A/N; REVIEW! ALSO READ THE MOCKINGJAY DILEMA BY BOHEMIALX ! ITS GOOD
Chapter 1- The End of a normal life.
"You have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..." A silence fell over the family as dad read those words.
Gary stopped pulling my hair and I stopped pinching his nose. Lavinia dropped her half bitten toast. The tea mum was pouring flooded the barriers of the cup. Baby Josephine was the only one who continued as normal; banging her rattle against Philips shoulder.
All five children, me included, were sitting around the breakfast table. Dad was holding the letter and staring at me. Mum was hovering over the cup, with her mouth wide open. Simultaneously, they turned to look at me.
Their eyes were searching for answers from me; I had none.
I had no idea what the letter was about and no idea how they knew.
A smile spread across Gary's face.
They all began to laugh in canon. The silent room was filled with Gary's guffaw and Lavinia's laugh. Mum and Dad soon joined in.
"I bet Johnny Smith sent it for revenge." Lavinia said.
"Revenge?" Mum questioned.
"Yes." Joined Gary "when we were playing witches and Wizards, he got in a huff because he wanted to be a wizard but we made him witch."
"Oh you kids!"Mum laughed.
Throughout their conversation, I sat motionless. A part of me knew it hadn't been Johnny that sent that letter.
Philip hadn't laughed either.
He was staring at me.
He knew.
He knew I was a witch.
"The Evans' want us to attend their daughter's wedding tomorrow. Their eldest daughter just got engaged." Dad said.
"Elizabeth got engaged already! Last I heard she and Duncan were just Sweethearts. But then again, it's 1938 and times are moving forward. Before you know it people will get married a day after knowing each other. Mind you, it's odd how they met."
"How did they meet?" Lavinia asked.
"Family reunion. Duncan and Elizabeth are distant cousins. Not blood related of course, but they both share the same surname. Saves her having to change it." Dad took out the news paper from under a pile of letters and he put my brown letter in the bin, which was beside him.
"Oh Harry," mum took off her apron and sat down on the chair to the left of him. "Duncan and Elizabeth have known each other for over a year. It's about time they got married, if they didn't, it would be improper. It is extremely short notice. Are you sure it's tomorrow Harry because I'm sure the..." Mums voice kept on droning. I wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention.
I mouthed Philip to stop staring at me. He gave me the evils and stood up.
"Mum, I've finished my breakfast I'll go put it in the sink and wash it." He walked to the door then stopped. "Violet, it looks like you're finished to, let's put our dishes away."
Before I could object he picked up my plate of half eaten breakfast and pulled me to the kitchen.
"See how sweet Philip is?" I heard mum talking from the dining room "Now, the rest of you kids hurry. You've got to get to school
He pushed me into the kitchen and shut the door quietly behind us. He went to the sink and turned on the tap.
"What was the letter about?" He demanded.
"I don't know Phil, I really don't." I sighed and looked out the window. The light was seeping through as the sun slowly descended into the centre of the sky. Each blade of grass was greener than normal as were the hedges. I shuddered when I remembered why they were like that.
"We got it because of your silly mucking about!" He began washing his dish "if you hadn't pretended to be a stupid witch, then you would have never been able to grow the grass!"
"It's not my fault! It happened accidently. I can't explain it, but even if I hadn't been a witch, I would've still been able to do that." I flopped down onto the chair.
"Stop talking nonsense Violet! None of this is real!"
"Philip, I'm not." I thought for a moment, how could I prove to him I raised my hand and focused as hard as I could. The water from the tap wavered in the same direction I moved my hand in.
"Stop that!" Philip hissed. He turned the tap off immediately.
"What am I going to do Phil? I really want to go to that school, if it's real."
"Don't tell anyone Violet. If you do, you'll get thrown into the loony bin and no one will talk to our family ever again. And that school isn't real. It has the words Hog and Warts in it, Johnny probably did send it."
