Welcome Home

Ivy stood up from her bed, and made her way to her desk and sat down with her sketch book in hand, as she flipped to a clean page, but it was like every single bit of her couldn't find something in her room to sketch. She even arranged some pens, books, and make-up in a strange way. Not any of it inspired her at all, not even sparking a single idea.

She rested her head on her desk before she remembered something she hadn't remembered before. She had been so angry about some stupid, meaningless prank that she looked past how unique the envelopes looked. They weren't white, they were cream. That would make for some difficult shadding...then there was the interest hand written, at least that is what Matt made it look like. That would just be fun, then there was the crimson stamp that looked like it held it shut. That would be difficult, but fun.

Ivy sighed as she kept her notebook open and stood up and her way downstairs, Matt had seated him in his room laying on the floor, and using his bean bag as a pillow. He had been playing a game on his Xbox, but he fell asleep with the remote in his hands and he repeatedly died every time he got put back in the game. Ivy sighed, and walked in and clicked his game off.

"I was playing that!"He said, as his eyes snapped open and he looked up at her.

"No, you were asleep."Ivy stated, as she walked out of his room, and heard his TV click on again. She quickly made her way downstairs to try to get past her mom. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to know she was going to go get an envelope from the garbage, one that she had been so angry about earlier, to simply draw it.

"Where are you going, Ivy?"Ivy turned towards her mother who was reading a book in the living room. The women could hear and see everything, that is where Matt got it from. She could be sound asleep, and be wide awake if the slightest noise was made.

"Forgot something in my car, be right back." Ivy lied, running her hand through her. That one more of her problems. She couldn't lie, no matter what it was about, or how big it was. One time, when she was thirteen she had cheated in a quiz. When the teacher noticed that she had the answer that just the same as the boy who sat next to her, she asked Ivy about it. Of course, Ivy said she didn't cheat that she didn't know what she was talking about. She ran her fingers through her hair, and she remembered her stomach twisting. Then, all of the lockers in the in the corridor flew open, and all of the belongings to the students flew out mixing with everybody else's.

Ivy made her way outside, and remembered that her mom and moved the garbage can was moved in to the garage. Once Ivy made her way to the garage, stopped half way there. What was she even thinking? Getting a dirty old prank letter out of the garbage? Just to draw it, that was be idiotic. It would be gross as well.

"Are you looking for one of these?" A old women's voice asked, Ivy turned around. Her grandmother must have dropped by. Although, it's not what her grandmas sounded like. The voice was old, but still sound energetic, at least as energetic as a woman could sound. Ivy looked around, she didn't see anything, besides that stupid, probably ill brown cat with the black boxes around its eyes that sat in the middle of the door way.

Ivy glared at it. "You need to stop following me. Matt's prank is over."

The cat seemed to roll its eyes in an irritated way, Ivy was walking towards it. It walk past it and back inside the house. She was going crazy, she was hearing things. Even seeing things. Before she could get out, the cat stood up on its hind legs. It grew in height, her eyes turned greens, and the black boxes became glasses. An emerald green pointy hat formed on her head and an emerald cloak to match. She had grey hair on the back of her head in a bun.

"I do hope you don't plan on wearing your muggle attire to Diagon ally..."She said, raising her eyebrows.

"To where?"Ivy asked, staring at the women as if she was crazy. Still dazed, that she just watched the cat that had been following her turn in to an old women. "I'm asleep. I'm asleep at my desk, I'm dreaming."Ivy concluded.

"You most certainly are not."She stated, shocked that Ivy would even say such a thing. "I'm Miverva McGonagall, and you are Ivy-Jane Sullivan."

"How much did Matt pay you?"Ivy asked, as she looked at the envelope in her hand that she was holding up.

"Well, don't you at least want to know what it is?"She asked, Ivy rolled her eyes. She knew what it was as she took it and opened it. It was probably some annoying message from Matt telling her she fell for it.

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 Ms. Sullivan,

We are pleased 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 on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

The second page with requirements says:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WHICHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Professor Minerva Mcgonagall will arrive to bring you and Mr. Sullivan to Diagon Ally on the July 29th.

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 6) by Miranda Goshawk
Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage
Confronting the Faceless
A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

Ivy stared at it blankly, "A witch? You are telling me that I am a witch?"Ivy asked, raising her eyebrows. "Well, I'm going inside." She frowned as she walked back towards the house, the women followed her.

"I am Minerva McGonagall, I'm here to get you and your brother."She stated, her voice getting and more rigid and she became more nervice.

"No, you aren't."Ivy laughed, "Because this Hogwarts isn't real, and I am not a witch!" She stated, feeling her face flush red with anger. "I'm going to ki-"

"-Mrs. Sullivan, it's nice to see you again." The women who said she was named Minerva McGonagall said, cutting Ivy off.

