A/N Oh my gosh, people are actually reading my story! The first few chapters will be kind of slow, but hang with me. I wonder if anyone can guess what ginger I talked about in the summary?
Something pinged in my memory through the shock that was making my thoughts sluggish. King's Cross Station, the place that the Hogwarts Express picked up students for school, was in London. If I wasn't going to SWA, I would go to the next closest school to our new house. That would be Hogwarts.
"So I'll be going to Hogwarts, then?" They looked nonplussed, like they didn't expect me to know what Hogwarts was. "I read a book about schools in Europe," I explained, trying to sound casual. "So?"
"Yes," Dad said finally, "you'll be going to Hogwarts. So will you, Lizzie, when you turn eleven next year." Lizzie, who had been quiet during this whole conversation, nodded solemnly.
After another few awkward moments of quiet, Dad signaled Mitzi to make dinner; we all dispersed to get ready. I sprinted up the spiral staircase, all pretense of casualness gone. I ran into the library and went over to the nearest shelf, frantically searching for anything and everything to do with the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All I had was the book I had found earlier. Curses!
I set it aside to finish after dinner. I nearly opened it and continued, but I told myself that I needed to talk to family about this move more than I needed to read about a school I wouldn't be going to for some time. I changed from my lazy-day clothes into some black pants and a loose sweater, and then tied my hair up in a fancy up-do. I looked in the mirror to check the outfit and my reflection looked back. I was a wiry girl with long, straight, reddish hair and stormy blue eyes. My face was stuck in a perpetual dreamy expression, so I often had to concentrate on looking focused. Satisfied that I was presentable, I traipsed down the stairs, my mind still in the library.
I tried to think of what I already knew about this place from reading the other book. Let's see, the four founders were Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin, each with their own Quidditch team. All students belonged in one house or the other. It was kind of like Salem, except you got into those by hard work, not by hat, however that worked. Salem…I couldn't believe I wasn't going there anymore! But wait…Dad worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. There was no reason for Dad to be sent to England. There was something they weren't telling Lizzie and I. Now I was burning with curiosity; I just had to find out why they were yanking me out of my life like this. But that would have to wait until dinner.
As I walked down a hall leading to the dining room, I heard Mom and Dad's voices arguing. I was instantly interested; Mom and Dad don't fight very often, so this must be about something important. Maybe Mom was trying to convince Dad not to move us, to just find another job that wouldn't make us leave America! A tiny hope flared in my chest at the thought that I might, just might, get to go to SWA after all. I told myself not to hope, because there was only the very slimmest chance that would happen, but I did anyway. Unsurprisingly, that hope was killed as soon as I had sneaked close enough to the door to make out what they were saying.
"Don't you think it's a little obvious we're not telling them everything, Dan? You work in the Abuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, for crying out loud! There's no viable reason for your office to suddenly pick up and move you to London that we could give to any nosy busybody who happened to ask! And how are we supposed to move all of our things from Texas to England in two weeks?! TWO WEEKS! That's how long they give us to leave the house we've lived in for years just so you can do…whatever you're going to do in London! Are they crazy?! We'll have to tell the girls, too, or they'll try to delay the move as long as possible and we'll need every scrap of time we have as it is!" Mom let all that out in a hushed whisper, but I could tell that if they had been sure they wouldn't be overheard, she would be talking much louder. At least I knew I was right to suspect some secrecy.
Dad was quiet for a while, and then proceeded to say, "I know it's going to be hard, but we have to make it work! At least when we move, we'll have magic on our side, unlike Muggles. We can do this in half the time, I promise you! The girls will just have to do it anyway, and we'll impress the importance of leaving soon on them. There's nothing else we can do! I don't want to involve them in this; they should be allowed their ignorance as long as possible. You know what it will do to them when we finally do tell them what they want me to do in London. They'll be worried out of their minds! And we can't just say no to this job, either. He got too close to home last time. When he comes back, when, not if, Elise, I need to be in a position to help the federal government. This is the only way. We just…we need to keep our heads down and move fast."
There was a thoughtful silence, by which time I decided that I'd heard enough. I tiptoed back down the hallway, then turned around and walked back, making sure they could hear me coming by tripping (rather painfully, actually) in the hallway. As I strolled through the door, wincing, I saw them sitting in their usual spots on the opposite sides of the table, staring daggers at each other. I filed their conversation away for contemplation later. I sat down at my usual place and said, "I'm hungry. Do you know what Mitzi chose to make tonight?"
They shook their heads absent-mindedly, still trying to have a silent conversation. Lizzie came in a few seconds later, skipping happily. I noticed and angrily asked her, "Why are you so happy? We're moving to England!" She just smiled and said, "Now I can be a chaser!" I had forgotten about her dream to move to England; this only made it worse.
A few awkward minutes of silence later, Mitzi finally bustled into the room, carrying a tray piled with what looked like an assortment of our family's notorious comfort foods. She winked at me as she placed my food on the table in front of me; I winked back by way of thanking her. As we all started eating, it occurred to me that Mom and Dad had been arguing over what to tell us about why we were moving. I figured I should at least make them sweat a little for making me go through with this.
"So, why's your job making you move, Dad? Are they having trouble with Americans in England?"
Mom and Dad glanced at each other nervously, and he didn't answer right away. Apparently they hadn't decided what to tell us. Lizzie was interested now; she looked up from her food, gazing at our parents curiously.
"Yeah, why's your office moving us away? What did you do?!" Lizzie was, at least, trying to be serious.
He cleared his throat, glanced at Mom again, and said, "No, pumpkin, I didn't do anything. They just…um…" He stopped awkwardly and looked at Mom, soundlessly begging her for help.
"The Ministry of Magic in England is understaffed in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office and they asked for some help from our government. There's only 2 employees in the office now, not counting your father." She glared, irritated, at her husband. He silently thanked her, looking helpless.
"Yes, but why would the American government send American citizens? They wouldn't know the laws or be technically qualified for the job in the same way as the others." I could see them starting to sweat when they realized their story was falling apart.
"Oh, well," Dad spoke up, trying to sound confident, but failing miserably."The laws are basically the same in both contries, and they are happy to have anyone to help, what with being so understaffed at the moment."
"You're missing one big point in your defense, actually. The English magical government would only ever ask the American magical government for help if there was some very serious trouble in the country. There is no such problem in England right now, or we would know about it; even the Muggles would notice something of the magnitude that it would have to be at. Now, I suggest that you tell us what is really going on with your job."
PLOT TWIST! Heh heh, where is this gonna go? Who knows? Stay magical, my friends!