AN: So this is the SEQUEL to Swish and Flick. Same characters, maybe a few more added in there. I have a few chapters of the third one written, so I'll be posting those sometime tomorrow. Let me know what you think! Review!
1 - Martha
"Asher!"
Asher was returning from getting the mail in mid-July when he heard the familiar voice of his friend. He turned on the doorstep to see Martha running down the street toward him.
Martha looked like she always had, with shoulder-length curly dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Asher waited as she came running up to him and hugged him.
"You should have told us you were back! We're hanging out at Gabe's house right now! You should come!"`She grabbed onto his arm and began pulling him down the street.
"Luke! Gabe! Look who I found!"
Martha dragged Asher down into Gabe's basement, which was considerably different. The couch was moved out of the room, and there was now a small TV in the one corner, which Luke and Gabe were playing on. They looked over their shoulder, and did a double-take.
"Asher!"
They swarmed him, hugging. When they stepped back, Asher got a better look at them.
Luke was wearing clothes that fit, and he didn't have his glasses anymore. Gabe was standing straight up, and his hair looked like it hadn't been cut in a while.
"Your hair! It's turquoise!" Luke said, reaching out to touch it.
"Yeah. I know how to control it a little better now."
The three of them smiled.
"How about you join us? We were just playing Super Smash Brothers."
Asher smiled, "Sure."
"I want to tell Martha, Gabe and Luke the truth." Asher said, to his parents at the diner table. His dad continued to eat, but his mother dropped his fork.
"Honey," she started, "I don't think you can do that."
"Can't I tell just one of them? It doesn't feel right," Asher said, "lying to them. They were my only friends."
Asher's dad looked up from his mashed potatoes, and looked at his son.
"You can get charged for that, Asher."
Asher only poked his potatoes with his fork.
"Asher! Your Hogwarts letter is here!"
Asher ran over to his dad, grabbing the letter from his hand.
"Thanks dad. I'm going to go open it in my room. And I'm going to Gabe's again later. I should be back by dinner."
"Sure thing."
Asher walked back to his room, tearing the letter open, careful to make sure nothing ripped. He read it through quickly, and smiled. Tossing it into his backpack, still withholding its undetectable extension charm, he packed up and left for Gabe's.
Down the street, he knocked on Gabe's door and made his way to the basement. Gabe and Luke were playing Super Smash Brothers again, and Martha was watching.
"Hey Martha, I need to show you something." Asher said, dropping down his backpack, and grabbing the letter. He made his way into the next room, out of Luke and Gabe's view, and gestured for Martha to follow. She did, and the two of them were left standing in the next room.
"I haven't been completely honest with you guys," Asher started, and Martha narrowed her eyes. "I'm not off with a doctor, I'm at a new school. Because normal school doesn't teach me what I need to know."
"What on earth are you talking about?" Martha asked, crossing her arms.
"I'm a wizard."
Martha stared at Asher for a long moment, before laughing.
"That's a good one," she stifled her laughs, "never heard that one before."
"I wasn't kidding!" Asher looked offended, "I would show you, but I'm not allowed to do magic outside of school. Here, look at this." Asher handed Martha the letter, and she took it. Quickly looking it over, she sceptically handed it back to Asher.
"So," she started, "pretending this is all real. You've been away at this school," Asher nodded, "learning magic," Asher nodded, "with a bunch of other wizards that are our age." Asher nodded.
"Why haven't you introduced me to any?" She smacked him on the arm. "Wizard boys probably look so much better than the boys around here! I'm stick with those two, Dylan and Clyde." She shuddered.
"I can show you pictures tomorrow, Sean sent some by mail yesterday." Asher told her, and she raised an eyebrow.
"By mail?"
"Yeah," he nodded, "we have owls that bring our mail everywhere. It's way more efficient than the real post, and the Wizarding World doesn't usually have technological advances. The magic blocks it out."
Martha raised another eyebrow.
