Mr. and Mrs. Wilson were proud to say that they were perfectly normal. Well, Mrs. Wilson at least. Mr. Wilson was just normal, and didn't think much about it, as he had no idea why that should be special.
Mr. Wilson was a math professor at the local university, and Mrs. Wilson was a newspaper reporter. They had a son, Jeremy, who had just turned eleven. They were living a completely ordinary life, and most of the time, Mrs. Wilson could forget how extraordinary her life had been for the first nineteen years.
But on other days, she was suddenly remembered of her former life. Today was one of them, and this time, there would be no turning back.
When she fetched the mail in the morning, she found the letter she had been dreading for eleven years. An envelope made of parchment, with her son's name and address written in green ink, and the seal of the school she had left behind in ruins, sixteen years ago.
After the war, Cho Chang had decided to quit the wizarding world. She had enough of it. It had terrified and hurt her for too long. She just wanted a quiet life, and where would it be easier to find than among the muggles.
She had spent the next years building her new life. She had completed her muggle education, taken up her job as a journalist, and had met and married David. She had never looked back to her former life. Then, they had Jeremy. From the first day, she had feared he might turn out to be just like her. A wizard, but she didn't even want to think the word. But as time went on, her worries subsided. Jeremy was never involved in anything strange or mysterious. The only thing extraordinary about him were his remarkable school results, but after all, his father was a math professor.
And now, the letter was there. Maybe there had been signs of magic, which she had conveniently overlooked. Like the incident with the cat. Maybe the cat hadn't just randomly decided to attack the great-aunt whom Jeremy hated. Or the car crash that he had somehow survived without a scratch. That wasn't just luck. It was magic.
Suddenly, the past she wanted to forget had caught up with her. How would she be able to protect her son if he entered that world? And how would she tell David that she had been living a lie ever since they had met?
She was still holding the letter in her hand as if it was a dead rat.
"What's wrong, darling?" David asked.
"This letter. I have to explain something," Cho answered.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" David read, "What is this nonsense?"
"It's a real school. I went there." Cho replied. She could already feel the tears in her eyes. Just why did she always have to cry?
"A school of magic? How is this not a hoax?" David asked. But he knew, if this was a joke, why was his wife crying?
"But… magic isn't real. Is it?" David asked, sounding confused.
"It is!" Cho sobbed, "And I don't want it. David, I am a witch. And Jeremy… he's a wizard."
"How come you never told me?" David inquired, "Why do you only tell me now?"
Cho could tell he still didn't quite believe her, but her seriousness prevented him from laughing it off.
"Would you have believed me, if this letter wasn't there as the evidence? Would you have stayed with me?
When I left the wizarding world, I was a refugee. I was fleeing from civil war. My boyfriend was killed when I was fifteen. And that was just the beginning. I have seen many friends getting hurt, tortured, killed or driven into exile. And even if the war is over – I don't know, I have no connections to that world any more – the wizarding world is wild, it's dangerous, and I don't want Jeremy anywhere near it."
"To be honest, I have difficulties to believe you, even now." David said, "But this sounds so incredible that you can hardly have made this up.
Oh, I'm so sorry. After all the horrible things you just told me, all I do is rambling on whether it is true or not."
"It's alright." Cho said. "You weren't there. How could I expect you understand? But what are we going to do about Jeremy?"
"Let's have a look at this letter." David said.
Dear Mr. Jeremy Wilson
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Neville Longbottom, Deputy Headmaster
"We await your owl? What does that mean?"
"They deliver the letters." Cho said matter-of-factly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
David pinched himself, to reassure himself this wasn't a dream.
"It's no dream. I wish it was." Cho told him.
"And what are we going to tell them? I don't know much about this "wizarding world", but from the little you told me, I'm not sure if Jeremy should really go to this school. Should we just ignore them?"
"Better not. The guardians of one of my classmates tried that. They got their door knocked down by a half-giant." Cho answered. "We will just send them a letter telling them that Jeremy won't attend."
"And that will work?" David asked.
