As Anna put the last few things into her trunk, she pushed a curly brown lock of hair out of her face and thoughtfully glanced around her room. It was so bare and empty. She didn't want to move; it was her mother's idea. She could hear Ms. Morgan's voice in her head now: "It's the best thing for us, Anna, sweetie. I know you don't want to go back to London, but it's where we belong. We can keep running, especially not in America. We have to go back to London." Her mother had certainly been right about one thing: America definitely hadn't agreed with them. Anna's brother Xavier, only 17, two years older than she, had run off with some American death eaters and changed his name back to "Riddle." Anna never wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and she knew they had to leave. But why back to London, of all places? London is where this whole mess started. Why not Canada? Or Australia?
She closed her trunk and floated it
into the air. Pushing it down the hall
she stopped in front of Xavier's old room. It too was empty. She closed her
eyes and imagined that he was sitting at his desk and writing his wonderful
poetry. It had only been a month since
he left. That was the last straw for
her mother, and she hated Xavier for that. Still, she couldn't help but miss him.
She
kept walking and pushed her trunk down the stairs to the living room where a
roaring fire was going, even in the heat of August. Anna glanced at the mantle. On it sat the jar of Floo Powder. She knew that when she walked through those flames her whole life would
change. She wished the fire could
somehow burn her past; burn her name. That was one of the many things Anna loved about America. No one knew her past. Once in London, though, she would have to
face that past all over again. Morgan,
her mother's maiden name could no longer hide the truth.
"Anna?"
Danielle Morgan called, bringing her daughter back down to Earth.
"Yeah?"
Anna yelled back, rather reluctantly.
"Are
you ready yet, hunny?"
"Yes,
Mom," Anna replied, as she walked over to Danielle's door. Her mother was wearing her jeans and only a
bra and still packing some last minute things. Everything big, like furniture, had already been sent ahead to London
for when they found a place to live. "Ya know, Mom, school over seas starts in two days, and I don't think
I'd make a good impression with the head master if I didn't show up on my first
day."
"Quit
worrying, Anna-Banana! You'll be there,
you'll be there!"
Her
mom's use of her baby name made her smile.
"Ok—finished,"
said Danielle as she shut and locked her trunk. She dragged it out in front of the fireplace and grabbed the Floo
Powder. As the flames turned emerald
Danielle laughed. "Diagon Alley, here
we come!"
