The Salem Society: Return of the Black Witch

Chapter One

"Henry!" Charlie shouted, banging on her older brother's bedroom door. "Henry, wake up!" Henry's eyes slowly opened to his younger sister's call. "It's time to get up! We have to be at the train station in two hours. Mom's got breakfast ready."
Henry laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as the peak of sunrise shined through his bedroom window. The beige, lace curtains did their best to conceal the light of day from his eyes. He was dreading starting his fifth year at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sometimes he wished that he was an ordinary teenager, going to an ordinary teenage high school so he wouldn't have to leave his parents, and his no-maj girlfriend, Sarah.
Henry tugged on his homemade quilt, pulling it over his head as he rolled over back into his bed. He closed his eyes despite now facing the morning sun. He did his best to ignore his sister's wake up call. He started dreaming about his life, if only he were an ordinary boy. He was just about to drift back off to sleep when Charlie suddenly bursted through his bedroom door.
"Henry Levi Good!" Charlie exclaimed from the doorway. "Don't ignore me! I know you can hear me." Henry gripped onto his quilt as Charlie stomped over to his bedside. She grabbed his quilt and yanked it across his bed. Henry groaned in annoyance. "For the last time, get up or we'll be late!" Henry rolled onto his back as Charlie walked over to his dresser, and started pulling out clothes. She aggressively tossed him a t-shirt and jeans on to his seemingly lifeless body. "Get dressed! I'm not going to be late because you want to lay in bed and sulk." Charlie stormed out of his bedroom, leaving him motionless, staring at the ceiling once more. His clothes laying on top of him where they were tossed.
He sat up, slouching, as his clothes rolled into his lap. He stared at them for a couple seconds, and then grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head, sliding his arms through the sleeves, separately. He climbed out of his bed, grabbing his jeans. He stuck his feet in, one by one and pulled them up to his waist over his underwear. As he zipped them up, he looked up and caught a glimpse at himself in the mirror next to his doorway.
He noticed his sad eyes staring back at him. They looked lifeless and full of sorrow. He shook his head, taking a deep breath. He looked down at his jeans and buttoned the top. He stood up straight, his chest puffed out proudly. He looked back at himself in mirror. This was the Henry he wanted to see, brave and proud. He ran his hands down his torso, straightening out his shirt. He smiled at himself boldly.
He turned to his nightstand and grabbed his wand. He turned to his trunk sitting at the foot of his dresser. He waved his wand once and the clothes from his dresser piled out into his trunk neatly folded, from his school robes to his everyday wear. His books tumbled from his desk into the trunk. His quill and parchment followed, the trunk shutting and locking behind them. He walked over to his trunk, grabbed the handle, and started wheeling it down to the kitchen.
When he reached the bottom of the staircase, he set it down, deciding it was too heavy to drag into the kitchen. He walked into the dining room where his mother had set out an assortment of breakfast items. He joined his family at the table, sitting down across from Charlie. Charlie looked up from her plate and glared at him.
"It's about time you got your sorry ass out of bed," Charlie grumbled.
"Charlotte!" her mother gasped as she sat down at the table.
"Sorry, mom," she smiled at her mother, glaring back at Henry. "Butt."
"Please, it's our last morning together," her mother pointed out. "I don't want it spent arguing with my favorite children." She smiled at Henry, caressing his face.
"They're are only children," Mr. Good said, a mouthful of food.
"Victor, where are your manners?" Mrs. Good asked vigorously.
"What?" Mr. Good asked confused. Mrs. Good shook her head at her husband, as he raised his paper up to his face.
"It's okay, Mom," Henry said to his mother. "Charlie is right. I've been dreading going back to Ilvermorny, and I just need to get over it."
"Why are you dreading it, sweetie?" Mrs. Good asked curiously.
"I don't know, sometimes I just wish I could be a normal teenager," Henry replied fixing his plate.
"Honey, you are a normal teenager," Mrs. Good smiled.
"You know what I mean," Henry insisted. "I just wish I didn't have to go away for nine months to some magical school, where nothing ever happens."
"Do you know how many kids our age wish they were as cool as us?" Charlie growled from across the table.
"Charlotte," her mother commanded sternly.
"Mom, he's acting like a spoiled brat!" Charlie exclaimed.
"I just mean, I wish I didn't have to lie to Sarah about where I was going," Henry confessed. Charlie rolled her eyes as she dropped her fork. Mrs. Good turned to her son, and softly patted his hand.
"You know, when you turn seventeen, you can seek permission from the Magical Congress to let your girlfriend know the truth," Mrs. Good explained.
