Her phone’s alarm rang. Bleary-eyed, Ellen shifted under her covers and reached out for the phone on top of her cupboard, mumbling. And with practiced ease, without even looking at the phone, she hit the snooze button and went back into slumber. Or tried to rather, ignoring the rays of sunlight sifting through the curtains into her small room.

And just as she was about to fall back into sleep, her mother’s voice came from downstairs. “Ellen, dear! Wake up now, it’s morning!”

Ellen groaned. And at that moment, her phone went off again. It was as if the universe were conspiring against her, trying to do everything to get her to wake. And with a sigh, she forced herself to sit up and turn off her phone’s alarm, looking at the date at the top. It was a few days until school started up again, and a small smile broke out.

Getting out of bed, she went over to her window and opened the curtains, letting the full sunlight into her room. A small space on the second floor of their townhouse, with a slightly slanted ceiling, and big enough to fit her bed, a wardrobe, a couple of cupboards while leaving enough space for a desk and some empty flooring where she could lie down and read a book.

She opened the window to let in a fresh breeze, then wandered downstairs. The smell of eggs and bacon wafting up to her far before she reached the ground floor’s landing. The smell more than enough to wake her up.

With a small smile on her face, she made her way to the dining table and took a seat. Upon the table was a plate of pancakes stacked high, a platter of bacon, a bowl of scrambled eggs, and a large glass pitcher of orange juice. She looked at everything, the smile on her face twisting into slight confusion.

“What’s the occasion for all this?” She asked as she started scooping up a pancake and a spoonful of eggs and a single bacon.

“School’s about to start, isn’t it?” Her father said from the kitchen, starting to put away all the pots and pans into the sink. “I imagine you’re very excited?”

She was. Middle school was something she was always looking forward to, especially since her friends couldn’t stop talking about it and how different from primary school it would be. A lot more fun, a lot more freedom. She could only imagine all the adventures and trouble she’d be getting into. All the gossip and clicks. She couldn’t wait.

But then reality came crashing back to her. She realized, just as she started eating her pancakes, that she would not middle school. She was being sent away to that strange boarding school called Hogwarts. And the excitement deflated, her shoulders sagging.

Her mother, taking a seat next to her, began putting food on her plate. “What’s wrong, dear?” She asked. “I thought you’d be excited about going to school.”

“But I’m not going to ordinary school, am I?”

“No, dear,” her father said with a bright smile, moving to sit at the head of the table, “you’re going to Hogwarts.”

“Oh.”

Her parents looked at each other.

“Honey,” her mother tried, “it’ll be fun. Hogwarts is unlike any other school you’ve been to. It’s special, it’s unique. You’ll love it.”

“And I’m sure,” her father added, “the friends you make there will last you your lifetime.”

“What about my old friends? What if I wanted them to be my lifelong friends?”

Her mother hesitated. “Dear, there are some things that muggles cannot know about us. Some things you just can’t share, even with your closest friends. Having wizard friends makes things a little easier.”

Ellen said nothing, sitting back on her chair, suddenly losing her appetite.

“Give it a shot, honey,” her father said. “I believe you’ll come to love it. But, if you don’t we’ll pull you right out and put you in ordinary school. How’s that sound?”

Ellen looked up.

“Henry,” her mother said.

Her father nodded, “it’s fine, baby,” then to Ellen, “what do you say, dear? Sound good?”

She nodded. “I think I like that.”

“Wonderful,” her mother said brightening right up, “we’ll go to store later and get you some new clothes. And on the way I’ll tell you all you’d want to know.”