ENTERING THE WIZARDING WORLD

Edmund yawned. He looked at an old, worn down clock whose hands now showed seven. He didn't like the mornings as a rule. The night and darkness were much more to his liking. He wouldn't say this out loud though lest everyone consider him Satan's follower or something of that sort.

Last night he had barely managed to slip past the matron, while his so-called friends, as the matron calls them, were caught with dirt covered clothes. He, too, would have If not for his handy ability to clean and order himself.

Ryan and Lisa on the other hand were scolded and given washing duty for the week. He didn't feel sorry for them though. It was their inability that got them in trouble, just like how he was thrown away by his new 'family'.

" You, my son, are special, dont let what others say or do get to you. I know you'll be great someday" He whispered. His father used to tell him various things when he was around and this was one of those.

He owed to himself that one day he would stand above many as someone people look up to. And he had started out wonderfully. He was the top scorer in his school this year.

Today, he turned eleven and according to the new laws the matron spoke of, eleven year olds were to write SAT's. The position the student took in the test would determine whether he could receive a scholarship. Being an orphan, that was his only choice, if he wanted to get into a good college that is.

He also had something else in mind, his special powers. He had been thinking of displaying it at first but put that thought away after a few church visits. He was glad that he had waited long enough to realize that it would have been a terrible idea.

He didn't dislike his abilities, on the contrary he loved them. It was his most precious possession. 'And that is never going to change,' He thought. The church and the people on the other hand was what he distrusted, especially after learning about the sections on witches. Although he was nothing like the witches described, there was one thing common, they both had powers while other people didn't. That was enough for him to decide to let it remain his little secret.

Edmund was enjoying the time he had to himself and no other kid would disturb him. His reputation did a good job at that.

Someone wasn't bothered by it though, as there came a sudden tapping noise from his window that made Edmund jump. He stared at the window and spotted an owl. He was too surprised to do anything but stare Apparently, frustrated by his inaction the bird half-spread its wings and gave an irritable hoot, and rotated its head back and forth glaring at him.

"Calm down" he ordered, and sent his will towards the owl. That calmed it down a bit. He quickly opened the latch, fumbling all along. The browny owl quickly flapped into his room, on his second hand desk and dropped what seemed to be a letter. It gave a soft hoot and flew right out of the window.

Edmund didn't bother with it. He had all his focus on the letter in his hand.

Mr Edmund Griff,

5th room, 2nd Floor,

St. Hedwig's orphanage,

Stonebarrow town,

Angus,

Scotland.

On the other side was a red seal with a huge H symbol. This was the first time he had received a letter and he was eager to read it. With a little effort he removed the seal and emptied his contents on his bed. His gaze shifted to the parchment,

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF

WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore ( Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr Griff,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted t Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry. Please find the enclosed list of books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl no later that July 31st.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva Mcgonagall

Deputy Headmistress

On the second page there was a list of books and equipment, most of which sounded foreign to him. He was incredibly existed. Just to make sure he didn't miss anything he read it again.

Anyone else might have been sceptical at best but Edmund didn't question it. He had seen and done lots of things in his short life that people consider impossible. What worried him however was the means of reply. He had only a month left. He didn't have an owl. Moreover he was dirt poor. All he had was the little cash he stole from the townsfolk on a regular basis.

Edmund resolutely set to work. He wrote about his eagerness to attend, his current situation and promise of excellence. He knew there was a good chance that the school wouldn't take students who couldn't pay for it. Still he went through with it, if on an of chance, he succeeded, it would be brilliant.

" Have an ambition and work toward it. No matter if you don't succeed. Never leave regrets." He whispered. And then he took off towards the woods in search of an owl

Hedwigs orphanage, 1st july 1988

Finding an owl during the day was more difficult than he had thought it would be. It was only at dusk that he spotted one. From there it was pretty straightforward. He willed it to come toward him and then tied the letter to its feet. " Go to Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry." With what little instruction he could give, he sent it away.

