Phases of the Moon

0: Prologue

   In the outskirts of London, on an evening in July, an 11 year old girl named Gwen Rift lay in her bed staring at the stars plastered on the ceiling. She simply lay there, dwelling in her thoughts, as she always would. The start of a new school year was creeping closer everyday.
School wasn't anything she liked, really.

"Gwendolyn!" Her mom called up the stairs. She wondered what her mom could be calling her for at that hour. Typically her mother didn't bother her after dinner, she would leave her to do what she wanted, of course, as long as she wasn't doing anything particularly bad.

   Gwen made her way down the steps, taking her time. She watched her feet each time as she stepped down to the next stair. She didn't feel at all worried for what her mom needed her for. She was exhausted and didn't really care.

"This is for you, quite and interesting letter you got there." She wore a timid smile on her face as she held out the yellow tinted parchment, it had a deep red wax seal with a crest on it. She slowly reached to grab the letter, eyeing her mom, wondering just who would send a letter to her. Especially a letter in this fashion, she pondered on why they couldn't just send an email. "You know, that letter was delivered by an owl." She emphasized the word owl so Gwen noticed how strange her mother thought it was.

"A- An owl?" Gwen stared at her mom for a solid minute, not sure what to say, or what to think. She then turned on her heel, walking away awkwardly, up to her room. She entered her room and made sure to close the door. Gwen paused, staring down at the letter, then sat down on her bed to open it. She peeled off the wax seal and read the letter to herself.

We are pleased to inform you that, as you have the necessary talents, you have been accepted at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins September 1. We await your confirmation owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Pamela Hobgood
Deputy Headmistress

"Mom!" Gwen's exhausted composure immediately sprang to life as she frantically stomped down the stairs, almost to the point where she thought her feet would bust through the wooden boards. Her mom greeted her with a concerned look, and looked down at the parchment in her hand. Gwen came to a sudden stop and pulled herself together.

"Uh?" Her mother stumbled over her words, she took the parchment from Gwen's hand and read over it, probably three or four times to confirm what she was reading.

"Mom?" Gwen looked at her puzzled face, then suddenly her mother burst into laughter. Gwen was quite taken back as she watched her calm down. "Oh, darling, this is a joke or something."

"Uh....." She looked at the letter, then back at her mother. "But what if it isn't?" She paused, taking a breath. "You know I have a little problem." She recalled every time she ever got really angry or emotional over something or someone. Quite peculiar, she was.

   Her mom hesitated, then opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She thought for a moment in silence, it grew more awkward each second. "I guess you have a point." She looked up at Gwen. Gwen's situation was definitely out of the ordinary, whenever she did get mad, on a higher level, her fingertips appeared to turn an inky black. The first time it happened, her mother nearly fainted, she thought she had something wrong with her health. Which she did have something wrong with her, but her health was fine. "I'll write them back, dear, to confirm this isn't some prank." She surely considered that this letter was serious. Gwen thought that if this wasn't all a joke, how would it be possible? Was it the witches from the Salem witch trials undercover? Or witches with green skin and pointy noses? Gwen's mind was going wild with strange possibilities, but she didn't want to entertain the thought of it actually being real too much.