Children know when they are different. Adults can do whatever they want to show them otherwise, but they need to give the kids more credit than that. If little Janet is in a class separate from all of her neighborhood friends, she'll know. If Liam is having trouble reading the book that his grade is obsessed with, he'll know. When Marie has to wear a bra before most of her classmates even know what it is, she'll know. Don't misunderstand, though. Being different is not a bad thing. Being different, truly different, is a beautiful thing. If you want to change the world, or even just change one mind, you must be different.
Skye Lidgett knew she was different. Her parents had never bothered trying to convince her otherwise; they didn't see a point. The girl had always been different. 11 years ago, when the young couple had first held little baby Skye, they didn't know what to think. Neither did any of the dozens of doctors that they had consulted. Skye was a completely normal baby with absolutely no health issues, a remarkably even temperament, and an ideal weight and height. But after the doctor had announced to the joyous parents, "It's a girl!" he had paused, looking at the newborn.
"Is everything okay?" Alden asked, growing concerned. They were looking at his daughter like she was an alien.
"My baby, what's wrong?" Iris wiped sweat from her forehead. Finally, one of the Nurses reached for the baby.
"Would you like to hold her, mum?" the woman asked, a kind smile on her face.
"Of course," Iris answered.
The couple gasped as the child came into view. A tiny baby, all red and pink, except for a tuft of bright blue hair on top of her head.
Alden and Iris were, fortunately, quite proud of their little oddball. For a few months, they proudly carried her about, and Skye seemed to love the attention, even as an infant. She always lit up in front of her adoring fans. It didn't take long for the criticism to start, however; claims of child abuse from strangers who were convinced that the young couple were dying their newborn's hair became a constant struggle. Instead of cutting or shaving the girl's hair, Iris took up knitting and began making Skye tiny hats in every color imaginable. Her parents hated having to hide who she was, but they decided it was easier on her in the long run to not constantly have strangers approaching her angrily.
As a toddler, Skye's hair began to change. Iris could kiss her blue haired daughter before grabbing some mashed peas, and turn back to see that the blue had turned to pink. Alden was the first to notice that it usually coincided with her strong emotions. If she was having a fit, it would turn bright red; when she was playing or excited, it would turn a golden yellow; happy, pink. It would always return to cerulean, however. Her eyes remained a light, bright blue.
When Skye was 5 years old, the family made the decision to move from their downtown flat into a cottage in the countryside. The small village was appealing to them because of the small population and endless room for the growing child to play. Alden also went to work building
himself a greenhouse; he had always loved plants and gardening, but in the city, he had been unable to have anything more than a few houseplants. Before long, the small, two bedroom cottage was transformed into the house of their dreams. Iris had worked hard to make it a comfortable, warm, loving home. The family had only two neighbors, an older woman named Esther and Seth and Lyra Darknoll, a young couple with a daughter, Dresden, who was the same age as Skye.
Life in the country was much easier. On Saturdays, Iris would take Skye down to the village a short walk away. They would eat brunch at the cozy, family-owned diner before picking up groceries. Despite being a small and very close town, they warmed up to the Lidgetts quickly. Everyone in town knew them within a month. Esther visited every couple of days. The elder had been quite taken by young Skye, and loved to watch her when Alden and Iris would need some alone time. She would tell the young girl all sorts of stories about magic, about famous wizards and witches, magical creatures, and all other sorts of fantastical ideas. Skye's parents were very thankful for Esther's help, as Alden's parents were gone and Iris' lived hours away.
They also spent quite a bit of time with the Darknolls. Skye and Dresden were fast friends, and loved playing outdoors. The two girls played all sorts of imaginary games, and Dresden loved impressing her new friend with her secret tricks.
"You can't tell anyone!" she would tell Skye seriously.
"No one," Skye would promise.
After the reassurance, the black haired girl would pick out a small object, usually a pebble or a flower, and float it around their heads. Sometimes she would sneakily pluck a flower for Alden's flowerbeds and float it behind Skye's ear. This impressed her friend to no end. The slightly older girl would then coax her friend to try it herself; she would pull up a blade of grass and hold it between her fingers.
"Just imagine it moving."
At first, it would just twitch out of her grip and fall to the ground. Every once in a while, Skye would be able to slow its fall. After a month, she was able to make it float into her own hand.
"Gramma Esther!" Skye would squeak at the sight of their elderly neighbor. She knew what Skye was. Sometimes, when she would glance out the window at the two 7-year olds playing, flowers would be floating about. The Darknolls, she knew for a fact, were Magical; the couple had met when they were away at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. With only a few exceptions, the whole town was Magical. How the Muggles were still clueless, Esther had absolutely no idea. Shortly after the Lidgetts had moved into the house next door, Skye had run outside without her hat. Her mother had chased her into Esther's yard, while she had been out tending to her flowers.
"Such beautiful hair," the old woman had complemented the child, who blushed and hid her face in her hands.
