Australian Stranger
Chapter 1
Behind The Brick Wall
I am from a town just off of Sydney, Australia. So what does a British Wizarding school want with me? Everything, apparently.
My name is Piper Fennel. I have known I've been different from the beginning. My mother had told me that from the day I was born my hair had been changing colors. She is what wizards call a muggle. But she knew what exactly I was and why. She called it being a Metamorphmagus, I think. I usually keep it under lock and key, but when I get moody it takes the wheel and drives to a place of its own control. Around the house, my hair is a bubblegum pink, the short spikes pointing down. Mum always says I look like a little mouse, my nose round and small, my eyes round and blue, and freckles dotting my cheeks. When I walk around the little city and on the beach, it is long, little past my shoulders, thick, sandy blonde, my face still a bit mousy and tan with faint freckles. I am always described as tomboyish.
Yes I am a witch, and I'm proud of it.
The day I received my letter, I was thrilled but not entirely surprised. But after a few minutes the fears started flooding in. This school is in Britain, I knew that from the return address that is written in emerald ink. How am I to get there?
"Mum..." I say, worried, coming into the living room. I found my mother watching some doctor show.
"What is it, Piper?" she says, turning around and looking alarmed.
"I got a..a letter." I say, trying to find the right way to phrase it. Her eyes widen and that is when I start to panic.
"Let me see it." She says, getting up. I hand her the letter.
While she has a concerned look on her face, I concentrate on her features. Her face is pale, faintly tan. Her feminine features are kind and caring. Her large light brown eyes are lovely with her cream colored blonde hair. It falls around her face in waves, like the ones at the beach. She is a mousy woman, not very tall. She is young for her age, 32. Her mouth has laugh lines and her eyes still sparkle with that childish glow.
"This is.. great Pipes!" she says, smiling. I'm confused, and worried since I hadn't even read the letter.
"Wha-what?" I ask, but she does not answer me. "Daniel!" she calls towards the stairs. Oh, and my mother's name is Annabeth. My Dad called her Anna.
My hair turned a subtle blonde, my eyes a soft green, like a lilypad.
"What is it dear?" Dad says distractedly, his reading glasses on. My Dad loves to read. I get that from him. His favorite kind are fiction books. He likes to believe in things other people don't find real.
My Dad is tall and thin, with enough muscle to make him moderately intimidating. His light, copper brown hair goes nicely with his round, soft blue eyes. I always giggled at the sweaters he wore. They were always v-necked and checked with differently colored fabric in the shape of diamonds.
"Our daughter got her Hogwarts letter!" Mum says to him ecstatically. I was completely lost, since I had not even opened the letter.
"This is fantastic dear, I was dearly hoping for this, I will go send the return letter." he says brightly, gliding off into the room where the owl who had brought the letter is.
"Mum, what's going on?" I ask timidly, glancing back at dad who was looking for a spare bit of parchment.
"Oh dear, sit down Piper." She says softly. I do as I am told.
"Honey, you know you're special. We all do, hmm? Well you're more special than we ever dreamed. Hon, you're a witch." I freeze for a moment, taking it all in slowly. And of course, in response I say,
"Not... not the ones with the green skin and icky boils and such, no?" For an un-place-able reason, I am unsurprised. Actually, I am quite relieved. I thought that if I didn't get some kind of reason why I was like this, I would go senile. But it all made sense now.
"No, no. You're perfectly perfect, dear. You know the school is in Britain, correct?" I nod slowly, not seeing where she was going. "Well someone will come for you and you will stay at the school until summer break, then come back to us." my eyes widen fearfully. "You must remember this is a very good school, and it's far away." she says, rubbing my cheek lovingly with her thumb. Her touch is warm and calming. My eyes turn copper and my hair gold, the locks wavy and long down my back.
"Done and done Anna. Oh Piper, how very beautiful." he says, commenting on my appearance. I laugh, embarrassed.
"Thanks Dad." I blush. I concentrate, turning my hair dark blonde and curly. Mum smiles at me, and I smile too, reaching for the letter.
No sooner than a fortnight after that day, a spunky witch comes for me.
"Lynn, Lynn Coralle." She says, grinning broadly on our front step. I blink. She's blunt and to the point, isn't she?
"Oh right, I'm the witch that will be getting you to Britain, girly." she says, giving me a one-over. My eyes turned a dark green and my hair a fiery red, lushing out in long waves.
