Livia turned her attention to notes she received from Tom. He told her that he had begun putting his plans into action. He had moved out of a residential college into an apartment he shared with one other male Durham student and two female students. The other residents all signed affidavits to Mr. Wilson that Tom's sister was welcome to reside in their apartment and they would make any necessary modifications to the space for her to live there for as long as needed. Tom also concerned himself with finding a local Durham school ready and able to accept her and perhaps even board her there if they deemed the arrangement appropriate.

Tom had one final thing to accomplish: Rev. Woodcock had to sign documents allowing his son to accept physical custody of her whilst maintaining that he would be willing to continue offering Livia financial support. After his spring term ended, Tom traveled to Framlingham, where Mr. Wilson already had scheduled a hearing to award Tom custody of his adopted sister. Lydia fumed when she got wind of the plan and even tried to get her mother to oppose the arrangement. Yet Emma Woodcock also loved her son, at least somewhat, and never fully realized it until he ceased spending time with the family. Having seen Cathy's statement as well as experiencing her son's alienation from her, she could not make herself oppose the arrangement. "Why do you care if Livia is not returning to Framlingham? Why does it matter if she is in London or Durham?" Mrs. Woodcock asked. Lydia could not answer. Further, Mrs. Woodcock first began to see how doting on Lydia had made her spoiled. "I already know Cathy has changed her story. I will not support continuing to subject Livia to living in that place for no reason."

"Cathy is a liar and a whore," Lydia began, "so why should you now believe her?"

"Lydia, language. Besides, she lied only because you forced it on her. If Cathy is not credible, then no one ever supported your story. When do you take responsibility for that?"

By early July, the Youth Court had relented. The town council helped. They had not formally apologized (and Tom would still pursue that), but they awarded Thomas James Woodcock physical custody and issued the order for Colindale to release her to him. Tom made the trip to London with his friend Adam, and they met John there. Both had looked upon Livia kindly but had not seen her in nearly two years. Tom told them she had grown some and one thing they had to do was buy her some new clothes, since the hand-me-downs from Lydia would no longer fit. John informed them, since he already had been accepted at University College London, that he had secured accommodations for all from a dormitory turned into a bed and breakfast during the summer at Passfield Hall on Endsleigh Place, a connected group of Georgian structures that stood a short walk from Euston Station in one direction and a lovely little park at Gordon Square in another, where the Bloomsbury Group had lived decades ago. He had a surprise, too, but he said he would wait until Livia joined them to reveal it to everyone.

Tom looked very mature for 19, tall, dark-haired, more fair than he seemed when younger and muscular, when he entered Colindale to provide the paperwork needed for them to release Livia. Adam and John waited for him outside the building. Tom came to Colindale at their appointed time, late in the morning of Wednesday, 10 July. Livia realized she only had some of her books, radio, the little picture of herself with Tom, letters from Tom, the note explaining her past and the stuffed bobcat to put in her suitcase. She had given away many books as gifts, which lightened her suitcase. None of her original clothes fit, so she left them there. Mrs. Hatfield had found a neighbor with a teenage daughter and was able to get some items that the older girl no longer could wear, including footwear that fit Livia. Livia wore some and packed the rest. Tom signed all the papers they presented to him, briefly spoke to a few staff members who had come to see Livia off, one being Mrs. Banks, who had placed Sarah in a cat carrier. Since Sam was doing such a great job, Sarah had earned her release, also. Mrs. Banks considered it Sarah's retirement.

Livia's only regret was the fact that Sydney and her partner, Mel, would no longer be near her. Sydney reassured her that they would relocate to wherever Livia was, so long as she had settled in somewhere and called for them. Other owls would eat what Sam left. Finally, Livia entered the reception area and saw the carrier and knew Sarah was in it. She had brought her suitcase. Tom hugged Livia tightly and took control of both the strap of her wheeled suitcase and the cat carrier. He realized a short time later that they would have to make arrangements to board Sarah whilst in London, as he doubted she could keep the cat in a university dormitory.

