Receiving an Acceptance Letter

Receiving an Acceptance Letter

Wade Grey leaned against the window and saw a gray owl perched on the fence outside. It stared at him solemnly with its tawny eyes, then suddenly lowered its head, spread its wings, and gave a soft "hoot."

Wade wore a strange expression.

If he had not seen wrong just now, the owl seemed to have dropped a letter into his family's mailbox?

But...

This was only 1991. The Harry Potter novels had not even been published yet, had they?

He had been reborn into this world for eleven years. From a babbling baby to an eleven-year-old, he had always believed he had merely been reborn in Britain in his original world, and had even planned out the course of his life...

He had never imagined... that he would receive a letter delivered by an owl.

Wasn't this supposed to be a materialist world?

But... since people could be reborn, then if magic existed... that somehow... seemed perfectly reasonable...

—Right?

—Or perhaps it was just a cruel prank.

With some uncertainty in his heart, Wade pushed open the door and walked outside. He instinctively looked at the owl, and its gaze followed him the whole time, its head turning slightly.

Perhaps it was only his imagination, but Wade felt that those eyes were filled with intelligence.

Holding his breath, he opened the mailbox and took out the mysterious letter. When he saw the envelope clearly, his pupils contracted sharply, and his heart leaped into his throat.

The envelope clearly bore a detailed address and the words, "Mr. Wade Gray." The parchment felt unusually thick, and the emerald-green ink was not a commonly used color.

Turning the envelope over, he saw a dark red Wax Seal and a shield-shaped crest. Around a large letter "H" were four animals: a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake.

There was no stamp.

—Of course! Owls were the messengers! Naturally, there was no need for stamps.

Wade took a deep breath and opened the envelope with trembling fingers.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

Wade impatiently skipped the long string of titles that followed and looked directly at the text below: Dear Mr. Gray: We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... Yours sincerely, Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall.

Wade read the letter over and over again, yet still found it hard to believe—this was actually the world of Harry Potter?

He murmured unconsciously, "Is this real? Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

The owl gazed at him with wise eyes. After waiting for a while, it lowered its head to preen its feathers, tucked up one foot, turned its head one hundred and eighty degrees, and looked at the scenery behind it.

Wade froze for a moment, then turned and hurried back into the house. He rushed into his father's study, found the best envelope and embossed stationery dusted with Gold Powder, then used a classically elegant quill pen and fragrant ink to solemnly write:

"Dear Ms. Minerva McGonagall: It is a great honor to receive your letter. If this is not a prank, then I would be delighted to study at your school. However, I am unsure how to purchase the school supplies mentioned in the letter and look forward to your guidance...

With my sincerest regards, and wishing you all the best!

Wade Grey"

The ink seeped into the paper and quickly dried. Wade folded it, slipped it into the envelope, and wrote, "Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall" on the front.

When he went outside, he saw that the owl was still patiently waiting on the fence.

Wade moved closer and held up the letter. "Um... this is my reply. Please take it to Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall."

The owl extended one Claw and took the letter, then tilted its head and looked at him expectantly.

"What else... Oh, please wait!"

An idea struck Wade. He went back inside and grabbed a handful of nuts. But after he offered them to the owl, it merely lowered its head for a look, then disdainfully swept them aside with one wing and flew away.

Wade: "..."

It would not eat them?

Fortunately, it had not dropped the letter.

Back inside, Wade sat at the table and unfolded the acceptance letter again and again, his heart pounding.

Only then did being accepted by Hogwarts begin to feel real.

But...

In the eleven years since he had been reborn into this world, he had never discovered any extraordinary ability in himself—

He had never inexplicably flown into a tree, nor bent spoons with his mind, nor made a fountain pen float in midair.

Did his body truly contain magical energy?

Or was it because an adult's mind was too rational and objective, unconsciously suppressing the innate power in his body?

Wade clenched his fist, then opened it again, but still could not feel anything like "invisible magic flowing through his body."

He stared fixedly at a teacup before him and concentrated with all his might.

Clatter!

The teacup suddenly shook in midair without anything touching it, then fell over, rolled once across the table, and slowly wobbled to a stop.

Magic... was actually real...

Wade stared blankly at his palm.

After his emotions gradually settled, he dialed a phone number he knew by heart.

"Mom... do you believe... magic exists?"

Less than half an hour later, a car screeched to a stop outside. Mr. and Mrs. Gray did not even remember to remove the keys before hurriedly getting out.

Wade went outside to greet them, but before he could say hello, an oncoming hug squeezed him so hard he nearly could not breathe.

"Oh God! Oh, my God! Wade, darling, you were really accepted by Hogwarts—I'm so happy! Truly... I've waited for this day for so long—I thought—I thought you were like us, that you didn't—didn't have that chance—"

His mother, Fiona, sobbed as she spoke, too distracted to care that her tears had ruined her makeup. Wade's father, Ferdinand, held them both. Though he said nothing, his eyes were moist as well.

The more Wade listened, the more something felt wrong. "Wait, what do you mean? You—" He broke free from his parents' suffocating embrace. "You both know about Hogwarts?"

"Of course!" Fiona said as she wiped her tears with a handkerchief. "My mother, and your grandparents, were all wizards. I had hoped to attend Hogwarts since I was little. It's just..."

Ferdinand wrapped both arms around his wife and son's shoulders and guided them into the house. "Let's talk inside—so ordinary people don't see us."

After some explanation, Wade finally understood what had happened.

It turned out that his grandparents and maternal Grandmother had all been wizards, and the two families had been very close. But because of the war, Fiona and Ferdinand, who had been born amid displacement and hardship, were both Squibs—people who carried magical genes but lacked the ability to cast magic.

During the war, even wizards struggled to protect themselves, let alone two Squibs. Once it was confirmed that they had no magical abilities, they were sent to be raised by Muggle families.

Many years had passed, and they had completely adapted to Muggle life, though they had always kept their longing for the Wizarding World hidden in their hearts.

However, Wade had never shown any magical ability since birth. They had believed he was also a Squib, and in order to spare him the pain of going from hope to disappointment as they had, they concealed the existence of magic from him.

"I never expected it—I truly never expected you to be a wizard... I mean—I've actually been waiting all this time, but it was already July thirtieth and you still hadn't received a letter... I thought..."

Fiona cried and laughed at once. It took both father and son a long while to calm her down before she went to the bathroom to wash up.

After things quieted down, Ferdinand looked at his eleven-year-old son, unable to hide the worry in his eyes.

"Hogwarts... sigh, Wade... I truly don't know whether, with your identity, attending that school... can really be considered a good thing..."