The year was 1992.
A young girl with black locks sighed, kicking at the back of the seat in front of her slightly. An older man, with a trimmed mustache, held out a hand to prohibit the behavior from her. She sighed, slouching back in her seat, staring at the stage with indifference.
Attending a Broadway production wasn't anything new for Alice Holmes. As the only child of Edmund Holmes and Dymphna Blackstone, she was constantly being dragged off to theater performances and premieres.
Tonight, it was her mother's turn on the stage, staring in a production of Shakespeare's Othello. Staring alongside her was a young man, known for playing a detective on the telly—Alice could never remember his name, as it was far too complicated for anyone to bother pronouncing.
"Your mother is simply marvelous," the older man whispered giddily. "This is really quite the treat, Alice!"
Alice shrugged, rolling her eyes a bit. You wouldn't think it was this amazing if you knew she was cheating. She frowned a bit, watching the way her mother was throttled and convincingly died, her lips even having a touch of blue on them.
"You really should take more pride in this," the man admonished. "Not everyone can do what she can do."
That's because she uses magic to be better than everyone else. Alice snickered a bit, though an arm from her left silenced her quickly. It was her father, who winked at her and sat back, enjoying the conclusion of the play.
She groaned a bit, shutting her eyes. The man with the funny name delivered a few closing lines, and then Alice could hear a thud.
"Is it over?" she whispered to her father, squirming slightly in her seat.
"Almost," he promised, squeezing her hand.
Alice grinned, and when she heard the play finally come to conclusion, she was dying to get out of her seat. Her mother bowed to the audience as flowers were thrown at the stage. In the midst of the crowd of grown ups, Alice was completely lost and forgotten.
She frowned sharply, jealous at the attention her mother gave everyone else. In an instant, the flowers and adorations turned into butterflies, flying off towards the ceiling.
There was stunned silence.
Then they burst into applause again, marveling at the trick that the legendary Dymphna Blackstone had performed. Alice blushed a bit, though if she was completely truthful, she was glad that her magic would manifest itself every now and then.
Her name may have been down for W.A.D.A., the Wizarding Academy of the Dramatic Arts since she was born, yet her dream was to attend Hogwarts. Her grandparents had gone there, along with her aunts and uncles. She wanted to learn how to use magic, rather than limp along with basic charms and potions.
She wanted to be better than her mother, a woman who was practically a squib.
"Want to go say hi to Mom?" her dad asked, ruffling Alice's hair. He nodded at the older man—Dymphna's publicity manager—and he escorted his daughter through the crowd.
Security recognized Edmund Holmes instantly—he was a celebrity in his own right—and allowed them to proceed forward. Alice craned her neck, looking at all of the glittery costumes and the extravagant people. A few of them waved at her, grinning at the small child and marveling at her British accent. Americans always did that.
She was merely eleven years old. In a few months, she would be twelve—nearly a teenager, she loved to proclaim.
"Mum!" Alice shouted, spotting the beautiful woman standing in the back. A man with pointed cheekbones waved at Alice, before walking over to his own wife and child.
"Alice, darling!" Dymphna cooed, picking up her child gracefully. Dympha appeared to be a more sophisticated version of Alice, her dark black hair placed into a cascading braid. Bits of veela hair were braided into it as well.
It made her appear only more beautiful and astonishing to the eye—a trick she had learned at school.
"I see your magic isn't stopping," Dymphna chuckled, carrying Alice into the dressing room. Vaguely, she was aware of Edmund chatting with another cast member.
Alice grinned. "Did you like it, Mum?"
She nodded eagerly, setting Alice down on the makeup chair. She spun Alice around, before picking up a brush. It had been specially made for her at Diagon Alley, designed to make the makeup effortlessly flawless.
"How would you like to look like a princess, darling?" Alice's mother offered, dusting Alice's face with the brush.
Alice complied, and gazed at the mirror in fascination. Her hair seemed to do itself, and her eyes became more prominent than before. Her mother paused for a moment, pulling out a thin wand, and she twirled it around Alice. In an instant, her plain dress had been transformed into a beautiful emerald ball gown.
"I look so pretty," Alice laughed, tugging at her hair. "Even if you cheated."
Dymphna winked at her. "It's not cheating, Alice darling. We have to use what we have to get ahead. It's how we survive in this world."
Alice nodded, touching her cheek tenderly. The makeup didn't smudge, and to her touch, it simply felt like her own skin.
"I know," Alice murmured. Her parents had gotten her a few minor roles in jobs. Usually, it was simply out of convenience for the director—they didn't need to worry about her crying. She was the daughter of theater legends, fully capable of doing anything and everything.
It was in her blood.
"Now, how about we go home and we play some Exploding Snap, hmm? We can team up against your father again, if you'd like," Dymphna offered, laughing a bit at the mental image. It hadn't gone all too well last time they played with Edmund.
Alice, however, cackled and nodded eagerly. "Wicked! Let's do it!"
She rather enjoyed magic.
Dymphna waved her wand at the pots, causing them to quickly clean themselves. She grinned, pulling out some ingredients for cooking.
Edmund frowned a bit, walking into the kitchen. They had established a sort of home in the apartment, located in one of the tallest buildings in Brooklyn. Neither Edmund nor Dymphna was ready to make the move official-so far, it had all been intangible, merely a stay for the show.