He was mentally and physically drained after the events of the day, so he decided to head back. His initial plan for the night was thrown out of the window. 'I can always look for the Avesaurus another time' with such thoughts he trekked back to the orphanage.

The next morning, he was once again disturbed by an owl. This one was larger and looked more like a hawk. But what caught his attention was the letter it carried.

Soon enough, the bird was resting on his bed poster closest to the open second floor window. It had one of its legs outstretched and hooted impatiently. Edmund didn't bother to calm it down and quickly untied the letter. He fumbled a few times, upsetting the bird, giving out a few unpleasant hoots. His hands where shaking out of both excitement and worry.

Dear Mr Griff,

Imagine my surprise at receiving this letter from you last night! But I understand your concerns, though they are wholly unfounded. We, at Hogwarts, have a special scholarship for students who find themselves in a predicament similar to yours, so you dont need to concern yourself

All your queries will be answered by the deputy Headmistress who should be arriving any time now.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore.

In his excitement, he couldn't help but let out a laugh. It seems like he didn't have to worry after all. But he was glad he did what he did. His line of thought was broken by another owl that intruded his room. This one, he recognised. It was the very owl he had sent out yesterday. It didn't have any letter though. 'Maybe I should just have it be my owl'. He stroked the bird slightly and it seemed to enjoy it. Edmund wasn't one for naming and he didn't see the need to. After a little petting as reward, he let it go.

" Edmund, someone is here, looking for you. Come downstairs dear." The Matrons voice came from downstairs.

Having guessed their identity, Edmund willed himself clean of any dirt and set his hair and clothes in order before running downstairs, to the matron's office. He steadied his breath. With one last check, he went in.

There, he was greeted by a stoic, Scottish middle aged woman with glasses. She was wearing ordinary travelling clothes and carried herself well. She too was studying him. He was quick to get his act together.

"Greetings, professor Mcgonagall, nice to meet you" said Edmund with a small polite smile. She seemed slightly surprised that he guessed her correctly but there was only a raise in her eyebrows. The matron on the other hand had surprise written all over her face.

"Thank you, Mr Griff." Mcgonagall looked towards the matron "Miss Rose, is it okay with you if I speak to him privately for a while."

"That's fine, take your time. Edmund is an excellent child, i'm sure your school will be lucky to have him." The matron acquiesced and added helpfully before leaving.

"Now, Mr Griff, As you were informed in the letter I am here to invite you to our school for children with special talents such as yourself. I will be responsible for taking you to get your supplies and explain the workings of the wizarding world…..of course only if you are willing to attend that is."

"Could I make my choice after i learn the details about the school, Professor? Also can you prove that you are a magical(a word he picked up from the letter).

Mcgonagall's expression went through slight changes, which Edmund, as clever and observant as he was, picked up. There was disapproval at first, then confusion, and finally back to calm. He guessed the disapproval was for his questioning, but he didn't understand the reason for the other emotion.

"I think you make a fair point" A wooden stick appeared in her hand out of nowhere and then a second later the matrons desk had turned into a cat, then back to desk, the next second." Edmund watched wide eyed.

" I think that should prove my identity. There is a lot more to magic than what you witnessed, all of which you can learn in the next seven years at Hogwarts.The current headmaster is also the greatest wizard in the world.... Now, What is your decision Mr Griff"

" I would like to attend Hogwarts, Professor." His voice almost quivered as he spoke. He could see a new life ahead of him, one which had diverged drastically from his assumptions, just a week prior.

" Very well, then, let's go get your belongings." She intoned, without any emotion in her voice. Secretly, she was satisfied and pleased with the boy's eagerness for magic. Being a professor, she liked such children the most. Though she was confused at how easily the boy took to magic. She expected a hard time explaining the boy's heritage and convincing that magic was not evil, considering he lived in a church-run orphanage. She had to go to great lengths on previous occasions. Recently though, the number of children from such backgrounds has lessened. For some reason she felt a little uneasy when she thought about it.

