Thanks for checking out my story! This is eventually going to become a OC/Fred W. romance, but I wanted to do some background first. I think I'm going to try for two more chapters in this 'past' setting, then eventually fast forward to their 6th year, where most of the story will probably take place. Hope you like it!
It was quite a surprise for Mr. and Mrs. Perlman when an owl arrived at their doorstep one day carrying a letter for their eldest child, Philippa. Philippa, or Pippa by anyone who truly knew her, held the letter with such tenderness for an eleven year old. She could feel the power and magic waiting for her and could not wait to start over. Mr. and Mrs. Perlman were not proud or impressed, to say the least.
"Philippa, you will not attend this Pigwart School of Rubbish. It is inexplicably an absurd hippy school that will fill your head with nonsense and teach you evil spells," Mrs. Perlman had said, sticking her rather pointy nose into the air with superiority.
"Mum, it's Hogwarts. They say I'm a witch! I can do real magic!" little Pippa had insisted. She had read the letter hundreds of times by then.
"Honestly, Philippa, it's a scam. There is no such thing as 'real magic'. Now go study for your math exam," Mr. Perlman said, his large teeth protruding in a most unattractive way.
Mr. and Mrs. Perlman loved to brag about their children, so they always made sure that both Pippa and 6 year old Leo, were studying hard, in at least 3 sports, and at the top of their class. Needless to say, Pippa didn't like sports much and studying math was a bore. Pippa, by the age of eleven, didn't even know what kind of activities she liked because all the ones she was involved in were forced on her. But now, she knew that more than anything, she wanted to go to Hogwarts and get out of this house.
Less than a week later, the Perlmans got a knock on their plain white door. Mrs. Perlman gave a little yelp as she opened it to reveal Mr. Perlman's estranged sister, Aunt Nola, standing at the door, dressed head to toe in a fuzzy purple dress, complete with a matching hat and gloves.
"S-Samuel! Um, your sister is here!" Mrs. Perlman shouted down the hall, while giving Nola a forced over-perky smile.
"Nola? I thought that- Oh, hello, Nola," Mr. Perlman stuttered, pulling nervously at his collar. "We-we weren't expecting you."
"Well, I don't know why you would be, considering you haven't bothered to ever write or call me, much less invite me over," Nola said, while brushing past her brother and sister-in-law and making her way into their rather ordinary house. Pippa peered down the stairs and down at this woman. She couldn't hear what her parents or the woman was saying but she displayed an aura of confidence. She was bold, but not overly cocky, feeling she was superior, like her parents did. Whoever this strange woman was, Pippa wanted to be like. Minus the clothes.
"Well, Nola, we never- you never- we didn't get information- you-," Mr. Perlman stuttered out, trying to find an excuse for alienating his sister.
"No. No excuses," Nola said, holding up her gloved hand. "Now, where are Philippa and Leo? I'd love to meet them."
"Yes, of course. Philippa! Leo! Come down here now!" Mr. Perlman yelled up the stairs, while his wife still cowered in the corner.
As Pippa and Leo slowly made their way down the stairs, Nola's bright smile met them halfway. When Pippa stepped off of the last step, she was immediately enveloped in Nola's warm arms. It was strange, (her parents weren't big on hugging) but nice, and almost familiar. She then moved to hug Leo, who returned the embrace, but then got distracted by some of his toys in the den, and ran over to play.
"Well, you must be Philippa. So nice to meet you, darling," Nola said, genuine happiness in her voice.
"You too! And you are...," Pippa said, still uncertain of who she was.
"Oh, well, I shouldn't be surprised that I'm not spoken of in this house," she replied, giving Pippa's parents a look. "I'm your Aunt Nola, your father's sister. And I hear we have something very special in common," she added, winking. Pippa gave her a confused look.
"Nola, Philippa isn't-" Mr. Perlman tried to butt in, but his sister waved him away.
"Dear, we're both witches!" she exclaimed, her brown eyes twinkling. "You did get your Hogwarts letter, didn't you?"
"I did, but my parents said I couldn't go. They say it's a school of rubbish," Pippa answered.
"Rubbish?!" Nola turned around to face Mr. and Mrs. Perlman, and looked them in the face and Pippa could see them sweat. "Hogwarts is the best school of magic in the area, maybe the world! Some of my best friends work there and Philippa is lucky to get in! Just because you, Samuel, are a Squib, doesn't mean you have to deny her this opportunity." Mr. Perlman gulped and excused himself to use the bathroom. "Now, Philippa, do you want to go to Hogwarts?" Nola asked, her brows knitted together, pleading.
"Of course! But I'm afraid I have a lot to learn. First, what's a Squib?" little Pippa asked, peering up at her aunt.
"A Squib comes from a family of wizards, but does not possess magical ability themselves. Dear, the whole Perlman family is full of witches and wizards, just like you."
'Explains why I've never met my family...' Pippa thought.
"Now, Philippa, I'm going to find your father and we will discuss this," Mrs. Perlman stated, teetering off to the kitchen in her too high heels.
Pippa lead Aunt Nola over to the couch. Nola tried to talk to drown out the loud talking from the kitchen but Pippa could hear the whole conversation.
"Maybe it's a good thing Nola is here. Philippa is going to start showing those signs of magic soon and it might... be unusual." Mr. Perlman whispered. "This way, she can stay with Nola and it won't give our household any unwanted attention."
"Right, this way we could just tell everyone she was accepted into a prestigious boarding school and no one would know she's a- a witch." Mrs. Perlman spit the last word out with disgust. Pippa looked down at her hands. She knew her parents loved the ordinary, and Pippa wanted to leave herself, but it still hurt to hear that they would give her up so easily for the sake of normality. Mr. and Mrs. Perlman strutted out of the kitchen and did their best to put a sad face on.
"Darling, this is so hard for us. We love you so much but we feel that with you wanting to go to Pigwarts so much, and Nola being a witch, it would be a great opportunity for you to learn these new skills," Mrs. Perlman said smoothly.
"Nola, if it's no trouble by you, we think it would be a great connection for you to become involved with the culture, if you stayed with Nola before and during school breaks," Mr. Perlman added.
And with that, Pippa was swept up to her room where her parents helped her pack and in an instant she was standing at the door with Nola.
"Goodbye, Philippa! We promise to write and call! We'll see you this summer!" They both rushed in hugging her and waved.
"Wait! Where's Leo? I want to say goodbye to him," Pippa said, peering over her parents shoulders to try to get a peek inside her house. Leo pushed past his parents and hugged Pippa.
"Where're you going, Pip?" he asked. "Will you be home by dinner? I wanna show you a new game I made up!" Pippa blinked back tears and looked at her little brothers eager face. Pippa didn't have much time for friends, with her studying and endless other activities. None of the girls on any of her teams ever made an effort to get to know her, so Leo was all she had.
"I'm afraid I won't be back by dinner. I'm going to a new school and I won't be back for a long time, Leo. But I'll think of you often and write you a bunch. Do you promise to write me?"
"Of course. But how long? Two weeks?" He asked, still confused.
"Probably more. Just remember that I love you, okay? I'll miss you more than anything," she said while pulling him in for another hug and burying her head in his dark hair. "Love you, buddy."
"Love you too, Pip."
And with that she walked to the taxi with Aunt Nola, waving over her shoulder, saying goodbye to the dull life she was accustomed to, and ready for a new adventure.
Phew, I hope that wasn't too long. I hope you liked it and please review! Reviews make my day and please give me your honest opinion or any ideas you may have! And I promise we'll meet Fred soon... Maybe next chapter ;) But until then, Au Revoir!