I thought for a moment. He was right. If anyone found out what I did, then we would be shunned completely.
Life as we knew it would be over.
"Fine." I agreed.
"Still no reply?"
"No Professor. From the reports we have received, it seems her parents refuse to believe the authenticity of the letter."
The white bearded man paced across his study. Every now and again he stroked it; it helped him with heavy thoughts.
Albus Dumbledore watched him. It made him quite dizzy as he moved from side to side. Nevertheless, he didn't say anything. The full moon was visible from the window behind the huge desk.
"We need her parents to believe; no Witch or Wizard is to be left behind."
"I understand Professor Dippet; perhaps you could visit her family?"
"I could, but my schedule is hectic. Maybe you could go."
"I'm afraid I can't Armando, you see, I am due to go to London to seek a half blood."
"Who?"
"You will not know of him. His is a long and tiresome history. Merope Gaunt was his mother. She coaxed a man named Tom Riddle into marrying her. By that I mean she fed him love potions. She soon fell pregnant with a child; she decided to stop giving him love potions and hope he would stay. He did not, and when she gave birth to the child she died. She gave birth on the grounds of an orphanage and her son remains there currently. He goes by the name Tom Marvolo Riddle"
"Well I never! I had no knowledge of this child's existence or that Merope had wed. Why on earth was I not aware of this?"
"Merope's family are ashamed of the great trouble this has caused them. I am going to seek the child myself; I feel a great deal of pity for him."
"A great shame, Merope was one of the finest young witches I had met. Do what you must Albus, I assume he will be coming with you here."
"There is no sense in leaving him at the orphanage. He will, however, be returning to the orphanage during holidays."
"Good. I shall seek the muggle blood's parents tomorrow, or maybe Professor Merrythought could do it."
Albus Dumbledore smiled a farewell and walked out the huge double doors. He arrived in the hallway and stood across the statue.
He prepared himself to say the password. It irritated him that Headmaster Armando Dippet would always make it as silly as possible. However, having a silly password ensured it was unique. If it was unique, no unwanted persons would be able to enter. A part of him did admire Dippet's ability to be renowned and funny.
"Churchill's..." He forced himself to say it "Churchill's giblets." The statue instantly began grinding around to reveal the staircase.
Armando Dippet's laugh could be heard from outside the study; no doubt he had thought of another password. Dumbledore dreaded to think what it would be, but a part of him was smiling at the prospects.
"I bet you a shilling I can get Myra to dance with me."
"No way Gary, she so out of your league."
"Are you chicken Phil? What about you Lav?"
"I bet you two pence that Liam is going to ask Violet to dance."
"Lavinia! He so is not. Besides, we are here to celebrate Elizabeth and whatshisface's wedding." I looked at the couple on the dance floor "I bet she's going to trip on that long dress of hers."
"Deal! Anyone else want to place some bets?"
"If mum and dad catch a whiff of your bets you are going to get a spanking!"
"Don't worry Philly old boy; I am the king of discreet." He got up and walked over to the table with Myra James. She sat up as he approached and gave him a weary look. They were too out of range to hear any speaking, so her facial expressions would have to be enough to deduce the conversation.
At first she looked apprehensive, then as he spoke the look turned to confusion, as he said something she laughed and finally she gave him her hand and they made their way to the dance floor. Just as they did, there was a heavy thud and Elizabeth, the bride, was falling, she landed on her husband and he landed on his new parents in law which thus set of a chain reaction of falling people. There were a lucky few who were just out of reach to be fallen upon. The unlucky ones were the people who had no one to land on to soften their fall.
"Ouch!" I empathised.
"Ouchy." Squeaked a voice.
We all turned to look at baby Josephine.
"Did she just say ouch? That's her first word!" Lavinia was elated.
"She actually said Ouchy and I think that would technically be classed as her first Onomatopoeia."
We all gave Philip the stink eye.
