Amethyst Rosewood and The Joys of Independence by Melissa Nichols (bill gates books recommendations .TXT) 📖

Chapter One

July 1, 2017

 

The afternoon light shone down into a modest bedroom where eleven-year-old Amy typed away at her computer. Notes from her last semester of school surrounded her as she keyed them into the document she had opened, music playing softly in the background. There wasn’t a single sound inside the house. The silence soothed Amy and helped her focus. But the ringing of the doorbell disrupted the peaceful stillness, startling Amy. With a deep breath and a stretch, she leaned back in her chair and checked the time, finding it to be nearly six. Who on earth would visit at this hour?

 

The doorbell rang again a few moments later, and Amy could hear her foster mother mutter loudly as she hurried around the kitchen.

With the promise of her foster mother's tantrum- which, for once, was not directed at her - she left her room and stood at a spot in the hallway of the second floor that granted her a view of the front door entrance. As predicted, Jasmine Mayzer appeared out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, and stomping a bit too hard as she approached the door and wrenched it open. For only a split-second, Amy was able to see the person was a male adult. She didn't get a good look at his face before her mother stepped close enough to the visitor that she blocked him from view.

 

"What?!" Jasmine snapped, not giving the person on the doorstep a chance to greet her before she interrupted him. He barely blinked, though. He didn't appear perturbed.

 

"Good day, ma'am." He answered without skipping a beat "My name is Percy Weasley. Are you the guardian of Miss Amethyst?"

 

"What of it?"

 

"I come bearing a letter for her." He held out an envelope which Jasmine grabbed harshly before inspecting it, flipping the paper over, again and again, as the visitor continued talking. "Amy has been accepted into a school for special children, and I wish to discuss this with her. I have another letter, for you as her guardian."

 

Amy started moving toward the top of the stairway, knowing she'd be caught lurking. "AMY!" Jasmine roared as she turned to the staircase, only to quiet when she saw her foster daughter descending. "How many times have I told you not to eavesdrop?"

 

"I was curious." Amy replied, standing next to her mother and looking at the man. He was taller than Amy had thought; he towered over Jasmine by at least a foot. But despite his height and noticeable belly, he seemed kind. He smiled a lot and bent down to her level. And when he addressed her, it was with a quiet voice. "Hello, Amy. I'm Percy. How do you do?"

 

"Hello."

 

"I have mail for you, and I’d like to ask you something as well.” Amy accepted the letter from Jasmine and held it gently in her hands though she didn't read it yet. She'd have time for that once this conversation was over.

 

"What is it?"

 

"Have you noticed any odd things happening around you before? Objects moving, flowers that suddenly bloomed, or a strong wind kicking up when there wasn't even a breeze? Especially when you're upset?"

 

"Sort of. I've seen the wind thing but also I can talk to animals. Well, I mean, I talk to them and they seem to understand me, but they don't talk back but I do understand them."

 

"That's brilliant. Have you ever wondered why that was?"

 

"Is there something wrong with me?"

 

"No, there isn't anything wrong, Amy. It just means you're different is all, and that's okay because you've been into a school for different children like yourself. It's a school of magic."

 

"Magic? As in pulling rabbits out of hats?"

 

"More like flying on broomsticks and casting spells."

 

"Why does a school like that want me? I'm just an ordinary girl."

 

"You're not as ordinary as you think, Amy. You have magic. You're a witch."

 

"A witch?!" She couldn't be a witch! Witches were ugly; they had a long pointed nose with warts, cackled a lot, had black cats for pets and ate children who get lost in the forest.

 

She grabbed her foster mother's sleeve, and looked up to see Jasmine's face, shock and fear prevalent on her features- she'd never seen her mother so pale.

 

"I understand how you feel, Amy." Percy continued, drawing Amy's focus back to him. "It's a big surprise. But it's not as bad as stories nowadays make it out to be. Hogwarts School is a great place, and you'll make a lot of friends while you attend your classes. It's like any secondary school, but with magic everywhere."

 

"Where is it? I've never heard of that school before." Jasmine interrupted.

 

"You wouldn't have heard of it because only kids who grow up in the wizarding community know about Hogwarts."

 

"How long is the education, and what would happen if I decided not to attend?" Amy asked.

 

"The school year starts on September 1st and ends June 30th, and you graduate at the end of your seventh year. At Hogwarts, you'll learn how to control your magic, but ignoring your powers can have nasty consequences. Eventually, you could pose a danger to yourself and anyone around you."

 

"How long do I have to consider this?"

 

"You need to reply one way or the other before July 31st. Here's my card, you can ask me if you have any questions." He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a business card that was surprisingly modern; it made a sharp contrast against the ancient parchment from the school. "Here's another piece of information for you. The wizarding world communicates by owl mail. When you make your decision about Hogwarts, write the letter and an owl will find you. Give the letter to the owl and it will take care of it from there."

