Just an American Girl

By: Adeline Potter

So, while I await B's pending upload, I've decided to write these oneshots about Addie's life in America. It just shows parts of Addie's life and how the wizarding schools in America functioned. They won't go in any order, so they are going to jump around a bit. Hope you enjoy! ~ A

Chapter 1- Pre-Wizardry

~July 31, 1987, Jones' House~

Adeline Potter grudgingly pulled on a light green dress and slipped on a pair of white flip-flops. While Adeline liked her birthday, she hated dresses. Her older brother, Dean, always teased her about being a girly girl. But Addie wasn't, but to make her mommy proud, she wore the dress.

A soft knock at the door made Addie turn around. Her mom leaned her head in the room, a smile lighting up her features.

"Hi mommy!" Addie jumped all the way around, her strawberry blonde pigtails twirling with her.

"Hi darling, happy birthday! My, that dress looks cute on you." Mrs. Jones, Addie's step mother, stepped into the room.

"Thank you. But I still prefer my shorts." Addie said, grinning with two missing, adjacent teeth.

"I know sweetie. It'll be just for today. Scout and Blair are wearing dresses." Mrs. Jones said.

"But they're two! They're supposed to look girly mommy. Dean and Sam and Chris tease me." Addie tugged on the hem of her dress.

"Then you know what sweetie?" Mrs. Jones pushed back a strand of her black hair and knelt to Addie's height. "Show them you can still be you, even in a pretty dress."

Addie frowned at this as she thought. She then smiled and hugged her mom.

"Thanks! Come on, everyone's waiting!" Addie skipped from the room, humming and smiling brightly.

Mrs. Jones watched her daughter leave, loving the way her adopted daughter flourished as a child. In Teresa Jones' mind, Addie was the purest picture of innocence.

~June 10, 1989, Jones' Neighborhood~

Addie, clad in large basketball shorts and tank top, watched her brothers skateboard and jinx each other.

"Yo, Chris! A binding charm on my wheels?" Dean fell off his board as Chris skated by.

"Sorry, you gotta do what you gotta do." Chris smiled, his blue eyes shimmering in the sunlight.

"Can I play now? I'm getting bored." Addie whined, looking at her siblings.

"Addie, you don't have a wand to jinx with." Sam said, looking at his little sister.

"So? Can't we be normal and just skateboard?" Addie smiled nervously.

The boys looked at each other, then Adeline. She was their only sister who wasn't girly. So they might as well play with her.

"Sure Addie. Get up here." Dean waved Addie to them.

Addie jumped up and sat her skateboard on the ground. The four rode around, jumping trashcans, racing. So far, Addie proved to be a fierce rider. And they had a good time. However, once they turned a corner, they were subject to Kevin, Pablo, and Dre, the neighborhood's bully and pain.

"Well, if it isn't it the Jones' plus the runt." Dre hopped down from a rusted beetle and stalked towards the moving quartet.

"I got more than you ever will. Is that why you try to overcompensate by wearing jeans four times too large around your knees?" Addie stopped her riding and stood next to her brothers.

Dre growled at Addie, yanking his pants up.

"Put a muzzle on her. She's freaking crazy, man." Pablo looked at Addie, making sure she didn't jump her.

"Look, we can settle this right now." Kevin frowned, picking up his own board. "Me against the runt, down off of the roof, kick flip over the beetle, down the hill, off the ramp, and over three trashcans."

Before Sam could deny, Addie answered. "You're on pretty boy."

A few minutes later, Kevin and Addie, both without helmets, stood on the roof of a mall shack. Addie's brothers had bad feelings about this, but once Addie's mind was made up, there was no stopping her. So they stood back and waited for Dre to say go.

"You're gonna die, princess." Kevin smirked.

"You're gonna get creamed by a nine year old." Addie looked ahead, focusing. "And, I'm gonna do it in style."

Kevin frowned at the red head. And then she disappeared down the side of the roof. Kevin then realized that Dre had given the sign to go. Kevin kicked it into gear and was gaining on Addie. She had already jumped the beetle, with a perfect kick flip. She was now speeding down the hill, towards the ramp.

Kevin wasn't going to lose, so he sped up and when he was right on her tail, he balanced on one foot and kicked Addie's knee in.

As Addie was riding, she realized her knee had been hit, and she stumbled. The board swerved under her feet and she lost control. So, when she hit the ramp, she soared over the trashcans alright, just without her board.

"Ahhhhh!" Addie screamed uncharacteristically girlish as the flew through the air. Dean, Sam, Chris, and even Pablo gasped as Addie finally fell on the concrete, a sickening crack resonating around the area.

Kevin soared over the trashcans, avoided Addie, and cheered as the bystanders ran up. "Woo! I won!"

"You jerk! You cheated and probably broke a bone in my sister's body!" Dean, the oldest boy, grabbed the front of Kevin's shirt. "And she still got over the trashcans first, so you lost."

Kevin frowned and looked over to where Sam and Chris were looking over Adeline. He felt bad now.

"Go ahead. Punch me."

"No. I'm not like you." Dean let go of Kevin's shirt and ran over to Addie.

"Adeline, you okay?" Dean leaned over his sister, who was still conscious even after that flight.

"No…my head is pounding, I bit the inside of my cheek, and my wrist and ankle hurt really, really bad." Addie said softly. "But I still won."

The three brothers laughed as they pulled Addie up and piggy-backed her home.

~April 5, 1984, Oklahoma~

Oklahoma wasn't the ideal place for vacation in Addie's three year old mind, but Sam had something about a layover, whatever that meant. So, Addie contented herself with looking at the storm covered sky. She liked the dark leaves of the trees standing out on the blackness of the sky. However, last she knew, clouds didn't rotate.

"Daddy!" Addie squeaked. "Daddy, come see! The clouds are rofating!"

Addie's dad frowned, before he realized 'rofating' meant 'rotating.' Then, fear settled in his eyes as he saw the funnel descend from the sky. He picked up Addie just as the tornado sirens went off. Mr. Jones grabbed Chris's hand while Mrs. Jones got Sam and Dean.

"Daddy! I wanna go back!" Addie looked to the point of tears after being dragged away from the window.

"Honey, calm down." Mr. Jones whispered.

Addie was confused, not understanding why hundreds of people were running for the downstairs, but she saw fear everywhere she felt claustrophobic.

"Dean…" Addie whimpered, wanting her big brother to tell her about how wizards can fix all sorts of things.

"Dean's with mommy, sweetie." Mr. Jones whispered to Addie as the pushed through people.

Once in the basement, Mr. and Mrs. Jones sat the four kids between them and huddled over them. Addie's eyes darted around the room as the ceiling shook and a deep sucking noise was heard. She was watching for a great wizard to stop everything, but it didn't stop for another few minutes. And when it did, people were a little more relaxed.

"Well, it looks like we aren't going to make that flight, huh daddy?" Dean asked innocently.

But Addie didn't answer as she gazed at the rainbow outside the window. Then a new question arose in the three year olds head: How can something so beautiful come from something so dark?

So, if you have suggestions, or want to see more of Addie's childhood, let me know! If not, I'm moving on to her three years at a wizarding school in America. ~ A