"Just thought we should be grammatically correct." He defended.
"Anyway-" Lavinia stopped mid sentence as she spotted something or rather someone "looks like my bet was right. Liam is walking this way as we speak. Get ready to cough up the money Gary."
"He can't hear you Lav; he's too busy dancing with Myra." Grumbled Philip begrudgingly.
"Well either way, I'm not going to dance with him. It would only lead him on and I have no intention of marrying Liam."
"Who said you had to marry him Vi?"
"You know what I mean!"
Lavinia watched him walk towards us through the corner of her eye, whilst Philip envied Gary. A gust of wind blew through the marquee and knocked several people off their feet.
The bride stumbled and the domino effect occurred again; down went the bride, the groom, the in laws-both sets, mum, dad, Mr and Mrs Janet, Scarlet Johnson and Christopher Kanning, Hilda Beaumont and Gerald Vicous, Lulu Evans and Seamus Wilson, and to Philips delight, Gary and Myra.
"Wow."
Liam immediately stopped walking and turned to stare at the catastrophe. He rushed over to help his mother up.
"Well that was unexpected." Lavinia commented.
The grey sky rumbled and rain drops fell from the sky.
"Oh no, it's raining."
"Yes we can all see that Lavinia.
"If you had let me finish, I was going to say oh no, it's raining we have to go home."
"Why do we have to go home?"
"Because there is a rip in the marquee so the water is going to flood through. Plus, I have homework."
Just as she spoke a large, unanimous groan came from the dance floor as my parents pulled themselves from the human wreckage. The waded over here, swaying a little, nauseously.
"Come on kids. We have to leave before the rain."
So we all got up and walked home.
It was a good job we left when we did. When we got onto Waterloo road we heard everyone's hoofs as they scattered home.
"I do feel bad," said mum, as we continued walking "maybe we should have helped clear the marquee. What do you think Harry?"
"They'll be fine Vivian. Besides, I have some news."
We all turned our attention to dad.
"What is it dad?"
"I have decided that we should go to Grandpa Harry's house for the holidays."
"Why?" I asked. I loved grandpa Harry. He was a kind old man and extremely funny. If you asked him when he was in a good mood he would tell you what it was like to serve in the first world war. "Why not? Grandpa and I were talking and he gets lonely ever since Grandma Georgina passed away. So I decided it would be best if we went and kept him company."
Immediately we broke out into cheerful murmuring. We were ecstatic to be going to Grandpa's. I looked up at my parents.
Dad smiled a hollow smile and mum wore a blank expression. I knew my parents well, despite what they thought. I knew when they were lying. And I knew when something was wrong.
There was definitely something wrong.
But my siblings continued to express their joy, unaware that my parents were hiding something. I turned away from their faces and vowed silently to myself;
I was going to find out their secret.
Harry Samuels Jr. Paced around the study, his wife Vivian was sitting on the sofa. Her eyes were red and swollen. Her face was wet with tears. A box of tissues lay close. She was mourning, mourning the loss of her daughter.
Her daughter, Violet, was not dead; but she was lost.
She had been born with a terrible disease. Nobody found out about her terrible affliction until she was three years old. Vivian had been pregnant with her son Gary at the time. Lavinia was five and Philip, her eldest son, had been seven. She remembered it well.
The moment had haunted her ever since.
They had all been out in the garden watching the frogs in the pond. Silent, that was what she told them to be. Silent, so they didn't scare them. They all watched the frog leap to and fro. Until there was a snake.
It was a harmless water snake, but Vivian took no chances. She hoarded the children inside at once.
When she turned to check no child had been left behind, she saw Violet walking towards the snake.
Vivian ran towards her but stopped when she saw what her daughter was doing.
The snake stood on its tail. It whispered and hissed and Violet mimicked the hisses. However, there was something else behind the hisses. It seemed like the two were having a conversation. Violet pointed her finger into the water, as if suggesting the snake should leave, and with a final hiss it left. The daughter turned to her mother.
