Once I was a Muggle
Chapter 1
"So you see Mum, I'm different. Really different. These people want me because there are other different people like me. I can go and learn… magic! I can't waste this opportunity Mum, I honestly can't. I have a chance to go to a school with hundreds of people just like me. It'll help me so much. I can learn how to control my…my…powers! Please Mum! I'm begging you! I have no one here. Not since what happened. Even Sofie won't speak to me anymore because of what happened. I-I-I'm called the freak at school. It hurts Mum. Please…" and that's when the sobs started, tears ran down my face and dripped onto the floor, onto the crumpled paper in my hand and the lump in my throat gave way.
"Jesus, Vic. I know what happened was bad, I know. But this is so weird. We don't even know who these people are! I can't just-"
"Mum! We do! It says it all right here," I say, jabbing the papers with my index finger, "you need to let me do this! They want me! I-I-I'm special, for once!" another loud sob punctuated the start of a long silence. My mum held out a hand and I pressed the letters into it. She sat down on the long beige sofa behind her and pushed her hair out of her face, adjusted her glasses and scanned through my letters. I knew what they said word for word now, I had read them over and over again, prizing every piece of information out of them, and it was like a miracle. It was exactly what I needed. There were people out there like me, people who couldn't control what they did, people who were strange, weirdos, out casts. Moments of long silence dragged out until my mother looked up from the papers and looked me straight in the eyes.
"So?" I said carefully, brushing fresh tears from my cheeks and pushing my hair behind my ear.
"Vic, I understand why you want this so bad. I love you very very much." She took a deep breath and exhaled through her teeth, "It's crazy, it's beyond weird. But you need this." I a gasp escaped my pursed lips and I didn't hesitate to fling my arms around her neck and hug her tight. It was like a thousand Christmases has come at once and it felt so amazing.
"Mum, I love you so much. Thank you!" tears rolled down my cheeks as I said these words of thanks, meaning every one of them.
"Please be careful Vic. Please. I want you to do this, but neither of us understand it. I don't want you caught up in something you can't control." she said, a look of genuine fear and utter sincerity on her face. "I-I love you so much Vicky. We will sort this all out. We haven't got long, according to this letter you need to have sent an owl? By July 31st and its already the 20th of August. I'll write to this, Minerva woman this evening. God, magic. Who knew." She shook her head in utter disbelief.
"Where are we gonna get all this stuff, Mum? It's not like I can go down to Tesco's and ask for a wand is it. Can you ask about that in your letter too? I dunno what to say." I rambled. I was so worried now, Mum had agreed, but I still had no clue how to handle the whole shopping list ordeal. "I'm gonna make some tea Mum. Do you want some?" She was already sat at her desk in the corner of the living room with my letters, reading and reading them over and over. She nodded as I spoke, half listening half still in shock. I took that as my cue and headed into the kitchen to make us both some tea. It was so surreal how quickly the whole situation had changed, one moment we were eating lunch, the next I had got the letter out, then the tears came after the shouts; now I was making a cup of tea.
I heard my Mum muttering from her desk, she was writing notes now. She was such a strange lady, she wrote notes about EVERYTHING. She would plan this letter to perfection. I poured boiling water over two Earl Grey tea bags, nestled in Disney mugs, dunked them in and out over and over until I saw it fit to remove them, add a little milk and two sugars in each. I picked her Minnie Mouse mug up by its thick handle and took it through to her, resting it on the coaster in the right hand corner of her desk. I glimpsed at her note pad, covered in words taken from my letters, with her own additions around them. She could be here a long time, but we didn't have long. "Mum, I'm gonna head upstairs, gonna write a list of stuff I'll need to pack that we have already. We'll need to send that letter off pretty soon. Where do we even send it?"
She looked up at me impatiently, "I don't know. Google it. I won't be too long."
I took that as my cue to leave and headed for the stairs in the hall. On the way up I peered out of the window on the small landing, cup of tea in hand, and that's when I understood how the letter would reach the mysterious Minerva woman; there was an owl sat on mum's car. This was how the letters had gotten to us in the first place, so it was only right that our response would be returned in the same way. I smiled, I still couldn't quite believe what was happening. I was going to a boarding school for people with magical powers, witches and wizards was what my letter said. I was a witch, I didn't quite know what that meant, but I was one, and I couldn't be happier about it.
