Novel
I used to wish that my life was like a novel. Not a cheesy romance novel or anything, just a regular novel filled with drama, twists and turns, one night stands, and an ending that leaves me feeling satisfied with all the loose ends tied up. I used to wish that.....Its funny how things turn out. I remember how it happened, how it all started. When I found out I was a witch. I laugh now. Witch. A whole lot of good that's done me....
I remember, I was 10. A letter had came for me in the mail. My mother had taken it from me, looked at the return address, then told me it was trash. I believed her and went up to my room. Up till then, my life had been normal; school, church, great grades, summers where I just stayed at home and did nothing but watch tv. I was your average African American New Jersey girl. I wasn't rich, I didn't live in a good neighborhood, but is anyone's neighborhood really great? Still though, it wasn't like I'd seen anyone get killed or was present during a drive-by. I didn't know anyone who lived better than I did so I never complained and I just thought my life was uncommonly boring. It wasn't till a month later when odd things really started to happen. My mother forbade me from looking at the mail and I started to notice things. Things would just sort of happen when I was mad, like glasses would break or pictures would fall off the walls or off tables. When I was younger, those things would happen, but only barely. When they became frequent, I couldn't believe that it was accidental or that it was "just the wind" as my mother would put it.
More months passed and it wasn't till Christmas when I found out what I was. I was looking for my cat, Mimi. When I found her, she was scratching at the door to the attic as if something was up there. I opened the door, she ran up, and I followed. It was pitch black up there, but I was drawn to several trunks in the corner like a moth to the flame. Actually, I ended up tripping over them and to my luck, landed on a flashlight. I turned it on and flashed it onto the trunks. There were two of them there with notes stuck to them. One was "Letters" and the other was "Complaints". I opened the Letters trunk easily as it wasn't locked. The trunk was filled with different colored envelopes. I pulled out a manila, a red, and a blue. I remember how confused I was as I read the return addresses... I was such a cute kid... Anyways, the red was from Beauxbatons. It sounded normal enough, but I couldn't figure why I was getting mail from France. The blue was from Millhouse School for the Gifted and Talented in Washington state. I knew I was a straight A student and it scared me that my mother would lock that kind of stuff away. Then I looked at the manila envelope, there was no return address, only a wax seal on the back. I looked into the trunk and noticed, for the first time, that more than half of the envelopes inside were manilas like the one that was in my hand. I opened the envelope quickly while looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching me. The only eyes I saw were those of Mimi, glowing green and staring at me like two large search lights.
Halfway into the letter I tossed it down. Witchcraft? Wizardry? Hogwarts? Potions? I was completely confused. It seemed as if I was reading one of my books about witches and spells and demons and the such. I continued to read the letter and when I was finished I read it over several times. Wizard. I was a wizard, well, technically I was a witch, but anyway... I had some sort of magic in me. I wasn't normal. My life was on the verge of being a novel and my mother was trying to stifle that. God, maybe she had the right idea. Maybe.....Where was I? Oh, I remember. You know, that's the problem with memory charms. No matter how weak they are, they always leave a lasting effect.... So, I stuck the letters into my pockets and then turned towards the Complaints trunk. It wasn't locked either and it was filled with only Hogwarts envelopes. I pulled out three and opened one. It was from a "Professor Minerva McGonagall".
"After numerous attempts to contact you and your daughter, we failed to get a response from you. It has also come to our attention that the letters from other wizarding schools have also gone unanswered. It is not necessary that Enticima attends Hogwarts, but it is vital that she attends a school for witchcraft and wizardry. If she does not attend a school, her talents will go unnurtured and that may lead to complications in the future for yourself and your daughter. Just because you feel as though you can ignore the fact that you're a witch doesn't mean that you can ignore your daughter and deny her the education that you have received."
