Gwyn Swann and the Sorcerer's Stone

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Two: Revelations

As Gwyn unfolded the letter and began to read the green writing, her eyes began widening with every word and her mouth opened slightly as she stared down at it.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of

WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chief Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Swann,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl no later than July 31st.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

There wasn't a coherent thought as Gwyn read the letter over and over again, thinking that she had misread it the first time. But each time that she read it, she was proven that her first glance had been accurate.

Was this a joke? Was this somebody's idea of a sick, twisted joke, because if it was, it most definitely wasn't funny . . . but what if it was true? There were so many things in her life that just could be explained by normal circumstances. Like today, in the schoolyard, with the water . . . how had the water gotten there in the first place? Had she, unintentionally, done that?

And how many other incidents were there, when there could be no other explanation than magic? Was it possible? Was it really possible? Could she, in fact, be a witch?

Gwyn's blood began to froze as she thought about how her father always closed up whenever she brought up the subject of her mother. Was this the reason? Had her mother been a witch as well? And if that was the case, then why had her father done his best to keep her from that world? Did something happen? What had happened to her mother?

Slowly, she stood up and began walking downstairs, still reading the letter as she made her way into the kitchen. Mrs. Harris was placing an unbaked pizza in the oven as she turned to look at Gwyn, who finally managed to tear her gaze away from the letter and found that Mrs. Harris was smiling at her sadly.

"I see that you opened your letter," she said as she wiped dough off onto her apron and gestured for her to sit down. Gwyn obeyed as she clamoured onto the seat that Mrs. Harris had indicated. "I suppose that you have a lot of questions, don't you?"

"How do you know about all this?" Gwyn shook her head, confused. "How do you know about the letter? Do . . . do you know what it says, what it's about?" She held out the letter helplessly and Mrs. Harris smiled.

"Yes, I know," she answered softly. "I'm a witch as well. Aurora was an old friend of mine and when she died, I ensured that her child would be protected. When I found out that your father had denied this world to you, then I knew that I had to do something. Aurora Swann's child should never be denied the world which she was destined to inherit."

"Dad knows about this?" Gwyn sought to confirm and Mrs. Harris nodded once. "And Mum? She was a witch?" Another nod made Gwyn sit back in her seat slowly as everything slowly reeled in. "But . . . but what happened? What made Dad want me not to have anything to do with this? Did something bad happen? And . . ." She glanced down at the letter. "What does it mean, await my owl?"

"They'll need an answer for you to tell them whether or not you wish to go to Hogwarts," Mrs. Harris explained kindly. "Owls are what wizards use for mail service." Gwyn stared at her wide-eyed. "Do you wish to go to Hogwarts?" she inquired.

"Do I want to go? Of course I want to go! But there's a whole lot I don't understand about all of this and I want to know about it before I go off making a big decision like this." Gwyn knew that she was rambling, but she didn't care. Mrs. Harris nodded, her smile fading as she leaned back in her chair, her eyes in the past.

"Well, I suppose that the best place to start is the very beginning," she said with a sigh. "Your mother was born into one of the most powerful wizarding families of all time: the Torens. The shining star of the clan, she grew up to be a powerful witch in her own right, but instead of the darkness that her family thrived on, she chose the light."

At Gwyn's confused expression, Mrs. Harris elaborated. "Much as Muggle fantasy would like you to believe, Gwyn, not all wizards are good. There are just as many that are bad. Just as Muggles are good and bad, there are wizards who are the same. And those who are bad usually chose to wield their magic for evil and use magic that is forbidden and against wizarding laws."

"You keep using that word, Muggle. What's a Muggle?" Gwyn asked, curious. She didn't want to interrupt, but she couldn't be expected to understand when she didn't know the word.

"Oh, forgive me," Mrs. Harris said with a laugh. "I keep forgetting how unfamiliar you are with the magical world. Muggles are non-magic folk, like your father and the people in the village." Gwyn nodded, understanding and urged Mrs. Harris to continue. "Well, when your mother was just a child, there was a wizard who wanted to gain power for himself. His named . . ." Mrs. Harris gave a small shiver, "was Lord Voldemort and I'm not going to say his name again, Gwyn. Most wizards can't stand to hear his name, even though he's been gone for ten years.

"Well, he began gathering followers, turning them to the dark side. For eleven years, the wizarding world lived in terror, fearing for their lives, their family's, their children's, their friends . . . you could barely trust anyone, not knowing whose side they were on. There was only one man that You-Know-Who was afraid of that was Dumbledore, your headmaster," she added, tapping the letter that was still clutched in Gwyn's hands. "But then justice finally rained down upon him, when he went after the Potters. James and Lily and their son Harry were attacked ten years ago . . . and only Harry survived. No one knows how, but he managed to escape with nothing more than a scar while You-Know-Who was stripped from his body, destroyed, and if he had a soul, then it was forced to leave and inhabit someplace where he can do no damage. No one knows what truly happened to him, though there are many theories. I suspect that he only . . . exists, unable to do anything. Neither living nor dead."