"I don't know. Wizards can be unpredictable. But Neville Longbottom is a sensible person. Although I don't know how he ever managed to become deputy headmaster."
It felt surreal to talk about the wizarding world to David, after fourteen years of avoiding this conversation. But while scary, it was somewhat relieving that the fourteen years of hiding were finally over.
David had absent-mindedly taken the letter, and turned to the list of equipment. "A cauldron, ok. But a magic wand? Potions ingredients? Where are we supposed to get this?"
"Remember, we aren't supposed to get this at all. Jeremy won't go there." Cho reminded him.
"I don't know. If Jeremy has these powers, magic you call it, then he should have the chance to learn about them."
"No." Cho replied decidedly. "You weren't there. I can't forget what I have witnessed. But I will make sure Jeremy doesn't have to witness the same."
"But didn't you say the war was over when you left?" David asked.
"Yes and no. He Who Must Not Be Named is dead, but I don't think wizards will ever be able to live in peace. They've had three wars in just fifty years. Jeremy isn't going."
"It has been sixteen years since you had any contact with them. Why don't we ask this Longbottom fellow before we make a decision?"
"No. For you, this sounds like a big adventure. And because you can't do it, you're planning to send Jeremy. But you have no idea. Magic is terrifying. I want nothing to do with it."
"But you can't make this decision for Jeremy just because it terrified you. If there's still a wizard war going on, I'm all for keeping Jeremy away from it. But how do you know?"
"He's not going. This is my final decision."
"You're selfish, Cho! Just because you are terrified of your past, I won't let you ruin Jeremy's future."
They spoke no further to each other, and didn't mention the letter or the argument throughout the day, and she tried not to make Jeremy notice anything.
But as she knew wizards didn't take kindly to being ignored, she sat down in the evening to write her letter.
Dear Mr. Longbottom,
I would like to inform you that Jeremy will not attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I have left the wizarding world sixteen years ago with the intention to never come back. We live a happy life without magic, and I appeal to you to stop interfering.
Yours sincerely, Cho Wilson-Chang
She put the letter into an envelope, and wrote the address in Grantown-on-Spey, where letters from Muggles to Hogwarts were collected on it.
Yes, that would settle the issue. But Cho should have known better, for wizards never take "no" for an answer.
The next evening, they had an uninvited dinner guest.
"Please not great-aunt Gemma!" Jeremy exclaimed as the doorbell rang.
It wasn't great-aunt Gemma. In the door stood a tall man, wearing a black cloak, a scarlet tie and a pointed wizard's hat.
"You're real!" David said, "I mean, good evening, Mr. Longbottom."
"Neville, get out!" Cho snarled at him, looking furious. "Just leave us alone."
"I won't. This is Jeremy's decision, not yours." Neville answered.
"Not my decision you say? Jeremy is my son, not yours!" Cho replied. "Wizards have taken everything away from me, again and again, and you will not get my son!"
"Calm down, Cho. No one is going to take your son away. Did going to Hogwarts take you away from your parents?"
"No, but… After everything that happened at Hogwarts during our time there, don't you understand that I am reluctant to allow Jeremy to go there?"
"I can understand it. Remember, Voldemort – "
Cho flinched at the mention of the name, even so many years later.
" – Voldemort's death eaters tortured my parents into insanity. But the wizarding world has moved on. You would barely recognize it now, if you walked back into Diagon Alley. The death eaters don't exist anymore; it's more peaceful than ever before during the last eighty years."
"Excuse me." David said, "This whole wizarding thing sounds very interesting, but also confusing and from what Cho has told me, downright terrifying. So I would be really grateful if someone could explain it all to me."
"I assume Jeremy doesn't know either." Neville said.
"That is correct." David replied.
"Then I will tell both of you." Neville answered. "Is Jeremy here?"
"Yes, he's in the dining room. We were just going to have dinner." David said.
"I'm sorry to have interrupted you." Neville apologized. "I'm afraid this will be a rather lengthy talk, so I suggest you have dinner first, and I'll be back after looking after my Mimbulus Mimbletonia."