"Honestly, every time you use magic on those, they get worse!"
His wife laughed a bit, winking down at Alice. "You're joking! I graduated top of my class at W.A.D.A. I think I can do some simple cleaning charms."
Alice's father gave in, rolling his eyes. He grumpily sat at the counter, watching as the dishes became progressively dirtier and dirtier. Alice laughed, watching with delight.
"You're so great at charms, Mum," Alice teased. "Almost as good as you are at cooking."
Dymphna rolled her eyes, and the pans dropped with a clatter. Edmund muttered a few choice words under his breath, before manually cleaning all of the dishes. He waved a finger at his wife and grabbed the ingredients, throwing them all together in the pan.
"Dad's better at charms," Alice added, attempting to get a rise out of her mother.
Dymphna pouted slightly. "That's rather rude—your father isn't even magical!"
"You say that like it's a bad thing…" Edmund protested, setting the concoction to simmer. It smelled delicious, yet Alice wasn't able to identify what it was. It reminded her of an Indian restaurant, filled with rich and new scents.
Her mother stalked over to the fax machine, a necessity at their house. It had taken her a while at first to figure out how to use it, but after that initial period, all sorts of documents were being sent off to talent agents.
"Eddie!" Dymphna squealed. "They've sent a script for you!"
Edmund did a double take, and Alice nodded, watching the food for him. He dashed over to the fax machine, looking over the script. His eyes grew wider and wider, and they practically jumped out of his skull.
"I got the part, as well!" Edmund said, pumping his fist into the air. "Looks like we'll be heading out to Los Angeles!"
Dymphna grinned, embracing her husband. Alice, for her part, frowned a bit. She didn't mind the States too much, yet she continued to dream of the misty halls of Hogwarts. And to be able to attend, she had to be in Britain.
She took a deep breath, clearing her throat slightly. "Mum!"
Dymphna pecked Edmund on the cheek, who was engrossed with the script he was reading over. She walked back over to Alice, putting an arm around her child comfortingly.
"What's the matter, darling?" she asked. "Aren't you excited for your father? This could make his career—he could get an Oscar!"
"Yes, but…"
"But?" Dymphna raised an eyebrow. She glanced over at the food, seeing that it was largely fine—or at least, it was fine to her own eye. She shrugged, returning her gaze to Alice.
"I want to go back to England," Alice pouted. "I miss home—everyone here talks silly."
Dymphna paused, her eyes darting over towards Edmund. They had built their entire lives around theater, from the moment they met while working for the BBC. Edmund had changed his name for his career—she had been fortunate enough to already have a strange and memorable one.
"We can't go back to England," Dymphna said, pinching Alice's cheek playfully. "There are lots of lovely people here in America—and you'll be heading off to W.A.D.A. soon enough as well."
Alice nodded a bit, biting her lip softly. "What if I…what if I don't want to go to W.A.D.A., Mum?"
"Oh!" Dymphna exclaims, her face widening greatly. "Well, I suppose you could attend the Salem Witch Institute—I haven't heard terribly great things about them, though…"
Alice shook her head. "I want to go to Hogwarts, Mum. You always told me that we have to use everything we have to get ahead in life—I want to be the best witch there ever was, and I can't do that at squib school!"
Her mother frowned, her normally soft features going quite stern. "W.A.D.A. is a very difficult school to get into—it isn't squib school. They're expecting you to attend, Alice."
"But I want to go to Hogwarts!" Alice frowned. "My letter from them is supposed to be here today! Grandmum told me!"
She just doesn't want me to be better than her… Alice frowned deeper, looking at her mother pleadingly. Dymphna was about to respond, ready to fight with her daughter, when an owl appeared, tapping at the window.
"I'll get the bird," Alice's father sighed, rolling his eyes a bit. He tore himself away from his script and opened the window, allowing a tawny owl to sore inside. It clutched a letter firmly in its talons.
It landed in front of Alice, holding out its leg. She stared at it, eyes wide, and she held out her hand. The owl dropped the letter and flew back out of the window, and quickly vanished from sight.
The letter, addressed to her, was written in green ink:
Ms. Alice C. Holmes
The First Floor Bedroom
Apartment 0314
Rodya-Svidrigailov Apartments
Brooklyn
New York, New York
The United States of America
"It's my letter!" Alice exclaimed. Her parents were exchanging glances, yet the eleven year old paid no mind. She ripped open the letter delicately, hoping to preserve it for years to come.
Her eyes greedily scanned the page, eating up each and every word. She had been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, under Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. She squirmed—her grandparents had told her stories about Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard who ever lived.
She was being accepted as a first year, with her owl being awaited to confirm her attendance.
"Mum!" Alice exclaimed, shoving the letter towards her. "Please tell me I can go!"
Her mother sighed a bit, biting her lip—a habit Alice had picked up from her.
"I don't see why not," Edmund said tentatively, staring at his wife. "She can always transfer to W.A.D.A. if she would prefer that after a year."
Dymphna nodded. "Fine—but be careful, darling. I wouldn't want you to get hurt."
Alice beamed up at her parents, schooling her features into a brave mask. She had heard rumors about the dangers of Hogwarts, with students being sent out into the Forbidden forest for detention and the like.
But still, it was safe—it had to be safe.
It was Hogwarts.
"I'll be fine," Alice grinned. "Now, when can we go get my supplies? It says I'll be needing a wand…"