"We can watch the frogs mummy, Ilmani has left."
That wasn't the only time. In the days that followed, Violet would often make plates levitate and speed up the growth of the flowers. Each time she did anything of the sort, Vivian would slap her. Little by little, she conditioned Violet to associate magic with pain. It worked well too.
Until today.
Violet had somehow broken free of her conditioning and done something to make her receive the letter.
The morning after the letter was received a woman in a green cloak paid them a visit;
She was Professor Galatea Merrythought.
She was Professor of Defence against the Dark arts at Hogwarts school.
But most of all; She was a witch, and she had come for their daughter.
"Your daughter is a witch. She belongs at Hogwarts." She had said.
Never. Never were they going to allow it. Their daughter was going to live a normal life, despite the fact she was a freak.
But Professor Merrythought vowed she would be back. If they didn't allow Violet to go it didn't matter because ultimately, it was up to her.
So they decided to run. Run away until this blew over. They were going to flee to Harry's father's house. It had all been arranged for them to stay there. But Vivian was scared. She didn't want her daughter taken from her.
"It will be fine." Her husband assured her.
"What if they find us Harry? She's my baby, she's my everything. Don't let them take her."
Harry Jr. walked over to her. He bent down in front of her and took her hands in his.
"Vivian, my father is no ordinary man."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember when I told you my mother died from a heart attack? I didn't tell you the entire story."
"What is the entire story?" She leaned in and listened closely.
He sighed heavily "My mother died when she saw three men turn from birds into men. The shock stopped her heart completely and she died. My father got a visit from someone called a 'ministry official'. The man tried wiping his memory, and it worked. For about a day, then he remembered. He always has had a strong memory. Ever since my father has despised magic. He's made it his life's work to find out as much as he can about it, and in the process he has made his house magic proof. Nobody with magic can get in or out. Violet is an exception, he tweaked it so she would be able to enter. No magic is able to locate the house either. It's like a huge invisibility blanket."
"That's all very well Harry, but we can't keep her cooped up in there, she'll know something is wrong."
"Currently, my father is working on a trinket that may be able to shield her abilities and her."
Vivian was quiet as she drank in the information. It could work. They would all live normal lives and Violet would be safe.
"We must leave as soon as possible Harry."
"We leave tomorrow morning."
Lavinia slowly crept back up the stairs. Quietly so his parents wouldn't hear him. She had always been taught never to spy, now he knew why. He felt sick. A nausea's feeling stirred in the pit of her stomach. Her sister was a witch, and people wanted to take her away. Mum and dad had only made arrangements for them to go to grandpa's to protect her. Lavinia digested the information she found out.
She turned the corner into her sister's room. Violet sat up on the bed reading a book and Gary was sitting at the desk writing in his book. When they heard the creaking of the door, their heads flew up to greet her.
"So what were they talking about?" Violet enquired.
Lavinia was silent. A heavy burden had settled on her shoulders. She didn't want her sister to know, but the right thing to do was to tell her. If she ever did find out, she might leave. If she left, everyone would be miserable.
"Mum and dad were just talking about the travel arrangements."
"And?" She pressed on for more information.
"And they decided we're going to go tomorrow."
Gary jumped from his seat. "Tomorrow? That's a school day. What time are we going?"
"In the morning. I don't think we're going school."
He walked towards her.
"Are you positive, beyond any doubt, that we will not be attending school tomorrow?"
"Yes." The nausea stirred in her gut when she thought about the new information.
Gary went back to the desk and put the book he had been scribbling away in, into his bag.
"Did you find out why we are going Lav'?"
"We are just going for a vacation."
Violet sighed and dragged her feet back to bed. "I don't believe that, not for a second. You should have seen their faces when dad told us we were going. There's another reason and I'm going to find out what!"
