Chapter 1: Cat Got Your Tongue?
I awoke that morning to the sunlight sifting through my closed blinds and onto my bed, warming my face. I lay there for a moment, enjoying the warmth. Today was going to be great fun, my best friend, Elise, had finally returned from the states where she had been for the first three weeks of summer holiday, visiting family, and we were planning on going to the pool that day. The warm sunlight was a sign that we would actually be able to swim. We were also planning on celebrating my birthday, which she had arrived home for just in time. It was summer, today was my birthday and I would be spending it with my best friend.
I sighed as my stomach began making noises, impatient for food. I shivered as my bare feet touched the cool floor of my small, cozy room. My covers were quite toasty but the chill that came in through my cracked window at night was a bit of a shock for my body in the morning when I crawled out form beneath them. I pulled my long, messy hair into a ponytail, threw a sweater over my tank top, and headed downstairs for my breakfast.
It was a weekday, so when I walked into the kitchen I was surprised to find my Uncle Jack sitting at the table in his bathrobe, reading the paper. Why isn't he at work today? I wondered to myself. He looked up as I entered and smiled.
"Hey kiddo!" He beamed at me. "Happy Birthday!" I returned his smile and sat down, pouring myself a bowl of cereal.
"Thank You," I said shyly. He was always such a morning person, up at the crack of dawn, and I usually wasn't fully awake until about ten or eleven o'clock. I looked up at him as he began reading the paper once more. "How come you're not at work yet?" I asked.
"Well, first of all, it's your birthday. I wouldn't want you to spend it all alone," he smirked. "Also, I am expecting a visitor today." His smirk grew wider into something more secretive, and teasing. He knew something. I stared at him quizzically.
"Where's Aunt Rachel?" I asked, wanting to move on to a new topic. I hated it when he knew something I didn't.
"She went out for a bit, she'll be back soon." Apparently he wasn't the only one who had taken the day off from work. I knew this had to be more for the visitor than for my birthday, for the previous summer they hadn't taken the day off to celebrate with me. They hadn't even hired a sitter. I spent the entire day bored out of my mind, with nothing to do. There was a part of me that was still upset with them. A teacup falling off its hook in the kitchen caused me to jump; I looked at it, cracked in two on the countertop. Uncle Jack, noticing my slight scowl watched me knowingly. The front door opened and slammed closed, snapping me out of my head. My Aunt Rachel strolled into the room with a small bag in her hand. She lit up when she saw me, walked over to me, and kissed the top of my head.
"Happy birthday sweetheart," she cooed. She was the most motherly woman I had ever met, and I sometimes couldn't help but wonder why she and Uncle Jack never decided to have their own children. She wandered over to my uncle and gave him a peck on the cheek, which he returned after she said, "Good morning, love." It made me smile when I saw them like this. They were so cute sometimes, and I loved being with them when they acted this way. Rachel turned her attention back to me.
"So, Willow. Big day, huh? Eleven! What were you thinking of doing?"
"I was actually hoping to go swimming with Elise, she just got back yesterday!" I said excitedly. She nodded slowly "Thank you, by the way," I added, "for staying home to be with me."
"Of course dear, it's no problem," she turned back to Uncle Jack, "What time is Minerva getting here?" she asked him. He shrugged.
"I assume before noon," he said. I looked at the clock outside the doorway; it was half past nine. I hoped Minerva, whoever they were, would get here soon; I was finished with my breakfast and I wanted to go meet Elise as soon as possible.
I excused myself and went back to my room. I changed into a pair of athletic shorts and put a T-shirt over my bathing suit. Neither Aunt Rachel nor Uncle Jack had raised any opposition to my going to the pool, and I assumed I could go. I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and hair, and washed my face. I looked at myself in the mirror. My usually fair complexion was a little darker due to the amount of time I had been laying in the sun on the front lawn, and my chocolate brown hair was tinged with gold for the same reason. I stared at my eyes, loving them. They were so unique and I had never met someone else with the same deep blue color that I had, much less someone who had the honey-gold flecks as well. Thick, dark eyelashes framed them, making them stand out even more. Of course, only being eleven, I only looked at them as pretty eyes, never as alluring flirting tools like other girls my age.
The doorbell rang. I left the bathroom and slowly walked down the stairs to the sound of Aunt Rachel's nervous voice speaking much faster than usual. I walked into the family room and it didn't take me more than a couple of seconds to understand, and share, my aunt's nervousness.
Sitting in a chair across from the sofa my aunt and uncle were sat upon was a middle-aged woman. Her dark hair was pulled into a tight knot on the back of her head and her rectangular spectacles emphasized the no-nonsense expression on her angular face. More shocking were her clothes. She wore a velvety floor length robe of emerald green over what could only be described as a dressing gown of a much deeper green, which was also floor length.