I pushed open my bedroom door, spilling a little tea on my jeans, and turned my light on. I put my tea down on the small bedside table and sat down on my bed, not quite sure what to do with myself. I decided that I should give Mum an hour or so before I bothered her about the letter. I looked in the mirror above my bed and let out a groan. In my fit of sobs I had let my eyeliner and mascara drown my face and now resembled a panda crossed with a girl who hadn't slept in about four months; now was a perfect time for a shower. I pulled my short hair out of my little ponytail and gave it a quick brush through, it was blonde with pink bits then, I liked to play with my hair colour. You'd think my mother would care, since I'm not even twelve yet, but I guess she's just too busy. I slipped out of my hoodie and jeans and glanced at my near naked body. I've always been skinny but looking in the mirror all I saw was skin and bones, and I hated it. No matter what I ate, how little I exercised I could not put on weight. It was infuriating, especially since I was five foot nine, I was built like a pole.
Under the hot water of my shower I smiled. I had this strange feeling brewing inside of me. It was a mixture of fear, happiness and excitement. Was I finally gonna belong somewhere? I'd never had that before. When I was a little kid all the other brats pushed me away because one time I was playing in the sand pit at play group and I made a bucket levitate and hit Joshua Young in the face, without touching it. And then when I was at primary school I accidentally made some scissors cut Daisy Sampson's pigtails off. It got worse in my first term of secondary school though, I was painting in one of the art rooms at school, when a group of girls came in. These girls knew about what I had unintentionally done to Joshua and Daisy, they thought I was a freak. I was a freak to be honest. They started shouting 'Freaky-Deaky' at me over and over, I started to cry. I felt my skin go red from my toes to the roots of my hair. I had never been so mortified and angry, I had never been so awfully confronted about what I had never meant to do. One of the bigger girls, Georgina Roberts pushed me, hard.
"You're a freak, you are. A creepy little bitch with no friends. Even your own dad couldn't handle your weird ways could he?" she shouted in my face. I didn't know what to do. Her hot breath met the tears falling down my cheeks, tears of rage and frustration. I'd always had whispers in the corridors, rude stares, but no one had ever done this. No one ever said anything about my dad, I didn't think anyone knew. And that's when I lost it. I screamed, as loud as my lungs could give out sound, I gave them more to force out. I closed my eyes and screamed louder and louder, until I opened them again after about five seconds, to see Georgina Robert's up against the back wall of the empty art room, her friends pulled at her arms, but she was suspended there, unable to move. She screamed, she couldn't catch her breath. I gasped. What had I done? I blinked and she dropped, landing down on her outstretched arms. Her friends pulled her up, and she bawled. One of her arms had crunched and she gripped it close to her body, broken. They fled the art room and I just stood there, stunned. They told the nurse she had fallen in the hall, they lied for me. Well not for me, to protect themselves. They thought I was some kind of monster, they feared me, and so did the rest of the school after they discovered the truth about what had happened. I was ten years old, and subjected to the hatred of an entire school.
I let the hot water take away my unhappiness, and let it fill me with daydreams of what my new school- Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry- would be like. I imagined women with long pointed noses, broomsticks and pointy hats waving long black and white wands around casting spells and smiled. Would it really be like that? I turned the taps off and wrapped a warm towel around myself. I wandered back to my room and threw on a purple hoodie and some old white jeans, I brushed out my short hair and sat down on my bed, picking up an old notebook that was sat beside my half-drunk cup of tea. I started writing a list of various clothes and things I would need for my new school. I was too excited to sit still however so I finished my tea and walked back downstairs to the living room; to check up on my mum's progress with the letter.
"Muuuuuummmm? Is it nearly done? I know how we can send it." I said impatiently. She looked up, a small smile playing upon her lips.
"It sure is. How are we sending it" she replied calmly.
"By owl. There's one on your car."
"There's what on my what?"
"An owl. On your car. We just need to tie it to the owls foot and then its ready to go." I said matter of factly.