"Your what?" David asked curiously.
"It's a plant." Cho answered. "And I'd just like to get over with it, so you may join us for dinner."
"I'm very grateful for the invitation." Neville answered, following Cho and David into the dining room.
"Who are you?" Jeremy asked.
"I am Professor Neville Longbottom."
"So you're one of dad's colleagues." Jeremy answered.
"No, I am a wizard. And you are a wizard too." Neville replied.
"Wizards aren't real. They only exist in books and movies. Like Gandalf, or Merlin."
"Merlin was real." Neville answered, "I'm pretty sure Gandalf is fictional though."
"But I can't be a wizard." Jeremy said.
"Are you sure? Have you never done anything strange or mysterious?" Neville asked.
Jeremy thought for a while, but it was Cho who answered.
"He was hit by a car, two years ago, and didn't even have bruises. And when he was seven, he made the cat attack great-aunt Gemma when she wanted to kiss him on the cheek."
"That was just luck." Jeremy said.
"It wasn't." Cho answered.
"You knew?" Jeremy shouted. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm sorry." Cho said. "I wanted to protect you. When you learn more about wizards, you will understand me."
Turning to Neville, she asked: "You will tell him everything, even the nasty parts, so that he can make a decision?"
"Of course I will." Neville answered, "It's only fair that both Jeremy and David know everything before they make their decision."
Neville proceeded to tell Jeremy and David about the wizarding world. He told them about how wizards went into hiding during the 17th century. He told Jeremy about Diagon Alley, and Gringotts and Hogwarts.
"And you kept this all hidden from me?" Jeremy asked, "You gave up magic?"
"Don't judge your mother too harshly." Neville replied. "Many of us thought about leaving after the war.
The wizarding world was not always peaceful. The worst time was seventeen years ago. Have you heard about that Muggle dictator, Hitler?"
"Yes, we heard about him at school, but what does he have to do with wizards?"
"There was a wizard, who called himself Lord Voldemort, who had similar ideas. Fortunately, he could be stopped before he could fulfill his goals. But there is almost no wizard family who didn't lose relatives because of his crimes. One of his first victims was your mother's boyfriend."
"But this Voldemort, he's dead?" Jeremy asked.
"Yes, he is. And his followers are either dead or in prison as well." And turning to Cho, he said: "The idea of blood purity is finished. People who support these ideas in public now will get shunned by everyone."
"Neville, what you're telling me sounds too good to be true. It almost makes me want to see it for myself," Cho replied.
"Why don't you just do it? Do you still have your wand? You know how to get into Diagon Alley," Neville said.
"It would be easier to keep ignoring it. The wizarding world still scares me," Cho replied.
"I know," Neville said, "Jeremy, I hope to see you at Hogwarts in six weeks."
Then, Professor Longbottom left.
"I want to become a wizard," Jeremy declared.
Two weeks after the meeting with Professor Longbottom, the Wilsons were getting ready for their trip to Diagon Alley.
"Do you really want to come, David? I expect it would be quite a shock."
"Off course I want to come. If Jeremy is entering this world, I will have to accept that I will never fully comprehend it, but I want to see as much of it as possible."
"Ok then. Since you and Jeremy are both unfamiliar with magical transport, we're going to take the car. I feel more comfortable with it too." Cho said. "I'm just going to fetch my wand."
It was remarkable how the last two weeks had changed her. Before the letter had arrived, Cho had banished the word "magic" from her life. She didn't imagine she'd ever talk about wands and spellbooks and potions again.
And there she was, organizing a trip to Diagon Alley with her family. With her muggle husband, and the son she had hoped to be a muggle.
She was walking down into the basement, to look for that small box she had not opened for sixteen years. She had to shift newer boxes out of the way, which contained Jeremy's old toys, and other things they had no use for any more, but didn't want to throw away, until she finally saw the wooden box she was looking for.