A number of the staff seemed genuinely touched and both happy and sad to see Livia go. Even Mrs. Smithson possessed some emotion, if well hidden. Mrs. Hatfield, Miss Case, Mrs. Banks and Miss Scott (soon to be Mrs. Birks) all became more expressive in bidding Livia well, each taking a turn in giving her a hug. Then Livia was free. She left the building with Tom and immediately recognized Adam and John waiting near the entrance. Still, each had grown a lot since she had last seen either. Adam had dark blond hair in that new wave, quasi-mullet style. He stood nearly as tall as Tom but was more tightly muscled and sinewy. John stood slightly shorter than Adam (perhaps owing to his footwear) and had fairly short and straight dark hair. They were boys no more, but they remained Tom's friends and hers now, too. After hugging Livia and remarking how big she had grown, Adam grabbed the cat carrier to leave Tom a little less burdened. John seemed equally delighted.

"At last, you are rid of that place," John said. "I am so happy for you. And I have made some arrangements for us all to have some summer fun in London."

"Great," Tom stated. "Only problem is – what do we do with Sarah, Livia's cat?"

"Let me make some phone calls. I think I might be able to find a friend of my father's to care for her whilst we remain in town," John asserted.

True to his word, John did just that, using a phone by the Colindale tube station. He found the name and address of a nearby lady who loved cats but who had recently lost hers. Miss Barker, a petite immigrant from the Caribbean who worked for a London record label, told John that she would be delighted to watch Sarah for a few weeks. They found her only a few stops from Colindale. Sarah indicated to Livia that the garden and the house and the lady would suit Sarah quite well, and she would be invigorated by her time there to rest rather than try to catch mice. She would be ready when Livia collected her to accompany her anywhere she would go.

What do you mean anywhere? Livia asked silently.

Sarah told her: Remember that letter you wrote? I do. It had a real purpose. Your time in Durham may not be as you currently think it will be.

Livia was intrigued, but Sarah said nothing else and the foursome made their way back to their lodgings, where they would formulate their dinner and shopping plans and John would reveal his surprise.

They all arrived at Passfield Hall just before 15:30, giving them time to get Livia some new clothes and find a nice place somewhere off Oxford Street to eat. Tom had received a good deal of money from his father to enjoy these things and whatever else everyone else they wanted to do. Livia's request was to visit the National Portrait Gallery. She enjoyed reading the faces as well as the painter's or photographer's intentions. Other ideas included the Tower of London, a pub crawl (a drunken binge of celebration), Covent Garden and the Victoria & Albert museum.

John interrupted their brainstorming. "No, we are doing something else entirely this weekend," he revealed. "Have you heard of the great concert event of the century, if not ever, called Live Aid?"

"Of course," Tom replied. "I desperately tried to get tickets in the hope that Livia and I could go. Nothing worked. Scalpers wanted way too much for me."

"Well, then you will forever be in my debt, all of you," John stated. He removed an envelope from the inside of his sock. "I could not trust them to go anywhere but on me. My father, who has great connections in the music industry, got me four tickets to be on the pitch at Wembley for Live Aid this Saturday."

Before Adam could fully say "You're joking, mate," they saw the four tickets and began to examine them. They were real. Everyone's jaw dropped except John's.

'Now this is a way to celebrate Livia's freedom," Tom announced. "Can I do anything to thank your father or you, John?"

"We can take some pictures, or you can just send him a note," John responded. "Believe-you-me I thanked him profusely already. He had some idea what this would mean, and he was very happy to make it happen. I think he told some people he knew about Livia's sorry story, and that made them exceedingly motivated to ensure that he got these."

"This is brilliant," Adam assented. "We have got a great deal to celebrate now."

Tom wondered about the best place to hide the tickets till then. "What do you think, Livia?"

"I think John has been doing so well thus far that it would be wrong of me to question his choices now," she whispered. "But since my suitcase is in my room, it might have a good pocket for concealing them, if John thinks he would not want to carry them everywhere. I learned a trick of sorts, but you have to swear never to tell. I will conceal them till we need them."

John consented to see what Livia had in mind. She took the tickets and put them inside the envelope that contained the letter pinned to the basket Tom had found containing her. She wordlessly conjured the false bottom to the suitcase so the envelope with the tickets could not be seen by any of them. "Where are the tickets, Livia? I cannot see them."

"Neither can anyone else," Livia answered. "I will retrieve them when we all are ready to go on Saturday, and I will give them all to you, John, then."

"Dare I ask how you did that?" Adam asked, awestruck.

"Probably better you do not know," she replied. "They are safe from any housekeeper or whatnot. I guarantee you will see them again on Saturday."