My mother was a witch as well. I was so angry at her for being one and keeping that from me, but more so that she was trying to stop me from knowing that I was one too. I wondered how long she had known I was a witch, but let the thought go. I didn't know how long I had stayedin the attic for and the last thing I wanted to do was be caught. I hid the complaint letters in my training bra and was closing the "Complaints" trunk when I heard a crash. I had run and hid but came out when I saw Mimi appear from the areaof the crash. I investigated. There on the floor were scattered a dozen books all with varying titles. I recognized one book, "History of Magic: Wizarding Level 1", from off the Hogwarts supply list and instantly realized what the other books probably were. "I love you, Mimi," I remember saying to my cat as I gathered the books I needed, "If she won't let me go to school, I'll bring school to me."
I reset the pile of books and snuck the ones I needed to my room. Once I had them hidden in different places, I pulled out my list to see what other items I'd need. "1 Cauldron. 1 Wand" were the only things I could get. I figured that I'd use a pot to substitute the cauldron and then figured that I'd use my mother's old wand if I could find it. I didn't care about the items I lacked and I found my mother's wand just as easily as I had found everything else
Days passed, then weeks, then months and soon I was stealing more books so I could continue on to new levels in witchcraft. More months. More years. I knew I would become a good wizard, heck, I already was. But no tests, no praise, and no real way of knowing how well I was doing. It's not like I could have told anyone. I only had "friends". I hated them. I liked being alone. I was never really sociable, but having to learn spells on my own made me worse. I was only 14 going on 15 and I was starting to feel that I couldn't balance teaching myself and going to High School. Summer was starting and I was on my way to being a Sophomore.
"I won't be able to do this next year," I said to my cat as I paced the attic, the place that I had been using to teach myself, "I need help."
Something knocked on the window then, scaring the living crap out of me. Mimi went toward the window and mewed at it. I remember going to window and expecting to see my mother's face set angrily, ready to take away my wand and stop me from learning. I looked out and saw a night owl perched on my roof with a letter attached to it's right leg. The fact that I had read about wizards sending owls to each other as a form of communication had saved me from the embarrassment of being shocked to see the owl. The shock was that someone was owling me. I opened the window and Mimi hissed as the owl fluttered into the room, landed on one of my books, and stuck out it's leg. I looked at the letter and pulled it off. The owl flew away as I opened up the letter.
"Dear Miss Haldara.
It has come to our attention that you have been using magic illegally. As an underaged witch, you are not allowed to use magic when not at your school. We had previously noticed you breeching this law, but at the request of one Albus Dumbledore, we remained silent. But now, as he no longer has a say, we are warning you that if you continue to use magic, you will be detained and tried in a court of your peers. Hope all is well. Yours Sincerely, Cora Meathooke Improper Use of Magic Office Ministry of Magic"
"Alrighty, now what the hell do I do?," I wondered vaguely.
Just then, another owl flew into my attic and landed lightly in front of me on top of the letter sent from the Ministry. Mimi walked up to it and rubbed against it. I remember thinking that that was cute and then pushing Mimi away so that I could take the letter from the new owl.
"Dear Miss Haldara,
We have noticed that you have not attended a school for wizardry but that you have managed to teach yourself enough to be more advanced then most wizards of your age who attend school. It has also come to our attention that you cannot continue to teach yourself at home, therefore, we would like you to come to Hogwarts this September and continue your education as a fifth year student. Do respond with the permission of your mother by August 29th. The school year begins on September 1st. On that day, you are to catch the Hogwarts Express in London Station at platform 9 3/4. We are looking forward to your response and to you beginning the new school year at Hogwarts.
Professor Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"
I read through the letter again and pocketed it along with the list of items I'd need for my 5th year at Hogwarts. I remember sitting there with Mimi next to me and the owl cooing softly, waiting for me to give it a response. I couldn't think how I was going to tell my mother or how I'd get to London Station if I was allowed to go. I got up and went down stairs. I remember the anxiety that was steadily rising in me as I made my way to where I guessed that my mother was. I found her sitting in her bedroom doing a crossword puzzle.
"What's wrong," she asked when she saw my expression.
"Oh, it's nothing," was my weak ass response.