She opened the lid, and looked down on the remains of her former life. A photograph showing her and Cedric by the lake, just a few days after he had won the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, another one at the yule ball, a golden snitch she had caught during a match against Slytherin, and was now only feebly stirring, an enchanted locket her mother had given her when she had graduated from Hogwarts. And finally, her eleven inch maple and unicorn hair wand.
She took it, and despite not having touched it all this time, it felt familiar in her hand, almost like it had done when she had purchased it from Mr. Ollivander before she had started Hogwarts.
She shut the box again, and returned to her waiting husband and son.
"Is that your wand?" Jeremy asked.
"Yes, it is." Cho answered.
"Can you show me some magic?"
She felt the barriers she had erected between her and the magical world crumble down one by one.
She tried to think of a good spell to show her son. At first, she thought about a simple levitation charm, but then, a different idea came to her mind.
She thought of the day she had met David. She had imagined interviewing a mathematics professor to be a tedious job, but instead of meeting a boring old weirdo, she had met this charming, childishly curious man who went on to become her husband.
"Expecto Patronum!" she said, and a beautiful silver swan erupted from her wand.
David and Jeremy gazed at her in astonishment.
"Wow! Amazing!" Jeremy cried, while David was simply speechless.
"Come on, let's go." Cho said, as the swan evaporated into silvery smoke.
During the whole drive to London, Cho was bombarded with questions about the wizarding world. She expected no different from Jeremy, but David was no better.
"So is there offside in Quidditch?" David asked.
"No, but there are enough other opportunities to accuse the referee of bias, so in that regard, it's not that different from football." she replied.
As they approached London, she was in a turmoil of emotions. Both happy and sad memories were dug up, and she was in a mixture of fear and anticipation as Jeremy was about to enter Diagon Alley, and thus the wizarding world, for the first time.
Finally, David drove the car into a parking lot close to the Leaky Cauldron.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, better leave your smartphone here in the car," She told her husband, "The amount of magic around Diagon Alley will make it play up, or even worse, break it."
"Thank you for the warning," David said, putting his phone back into the car.
It was a ten minute walk from the car to the Leaky Cauldron. Cho stopped in front of the familiar shabby pub.
"We're there," she told David and Jeremy.
"But here is nothing," David answered, with a confused expression on his face.
"This shabby pub?" Jeremy said in an almost equally confused tone.
"Yes, we've got to go in there." She took her husband's hand and pulled him into the Leaky Cauldron, and they were followed by Jeremy.
The Leaky Cauldron had changed since she had last visited. While it was looking just as shabby on the outside as before, it had been completely refurbished on the inside, and there was a new young bartender. As it turned out, he was called Tom too, and he was the grandson of the Tom who used to run the inn.
At first, no one recognized Cho. They made their way to the backyard of the inn without getting recognized, until they ran into a dark-skinned witch with her little son, who was about Jeremy's age.
"Cho?" she asked, "I haven't seen you since Hogwarts!"
"Angelina?" Cho replied, "This is my husband David and my son, Jeremy."
"Hi Jeremy, I'm Fred," the little boy said, "You have to visit my dad's shop. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."
"What are you doing these days?" Angelina asked.
"I'm… well… I'm a muggle journalist," Cho told Angelina. She felt a little unsure, fearing Angelina's reaction.
"So you have never seen me play for the Tornados?" Angelina asked, remembering that Cho used to be a big Tornados fan.
"I'm sorry, no. I've lived as a muggle all these years," Cho told her.
"Well, it's not too late." Angelina replied. "I'm playing one last season before retiring. Do you have time next Saturday? We're playing against Puddlemere and I can get tickets for you three."
"And the bludgers really don't kill anyone?" David asked.
"No, they don't. Sometimes they break some ribs." Angelina told him.
Cho tapped the wall with her wand, and the gate to Diagon Alley opened. Cho was happy to see it full of life again. She had left behind in a desolate state, with over half of the shops boarded up, and some houses burnt down.
"First we need to go to Gringotts. I think it's better if you stay outside, David. Goblins don't like getting stared at by curious muggles." Cho told her husband, who looked a bit disappointed.