"Oh," Asher added, "and the pictures move, so that'll be more proof." He grinned at Martha shocked expression.
"Fine." She scowled, "but I expect you to be at my house, with proof, tomorrow."
Asher grinned, "No problem."
"Here you go." Asher handed Martha a picture.
The picture was taken on Asher's last day at Hogwarts. It depicted his main group of friends; Valerie, Sean, Liz, Levi, Julian, Thad and Brooke. Valerie was at the back with Sean, on either side of Asher, their arms around each other. Levi and Julian were in the middle row with Brooke, and they were making the 'peace sign' behind Thad's head, and he was looking down, reading a book, in the front row. Beside him was Liz, who was smiling toward the camera. The entire picture showed then swaying slightly back and forth, and everyone was laughing, except Thad, who was reading his book.
"Any of the guys single?" Martha asked, holding the picture up to Asher.
"Uuuhm. As far as I know, all of them," he said, and Martha grinned, "but Thad, he's the one reading the book, has his sights set on someone else. Levi and Julian, the two laughing behind Thad and making that sign behind his head, they're jokesters, so they might not be the best pickā¦" Asher laughed.
"Any good looking guys outside your group?" she asked, and Asher made a face.
"I guess so," he muttered, "why?"
"I want you to make friends with them," she said, "and then I expect to see pictures of them when you get them. You're going to write to me often." She smiled, and Asher laughed.
"I want a minimum of three new good looking guys sent to me by the Christmas holidays." She grinned. "And if I ever come to visit, you are going to introduce me to all of them."
"Uuuhm," Asher said, "about that."
Martha raised an eyebrow.
"I wasn't actually supposed to tell anybody. We aren't really allowed visitors." Martha gave him a look, before nodding.
"I guess that's understandable," she smiled, "Now. I couldn't help but noticing it say you need to pick two electives for this year."
Asher groaned.
"And I'm going to help you pick them." She grinned again, and Asher nodded.
"Alright. Tell me what you know about each subject."
"Well, there's five I can pick from, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies."
"Muggle?"
"Non-magic people," Asher clarified, "like you."
"So, Arithmancy is like, math. It's a bunch of numbers and their magical properties. Ancient Runes is a lot like French class, only instead of French, it's Runes. You need to learn how to write and read them and translate and stuff. Those two are the hardest."
Martha nodded, taking in the information.
"Care of Magical Creatures is pretty much us learning how to deal with magic stuff. Like unicorns, or griffins. Divination is like fortune-telling. A bunch of people say it's mumbo-jumbo and you can just make stuff up. Muggle Studies, as obvious, is learning about muggles. Because some wizard families don't have contact with them."
"Well it seems pretty simple to me. You're going to take Divination and Ancient Runes."
"Why Ancient Runes? That's like the hardest one!"
"Well we don't want you to be stupid. And the lack of real work in Divination will make up for that." She tapped her head, "you need to think these things through, balance."
Asher rolled his eyes.
"And besides, that Thad guy is reading a Runes textbook in this picture," she pointed down at the blue textbook Thad was pictured reading, "so he'll be able to help if you need anything. And," she continued, "you can hang out with him more. He looks a little lonely."
"Thanks Martha."
"I'm going to miss you again, you know." Martha said, standing beside the Wood family's car before it drives away to King's Cross station for another year. "We all will."
Asher nodded, "I'll miss you too. I'll try keeping in touch this time."
She grinned. "Good." She leaned in and whispered, "I promise I won't tell anybody. I wouldn't want you to have to come back to our school. It's absolutely terrible."
Asher laughed.
"Hit Clyde and Dylan for me." He smiled at her, "I still can't stand them."
She laughed, "Of course."
"Bye."
"Yeah, see ya, Martha."
Asher's dad came running from the front step, and hopped in the car. The family waved a goodbye to Martha before setting off for King's Cross Station.
And another year at Hogwarts.
