OL' GRAMS AND THE TELEPHONE

Since the prologue of my story has now been taken care of I can get to starting my adventure.

We'll start with the telephone call to my Grandmother that night before dinner.

The humongous house had one telephone, one telephone what sort of mental strategy was that and that phone resided in the attic. Honestly? No comments. My family had a phone in every room including the laundry room, so my mother could talk to Grams while doing the laundry, typical.

As we moved along the corridors passing moving portraits that freaked me out I just was trying really hard not to sneeze.

When a small greyish-green elf with pointed ears and big eyes that peered at me reprimanding, it stared at us with its head bowed I pointed at it and sneezed it was horrible sound and didn't do much to accentuate my dainty side.

Then I turned around and fled, screaming my lungs out.

I knocked the umbrella stand down and continued running, frizzy hair everywhere a picture of a coward.

When I shut my eyes reaching a decibel that was inhuman I bounced off a hard chest and fell backwards into Rose who had caught up to me who fell into Scorpius who knocked Albus down.

We groaned and moaned and I forgot to keep the screams going.

I stared up into James's face which looked amused and shocked. Everybody had collected to see what was happening.

Hugo was sticking his finger in his ear trying to clean it out, everyone looked like they were in pain because of my screaming.

I heaved a deep breath "Elf….glaring….big eyes…I'm seeing things….seeing elves….not cute….."

I'm ashamed to admit how much of a wreck I was on seeing that thing.

James pulled me up and said gently "That was just a house elf, calm down, he's harmless, aren't you Kreacher?"

The thing had a name? Well then how nice and I found out it spoke too "Yes Sir"

James looked at me "See?"
I turned slowly to look at Kreacher over my fallen heroes, he was standing there looking apologetic.

I coughed embarrassed at how rude I was, I muttered "So much for not judging a book by its cover"

Then I said "Uhm…Hi…Kayla here…you must be Kreacher, I'm um Sorry I guess, you know, I'm a big baby"

The other shook their heads and I just felt so awkward, kreacher bowed "Kreacher doesn't ask for apologies ma'am, Kreacher is at the service of any guest of Grimmauld Place"
I smiled nodding "Um, that's fine, I'm still sorry though"

Then I looked at them all "Don't you all have any work? There's nothing to see here move along now"

They all were giggling and rolling their eyes as they made their way back to wherever they were before. James joined them too slinging his arm over Fred's shoulder but shooting me a smile over his shoulder.

I turned to the other three "Well sorry for the commotion"

Scorpius began laughing "You…are hilarious!"

I glared at him "Now the attic if you don't mind, laugh all you want my Grams will wipe that smile off your face"

Albus asked nervously "She can't be that bad right?"

I shook my head "No she's not that bad….but she is that good"

I saw him swallow and Rose gigged "I didn't know you were a coward"

I pushed my specs up my nose "I have hidden talents"

"Like screaming?" Scorpius asked mockingly.

I replied "Like screaming into your ear!" I went over to him and screamed into his ear and he jumped away "Mad woman!"

We made it to the attic with no other surprises, thankfully.

I saw the cordless in the dusty corner. I went over dusted it off and picked it up, I checked for the ring and was surprised when I actually heard it.

I asked coughing through the dust "When did you last use it?"

Albus answered "When I was four"

I gaped "Four years old? Fishetty fish fish, that's mental I can't go without a phone for half a day"

Rose said "We use our phone quite regularly to talk to my non-magical grandparents in Australia"

I nodded giving the phone a once over "So are you part Australian?"

She shook her head sadly "It's a long story"

I knew better than to ask. I put the phone on speaker and dialed the number I whispered "She'll be able to hear you and all of us will be able to hear her so just talk sense okay?"
They nodded becoming serious when the phone rang, Grams picked up after two rings and said as she usually did, that is sharply "Hello, Alyson Howards speaking"

I said nervously "Grams? It's Kay here"

There was a crackling pause and then Grams responded "You lazy child, what are you doing calling the phones in this house from your cellphone, if you have anything to say Kayla Beryl Francis you come down here and say it to me!"

I flinched and held the phone away "Graams….will you sit down for me for this next bit?"

She asked irritated "Don't play games with me Kayla"

I said "Grams I'm calling from somewhere else I'm not in my room"

I waited biting my lip and then the flood came "KAYLA! It's dinner time! I made yours and Kian's favorites! You know the rules of this house young lady! No being late before dinner! And tell me before you set foot out of this house! I would expect this from Kian but not from you Kayla! You come home now!"

I rubbed my forehead and the others looked scandalized, I glared at them for being no help at all, I heard Kian in the background "Grams, you wound me!"

She bit back "You shut your mouth and set that table, you know where the knives go don't you?"

I closed my eyes I had to curb this chaos "Grams, Grams, Grams! Listen to me! I can't come home yet, I'm…uh…. With wizards" I waited for a response.

