I do not own anything of the Harry Potter Series, that all belongs to the fantastic JK Rowling.
Chapter 1; Schooling
The unicorn had charged towards me, it's legs a blur too fast to see, it's glittering horn had pointed straight at me. I waited till Odin was level then reached out and had pulled myself aboard. We had charged across the clearing, hidden from the world. A log loomed close, and with a bunch of muscles we glided over it. I lifted my arms up and Odin trumpeted his supremacy over the world. As we reached the other side of the clearing we slid to a stop sending dirt and grass flying everywhere. I jumped off and Odin took off bucking and rearing, which had set off Ares, the baby, off where we had left him tethered. He was a big black beauty and silly as you please, so when his legs slid out from under him, I laughed, before I checked him for injury. Unicorns are beautiful, magnificent creatures, but they can take a while to mature. A small, black speck flashed across the sky, Henry's one legged Pauraque, Hoppy. It had landed on my shoulder with the utmost dignity and extended it's leg, to which a small piece of paper was attached; typical Hoppy.
Hey Lika,
Come home, Professor McGonogall of Hogwarts is here.
Henry.
I whistled, short and sharp and Odin trotted over, he calmed instantly from his previous frivolity. I'd scooped up Ares and settled him across Odin's whither, before mounting myself. "Home." I said, and Odin had taken off at a steady canter, back home.
We passed the sign "Australian Magical Haven for All Creatures" and shortly the conglomerate of building that made up AMH came into sight. They were worn, but well repaired, wooden affairs. Patty, a worker, saw me coming in and waited, his worn weathered face crinkled as he smiled at me. His gnarled hand gripped Ares and lifted him off Odin. The foal neighed joyfully and licked at Patty's face, an over eager puppy. "Henry wants you at home, Lika, that Headmistress that was here a while ago is back. I'll take care of this pair." He turned and walked the pair of unicorns into the stable.
I turned and ran to the house. The door swung open as I'd approached it and I barrelled through, only halted my mad rush outside the kitchen where I could hear Henry talking to McGonagall. I walked in. "Lika, you remember Professor McGonagall. Professor, my ward, Malika Bristow. Hogwarts has decided to accept you." Henry said, obviously overjoyed. He was a firm believer in education. I had thought it was important, I just hadn't understand why I had needed to travel across a continent to go to school. I'd understood the fact that I couldn't attend any of the schools of magic in AUstralia, but what had happened to home schooling? It's not that I hadn't wanted to go, but no one had ever really asked me.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, Malika. I will see you at the start of term." Professor McGonogal smiled at me, warm but was evidently strict in the lines that framed her face and her greying brown hair. "I need to be off, thank you for the cup of tea, Mr Sheldon." She said and left.
Henry scooped me up into a bear hug swinging me round and round. "This is great news Lika, you can go to school." His happiness was infectious, as I ended up smiling as well, my previous reticence forgotten. "We'll have to hurry to get your things, as there is little time left. There's only a couple of days before you need to take off for England. We can get you away from the extremists over here. The wizard community is more relaxed over there about half-castes." He put me down and rumpled my hair with his big calloused hand and a big grin on his face. He had been worried if Hogwarts would accept me being half warlock and half witch. My mum was Wiccan but she fell in love with my dad who was a wizard, a bad one, and she got thrown out of the coven, making her a warlock. Henry took me in as a baby, but won't tell me more than that.
Warlocks practice black magic, superstition would have you believe it taints them and their progeny, but I don't think I'm 'bad'. That's why the magic schools in Oz wouldn't touch me.
"I'll take you tomorrow to pick up a few things, although we'll mostly pick it up in England." A frown had fluttered across his face. "No I won't, I have that Proper Diets of Pixies conference tomorrow... I'll ask Jenny to take you. You two will have fun together." I nodded and he looked sad.
"I'll see you when I get back and you can take me to England." I told him and hugged him. "I love you, dad." I told him. "I love you too, Lika, for always... You'd better get your chores done; you've got a big day tomorrow." I nodded and started to head out. "What's England like?" I'd asked, pausing at the door. Henry smiled.
"You'll see Lika, you'll see."