"What happened to Harry Potter?" Gwyn asked, wide-eyed as she listened to the story of her mother's world. Something about the name stirred up a good feeling, a feeling of warmth and protection.

"He was sent to live with his mother's sister and her family. He's the same age as you, so you'll be in the same class when you go to Hogwarts." Mrs. Harris smiled at her. "Now, when the war was over and peace was finally returned, the Ministry of Magic began to seize the Death Eaters. Followers of You-Know-Who," she added to Gwyn's puzzled expression. "Most of them had given up, tried to insist that they were under a spell. And some of them very well might have been, but not all of them. However, there were a few that . . . were still defiant against the Ministry and launched attacks. One of them attacked a wizarding village, where your mother was shopping. She went to help the locals and was caught in the crossfire. That Death Eater was arrested and put in jail for following You-Know-Who and also for the murder of your mother."

Gwyn was in a state of shock as Mrs. Harris finished this and when the numbness began to fade, she felt sadness and pride fill through her. Proud that her mother had risked her life to save others and sad because she would never know the woman who had given her life to save another's. "And that's why . . .?"

"Yes," Mrs. Harris agreed. "That is the reason why your father refused to tell you about this. He insisted that the wizarding world killed her and if you fled into it, eventually it would kill you as well."

There was nothing that Gwyn could say to this. Her mother had been born into a well-respected wizarding family that had rejected her when she chose to marry someone other than a wizard. And when she tried to save some wizards from getting killed by another wizard for nothing more than pleasure, she had gotten killed. Much as Gwyn hated to admit it, her father definitely had a reason for shutting her out of that world. But it wasn't his choice. This was her life and it was her choice on how she wanted to live it.

By the time that Mrs. Harris had finished the story, the pizza had finished and she sliced it up and Gwyn mulled everything over while she ate, still deciding on what she wanted to do. And despite everything that she knew, everything that had happened, she knew what she wanted. There was always a part of her that knew that she didn't belong in this world. And if there was another one where maybe she did, then wasn't it worth the risk, if it meant finding out where she belonged? And maybe for the first time, she would be able to find people who could accept her as she was. Maybe she would be able to have friends for once.

"Will Dad be very angry with me?" Gwyn asked after a long moment, looking up at Mrs. Harris. "When I tell him that I want to go to Hogwarts and study magic and be a witch, will he be very angry?"

Mrs. Harris considered. "I imagine that he won't be happy, but I think, given some time, he will understand that the wizarding world is a part of you, just like it was a part of your mother." She smiled at Gwyn. "I take it, then, that you've made your decision?"

Gwyn nodded. "I want to go to Hogwarts. I want to learn magic. I want to be a witch."

Nodding, Mrs. Harris stood up. "I had a feeling that was the choice that you were going to make," she answered with a smile. "Like mother, like daughter. You choose not the world that you were born and raised in, but the world that you feel a part of." She gave a low whistle as she opened the window and a great barn owl flew in through the window.

Reaching for her purse, Mrs. Harris produced a piece of parchment, a quill, and some ink. "Now, we'll just send a letter to Professor Dumbledore to tell him what you've decided," she said with a smile. "Best to do it before your father gets home, eh?"

Gwyn frowned; much as she wanted to go, she didn't like the thought of defying her father. But if he found out, she had the vague feeling that he wasn't going to let her go. And as it was, he was going to take a long time to accept what she was doing.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," she agreed, as she peered over Mrs. Harris's shoulder to read what she was writing to the headmaster. It was just a simple note, telling him that Gwyn knew everything and would be going to Hogwarts in September.

When she was finished, Mrs. Harris tied the note to the owl that sat hooting in the kitchen as Gwyn watched this with interest. "Get this to Professor Dumbledore," she instructed the owl before sending him flying out the window into the horizon. Gwyn watched the owl leave before she turned to the housekeeper, delighted.

"That was awesome!" Gwyn said, laughing. Mrs. Harris smiled at her. "Is that why wizards don't use regular mail? Because I have to say, that is a vast improvement to regular mail."

Mrs. Harris laughed. "No, that's not the reason, but I'm glad that you're pleased. Now that I think about it, you might want to get an owl when we go to get your school supplies. You're allowed to have a pet when you go. Of course, if you'd rather have a different animal, they have owls there that you can send letters with. Usually, you're allowed an owl, a cat, or a toad while you're at school there."

Gwyn frowned, considering. "No, I'd rather have a kitten, if that's all right," she said. "I've always loved cats and if I'm allowed to have one at school, I'd rather have a cat."

"Very well, then. Depending on how everything goes tonight with your father, I'll take you shopping for you school supplies tomorrow and we can get you a kitten while you're there." Mrs. Harris glanced up at the cloak. "He shouldn't be home for a few hours, so why don't we go get some ice cream until then? That's the thing about you and your father," she added with a wink. "You both are easier to talk to after you've had chocolate ice cream." Gwyn scowled at her, but grinned at the thought of chocolate ice cream as both women cleaned up the mess from dinner and then headed out into town.