The Choices We Make
Madeline, a Hogwarts graduate, returns from a year of study in the muggle world. She is now forced to make a decision that will affect her for the rest of her life.
Chapter 1: Welcome Home
Madeline McLaughlin awoke to the harsh voice of an irritated flight attendant asking her to put her seat in the upright position for landing. Groggily, she obliged the unceremonious request and prepared for the decent down to London. Madeline looked out her window to try and catch a first glimpse of the spider web of lights that was London, but saw only clouds. Just then the plane began its decent, and Madeline experienced a moment of dizzying weightlessness. The other travelers did not seem fazed by this in the slightest; they were all accustomed to air travel. Madeline, however, was not. It's understandable, her first time on an airplane had been a year ago when she had flown to America. Not that she was unfamiliar with the concept of flight itself, she had spent a great deal of time on her broomstick as a child. Madeline was a witch, and until very recently, had had no use for airplanes. (though she had to admit, they were far more comfortable than a broomstick)
Not only was Madeline a witch, she was a witch from a very old pure-blood family. She had been raised in a purely magical environment, and educated at the finest magical school in the world, Hogwarts. She had shocked everyone, including herself, when she had decided to delay the start of her Ministry of Magic career for a year so she could go abroad and study muggle sciences for a year. To say that her mother had been disappointed would be a gross understatement. Agnes McLaughlin had planned her daughter's life right down to the flowers in her wedding bouquet; for her plans to be held up for an entire year was unthinkable. But, Madeline was of age, and could not be stopped by her mother. She had kept in touch with her family during her travels, and she didn't think there were any hard feelings. Still, she shuddered to think of what fresh horror her mother would have in store for her upon her arrival.
She pushed unpleasant thoughts from her mind by reminiscing on the events of the past year. Every last minute had been amazing. Not only had she learned how airplanes soar through the air without that aid of magic, but about the change of seasons, and the reactions of different chemicals. But the thing she found most astounding, was her study of Biology. Madeline had been hooked, from the first lecture on the organization of life, and her curiosity had only been fed from there. The chemistry of life fascinated her, and cellular communications had opened her mind to more questions than she ever thought possible. Genetics, is what brought it all back to magic. The study of hereditary made her ask for the first time in her life, why could she do magic. She knew the answers she sought were there, in the beautiful science that held all life together, and she was determined to find it.
Unfortunately, such answers take time to find, and time is a luxury that Madeline did not have. before she knew it, a year had passed, and her family expected her back in London. But right before she left she had been offered an amazing opportunity. One of her Professors, Dr. Ogilvie, was about to begin a project to map the human genome. She had asked Madeline to work with her as a lab assistant, to get some practical, laboratory experience. Madeline had been tempted to accept this offer on the spot, it was exactly the kind of research she had been looking for. Sure, she would start out as an assistant, but she could work her way up to the point where she would be allowed to do her own research. But she remembered her family. She had promised her mother that she would be back after a year; she owed her that at least. Madeline told Dr. Ogilvie that she would let her know of her decision within the next two weeks, because she had to get home to England and talk it over with her mother.
It was this conversation that she was dreading most of all. Since her father's untimely death three years ago, Madeline's mother had been obsessive about her children's futures. Her eleven year old brother was now expected to become Minister of Magic, and she and her three younger sisters are all to join the ministry in some manner. However, their careers will be brief, because by age twenty, they will be married off to the most eligible pure-blood their mother could find. From there they were expected to produce no fewer than three children each, with at least one son. It was a dismal and somewhat Victorian outlook on life, but there you have it. Madeline tried to think of the best way to tell her mother that she wanted to give up magic for science, but nothing came to mind.
Madeline picked up her bags at the luggage carousel, and hailed a cab in front of the airport. The drive to Belgravia was not long, and before she knew it, she was looking up at the familiar townhouse that she had grown up in. She had scarcely walked through the front doors when her mother swooped down upon her like a vulture.
"You're late," was all that the offered by way of a greeting.
"Yes Mother, it's good to see you, too," answered Madeline, trying, with great difficulty not to roll her eyes.
"You need to hurry up and get dressed for dinner, the guests will be arriving in a little over an hour…"
"You mean we're having a dinner party tonight? But, I just got home, and Caroline, Abigail, Eleanor, and John only got back from school this afternoon!"
"Of course we're having a party. Even though you father is gone, this family still has social obligations to uphold. Plus, you won't remain marriageable forever." Madeline. who was on the point of protesting, though better of it. "Now, go put on something acceptable; get Bittsy to help you with your bags…"
On cue, Bittsy, the McLaughlin's long suffering house elf appeared, and levitated Madeline's bag up the stairs. Madeline was about to point out that she could have just as easily done this herself, but again, thought better of it, and retreated upstairs to dress. She made it to the third floor before she was apprehended by her delighted siblings. There was little time for a reunion, however, because mother was not far behind, shooing them all to their rooms to dress for the party. Madeline promised to tell them all about her travels later, and continued up the last flight of stairs to her bedroom.
With a quick flick of her wand, her bag unpacked itself, and tucked itself neatly under her bed. Madeline selected rose colored silk dress robes, and matching pumps for the party. A strand of pearls and a few fresh cut roses tucked into her up do finished the look. She was checking her appearance in the mirror when there was a knock at her door. Without waiting for a response, Madeline's mother entered her room.
"You look stunning. You're sure to be the talk of the party tonight…"
"Thank you". This was far too sugarcoated a comment for Madeline's mother to make without an ulterior motive.
"You'll certainly impress the Minister, and his son." She waited a moment for a response, but when none came she soldiered on, "He inquired about you several times while you were away…"
"Did he?" Madeline responded, her breath catching in her throat. This was not really a surprise, they had known each other since first year at Hogwarts, and even dated a bit during sixth and seventh year, though Mother was not privy to this information. Still, the idea that he had openly inquired about her puzzled her, their relationship had ended decisively before she left.
"Yes, he did. He is a very nice boy, quite a gentleman in fact. I would hope that you wouldn't spur any advances on his part. "
This was a not quite a subtle warning. Madeline knew full well that her mother would love to see her marry the minister's son, Oliver. In fact, given the choice between Oliver and the others that her mother deemed acceptable, Madeline knew that she would probably choose him. She honestly liked Oliver, and had enjoyed their time as a couple. Did she love him? It's funny, but she had never really asked herself that. They had been a steady couple during their last year at Hogwarts, and their relationship had become quite close. They both decided it was best to end it for a while when she went away, but she had missed him. Still, it hadn't stopped her from seeing other people. James, she defiantly didn't know how she felt about him. He was a muggle and one of the first people she met in America, and after about a month they had started going out. She had been comfortable with James, like she's with Oliver, but there was something different. It was almost harder to leave him to come back to England and magic than it had been to leave Oliver. She knew that some part of her hoped that is she did return to assist with the genome project, they could get back together. She shook her head. talking with her mother tonight, she saw how quickly that possibility was slipping from her fingers.
The doorbell rang signaling the arrival of the first guests. Resigned to an evening of phony frivolity, Madeline walked down the stairs to meet the guests.