Chapter 3: The Knock on the Door
"Word of the day is...Winsome, definition: attractive in appearance or character." A young girl spoke, as she read from a dictionary app on a phone. She sat at a table, her feet just barely touching the ground.
"Use it in a sentence." said a man who sat directly across from her. The girl placed the phone aside, thinking about what was going to say next. Then it clicked.
"Oh, Lawrence, you have such a winsome smile." She laughed. The man warmly laughed as well, setting his fork next to his plate of spaghetti.
"Oh Katie, your brusque way of speaking will be proper and grammatically correct in no time." He said, reaching across to wipe off the leftover spaghetti sauce she had lying on her freckled cheeks. She smiled widely, showing off her semi-crooked teeth.
"You know braces are still an option if you want them." he prodded. She went back to eating her food, her fork scraping across the glass plates.
"I'm fine with my snaggle teeth thank you." She said confidently. Lawrence laughed at his niece, admiring her in silence.
"Have the papers gone through yet?" She asked eyes flashed up at her uncle, noticing his jaw tighten at the question.
"No one's phoned in yet. They should call sometime in the next few days, or send a letter." He responded. She looked down at her plate, a dissatisfied look crossing her face.
"Hey, hey." He spoke. She felt a finger under her chin, as her uncle pulled her face up. She could see him wince as his gaze landed on her left eye, concentrating on the swelling and bruising that had just begun to heal.
"I'll get custody of you, and then you won't ever have to go back there ever again." He said. She looked deep into his almond eyes, seeing the care and love that she had never gotten from her mother.
"I don't want to go back there Larry." She said, her eyes beginning to burn as she tried to hold back the tears. Her uncle always new she was a lot stronger than most eleven year olds. She was kind and smart and amazingly resourceful when she needed to be, and her uncle just couldn't understand how something as amazing as his niece could come from something like his sister, who had become more of a disappointment to him than most.
How can a mother treat their own child like this? He wondered.
"And one day very soon, you won't have to. You just have to hold on a little bit longer alright? And you know, I'm only two streets away." he reassured.
She forced herself to smile, although her uncle could see right through that. He playfully pinched her cheeks, leaving a small red mark that disappeared just as quickly as it had came.
"Define the word Callipygian and use it in a sentence." He asked going back to his food. Katie then burst out into laughter, quickly forgetting their previous conversation.
"No! No way." She laughed. She was also amazing great with words.
"C'mon, it isn't that hard." Lawrence spoke. She chuckled a few more times, then breathed in and out deeply, trying to prevent herself from further laughter.
"Callipygian...having well-shaped….buttocks. A sentence...hmm let me think." She giggled. Her uncle had a hard time trying to keep a straight face, but he wouldn't tell her that.
"My uncle fancies the callipygian butts of shirtless men in their twenties." She boldly said. Her uncle gasped loudly, flicking a small meatball towards at her. She simply stabbed the meatball with her fork and inhaled it quickly. She never understood the animosity that certain faced because they liked different things or had different preferences. Her brain just couldn't process those kind feelings as logical or justified. Which is why she loved her uncle, he saw things just as she did.
"You little brat!" He playfully exclaimed. Katie laughed right back at him, a warm feeling rising into her stomach, it was a happy feeling.
"Alright, your turn. Use the word um…" She was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. The two looked at each other, then Lawrence immediately got up and left the room.
Ignoring the noise she picked her fork back up and returned to eating the last of her spaghetti, slurping it up loudly.
She could hear voices in the background, probably a next door neighbor or something. Her eyes were gazed down at her plate when she felt a whoosh of air suck her hair to the side. She looked up and there was a man suddenly standing in the kitchen. He wore a black waistcoat with a dark blue tie and white dress shirt. He had black and grey striped trousers with funny grey suspender that held them up. He looked about the room curiously, smiling when his eyes fell on little Katie.
"Hello there." he said.
"Hi?" She said confusingly. The man was average height with light brown skin and a funny mark above his right eye that resembled a bow.
"How did you-" she started.
"Get in here? Apparated of course. Your uncle there was very keen on keeping me out." He interrupted. Just as he had finished his sentence, Lawrence walked in. He had a look of confusion and exasperation.
"How did you...you were at the front door!" He exclaimed.
"And now I am in your kitchen slash dining room, although it does have a very homey feel to it." the man smiled politely. He extended his hand toward Lawrence, grasping his hand firmly.
"Milton Reggibald. At your service sir. You must be Mr. Reed." He said. Katie couldn't recall ever meeting this man, and from the looks her uncle portrayed he was just as lost.
"Um, Lawrence, who are you?" He asked, separating the their hands.
