It was a Monday morning, and Felicity Evans had overslept.
For her, that wasn't just an ordinary mistake—it was a rupture. She wasn’t the kind of girl who lost track of time. Usually, she woke before the first bell, early enough to steal tea from the kitchens and braid her hair before anyone else stirred. But last night, sleep had been a cruel thief.
She’d spent hours tossing under her thin sheets, caught in a loop of restless dreams. Even now, awake, the images clung to her like shadows.
A boy with brown hair—someone she didn't recognize. Voices screaming words she couldn’t quite grasp. Flashes of light, searing bright. And always, always, that same aching dread blooming in her chest—a feeling like something terrible was coming, and she hadn't even a name for it.
Now, her room was bathed in late morning sun, and the dread hit her all at once—a sudden, sharp alertness before she'd even fully registered where she was.
She sat up fast, passively registering that her roommate was already gone. June must've left for class. In her usual hurry, she probably hadn’t even noticed Felicity still asleep. June always moved like a hummingbird—a blur of motion and frantic energy.
Felicity scrambled out of bed, nearly tripping as she tore through the room for her uniform. She pulled her long socks on inside out, shoved her feet into her shoes so hard she was sure she’d bruise her heels, and yanked a brush through her hair just enough to shove it under a headband. Her hands trembled, making it nearly impossible to fasten the clasp of her watch.
Ten past nine. She’d missed half of maths already.
Relief washed over her when she remembered June was in that class too. If anyone could take perfect notes and walk her through the equations later, it would be June.
She reached for her bag and made for the door—but before she could touch the handle, it creaked open from the other side.
She froze.
"—must've just overslept, madam," came June’s voice, quiet but firm.
The door opened fully, revealing June beside a tall woman Felicity had never seen before. The stranger’s eyes were sharp, but kind. She smiled softly when she saw Felicity.
“Oh my,” the woman said. “It truly has been a while, Felicity.”
Felicity blinked, caught off guard. “You know me?”
The woman stepped into the room, June at her side. She wore deep emerald robes and held two crisp envelopes in one hand. “I’m Professor McGonagall,” she said. “It appears you’ve both received your letters from Hogwarts.”
She handed each of them a letter. The envelope in Felicity’s hand was thick and smooth, her name scrawled in perfect ink across the front: Felicity Evans.
“What is this?” Felicity asked, her voice barely a whisper.
June looked equally lost, staring down at her own envelope with furrowed brows. Felicity glanced at her, then back to the letter in her hands.
“Why don’t you try reading it?” Professor McGonagall offered gently.
They exchanged a look, then opened them together.
As Felicity read the words, something bubbled in her chest—a shaky laugh, maybe. Or disbelief. A school for witchcraft and wizardry? It had to be a joke. Magic wasn’t real.
And yet—
Her gaze caught on the crest printed at the top of the parchment. A golden lion, deep red—familiar in a way that made her pulse stutter.
She dropped the letter and crossed the room to her dresser. From the bottom drawer, she pulled out the only thing she had left of her parents: a red and gold jumper, old and worn with time.
She held it up beside the parchment.
The crest matched exactly.
“Your mother’s,” Professor McGonagall said softly. “She cared for you deeply.”
Felicity stared at the jumper, her fingers curling tighter around the fabric.
“What happened to her?” she asked.
The professor looked away for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was quieter. “She died protecting you—and your family.”
Felicity’s breath caught. “My family?”
McGonagall nodded slowly. “I’m sorry you’ve had to stay here, Felicity. We kept you apart for your protection. If you’d grown up with your brother… it would’ve made you both too easy to find.” She paused, then added more gently, “But it’s time you came back to where you belong. You’ll begin your studies at Hogwarts. And soon, you’ll meet him.”
Felicity nodded slowly, though her thoughts blurred around the word brother. She had never had a family. Not really. But someone out there—someone real—was connected to her. Was waiting.
Quietly, as if afraid to say the words aloud and make her take them back, she repeated, “I have a brother?”
She didn’t know what any of this meant, not yet. But she knew she wanted to find out.
Beside her, June finally found her voice. “What do you mean?” she asked, shaking the parchment slightly with a very real look of distrust narrowing her eyes. “Magic isn’t real.”
McGonagall gave her a gentle smile. “I understand your doubt, Miss Johnson. But I assure you—magic is as real as you and me.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said, but her voice was quieter now. Felicity knew her friend well enough to see it—the flicker of hope she was trying not to trust.
The professor stepped closer. “Surely you’ve noticed things. Odd things. Moments you couldn’t explain, especially when you were upset.”
A silence settled between them.
Felicity and June locked eyes, remembering the same night: shouting across the bedroom, windows rattling, glass cracking. They had never spoken of it again. But they had both known it was… not normal.
June’s expression slowly shifted as the memory settled. She nodded faintly.
McGonagall’s eyes warmed. “You’re both witches. Just like your parents.” She looked between the two girls, and her voice softened. “And if you come with me… I think you’ll find people who feel like family. Just like they did.”
Felicity met June’s eyes again. They were both smiling now, small and hesitant, but real. And for the first time, Felicity felt it too—a place to go. A name that meant something. A chance to stop hiding.