"Hocus Pocus or hocus-pocus is a generic term used by magicians, usually the magic words spoken when bringing about some sort of change."

Still upset, Adele wandered home later that day to find that Petunia Dursley had already phoned her mother, letting her know all about the 'strange fantasies' the little girl had been spouting on her arrival at the Dursley's home. Thoroughly embarrassed by her daughter's actions, Viviette Polkiss had made sure to keep her home for the remainder of the holidays.

It didn't matter anyway to Adele. Both Harry and Lysander had left her for their magic, possibly to never return.

She did wonder at what Petunia had meant. Harry's aunt had said she understood with so much feeling that it never occurred to the girl to disbelieve her. Did Aunt Petunia secretly like Harry? That would make her a lot like Adele, wouldn't it..?

The school year began like clockwork, leaving behind it that bitter summer. Adele couldn't help but think, as she walked to school each day, that somewhere Harry and Lysander were going down to that magnificent hall for their own breakfast. The general chatter would be about magic and magical things, classes that were interesting and full of surprises. Unlike hers.

Lysander's bitter parting had left her heart sore, and the mention of him – from a classmate, teacher or even family member – would earn them a visit from the Wand.

Adele's pink wand was frequently becoming more and more renowned. Usually, at nine-turning-ten, wielding such an obnoxious stick at ones school would cause a child a lot of teasing. In Adele's case, it only added to the general terror she imposed. Several of the smaller children were convinced she would Avada Kedavra their entire families if they disobeyed.

Despite Lysander's departure, Adele still maintained a posse of nasty children who followed her lead. She was becoming so notorious that even some of the children from higher year levels had joined her group. On weekends and after school they would play pranks on the teachers and their lesser classmates, much to their delight and everyone else's mortification.

Mr. and Mrs. Polkiss were summoned more and more often to the school, always to deal with Adele. While Piers - who was now in his sixth year - still caused a lot of trouble, he was more of a follower while Adele was the mastermind of all her crimes.

'She pulls out this "wand",' Adele's teacher said, holding up the confiscated pink stick, 'and smacks the other children around the head with it.' She lowered her voice, checking to see if Adele was still sulking in the corner, not listening, 'and she speaks in tongues.'

At first, Mr. Polkiss had been glad that his daughter was "taking control" and "being a leader". 'Piers is a sissy boy,' he said to his wife, 'at least our daughter has some kind of fire'. But as the months flew by, and Adele got stranger, he began to worry that she might have a little too much fire.

Three days before Adele's birthday a large, white owl flew in out of the snow as Mr. Polkiss returned from work. He and his wife were utterly terrified, cowering and shrieking underneath their kitchen table.

It wasn't until Adele returned from an evening walk ("patrolling for dark wizards" she called it) that either parent could be calmed and subdued, though they demanded she put the bird out that instance.

'No pets!' her father snapped, pointing out the door it had entered through. 'Your mother told you the last time it showed up that-'

'It's not a pet,' Adele retorted, stamping her foot. 'It's just like the mailman.'

'The mailman!' Mrs. Polkiss cried, looking faint. Mr. Polkiss glanced at his wife's pale face and then back to his daughter's indignant one.

'There are to be no more live poultry in the house, Adele,' he said seriously. She stuck her tongue out at him and turned to stalk up into her room, owl perched loftily on her forearm. A vein pulsed in her father's temple and quick as a flash he gripped her other arm, yanking the pink wand from where she concealed it inside her sleeve.

'And no more magic,' he hissed. Adele gasped, clutching for her wand.

'But Dad,' she tried, and he cut her off.

'There is no such thing as magic,' he spat. 'That Potter boy has you all wrapped up in his lies, and I'd sooner be dead than let one of my children be led astray by silly fantasies.' He spoke loudly, so as to smother Adele's objections.

'There is no such thing as magic!' he repeated firmly and angrily, and with a hard look at Adele to make sure she met his eyes he snapped the wand in half.

Silence was immediate. Mrs. Polkiss watched in a strange kind of bemusement as her daughter's eyes followed the wand's pieces as they fell. She felt a flicker of uncertainty at the anguish in her expression, but it passed.

Hedwig shrieked – an ear splitting sound in the dead silence that had covered the kitchen – as Adele ducked, picking up the halves of her wand. She began trying to push them back together, ending up with a crooked, definitely broken stick. Mr. Polkiss shifted nervously. Why hadn't she yelled? Her stony expression unnerved him; he had expected a few tears, at least.

Though only nine, Adele had a strong spirit, and when she did finally raise her head, it was all Mr. Polkiss could do not to flinch away from the defiant look in her eyes.

The wand was definitely broken but Adele thought it would still serve for one last spell. She raised her broken wand, pointing it directly into her father's face.

'Avada Kedavra,' she said quietly and carefully, flicking her wrist ever so slightly.

Then she turned with a sob, wand in hand and owl still perched on her arm, and fled into her bedroom.