"We should all trust Livia, strange as it seems," Tom said. "She may still be quite young but you already know her talents are many and varied. And I know she wants to go to this event as much as the rest of us do."

The foursome spent a very pleasant few days before Saturday. Livia even got to speak to Miss Barker to ensure Sarah had adjusted to her new surroundings. "Oh yes," Miss Barker assured. "She sleeps a lot but often right next to me. She must have been very tired from all the mousing she did. I give her some boiled chicken, kibble and water, and she's fine. She has no issue with her litter box, either. She's a great comfort to me. My late Marley would love that I did this."

Passfield Hall required its guests to get up early for breakfast in its basement, which worked perfectly for the four to get to Wembley in good time for the concert's opening at noon. They gathered in the room Livia had and she, as promised, produced the tickets. Adam and John, in particular, were dumfounded by how they seemed to appear out of thin air. "Is there anything you cannot do, Livia?" John asked.

"I think the answer is pretty obvious, given where I was until Wednesday."

On their way to Wembley, the four started wondering about the concert's length and how they would handle the need for food or WC facilities. Given the list of acts and the feed from Philadelphia, it would be an all-day affair.

"First, we should all go before entering the grounds," Livia stated. "Leave the rest to me. Give me a fiver, Tom, and I got this, if we pass a Boots store."

The fiver and the store were a ruse. Livia knew she could conjure up food that would break down without requiring bathroom trips or water. Further, she would later offer what she called a homeopathic medicine to suppress any urges, claiming the Colindale nurse had tipped her off to this. "Still," Tom began, "we need a plan if we get separated, for any reason."

They agreed on a place to meet inside the stadium at the end of the concert, if they were not together. Everything soon fell into place. They arrived early, each used the WCs and they headed onto the grass toward the stage. Livia gave them these little white pills to take, that she said would keep them from needing more trips until much later. She told them that she had also acquired healthy snack bars to tide them over, all of which she kept in a small bag Tom bought for her a few days before. John had one of those bum bags worn around the waist to hold a camera and some keys and a small address book for his father and other contacts in town. There were other early arrivers, so they found themselves about two dozen or so rows beyond the stage.

Live Aid prompted began at noon with a little royal pomp to announce the beginning of the event. Livia did not know much about the first performers, but Tom, Adam and John all seemed pleased with them. They were all blown away by this new singer, who with a self-named band had released her first album, "Diamond Life." But only Livia had ever heard her sing before. "She has an amazing voice," Livia asserted.

"Forget that," Adam said. "I have never seen a more beautiful bird in my life and usually I don't take that great a fancy to women of African heritage. But blimey!"

"Agreed," John affirmed. "She is just stunning. Full stop."

For Livia, it was her song "Why Can't We Live Together?" that hit home. "No matter what color, you are still my brother…" Tom put a hand on Livia's left shoulder. She reached up to it with her left hand and clutched it. She had to keep herself in check, hard as it was.

Livia fared better when other acts she liked came out. Seeing the U2* lead from a short distance, especially when he leapt down from the stage to an area below it, made her hypnotically stare. Tom had picked her up so she could see him better. He did not see the look on her face. John did. "Ut oh," he stated. "I think Livia just woke up to find she's not a little girl anymore."

"I have heard him sing so much. I never knew what he looked like," Livia said.

"Sounds like a big crush starting to me," Adam chimed in. "I agree with John. And Livia, we will not hold this against you."

"Eh, she could do worse," Tom added, laughing. "Must be the leather trousers."

"What are those lyrics he's singing?" Livia asked. "They are not part of the song 'Bad'."

"The Rolling Stones and Lou Reed," John responded. "Guess you need to get caught up on some older material. There's much you can hear. What in the world have you been sending her, Tom?" The boys laughed.

Just then there was a commotion and from where they stood, neither Tom, Adam nor John could figure out why the lead signer had jumped to the ground in front of the crowd and gestured at some people. "What is going on?" John asked.

"Some girls are being crushed against the front barrier," Livia answered, gesturing toward the lead singer. "I think he is trying to get security staff to pick them up and get them out of there before they get hurt."

They saw the singer embraced one and danced with her, then a second and third. It seemed he had kissed each of them, too.

"Don't worry, Livia," Tom begun. "We are here, and you will not get hurt."

"I think I would risk that for a dance and kiss from him, though," Livia asserted.