"Are you sure everything is okay?"
"Well. Actually, I sorta have somethin for you. Its nothin bad. Its actually quite good."
I handed my mother the Hogwarts letter I had just received. She read over it with a calm expression at first, but by the end of it she didn't look so pleased. I remember everything about that moment so well, because it was the last time I spoke to my mother. There was a cool breeze blowing from her fan and all was still save for the pages of her crossword that blew up everytime the breeze hit it. Mimi was sitting still on my mother's tv, just staring and staring. My mother was sitting there staring angrily at the letter. She was wearing a pair of old blue jeans and a loose white t-shirt. Her hair was in its usual style, an afro, and several gray hairs were sticking up messily like pieces of lint. She looked up at me and spoke.
"So, you've been teaching yourself wizardry, have you? Well, no daughter of mine will be a little freak. I FORBID YOU FROM USING MAGIC."
"What? You can't do this to me. Just because you don't want to be a wizard doesn't mean I can't. You have to let me go. I'm fuckin brilliant and I can only get better."
"Brilliant my ass. You go ahead and listen to that stupid school if you want, but you and I know that magic won't lead you anywhere. That you're just a pathetic freak who won't amount to anything. Magic is nothing but a curse and like I said before, no daughter of mine will study it."
"That's not fair! I have to learn more! I am not pathetic and magic is not nothing! I know what you're problem is, you're mad because I'm a better wizard than you were when you were my age. I don't care what you say. I'm going to Hogwarts."
"Its funny that you should think that you're going when you're not. You need my permission to get to Hogwarts and I do believe that I haven't given you any consent. Nice try, but you will not be some whore to Albus Dumbledore and his school for the magical miscreants."
"I hate you! How can you say these things? How can you treat me this way!? How dare you try and stop me again from being what I am! I WILL BECOME A POWERFUL WITCH WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"
"You now what? I never wanted kids because I knew they'd be little freaks like me. You were an accident, but I took care of you after your father left because you were my burden, my responsibility. Things would have been fine if you hadn't begun to show magical abilities, but then you started to cause things to fly or crash and then those stupid school letters came. I locked every last one of those letters away. When they all stopped coming, I thought I had won. But no. I was wrong. They stopped coming because you were teaching yourself witchcraft behind my back. Well, you sneaky little rat, it's time I taught you who is in charged in this house."
Before I could react, she grabbed her wand from out of my shirt and cast a spell on me. The Imperius curse. I barely remember what happened after that. Only vaguely do I remember seeing Mimi jump at my mother. I remember how it felt, but I don't want to talk of that.
I spent the rest of June, July, and August under the control of the Imperius curse. I don't remember how I was released from it, but I was and as soon as I realized that I was no longer being controlled, I packed the necessary possessions into a trunk I stole from the attic. It was night, 2 a.m. on September 5th. It was cool and dry and I wasn't the least bit scared. I snuck into my mother's room. She was fast asleep and snoring. I went to her closet and pulled down a locked box that I knew held my mother's wand. I looked around and noticed a key on a string that was wrapped around my mother's wrist. I hurried out the room and returned with a pair of scissors. I carefully cut the string and used the key to open the lock. Once I had my mom's wand, I turned around and watched her for a second. She looked peaceful there, sleeping underneath a thin sheet. I spoke under my breath, "I forgive you." Then I left the room and took my stuff out of the house and left, followed by Mimi. That was the last time I saw my mother.
I stood out on the street for a minute. It wasn't quiet out. There were a couple of drunks singing on the corner and a fire engine had just rushed past. I had no idea what I was going to do. I only knew that I was going to try to get to Hogwarts. I reached into my bookbag, which I had also filled with stuff, and tried to pull out my wand. It was wedged between items and it was hard to pull out. I gave it a violent jerk that unwedged it and made my arm fly up with it in my hand. There was a bang sound, followed by the appearance of what looked like an elongated green and blue NJ transit bus. I stood there. I had almost peed my pants. Mimi walked up to it, sniffed at it a bit, and then turned towards me. Just then the doors of the bus flew open and a tall spiky haired blonde man came out and walked up to me.
