บท 2: CORA

The summer wind was moving her hair while Cora was focused on looking at the ball ahead of her. There was no one guarding the football net a few feet away from where the eleven-year-old was standing. The garden at the back of her house wasn't that big, but it was perfect to practice her kicking, and since she was an only child, Cora didn't require too much space.

Knock, knock

Cora took a breath before kicking the ball perfectly into the net. There was nothing Cora loved more than football, apart from running. Since she was just four, she had started to love playing football. Cora still remembered when she went with her mother, Vivianne, to buy the practice net. It was probably her favorite thing she possessed. Since she had it fixed in her garden, she had played with it for at least one hour a day.

Knock, knock

The girl ran to take the ball again. She was looking forward to meeting her friend Tyler, with whom she played football once a week, thrice a week now that it was summer.

Cora had known Tyler since first grade, and they had gotten along immediately. Even though Tyler was very shy, Cora didn't mind.

She was ready to kick the ball again when her mother's voice reached her, making her turn to the door.

"Cora," she said with her arms behind her back, "Have you listened to a word I've said?" Her mother could be very strict sometimes, not as much as Cora's aunt, but she could be, and the girl was hard to tame sometimes, but she was learning to restrain herself.

"Sorry, no," Cora said honestly, but the knowing look on her mother's face let her know she was not in trouble.

The woman took a deep breath, but her lips turned into a small smile. Then she pulled something from behind her back. Vivianne was holding a letter in one of her hands, and Cora could recognize the handwriting from where she was standing.

"Do I have to go to Hogsmeade again?" Cora asked, surprised. She had gone the previous month, and she was doing well. There hadn't been any accidents in over a year, and Cora was very proud of herself.

"Darling, focus," her mother said, turning the letter so Cora could see the front. It was different from the others her aunt had sent them. The girl's eyes widened at the sight, and she saw a sigil on the letter.

"Is it from Hogwarts?" Cora asked with a smile, walking closer to her mother, who nodded her head with a smile. Cora took the letter in her hands and read the words written in green ink:

Ms. Cora McGonagall

Living room,

N. 19, Privet Drive

Little Whinging, Surrey.

She got admitted, and now it was official: Cora McGonagall was definitely going to Hogwarts.

"So cool," Cora said, reading her name again. "I have to go," she finally said before giving the letter back to her mother and turning to pick up the football ball.

"What… Where?" Cora heard her mother asking as she followed the girl into the living room.

"I'm going to play football with Tyler and the guys," she said, pulling her hair back into a high ponytail.

"Aren't you even going to open it?" Vivianne asked puzzled, looking at her daughter, who was putting a bottle of water in her bag before putting the ball in as well.

"We are pleased to inform you that you've been accepted to the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry of Hogwarts," Cora said, smiling in her aunt's voice while heading to the door. "You need a wand, stuff from Diagon Alley, and a cat, a toad, or an owl." At that, the family owl Marshmallow opened his gray wings.

"See?" Cora said, pointing at the owl. "Even Marsh knows all of that. Aunt Minnie never stopped to repeat that I would go to Hogwarts when I'd turn eleven." Cora fixed the bag on her shoulder before turning to her mother, who looked at her, almost defeated, knowing the girl wouldn't stay in the house even if she were chained to the floor.

"Not running again, Cora," Vivianne said. "Play and then get back."

Cora nodded. "Copy that," she said, making her mother smile widely. "I'll be back before lunch."

"Good girl," her mother said before turning to walk to the kitchen.

"Bye, Mum," Cora said before turning to the photo next to the TV. It was her parents' wedding day, they were hugging and smiling at the camera.

"Bye, Dad," she said before opening the door and running out.

Little Whinging was a normal neighborhood. As a muggle neighborhood is supposed to be, her aunt Minnie always said. Cora liked it, though. Vivianne had lived in their house since she was a child, and so did Cora. Muggle house, muggle school, and muggle mother. Cora frequently even forgot she was a witch if it wasn't for the owl who brought her aunt's letters and a few accidents Cora had caused due to her powers. Her aunt told her that even Cora's father had some problems with magic, like most of the young witches and wizards.

Robert McGonagall was Cora's father. He had met Vivianne almost by mistake, but they fell in love fast, even though he was ten years older than her mother.

Cora was walking fast to Tyler's house, which was just a few houses away, at number 3 of Privet Drive. Tyler had a very pretty house, but Cora and her friends usually played somewhere else since Tyler's neighbor was Dudley Dursley.

Dudley was eleven, just like Cora, and he was known among the children of that street because he and his friends liked to bully almost everyone, even his own cousin, who, unlike Dudley, was very quiet and rarely got out of the house at number four. His name was Harry if Cora remembered correctly.

She was almost at Tyler's house when a strange noise made her turn. Cora frowned at the sight of Mr. Dursley kneeling in front of the door, trying to close the letter hole in the door. She eyed him, noticing how much Dudley looked like his father, fat with small eyes. Cora shook her head, turning to knock on Tyler's door.

Her friend opened almost immediately.

"Hi, Cora," he said with a smile.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" she asked, waving her hand to Tyler's mum, who was speaking on the phone.

"Yeah," Tyler said. "I'll just grab the bag, and then we can go." Cora nodded, smiling, before Tyler got back inside. She waited at the door, turning again towards number 4. Now, even Dudley's mother was out. She was tall and skinny with an extremely long neck, and she seemed nervous looking at her husband, still kneeling on the floor.

Her mother had spoken to the Dursleys sometimes. They always tried to seem like the perfect normal family, but they always turned out very awkward, according to Vivianne. Just awkward people could have generated someone like Dudley, according to Cora.

"What in the world is he doing?" Cora asked as soon as Tyler stepped out of the house, and she heard him make a sarcastic noise.

"Who knows?" He said "They've been acting strange since yesterday" Cora saw Dudley's mum looking their direction and widening her eyes before waving to them trying to hiding her nervousness. The two of them waved back with fake smiles before starting to head to the park.

"Maybe they are just afraid of the wolf" then Tyler started to laugh "They think it will enter the house from the postbox" Cora rolled her eyes amused.

"Again, with the wolf?" She asked turning to her friend.

"Say what you want" he replied "People saw it and they said it wasn't a dog" Cora laughed.

"Grey and howling, how do you call it?" Tyler asked sarcastically.

"Not. A. Wolf" Cora said before start running "Come on, let's see who is faster".

A wolf in Little Whinging. How people could believe such thing? Someone had seen an animal running in the neighborhood for years so everyone was sure it was a wolf and always looked behind their backs when they walked in the street. But it was ridiculous. There wasn't a wolf in Little Whinging.