"She's officially off the rails now," John maintained. "Though I must admit that I am jealous of him because those girls were rather pretty."

"Yep, I agree on that point, too," Adam responded.

"Okay, so we are all jealous," Tom summarized. "The three of us that we are not that bloke there and Livia because she was not among those girls he plucked from the crowd."

"I guess you will all need to start a band, then," Livia suggested. "I think the U2 members largely taught themselves how to play and wrote their own music because of that."

"There's an idea," John said, taking a turn in hoisting Livia to give Tom a break.

Other acts they saw also proved amazing to see in person. By the time Queen had come out, Adam was picking up Livia so she could see. They would continue rotating duties as long as they remained. They also found themselves able to slowly get closer to the stage as other people left for lavatories or food vendors. Livia kept them all from needing either until the London portion of the show ended. All of them thus really enjoyed Dire Straits, though Tom had to explain to Livia what MTV was. At that point, they decided to leave, finally hitting the WCs, getting some food and dropping off John's film for developing before heading back to their temporary London home. They were able to relive highlights on the telly in the basement recreational area of the hall. Before going to sleep, Livia ensured she wrote a note to John's father and his friends for making this day possible for her. She said she would be forever grateful that she had benefited from their kindness. The next day, she gave the letter to John. Sunday brought much less to do so she and Tom walked around the park within Gordon Square. Meantime, Adam and John played snooker.

They sat at one of the benches, just enjoying the day and the quietness of the area, which was a great feat within such a large city. An old gentlemen with a long beard tucked under his shirt approached them and sat down. "Are you Livia Woodcock?" he gently asked.

Tom looked stunned and Livia a bit blank yet puzzled. "I am," she replied. "How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things about you, thanks to a Barn Owl you call Sydney," he responded. "She sends her regards. She and Mel are well. Their current clutch of owlets have grown well, thanks in part to the cat you named Sam."

"Sir," Tom began, "this is very strange to me. An owl communicated with you and told you where to find my sister?"

"Why do you think it strange, Tom?" he inquired. "You have gotten messages from this same owl, have you not? Do you think Livia is the only living being with this particular ability?"

"I see what you mean, sir," Tom admitted. "It still leaves me a bit unsettled, however."

"Will you allow me to talk to your sister alone?" he asked. "You can sit on that other bench and watch, of course."

Tom told Livia he would be only a short distance away and to call him immediately if she wanted or needed him.

With Tom out of earshot, the stranger began by asking: "Do you know why I am here?"

Livia sized him up. "You are a challenge for me to understand, which is unusual for me. Give me a few seconds…you run some sort of boarding school?"

"Yes," he affirmed. "First, I must confess that I should have called on your family before you wound up in Collidale, and I apologize that you wound up there instead because we could not intervene in time. We briefly lost track of you, but your owl Sydney arranged to bring the note you wrote in January to me, confirming your location. I am the headmaster of a special school for very talented people. From your note and what you have done the last few days it seems to me that you belong there."

"How do you know what I have done recently?"

"I have followed you some and have had a few spies. You hid tickets in what should have been plain sight, you gave your friends food you conjured as well as pills to retard their bodily functions so they could watch a very long concert without needing a lavatory break."

"Did I not cloak my abilities well?"

"You do, to anyone who does not have equal or superior abilities or at least more education in using the abilities they have," he observed. "I have only one issue with inviting you now to attend my school when it resumes classes."

"What is that?"

"It's your age," he replied. "Normally, our students start at 11 and finish around 18. Of course, it is clearly not your fault you did not start sooner."

"I see," Livia said. "I possess a fairly high level of intelligence. Would that not enable me to accelerate my studies and get at least closer to pupils my own age? I mean, thanks to my brother, Tom, I read and write far above my grade level – I could probably sit for a several O-level tests right now."

"That is not how we evaluate our students, but you might be able to catch up a little."

"Then what is this place?"

"I do not want to tell you right now," he answered. "Our new school year does not begin till orientation in early September. Usually, it is 1 September, but given that is a Sunday, it will be 2 September. If you can, do not leave London and give me a chance to speak to you again here, but more frankly at that time. You can call Sydney and she will find me."

"To whom do I address the note?"

"Just write 'Professor Albus Dumbledore'," he responded. "She will know what to do."

Thus the man stood up, bowed and went over to Tom.

"I am making an offer of admission to my school to your sister," he informed Tom.

