Chapter Three
Emily returned to her room that night, tired and furious. Jennie had "accidentally" spilled Emily's beaker in chemistry. Then in geometry, Jennie told the teacher that since Emily was new at the school she had to sit directly in front. Emily hadn't minded that at first, until she found out that Professor Weston had horrible bad breath and tended to spit when teaching a lesson. Emily felt totally disgusted after leaving that class. At dinner, Emily watched Jennie poof up her hair and do a bad imitation of Emily in front of the whole six tables of spectators. Emily had stomped upstairs, pushed open the door, slammed it shut and started looking around for her wand. Missy jumped off the chair she was sitting on.
"You know, you better be careful. I had an awful time trying to hide from the maid when she came in here to clean. What are you looking for?"
"My wand."
"What? You know you can't use your wand, unless it's in a extreme emergency."
"I don't care. I'm getting even with that Rosenfeld, if it's the last thing I do."
Emily found the wand amongst her pile of things left to unpack. She picked it up and felt the familiar warmth under her fingers.
"Ah, this is more like it."
She gave her wand a wave and said, "Accio Missy!" The cat flew through the air and landed into Emily's arms.
"Hey, watch the fur. Ouch! I spent two hours cleaning!"
Emily laughed, feeling better, feeling at last where she was meant to be. She kept up with the Summoning Charm.
"Accio nightgown!" She grabbed the gown from the air and proceeded to change.
"Stop doing magic!" Missy hissed, "You know you're not supposed to."
"Oh, calm down. 'Rictusempra!' she pointed her wand at the cat. Missy keeled over, wheezing, her mouth open and pointed teeth showed.
"Stop! Stop!" she managed to gasp. Emily ceased her Tickling Charm and sat on the bed, sighing.
"Why did I ever have to leave? I hate it here. The food is awful, no one likes me except for Ella and I want to go to Hogwarts." She let a sob escape and squeezed her eyes shut to stop tears from slipping out. The cat climbed up next to her and put her head on Emily's lap. Emily stroked Missy's ears, gazing around the room. She made the charm book fly across the room to skid on the floor.
"Emily?" a whisper came from outside the door. The door creaked open. Emily inhaled and shoved her wand up her sleeve. She glanced at the charm book across the room on the floor. She bit her lip. It was Ella, dressed in white pajama pants and shirt.
"Oh-um--hello Ella," she said, trying to think of a plan.
"Hi. Look--um--I can't sleep. I have this horrible habit of homesickness. Do you mind?" Ella glanced at the bed.
"Oh, of course not. This bed is so huge, my feet barely reach the middle of the mattress. Come on." Emily crawled over towards the pillows and pulled the covers down. Missy leaped up onto the bed.
"Missy are you crazy?" Emily hissed out of the corner of her mouth, then said, "Oh, um, this is my cat, Missy. Don't worry, she's very friendly. But please don't tell anyone she's here or they'll get me in trouble."
Ella nodded. "I have a cat at home, Mave, he's very fat and adorable. I'd always cuddle up with him when I felt homesick. I wish he was here now."
"Well, Missy is a very good cuddling cat. Wait here just one minute." She pulled the drapes shut and raced over to pick up the book and throw it in the closet. Then she came back and climbed under the covers. Ella got in too, with Missy in between them.
"My mother always used to tell me stories," Emily replied, propping her arm on the pillow under her head, "Maybe that'll help you sleep better."
"Ok, shoot."
"Well, um, let's see." Emily picked through her brain to find a good story. Then she had an idea.
"Do you like fantasy stories?" she asked excitedly.
"Sure."
"Well, this is a rather interesting one. It's starts with these four people. Special people who lived a long, long time ago. There were two witches and two wizards, who were very, very magical creatures. They longed to teach magic to others. So, they set up a school far away from anywhere and collected children from around the world who showed signs of magic."
"How could they tell?"
"Well, one of the witches had a magic quill. The quill detected any magical births throughout the world and wrote them down in a big book. Every year, the witches would the check the book and send letters to those children. The school soon grew very big. Thousands of children go nowadays. There they teach magic of all sorts, from potions to flying on broomsticks."
"Is there a real place?"
"No, of course not," Emily said quickly, choking up, "It's just a story."
"Tell me more."
"Um, well, there are magical animals too. The school is next to a giant forest, which has lots of different animals like unicorns."
"What do the unicorns look like?"
"Well, they're mostly a gleaming white, when they're adults anyway. When their babies, they're a soft golden color." Emily recalled the time during Care of Magical Creatures class when Hagrid the gamekeeper had brought two baby unicorns.
"There also used to be dragons. Big dragons with many different colored skins. There were red and green and black and gold. But the wizards banished them because they brought too much havoc at the school. There are also frightening creatures, like spiders as big as the tennis courts. and werewolves."
Ella shivered next to Emily.
"The school was a very happy place. They had lots of students there, growing up to be famous wizards."
"That's a really great place," Ella said sleepily, "I wish it were real."
"Me too," Emily stared up at the ceiling and sighed.
"What is it?" Ella turned over.
"Oh, nothing. Good night."
"Good night."
Emily shifted and took hold of Missy's paw, who had fallen asleep. She thought a long time about her "story" and whether or not it was right that she told it and she finally fell asleep dreaming of quidditch.