"Ivy, why don't you go inside..."Her mother frowned, Ivy frowned surprisingly shaking her head. "What do you mean no?"She asked, putting her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrows.

"I want to know whats going on."Ivy frowned, following her mother inside, the old woman following behind her. "Have you known what these letters are from!?"She asked loudly.

Just as her mother was about to anwser, the women cut in. "Mrs. Sullivan, it would be best I explain..." She sighed, "Would you mind calling Mathew?"

"Minerva, I refuse to send my children to that school for the mental! They haven't attended for years, they most certainly won't be starting now!" Her mother stated bitterly.

"But, mom, what if we want to go?"Ivy shrugged. "Matt! Come down here!" She called up the stairs.

"Ivy, you were just saying that it was fake."She stated, shocked. Ivy knew that, but it would honestly would explain a lot. The strange outbursts of anything, like the lockers in school, the bursting lights on the Christmas tree, her door bursting in to flames when she was eleven and not leaving one burned mark.

"Well, it would explain a lot..."She shrugged, as Matt came down the stairs, tiered and groggy. "I just watched a cat turn in to an old women anyways...I'm willing to hear and believe anything."

Matt stared at the old women, "I'm still tiered."Matt yawned, and took the letter that Minerva held out to him. He sighed and opened it, as he read through it. Something seemed to click in his mind. He started laughing almost. "Ivy, can you believe this!?"

"Actually...I can."Ivy nodded.

"Well then, now that I have your attention."Minerva sighed, smirking towards their mother. "I assume your mother has told you nothing about your father's death and what really happened?"

"He died in a car accident."Matt stated, "We know that."

"Did you ever see the car afterwards?"She asked, raising her eyebrows. Ivy thought for a moment, she remembered clearly when her mother told her about the accident. She cried for three straight days, and didn't go to school for a week. "See, your father was a wizard. He attended Hogwarts as well, he was a member of the Order of the Pheniox. The night he died, he had a run in with death eaters, who are witches and wizards who do Voldemorts bidding. Voldemort is an evil wizard, who's dream is to put all muggle's and muggle-borns where he thinks they belong. Which is under the power of himself and other pure-bloods-"

"What are we?"Matt asked, his eyes wide.

She smiled, which the fact two kids who had no idea what she was talking about had given her their full attention. "Half-blood. Well this year, things have gotten much worse. His death eaters have caused a most of the large, and tragic accidents in the muggle-"

"What's a muggle?"Matt asked, clearly believing every words that came out of her mouth.

"Non-magical folk."She replied, "Well, we believe that every single person with magical abilities needs to be able to defend themselves."

"Ivy, this is so cool!"Matt grinned.

"Mathew, you won't be going-"

"I'm afraid, Mrs. Sullivan that their father wanted them to be able defend themselves if worse comes to worse."She paused, then glaring at her mother. "And seen you have made no effort to send them to the proper school, I had no choice but to come, with the sorting hat, then bring them to get their supplies."McGonagall stated strictly.

"Mo-"

Her mother shook her head, "No, she's right."She frowned. "I'll go make some tea." She said, walking in to the kitchen in a huff. It was very clear that she was upset, just as Ivy was going to go after her, Minerva pulled out an old, dusty hat. It was patched up and tall.

"Which one of you will go first?"She asked, Matt quickly took a seat on the couch, and she placed the hat on his head. He thought for a moment, his eyes widened at the hat began to move.

Ivy watched it closely. It had a mouth, and eyes. It spoke tiredly, and it sounded irritated as well. She watched as Matt waited, the hat pondered, Matt waited, and the hat pondered some more. "Gryffindore!"

"What's that mean?"He asked, as McGonagall took the hat off.

"The house you are put in, will be like your family at school. Gryffindore, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."She explained naming them off. "Come on now, Ivy. We must hurry so we can get to Diagon Ally." Ivy frowned and took her seat where Matt had been seated.

"Ah, interesting. Very interesting,calm...collected. Yes, very calm. Much like a Hufflepuff." The hat paused, "But you still doubt this, you doubt Hogwarts...oh, and whats this? You doubt yourself as well. You fear commitment, although you have ideas, but quickly drop it.." She paused again, "Loyal though. Yes, very loyal. You treat your friends as brothers and sisters. You will do well in three of the four houses. Slytherin, Gryffindore, or Hufflepuff..."He paused one more time. "You will go far in either, but one house will help you on your way to greatness. This house is full of people who doubt and look to their friends...yes...I know just what to do with you." He sighed, "Slytherin!"