I heard Kian put the phone on speaker "You idiot! What did you do? Grams is not speaking, she looks the same as she was when we showed her that horror movie"

I groaned "Kian, please can you take care of her, I'm uh in London"

He yelled "WHAT THE FRIKKING HELL?! HOW!? WHY?! WITH WHO?!"

I said "Look I'll be back in a few weeks, after all its summer"

I tried to make it sound like no big deal, I heard Grams smack Kian on the back of his head "Language! Where were you brought up boy? Hello Kayla darling, come back home, if something's wrong we'll fix it there's no need to run away from home. Also Kian will do your painting for you…"

"Wait no! NEVER! Grams! You can't do that!" Kian was heard sceaming.

"If you don't quit your whining I'll not give you any pie, Kayla come back?"
I said tired with this disaster of a conversation "Grams wizards exist, they brought me here"

Grams replied "You talk just like you grandfather, that mad man always thought wizards and witches existed. Did he feed you any ideas?"

I yelled finally losing it I rarely did "Grams! I can't come home! A spell went wrong and I landed here, I can't come back until the spell is reversed, don't tell Mum and Dad and if you do they won't believe you and you know it!"

Grams panicked "I'm calling the police, the kidnappers are making you say it aren't they?! Who are they? Let me give them a piece of my mind!"

I looked at Albus and Scorpius, neither of them wanted to take the phone like it was some rotting animal. Who were the cowards now?

I sighed "Grams I haven't been kidnapped, if you want I'll call you every day and give you updates, okay? I have to go now and please don't freak out. I'll explain everything properly when I get home"

Kian said "Kay this is low even for you. I'm not doing your painting by the way..OW Grams! London is where Derek stays Kay you know it, how come you didn't take me with you?! We're twins! You shouldn't be able to live without me!"

I said with passion "I'm doing just fine thank you very much and I wouldn't take you anywhere. If anything good has come out of my disappearance it's your torture and I wouldn't change it for the world"

He was obviously annoyed "I'm going to copy your homework"

It was the ultimate threat, I yelled "Grams! You can't let him!"

Grams said "I won't, won't you learn Kian, I'll lock your room Kayla, I think it already is because you didn't come out of it did you?"

I said grinning "No, Take that Kian"

He groaned "You always take her side, always!"

I laughed evilly "See you pipsqueak, I'll see you in a few weeks"

Grams told me "You take care of yourself and the one night you don't call I'll trace this number and set the police on you understand and you are in trouble when you get back"

My high spirits fell dramatically I said and I heard Kian whooping in the background "Understood, goodnight Grams I love you"

Grams said sweetly "Goodnight dear I love you too, Kian tell your sister goodnight"

He said grudgingly "Goodnight bedhead, have fun in London and I hope your kidnappers give you hell"

"Haha, you're so funny"

"Whatever"

I ended the call and immediately felt exhausted.

This was a disaster.

I looked at Albus and Scorpius "Thanks for all that useful help"

They looked embarrassed and rightly so.

I told Rose "I'm hungry, mind leading me to the kitchen?"
Albus said "Um, nice Grandma"
I stared daggers at him "Sure when you're not the one explaining she seems real nice"

Scorpius whined "Come on, what could we do, she'd have strangled us through the phone"

I nodded "I know and that would have been a huge help, because I wanted to strangle you both myself"

I smiled sweetly and they looked taken aback.

Rose hid her laughter. I said to them "It's done now anyways, but you two will have to pay your dues, and for that reason you better start working on fixing that spell and getting me home"

They nodded sullenly.

I might have played along with their magic theory but I couldn't really grasp it.

I might have looked confident and unconcerned because come on I'm awesome but inside I wasn't sure of their agenda. I mean they were too good-looking to be true and they carried sticks, called themselves wizards and had elves. Were they fooling me? Were they an underworld gang using advanced technology, aliens? Or maybe I was hallucinating and they were those weird psychics who can hypnotize people.

I didn't know but as normal as they came off, they were still too cautious around me and that was my first clue. If they couldn't be free about their story and their lives then how could I trust them?

I could only wait and see. But I am a coward, I admit, so I prayed to god to protect me because I didn't have the guts to go up against them I just had brains enough that told me something was off, hopefully they were not dangerous anything but dangerous.

When Albus caught my gaze he smiled shyly and I froze as mentally as we walked and quickly averted my gaze, could they read minds too? It was all too much for me.

Dinner was alright I mean everyone laughed, talked, exchanged pleasantries, teased each other.

James kept trying to pull me into conversation and I just couldn't keep up.

When it was over I was happy, with my pen in my pocket I went to sleep that night hoping I could find my way back home and hoping that things wouldn't get too crazy around here.

AN: Well, nice? You must tell me.

Hopefully the story will really lift off with the next chapter.

So please review, I really do appreciate it.

Sahitya Poonacha :)