"Hello, hello, hello. Beautiful night isn't it?," asked the man as he began taking my things and putting them inside of his bus, "I'm Jimmy. I conduct the Evening Bus, the US's very own mode of quick and reliant Wizard transportation."
I chuckled nervously, "Hi......I'm Enticima."
"Pleased to meet you, Enticima. I noticed you on your stoop, raising your wand up and here I am. So, where ya off to? Clubbin at Webster Hall? Shoppin at one of the all night wizarding malls?"
"Uh....no? I mean no. No, I'm trying to get to Hogwarts in England. Besides, they'd never let me into Webster, trust me, I've tried..."
"Oh, sorry, honey. I don't do Europe," said Jimmy as he began to take my things out of the Evening Bus, "You'll want to hail the Day Bus. That handles international things, but its a hell of a fee, I'll tell ya."
"How do you hail one?"
"Stick your wand in the air and circle your arm around counter-clockwise 5x. Later."
The Evening Bus disappeared with a bang. I looked around. It was as if nothing had happened. The drunks were still singing and Mimi was chasing a rat in our neighbor's yard. I stuck my wand in the air and circled counter clockwise 5x just how Jimmy had told me to. Nothing happened. I recall feeling really stupid, standing there twirling my wand around. Then all of a sudden, there was a rush of wind and the smell of sea water filled my nostrils. I saw the drunks falling all over each other as they tried to run away from what ever was coming. I felt choked as if I was drowning. I thought my mother was causing what was happening. I held my breathe. Out of thin air, the Day Bus appeared. It was just as long as the Evening Bus except it was neon pink and a double decker bus. I stared at the monstrosity and wondered how wizards could drive around in something so gaudy looking. The doors flew open and out of it popped a tall woman with long black hair. She was dark skinned and when she spoke, I noticed that she had a Brazilian accent.
"Hello. Welcome to the Day Bus. I am Izabella," said the woman as she quickly carried my trunk and my bookbag into the bus, "Where are you headed?"
"Hogwarts school in England."
"How are you paying?"
"Cash."
"American.....?"
"Oh, yeah."
"That will be $750 if you are not requiring to be fed."
I gave her a look and then pulled out my wallet. It had $5,000 in it that I had stolen from my mother's dresser drawer. I gave Izabella the $750 and asked her, "Can I change my money to Euros somewhere?"
"Yes. On the bus there is a man who handles currency. I advise that you get Wizard money too."
"Thanx."
I got on the bus and sat down. Izabella sat at the driver's seat of the bus and yelled "Bernard!" before the smell of sea water entered my nose and the bus took off with a violent jerk. I was hanging on for dear life as the bus went on its way. After several minutes or hours, I don't know for sure, a short bald man came towards me with a sort of cart. I remember being a bit nervous as he came to me. He looked as if he had been hit by the Day Bus; his clothes were dirty and wrinkled and he smelled like burnt tires. He had a nametag on his chest. He was Bernard.
"Hola. I am Bernard. I shall make your money different," he said smugly.
I was trying to hard not to laugh. He looked so proud of himself and I couldn't have figured out for the life of me why he should be so proud, "Um, hi. I'd like to change $2,125 to Wizard money and $2,125 to Euros."
I gave him the money and he put it into his cart. His cart began to giggle and shake like an invisible hand was tickling it. When it stopped its movement, Bernard stuck his hand in and took out my money.
"Here you go, chica," said Bernard.
'Uh....thanx, Bernard."
As Bernard walked away, the Day Bus stopped unexpectedly and sent me flying out of my seat. I crashed into a woman who had been looking out the window. She grumbled at me as I tried to apologize.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," said Izabella.
I grabbed my bags and hopped off the bus with Mimi close behind me. It was day time and the sun was gleaming magnificently off the stone walls of the extremely large castle. I had arrived.
"I'm at Hogwarts."
