Chapter 7- A hard decision

Chapter 7- A hard decision

Jamie moved a bit closer in the terrace to see the flying owls clearly towards her. Then two owls, an large eagle owl and a smaller grey owl landed on the wrought iron Art Noveau terrace where Jamie has been standing. The two owls are both holding a letter on their beaks. The eagle owl got a blue envelope and the small grey one had an envelope that looks like it was made from parchment. then, the two owls gave it to Jamie and the eagle owl quickly set off but the small owl stayed on the terrace as Jamie went inside the room, scanning the envelopes. She realized that the blue envelope is from the German Ministry of Magic; Department of Magical Education, and the other one is from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. and most notably, those letters are for her as both envelopes addressed it in her name. What would the German Ministry of Magic and this Hogwarts school want to do with me? she thought.
"Hey dad, look at these letters..." Jamie called her dad while he is sitting on a sofa watching BBC World. Percy quickly turned his head to her and he was surprised when he saw the two letters. "Jamie, those letters might have got something to do with your OWLs result!! particularly the blue one..."exclaimed Percy.
a day after her 16th birthday, which is 3 months prior to the start of our story, Jamie took a day off from muggle school and took her OWLs on the German Department of Magical Education inside the German Ministry of Magic in Berlin along with the other homeschooled wizard students, which in Jamie's opinion, were a lot.
"Really? then im gonna open the blue one first. oh well, here goes nothing." Jamie said. She opened the blue envelope and unfolded a German letter written in fine calligraphy. It was truly Jamie's OWLs results and Jamie half anxiously and half eagerly scanned the whole page.

Ordinary Wizarding Levels results
Name: Jamie Chariss Wong
School: homeschooled. Hamburg, Hamburg DE

Astronomy: E
Potions: E
Arithmancy: E
Herbology: E
Care of Magical Creatures: E
History of Magic: A
Charms: O
DADA: E
Transfiguration: O

Note: You have been offered to take further studies for N.E.W.Ts in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry if you wish to pursue a wizarding career. A letter from Hogwarts that will notify the offer will arrive at the same day you receive this letter.

Jamie stared at her letter with great disbelief. after she took her O.W.Ls in Berlin, Jamie never thought of what career would she'll be taking, a muggle profession or a magical career? She just thought of continuing her muggle studies and maybe get a muggle career. But sometimes, she feels like she is not happy with her life as a wizard mingling with the muggles. Not only with Aslana and her friends but also she feels dreadful with her grades even though she gets high marks with it. The only muggle subject she really enjoyed is math, which she deemed like it's the only muggle talent that she got. In her social life, the only friends she got in school who believes and loves her as she is are Raimund, Inah, Henri and Dean. the rest of the highschool people who knew Jamie believes she deserved to be an outcast since they all stick like Elmers glue with Aslana and believed in everthing she says. so, even if her muggle life was really auspicious, Jamie doesn't feel satisfied at all in her life. She feels like there is something more for her other than an uncontented muggle-like life.

"See i told you that you will be great on your O.W.Ls...be happy about it." Percy said with a grin, as if he had won a six figures worth bet. Jamie looked at him, "No, i am not sad about my grades. i just feel uncertain about whether i should continue studying in muggle school or go to Hogwarts and get a wizarding career..." she said with a small frown and worry in her face. her dad looked at her and said "Just think of what really makes you believe will make you more happy about life and pursue it. i think your algebra and statistics are as great as your charms or transfiguration, but think where are you most happy doing. it's all up to you, it's your life anyway and i am here to support and help you reach for your goals.", Jamie smiled and said "thanks dad...". now she knows what is inside the letter from Hogwarts but she have to open it to find out about more concerning her offer to Hogwarts. She opened the red sticker bearing the Hogwarts crest on the envelope and pulled out a letter written in green inked clear cursive on a fine looking parchment.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Eric Darwin
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Head Contributor for the development of the Wizarding World Wide Web, Wizard of the Year 2005-Wiscontin Witches and Wizards' Institute, President, Protection For The Rights of Wizard Monkeys organization)

Dear Ms. Wong,
The German Ministry of Magic wrote to us that we should give some German wizard students like you an offer to continue studying for your N.E.W.Ts in Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
If you are willing to study in our school, please sign the consent enclosed with you and your parents/guardians' approval and send it back via owl mail.
Yours sincerly,

