James awoke in a sweat. Her. He had been having many dreams about her lately. He had no idea who she was, and where she came from. All he knew was that she haunted his thoughts constantly, day and night.
He sat up and looked at the clock. 6:00. He had a whole hour before he had to leave for school. Dressing quickly, he ran downstairs for a quick breakfast. 6:45. He now had 15 minutes to make it to the bus stop.
Grabbing his coat, James set off at a leisurely walk, and began to think about the mysterious girl.
***
The longer he thought about her, the more he began to notice her features. She had flowing long hair, and her deep blue eyes were set beneath long eyelashes. He couldn't help but to think of her. She entranced him, and he sat through his classes, listening to his teachers drone on and on about countless battles and dates, he just sat and thought. That is, until a voice distracted him from his daydreams.
"What would you say, James?" Mr. Gibbs asked.
"Wha…" James stared at his history teacher, stupefied.
"The Battle of the Buldge. Who was the commander in it?"
"Um, well, you see, that was…um… general, uh…well, it was George Washington."
The class laughed, and James sunk down in his chair. Mr. Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "This is World War II, James."
"Uh, Churchill?" stammered James.
"Next time, pay more attention."
That finally knocked the girl out of his brain for a little while. For the rest of the day, James tried hard to focus on his studies and listen to what the teachers said. When the bell finally rang, James sighed with relief. Thank goodness, saved by the bell, he thought. Ignoring the teachers' Christmas wishes, James ran outside into the gently falling snow that was now dusting the paavement, eager to enjoy his first moments of winter vacation.
***
When he got home, he found himself in an empty house. But he didn't mind. He liked being alone. Only when he was alone did he have time to think. His parents always yelled at him, fro having bad behavior to a loose screw on the toilet seat. He trudged into his room and pulled out a book from his shelf. The Secrets of an Untold Tale. It was his favorite book. He curled up in his armchair and began to read. As he read, a thought began to form in James' mind, this same thought always reoccurred, yet James desperately wished for it to come true. He wanted to exist in the worlds of those he read of, with fantasic beasts and magic everywhere. What James, didn't know, though, was that something would happen today that would change his life forever.
***
The door slammed. "Happy Birthday James!" James' older brother Alex yelled.
"You bring me anything?" James ran downstairs.
"Yup. 14 punches and one more for good luck." Alex grinned maliciously and held up his fist.
James grinned. "Only if you can catch me." He ran off into the kitchen and nearly knocked over his mom. "Sorry!" James sped off, closely followed by Alex.
Mrs. Anguria smiled. "Don't knock the house down!"
They raced around the house until both had collapsed on the floor with laughter. Alex gave him his 15 punches, but James didn't complain a bit. He was laughing so hard he didn't care.
After a while, they got up and strode into the kitchen. "Where's dad?" Alex asked his mom.
Mrs. Anguria looked at her two sons. "He'll be along later, he has to finish his paperwork down at the office." James frowned. Mrs. Anguria chuckled. "Don't worry, he'll be home in time for dinner and your birthday celebration."
James retreated upstairs and read until he heard his mom calling him for dinner. They sat in silence until Alex began to tell James what his gift was.
"I thought that we might go to Five Towers Amusement Park tomorrow as my present to you." Alex suggested with a grin.
"James smile lit up. "Thanks!" Then he paused. "But wait, in the middle of winter?"
"That's the BEST time to go," grinned Alex happily.
After dinner came the cake. Mr. Anguria still wasn't home, so they started without him. After the cake, James began to open his gifts. Then the doorbell rang. James got up to get it. He opened to door. No one was there. Then he looked down. There was a large parcel on the doormat. In neat handwriting, it said:
To James Potter
Confused, he picked up the package. It was heavy. He brought it to his mom. "Mom, I think someone sent this to the wrong house."
Mrs. Anguria read the name. "No, I think it's for you…" Her voice shakily trailed off… "Open it."
James opened his mouth. "But it's addressed to a James Potter. I'm James Anguria, right?"
Mrs. Anguria laughed. "Of course you are! I think someone merely mistook your name for someone else. I really think it's for you. Open it!"
James ripped open the package. Inside, he found an assortment of items. Just then, a door slammed.
"James…" Mr. Anguria called out with an apologetic voice.
Suddenly angry, James decided to give his dad the cold shoulder. He trudged up the stairs and into his room, carrying his mysterious items.
James slammed the door for good measure. Then, he spread out the items on his bed. He flipped through the books. One of them was titled Hogwarts; A History. He picked this book up and began to flip through the contents. Interested, he sat down and began to read.
***
"John, James got the package today."
Mr. Anguria widened his eyes. "Really?" he sighed. "I was afraid this would happen soon."
Mrs. Anguria turned to him. "Well, we're going to have to let him go. He can't be protected forever. It's already way past time."
Mr. Anguria smiled weakly. "I know, dear, but I just wish that it wasn't so soon. I wish he could be safe for a little longer." He ran a hand over his face. "Well, when someone comes, we'll know when he-"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
"-screams," they both finished.
"Should we go up?" Mrs. Anguria questioned.
"No, let's let him be. He needs to know, and not from us." They both sighed and look at the ceiling where they knew James would be sitting, with a shocked look on his face.
***
A/N: Oooo…what will happen next? Why is James screaming? Is it because- oops! Can't tell you that! Find out in the next chapter!