Little Hangleton

Verity Alson lives in a small muggle suburb in Little Hangleton with her grandparents, they told her when she was very little that they had adopted her, because her real parents weren’t so fond of her, and decided that they didn’t want to bring her up. Verity never asked further questions about her biological parents, it was enough for her knowing that they never wanted her, and that they never even tried to make up.

That day, August 21st, was the day of her eleventh birthday, and her grandparents Raymond and Lucinda were waiting for her in the kitchen with a cake baked just for her.

-Happy birthday Sweetheart! – Said Lucinda going to hug her niece.

-Happy birthday love. – Said Raymond in turn kissing Verity on the cheek.

-Thank you.. – Said Verity with a loving tune.

-Make a wish. – Said Lucy gesturing towards the eleven candles, which were towering the cake.

Verity blew the candle, and Lucy started cutting the cake.

-Darlene is waiting for me at the park, may I go please? – Darlene was Verity, one and only, best friend. Verity and her had known each other since first grade, and even if sometimes they fought with each other, Verity loved Darlene so much and always forgave her everything.

-Yes of course you can! – Said Lucy.

-Will you go and grab the mail please? – Ask Raymond.

Without even asking Verity went for the door, and on the floor stood several letters one above the others. She collected them and while she was going back to the kitchen started to browse them in her hands, bill, bill, the knitting journal her grandmother was subscribed to, a big red lacquer wax seal flashed under her eyes. She turner the letter in curiosity, and found her self in reading her own name.

Verity Alson

Little Hangleton

Sherbourne Road 77

She opened the letter with a perplexed look on her face, wondering who could possibly write to her, for a moment she almost though it was her real parents.

Dear Miss Alson,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy.

She stared at the elegant green calligraphy. ‘What a dumb joke’, she tore the letter into pieces, thinking it was just another joke of some silly girl at school, Verity thought it was really sick they actually used her real address. She trashed it under the sink with too much rage.

-What was that? – Asked smiling calmly Raymon, while opening the bills with his knife.

-Nothing, nothing.. so can I please go and meet Darlene?

-Yes sure dear! Just be careful and remember to be home for lunch!!

The Saint Helen’s park was right at the end of the street, and was the usual meeting point for Darlene and Verity. Darlene was waving at Verity from the park, she started to walk towards her, as the friend was waving back.

-Haaaappy Birthday! – She said showing something she had until then been hiding behind her back.

– Thanks Darl!! – Said Verity grabbing the package – “You shouldn’t had”

– Come on open it!!

Verity started to wreck the envelope, and it came out to be a box, inside was a silver bracelet, the one she had laid her eyes on, two weeks ago in a boutique.

-Oh Darlene…. come on…- She said stunned by the present. – It’s… It’s too m..

She couldn’t finish the sentence because a huge big brown owl was gliding towards them, Verity had to push down her friend since it was coming from her back and she did not see it coming. It landed on a wall behind them, and stayed there as if waiting for something with his leg out.

Verity got closer and saw it had a letter tied up at his leg, wondered for a minute then started to untie it. Darlene was looking at the whole scene behind the friend’s back, perhaps wondering if it was safe to get that closer to such a sharp beak. Verity managed to break free the envelope, but still the owl stayed there with his leg out, as waiting for something else.

-Mm.. What do you want? – The girl asked as expecting an answer from the animal. She took his leg between two fingers, it was so tiny, and push it back under his feathers. He clearly was not happy with that, because he snapped his beak very threateningly, and then flew off.

– What’s that? – Darlene asked above Verity’s shoulder.

– I don’t kn..- She was about to say she didn’t know what the letter was about, but as soon as she turned it around, she recognised it immediately. The green ink was the same one she had just thrown away in the kitchen’s trash, not too much earlier. Verity stood there for a while just watching at it, deciding whether to open it or not. Darlene pushed her shoulder with hers, shooking Verity up, bringing her trembling fingers to break the lacquer wax seal.
As soon as it was open she got the confirmation of what she already knew inside, the letter was the same.

– I’d better go – She said throwing the letter in her pocket

– What? No wait come on let me see!!

– I’m sorry Darlene I’d better go.. I’ll explain to you I promise.. I’m sorry – Verity had already started to move, without even realising it. – Thanks for the present tho! Sorry!!

Verity started at first to walk rapidly then to run towards home, as she was going back she thought this must be a very elaborated joke, who on earth would have rented an owl jus to make fool of her? She felt that something wasn’t coming around. When she was almost home she saw what it seemed to be a cat with glasses standind on her threshold. Panting, she got closer to the cat trying to caress it, but as soon as she approached the beast started to change, its back elongated, and its fur retreated to reaveal a woman in silk green dress.

Verity jumped back almost fainting, falling onto the ground, she kept herself from screaming only beacuse all the breath had been drawn from her lungs. The woman was wearing glasses that looked exactly the same of the cat’s marks, her eyes were gentle but her mouth was stiff.

-Are you Miss Verity Alson? – The woman asked with the same solemnity she gave off.

Verity incapable of pronuncing any words just nodded.

-I’m Professor Minerva Mc Gonagall, Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, nevertheless your future Transfiguration class teacher. I’m here to give you, all your information about what you need to do..

Verity look at the woman for a whole minute, then found the strenght to get up, her legs shaking dangerously.

-I’m sorry instructions to do what exactly…?

-To go to school obviously – Replied Minerva McGonagall already exasperated, and Verity knew at once that wasn’t a woman who liked to repeat herself. -Now shall we? – said indicating the Alson’s front door.

They gathered all in the living room where they listened to McGonagall explanation, Hogwarts was a school for Witches and Wizards, she talked about Diagon Alley a place where you could buy all the supplies needed for the school, this place could be reached by the Leaky Cauldron in London, the students could reach Hogwarts through the Platform 9 and 3/4 at the King’s Cross station. At the end of the explanation Verity firmly hoped that someone else started talking before herself, she feared to start laughing and never stop, and she felt that Minerva McGonagall wouldn’t have liked that. Her grandmother talk first after a sadly sighed.

-We knew this day would have come…-

Verity googled at her mimaw.

-Pardon me?! You knew??-

-Well not knew… we expected you to be different…-

Verity gestured with her hands as to ask to go on.

-Wel.. when you were little.. – Raymond began. – You didn’t like to eat that much. So we tried to make you eat by simulating a plane with the spoon… and more than once it happened that you.. umh… changed..-

–Transfigurated – Corrected him Professor McGonagall.

–Transfigurated your food into chocolate.-

-Why didn’t you tell me?? – Verity bursted out half excited, half enraged.

-They didn’t know – Intervened once again Minerva McGonagall -You see you’re a Muggle Born, that means that all prior to you in your family are muggles, except for you.-

Professor McGonagall dilated in a further explanation about coins in the magic world, and objects such as wands and cauldrons, and before leaving she delivered Verity a bag of money, and explained to her that they were from the Hogwarts fund destined to Muggle Borns. She left as she came, as a cat, leaving the Alson family alone with their thoughts.