"I'm, um, Milton. Just stated that. You have a bit of spaghetti sauce on your chin there." He spoke, he extended his hand towards Lawrence's face and wiped off quickly, without giving him a chance to respond.
"Why are you in my uncle's apartment?" Katie asked. She notice that this Milton character gazed at her uncle a little bit too long for a first introduction.
"I'm here, to give a very important person a very important letter to attend a very extraordinary school for extraordinary people." he said enthusiastically. He sat in her uncle's seat at the table, pulling out a letter from his coat pocket. He tried to hand it to Katie but Lawrence snatched it before it could make it across the table. He studied it before speaking.
"Dear Miss Reed, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. " He read. "What is this?" He asked looking at the man. But Milton's eyes never left Katie. She was too confused to say anything. Her heart had never raced so fast in her eleven years.
"Mr. Reed, there is a world, beyond that of which you can see at the moment, that your niece here is destined to be apart of it." he smiled.
"Katie, have you ever made things happen when you were upset, gotten yelled at or punished for something you'd swore you never did?" He asked her.
Katie thought about that. There were times when things went missing when she got scared. Or how doors that her mother would slam shut would somehow be open again a few minutes later.
Is there something wrong with me? She wondered.
"It's because you're magical Katie. In every essence of the word. Just like me." He said. He then pulled out a long wooden stick from his pocket, showing it to her.
"Do you know what this is?" He asked.
"A stick?" She responded. The man chuckled.
"We call it a wand." he exclaimed.
"What like a magician or something?" She asked curiously. He raised an eyebrow curiously
"Not exactly, it may be easier for you to understand if I just show you. Glacius." He spoke, and with a circling motion a small grey fog encased the glass as it poured from the top of his wand, causing the water to turn to ice, making the glass collect frost. She heard her uncle gasp.
"Wow! How did you do that?" He exclaimed grabbing the glass quickly and examining it.
"Magic. In every sense of the word." He smiled.
"And you're saying I can do that?" She asked.
"Well being a Witch i would assume so. At least with a bit of practice and being around the right people you can." he responded. He looked curiously at her uncle as her turned the glass in his hands.
"And I'm just supposed to believe that and do what?" She sternly replied. As convinced as she was, she knew her uncle was probably being extremely skeptical of the whole thing. She dared a glance, but her uncle's expressions were blank. He stood nibbling on his finger, his brow furrowed intensely.
"Well, we at Hogwarts would be honored to house you and teach you about our world. You could join us there." he spoke in a serious tone.
"The possibility of this place even existing is second to none. Lets just say this place might exist, you aren't doing a very good job of selling it. How do I know you aren't lying?" She questioned.
"In the world we live in today, believing in the mights and maybes is all we have Miss Reed. I will be honest, this is my first time doing this. They send people like me to talk to those who aren't aware of the magical world. But in all honesty, I am just a Charms professor." he spoke leaning forward. She noticed he had gray-blue eyes, and they had a deep almost homey feeling to them. Like she had known those eyes in a different world.
"What's Charms?" She asked.
"It would be one of the core classes you would be taking should you choose to join us at Hogwarts. You could also learn...how to fly on a broomstick." He spoke excitedly.
She dared one last look at her uncle, searching for some sort of response, seeing as she was finding it hard to articulate any logical response. The idea of this wondrous place seemed impossible, but Milton talked about it as if it was real. Maybe...just maybe. But her uncle just looked blank. Usually he would have been very verbose in this situation but he had not said anything since the beginning of the conversation.
"I know how strange all of this sounds. But you are a very gifted person. And Hogwarts can really educate and train you on how to control it." he spoke.
"Define 'IT'. You haven't said what exactly makes me special." She asked. He smiled looking down at his hands, as if he knew he had somewhat convinced her of this impossible world.
"You have until the thirtieth of this month to decide. On the thirty-first should you decide to join us, then I shall return on the thirty-first to help you retrieve your school supplies. With the attendance of your guardian as well a few of your fellow classmates who are of muggle bloodlines." He clarified. He motioned to her uncle on the word guardian.
"Muggle?" She asked, raising her eyebrow at the man.
"Non-magic folk." He quickly said. He rose to his feet, placing his tool into his coat pocket.
"I have other business to attend too, but the offer is on the table. Today is the twenty-eighth so you have two days to decide. Good evening Mr. Reed, Miss Reed." He spoke. And just as mysteriously as he had appeared he was gone, disappearing into what seemed like the space in between space. It was funny, it almost seemed as if Milton didn't notice her black eye. Almost as if he saw right through it, and just saw her. Didn't see her as some defenseless kid in a bad situation. She liked not being seen as a victim.