"On my car? Urgh... Fine. Get some string from the kitchen."
I went quickly to the kitchen and pulled some string from the draw where random things such as shoe polish and batteries were kept and brought the scissors back to her with the string. She folded the letter neatly and wrote 'For Ms Minerva McGonagall' on the front with a sceptical expression on her face. She passed it to me and followed me to the front door and out to her blue Volvo. I approached the owl slowly.
"Are you sure?" my mum asked nervously. I nodded, not wanting to disturb the majestic, and slightly scary bird before me. I reached out two fingers to its foot, where long talons were resting on Mum's bonnet. It raised its foot and I let a half smile appear, surprised my plan was working, but not wanting to jinx it. I undid the small bow on the letter and reached around the small brown owls leg with my fingers and tied the string, as tightly and carefully as I could around its foot. I stepped away, expecting it to fly away. It looked me in the eyes and waited. I didn't turn my back, I was still nervous of the intimidating little bird.
"Mum, it's not flying off." I whispered.
"What do we do?" she replied.
"Have you got any change on you?" I asked.
"Change? What does a bird need with change?"
"Just give me some change. I think we need to pay it."
She handed me a two pound coin and the bird automatically opened its beak, allowing me to place it in its grip. With that it let its wings blow out and flew off. Mum and I stood there for a moment, in awe, in shock.
"Well, that was weird." She muttered. I nodded, my eyes still on the clear August sky. I couldn't quite believe what had just happened. Mum wandered back to the front door and back inside, I looked around, no neighbours had seen what had happened. I followed her back inside.
We spent the rest of that evening eating pizza, watching TV, and talking about the letters. We were both as curious as each other to know the truth about Hogwarts.
"Maybe everyone flies around on dragons to get to lessons." she joked.
"Maybe one of my teachers will be a centaur!" I replied.
We went backwards and forwards like this until eleven o'clock when she sent me up to bed. I was tired. Really tired. This had to be the strangest day ever. I put my Superman pyjamas on and crawled into bed, ready for sleep to capture me. My head nestled into the pillow and I was gone, in a deep and dream filled slumber. I dreamt of massive towering dragons with gleaming emerald scales and snouts that exhaled torrents of fire. My sleeping head imagined unicorns, with glistening snow manes, golden hooves and a horn weaved from silver shining bone. My subconscious was exploring a magical assortment of creatures and beasts, I couldn't name half of them but they were there, reminding me of what was to come.
The night passed quickly and so did three more after that, empty days and dream filled nights until the owl returned. It tapped at the living room window with it's beak, a folded piece of yellowy paper tied to its foot. I yelped and called out to my mum from the setee, "MUM! ITS HERE! THE OWL!". I leapt up off the sofa and opened the window wide letting the little bird hop onto the windowsill. I untied the string and took a deep breath. The owl waited with baited breath similar to my mum stood beside me. The square of paper fit into the palm of my hand and was printed with a crimson wax seal with a shield-shaped crest in the centre. My name was on the other side in artistic, calligraphic handwriting, it was for me. I unfolded the tight creases carefully revealing a tea-stained colour parchment covered in this curly print. I cleared my throat and looked down closer.
"Dear Miss Hemway,
I write to you with regards to the letter we received from your mother Miss Diane Hemway. I understand that both you and your mother are confused as to how we found you, what Hogwarts is, how to obtain your school supplies and many other things. I hope I can provide a solution for these queries.
We found you easily really. We have people with hidden magical abilities-Squibs- in place in all muggle (non-magical) schools, to spot students with seemingly magical abilities. You were drawn to our attention at a young age at your primary school, Saint Johns, and we have been trying to keep a close eye ever since. We understand that you, like thousands of other children possess magical powers, and we at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry strive to harness those powers and help you develop them, so you can use them safely and intelligently." I took a breath and licked my lips, "Hogwarts is a school founded hundreds of years ago by four very powerful witches and wizards, we provide the highest standard magical teaching, and are situated in hundreds of acres of land protected by a multitude of enchantments. You should have no concern of your safety. We have after all been keeping students safe for hundreds even thousands of years. I move on to the topic of your introduction to the magical world, and we thought the best thing for you to do would be to be shown into our world by one of us, taken out to buy school supplies (with money our headmaster Albus Dumbledore will provide, in the way of a scholarship) and given some one to one information about your future in the wizarding world. We are sending Mr Neville Longbottom (our herbology teacher, and ambassador for muggle born students) to guide you through Diagon Alley and teach you the very basics of survival in the magical world. He will be arriving at your home at 11:30 am on the 25th of August, the day you should have received this owl. Please both have a suitcase packed for a few nights stay at the Leaky Cauldron, and Victoria please have everything from the muggle world she will need for this school term. We look forward to welcoming you to our institution of magical learning and hope you enjoy your time with our ex-pupil Mr Neville Longbottom.
