olivia fumbled with the letter, laughing nervously. Her breaths had become brief, making her fearfulness evident.

“Your hands are shaking.” 

“Thank you, captain obvious.” After nearly a minute of dedicated peeling, Olivia finally removed the wax seal. Davis chuckled.

“Not that shaky hands are a bad thing. I was a nervous wreck when I opened my letter. You should’ve seen me. You know, that stupid owl started pecking at my window at 7 o’clock? It scared me silly! I was already an emotional wreck, and that owl just added unnecessary stress! The Ministry really should improve the postal system-”

Olivia was not paying attention to Davis’ ramblings. Instead, she was focused intently on a polished burgundy and gold badge that had fallen from the envelope.

“Oh, Olivia! You’re Head Girl!” Davis had taken a break from her nervous chatter, directing her attention to her friend’s new badge. “I’m so proud! This is a such an honorable accomplishment.” She leaned in to admire the badge. “Wow.”

Olivia was speechless. Her role as Head Girl represented all of the hard work, dedication, and sacrifices that she had made during her time at Hogwarts. This promotion was a great honor, and the moment seemed entirely surreal to Olivia. Finally, she spoke.

“You sound like my mother.” A grin spread across her face, and it seemed as though she had finally registered the reality of her new role at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. “You do realize that I’m your boss now, right?” Olivia jovially remarked, referencing that the Head Boy and Head Girl are superior to the school prefects.

“You’ve always acted like you’re in charge. I suppose this just gives you a title.” Davis retorted sarcastically, grabbing her lifelong friend into a tight hug.

Olivia ran to tell her parents her exciting news. After the exchanging of congratulatory remarks, Olivia descended from cloud nine and remembered that she still needed to open Oliver’s letter and package.

Olivia removed the navy blue wax seal with steady hands, her anxiety having passed. Her fears of rejection had been replaced with twinkling eyes and an insuppressible grin. She carefully unrolled the parchment, treating it as though it were sacred - contact with Oliver during the summer months was difficult to maintain, and Olivia valued everything he sent her, no matter the significance. Opening it, she revealed a handwritten message.

My Dearest Olivia- 

I never thought I’d find myself saying this, but I’m ANTICIPATING the end of the summer! I’ve missed you terribly! There’s an ocean between us! Merlin, I don’t like the thought of it!

Also, the 422nd Quidditch World Cup Final is approaching on August 25th at the Quidditch Trilennium Stadium in Dartmoor! Since I’m signed with a league team, I’m offered discounted tickets to the event. Obviously, I purchased them. I’m taking my mother and father along, and I purchased two tickets for you and Davis... That is, of course, if you want to come. My money's on Ireland.

I plan to apparate there, but it’s too dangerous for you to apparate inter-continentally... I don’t want you getting splinched or killed. Just catch one of those airplanes if you can. You and Davis can stay with me at my flat in Dorchester until it’s time for you to go to King’s Cross on September 1st. The address is 24 Peverell Avenue West, Poundbury, Dorchester.

I’m camping at the event for a few weeks, but if you choose to come, you’ll only camp one night. The final game starts at dusk on the 25th. Attached is a map of the campsite. I’ve circled our site so you know where to come. I’m already here, of course!

Regardless, I’m looking forward to seeing you! I love you dearly and I can’t wait until we’re reunited! Send Davis my regards as well.

With Love,

Oliver Wood

“How kind of him.” Olivia said, her grin replacing itself with an unrestrained smile. “He’s so thoughtful! You know, the Quidditch World Cup had entirely slipped my mind. It’s not easy to remember all of these things when you’re disconnected from the wizarding world for two whole months.” Olivia glanced at her friend, whose face bore a similar grin. 

“I had forgotten about it too! And, I wonder... Does Oliver get box seats?” Davis asked curiously.

“He didn’t clarify, but if I had to guess, I’d say so.” Olivia said in response, placing Oliver’s letter aside and reaching for his parcel. “Maybe he included those details in the package.”

Within moments, the twine around the parcel had been untied. Olivia nimbly opened the packaging and folded it back, removing the contents with the utmost care. Inside were two tickets to the Quidditch World Cup Final, a map of the Dartmoor campgrounds, a silver key to Oliver’s flat, and a black and bronze Quick-Quotes Quill with a note attached.

