Mrs. Russell stepped out of the front door of her modest sized home to breath in the warm summer breeze. It had been awhile since she felt the warmth and tranquility over the recent events that took place in her's and her family's lives. It had been a year since her eldest son ran away from home and hadn't been heard of since. It was also nearly three years since Lord Voldemort disappeared leaving behind a poor orphan boy.
Harry Potter, she thought sadly. We hope you're doing fine. She then added with more sadness, Where are you, Jake? It's been four years now.
Suddenly, a small figure flying towards Mrs. Russell brought her back from her thoughts. An owl had arrived. A beautiful barn owl landed and perched itself on top of a flower pot that was nearest to the door. An enveloped letter in its beak.
"Is that −?"she asked, approaching the bird. Taking it from the bird and stroking its cheek as a thank you, it flew off. Turning the envelope over to look at whom it was addressed to, she smiles.
"Kenneth!" called Mrs. Russell from the front door towards the staircase that to the upstairs bedrooms.
"Brownie!" she called. A house-elf had apparated to the front door. She had large tennis ball sized eyes of icy blue, olive skin, pointed bat-like ears and a long, thin pointed nose like a pencil. Unlike many house-elves that served wizarding families, she wore a children's size t-shirt and trousers. She chose to serve the Russell family out of gratitude.
"Brownie at your service," she said in a high squeaky voice, bowing.
"Could you prepare breakfast for Kenneth, please?" asked Mrs. Russell.
The house-elf bowed again, "At once, Saria!" and with that, she apparated towards the kitchen. Brownie was the only house-elf that called every member of the family by name instead of 'master' or"mistress'. The entire family was really fond of her.
"Kenneth!" yelled Mrs. Russell a second time.
"What?" replied Kenneth half-asleep. He began falling asleep until he heard mumbling. "What? Say again!" He was now a quarter-awake.
"I said you have a letter from Hogwarts." Mrs. Russell said with atone of pride in her voice.
With the excitement of a Golden Snitch being caught by the Seeker, Kenneth jumped out of bed and bolted down the stairs. He couldn't contain his excitement. Kenneth had turned 11 years old in mid-January but his letter from Hogwarts didn't arrive. He was either checking the letters on the doormat inside the house or looking out the window of his bedroom every morning to see if an owl would fly by with a letter in its beak. He was starting to lose hope because he had been checking for almost five months.
"Easy, now!" laughed Mrs. Russell as Kenneth ran right into her midsection.
She was a handsome witch with dark brown almost ebony skin that glowed with radiance, high cheekbones, thick lips, a well toned build and bright yellow eyes like a hawk. She had thick dark brown almost black dreadlocks that were adorned with rings. Her hair would lighten in hue when exposed to sunlight after a short amount of time. All that made her look like a mythical elf and people would look at her with awe.
She was wearing a thick red bathrobe, slippers and her long hair was tied up in a single knot. She was trying her best not to fall over from how hard Kenneth ran into her.
"Where is it? Where is it?!" Kenneth said with excitement.
"Merlin's beard, Saria!" came a deep voice coming from the kitchen that belonged to Mr. Russell. "Give him his letter before he wets himself with excitement."
"Dad!" blushed Kenneth.
"All right, John" replied Mrs. Russell.
"Kenneth," called Mr. Russell, "open the letter in the kitchen where your mother and I can both hear you read it."
"OK." said Kenneth.
"But no running".
Kenneth then walked with speed into the kitchen with his mother following him.
The aromatic smell of coffee filled the entire kitchen as Kenneth entered. Mr. Russell was sitting in his chair by the kitchen table and was reading the Daily Prophet as Kenneth entered the room. He was a handsome wizard with pale skin, long straight dark brown hair, short beard and moustache, hazel eyes, high cheekbones and a thin build. Putting his paper down on the table and took a sip from his morning coffee.
He then turned to Kenneth and smile said, "Go ahead, open it."
Kenneth sat down and ripped open the letter as his mother sat down to drink her cup of coffee. Kenneth pulled two papers from the envelope read the first page aloud:
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. Russell,
We are pleased to inform you to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins 1 September. We await your owl no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
On the second page:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goschawk
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS
ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions
"Ah, that reminds me!" exclaimed Mrs. Russell. "Time for Hoodini to get a little exercise." Hoodini was the name of the family's Eurasian eagle owl. And with that, she got up and left the kitchen.
"Where's she going?" asked Kenneth to his father.
