Chapter two
The next day Mr. and Mrs. Field talked about Hogwarts all throughout breakfast. It was Saturday and they were expecting company soon from their friends Kate and Michael Swiss. Just then the doorbell rang and Mrs. Field went to greet them. "Why hello Kate and Michael! Please come in," said Mrs. Field as she escorted them into her house. Kate and Michael sat down with Henry and Mary in the living room. "So how have things been going?" asked Mary as she set down a plate of cookies and served tea to everyone. "Just great Mary," said Kate, "we are expecting a baby soon!" "Really?" asked Henry, "Congratulations!" "Thank you," said Kate, "Having a baby is a feeling that seems so magical." "Magical.," said Mrs. Field softly. "Hmm?" said Kate. "Well, you can keep a secret, can't you?" asked Mrs. Field. "Yes. Why?" said Kate. "There is such a thing as magic! The boys in flying car in the newspaper were real! There is even a school for young witches and wizards called Hogwarts!" said Mrs. Field. Kate seemed puzzled at first but then Mrs. Field went on to explain the whole thing. Michael and Henry just watched their wives talk for a while. "So where can we find Hogwarts?" asked Michael. "It's simple! Here, I'll write down the directions!" said Mrs. Field. She scratched a map and some directions on a napkin near the cookies and then handed it to Michael and Kate. They talked for a couple more hours and then they had to go home because Kate was beginning to feel sick from her pregnancy. After they left, Henry and Mary sat down at the kitchen table. "Do you think it was right to tell them?" asked Henry. "I think so. I think we can trust them." "I thought you promised Jenny that you wouldn't tell anyone!" "I won't tell her that I told anyone, she wouldn't mind anyways." ~~~***~~~***~~~ Two days passed and Henry and Mary woke up early. Henry went outside to get the mail just like he did every morning, and he noticed the newspaper sitting in the grass, already soggy from the morning dew. The front headline was a picture of Hogwarts and a headline in bold that said "Magic Does Exist! Hogwarts, A School For Magical Students, Has Recently Been Discovered by Kate and Michael Swiss." "WHAT!?!?" yelled Henry at the top of his lungs. He ran inside and threw the front page right in front of Mary's face while she was sitting on the couch. "What is it, dear?" asked Mary with a look of puzzlement on her face. "Read it! Those little traitors!" said Henry as he stomped around the room. Mary began reading the front page and her eyes grew wider and wider. She looked up from the paper and said, "Well, I guess other muggles like ourselves would find out about it one day. There's nothing we can do about it now." They both sat down and turned on the television. A woman in a black suit was talking on the news station and saying, "New evidence has been found to back up the article in today's newspaper about the magical school of Hogwarts. Some of our most experienced reporters have gone and investigated the area and they have indeed found the Hogwarts school. And now over to you, Jon," said the news lady as the image went from her to a man sitting at a sports news podium. Mary turned the television off and faced Henry. "I think I know how we can get Kate and Michael back," she said. "How?" asked Henry. "We could start a private campaign to turn Hogwarts into a theme park! Once Kate and Michael see us as millionaires they will be sorry that they ever told the press about Hogwarts. Plus, we could use the extra money," she said. "That's a great idea! Hand out fliers to anyone you can and soon we will be on our way to creating the best amusement park ever!" ~~**~*~*~***~*~*~*~**~*~ The next morning Mary had woke up extra early just to post up all the fliers around the neighborhood. By three o'clock neighbors were filing in and sitting around the Field's living room. By three thirty about forty neighbors were there, and Mary explained to them about their plan. Some of the neighbors thought that the idea would never work, but Henry and Mary soon had them convinced. Their plan was to go the next day and talk to Albus Dumbledore about setting up a theme park. They decided that if Albus didn't say yes they were going to take matters into their own hands. ~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~ Mary and Henry set off the next day in their best business clothes and a contract for Albus to sign if he decided to let them make a park. They drove the whole way and then navigated their way across the lake with the flying car. They walked past the manicured gardens and stood outside the main entrance to Hogwarts for at least thirty minutes. "I don't know if we should go in," said Henry. "Well, we have to have Albus sign this!" said Mary as she waved the contract, now almost slipping out of her hands because she was perspiring from nervousness, in her hands. Of course, Mary and Henry didn't know their way around the school or even inside the school, so they just picked a door and hoped that it would be one leading to Albus. Mary and Henry walked up to a glossy, large chestnut door and opened it. They stepped into the Great Hall. The first thing that Mary and Henry noticed wasn't that the ceiling reflected the sky, or the floating candles, but that about one thousand students were sitting in tables with food in front of them and each of these students were looking directly at Mary and Henry. Whisperings and shouts began among the students as Albus walked over to Mary and Henry. "Why hello. Are you the parents of Seamus? He's in the hospital wing right now but Madam Pomfrey has told me the burn he got from Defense Against the Dark Arts should be healing soon," said Albus. Mary and Henry blinked at Dumbledore and stared at him as if he were speaking Parseltongue. "Um.uh.n-no. We are ah.well I'm Mary and this is my husband