"Sorry, m'am. She's been a handful this morning!" Iris had apologized, her face anxious.
"Oh, it's quite alright!" she looked down to see the small girl peering up at her, "What's your name?"
"Skye," her hair seemed darken immediately from the fuschia it had been. Purple spread from the roots to the tip.
Esther glanced up at the girl's mother to see her horrified expression.
"Why, what an interesting trick!" she exclaimed, "I wish I could do that."
She turned her attention to the woman, "Welcome to town. My name's Esther Buckle. You have such a lovely family!"
"Thank you, Esther. I'm Iris, and my husband is Alden."
"Well, it's wonderful to meet you. Anytime you need any help, don't hesitate to call."
Iris was surprised by the older womans lack of any real reaction towards her daughter. She had seemed legitimately impressed by her hair, not horrified or disgusted, the usual reaction.
"Dear, do you know why her hair is like that?" Esther asked as an afterthought. Iris was already leading Skye back towards their home.
"I don't. We visited Doctors all over the country, each time leaving just as confused as we had arrived."
"That is so peculiar. She definitely had a very special gift."
That was how Esther had learned that Skye's parents were Muggles. She had spent the following months getting to know the Lidgetts, wanting to be, without any doubt, positive that they would be accepting when they found out about their daughter. Iris was especially open-minded, Esther thought. She would get very excited to find out that they had gotten home in time to hear one of the magical tales. This particular Friday night, Alden and Iris were down in the village, having dinner together at the nicer restaurant. Esther was watching Skye play with her toy horses on the rug in front of the fireplace. How strange that no one had tried to contact the poor family about their daughter, not even Minerva McGonagall, the current Headmistress of Hogwarts. Muggle parents of Magical children were typically notified as soon as the child showed signs of any Magical ability. It wasn't like Minerva to leave them in the dark like this. Unless the girl didn't have any powers. She wondered if it was possible for someone to have Metamorphmagus powers and be otherwise a complete Muggle. In all her years, Esther had never heard of it happening, but then there were always special cases. She was distracted from her thoughts by the concentrated hum coming from Skye. The child was holding one of her toys, staring at it intently. Esther watched, curious as to just what she was doing. Then, without moving her eyes from the toy, it began to change colors; the black model was lightening to a reddish brown. Within a minute, Skye sat the model down and admired it.
"Where did you learn that?" Esther asked the girl, who simply shrugged and replied, "I didn't. I have too many black horses, so I just wished it would change."
"That's quite a trick."
On Monday morning, Esther was looking out of her kitchen window while she washed dishes. She saw Alden walk out the back door and into his greenhouse, before the curtains in the reading room were pushed open. The family had spent a couple of quiet days inside, as it had stormed violently all weekend. Suddenly, a brown owl soared down and landed at the just-opened window. Esther smiled when she saw Iris come to the window. Luckily, the woman was an animal lover, and she brought her daughter over to see the bird.
"Mum, what's that tied to it?"
Iris looked closer, and noticed the small envelope tied to the owl's leg.
"That's odd," she sent Skye to the kitchen before opening the window, in case the owl was aggressive. However, it simply stuck it's leg out to her as soon as she opened the door. She moved very slowly to untie it, but it just sat there, wearing a very bored expression. As soon as she had removed the envelope, it turned and flew off. Iris examined the letter in her hand. It was addressed to Skye, with no return address. Curious as to who would be sending her 7 year old a letter by owl, she went ahead and opened the envelope.
Dear Ms. Skye Lidgett,
It has come to my attention that you have recently begun showing signs of Magical powers. Congratulations! As your parents have no knowledge of our world, they will be receiving educational materials via Muggle post within the week. Please do not hesitate to contact me, either through your postal system or by owl.
I look forward to meeting you when the time comes for you to attend Hogwarts.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress - Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Iris blinked. Was this a practical joke? Was someone making fun of Skye's hair? She knew most everyone in the entire town, and no one had seemed the type to do something like this.
"Mum? Did the owl leave?" she heard her daughter ask from the kitchen.
"Oh, honey, yes, it did. You can come out. Sorry."
After busying Skye with a coloring book, she went out to tell Alden about the letter.
"What the hell is this about?" he asked her after reading through it several times.
"I have no idea… who in town would do this kind of thing?" Iris shook her head.
"Maybe we should ask Esther," Alden suggested, "She'd know if there were any troublemakers with access to owls."
They were both so confused by the entire situation that they had no other ideas.
"I'll go ask her. You can stay with Skye."
Esther's early lunch was interrupted by a knock at her door. She had been expecting it. After sitting her half empty plate on the kitchen counter, she walked over to the door and opened it.
"I'm sorry for bothering you, but we just had an… an owl, bring us this letter," Iris held it out to the woman. Her face was anxious, worried that their friend would think she was crazy. Before Esther even opened the envelope, she knew what it was. She read it slowly, unable to stop the smile that spread across her face.