“How sweet.” Olivia picked up the quill, admiring the gift - she had decided to become a journalist with the Daily Prophet, a wizarding newspaper based in London. She had always loved writing, and felt that a job with the Daily Prophet was the best way to utilize her skills and fulfill her interests. The Quick-Quotes Quill would allow her to conduct interviews and make reports with ease, a valuable investment for a journalist. Olivia directed her attention to the note tied around the quill.

Use this to spread your valuable ideas and stories. The world needs them.

Olivia’s cheeks reddened at Oliver’s short-but-sweet dedication. She had read his words multiple times over, aiming to memorize them. She and Oliver’s relationship had always been based at Hogwarts - it was where they first met and became close. This school year, she would not have him there. They both knew their relationship would survive; despite the distance, they were both able to apparate. Regardless, Oliver’s encouraging words reassured Olivia that he was a full supporter of her goals and aspirations. 

Absorbed in Oliver’s kind gestures, Olivia had failed to notice Davis’ wide-eyed expression. She was gazing down at one of the tickets from the parcel with a vexed expression.

“What? What is it?” Olivia inquired. “Is there something wrong?” She hoped not. They had encountered enough obstacles already.

“The Quidditch World Cup Final is on the 25th.” Davis said flatly, tearing her eyes away from the ticket to glance at her friend.

“Yes? And?”

“Today is the 22nd.” She started. “Our flight isn’t until the 30th.”

In the midst of the afternoon’s excitement, the pair had neglected to notice that one crucial detail. Olivia’s heart seemed to sink into her stomach, and Davis was experiencing a similar (but less magnified) sensation. 

“We’ll have to reschedule our flight.” Olivia determined with a concise nod. 

“That’ll cost us. We’ll have to pay flight change fees! There’s no way my parents will agree to that. Plane tickets are already expensive enough.”

“Oh, please! Do you want to go to the World Cup or not?” Olivia had crossed her arms. The expression plastered on her face appeared resolute, but deep down, she knew her friend was right.

“Of course I want to go to the World Cup! I’m just being realistic.” Davis countered. “Plus, we still have to pack. Oliver really should have sent these packages earlier...”

“Don’t blame it on him.” Olivia laughed in a failed attempt to ignore the dire nature of the situation. “You know Oliver. He was probably so engaged in the Quidditch matches that he forgot to mail it.” She collected all of her deliveries in the crook of her left arm. “Promise me that you’ll at least try to convince your parents. My parents will be hard to persuade too, but they’re in good spirits right now. They’re excited about my promotion, and I’m sure your parents are too. We might catch them in a good mood and get lucky.”

The pair determined to give it a try. When Davis’ mother came to retrieve her from Olivia’s house, the girls presented their argument. They explained that the World Cup was the biggest event of the year, and that getting free tickets more than compensated for the airline change fee. After talking it over, Davis and Olivia’s parents jointly agreed that the World Cup would serve as their reward for their promotions. Though they were reluctant to change the flights, they shockingly gave in to the pleas from their daughters.

The plane was now scheduled to depart for London Heathrow Airport on the night of August 24th. Upon their arrival, they would need to travel to Oliver’s flat in Dorchester to store their luggage. Due to the late nature of the flight change, they were unable to get a flight to Exeter International, an air terminal near Dorchester. They were forced to fly into London.

In preparation for their premature passage to the United Kingdom, the subsequent days were occupied by feverish packing, hurried preparation, and heartfelt farewells. On the evening of the 24th, Davis and Olivia’s families carpooled to the airport and bid their emotional goodbyes.

“We’ll send the information about your holiday flights by mail.” Davis’ mother relayed, wiping a lone tear from her cheek. Due to the lack of technology in the wizarding world, Davis and Olivia were unable to book their own plane tickets. 

“Yes, we’ll have that mailed soon!” Julie said cheerily in response, grabbing her daughter into a sincere, tight hug. “I love you very much! Make wise decisions!”

After several reminders to have a great school year, write regularly, and be careful with ‘those wands’, Olivia and Davis headed to check their bags. Minutes before takeoff, they had filed into their seats, their luggage successfully stowed in the belly of the plane below them. The plane taxied to the runway at precisely 11 o’clock, and minutes later, they were en route to London.