I remember I was working on the last part of my art piece when I heard a tapping on my window. I looked and there was an owl with a letter in its claw. I quickly leaped from my work and opened the window.
“Oh my gods! Thank you!” The owl didn’t have much of a response other than flying away when I took the letter. I opened it and saw the Hogwarts crest at the top.
It’s the real thing!
I squealed and hugged it to my chest, slightly crinkling it. Not moments later, a few knocks sounded at my door.
“Fauna?” My mother’s voice came through the door. “Are you okay in there?”
“Yeah, Mom. You wouldn’t believe-” I quickly put my hands to my mouth, the letter covering a part of my vision.
“What?” She cracked the door open. “What wouldn’t I…?” She opened the door the rest of the way and I quickly shoved the letter under my blanket. I cringed inside as a heard a slight tear. She paused, one foot in the door and looked at me like she knew I was hiding something. “What’s that?” She questioned.
“It was, uhm, one of my projects. I didn’t like it so I crumpled it.” I was dead.
“Under your blanket?” Oh no.
“You, uh, scared me.” I’m so found out.
“You’re hiding something.” My stomach dropped. “Let me see it.” My heart pounded as I barely heard her words. “Now.” She sternly said and I shakily reached under my blanket. I pulled out the crumpled, torn letter and handed it to her. She read it over and sighed. Wait…she sighed?
“I hope this would have skipped over your generation…” I-I…what…?
“W-what?” She knew!?
She sat on the bed next to me and took my hands in hers. I stared at them in shock. I wasn’t in trouble? I wasn’t questioned? I wasn’t grounded!?
“Your great grandmother was a witch.” My jaw dropped and she smiled a bit. It was genuine and calmed me down a bit from reeling. “It skipped over grandma and I. We do not have a lick of magic. My hopes that you would be human got in the way of your wellbeing. I’m sorry…”
“Does Dad know?” She smiled again, this was so reassuring.
“Only of the possibility that you might have magical powers. He was the one that kept telling me that your car issue wasn’t car sickness…” She looked away for a quick second, shame flashing across her face.
“Will you let me go? To Hogwarts? I have been practicing with Miss Sharpkeep after school to be able to ride on the train.” She stifled a laugh.
“I knew you weren’t studying with friends.”
“Then why wasn’t I in trouble?” She looked off in thought.
“You have this air about you lately. It told me that you knew where you were going was safe.” She squeezed my hands.
“Can I go? Will you give me the money to buy books?”
“Yes, on one condition.”
“What is it?”
“I get to see you go.” She got misty eyed.
“Of course you do, Mom. Dad can come too. There’s a list of things on that letter that I need.”
“Oh, I’ve got something that may help you now.” She got up and practically ran out of the room. I smiled and looked at the list. Okay, I need a wand, broom, a book called Magical Theory-
“Here we go.” She walked in with a god sized box and sat on my bed. She bounced a bit and dust puffed off the box. “Whoops, it’s been in the attic for a while.”
She opened the box and it was filled with stuff that I guessed was magical. I have never seen anything like them. A long stick, that I now know is a wand, a stack of papers that looked like notes, and a big, leather bound book.
“That’s the ticket.” My mom picked up the book and opened the cover, a hole was cut in the top of the inside pages, creating as cubby. A velvet pouch was in it. She took it out. “Hold out your hands.” I cupped my hands in front of me and she emptied the coins into them. I gasped. “This is the currency in the wizarding world. The bronze are called Knuts, the silver Sickles, and the gold Gallions.”
“Why don’t they have paper money?” I asked. “Wouldn’t it get heavy?”
“They haven’t made the same advances as us, honey. In certain ways, they are behind invention wise. But they have magic that makes up for it.”
“Why don’t they just use some of our tech to advance theirs?”
“They like to keep their lives separate to ours. They don’t like humans that much. Which is why I have never been in the wizarding world.”
“So you guys can’t come see Hogwarts?”
“No, honey. Your father and I can only see you off the platform.”
“I-I’m going to be alone? I don’t know…” I looked at the ground. I don’t want to be alone…I’m not sure about going anymore…
My mom wiped my eyes, I noticed I was crying then.
“Sh, sh, sh, love. You’ll find friends on the train that are just as lost as you are. You all can get your school things together.”
“You think I’ll make friends fast enough?” I looked up at her.
“Yes.” She smiled and I took a deep breath.
“I-I’ll go.” I sat up straight.
“That’s my girl. I can’t wait to tell your father when he gets home! He will be so proud of you and gloat at me…” She muttered the last part top herself.
After my mom stopped gushing and left my room, I looked through my great grandmother’s book. It was filled with lots of spells and notes about how to get around Hogwarts. Supposedly it was really difficult. As I laid down to bed, I thought about how difficult it was to get around Hogwarts and I dreamed of making friends on the train.