Henry and we ah..would like to speak with you privately when you have time," said Mary faintly. Henry nodded his head in agreement. "Very well," said Dumbledore, "come with me to my office." Dumbledore led Mary and Henry through all sorts of floors, past moving pictures, ghosts (Peeves attemped to trip Henry as he was walking a few times), and up and down moving staircases. Soon they arrived in Dumbledore's office and Dumbledore beckoned them to sit down on the plush green leather seats in front of his desk. Henry and Mary sat and stared at Dumbledore. "Well then, what is it you would like to talk to me about?" asked Albus. "Well, I'm sure you already know of all the muggles knowing about this school, correct?" asked Mary. "Yes, yes," said Dumbledore. "Well, my husband and I and some other friends would like to set up a theme park in and around Hogwarts. Of course your students would still be able to work and do everything they are doing now, but we would set up rides and even tours around the castle. It would be very profitable and we would give you half of our profits," said Mary confidently. "Hogwarts was a place not meant to be seen by Muggles. We don't need the money, and we definitely don't want anything that would distract our students from their studies. Thank you for coming, but I think that a theme park at Hogwarts would be more dangerous than any of you could imagine," said Albus. Mary stood up furiously and brought her fist down on Albus's desk. "Sir! This is a chance of a lifetime! I will assure you that things wouldn't get out of hand. Your students would never even notice the tourists around! Please, sir!" she said. Albus picked up his wand and pointed it at Mary. "Do not tempt me to use this. Fawkes will show you the way out. Thank you for your time," said Dumbledore as he opened Fawkes's cage. Fawkes flew out and circled the room before guiding Henry and Mary out of the castle. Once Mary and Henry were inside their car, Henry said, "Well, what are we going to do now?" "Don't worry. I have a plan B," said Mary with a smirk. ~*~*~*~*~**~~**~*~~**~*~ Jenny, needless to say, was absolutely horrified when she found out about the other Muggles knowing about the existence of Hogwarts. She called Mary the next day. "Mom, how could you? How could you do this to me? Not only has all my research been destroyed, but almost my whole career! If my boss found out it was me who told you about Hogwarts, I would surely get fired!" yelled Jenny over the phone. "Jenny, they would have found out sooner or later. Trust me," said Mary. "No mom, they wouldn't. I will never be able to forgive you!" said Jenny as she hung up the phone. Mary hung up the phone and rubbed her forehead. "I always get migraines when I fight with Jenny. Looks like she's pretty mad at us, Henry," she said. "Well," said Henry, "let her be. This is our matter now, not hers." "And tomorrow," said Mary, "we will be going on with plan B."
The next day Mr. and Mrs. Field talked about Hogwarts all throughout breakfast. It was Saturday and they were expecting company soon from their friends Kate and Michael Swiss. Just then the doorbell rang and Mrs. Field went to greet them. "Why hello Kate and Michael! Please come in," said Mrs. Field as she escorted them into her house. Kate and Michael sat down with Henry and Mary in the living room. "So how have things been going?" asked Mary as she set down a plate of cookies and served tea to everyone. "Just great Mary," said Kate, "we are expecting a baby soon!" "Really?" asked Henry, "Congratulations!" "Thank you," said Kate, "Having a baby is a feeling that seems so magical." "Magical.," said Mrs. Field softly. "Hmm?" said Kate. "Well, you can keep a secret, can't you?" asked Mrs. Field. "Yes. Why?" said Kate. "There is such a thing as magic! The boys in flying car in the newspaper were real! There is even a school for young witches and wizards called Hogwarts!" said Mrs. Field. Kate seemed puzzled at first but then Mrs. Field went on to explain the whole thing. Michael and Henry just watched their wives talk for a while. "So where can we find Hogwarts?" asked Michael. "It's simple! Here, I'll write down the directions!" said Mrs. Field. She scratched a map and some directions on a napkin near the cookies and then handed it to Michael and Kate. They talked for a couple more hours and then they had to go home because Kate was beginning to feel sick from her pregnancy. After they left, Henry and Mary sat down at the kitchen table. "Do you think it was right to tell them?" asked Henry. "I think so. I think we can trust them." "I thought you promised Jenny that you wouldn't tell anyone!" "I won't tell her that I told anyone, she wouldn't mind anyways." ~~~***~~~***~~~ Two days passed and Henry and Mary woke up early. Henry went outside to get the mail just like he did every morning, and he noticed the newspaper sitting in the grass, already soggy from the morning dew. The front headline was a picture of Hogwarts and a headline in bold that said "Magic Does Exist! Hogwarts, A School For Magical Students, Has Recently Been Discovered by Kate and Michael Swiss." "WHAT!?!?" yelled Henry at the top of his lungs. He ran inside and threw the front page right in front of Mary's face while she was sitting on the couch. "What is it, dear?" asked Mary with a look of puzzlement on her face. "Read it! Those little traitors!" said Henry as he stomped around the room. Mary began reading the front page and her eyes grew wider and wider. She looked up from the paper and said, "Well, I guess other muggles like ourselves would find out about it one day. There's nothing we can do about it now." They both sat down and turned on the television. A woman in a black suit was talking on the news station and saying, "New evidence has been found to back up the article in today's newspaper about the magical school of