"Girly?" I growl, thoroughly insulted. She takes no notice, ignoring my comment.
"Metamorphous, eh? I didn't believe them." Them? "Muggle-born Metamorphmagus are four thousand times more rare than finding a five-leaf clover. Nearly impossible." She frowns, cocking an eyebrow. "Are you letting me in or are you going to let all of Sydney hear in, eh?"
"Right, sorry." I said, opening the door wider to let her in. My hair has dimmed to a semi-bright ginger.
I give her a one-over, like she did me, as she sits on the couch.
Her locks of copper brown hair are short to her shoulders. Her eyes are a strong grass-like green, having all sorts of shades of green in them. Her pale face is dotted and spotted with freckles. When she blinks, I see a very small one on her eyelid. She is moderately tall, and not over-weight but not entirely skinny either. She wears a fitting cinnamon aviator's jacket over a gray t-shirt that looks like she has had it for many years and it reads 'Wicked Witches'. Her jeans are worn and her tennis shoes are tattered.
"Nice abode, where are your parents, girly?" she asks cheerfully.
My hair flares a stronger red, and my eyes flash.
"Don't call me th-" I growl, but she cuts me off.
"Call you whatever I please, missy." she says politely. She wasn't rude, more outgoing than so.
"Fine. Mum is-" I start again, only to be interrupted again.
"Who is this, Piper?" she asks sweetly, strolling in with a damp dish rag in her hand.
"in the kitchen..." I finish quietly.
"Lynn, Lynn Coralle." she says formally, offering her hand to Mum.
"Anna Fennel." says Mum, shaking it lightly.
"Well, I suppose you should go pack a trunk while I explain some things to your mother." says Lynn brightly.
"Okay then. I don't have a-" I frown slightly, a brown trunk with my initials on it appearing in front of me. "Nevermind.." I say quietly, taking it upstairs the white, carpeted staircase up to my room.
My hair dulled to bubblegum pink, like it usually was, long and spikey at the ends.
"Hmm.. Sketchbooks.. pencils.." I started filling the trunk. I wasn't taking much.
A few sweaters, short-sleeved blouses, pairs of jeans, a couple scarves, a few knit hats, gloves, sketchbooks, my sky blue IPod©, and my favorite books, The Percy Jackson Series.
"Ready." I call, heaving the trunk down the steps.
"Good, now, a few goodbyes and we're off." Lynn said, smiling.
"Mum, I love you, remember that, yeah?" I say, looking her in the eyes. I feel my eyes turn colors, and they were aquamarine, my hair a light blonde, as I see it in the mirror from above the fireplace.
"What about me?" says Dad, frowning.
"Aw, Dad." I say, walking over to him and giving him a big hug. "I love you. Don't forget, yeah?" I say, pulling away and looking up.
"Course not." he says, smiling. Everyone always says I am more mature for my young age.
"Okay, let's head on out." says Lynn, grabbing my arm and locking it in hers. "Ready? Hold onto that real tight." she says, indicating the trunk.
"Okay, wh-" I found myself being yanked by an unknown force as I spun and disappeared on the spot.
The experience was not so comfortable, let's just keep it at that. It felt as if I was being quickly sucked through a too-small tube. I barely keep myself from vomiting as we stop.
"Wow, I'm surprised, most throw up their first time." she says, grinning as I am looking a bit green, I expect.
"Hello Neville!" Lynn says to a man behind the counter.
"Mornin' Lynn, the usual?" he asked, reaching for a glass.
"No thanks Neville, just here to escort Piper here. Speaking of, do you have a free room, Neville?" she said, leaning over the counter and smiling.
"Cour.. Course I do." he said, grinning. "Room 13, free of charge." he answered, handing Lynn a key.
"Thanks, Neville. Owe you one." she replies, winking.
"Right! See you, Lynn." he said as we walked to the back of the pub, right to a brick wall.
"Three up.. Two down." She said tapping what she had explained was a wand on our way in, a magical instrument used to channel magic, on particular bricks. It is, unfortunately, useless to Muggles and Squibs. When held by such, it was just a stick.
Lynn told me that Squibs are children born into wizarding familes that are, unfortunately, non-magical.
Behind the brick wall is the most spectacular place of places I have ever seen.
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