Picking up his paper, Mr. Russell responded, "To reply to the Hogwarts that you received your letter."
"I could do it", Kenneth said.
"It's fine, let your mother handle this."
Kenneth's father, John Peter Russell was born in Scotland and raised in Ireland to a wizarding family. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and sorted into Ravenclaw house. He was offered to be Head Boy but he declined the offer. He was a Legilimens because his family have had the ability passed on for generations. Kenneth did not know this.
After graduation he worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and a member of the Order of the Phoenix; a secret society founded by Albus Dumbledore to oppose Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
A highly respected wizard and coming from a Pureblood family, he was a modest man that held no prejudices towards Muggle-borns or Half-bloods. Knowing that Arthur Weasley had a fascination with Muggles, John was the one that founded the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. Unfortunately it wasn't well funded and it was John that paid Mr. Weasley his salary. He was one of the few wizards that was a travel correspondence for other magic branches because he liked to travel and see the rest of the world.
As a result of his job, he would be working six months of the year at the Ministry and half at the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA for short). He chose to take September to February in America and spend March to August in the Ministry so he could spend the summer with his family. Sometimes during the year, he would sneak into Grunnings, a drill-making company to keep a watch on the director of the company. The director was Vernon Dursley.
His favourite hobbies include listening to music he has collected in his travels of the world, singing (he is a former member of the Frog Choir), playing his guitar and gardening.
Kenneth's mother, Saria Estel Russell (neé Rina) was born in Botswenzi, a secretive southern African country that was hidden from the Muggle world. She had been accepted to Uagadou School of Magic in Uganda and no specified house. Because her former school had only adopted the wand in the last century, every student excelled in wandless magic. Uagadou students are famously skilled in Astronomy, Alchemy and Self-Transfiguration. With their Self-Transfiguration skills, they could transform into animals at will.
She had transferred to Hogwarts in her fifth year and sorted into Hufflepuff after a long deliberation. Remarkably intelligent, it took her only an hour to get use to using a wand. Saria had excelled faster than any student in her year and became the best duelist in the school. Many of the male students were smitten by her charm and exotic beauty, others were intimidated by her blunt, outspoken, no nonsense attitude. Many asked her out on dates but she rejected all in pursuit of her education. All that changed when she finally agreed to go out on a date with John because he was the only one that wasn't pretentious or love-struck. She and John married five years after graduation.
Upon graduation, she worked in the Ministry as a Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and also a former Order member. She has a love of magical creatures and adopted many of them to live in the Russell property. She rescued a near-dead house-elf during a raid. That house-elf turned out to be Brownie. After nursing her back to health, Brownie decided to serve the family as a free elf.
Her hobbies include dancing, reading and volunteering. Together, she and John have two sons; Jacob Aldon and Kenneth Logon.
Jacob was Kenneth's older brother that went to Hogwarts before him. He had become obsessed in proving that there were Cursed Vaults and it resulted in him getting expelled from Hogwarts for placing the school in danger. After an argument with both parents following his return home, Jacob ran away from and no one had heard from him since. When they heard the news that he was missing, Kenneth and his mother were so upset they cried. It took three weeks before they came to accept it.
Kenneth could remember hearing the argument from his bedroom but couldn't decipher what was said because his parents had casted a Silencing Charm to prevent him from hearing. Jacob gathered his belongings after the argument and gave a swift farewell to his little brother before marching out the front door. Kenneth spent the following weeks sleeping very little and crying throughout the night missing his brother. Brownie would come around to comfort him when he needed it most.
Gazing at his letter, Kenneth had so many thoughts. Thinking about when he'd be going to Diagon Alley to get his first wand. Wondering what owl he will have, how he should dress for the occasion. But there was one thought that came to mind.
I wish you were here to see this, he thought. Where are you, Jake?
"Well, chum", said Mr. Russell as Kenneth came to from his thoughts. "I think it's time for breakfast. Can't do anything on an empty stomach now, right?"
Kenneth then began to eat his breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and orange juice provided by Brownie.
"Thanks, Brownie," he said gratefully, patting her head. "That'll be all. Enjoy the day."
With a bow she and a snap of her fingers, she disapparates.
"Dad?" Kenneth said depressingly while poking his fork at the scrambled eggs. "Will Jacob ever come back?"
Mr. Russell gave a sad look. "I don't know, chum. I don't know. Let's not get wrapped up into it. Just promise you won't do what he did."
After giving a nod that he understood, Kenneth began to finish off with his breakfast.