As soon as she said that she began to worry. When Violet set her mind, there was no stopping her. She would surely find out, unless she told her a fake excuse.
"Violet, we're going because..."
She waited for her response with wide eyes; the excuse had to been something major enough for her never to bring it up again "Grandpa Harry's ill."
A gasp came from both children.
"No... But I spoke to him on the phone just last week, he sounded fine." Gary argued.
"Yes well... He's able to walk and talk just fine, but the disease is a...Disease of the..." She needed to think of an organ in the body that wasn't too major..."Appendix."
"Appendix?"
"Yes the appendix. It's going to spread from his appendix to his other organs over a few years. But it won't show."
"Oh dear. Poor grandpa!"
"Remember, mum and dad don't know we know so act as normal."
They both nodded solemnly. Lavinia walked out the door as quietly as she had done before, Gary followed her out. They walked along the corridor until Gary slipped into his room. Lavinia was a few doors away from hers when she heard her parents heading up the stairs. Swiftly she opened the nearest door to her ran in.
She pressed her ear against the door and listened to their footsteps walk into their room.
"What are you doing?" Philip sat up and stared straight at Lavinia who was hugging the door.
"I'm hiding from mum and dad."
"Oh." He said. Then he returned to lying down.
Lavinia sighed. She really wished she hadn't listened to what her parents had said. She longed for her ignorance back. The feeling in her stomach would never go away until she told the truth, but the minute she did her family would be torn apart.
Philip had been staring at his sister. He knew when she was feeling guilty. Right now, she had the exact same face on as she did when she broke his train set and lied about it. Except, this face was different. Another emotion was mixed in with it. Lavinia was haggard in the light, like she was going to hurl.
"You know." He said. "You know Violet's a witch."
The family got into their camper van and drove away. Violet Sarah Elizabeth Samuels looked back at their big house, unbeknown to her, it was the last time she would see it.
The drive to their grandfather's home was a long one. Though in actual time it only took an hour, it seemed like three. The atmosphere within the van was dull and dreary. The only person making conversation was Josephine, and even then it was only with herself. Mum would turn around occasionally, tilt her head to the side and smile at me. I smiled back out of politeness, although it was creeping me out. Philip and Lavinia were sat at the back. All the noise that came from them was the hushed tone of whispers. I sat next to Gary and next Gary was next to Josephine. Gary was shuffling a deck of cards. He had asked me to play and I refused because I hated cards. I was regretting that decision now. I would do anything to pass the time, well not anything but I was willing to play cards.
"Okay, let's play cards." I said. Gary jumped a little at the sudden noise.
"Yes!" He split the deck and we began to play. An owl flew past the window and hooted. Dad looked at it and began to drive a little faster.
"Dad, why did you speed up?" I said.
"The owl. Owls only come out near nightfall. We need to get there before dark."
Outside the window it was still bright and sunny. The owl was probably confused. Even so, I didn't mind dad going a little faster because it meant we would get there sooner and I wouldn't have to play cards for much longer.
Half an hour later we arrived at a small cottage. It was white and thick vines surrounded its walls. It was in the middle of a field. A huge ring of flowers surrounded the land. There was a little gap like a gate between the rings. Just a little behind the cottage was a huge forest. I remembered the forest, but only just. We used to play there when we were children. I remembered a place... But the memory was too faint for me to recall exactly what it looked like.
An old man with little round spectacles waddled out of the wooden door.
"Grandpa Harry!" I yelled. I opened the door of the van and leapt out to greet him.
"Hello sweetheart, what's brought all this on eh?"
"It's just been a while since I've seen you."
"Well give it some time; you'll be sick of me."
"Never grandpa." And I hugged him tighter.
Everyone else followed my lead and greeted him enthusiastically. My dad shook his hand and mumbled something like 'hello dad'. My mother hugged him just as I did and she thanked him. Her odd behaviour got me suspicious again but I banished any thoughts of espionage, I was going to spend time just being a kid.