Edmund was looking at what seemed to be a street from medivial times. A crowd of people wearing robes and pointed hats strolled through the street. There were several buildings reminiscent of a murky past. That is not to say that it was backward or undeveloped. Although the fashion of the wizarding population was not what you would call 'modern', their amenities, cleanliness, education and all other indexes where top notch. Even better than the best of muggle (he had picked up from Mcgonagall) cities.

" Mr Griff, do you think you can manage on your own? "Mcgonagall enquired in a neutral manner.

"Yes, Professor. Sorry for taking your time." Edmund replied naturally to the witch who likely had something to do.

"Well then, Mr Griff, i'll wait for you in about 2 hours in the Leaky couldron." Her tone grew stricter ( if it was even possible) " The scholarship given to you is only to buy second hand equipment. I don't want to hear about you squandering it. Is that understood." Before Edmund could reply, there was a pop and Mcgonagall disappeared with a whirl of her cloak.

Normally, it would be appalling to let a 11 year old go shopping alone in an unfamiliar area. Mcgonagall wasn't too worried though. During their short interaction she had realized a lot more about his character than Edmund would think possible. 'He is smart, wise beyond his peers and also ambitious and courageous'. She also saw pride between his brows. It wasn't rare in wizards and especially common in purebloods. But she hadn't seen a muggleborn, let alone an orphan who had nothing to their name with an expression similar to his. It worried her. Thee tallest tree fell the fastest. She hoped to acclimatise him to the magical world slowly and prevent him from breaking. She was a teacher and took her job seriously. Her late husband, Elphinstone, once mentioned how she treated the students as her own children. It seems that was true.

As he entered Olivanders, a dong sounded, signaling whoever was inside of his presence. Edmund was currently wearing hand-me-down robes, one of the few he had just purchased.

"Welcome, Ah, yes, a muggleborn, I see.….nothing to worry about young man. Just a while ago, another young man such as yourself fitted his wand. We'll get you fitted with a wand right away." Olivander spoke cheerfully, much like a man who really enjoyed his career.

Edmund observed as Olivander, used his wand to manipulate multiple tapes to measure various parts of his body. Olivander, then went on to find a few wand boxes.

"Here, try Hawthorn with dragon heartstring, 12 ½ inches."

" With all due respect, Mr Olivander, could I choose my own wand." Edmund asked politely.

" I'm afraid, that's not how it works young man." He intoned. "Its the wand that chooses the wizard, not the other way around." He spoke with a level of seriousness that stood in stark contrast to his cheerful and bubbly personality.

" I'm sorry to interrupt you Mr Olivander" He stretched his hand out, " Shall we continue."

"That's alright my boy, here try it out," He said giving Edmund the Hawthorn wand. Immediately after, he took it away. "No, no, not this one. Try this, yew, 13 inches, dragon heart string." Again he took it away within a second after handing it to Edmund. Edmund, although, a bit annoyed, didn't comment. The man was clearly enthusiastic and gave it his all. Edmund also came to realise his own lack of common sense or perhaps better described as magic - sense.

After spending close to 15 minutes trying out various wands Edmund found his match.

" Elder and dragon heartstrings, 13½ inches." Olivander spoke with delight, a smile tugging on his cheek. "Elder makes one of the most powerful wands but its incredibly stubborn and is only fully subjugated when the wizard outshines all his peers." His face flushed. " Wizards and witches who were able to truly gain ownership of their wands have done great things. And the dragon heartstring strengthens all its characteristics." His expression quickly cooled down " But if you are unable to master it by the end of your first year, I would suggest you exchange your wand for another." Once again his expression turned hopeful " if you truly gain its trust, then you will be destined for great things."

Edmund wasn't sure whether it was Ollivanders usual sales pitch. Even so he couldn't help but be excited.

He soon calmed down and thought of immediate needs, Pondering if he had anyth else to ask.

He looked at Ollivander, who was arranging his shelves"Mr Olivander, where do you think is a good place to store wands"

"why, your pockets or robe sleeves would do, but if you want to, you could buy a wand holster."

After thanking Olivander, he strolled forward to finish his errand.