"But then she'll never trust me again," Henry argued. "My life is a pretty huge secret that I'm hiding."
"I'm sure she will understand when the time comes," Mrs. Good comforted.
"Goddamnit!" Mr. Good suddenly shouted from behind the morning of The Salem Times.
"Victor, please!" Mrs. Good shouted at her husband.
"Janet, this is serious!" Mr. Good exclaimed. "Another congress official has been murdered." Charlie and Henry looked at their father in curiosity. "At this rate, there won't be anybody left to lead the government."
"Did they say who it was?" Charlie asked.
"No, they're keeping his identity a secret," Mr. Good replied, his eyes still on the paper. "But I'll tell you one thing; if congress doesn't shape up and take these threats seriously, this nation is in trouble."
"Threats from who?" Henry asked curiously.
"Victor," Mrs. Good grumbled. Mr. Good looked at his wife, then at his children, and folded up his paper.
"Oh, it's not important for you kids to know," Mr. Good lied covering up the truth.
"If I'm going to be an auror, it's important that I know what's going on," Henry argued.
"Oh, you don't need to know right now," Mr. Good lied. "Besides, if these murders continue, you'll hear about it anyways."
"Victor," Mrs. Good groaned.
"What, Janet?" Mr. Good asked innocently. "You can't keep the kids in the dark forever." At that moment, the door bell rang. Everyone turned to the front door. "Who could that be at this hour?"
"Jehovah's, probably," Charlie joked as her father got up from the table. Mr. Good reached the front door. He opened it to find Henry's girlfriend, Sarah, standing on the front steps.
"Good morning, Mr. Good," Sarah greeted. "I just came to say goodbye to Henry. He hasn't left yet, has he?" Henry heard her voice from the dining room, and rushed out of his chair to the foyer.
"Oh, you just caught him," Mr. Good smiled. "We were just finishing up breakfast." Henry appeared from behind his father.
"Thanks, Dad," Henry smiled awkwardly. "I can take it from here."
"Take it away, my boy," Mr. Good chuckled, disappearing back into the house. Henry stepped onto the front steps, closing the front door behind him. He turned to Sarah and chuckled nervously.
"Sorry about that," Henry apologized to Sarah.
"It's okay," Sarah laughed equally nervous. "I would've called to say I was coming to see you off, but you don't have a phone."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Henry said.
"I don't understand that," Sarah confessed. "Your family is very wealthy, why isn't they can't get you a cell phone?" Henry fidgeted for an answer.
"It's complicated," Henry replied nervously.
"What's so complicated about it?" Sarah asked. Henry sighed and looked down at his feet. "You know, it's strange. You're perfectly normal when you come home from school and all through out summer, but then as soon as you get ready to leave again, you act all secretive. What's with that?"
"It's nothing," Henry lied. "I just hate leaving that's all." Sarah crossed her arms across her chest.
"Is there someone else at this Ilvermorny?" Sarah asked suspiciously.
"What, of course not!" Henry replied defensively.
"Then why are you acting so weird?" Sarah asked. "Why can't you give me a straight answer?"
"Because I just can't, alright?" Henry asked. Sarah dropped her arms and pouted. Henry took ahold of her hands. "Look, one day, I'll be able to tell you, but for reasons I can't explain, I just can't right now. It's too complicated to understand, and too farfetched to believe." Sarah looked up at him. "Just know, that I love you, and when the time is right, I'll be able to explain all of this craziness." Sarah pursed her lips. "I hope you can understand. It's not you, it's my crazy life." Sarah let out a soft smile.
"You promise you'll write me those cheesy love letters?" Sarah asked giggling.
"Of course," Henry smiled in relief. "Every week, like I always do." Sarah leaned in and ran her fingers through his light blonde hair.
"I trust you," she said to him softly.
"Thank you," he smiled. They leaned in and gave each other a quick kiss, and paused for moment embraced.
"Stay out of trouble," Sarah chuckled pulling away, still holding Henry's hand.
"Please, nothing ever happens at Ilvermorny," Henry laughed. Sarah kissed him on the cheek and headed down the path. Henry smiled and watched as she got in her car and drove away. Charlie opened the front door, and pushed by Henry.
"Let's go, goober," Charlie called walking to the car. "We got to beat Boston traffic if we're going to make to the train station on time." Henry smiled and shook his head at his sister.
Suddenly, a rush of positivity fell over him. Slightly, he was still dreading going back to Ilvermorny, but his reassurance in his relationship with his girlfriend had given him new found courage to carry on. He looked up at the morning sun, now shining high above the sky. Hope glistened from it's rays, dancing across the Salem sky. After all, nothing ever happens at Ilvermorny, right?