Ginevra Shana
Deputy Headmistress

Will she accept this deal or just continue her muggle studies? she wondered as she stared at the consent slip enclosed in the letter. then she thought deeply how will her life be surrounded by more wizards than muggles. the only wizard that she interacts with often is her father, and occationally her paternal relatives. Her life in wizarding school might be different than her life in Hamburg. Her dad told her about some things he does when he was in Hogwarts. He told her that life in Hogwarts is quite different from the muggle life she is used to. There might be perks but there might also be a negative side. If she went to Hogwarts, she might face another hard adjustment in life like she had when she first settled in Germany. Her English might be okay but she will never be able to talk to people with the two languages she was fluent in- German and Cantonese. She sometimes feel awkward talking in English, like the accent she had, Cantonese/German is something much stranger than French/Swahili. Aside the language problem, who knows people there are a lot more awful than Aslana and her friends. Maybe wizards will never accept her for who she is.
if muggles can't accept her, what's more if they're wizards? she knows nothing about British wizarding social life anyway. Then she thought what if she carried on with her muggle studies. She still had Raimund by her side and her mathematical skills shining like a star but Aslana might still bother her more, people will still torment her as an outcast and "freak" now that dreadful Johannes came in and ruined her reputation more in school. Aslana and being a "freak" aside, although she is really good in math, she doesnt know what occupation would she really enjoy doing.
She isnt interested in Architecture unlike her dad, she doesn't like being a very stressed and hectic engineer nor a math teacher since she doesnt have all the patience to teach little kids something that will need a lot of explainations, trial and errors to make them learn.
Then there is that feeling that she wants something that will fill out a missing part in her life. maybe she should really try out going to Hogwarts, in case if her wizarding life was harder than her living out "muggle style", she can go back to homeschooling next year. So it's just for the sake of experiencing what it's like to learn magic with proper magic teachers and also meet other wizards her age and a break away from muggles, especially to completely get over that Johannes. and maybe she'll discover the kind of profession she would like to do in the future. who knows what destiny might throw at her.

"Okay dad, i'll accept this offer. even if it's just for one year, but if i completed my remaining 2 years studying magic there and figured out what i really wanted to do in life at the same time, then that'll be way better." Jamie said, handling over the consent slip to her dad to sign first. "Then that's good Jamie. at least you can experience first hand on what's life studying in a magic school with proferssors, meet other wizards your age and maybe you'll find what you're looking for, which is your ideal profession, in there." Percy said as he signed the consent slip. Jamie signed her consent slip and headed towards the terrace, where the Hogwarts owl is waiting. "So, i'll just tie this on his leg?" she asked and Percy nodded. "I am so proud that my little Jamie is going to Wizards' school..." Percy said like a very proud and cheesy mother saying that her little baby doesnt wear diapers anymore, "daaad..." Jamie rolled her eyes in slight annoyance as the Hogwarts owl flew away.

That night another owl landed on the Wongs' hotel room terrace. This owl is probably another Hogwarts owl, a sleepless Jamie thought. Wearing her black embroidered kimono pajama top, pink pinstriped pajama trousers and black fluffy slippers, she went into the cold and breezy terrace and took the letter from the owl. She was right all along, it was another letter from Hogwarts. Maybe it's a confirmation letter that she was accepted in Hogwarts. She opened her letter as she went inside then read the Hogwarts letter.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Eric Darwin
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Head Contributor for the development of the Wizarding World Wide Web, Wizard of the Year 2005-Wiscontin Witches and Wizards' Institute, President, Protection For The Rights of Wizard Monkeys organization)

Dear Ms. Wong,
We are pleased to informed 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 1. Thank you for confirming your acceptance with our offer.
Yours sincerly,

Ginevra Shana
Deputy Headmistress

Should she wake up dad? Jamie thought, Maybe tomorrow morning is better. It would be bad to wake up her dad in a middle of a deep sleep, she remembered some years ago she woke up her dad in the middle of the night(to catch a late night TV show that she and Percy want to see), instead Jamie ended up feeling vexed while watching TV alone because her dad threw a nasty fit after she woke him up. Now feeling that this kind of moment is not something worth to be upsetted about by anyone, Jamie sat on her bed and looked for the enclosed list instead. She found the list and looked over it.

The next morning Jamie showed her dad her Hogwarts letter and school list over breakfast in a 60s styled British pub near their hotel. "Good timing, we received this in London and all these things can't be brought in Germany but here in London." Percy said as he ate a French toast, "But where in London dad?", "Somewhere that you might enjoy that you'll take your head off Johannes for a while and it's much, much better than Munich's Vertig Allee..." Percy winked then Jamie looked curious. "...today's itinenary is not in Buckingham Palace, Tower of London or Camden Merket, Save them for tomorrow perhaps. Today we're heading to Diagon Alley."

So after breakfast, they walked a bit and get down to a subway. They also used the subway when they were walking around in Paris. Then Jamie felt a bit sad and remembered deeply about Johannes. She perspired and shuddered a bit as she went inside and the train's doors closed tight. "I never knew the Tube would look cooler than the ones we had in Hamburg" Jamie whispered to herself as she tried to divert her mind off Johannes. Then they got off the train around 12 minutes later with 5 stops along the way. "It's far from our hotel you know..." Percy said. They passed by 3 blocks and then they passed by a street full of shops, music stores, restoraunts and cinemas. Then they stopped at a dark looking place with a sign "Leaky Cauldron" and went inside. Never in Jamie's life did she saw wizards of many kinds. There are old bearded warlocks cussing along while drinking an English firewhisky, a group of witches talking about their personal lives and goblins talking about the muggle stock market. Jamie was so amazed while Percy made their way off to an old wooden door. He opened it and they went inside which is a kind of a small courtyard with a brick wall facing them. Percy took his wand and tapped the wall 3 times. Then the bricks quivered and wriggled, then a small hole appeared and then it grew wider and wider until it became an archway onto a very fantastic cobbled street full of wizards. "Jamie, we're now in Diagon Alley..." Percy grinned at an astounded Jamie.