On August 10th Jane woke up and pushed the covers off with her feet. She slowly stretched out, and then, mid-stretch, she remembered what the day was. Jumping out of bed she rushed to the shower.
This was a very special day for Jane. Today, Jane was moving to England!
She hadn't been planning this move for very long; less then a month in fact. But once she made the decision, everything sort of fell into place; like magic.
Now most people wouldn't just decide to move to another county without giving it a lot of thought. But, well, Jane wasn't most people. Jane wasn't the kind of person to methodically plan. She was the kind that jumped right in and let the world lead her where it willed.
Had she always been like that? Well, Jane often wondered that same question, because Jane can only remember as far back as about three years ago.
Jane is a mystery.
One day Jane woke up in a hospital bed in Savannah, Georgia without any clue as to who she was. Despite the fact she'd been unconscious for over three months, as far as the doctors could tell, she was perfectly healthy. No signs of any trauma to the head. She talked to psychiatrists. She spoke to psychologists. She even conversed with a lady who put her under hypnosis. But after it was all done, she still had no clue who she was; nor did anybody else.
The police were baffled. They couldn't find any leads. No identification of any kind. No missing person report. Not even any dental records! The only item she had been found with, other then the clothes on her back, was a delicate silver ring linked through a thin silver chain. All they knew was she talked funny, and was obviously not from around there.
Eventually, the hospital let her go - she was healthy after all. The town hall issued her identification under the name Jane Thorn. She chose Jane because everybody at the hospital had called her Jane Doe, and she was rather fond of the Jane part. And Thorn because some of the hospital employees would bring her flowers, roses specifically (which she loved), and she would always laugh at herself when she was pricked by the thorns.
She stayed in Savannah for about a year. She loved being close to the ocean, and was fascinated by the natural beauty there. But, it just didn't feel right. So after about a year she moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
She liked it better there. Philly didn't have the natural charm of Savannah, but it did have a rich history she loved. And she found the busy city fit her well.
She had survived that year by doing odd jobs for the hospital. And when she decided to move, everyone who worked there was sad to see her go. She had been a favorite patient and worker, but they knew she needed to find out about her past. So a group of people called Friends of the Hospital helped her with the expenses to get to Philadelphia. Some people at the hospital used their connections to find her a small apartment. They even helped her get a job with a daycare center only a block from where she lived.
Jane loved working at the daycare! She was a natural with kids.
Jane made friends easily. But she yearned for family, and she knew Philadelphia wasn't where she would find them.
Jane loved looking at travel guides. She was always attracted to the ones about England. So once she made up her mind to leave Philly, London was her destination of choice. And today was the big day!
Once she showered and finished off her packing a friend from the daycare drove her to the airport.
Jane didn't like airports. There was something about flying around in a big piece of metal that didn't feel right to her. And she couldn't help wondering how they managed to stay up? Despite her fear, she boarded the plane and made the journey over the ocean to the one place she really felt drawn to.
Arriving in London, a rental agent picked her up from the airport and took her to her furnished flat on Tottenham Court Road.
Jane was exhausted! If she had still been in Philadelphia, it would have been past midnight. So she dropped all her things by the entrance and set off to find her bedroom. She would unpack later.
Her plan was to get a good nights rest, and explore the city the next day. Maybe look for any daycares that needed extra help.
But Jane's day would not go as planned.
After only a few hours of sleep, at 9am, London time, she was awoken by a tapping sound. Sitting up she looked around for the source of the disturbance. Then she heard it again.
Tap, tap, tap.
It seemed to be coming from the window. She turned her head, and sure enough, sitting on the window ledge was a small tan owl, tapping on the glass.
As odd as this sight was, it wasn't the first time Jane had seen owls acting strangely. During her two years in Philadelphia, she would occasional notice envelopes lying on the doorstep of her apartment. She had never really paid them much attention, until one morning when she walked out of the building and was surprised by an object falling out of the sky and hitting her on the head! Looking up, she saw an owl soaring away. And when she looked down she saw another of those envelopes laying on the step. It appeared to have a name written on it; 'Weasel' or something. Jane didn't observe it too closely.
And now, here she was, over 3000 miles away, staring at an owl pecking at her window.
Jane rolled off the bed and walked over, planning to shoo the owl away, but as soon as the window opened, the bird hopped in. Then it did something very bizarre. Carefully balancing itself, the owl kicked one of its feet in the air. And that's when Jane saw the small envelope tied to the animal's leg. It seemed to be waiting for something. So she bent down and untied the envelope. As soon as she did, the bird jumped back to the window, and flew off.
Jane was perplexed.