David looked disappointed and a little insulted.
"You're not really missing much. You don't even like roller-coasters, riding one of those minecarts would be the pure horror for you."
"How about I take Jeremy, Fred and him to the ice cream parlour?" Angelina asked.
"That's a good idea. It has reopened?" Cho asked.
"Yes, it's run by Fabian Fortescue now, the nephew of poor Florean," Angelina replied.
While the rest of her family headed for the ice cream parlour, Cho entered Gringotts to fetch some money from her vault.
The entrance hall had been completely restored, and if you didn't know, you could hardly tell that a dragon had once smashed through it.
"Vault 1051?" the Goblin asked, "Hasn't been opened in sixteen years."
"I know." Cho replied, before climbing into the minecart. The ride was even worse than she remembered it, and she soon envied David.
The minecart stopped, and the goblin climbed out to open the vault.
"There we are, vault 1051."
Cho quickly showed some Galleons and Sickles into her bag, before they rode back to the entrance hall.
As she walked down Diagon Alley to rejoin her family, she took the time to explore the new Diagon Alley. There were some shops she recognized from her youth, like Quality Quidditch Supplies, Flourish & Blotts and Madam Malkin's. Twilfitt and Tatting's, the boutique that used to be run by notorious pure-blood elitists, had shut down, as well as Gambol and Japes Joke Shop, which had succumbed to the competition from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
New shops had popped up as well, like Bashir's Flying Carpets, which had been legalized in 2006 as part of a free trade agreement, or Goldstein & Boot's, who were selling magical games, from Exploding Snap to life-sized Wizard Chess sets.
She entered Goldstein & Boot's, where she met her old Ravenclaw housemate Terry Boot.
"Hi Terry," she greeted him.
"Hi – is that Cho?" he asked. "I haven't seen you in ages!"
"Yes, it's me. Nice to see you, Terry. Is Anthony here as well?"
"Of course not," Terry replied. "Don't you know he became a Hogwarts teacher two years ago? He's teaching Charms now that old Flitwick has retired."
She left Goldstein & Boot's with a new set of Wizard's Chess, as a late birthday present for Jeremy.
She met with her family and Angelina at the ice cream parlour. Jeremy had just finished his ice cream, so they went on with their shopping.
Jeremy went to Madam Malkin's with his dad, while Cho picked up the first-year spellbooks from Flourish & Blotts. Then, they bought the necessary potions ingredients at the apothecary. As they passed the junction to Knockturn Alley, she looked away. It had been a surprisingly nice day so far, and she didn't want to wake any unpleasant memories.
Finally, they had finished all shopping but Jeremy's new wand. They entered the dusty shop of Mr. Ollivander, in which time seemed to stand still.
But it wasn't old Mr. Ollivander who welcomed them, but a young man, probably in his early thirties. Seeing Cho's confused look, he said:
"Oh, you expected Garrick? I'm Giles, his grand-nephew. You're looking for a wand?"
"Yes, for my son Jeremy," she told Giles Ollivander.
She remembered how she had entered the same shop. It had been very different for her. As she had grown up in a wizarding household, she had anticipated this moment for years. Jeremy had only known he was a wizard for two weeks.
Mr. Ollivander handed him a wand. "Try this one," he said, "nine inches, ash, phoenix feather."
"What am I supposed to do with it?" Jeremy asked.
"Just take it. You will know when it's the right one. You can't do anything wrong. The wand chooses the wizard, my great-uncle always says."
He carefully waved the wand, and was disappointed when nothing happened. Mr. Ollivander handed him another. And another.
When Jeremy waved the fifth one, he immediately smiled. "This is the one!" he exclaimed.
"I think so too," Mr. Ollivander agreed.
Just as she paid for Jeremy's new wand, old Mr. Ollivander appeared from the back of the shop.
"Ah, Mrs. Chang. Eleven inches, maple, unicorn hair," he said. "Still happy with your wand?"
"I'm happy with it again, I'd say," she replied shyly. Somehow, old Ollivander still had something intimidating about him.
