Hello everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read my story, Always There For You. I've been writing it for AGES and thanks to a little encouragement from my friend Julie (aka remuslives23) I finally plucked up the courage to put this up. Its a bit of a slow start, but I promise it will pick up. The rating is currently T but may change later, depending on how I decide to go at a certain point. Reviews are highly appreciated, as I am in desperate need for feedback. Anyway, enjoy!
A/N: All the things you recognize belong to the wonderful JK Rowling...everything else came out of my screwed up mind...:-)
'Evelyn? EVELYN! Wake up this instant young lady or you'll be late!'
A young girl, not even in her teens yet, sighed and rolled over in her plush queen sized bed. She didn't want to wake up--she could just tell by the lack of light filtering through her curtains that it was some ungodly early hour.
'EVELYN!'
'Alright, Mum, I'm up,' she grumbled as she untwisted her body from her comforter.
'EVELYN!'
'I'M UP!' she shouted back.
Evelyn Collins slid off her bed and the moment her feet hit the floor she remembered what day it was--the first day of September, 1989; her first day as a pupil of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! She had been looking forward to this day ever since she received her acceptance letter back in March and, although she was proud that she was the first witch in her family, she suspected that her parents weren't quite as enthused as she was.
Her father, Edward George Collins, was a highly esteemed Barrister working in the British court system, and came from a very respectable, upper-class family. From the age of five until he completed his BVC and pupillage, he had attended the best schools that money could buy. Money had bought him discipline and he learnt the value of hard work, applying those lessons to his career as he became a strong advocate for his clients, always going the extra mile. Evelyn always admired how hard of a worker her father was. He was a very tall, exceedingly handsome man with chocolate brown hair and startling green eyes, aristocratic features, and a smile that could make anyone's heart melt.
Her mother, Victoria Elizabeth Phillips-Collins, was a senior professor of Microbiology at The School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at the Queen Mary University of London Science and Engineering Graduate School (try explaining that to your mates when you're seven!). She was a svelte, beautiful woman with dark wine red hair, sapphire blue eyes, a dazzling smile, and soft delicate features. She too came from a well-known, wealthy family who valued public appearance above all else.
Victoria and Edward had met when they were eighteen at a social gathering that both their families were attending. After they had both finished their studies, they married--much to the delight of their families. They weren't in love, their marriage born from the pressure of social responsibility more than powerful emotion, but there was an affection there.
Both were very much like their parents--they placed the highest value on social standing, so when Evelyn presented them with her acceptance letter to Hogwarts, needless to say they were less than pleased.
How would they explain this to the family, their friends? However, when another letter arrived from the Headmaster addressed to Evelyn's parents, they agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly, to let her go on the condition that she must never speak of the true nature of the school in front of anyone other than the two of them. Evelyn readily agreed, pleased beyond words that her conservative parents were allowing her to attend such an unconventional school.
Two weeks before the start of term, a stern looking woman calling herself Minerva McGonagall knocked at the door, explaining that she was there to accompany Evelyn to get her school supplies. Evelyn was nervous about leaving with the seemingly harsh woman, but after only a few minutes, she felt completely comfortable. McGonagall, or 'Minnie' as Evelyn insisted on calling her, spent the day helping Evelyn purchase everything she'd need for her first year at Hogwarts, and telling her all about the magical world she was entering. By the end of the day, Evelyn was even more excited about her first day at Hogwarts.
Evelyn double and triple checked her trunk before dashing into the shower to ready herself for the day and the interesting people she was sure to meet. She was ready in record time, her deep red locks twisted neatly in two plaits that hung down the back of her blue polo shirt. Her gray pleated skirt stopped at her knees, and the white socks that came out of her Mary Jane's left her skinned knees exposed (a deportment no no for which her mother would surely admonish her...again). She pushed the fringe out of her bright green eyes as she started searching for her new kitten, a gray tabby with light green eyes called Dorothy (named after the lead character from 'The Wizard of Oz', Evelyn's favourite movie and book). After finding her in the back of the closet, Evelyn carefully placed the skittish kitten in her carrier and started down the staircase, knowing one of the butlers would be bringing her trunk down shortly. She hated getting being waited on, but for now it was her life and she'd have to deal with it until she could move out. When she arrived in the large foyer at the bottom of the ridiculously ornate main staircase, she was appalled to see the time on the grandfather clock read 7:27 AM.
'Its about time, Charl--'
'DAD! I thought I asked you not to call me that!'
'Well, I'm sorry Charlene, but unlike your mother I refuse to call you by your middle name. We named you Charlene because it is a name of royalty--just like mine and just like your mother's.'
'Well, alright Dad, but please don't call me that in public, ok?'
As her father was about to retort, her mother walked down the staircase followed by two of the butlers who had Evelyn's trunk between them.