Written in bright red across the face of the envelope was the name, 'Ginny Weasley'.
Ginny Weasley. Weasley. Maybe that was the name she saw on that other envelope!
Jane began to pace the room, trying to decide whether or not to open it. It wasn't for her; but it was brought to her.
After some consideration, she opened it.
Dear Ginny,
Happy Birthday love! I hope you're well, wherever you are. Your father keeps telling me to quit writing you, but I tell him, that I will continue to write until a letter comes back undeliverable!
Things here are fine. George's shop is doing so well. Ron's working there now! I think he is close to proposing to Hermione. But he never tells me anything, of course, so I can only suspect. Charlie got a rather nasty burn a few months ago. He came to stay for a few weeks after that. I think they were pushing him a bit hard. Percy met a girl recently, Audrey something. She's very nice. He still doesn't come home for family dinners much but it's getting better I think. Your father has added quite a bit to his muggle collection out in the shed. The latest contraption he brought home was something called a Food Processor.
The house seems so quiet with you gone. Ron's made a habit of staying at George's a few nights a week, and on the weekends he's off with Harry or Hermione. Harry is, well, he's Harry; brave front and all that.
We all miss you terribly dear and send our love. If you get this, come home to us or at least drop us an owl. I know I ask every time, but one day I know you will.
All my love,
Mum
Whoever this Ginny person was, it was clear her family missed her. Jane thought for a minute and decided she needed to reply; let this poor woman know the letter had not reached her daughter. The letter said to 'drop an owl'. Where would she find an owl? And how would she make it send a letter?
Feeling rather frustrated, Jane decided she needed to take a walk and clear her head.
Grabbing a jacket, Jane headed out her door, stuffing the letter in her pocket. As she walked down the streets of London, she looked through all the shop windows she past by; but didn't go in any of them. She just kept walking; not really paying any attention to where she was going.
Looking up at the shop signs, she saw one that read, The Leaky Cauldron. The name was very intriguing, and she decided to go in and see what sort of place it was.
Stepping through the door, she instantly decided it was not your typical shop. It looked like a pub of some sort, but every single person was dressed in a most peculiar way. Jane let out a small laugh as she took it all in. Then she spotted a man sitting at a table with an owl perched on his shoulder. Jane couldn't believe her eyes! Taking a deep breath, she walked up to the man.
"Excuse me sir," she said, "I couldn't help but notice the bird you have sitting on your shoulder."
"Oriel." He said.
"Pardon me?"
"Her name is Oriel. A beauty isn't she!" The man cast a loving look at the creature.
"Um… yes. A beauty," Jane replied. "Like I said, I couldn't help but notice her, and I was hoping you could help me with something. An owl came to my window this morning, and left this at my flat." Pulling out the letter, she held it up for the man to see. Jane had expected some sort of reaction; an owl delivering a letter! But he just sat there, as if it was a perfectly normal thing to have happen. So she continued on, "I wanted to send a reply to the woman who sent it to me, but I'm not sure how. Could you help me?"
The man gave her a puzzled look. "Help you? Do you want to borrow Oriel?"
"I suppose? I've never sent anything by owl before. I'm not sure how it works."
"Never sent anything by owl?" He sounded rather astonished.
"No sir."
"Well, certainly I can help! Where's your parchment?"
"Parchment?"
"You don't have any parchment? I'm afraid I don't have any with me dear. I suppose you can write on the back of that one," he said, pointing to the letter still clutched in her hand. Standing up he walked over to the bar and spoke to a man behind the counter. A minute later he returned with a large feather in his hand, which he handed to her. Taking the feather she stared at it for a second, and then noticed the bottom was sharpened and appeared to have ink on it. Catching on, Jane neatly scribbled a message on the back of the letter.
Dear Madam,
I received this earlier today. I'm sorry to say it did not reach your daughter Ginny.
Apologies,
Jane Thorn
It didn't sound very pleasant, but Jane really didn't know what to say. She handed the paper to the man.
Looking down at it, he said, "Where should it be sent?"
"Oh, I'm not sure! There was no address."
"You don't need an address dear; just write down who it's for. Oriel will find them!"
Taking the letter back, Jane thought for a moment before deciding on 'Ginny's Mother'. She had no idea if that would be enough to find the woman, but without knowing an actual name it was the best she could do.
After the owl flew off, Ginny extended her thank you to the man and left the pub; laughing at herself over what she had just done.
So caught up in replying to the woman's letter, Jane didn't pay any attention to the tall man with bright red hair that walked in. Too busy laughing at herself, she missed the loud gasp that came from the other side of the room. And because she didn't linger, Jane never heard the sound of a glass shattering as it hit the stone floor.
