Brian Potter lived a rather unextraordinary life. He was from the suburbs of Lexington, Kentucky. In a month, he’d be starting his senior year in high school. All summer, he’d been serving fish at Long John Silvers. It wasn’t the way he’d wanted to spend his vacation, and, unfortunately, he smelled like the fish, too.

Even more unfortunate was the fact that today was his birthday. He’d asked off, but several of his co-workers had gotten sick. Food poisoning, ironically enough. And they’d eaten the leftovers from here last night. Go figure.

“Um, enjoy your meal,” Brian said half-heartedly, wondering how many customers were going to meet the same fate as his fellow employees. He’d tried to warn a few at the start of his shift, but some thought he was kidding, and others thought he was just crazy. They had all decided to risk it.

Since that was the last order of the night, Brian began to clean up. “Happy birthday to me,” he said to himself gloomily. When he finally headed home, his family was asleep. His mom had left a note, promising a birthday dinner the next night he had off from work. Only his cat greeted him.

Well, not so much him as the fish aura that surrounded him. “Hey Missy,” Brian said, throwing his uniform on the floor for her to continue to sniff. He put on a pair of PJ pants and went outside. He sat down on the swing on the deck, looking at the stars. Brian wondered if it would be different once he was a senior, and then when he graduated. Once he could make some decisions about his future. He felt like he was missing something in his life, although he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He felt like he was supposed to be doing something…

What that “something” was, he couldn’t figure out. But it was definitely more than serving seafood.

More like poisoning customers, he thought.

Brian laughed at himself. What fast food worker thought that was what he or she should be doing? Who wouldn’t want more out of life than minimum wage and disrespect? He was getting overly dramatic. He glanced at the kitchen window. Through it, he could see the clock hanging on the wall. 11:57, the time Brian had been born. He was officially seventeen now. He waited to see if it felt any different than sixteen.

Nope.

Brian was about to go back inside. He took a last look at the stars and noticed that one of them was moving. He started to make a wish, assuming that it was shooting star. However, Brian soon realized that the star was falling.

Towards him, to be more specific. It was getting bigger and bigger. Brian couldn’t believe his eyes. He started to run for cover, but he tripped and got tangled in the hose, landing face first on the deck. When he turned, it was too late to move out of the way. He covered his face, waiting for impact.

There was a small “boom,” but nothing else happened. He opened his eyes again. The light was still there. “What the heck?”

“Hey. What’s up?”

Brian was startled that someone had actually responded. Looking up, he noticed that a huge black man was standing there, wearing dark robes. He helped Brian up, and Brian realized that what he’d originally thought was a star was a headlight. A motorcycle was now sitting on his deck. The man looked too large to have sat on it, as he was several feet taller than Brian and three times as broad.

“You… that… flew…” Brian stuttered, pointing at the bike but unable to form a complete sentence.

“Of course. You think I’m going to be able to fit on a broomstick? Please.”

This seemed like an odd response. “Who are you?”

“Qbeus Hagrid. My friends call me Q.”

“Q? But…”

“Hey, I didn’t say we were friends!”

Brian started to apologize.

“Just kidding. Man, I haven’t seen you since you were a baby.”

“We’ve met?”

“Yeah, but not since you were one. I don’t suppose you’d remember.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Did you get your letters?” Qbeus asked. “We’ve sent a dozen of them. Would’ve been thirteen, but that one owl didn’t make it across the pond to America. Not the easiest trip, you know,” he rubbed his butt, which was obviously a little sore from sitting on the bike.

Brian didn’t know how to answer that. He couldn’t see any owl flying over the ocean. “I have some letters in my room. Mom keeps putting them on my dresser, but I haven’t gotten around to opening them yet. Is that what you’re talking about?”

Q rolled his eyes. “Teenagers. When your parents died…”

“My parents didn’t die. They’re inside,” Brian felt a wave of relief. Maybe this man was confusing him with someone else.

“Those are your adopted parents,” Q corrected.

“I’m adopted?”

Q pulled a bat out of his robes, pointing it at the house. He murmured something that sounded like “achoo.”

“God bless you.”

Q simply laughed, giving him a mocking smile. Brian heard a window open and saw a letter sailing through the air. Q caught it.

“That’s impossible.”

“Improbable. If only you’d learned to speak English like the English. I have something to tell you. Something that is going to come as a shock.”

“More shocking than finding out that I’m adopted?” Brian asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Qbeus said, taking a deep breath. “You’re a Britain, Brian.”

“I’m a what?”

“A Brit. We brought you to America when you were just a baby, like I said.”

“Why?”

“Uh…” Q looked flustered. “To find you a family, of course. But it’s time for you to get your wizard education.”

“What? I’m a wizard?” Brian was really having a hard time processing everything now.