'All ready? Excellent, let's go.'
She breezed right past her husband and only child and out the front door. Evelyn sighed and followed her, her father on her tail and the two butlers bringing up the rear. They lived in the Kensington Gardens section of London, one of the ritzier neighbourhoods, and their house reflected the required status. It was large, according to British standards, a true des res. It had a small but well manicured front lawn surrounded by a wrought iron fence. The front walk led to the covered front steps of their beautiful white three story home with black shutters. The window boxes overflowed with flowers, and trees were planted along the boundaries of the house for privacy, separating them from the neighbours.
It was a truly beautiful house and Evelyn loved it.
Their car, another rarity in London due to the congestion tax, was already running as it sat in park in the driveway; their driver, Lester, waiting patiently to open the door for them. Her mother and father climbed into the car without so much as a 'thank you,' which they were brought up to do. Evelyn, however, liked Lester enormously and would miss him. He smiled as she approached.
'So, Miss Evelyn, all ready for boarding school?'
The staff were in the dark regarding Evelyn's magical abilities and had been told she'd be attending a prestigious boarding school up North.
'I suppose, Lester,' she said a bit nervously as the two butlers loaded her trunk into the boot. 'I'm looking forward to learning...everything...but I'm just worried about making friends.'
'Oh come now, Miss Evelyn, you'll make plenty of friends! You are by far the sweetest little girl I've ever had the pleasure of working for.'
Evelyn smiled as she hugged Lester tightly around the middle, something she knew she wouldn't be able to do at the train station because her parents would disapprove. He gladly hugged her back.
'Until Christmas, then?'
'I suppose so, Lester,' she said releasing him and climbing into the back of the car with her parents.
The door closed and a few moments later she was driving through the busy streets of London towards Kings Cross Station. The ride was spent in silence, which wasn't unusual for her family, but Evelyn was sort of hoping that her parents would use this time to say good bye or wish her luck or something...not just look over their respective paper work the entire time. When they finally pulled up to the main entrance of Kings Cross, it was near eight o'clock. Silently, she slid out of the car after her parents and waited while Lester loaded her trunk onto a trolley. She gave him a heartfelt smile before she followed her parents into the station. As she walked, her mother took her cat carrier out from her hand.
'Get that letter out of your knapsack with your train ticket,' she said briskly.
Evelyn nodded and, as always, did as she was told. Ticket and cat carrier once more in hand, she trailed behind her parents as they walked past platforms one through eight, heading for the second section of the train station that housed platforms nine and above.
'I know it's too early to get catch your train, it probably hasn't even arrived yet, so just stay here until it's nearly time to go, alright?,' her father said as he dragged her trunk off the trolley and to an inconspicuous spot.
'Yes, Father.'
'Good. Now, behave, don't fall behind in your studies, and we'll see you for Christmas,' her father said as he gave Evelyn what felt like a forced embrace.
'Alright, Father.'
Her mother looked at her watch then warned her daughter, 'Stay here and talk to no one until you are on the train, understood?'
'Yes, Mother,' Evelyn responded automatically as she reciprocated her mother's cold hug.
'Good. Now come, Edward, the car is waiting.'
And with that Evelyn watched with tear filled eyes as her parents turned their backs on her and quickly walked out of sight, leaving an empty trolley and their only child behind. No 'good bye', no 'we'll miss you', no 'remember to write', no 'we love you'. She knew her parents weren't the warmest people on the planet, but this was the coldest they had acted towards her and she knew exactly why. Ever since she'd received her acceptance letter, Evelyn's parents had treated her differently, looked at her differently, even spoke to her differently. At first she thought she was imagining things, but after their icy farewell she was certain--her own parents were ashamed of her; ashamed that she was a witch; ashamed that she wasn't "normal". She sat down on her trunk, her back against the wall as she watched businessmen and women bustle across the platforms. She wondered sadly if any of them would treat their children the way her parents had just treated her, or if maybe they'd been the ones to suffer the chill of an unfeeling family. Or maybe they had families that would never judge them--that would love them unconditionally. As a few tears leaked from her beautiful green eyes, she stifled a sob and wiped the drops off her rosy cheeks. Dorothy mewed in her case near Evelyn's feet, and she busied herself with getting the kitten a treat to quiet her down. Once Dorothy was settled, she looked at her watch, a gift from her parents for her tenth birthday. 8:07 AM. She had quite a wait ahead of her, so she decided to try and get some more sleep. She lay across her trunk, using her knapsack as a very uncomfortable pillow, and was quickly lulled to sleep by the constant stampede of footsteps.
And that's it for chapter one! I hope you all enjoyed it! I'll post again tomorrow probably as school is O-U-T for the summer :-) Ta ta my loves :-)