She looked at her uncle, whose hand was still tightly wound around the frozen cup. As a teacher of words, those just happened to be the things he couldn't come to form. Her eyes then drifted down to the letter that sat on the table, beckoning her to read. Katie reached for it, her heart beginning to race. And sooner than she was expecting it was in her grasp, and she began to read aloud her fate.
"Dear Ms. Reed, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl no later than 31 July. Yours Sincerely, Pomona Sprout. Deputy Headmistress." She finished. She then turned it to the next page and listed were a bunch of books in subjects she never knew existed. Not your standard Algebra or Classic english reading.
"What are you thinking Larry?" she asked. He remained silent, then his eyes were upon her, and he smiled warmly.
"There was always something peculiar about you. Ever since you were born, Katherine." he spoke. He then sat himself back at the table, intertwining his fingers with one another, his eyes never leaving little Katie.
"If you want to take a chance on this letter here, then I fully support you." He said. Katie smiled widely without even knowing.
"But…" he continued, raising an eyebrow.
"This Hogwarts place...It hasn't proven itself to exist to me. For all I know that man is some strange illusionists preying on innocent and unsuspecting minds. That's my opinion. It's easy for young people like you too believe in things such as what this letter proposes." Lawrence stated. His face was filled with a cold seriousness, a look that Katie had only seen when he spoke to her mother. She looked down.
He's not wrong. She thought. I have absolutely no reason to trust that man...maybe we should just throw this letter out… but...maybe...what if this place is real? What if I am...what that man claims me to be.? Her mind wandered.
"I'm only eleven. I can't be expected to make all these big decisions. That's what you're for." she said. Her uncle laughed.
"This will be the first of many decisions you will have to make. I told you my thoughts, but I fully support whatever situation you come to terms with. But I am wary." he spoke.
Katie thought for a long moment, her mind wandering over all the possibilities and reviewing the conversation in her mind.
"He said...guardian." She started.
"I did notice that." Larry said.
"Wouldn't he be explaining this to mom, not you? Plus he knew our names and he did that thing with with his wand and that glass." she questioned. He smiled.
"Don't try to manipulate the conversation into me giving you an answer. You need to make this decision on your own." he sternly spoke. Katie sighed, her uncle could see through her in a heartbeat.
"I think..." she began. A smile began to cross her face as she thought hard about her decision. "I'll take a gamble on this place. But we have to take like mace or something with us when he comes to get us, just in case he IS some creep." She spoke.
"Smart one! Now finish your food, and then I'll have to take you home." he finished. She stuck her tongue out playfully then the two went back tot heir meal, unaware of the change that was going to affect both of their lives.
Milton apparated outside the apartment building, exhaling deeply. He saw his partner Margot Austch, the new Muggle studies teacher, waiting for his arrival.
"Don't stress dear, you're doing just fine." She spoke loudly. He approached her nervously.
"It went a LOT smoother than the Lanser family." he joked.
"What? This family didn't pull any guns on you?"She laughed. The two friends laughed as they began to makes their way off the premises, when they noticed the postman walking up the street and towards the apartment building.
"You owe me five galleons." He spoke excitedly. Margot rolled her eyes.
"You don't know if the letter is in there." She spoke.
"They wouldn't have sent me here, if he didn't gain custody of the girl. I hear her mother is just ghastly." he spoke. Margot chuckled slightly but her face suddenly went dark.
"You know we have to go deal with the Wellham family tonight." she spoke gravely. Milton sighed heavily as the two continued down the street.
"I feel bad for the poor girl. But at least it wasn't the boy, you know how that family feels about sons." he spoke.
"That's the problem Mil. I just received word for HQ that it isn't the girl. Them being twins, it was easy for us to mistake ones magical ability for the other." She sadly stated.
"Oh gosh, you aren't saying..." he began. Milton stopped in his tracks, his heart sinking.
"We have to intervene. He may just possibly kill the boy." Margot admitted sternly.
"Not his own son...he wouldn't." Milton said.
"He is a Wellham, he would do anything to keep their name sacred. They are a brutal group of purebloods." she continued. Milton began to walk again, shaking his head disapprovingly.
"Have your wand ready. I have a pretty good idea of how Baltus will respond to hearing his only son is a Squib. We may have to deal with this in a aggressive manner." She said. Milton nodded and the two professors soon disappeared into thin air, both with a very heavy heart on what lied ahead.
A.N- Alrighty so theres chapter 3! Hope you enjoyed, I know that was a little longer than usual but I had a lot of dialogue to get through. But also you just learned what is going to drive the next chapter. Poor little Yultan. This is going to be VERY IMPORTANT! So don't miss chapter next weeks chapter. Let me know what you thought about the chapter, and I shall see you all next week!
P.S. for those of you who don't know what a Squib is, google it...or wait till next week, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what a Squib is.
Have a good one
-Hades