Chapter 1 cont.

Gen

Gen

The Sun was shining bright over the home of Gen Taylor, but all Gen wanted was for the evening to come. This was when her parents would leave for the night and Gen could escape to her room and finally play.

"Gen, finish the dishes then go clean the bathroom." her mother ordered of her. "I want this house to look absolutely spotless, in case we bring friends over." she said in a sing-song voice. Gen hated cleaning; she would rather be playing but wasn't allowed to until her parents left for the night. She secretly wished that she didn’t have to do the cleaning; she wished that everything would just… clean itself!

All of a sudden the broom Gen was holding leapt out of her grasp, and started sweeping by itself! Startled, Gen jumped back and let out a little yelp.

"What are you doing in there!?" her father shouted. Gen quickly made up a lie, telling her father that she saw a spider, to explain her little yelp. “Well then kill it, and get back to work!” “What on earth is going on?” Gen thought to herself, as she grabbed hold of the broom. This wasn't the first time something strange had happened when she had wished for something. She shook the broom, expecting it to shake back in response, but it just stayed motionless. “Must have been my imagination…” she mumbled.

At long last, the evening came. Gen could hear her parents running around, trying to get ready to leave. After a few frantic minutes of gathering up their things, they finally left, which gave Gen a few hours to enjoy herself. She quickly ran upstairs to her bedroom, ready for an imagination-filled night of play.

As Gen threw open her bedroom door, she saw the strangest site she had ever seen. There stood what looked like an ugly little doll wearing a potato sack. It couldn’t have been more than two feet tall, and had long, floppy ears.

"Are you Miss Gen Taylor?" the strange creature asked her "Why, yes, yes I am." Gen said as she jumped back, stammering. "Who are you?" Gen asked. “My deepest apologies Miss Taylor, I’ve forgotten to introduce myself! My name is Eisa, and I’ve come to deliver a message.”

            "A message? From who?" asked Gen. "Yes, I have it here somewhere…" she said as she began to search her potato sack clothing.

"Excuse me, but… what are you?" Gen asked. Eisa looked at Gen strangely for a moment and said “Why, I’m a house elf, of course!” Obviously still confused, Gen asked “What’s a house elf?” Eisa went on to explain that house elves are servant creatures, usually to witches and wizards, but that Eisa served at Hogwarts, rather than for one specific person. Gen’s eyes widened as she heard all of this, and couldn’t help but wonder what Eisa meant… she thought witches and wizards only existed in her fairy tales! Confused, she asked “Witches and wizards? Hogwarts? You tell an interesting story, but those things don’t really exist. How can you expect me to believe a word you’re saying when you spout such… such nonsense!”

“But Miss Taylor, certainly you should know this… but you yourself are in fact a witch!” As Eisa said this, she pulled a letter out of her clothing, and handed it to Gen. The letter was addressed for Gen, and had a strange seal on it, one she had never seen before. Gen, still very confused, began to panic. “What is this? Why is it addressed to me? What do you mean I’m a witch!? What on earth does a hog’s warts have to do with this!?!?”

“Miss Taylor, please calm down! All of your questions will be answered in due time. Now then, where should I begin?” Eisa sat down on Gen’s bed, and began to think for a moment. “Answer me this: Have you ever done or seen something that seemed impossible, like it was magic? For example, have you ever seen something spring to life, and start moving all on its own, even if it wasn’t supposed to be able to?” Gen’s mouth dropped open a little bit, as she remembered the incident downstairs with the broom not too long ago. “Aha, I can see you know exactly what I’m talking about! Believe me, you weren’t going crazy when it happened, and it certainly wasn’t just your imagination. You’re a witch Miss Taylor, and Hogwarts is the place where you’ll learn to use your powers at will.”

“The letter you hold in your hand,” Eisa went on to explain, “is your acceptance letter to Hogwarts. I was sent to inform you of your acceptance, and to get your reply. It seems, however, that you may need some time to think about it. Show your parents the letter, think long and hard about it, and I’ll be back in exactly one week for your reply.” Eisa then snapped her fingers, and she was gone. She vanished, just like magic.

Gen stood in her room, very confused. How could she ever explain what just happened to her parents, and what would they think?