Harry stopped eating when he felt something he had never felt before. Full. Nearly a quarter of the cake was gone and he almost laughed at it. If he kept it up, he could get three or four days out of it before it was gone. He closed the box and dropped the cake back into his trunk. It floated down and landed gently on the floor.

He peeked out of the cupboard and saw that no one was looking, so he darted down the hallway and went upstairs to the bathroom. He did his business and checked his face in the mirror. He saw a slightly startled and handsome boy looking back at him.

Is that really me? Harry asked and used a finger to poke his own face. Yep. It's me. He thought, washed his hands, then used a tissue to wipe off the icing from around his mouth. He didn't want to have to come back to the bathroom every time, so he took several handfuls of toilet paper and stuffed them into his pockets. He flushed the toilet and went back downstairs. No one said anything, even though Petunia had crossed from the kitchen to the living room and had seen him.

Harry looked at the clock and he had half an hour for Hedwig to come back. He was surprised that neither his aunt nor his uncle had tried to stop him from bringing Hedwig into the house. He wasn't going to mention it, though. If they thought he was concerned about it, he would never hear the end of it.

It's better to ignore them like I have so far. Harry thought and ducked into the cupboard under the stairs. He picked up the first year spell book and sat down in his nest of blankets, then opened it.

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The Standard Book Of Spells Grade One is the first book in the Standard Book Of Spells series. As each year progresses, you will learn more spells and their effects will increase.

However, be warned.

These low level spells and charms are not difficult for a more experienced magic user to break and counter. Also, the spells young students use can wear off in a manner of days or even hours, depending on the spell or charm and on what it has been cast.

This spellbook will enable you to perform a range of basic charms that will enhance, protect, and enliven your life. The list of charms are as follows and will be talked about in their own chapters.

Quickly, now! Turn the page and begin your journey on the path to magic!

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Cool. Harry thought as he turned the page and started to read. Charms differ from Transfiguration spells in the following manner: a charm will add certain or new properties to an object while transfiguration will change the original object into something utterly different. When modifying an object with a charm...

*

“What in the world is this?” The man that worked at Scribbulus Writing Implements asked as he read what was supposed to be his latest order to fill. “Stamps? Who is he? A muggle?”

The snowy white owl gave a hard hoot, almost a screech, and the man sighed.

“Yes, yes. I know. He's just a kid.” The man said. “I can't believe that he doesn't know the simple charm to make a piece of parchment into an envelope yet.”

The owl hooted and the man nodded.

“I know it's not in the standard book of spells.” The man said and waved his wand. “His parents are supposed to teach him every day things like this.”

A stack of a hundred papers popped up into the air, folded in on themselves, and formed envelopes.

“I'll only charge him for using up some of my time and for the paper, all right?”

The owl hooted in satisfaction.

“I hope he's giving you nice treats for doing all of this for him.” The man said and the owl gave a soft hoot. “Ha! He bought you premium and he didn't complain about the price? Nice going.” He said and did up a large bundle of paper, added the hundred envelopes, then looked at the bird. “Do you want me to write out the charm for him?”

The owl hooted twice.

“I see. Well, he can use it when he gets to school.” The man said and nodded at the Quick-Quotes quill. “Nothing fancy, just the charm and the wand movement. I don't want an essay.”

The quill shook at him and bobbed up and down a few times.

“All right, fine. Make it an addendum, though. Don't confuse the poor boy by muddying up the description.”

The quill quickly wrote everything out and the man pulled the parchment to his hand.

“You're lucky you're a quick writer.” The man chuckled and added the parchment to the bundle under the envelopes to stop it from flopping around, which also included several notes about the other general things that the boy needed to know and ask about. “All right, little missy.” He said to the owl. “I don't expect you back until tomorrow, unless he orders something else or you're flying back this way.”

The owl hooted softly and the man laughed.

“The ministry? Ha!” The man said. “You know what?” He took out the bill and scratched out his fee for making the envelopes and left the cost of the paper. “I can't wait to see what they say.” He said and put it back on top. “Take care, now.”

The owl carefully picked up the large bundle of paper, that suddenly weighed a fraction of what it did, then she took off through the custom owl opening in the back of the shop.

*

Harry finished reading the introduction chapter and thought about what it said about proper use of a wand, to always respect it, and to always be careful with concentration. Losing concentration could be very bad and make the charm or spell go weird or backfire completely. Also, with some of the larger things, like creatures called trolls and giants, the spells can be completely useless.

He stared at the detailed drawings of the examples and he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to meet either of the things. He closed the book when he had the urge to check the time. He peeked out into the hallway and looked at the clock and nodded. He quickly tossed the book back into the trunk and left the cupboard under the stairs and went to the living room.

Harry ignored the pointed stares from his aunt and uncle and stood beside the living room window, making sure he was out of the way and not blocking anything like the television or his aunt's view out the same window. Barely five minutes later, he saw Hedwig carrying a huge bundle of paper. He quickly opened the window and prepared to catch her, because all of that weight was going to throw off her normally smooth landing.

Hedwig banked in and spread her wings to slow down like she always did, then she landed on the windowsill with barely a ruffled feather.

“That was brilliant!” Harry gushed and tried to take the papers from her. They were quite heavy and slipped right through his hands and thumped loudly onto the carpet.

His Aunt Petunia let out a shrill squawk, his Uncle Vernon jumped slightly and then grunted in pain, and Dudley let out a startled yell and fell off the footstool.

“S-sorry.” Harry said and bent down, then grunted a little when he picked it up. It was heavy; but, he could manage it. “I'll be right back... with a couple letters.” He said and slowly walked across the living room and into the hallway. He put the bundle down and opened the cupboard door, lifted it just inside the door, then sat on it for a minute.

Harry slid off of it and opened the bundle, looked at the bill, and quickly counted out the right amount. He put it aside and then put the three letters he had into envelopes, wrote on them where they needed to go, then grabbed several owl treats, the letters, and the money. He didn't see any stamps, though. He went back out to the living room and held up the envelopes.

“I need these delivered, please.” Harry said and showed her the addresses. He knew better than to say the odd names out loud, because his uncle absolutely hated anything that even hinted at being nonsensical. He tucked the letters under his arm and held out the owl treats for her.

Hedwig quickly ate them and softly hooted as Harry slipped the money for the paper into the little pouch without anyone seeing.

“I'll be busy for a while, so I might not be here at the window when you come back.” Harry said.

Hedwig hooted and snapped her beak.

“Oh! Right.” Harry said and held the letters out for her. She took them in her beak and turned around, then took flight. “See you later!” He waved at her, even though he thought that she couldn't see him. He closed the window and went back to his cupboard under the stairs. He retrieved the book of spells and leaned back against the wall and flipped to Chapter Two.

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The Wand-Lighting Charm.

The Wand-Lighting Charm called Lumos (LOO-mose) is a charm that illuminates the tip of the caster's wand, which allows the caster to see in the dark within a small area. It is a simple charm; but, it requires concentration. Take care to not set your entire wand alight, as damage of this kind could become permanent and will reduce the effectiveness of the wand as a tool.

Below is the simple movement description and illustration that shows the proper...

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Harry's eyes were glued to the page as he read how to cast his very first magic spell.