The Expected Letter
Purr. Purr. Purr. There was a contented sound in my ear with a twitch now and then, but after the short moment of consciousness I was experiencing, the world went silent. There was a rough nuzzling against my hand but in an attempt to go back to sleep, I simply rolled over. Again Flynn pushed into my hand trying to get me out of bed. "Go back to bed, Flynn." I groaned and buried myself into the quilt. Never, and I mean never, tell a dragon to go back to bed.
With a thump I was on the floor next to my bed. Swiftly, I rolled over my shoulders and stood on my feet, my nose level with Flynn's. His red eyes dug into mine, burning a hole in my will to be angry with him. With a sigh, I punched him in the shoulder and turned to the door.
"Kelsey! Are you up?" My dad yelled from the kitchen where I knew mom would be cooking breakfast by now. I hurried down the steps before launching myself at him. He caught me in his arms with a squeeze and a kiss on the head. "Good morning darling." He pinched my cheek before walking over to where momma was slicing up some ham as the pan was heating over the stove. I watched him wrap his arms around her stomach and lean against her, a smile creeping upon both of their faces. I rolled my eyes and walked to the cabinets to get dishes out for the family.
"Go get the boys, Ray." My mother's voice flowed like silk from her lips, as she threw the strips of meat into the pan. He walked away without a word after trailing his fingers through her straight, golden hair. I set the table quietly, smiling at the thought of growing up and living the same life that she did.
"Kelsey!" My mom yelled, bringing me out of a trance.
"Yes mom?" I snapped back into reality. She rolled her eyes and gestured to the puppy dog-eyed dragon sitting at her feet begging for food. "Come on yuck muffin." I sprinted out the door, immediately followed by Flynn. The second my feet hit the grass, I shivered and jumped in the air, Flynn easily swooping beneath me and jetting up to the sky. I pulled off my hoodie, quickly tying it around my waist as Flynn flew towards the open fields where dragons of all sizes lay scattered about.
I hopped off of Flynn as he settled on the ground in the tall grass. I lay back, looking up at the sky, knowing it was where I belonged. He gave me a look and flew off, his golden scales shimmering in the light as he went to find some food. I closed my eyes and drifted in and out of reality, at one point I rolled over and hit something hard, scrambling to my feet in shock.
In the placed that I had just occupied lay my dad, looking up at the cloudless sky, much like I had. A wind ruffled his hair, and he sat up giving me a classic "you're-just-like-your-mother" face. "Time for breakfast, Kels." I reached for his extended had and held my temples as we apparated back into the kitchen that bottled a miasma of different foods. My dad pulled out a chair for me, which I eagerly sat in, mouth watering as my mom sat the plate down in front of me which I devoured. Mom and dad sat down at the other end of the table as I ate, talking quietly, dad always playing with the loose strands of mom's hair that she had already tied up into a knot on the top of her head. My little brother, Alex kept his nose buried in the book he was reading, his honey colored hair peaking over the top, ever so slightly.
"Where's Declan, momma?" I asked after swallowing the mouthful of eggs.
"He's got a fever so we're letting him sleep in." She said absent-mindedly, returning to her conversation with my dad. In a split second though, her voice turned serious. "Alex, be a dear and go check on the baby will you, love?"
"Yes mom." Alex trotted out of the kitchen.
"At least one of them is like me." Dad laughed, and mom gave him a slight punch.
"Well, they can't all be perfect!" Mom scolded before kissing the tip of his nose, turning to me. "Honey, on a more serious note, we need to have a serious conversation about school."
"What do you mean; I thought you were going to teach me how to use magic and train dragons and such." I put my fork down; questioning the expectations I had created.
"What do you know about where your mom and I went to school?" Dad asked, as mom leaned against him, playing with his fingers discreetly.
"I know you two went to different schools and met at the… Tri-Wizard thingy."
"Tri-wizard tournament love." My mom absently corrected. "But yes, I met your father at the opening feast; our tables were next to one another." She smiled at him, and he blushed a bit. "Oui, Monsieur Black?"
"понятно любима." He chuckled, and I stared back flabbergasted at their perfect speech in foreign languages. "Anyways, your mother attended Beauxbatons Academy and I attended Durmstrang. The little trollop was the Tri-Wizard Champion." She jabbed him in the arm.
"What your father means is that I…" She paused, lowering her voice, "Was chosen from all the girls in my school to participate in the Tri-Wizard tournament."
Intrigued by this the first thought was of her outcome, "Did you win?!"
"Of COURSE she did! It's your mother after all!" Dad yelled.
"We're not here to talk about that, Ray!" She scolded, her eyes narrowing, my dad grinning at her temper. I knew the topic was now inaccessible. "You were accepted to the Wizarding Schools: Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and Hogwarts." She tossed three letters at me upon saying the names of the schools. The first was ivory with brilliant blue script, the second was coal gray with red scratching for handwriting, and the last was a cream with emerald print. "Your father and I received letters from two of the schools but never all three and we want you to know that it doesn't matter to us where you go, so long as you are happy and feel you've made the right choice."
I spread the envelopes out in front of me. I looked at my elegant mother in comparison to the letter from Beauxbatons: crisp, poised, and strong. I looked down at the Durmstrang letter and saw my father's quick wits, unyielding attitude and a thirst for power. Between the two sat the letter to Hogwarts, a place where I knew I would be best suited: a combination of beauty and power.