This was a very special day for Jane. Today, Jane was moving to England!
She hadn't been planning this move for very long; less then a month in fact. But once she made the decision, everything sort of fell into place; like magic.
Now most people wouldn't just decide to move to another county without giving it a lot of thought. But, well, Jane wasn't most people. Jane wasn't the kind of person to methodically plan. She was the kind that jumped right in and let the world lead her where it willed.
Had she always been like that? Well, Jane often wondered that same question, because Jane can only remember as far back as about three years ago.
Jane is a mystery.
One day Jane woke up in a hospital bed in Savannah, Georgia without any clue as to who she was. Despite the fact she'd been unconscious for over three months, as far as the doctors could tell, she was perfectly healthy. No signs of any trauma to the head. She talked to psychiatrists. She spoke to psychologists. She even conversed with a lady who put her under hypnosis. But after it was all done, she still had no clue who she was; nor did anybody else.
The police were baffled. They couldn't find any leads. No identification of any kind. No missing person report. Not even any dental records! The only item she had been found with, other then the clothes on her back, was a delicate silver ring linked through a thin silver chain. All they knew was she talked funny, and was obviously not from around there.
Eventually, the hospital let her go - she was healthy after all. The town hall issued her identification under the name Jane Thorn. She chose Jane because everybody at the hospital had called her Jane Doe, and she was rather fond of the Jane part. And Thorn because some of the hospital employees would bring her flowers, roses specifically (which she loved), and she would always laugh at herself when she was pricked by the thorns.
She stayed in Savannah for about a year. She loved being close to the ocean, and was fascinated by the natural beauty there. But, it just didn't feel right. So after about a year she moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
She liked it better there. Philly didn't have the natural charm of Savannah, but it did have a rich history she loved. And she found the busy city fit her well.
She had survived that year by doing odd jobs for the hospital. And when she decided to move, everyone who worked there was sad to see her go. She had been a favorite patient and worker, but they knew she needed to find out about her past. So a group of people called Friends of the Hospital helped her with the expenses to get to Philadelphia. Some people at the hospital used their connections to find her a small apartment. They even helped her get a job with a daycare center only a block from where she lived.
Jane loved working at the daycare! She was a natural with kids.
Jane made friends easily. But she yearned for family, and she knew Philadelphia wasn't where she would find them.
Jane loved looking at travel guides. She was always attracted to the ones about England. So once she made up her mind to leave Philly, London was her destination of choice. And today was the big day!
Once she showered and finished off her packing a friend from the daycare drove her to the airport.
Jane didn't like airports. There was something about flying around in a big piece of metal that didn't feel right to her. And she couldn't help wondering how they managed to stay up? Despite her fear, she boarded the plane and made the journey over the ocean to the one place she really felt drawn to.
Arriving in London, a rental agent picked her up from the airport and took her to her furnished flat on Tottenham Court Road.
Jane was exhausted! If she had still been in Philadelphia, it would have been past midnight. So she dropped all her things by the entrance and set off to find her bedroom. She would unpack later.
Her plan was to get a good nights rest, and explore the city the next day. Maybe look for any daycares that needed extra help.
But Jane's day would not go as planned.
After only a few hours of sleep, at 9am, London time, she was awoken by a tapping sound. Sitting up she looked around for the source of the disturbance. Then she heard it again.
Tap, tap, tap.
It seemed to be coming from the window. She turned her head, and sure enough, sitting on the window ledge was a small tan owl, tapping on the glass.
As odd as this sight was, it wasn't the first time Jane had seen owls acting strangely. During her two years in Philadelphia, she would occasional notice envelopes lying on the doorstep of her apartment. She had never really paid them much attention, until one morning when she walked out of the building and was surprised by an object falling out of the sky and hitting her on the head! Looking up, she saw an owl soaring away. And when she looked down she saw another of those envelopes laying on the step. It appeared to have a name written on it; 'Weasel' or something. Jane didn't observe it too closely.
And now, here she was, over 3000 miles away, staring at an owl pecking at her window.
Jane rolled off the bed and walked over, planning to shoo the owl away, but as soon as the window opened, the bird hopped in. Then it did something very bizarre. Carefully balancing itself, the owl kicked one of its feet in the air. And that's when Jane saw the small envelope tied to the animal's leg. It seemed to be waiting for something. So she bent down and untied the envelope. As soon as she did, the bird jumped back to the window, and flew off.
Jane was perplexed.
Written in bright red across the face of the envelope was the name, 'Ginny Weasley'.