Emily returned to her room that night, tired and furious. Jennie had "accidentally" spilled Emily's beaker in chemistry. Then in geometry, Jennie told the teacher that since Emily was new at the school she had to sit directly in front. Emily hadn't minded that at first, until she found out that Professor Weston had horrible bad breath and tended to spit when teaching a lesson. Emily felt totally disgusted after leaving that class. At dinner, Emily watched Jennie poof up her hair and do a bad imitation of Emily in front of the whole six tables of spectators. Emily had stomped upstairs, pushed open the door, slammed it shut and started looking around for her wand. Missy jumped off the chair she was sitting on.
"You know, you better be careful. I had an awful time trying to hide from the maid when she came in here to clean. What are you looking for?"
"My wand."
"What? You know you can't use your wand, unless it's in a extreme emergency."
"I don't care. I'm getting even with that Rosenfeld, if it's the last thing I do."
Emily found the wand amongst her pile of things left to unpack. She picked it up and felt the familiar warmth under her fingers.
"Ah, this is more like it."
She gave her wand a wave and said, "Accio Missy!" The cat flew through the air and landed into Emily's arms.
"Hey, watch the fur. Ouch! I spent two hours cleaning!"
Emily laughed, feeling better, feeling at last where she was meant to be. She kept up with the Summoning Charm.
"Accio nightgown!" She grabbed the gown from the air and proceeded to change.
"Stop doing magic!" Missy hissed, "You know you're not supposed to."
"Oh, calm down. 'Rictusempra!' she pointed her wand at the cat. Missy keeled over, wheezing, her mouth open and pointed teeth showed.
"Stop! Stop!" she managed to gasp. Emily ceased her Tickling Charm and sat on the bed, sighing.
"Why did I ever have to leave? I hate it here. The food is awful, no one likes me except for Ella and I want to go to Hogwarts." She let a sob escape and squeezed her eyes shut to stop tears from slipping out. The cat climbed up next to her and put her head on Emily's lap. Emily stroked Missy's ears, gazing around the room. She made the charm book fly across the room to skid on the floor.
"Emily?" a whisper came from outside the door. The door creaked open. Emily inhaled and shoved her wand up her sleeve. She glanced at the charm book across the room on the floor. She bit her lip. It was Ella, dressed in white pajama pants and shirt.
"Oh-um--hello Ella," she said, trying to think of a plan.
"Hi. Look--um--I can't sleep. I have this horrible habit of homesickness. Do you mind?" Ella glanced at the bed.
"Oh, of course not. This bed is so huge, my feet barely reach the middle of the mattress. Come on." Emily crawled over towards the pillows and pulled the covers down. Missy leaped up onto the bed.
"Missy are you crazy?" Emily hissed out of the corner of her mouth, then said, "Oh, um, this is my cat, Missy. Don't worry, she's very friendly. But please don't tell anyone she's here or they'll get me in trouble."
Ella nodded. "I have a cat at home, Mave, he's very fat and adorable. I'd always cuddle up with him when I felt homesick. I wish he was here now."
"Well, Missy is a very good cuddling cat. Wait here just one minute." She pulled the drapes shut and raced over to pick up the book and throw it in the closet. Then she came back and climbed under the covers. Ella got in too, with Missy in between them.
"My mother always used to tell me stories," Emily replied, propping her arm on the pillow under her head, "Maybe that'll help you sleep better."
"Ok, shoot."
"Well, um, let's see." Emily picked through her brain to find a good story. Then she had an idea.
"Do you like fantasy stories?" she asked excitedly.
"Sure."
"Well, this is a rather interesting one. It's starts with these four people. Special people who lived a long, long time ago. There were two witches and two wizards, who were very, very magical creatures. They longed to teach magic to others. So, they set up a school far away from anywhere and collected children from around the world who showed signs of magic."
"How could they tell?"
"Well, one of the witches had a magic quill. The quill detected any magical births throughout the world and wrote them down in a big book. Every year, the witches would the check the book and send letters to those children. The school soon grew very big. Thousands of children go nowadays. There they teach magic of all sorts, from potions to flying on broomsticks."
"Is there a real place?"
"No, of course not," Emily said quickly, choking up, "It's just a story."
"Tell me more."
"Um, well, there are magical animals too. The school is next to a giant forest, which has lots of different animals like unicorns."
"What do the unicorns look like?"
"Well, they're mostly a gleaming white, when they're adults anyway. When their babies, they're a soft golden color." Emily recalled the time during Care of Magical Creatures class when Hagrid the gamekeeper had brought two baby unicorns.
"There also used to be dragons. Big dragons with many different colored skins. There were red and green and black and gold. But the wizards banished them because they brought too much havoc at the school. There are also frightening creatures, like spiders as big as the tennis courts. and werewolves."
Ella shivered next to Emily.
"The school was a very happy place. They had lots of students there, growing up to be famous wizards."
"That's a really great place," Ella said sleepily, "I wish it were real."
"Me too," Emily stared up at the ceiling and sighed.
"What is it?" Ella turned over.
"Oh, nothing. Good night."
"Good night."
Emily shifted and took hold of Missy's paw, who had fallen asleep. She thought a long time about her "story" and whether or not it was right that she told it and she finally fell asleep dreaming of quidditch.