Kind regards and sincere best wishes,
Professor Minerva McGonagall.
Head of Gryffindor House.
Headmistress Of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"
I breathed heavily after reading the lengthily letter. I looked up at my mum and she was stood there, mouth gaping open in awe and eyes wide. She was as stunned by this letter as I was. And then she spoke.
"Well we better get ourselves together, we only have an hour until this Longbottom fella arrives."
I grinned and she smiled back, a sparkle of pride and happiness in her eyes.
"Right well, um, I'm gonna go pack some stuff for um our trip and for um school...I guess." I said still dazzled. She nodded and wandered over to her desk collecting up some papers and flicking through them. I took that as my cue to leave and made my way up to my room to pack. I grabbed a rucksack and filled it with a couple of books, some fresh underwear for a few days, three hoodies, three t shirts, three pairs of jeans and my boots. I then pulled my suitcase from the depths of my cluttered wardrobe and removed the random stuff living in the bottom: a tea bag, some string and a broken hairbrush. I filled it with all the remaining t shirts in my wardrobe, besides the old ones from primary school that I was too lazy to throw out, all of my jeans, some leggings, my shower stuff; everything really, since I would be there until Christmas. Wow. I wouldn't see my mum until Christmas. I sat down on my bed and that's when it hit me. I was going to a place where I knew no one, knew nothing, and I'd have to learn how to control something I had always hated about myself. I gulped and let some sense trickle in. I told myself I would be okay, it would be an adventure. I told myself with such brutality so that I almost believed it. I stood up and went back to packing, folding, crumpling and searching, until I was ready. I strapped my purple and white rucksack onto my back and pulled up the cool black handle for my suitcase, getting a good grip. I smiled at my room for the last time and shut the door, pulling my things down the stairs.
"Mum, hurry up! I wanna be ready when this bloke gets here!" I yelled down the hall into my mum's bedroom. She came shuffling out with a smooth leather holdall packed with whatever she could need for the next few days.
"Ready?" I asked.
"Totally. Lets put it al near the front door. This Mr Longbottom should be here any minute. Cor, can you imagine being called Longbottom? Its hysterical!" she said with a loud high-pitched laugh. I chuckled too, nervously. The doorbell rang and I yelped. Mum pulled back her hair and strode to the door, much more confident than I was. She pulled it open and allowed the man at the door, obscured from my view to come inside and he did. Stood before me was a towering, warm faced man, slightly chubby, with a pair of wiry glasses resting on his nose. He was wearing long brown trousers, a checked jumper and a hideous beige anorak.
"Hello. You must be Victoria? I'm Professor Longbottom." he said simple.
"Hello sir. I'm Vicky... And you're a wizard." I said shakily. He smiled a warm smile, he was kind, and I could see that in his soft, comforting eyes.
"I understand from your mother here's letter that you are rather um well... confused about the process of Hogwarts entrance... and um going into the wizarding umm world. I will show you into the wizarding world and almost mentor you for the next err few weeks. If you're okay with um that of course..." he stuttered, obviously quite an anxious man.
"Yes of course err Mr Longbottom. We are ready when you are," I said looking up at Mum, she smiled down at me and then up at him, "Yeah so um... If you wanna show us the way." I grabbed my suitcase by the handle, threw my rucksack over a shoulder and stood expectantly.
"Alright then...Um...If you're ready we better be heading off." He said, turning and opening the front door for my mother and I. And that's when the bus squeezed itself up against the now slammed front door.