Ginny Weasley. Weasley. Maybe that was the name she saw on that other envelope!
Jane began to pace the room, trying to decide whether or not to open it. It wasn't for her; but it was brought to her.
After some consideration, she opened it.
Dear Ginny,
Happy Birthday love! I hope you're well, wherever you are. Your father keeps telling me to quit writing you, but I tell him, that I will continue to write until a letter comes back undeliverable!
Things here are fine. George's shop is doing so well. Ron's working there now! I think he is close to proposing to Hermione. But he never tells me anything, of course, so I can only suspect. Charlie got a rather nasty burn a few months ago. He came to stay for a few weeks after that. I think they were pushing him a bit hard. Percy met a girl recently, Audrey something. She's very nice. He still doesn't come home for family dinners much but it's getting better I think. Your father has added quite a bit to his muggle collection out in the shed. The latest contraption he brought home was something called a Food Processor.
The house seems so quiet with you gone. Ron's made a habit of staying at George's a few nights a week, and on the weekends he's off with Harry or Hermione. Harry is, well, he's Harry; brave front and all that.
We all miss you terribly dear and send our love. If you get this, come home to us or at least drop us an owl. I know I ask every time, but one day I know you will.
All my love,
Mum
Whoever this Ginny person was, it was clear her family missed her. Jane thought for a minute and decided she needed to reply; let this poor woman know the letter had not reached her daughter. The letter said to 'drop an owl'. Where would she find an owl? And how would she make it send a letter?
Feeling rather frustrated, Jane decided she needed to take a walk and clear her head.
Grabbing a jacket, Jane headed out her door, stuffing the letter in her pocket. As she walked down the streets of London, she looked through all the shop windows she past by; but didn't go in any of them. She just kept walking; not really paying any attention to where she was going.
Looking up at the shop signs, she saw one that read, The Leaky Cauldron. The name was very intriguing, and she decided to go in and see what sort of place it was.
Stepping through the door, she instantly decided it was not your typical shop. It looked like a pub of some sort, but every single person was dressed in a most peculiar way. Jane let out a small laugh as she took it all in. Then she spotted a man sitting at a table with an owl perched on his shoulder. Jane couldn't believe her eyes! Taking a deep breath, she walked up to the man.
"Excuse me sir," she said, "I couldn't help but notice the bird you have sitting on your shoulder."
"Oriel." He said.
"Pardon me?"
"Her name is Oriel. A beauty isn't she!" The man cast a loving look at the creature.
"Um… yes. A beauty," Jane replied. "Like I said, I couldn't help but notice her, and I was hoping you could help me with something. An owl came to my window this morning, and left this at my flat." Pulling out the letter, she held it up for the man to see. Jane had expected some sort of reaction; an owl delivering a letter! But he just sat there, as if it was a perfectly normal thing to have happen. So she continued on, "I wanted to send a reply to the woman who sent it to me, but I'm not sure how. Could you help me?"
The man gave her a puzzled look. "Help you? Do you want to borrow Oriel?"
"I suppose? I've never sent anything by owl before. I'm not sure how it works."
"Never sent anything by owl?" He sounded rather astonished.
"No sir."
"Well, certainly I can help! Where's your parchment?"
"Parchment?"
"You don't have any parchment? I'm afraid I don't have any with me dear. I suppose you can write on the back of that one," he said, pointing to the letter still clutched in her hand. Standing up he walked over to the bar and spoke to a man behind the counter. A minute later he returned with a large feather in his hand, which he handed to her. Taking the feather she stared at it for a second, and then noticed the bottom was sharpened and appeared to have ink on it. Catching on, Jane neatly scribbled a message on the back of the letter.
Dear Madam,
I received this earlier today. I'm sorry to say it did not reach your daughter Ginny.
Apologies,
Jane Thorn
It didn't sound very pleasant, but Jane really didn't know what to say. She handed the paper to the man.
Looking down at it, he said, "Where should it be sent?"
"Oh, I'm not sure! There was no address."
"You don't need an address dear; just write down who it's for. Oriel will find them!"
Taking the letter back, Jane thought for a moment before deciding on 'Ginny's Mother'. She had no idea if that would be enough to find the woman, but without knowing an actual name it was the best she could do.
After the owl flew off, Ginny extended her thank you to the man and left the pub; laughing at herself over what she had just done.
So caught up in replying to the woman's letter, Jane didn't pay any attention to the tall man with bright red hair that walked in. Too busy laughing at herself, she missed the loud gasp that came from the other side of the room. And because she didn't linger, Jane never heard the sound of a glass shattering as it hit the stone floor.
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