THE BENEDICT PARENTS LOVED RULES, JOBS AND ROUTINES.
The five Benedict children, Nova, Trinton, June, Selene, and Lyra, woke up at exactly 6 a.m. every morning, any earlier was fine, that's when the parents, Pauline and Richard Benedict, were awake. Later was not fine, if they woke up any later than 6, they got the worst jobs. The family lived on and ran a farm, which meant there were lots of things that needed to be done every single day.
There were the good jobs, like collecting the mail, setting up the morning church, ❨ which meant they had to be awake an hour earlier. ❩ and do the household chores. Then there were the bad jobs; cleaning the poo, feeding the animals, tending to the weeds, and many more. Their mother Pauline claimed 'jobs are selected at random.' Though each of the five children knew the favourite children got the better jobs ❨ that would be Selene, Trinton, and Lyra. ❩ and the least favourites were to get the worst jobs. ❨ that would be June and Nova. ❩
Every morning began the same way in a local church, heads bowed, hands clasped tightly, repeating the words their parents had taught them. It had always been enough for her family, but for June... something felt missing, she felt different. Their life was simple, though the strict order filled the children with a sense of security, of knowing God's way of right and wrong. Magic had no place in that world.
That's why the letter felt so impossibly strange in her hands. Just moments before, 6-year-old Lyra came trotting through the door with the daily mail and newspaper, it was one of her jobs for the day. June stood frozen at the kitchen table, she read the letter over and over. Was it some sort of strict joke? June's head echoed the voice of her mother, from a prayer only a few weeks before. 'I reject and renounce any form of witchcraft control or manipulation over my life, body, mind, and spirit,' her mother had said, the church had recited it back, blocking away the dark magic.
Maybe she didn't recite the prayer loud enough?
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 Mrs. June Benedict,
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 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.