"Oh, my dear, this isn't a joke."
Iris looked as though she was about to faint.
"Are… are you sure?" she asked the older woman, sure that she was in on it.
"Quite. If you have a time that is convenient, I could come over later and talk to your family."
"Um, sure. Are you positive?" Iris had hoped that their neighbor was sane, but she was beginning to have her doubts.
"Very. So shall I come over around noon?"
Iris had told her husband and daughter that their neighbor was coming over for tea. She didn't elaborate; she didn't know what to tell them. Sorry, sweetie, the woman you call Gramma is actually certifiably insane, she imagined telling a heartbroken Skye. It was going to be difficult, so she figured she may as well give the woman a chance to confess to her joke. Iris distracted herself by making a coffee cake. Baking always helped her moods. At a quarter to twelve, Alden came in and washed up. Skye was still peacefully coloring in the reading room. At five till, Iris put a pot of water on to boil for tea. Her husband didn't know what was going on. She was generally a very relaxed person, and she rarely hid anything from him. But here she was, nervously hovering around the kitchen, baking.
There was a knock at the door, and Iris dropped the teacup she was holding. She swore under her breath and ran to the door. After smoothing her hair and straightening her blouse, she took a deep breath and opened the door. There stood Esther with a warm smile on her face.
"Hi," Iris greeted her breathlessly before jumping to the left of the door, "Come in, make yourself at home."
"Thank you, Iris."
"Gramma Esther!" Skye cried as the woman walked into the reading room. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around Esther's waist.
"My dear Skye," she patted her head, "Would you like to sit with me?"
The young girl nodded excitedly and the two took a seat on the small couch in front of the coffee table. Iris stood in the doorway nervously until Alden appeared behind her.
"Hello, Esther!" he greeted, making Iris give a small yelp.
"You scared me, you just snuck up on me!"
Alden chuckled at his wife before taking her hand and leading her to the loveseat against the wall, to the left of Esther and his daughter.
"So what has had my lovely wife in such a tizzy all morning?" he asked their neighbor.
"I trust you read the letter as well, correct?" Esther asked him.
He nodded in reply.
"Well, I know that Iris was a bit skeptical. She looked at me as if I'd gone completely mad!"
Iris blushed and gave a small smile. She hadn't ruled out insanity yet.
"And did you see it, darling?" Esther asked the orange haired Skye, who was bouncing slightly, getting bored. She shook her head. Iris pulled it out from her back pocket and reluctantly handed it to her daughter, who read it slowly.
"I'm a Witch?" the girl asked excitedly, looking from face to face for some confirmation.
"See, honey -" Iris started, only to be interrupted by Esther.
"Excuse me, Iris, this is why I wanted to speak with all of you. You and your husband are what we call Muggles, meaning that you have no magical powers."
Alden looked offended.
"It's not a bad word, dear. It's just how we differentiate between our kinds. See, Skye and I, we are Witches. I had my suspicious as soon as I saw how her hair switched colors."
"There are others like her?" Iris asked, still unsure what to believe.
"Oh, yes! It's relatively rare, but she is considered a Metamorphmagus, meaning that she can change parts of her appearance. She clearly already has control of her hair, but with training, she may be able to alter her eye color or possibly facial features."
"Excuse me, but… are you mad?" Alden asked sincerely.
Esther chuckled, "Oh, no. I am not. I was lucky to be raised in the Wizarding world. This all seems exceptionally normal to me. Anyway, as the letter said, you will be getting some books to inform you of more of the details. But I can tell you some things."
Iris didn't know if she should take the woman's word. After all, a mad woman wouldn't confess to it, would she?
"I should also tell you… the Darknolls are Magical, as well."
"Are you sure?" Iris asked, glancing at her husband.
"Quite sure. I taught the mother, Lyra, when she was at Hogwarts!"
"Okay… I believe you. But can I just ask, what the hell is Hogwarts?" Alden asked, shaking his head at the word.
"Hogwarts is our school. From ages 11 to 17, Magical children receive their education in subjects such as Potion making, Transfiguration, History of Magic, and Defense Against The Dark Arts. It's a wonderful place. The Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, is one of my dearest friends from my days at the school. I guarantee that your daughter will have the time of her young life!"
"I… So, how can I know for certain that you're telling the truth? Can you do magic?" Iris asked.
Esther just nodded and pulled a wand from her handbag.
"What-" Alden began, before going silent as a full teacup levitated into his hands.
"How do you like it, dear?"
He looked at it as though it would bite his finger off, "T-t-two s-sugars."
The woman nodded, and it came two sugar cubes. They floated over the coffee table and landed in his tea with a plop.
"Thank you," Alden said incredulously, before beginning to laugh.
Iris looked from her husband, to the tea in his hands, to Esther.
"Are you starting to believe me now?"
