Chapter Text
Luz sat in her room, tears streaming down her face. She was unable to process what had just happened.
How could they do this to me? she thought, heart aching with betrayal.
She dove under her favorite blanket, the soft fabric cocooning her like a shield. It usually helped her calm down, and tonight, it did. After a few minutes of wallowing, she peeked her head out, sighed, and grabbed her laptop.
She typed with grim purpose.
A few seconds later, her worst fears were confirmed.
“First they leave me on a cliffhanger, and now I have to wait a year and a half for Good Witch Azura 2 to come out?!” she wailed.
Her face twisted into a mix of horror and heartbreak. She slammed the laptop shut and snatched her battered Good Witch Azura book off the nightstand, flipping desperately toward the end.
“They didn’t even add the scene where Azura saved Hecate in the Cave of Mysteries!”
She placed the book down gently—Luz could never bring herself to mistreat a book, no matter how mad she was—then hurled a pillow across the room. It bounced off the wall with a dull thump, just as a sharp crack of thunder echoed outside.
She jumped. That... wasn’t in the forecast.
Curious, she opened her window. No rain. No storm clouds. The sky was an eerie, shimmering grey blue.
Weird, she thought.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang, cutting through the silence. Luz froze.
She crept into the hallway and listened.
“Hello, is Luz Noceda home?” a woman’s voice said.
It wasn’t familiar—and definitely not a kid’s voice either. Luz peeked around the corner and spotted her mother standing in the doorway, tense and suspicious. Opposite her stood a tall woman with short orange hair, golden-yellow eyes, and a grin that was somehow both amused and slightly unhinged.
The stranger noticed Luz immediately and lit up.
“There you are,” she said, like she’d been waiting for this moment for a long time.
They sat at the kitchen table, Camila stiffly offering the stranger a cup of coffee. The woman—who had introduced herself as Eda Clawthorne—gratefully took it and sat with one leg draped over the other, like she owned the place.
“I know this is going to sound crazy,” Eda began, “but let's just get to the point. Luz? You’re a witch.”
Luz blinked. “I’m a what?”
“A witch,” Eda repeated cheerfully. “You’ve got magic in your blood, kid. Enough of it to blow out the lights in this house if you’re not careful.”
Camila looked between them, pale. “That’s... impossible. Magic isn’t real.”
Eda snorted. “Oh please. You’re sitting here with me. You think this hair comes from a box?”
Luz gaped as Eda reached into her coat and pulled out a thick envelope, sealed with red wax and a golden emblem: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Eda slid the letter across the table. Luz stared. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest.
“This... this has to be a prank, right?”
“Nope.” Eda leaned back. “You’ve been accepted. Hogwarts is the best magical school in the world. And you, my dear, have officially been invited.”
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“Amity.”
Odalia Blight’s voice cut through the air like a blade.
Amity turned from the window, schooling her expression into something polite and blank.
Odalia stood in the doorway, holding a letter. Its wax seal glittered in the lamplight. Without a word, she stepped inside and handed it to Amity.
“It arrived this morning,” she said. “And with it, expectations.”
Amity opened the envelope with careful hands, her eyes scanning the parchment. Dear Miss Blight… accepted into Hogwarts School…
“You are a Blight,” Odalia continued, pacing slowly. “You will represent us well. Keep to proper company. Focus on your studies. Do not embarrass the family with foolishness or emotion.”
Amity nodded silently.
“I want you to begin reading Hogwarts: A History tonight,” her mother added, placing a thick, ancient-looking book on her desk. “Know the house system. Know the staff. Know the rules. No excuses.”
Then she turned on her heel and left.
Alone again, Amity sat quietly for a moment, her eyes drifting back to the Hogwarts letter.
Slowly, she stood and made her way to her room, letter clutched to her chest. As she walked, her mind began to drift...
She saw herself walking through massive stone halls, her footsteps echoing beneath floating candles. She imagined laughing with friends in a cozy common room, the walls lined with books and bubbling cauldrons. She saw enchanted staircases twisting in midair, secret passageways opening behind moving portraits, magical creatures roaming the grounds.
She imagined casting her first spell.
Learning charms. Flying lessons. Dueling practice. Library research. Owls delivering notes at breakfast. Her own wand, perfectly suited to her.
And, if she let herself hope—maybe, just maybe—freedom.
A place where she didn’t have to be the “perfect Blight.”
Amity smiled to herself. A real one.
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Back at the Noceda kitchen, Eda was now rattling off information at lightning speed.
“You’ll need to pick up your school supplies from Diagon Alley. I’ll take you both. There’s a shop called Ollivander's—you’ll get your wand there. The wand chooses the witch, remember that. Oh, and you’ll need robes—black, standard issue, boring as dirt. But we can customize those later.”
She reached into her coat again and pulled out a folded list, sliding it across the table.
Luz picked it up.
Hogwarts Required First-Year Supplies:
- 1 Wand
- 1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
- 1 set of glass or crystal phials
- 1 telescope
- 1 set of brass scales
- 3 sets of black school robes
- 1 pointed wizard’s hat (black, for formal occasions)
- 1 pair protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
- 1 winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
- Course books (listed separately)
Luz’s eyes widened as she scanned the list. “This is like... my dream.”
Eda grinned. “Wait ‘til you see the bookshops. You’ll be in nerd heaven.”
“And the houses?” Camila asked, clearly overwhelmed but trying her best.
“Oh, right.” Eda held up four fingers. “There are four: Gryffindor, for the brave and reckless. Ravenclaw, for the smart and quirky. Hufflepuff, for the loyal and weirdly good at baking. And Slytherin, for the cunning and ambitious. You’ll be sorted on your first day—magic hat, whole ceremony, very dramatic.”
Camila looked at Luz, worried. “And she’ll be safe there?”
Eda’s grin softened, just a little. “As safe as anywhere. Safer, honestly. She’s not the only one out there who’s... special.”
She handed Camila a small golden coin.
“If you ever need me, whisper my name into this. I’ll come running.”
Camila held it for a moment, then nodded, slowly.
She turned to her daughter. “Are you sure you want this?”
Luz nodded immediately. “I’ve never been more sure.”
Camila closed her eyes, took a long breath, and said the words Luz had been praying to hear.
“Okay. You can go.”
That night, Luz sat on her bed, Hogwarts letter in hand, heart thundering in her chest.
Magic was real.
She was going to Hogwarts.
She had no idea what waited for her there—but she was ready to find out.