The Owl Comes Tonight [Harry Potter]

After visiting Universal Studios, I decided to write a short bedtime story for HP fans who never got their letters. (Update: It kept getting longer, and turned into a full-length story to keep HP fans up all night.)

Original male and female leads + postwar timeline + beloved original characters make occasional appearances. Not contracted.

01.

Ke Mo was a cold, distant wizard studying abroad. Before receiving an international acceptance letter from a school, he never believed in magic.

During the summer before graduating from wizarding school, he helped a classmate with a research project at Wizarding Alley in Universal Studios: "The Wizarding World Through Muggle Eyes." There, he ran into Jiang Qimiao, his old primary school desk mate, who was there for her birthday, and sat with her in the back row of a roller coaster.

Then the ride broke down halfway through, forcing Ke Mo to pull out his wand.

Jiang Qimiao, hanging upside down: "Wow, what a gorgeous limited-edition model!"

Three seconds later.

Jiang Qimiao: "...Who's flying? I'm flying!"

02.

After their amusement park encounter, Jiang Qimiao was hit with a Memory Charm and could only remember running into an old schoolmate.

On her birthday, she heard a loud crash from the balcony, then saw a bloodstained broomstick and Ke Mo, looking utterly exhausted.

Ke Mo: "The Third Wizarding War has begun. The wizarding world needs your help."

Jiang Qimiao: "But I can't do magic."

Ke Mo: "That's all right. As long as you believe the magical world exists, you can help us."

Jiang Qimiao: ?... For real, all I have to do is believe?

03.

A year later, the war was won.

The day the villain surrendered happened to be Jiang Qimiao's birthday, and Ke Mo came to celebrate with her over drinks.

"This is the third birthday you've spent with me," Jiang Qimiao said.

"No, the fourth," Ke Mo corrected. "I didn't dare come over the first time. You cried all night because your owl never showed up."

A little scene:

Roommate: "You got detention before even starting school? What did you do?"

"I held on to the owl that brought my letter," Ke Mo said. "I just wanted to take it over to my friend's house for a visit."

*

This story is mainly an exercise in handling worldbuilding and pacing. It has lots of side plots, so I can't promise daily updates. If I can finish it and tie up all the loose ends, that's a win (fist pump)!

Theme: Give me back the power you took from me!