"I don't remember you, Mr…"
"Wilson." David said, "I'm not a wizard."
They left Ollivander's, and as they had completed their shopping, they went back to the Leaky Cauldron. Sometimes, one of the shop windows caught their eye. Jeremy spent ten minutes admiring the new Nimbus 3000, and a book on Arithmancy caught David's attention ("So magic can be calculated! Fascinating.")
But in the end, they left the Leaky Cauldron with a trunk full of Jeremy's new school supplies, and drove home.
Cho spent the next weeks torn between the magical and the muggle world. Two days after the shopping trip to Diagon Alley, she was reporting about a corrupt muggle politician who reminded her unpleasantly of Cornelius Fudge.
The next weekend, she was watching Angelina and the Tornados defeat Puddlemere 290-160, in one of the closest Quidditch matches she had ever seen. She had never imagined herself sitting in a Quidditch stadium with her son and her muggle husband. She even dreamt of playing again.
She wondered whether muggle-borns always had this feeling of living in two separate worlds at the same time. After many years in which everything was certain, this sudden change was rather stressful. Sometimes she was happy about rejoining the wizarding world, at other times, she regretted her decision.
As the first of September slowly drew nearer, her worries were growing again. While the visit to Diagon Alley had eased much of her fear regarding the wizarding world, she still didn't feel well at the thought of sending Jeremy to Hogwarts. Too much had happened at this school during her time for that.
Jeremy, on the other hand, was enthusiastic. He spent all his time reading in his books, especially A History of Magic and Hogwarts: A History.
But whether feared or anticipated, the first of September eventually arrived, and thus, the Wilsons drove to London once again, this time to King's Cross.
"Platform nine and three quarters?" David asked, "I've never seen non-integers as platform numbers before, but I've learnt to expect everything from wizards. However, an irrational number would have been fitting too."
"Why that?" Cho asked.
"Well, you've got all those magical means of transport, yet all students from all across Britain and Ireland gather at London to go to a school in Scotland by train. Isn't that irrational?"
"Yeah, if you're looking at it that way, you're right. But I think it's just meant to be some sort of an adventure for the students to arrive this way." Cho replied.
They parked the car near King's Cross. They arrived at the station at half past ten.
"How are we going to get to this platform 9 ¾? David asked. I see platform nine and platform ten.
"You're just walking through the barrier between platform nine and ten. I'll take Jeremy to the platform first, and then I'll come back to fetch you. I don't know if it works for muggles who are alone." Cho answered. She took Jeremy at the hand, and they were pushing his heavy trunk towards the barrier together. A moment later, they appeared on the platform where the scarlet Hogwarts Express was already waiting.
"Hi Jeremy!" she heard someone shout, and saw Fred running towards her son. Fred was carrying a cage with a turtle.
"A turtle? Cool! Are they even allowed? The letter said cat, owl or toad."
"Anything goes, as long as it's not dangerous. But there's a rule in my family – no rats. Don't ask me why." Fred said.
A little later, Cho returned to platform nine and three quarters with her husband, who couldn't stop admiring the wizarding world.
In the distance, she saw a dark-haired man with his wife and his three children. She considered walking over to him, but she wasn't ready for a conversation with him yet.
Instead, she stayed with Angelina and George as they watched their children board the train.
"Be good, Jeremy, and look after yourself. And if the teachers say something is dangerous, it is dangerous. Don't get into trouble," Cho urged her son.
"Goodbye mum. See you on Christmas," Jeremy replied while she hugged him one last time before he climbed onto the train.
Cho felt a tear roll down her cheek. The knowledge that she wouldn't be able to protect her at Hogwarts hurt her.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was not David's. It was Angelina's.
"They'll be alright," Angelina said. "Don't worry; Hogwarts is much safer than it used to be. And there's always Neville to look after them. And Anthony. And the other teachers."
"You're right, I'm being silly. Whether in the muggle world or in the wizarding world, I can't always be there to protect him." Cho answered. She wiped the tear out of her face, as she watched the train leave the platform.