Ink and Parchment ~ blood and bone

1

She had never been adopted however. She had tried every trick in the book. The angelic smile, modest and shy, happy and intelligent. But it was like every adult could sense something was off about her. Privately Eliza suspected the matron warned them of her before they came in. The matron never liked her and usually preferred to keep her in a corner, arms stretched straight out with heavy bibles balanced on them till she collapsed.

But that was only when she got caught.

Eliza never got caught anymore.

So Eliza grew up in an orphanage. She grew up in second hand clothes, in a crumbling room surrounded by children who hated her. She grew up knowing only her name and her birthday and the knowledge that in this world, this whole giant enormous world, she was well and truly on her own. Although all of this by rights should have made Eliza quite sad she instead acknowledged that one day it would simply make her better. After all it would be quite hard for things to get worse for her. Eliza, for a girl not even 11 yet, was very confident of her place in the world.

A letter arrived and changed it all.

Today had the feeling of a distinctly unusual day Eliza thought as she walked down the creaking stairs of the orphanage on the way to breakfast. She had been woken up by an owl hooting by her window, the matron hadn't even badgered her into making breakfast and she was now a whole year older. Being 11 didn't feel any different than being 10 did and so she didn't factor that into what made today so unusual.

No that dubious honour went to the letter she was handed as she took a seat in the mess hall. It was very rare that any of the children got mail least of all any like this. Eliza studied the letter curiously running a hand over the intricate wax seal before flipping it over.

Eliza L. Potter

Second bedroom on the third floor

Groves Residential home

It had almost everything right (although no-one called Groves a residential home, it was an orphanage and always would be no matter what fancy name they slapped on it)

The last name was new. Potter. The Dursely's never told her her last name, she wasn't sure she wanted a last name that belonged to washed up drunks like her parents. Other than that the letter information was uncomfortably correct.

Opening it up with no small amount of deliberation Eliza started reading the letters that fell out of the envelope.

Dear Miss Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment's. Term begins September 1st and we await your owl no later than July 31st

Yours sincerely.

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Eliza stared at the letter for a bit and then she stared at it a bit longer until she could make sense of it.

Making sense of it was turning out to be a very hard thing to do.

Hogwarts? Supplies? They awaited her owl? What did any of that even mean? Eliza wanted to believe it was a hoax, it would by far be the simplest explanation but some part of her couldn't deny that she believed in magic. What else could her powers be? Why else was she better than all the other orphans?

So she decided to do the most logical thing and reply, she would go up to her room and write a letter first and then worry about an owl later. One step at a time.

Dear Deputy Headmistress,

First and foremost if you are reading this than I assume I must have located an owl to send to you even without any instructions which might I say was a faux par on your end, as was only delivering my letter on July 31st when you expect a reply straight away, I can only hope this letter reaches you in time.