July 24, 2011
In Dornoch, Scotland, lived a girl and her mum. It was summer, and the young girl was spending her days as she usually did: taking pictures of cathedrals on her way to the beach where she intended to read another book. It was a pleasantly warm day and she was down at the beach, perched upon her favorite rock, when an owl suddenly swooped down and landed effortlessly on the boulder beside her, a letter in it's talons. She stared breathlessly at the brown owl, in complete shock of its assertive behavior, only taking a sharp inhale when it cooed and shook its leg at her. "Oh," she practically squeaked. "That's for me?" The owl dropped the letter, then started flapping it's wings prepping for take off. "Places to be then?" she asked the bird. "Safe travels, I suppose." She waved to the bird as it flew off, then turned her attention back to the letter. In excellent penmanship, her name and address were swirled on the front. It looked very formal. She turned it over and gingerly ran her fingers across the wax seal. It had a large, beautiful crest squished into it. Carefully slipping the envelope open, she read the letter to herself:67Please respect copyright.PENANAVcj8PySLp6
67Please respect copyright.PENANAXGLtuZ56OL
Dear Cassandra Thistle,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. 67Please respect copyright.PENANAxoCP13kwRb
Term begins 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.67Please respect copyright.PENANAsiWvQLX6rA
Yours sincerely,67Please respect copyright.PENANA4EbgpyOMVo
Professor Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
67Please respect copyright.PENANAVxQUHbHXxb
"Hogwarts? Witchcraft and wizardry? What?" Cassandra slid down to the ground and ran home. "Mom!" she called out when she reached home. "Mum!"
"Kitchen!" her mother called out. Cassandra was born and raised in Scotland, but her mother was American. Her dialect was a mash of the two cultures. Cassandra entered the kitchen with the envelope and letter in hand, a small orange tabby cat chasing after her.
"Mum, have you ever heard of Hogwarts?" she asked. Her mother dropped the wooden spoon she was using to stir, but swiftly recovered it. Clearing her throat she proceeded to ask,
"I haven't heard that word in a long time."
"But you have heard of it? It's a school."
"Yes," her mum said turning around. "The question is, where did you hear about it?" Cassandra handed her the letter.
"An owl brought this too me down on the beach."
"An owl?" she questioned. Cassandra nodded. Her mother sighed, wiping her hands on a towel and gestured her daughter to sit down at the table. "Alright, I suppose it's more than surpassed time I tell you."
"Tell me what?" asked Cassandra with furrowed brows.
"About your father."
67Please respect copyright.PENANA9xX45bu9I9
Just off Charing Cross Road in London, was an alley alive with witches and wizards. Shops lined the roads of this place, Diagon Alley, and at this time of the year, it was incredibly busy. Near Diagon Alley, off the same road, was another place called Knocturn Alley. Similar to Diagon Alley with it's magic folk and shops, the main difference between the two alleys was that Knockturn Alley was where dark magic flourished. At Borgin and Burkes, an artifact shop in Knocturn Alley, worked a young witch by the name of Kyra. Kyra Burke was pureblood witch, born into a family full of dark wizards and witches. She always felt as though she were the black sheep of the family, or better put, the white sheep in a family of black ones. Kyra knew that the shop did illicit things under the guise of simply selling dark artifacts, but it was her family and she tried her best to fit in. Whenever anything against her morals took place however, she'd go on break and take a walk. She often found herself in Diagon Alley, looking at all of the shops and wishing she didn't feel so alone. This was where she was when an owl delivered her Hogwarts acceptance letter. Sitting on the steps of the local ice cream shop, an owl dropped an envelope right in her lap. She looked up and watched it circle around and fly off, never once pausing. Grasping the envelope, she removed the letter, and read it twice through. "Maybe things will be different when I get to Hogwarts.." she said under her breath. "Maybe."
67Please respect copyright.PENANApzkBMrtHMl
John Knox's Children's Home was located in rural Scotland. It's eldest child was a girl who went by Fin. She was eleven and the child who'd been there the longest. Having just passed her eleventh birthday less than a week ago, Fin had been long convinced she'd never leave the home until she was eighteen. The other kids would get adopted, but not Fin. Somehow she'd spent her entire life in the children's home, and no one ever wanted her. She stayed to herself in her own corner of the sleeping area. When she had been younger, she tried to make friends, but eventually they all left the home, and Fin gave up trying. She was quirky and constantly felt as though everyone was waiting for her to screw up. No matter how many kids flowed in and out of the children's home, Fin felt alone. The only company she ever had was the occasional stray cat when she went for walks outside. She didn't go outside much. Usually she'd stay in her bed and read comic books -- wishing to be in a world where heroes existed.
67Please respect copyright.PENANA8CXTrbZYVm
One day, while Fin was rereading an old comic about an American super-soldier, one of the women who volunteered at the home beckoned her to the front doors. With an eyeroll, she tucked her comic under her mattress so the younger brats wouldn't steal it, and headed to the door heaving a sigh. "What is it?" she asked as she approached. "Another youngin'?" The volunteer stepped back and allowed Fin to step up to the door. Her eyes widened when she saw a woman clad in robes, her hair pulled back in a tight bun. Her face bore wrinkles and deep sunken eyes, but her smile was strangely inviting.
"Hello," she said. "It's nice to see you Finley."
ns 172.69.58.66da2