 

"Thank you, Percy."

 

"You're welcome, Amy. I hope I'll see you again."

 

"Now, that's enough. Inside with you, Amy." Her mother shooed her back into the house, closing the front door behind her.

 

Amy raced up to her room, closed the door and sat back down at her desk. Her mind buzzed and twirled with the life-changing information she's just learned. She tried to focus, recalling her conversation with Percy, but she couldn't keep one thought in place long enough to contemplate her thoughts. Needing a distraction, she picked up the letter and inspected it as closely as she could.

 

The paper was parchment, aged yellow and with a crisp texture. She'd never touched parchment before now, but she understood why it was the paper of choice a few centuries ago; the texture was very different from modern paper and it was almost fun to hold. On the face of the envelope, scrawled in royal blue ink:

 

Miss Amethyst Rosewood

Staithes, North Yorkshire

 

And on the back was a splotch of red wax with an image pressed into it, holding the flap to the paper. Amy popped open the seal and withdrew the letter, discovering two pages. The first page read:

 

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmistress: MINERVA MCGONAGALL

Dear Ms. Rosewood,

 

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,

Abilene Newman

Deputy Headmistress

 

The next page held a list of books and things to get for the new school year. She read the list over a few times, though the repetition did nothing to help her understand what these items were or how to get them, so she laid on her bed.

 

A school of magic, teaching magic courses for magic children, in an unknown location. She had until July 31st to reply, and when she did, she needed an owl that would magically sense her needs and help her. How on earth does stuff like that even work? A tap at the window drew her attention, spurring Amy to rise from her bed and open the only window that still worked. Cobble, a pigeon she had once nursed back to health after a group of boys threw stones at it and hurt its wing, perched on the windowsill.

 

"Hey, Cobble. How are you? You never come to visit anymore. I guess you're too busy with your chicks, aren't you?" The pigeon trilled and looked towards its nest, which Amy could see in a tree nearby. "I bet you're hungry, huh? Summer's in full swing, and houses are lying empty. Not enough people out on the streets to bring you bread. Well, don't you worry. I've got seed for you."

 

Amy walked to her desk, opened a drawer at the bottom, and came back a few moments later with a measuring cup full of birdseed. She placed the cup beside Cobble, who trilled happily and began to peck at the food.

 

"So, guess what? I'm a witch. I can do magic. And they want me to attend a school for magical kids. I'm not sure where I'd be able to find the things I'd need, but it's worth being away from here, right?"

 

Cobble looked up at Amy and cooed in a way that Amy knew meant the pigeon was agreeing with her, before she went back to the cup.

 

"It sure sounds exciting. Casting spells, mixing potions, riding on brooms. Making new friends, meeting new people my age who don't care if I'm a freak. And I'll be away from here for a whole year."

 

The pigeon cooed again but Amy didn't hear. She was too deep in her imagination to notice. All she could see was her packing a trunk full of clothes and magical books, saying goodbye to her mother and the pressures she demanded, and boarding a plane with a smile on her face, maybe with a new pet in tow, and not returning until next June. The vision had her so happy, so excited, that she knew her answer even before her mind drifted back to the present.

 

This was a significant moment for her. Never had she been so enthralled by an idea, so ready to pack her things and leave her familiar life. But she couldn't stand another year here, struggling night after night for the best grades, with every child in school calling her names during the day. And it wasn't like she could turn to her mother for comfort; Jasmine almost never helped Amy solve her problems and only added to them with threats of punishment if she failed a test. That was the way her life had been up to this point, too much studying and not enough fun. Her life was passing her by and she needed to do something. Could Hogwarts be the answer? Amy supposed, at the very least, Hogwarts would be better than here.

 

"Well...I guess that's it then. I will write that letter and tell Deputy Headmistress Newman that I want to attend. That's what I'm doing." She rushed to her desk, shoved her papers aside and dug out a new sheet. She grabbed her pen and wrote:

 

Dear Deputy Headmistress Newman,

 

Thank you for accepting me into Hogwarts School. I would very much like to attend the upcoming school year. As I was not raised by wizarding parents, I am unaware about how to get to Hogwarts or where I need to purchase my school supplies. I would appreciate this information and anything else I might need to know. Thank you so much!

 

Yours truly,

Amethyst Rosewood

 

When Amy was satisfied with her letter, she folded it and tucked it into an envelope she fashioned out of regular paper and sealed the flap with tape. Using the original letter for the return address, she filled out the mailing information on the front. The moment she finished it, a flapping of wings drew Amy's attention back to Cobble, who had taken flight, and in her place now was a pure black owl.

 

"Percy was right."