"Oh?" Tom asked. "Where is it? What would it cost to send her there?"

"Do not worry about that," he replied. "I will find the means by the time I return. Just, if you can, do not leave London till I have the chance to speak to her and you again, which may not be until around her birthday and probably just after."

"I was planning to celebrate Livia's birthday in Durham, though," Tom disclosed.

"I get that, though transporting her to my school from Durham will be less straightforward than from here," he revealed. "Obviously, I cannot stop you, and you likely have your own reasons for returning there, since you must attend college. If you cannot wait, allow Livia to send word to me via Sydney. Perhaps you can return."

"Okay, sir," Tom agreed. "This is all so strange to me. Since I have primary responsibility for Livia's wellbeing, I need to be extra careful with any custodial matters. Legally speaking, I believe that I need to establish her residence in Durham, since I live there, and she is supposed to be able to call it her home, also."

"I see," the bearded, sprightly old man stated. "You are a law student, right?"

"I am," Tom confirmed. "How did you know that?"

"Livia can decipher things, but I am presently better at it than she is," he answered. "Establish her as you need to do, but please get her back here before September, if you can. If I have to do it, I will get to Durham. Geographically, Durham is a lot closer to my school than London, but you know Brit Rail has its quirks. It is far easier to get anywhere from London than it is to get from a town or small city to a similar locale, especially going East-West or West-East."

"So I can establish her residence and bring her back here?" Tom asked.

"That can work," he replied. "It might be tight for you. Just make sure she tells me your plans. We normally start students at 11, so Livia already trails her age group. She has expressed an interest in trying to accelerate her studies. I cannot call it impossible, but it is rare."

"I did it once myself, just to get custody of her," Tom stated. "If I can do it, so can she."

"I hope you are right," he responded. He rose, bowed his head slightly and left the square. Neither could see him after he passed the blue plaque marking the former residence of John Maynard Keynes at the end of the block.

Tom moved closer to Livia. "That was a most strange encounter," Tom asserted.

"Indeed," Livia assented. "But he seemed well meaning and honest to me, if rather cryptic about his school. The fact that my Sydney trusts him says I should, also."

"We have to establish you at my Durham residence, though, legally speaking," Tom said. "Perhaps we should leave here at the end of the month, do this and return here to meet him again?"

"Sounds like a reasonable plan, but what about Sairy?" Livia asked.

"Put that question to the gentleman," Tom answered. "I gather he would board you at his school. I have no idea about his policy on pets. If they do not accept Sarah, I will keep her. My flatmates will probably spoil her to no end."

"Good," Livia stated. "We should rejoin the others, if we are going to be leaving in like two weeks. I will send a note via Sydney about these plans before we leave."

The four enjoyed their last two weeks together seeing all sorts of places, both common to tourists and not. Some of their list was realized, some not, other things added, like the West End show "Evita"* from the front of the nosebleed section. The group retrieved Sarah before parting ways, with Tom giving Miss Barker money for watching Sarah, though she had been extremely reluctant to take it. John stayed behind because he enrolled in UCL. Adam went back to Framlingham, before making his way to the University of East Anglia in Norwich. True to her word, Livia called Sydney to take a note saying she was travelling to Durham to establish it as a home base, but she would return to London after her birthday and before Tom's education resumed. Livia also inquired about whether or not she could bring her cat, Sarah, with her. She also indicated that Tom could not stay long, owing to his own responsibilities.

During her last jaunt through Gordon Square, Sydney brought an answer. The reply gave approval of Tom's plan. It further requested that she meet the man again on Friday, 30 August at 14:00 in park area of Gordon Square. She could bring her cat, and he would find a place for them before she departed for his school as well as there, as needed. He also expressed hope that Tom would be at ease entrusting her to him, reminding Livia to message Tom after he returned to Durham as well as when she was settled in her new school. "If he is able to hear from you often enough and see you on breaks, he will have less concern," the note read towards the end. The letter further requested that any available owl take a message to him if plans had to be altered.

* Author's Note

The music for "Evita" derives from Andrew Lloyd Webber; its lyrics were written by Tim Rice.

I have attempted to render the events of the seminal concert Live Aid as accurately as possible and encourage anyone unfamiliar with them to view available video from the stage performers who lent their artistry to it. I neither own nor possess any interest in U2 or any other musical act who took the stage for it on 13 July 1985.