"Willow," my uncle began, "this is Professor Minerva McGonagall." I approached her and shook her hand as she offered it to me.
"Professor?" I questioned. I didn't understand what was going on, who was this woman, and why was she here?
"Yes," she replied. "I am a professor, and I am very pleased to be the one to tell you that you have been accepted to the school at which I teach. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
I stared at her, my mouth agape. Witchcraft? Wizardry? This had to be a joke, I had never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life. I looked at my aunt and uncle, wanting them to tell me this was, indeed, a joke and that what this woman had just said was rubbish. They didn't. I looked back at the Professor.
"Is this a joke?" I asked stupidly. She shook her head.
"No, Hogwarts is a legitimate school where young witches and wizards go to learn to use and control their magic. You are a witch."
"She's telling the truth love," Aunt Rachel chimed in. I started to ask how this was possible but uncle Jack answered that before it left my lips.
"Your mum and dad were also magic. Your mum was a witch, like you are, and your dad was a wizard." They were actually telling the truth.
"You knew about this?" I felt betrayed and hurt that they had kept something so big from me. I began to shake with anger, how could they have done this? I glared at both of them; they returned it with a peaceful stare. My anger increased, and I shook more. How are they so bloody calm? A flower filled vase on the coffee table shattered, causing me to shriek. The three adults looked at me knowingly. I watched them as they watched me, and something clicked.
"Di-did I do that-?" I asked. Professor McGonagall nodded.
"You also caused the mug in the kitchen to fall and break this morning," my uncle added.
"Oh," I said quietly, feeling embarrassed for my loss of temper. "Sorry," I muttered.
"It's quite alright, Miss Latton. You are not expected to be able to control your magic before you start school. Most young witches and wizards release their magic when they experience strong emotions such as anger of fear." Professor McGonagall said. "This is your acceptance letter," she continued, handing me an envelope. "It includes your supply list and your train ticket as well."
I took the envelope and looked at it. Across the front, in curvy, elegant handwriting, my name and address were printed.
I looked back to my aunt and uncle. I remembered my earlier thought, they had known. "How come you never told me?" I asked.
"Well, you see, we really were planning on it," my uncle began awkwardly, "but-"
"-But, for reasons that will not be discussed at this time, a select group of wizards, myself included, decided that it would be best if you believed yourself to be a muggle, that is a non-magic person," she added after seeing my confused look at the word, "until the time you would receive your Hogwarts letter. That is the reason I have come today. We usually only visit muggle born households to explain these developments to non-magic families who have no familiarity with Hogwarts, but for you we agreed that you should have an small explanation from someone who was more involved with everything."
Seeming satisfied with the information she told me, Professor McGonagall stood. The rest of us followed her lead. Uncle Jack escorted her out of the room and to the door, thanking her for taking the time to visit with us and explain thing to me. I stayed in the family room, dumbstruck by what I had just learned. I was a witch, a real witch. I would be going to a school of magic for the rest of my schooling, and my aunt and uncle had known the whole time.
I looked at the both of them as Uncle Jack reentered. They brought me into a tight hug, and I scowled into them, still unhappy that they had kept this a secret.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked again.
"We wanted to tell you," Aunt Rachel said, "but like Professor McGonagall said, we were not to tell you anything until now. You'll know the reasons soon enough.
I nodded slowly, not arguing with what she had said, but still thinking about it deeply. What reasons?
"But think about it Willow. You get to start at a new place and make new friends. You can be a part of a whole other world you didn't even know existed," Uncle Jack said happily. I smiled at this thought. I liked trying new things, and he was right. This would be a whole new experience, and even though it was initially a shock to find out what I was, I was glad to know most of the truth. I continued to hug them. I suddenly remembered that I had plans. Should I tell Elise about all of this?
"I have to go see Elise," I said, breaking the silence that had seeped in during our hug.
My aunt and uncle nodded.
"Alright, get what you need," Aunt Rachel said. She would drive me to the pool. "But, Willow, I don't think you should tell her about any of this." I nodded, agreeing with her. That conversation would be saved for later.
I left the house happy, knowing I would be able to just relax with my best friend. I really was looking forward to testing the waters in this new world, and I felt excited for the fun that, undoubtedly, lay ahead. But, for the time being, all I wanted was to have a quiet birthday where I could just live in the present and not think about the rest of the world.
Elsewhere, a very large man was breaking down the door and handing a skinny boy his Hogwarts letter and yet another boy, with blond hair, was receiving his as well.