Hogwarts. Some of our most experienced reporters have gone and investigated the area and they have indeed found the Hogwarts school. And now over to you, Jon," said the news lady as the image went from her to a man sitting at a sports news podium. Mary turned the television off and faced Henry. "I think I know how we can get Kate and Michael back," she said. "How?" asked Henry. "We could start a private campaign to turn Hogwarts into a theme park! Once Kate and Michael see us as millionaires they will be sorry that they ever told the press about Hogwarts. Plus, we could use the extra money," she said. "That's a great idea! Hand out fliers to anyone you can and soon we will be on our way to creating the best amusement park ever!" ~~**~*~*~***~*~*~*~**~*~ The next morning Mary had woke up extra early just to post up all the fliers around the neighborhood. By three o'clock neighbors were filing in and sitting around the Field's living room. By three thirty about forty neighbors were there, and Mary explained to them about their plan. Some of the neighbors thought that the idea would never work, but Henry and Mary soon had them convinced. Their plan was to go the next day and talk to Albus Dumbledore about setting up a theme park. They decided that if Albus didn't say yes they were going to take matters into their own hands. ~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~ Mary and Henry set off the next day in their best business clothes and a contract for Albus to sign if he decided to let them make a park. They drove the whole way and then navigated their way across the lake with the flying car. They walked past the manicured gardens and stood outside the main entrance to Hogwarts for at least thirty minutes. "I don't know if we should go in," said Henry. "Well, we have to have Albus sign this!" said Mary as she waved the contract, now almost slipping out of her hands because she was perspiring from nervousness, in her hands. Of course, Mary and Henry didn't know their way around the school or even inside the school, so they just picked a door and hoped that it would be one leading to Albus. Mary and Henry walked up to a glossy, large chestnut door and opened it. They stepped into the Great Hall. The first thing that Mary and Henry noticed wasn't that the ceiling reflected the sky, or the floating candles, but that about one thousand students were sitting in tables with food in front of them and each of these students were looking directly at Mary and Henry. Whisperings and shouts began among the students as Albus walked over to Mary and Henry. "Why hello. Are you the parents of Seamus? He's in the hospital wing right now but Madam Pomfrey has told me the burn he got from Defense Against the Dark Arts should be healing soon," said Albus. Mary and Henry blinked at Dumbledore and stared at him as if he were speaking Parseltongue. "Um.uh.n-no. We are ah.well I'm Mary and this is my husband Henry and we ah..would like to speak with you privately when you have time," said Mary faintly. Henry nodded his head in agreement. "Very well," said Dumbledore, "come with me to my office." Dumbledore led Mary and Henry through all sorts of floors, past moving pictures, ghosts (Peeves attemped to trip Henry as he was walking a few times), and up and down moving staircases. Soon they arrived in Dumbledore's office and Dumbledore beckoned them to sit down on the plush green leather seats in front of his desk. Henry and Mary sat and stared at Dumbledore. "Well then, what is it you would like to talk to me about?" asked Albus. "Well, I'm sure you already know of all the muggles knowing about this school, correct?" asked Mary. "Yes, yes," said Dumbledore. "Well, my husband and I and some other friends would like to set up a theme park in and around Hogwarts. Of course your students would still be able to work and do everything they are doing now, but we would set up rides and even tours around the castle. It would be very profitable and we would give you half of our profits," said Mary confidently. "Hogwarts was a place not meant to be seen by Muggles. We don't need the money, and we definitely don't want anything that would distract our students from their studies. Thank you for coming, but I think that a theme park at Hogwarts would be more dangerous than any of you could imagine," said Albus. Mary stood up furiously and brought her fist down on Albus's desk. "Sir! This is a chance of a lifetime! I will assure you that things wouldn't get out of hand. Your students would never even notice the tourists around! Please, sir!" she said. Albus picked up his wand and pointed it at Mary. "Do not tempt me to use this. Fawkes will show you the way out. Thank you for your time," said Dumbledore as he opened Fawkes's cage. Fawkes flew out and circled the room before guiding Henry and Mary out of the castle. Once Mary and Henry were inside their car, Henry said, "Well, what are we going to do now?" "Don't worry. I have a plan B," said Mary with a smirk. ~*~*~*~*~**~~**~*~~**~*~ Jenny, needless to say, was absolutely horrified when she found out about the other Muggles knowing about the existence of Hogwarts. She called Mary the next day. "Mom, how could you? How could you do this to me? Not only has all my research been destroyed, but almost my whole career! If my boss found out it was me who told you about Hogwarts, I would surely get fired!" yelled Jenny over the phone. "Jenny, they would have found out sooner or later. Trust me," said Mary. "No mom, they wouldn't. I will never be able to forgive you!" said Jenny as she hung up the phone. Mary hung up the phone and rubbed her forehead. "I always get migraines when I fight with Jenny. Looks like she's pretty mad at us, Henry," she said. "Well," said Henry, "let her be. This is our matter now, not hers." "And tomorrow," said Mary, "we will be going on with plan B."