“Huh? Oh, right. You didn’t know that either. Well, you would’ve if you would ever bother to open your post. Yes, you are a wizard. But I’m sure you’ve realized by now that you had magical ability.”

Brian shook his head.

“Haven’t you ever made anything happen? Anything that you couldn’t explain?”

Brian scratched his head. “I turned the TV on once, right when I thought about it.”

Q started to look pleased, but Brian continued.

“But I think I just accidentally sat on the remote.”

Now Q rolled his eyes. “You haven’t accidentally used magic? Say, you wanted to fly,” he motioned to his bike.

“I’m afraid of heights.”

“You wanted to find out what was going to be on a record before it was released.”

“I go to google and find a music site.”

“You were sitting and home and wanted to be somewhere else.”

“I get in my car.”

Q looked exasperated. “You didn’t ever just sit there and wish for it?”

He obviously didn’t know how hyper active Brian was. If he wanted to do something like that, he went and did it. The things he wished for weren’t so trivial.

“Technology,” He handed Brian the letter, shaking his head. “Maybe this will do a better job of explaining everything.”

Brian opened the envelope.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Kevin Dumbledore

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

Dear Mr. Potter,

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

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Brian looked back to Q, after scanning a bit further. There were more details about the school, as well as a list of supplies. “Why does this say that Hogwarts is for eleven year olds?”

“Well, wizards begin their education at eleven and finish at seventeen.”

“But then why am I starting now? I’d be in my last year.”

“Yeah, err… We did such a good job hiding you that when it came time to find you again… the paperwork was lost.”

“Hide me? From who?”

“Uh…” Q looked uncomfortable again. “Muggles.” Seeing the questioning look on Brian’s face, he added, “Non-magic folk.”

This made no sense, as Brian had spent his entire life surrounded only by “muggles, as Q called them. He started to say so, but Q cut him off.

“Kid, you are too smart for your own good. Where’d you learn to question everything adults tell you?”

“America,” Brian remarked.

“Anyways, we finally relocated you a few weeks ago, but I wanted to wait until your birthday. You came of age today, which means that you can do magic outside of the school now. Not that you’ve done magic inside of the school yet, but you see what I mean.”

Brian really didn’t. “I’m not an adult until I’m eighteen.”

Q shook his head. “In the wizarding world, it is a whole new Quidditch game.”

Brian felt like everything Q said simply filled him with more questions.

“Go ahead,” Q said looking around. “See that basketball? Pick it up.”

Brian walked over to it and picked it up.

“Smart alec,” Q muttered, though Brian hadn’t been trying to be one. He took the ball from Brian. “Use your magic. It’s inside of you.”

Brian didn’t have a clue as to how to go about this. “Aren’t I supposed to have a wand?”

“You’ll get one soon enough. You’ll be able to pull off something this simple, though, since you don’t have one yet. Most kids have already harnessed their magic a little bit by the time they start Hogwarts. And especially since you’re seventeen…”

Brian concentrated until he was blue in the face. Finally, the basketball stirred, just a little. As if there’d been a sudden breeze.

“Alright.” Qbeus didn’t look the least bit impressed. “Well, you clearly won’t be at the top of your class, but I’m sure Dumbledore will be able to do something with you. Just be at Kings Cross Station on September first like the envelope says. Oh, and here,” Q fished something out of his pocket. He gave Brian another piece of paper. “Here are some directions to Diagon Alley. That’s where you’ll be able to buy your school supplies.”

Brian looked at the piece of paper again. “Where is King’s Cross Station?”

“London.”

“London? As in England?”

“Dude, weren’t you paying attention when I told you that you were a Brit?”

“How am I supposed to get to England?”

Q shrugged. “I guess a muggle plane.”

“I thought that the school would be in America…” Brian now knew how foolish that was since, as Q had just reminded him, he was from England. The British lived in Britain.

“Right, like there’s any magic in this country. Americans rely too much on technology to realize the magic that lives within them. Even you, with such a magical background, can’t levitate a basketball at seventeen! Anyways, at least you’ll get out of this place. I mean, sleeping under the stairwell has probably been horrible.”

“I don’t live under the stairs,” Brian said. “My room is right over there.” He pointed to a window. “Besides, it’s a one-story house.”

Q looked thoughtful for a moment. “Oh. I guess the guys at the Leaky Cauldron were just pulling my wand. Well, best be off. Have a happy birthday Brian. I’ll see you in September!”

Brian nodded, his mind still overloaded. There were so many things he was still wondering about, but Qbeus Hagrid was climbing back onto his motorcycle. A moment later, he was unexplainably sailing through the sky again, presumably back “across the pond.”

When Brian had wanted his life to be different, he hadn’t meant to find out that he had magic and was supposed to be relocated to England to finish up his schooling. Being upgraded to a Wendys where he wouldn’t smell of fish would’ve sufficed for the present.