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"You're a witch," Dumbledore said simply.

"We did tell you that, Ellie," my father said.

"But witches are evil!" I protested.

"No. Witches are not evil. It is the people themselves that are evil. What you are is different to who you are. If you are magical, you are a witch or wizard. But if you are a horrible person, then you are evil. It is your choice of who you want to be that makes you who you are, not what you are," Dumbledore explained. 

"But if witches aren't evil by nature, only if they choose evil ... what does that make me? I didn't choose evil, but I am evil. My curse is always hurting people." I said.

"You are not cursed!" My mother exclaimed.

"Your mother is right, Ellie. You are not cursed. What you do goes beyond the natural. But it is not a curse. I have been watching you since you were quite young. You and another boy in this street." Dumbledore said, looking at my parents "I trust you've been keeping an eye out for him?" My parents both nodded.

"Living with muggles, and those muggles in particular," my father said, shaking his head "They're horrible."

"Yes, we know, Eric. But enough of that. We are here to answer questions. Ellie, fire away." Dumbledore encouraged.

"What is it that I do?" I asked.

"Right now, you haven't been trained. From what I've been told, you have elemental control, and you can do regular magic as well. When you come to Hogwarts, you can learn to control your magic before it starts to control you," he said. I nodded.

"Okay. What exactly do we do at Hogwarts? What's it like?"

"Hogwarts is a school for magic. Your parents went there when they were younger, in fact, I remember quite clearly teaching them. Since then, I have become Headmaster. I will be - well, basically the magical version of what muggles call a Principal. You will have different lessons all over the school. The Sorting Hat - which you will see when we get there - will sort you into a house. The four houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. You will have seven years of education at Hogwarts. Any other questions can be answered when you get to Hogwarts." Dumbledore explained.

"What does it look like?" I asked. He smiled.

"That is one thing you will have to wait and see for yourself," he said. I nodded. I had so many more questions, but I didn't know how to put them in words. At last, I asked one final question.

"Am I going to be different from the other students?" For the first time, Dumbledore hesitated in answering. Finally, he responded.

"Yes. You will be a lot different to the other children. None of them have powers like yours, and they all look a lot different to you. Your eyes especially. I have never seen eyes like that before, although I've done some study. Because of your power, your brain cannot store all of your magic in your body. There is simply too much magic inside of you, therefor the glow of your eyes is magical. When you learn to control your magic, you will be able to dim and brighten the glow at will. Yes, you'll be different, but that does not mean they will not accept you." he finished. I nodded as I chewed my gum, thinking.

"Ellie, you have a place at Hogwarts, but we can't force you to go. It's all up to you," my mother said. All the adults were watching me, waiting for my decision. I chewed my gum even harder while I thought about this decision.

"When can I start?" I asked. All the adults smiled happily.

"School begins on the 1st of September. Today is the 29th of July. Now, it is 4:00 pm. So, once you have read your letter, I will have Hagrid come back and take you to Diagon Alley. Eric, Julia, the Ministry will be here any minute with a case for you. Ellie, I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said. And with that, the Headmaster disappeared. I frowned.

"Who's Hagrid? Where IS Diagon Alley, he never got around to telling me that ... and I didn't get any letter at all!" I said. My parents exchanged a look.

"Ellie, look at your hands," my mother said, fighting a smile. I looked down, and sure enough ... I was holding the letter. I ripped it open and read it.

-----

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chief. Warlock, 
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr/Ms. Bayards,

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

Yours sincerely, 

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

-----

I gasped and covered my mouth, showing my parents. They grinned.

"See? Dumbledore wasn't kidding. You really were accepted, Ellie! You're going to go to Hogwarts!" my mother cried. I was smiling from ear to ear, but not because I had been accepted. Because Dumbledore had confirmed one thing.

I wasn't a curse.