'What did she say?' Mrs. Polkiss asked as her daughter's feet and wailing disappeared up the stairs.

'Abracadabra?' Mr. Polkiss murmured, shaking his head. 'I don't know what to do.'

***

Still feeling dejected and tearful, Adele tore open Harry's letter, shrugging Hedwig off as the owl begged for a treat. 'Not now,' she growled.

Adele

Happy Birthday. I got in early this time. Hope you had a nice day and stuff, sorry I couldn't get you a present. Sorry I left so quickly, too.

I have to be really careful, there's a murderer on the loose and they're saying he's after me. You should probably be careful too because he's killed muggles before.

I've met your friend Lysander. He's sort of like you so I see why you get along. He's made friends with Draco Malfoy, though, so we don't speak much.

See you when school ends,

Harry.

Ambivalence flooded Adele. The letter brought happiness and sadness at the same time. She loved hearing from Harry – and this was the second letter she'd ever received from him – but she was so lonely, and so envious. When she got to Hogwarts, she wouldn't have to worry about any of this.

Just like that, relief came. She had forgotten! She was turning ten in three days time, which meant that come Summer Harry would be back and she would be receiving her letter.

Seizing the quill that Harry had given her last summer (a beautiful Wedge-tailed eagle feather, straight from Australia) she hurriedly scrawled out a reply, talking about the new friends she had made, one of the cool pranks she had pulled and how she was learning analogue time.

She left out any mention of her argument with her parents, the loneliness and the broken wand.

***

In all outward appearances it seemed Adele had gone back to normal, much to the delight and relief of her parents. She no longer threatened children with curses – resorting instead to thumpings and threatening pets – and never made herself another wand. Her grades improved, though they hadn't ever been bad, and her parents stopped getting called into school so much. But that was mainly because she became better at shifting blame.

Beneath the surface, unseen to those around her, Adele hung on tightly to the hope that she would receive her letter. She could only put up with these unbelievers for so long before she would go insane and Unforgivable curse them all.

Soon, it was summer again, and any day Harry would return to Little Whinging, bringing with him more wonderful stories. Because of her last visit to the Dursleys, that long summer ago, Adele didn't feel comfortable going to see them again and instead waited to hear from her brother and Dudley. They wouldn't tell her directly of course, (almost-fourteen-year-old boys wanted nothing to do with soon-to-be-eleven-years-old girls) but she always knew, because Dudley would start coming over more often, looking paler and sicker each time.

Mrs. Polkiss stood in the kitchen, looking through the door to the lounge room. Adele sat on the settee, sketchbook balanced on her knee and pencil in hand, drawing the view out their window. Viviette thought she looked quite a pretty picture; her slender hands moving quickly, hair the colour of brown ash tucked neatly behind her ears and held back with a black headband, cornflower blue eyes darting from the page to the window.

If she had known that Adele's picture of the street had inexplicably become full of wizards attending a wizardy birthday party, she might not have been so pleased.

The pair jumped as the doorbell rang. There was a hurried thumping on the stairs and Piers raced into view.

'I'll get it!' he called needlessly, flinging the door open. A silence followed.

'Oh. It's you,' he said, stupidly. Adele smirked as her brother's ratty features drooped. Not Dudley, then.

'Is Adele there?' came a voice.

Adele's heart leapt as she recognized the voice. Harry?! What was he doing at her house, let alone voluntarily? She hadn't even had time to set up a prank for him to walk into, nonetheless, she was a brilliant improviser.

'Hullo!' she said brightly, bouncing out of her chair and to the door. Piers scowled at her, but Adele scowled right back. He was thirteen now, but still rather weedy for his age, so he and Adele were the same height. Adele looked to Harry now, and was pleased to see that he had also grown.

'Bye, Mum!' she called back into the house, closing the door in Piers' face.

They had barely stepped onto the footpath when Adele's questions began. 'How was your year? Did they catch the murderer? Did he go to normal jail or wizard jail? Do wizards have a special jail? How is Hedwig? Do you think she'll have babies? Can I have one? Did Hermione say hello to me again?'

Without pausing to breathe, Harry told her the entire story. The dementors that had plagued him; Lupin, the new teacher; how Sirius Black – who had betrayed Harry's parents, effectively killing them – had turned out to be framed, and actually Harry's Godfather; how he had offered for Harry to come live with him...

'He what?' Adele blurted, interrupting the story. Harry looked annoyed and tried to move on.

'He said I could go live with him, since he's my Godfather, and that I wouldn't have to live with the Dursley's anymore but-'

'And what did you tell him?' Adele asked, voice suddenly filled with a chill.

Harry clenched his teeth, annoyed. 'I'm trying to tell you. Before we could prove his innocence, Peter escaped and turned into his animagus rat form, running away. So Sirius got captured – there was no way Snape would vouch for him, plus he was knocked out from all the spells – but Hermione used the Time-Turner and we were able to save Buckbeak – that's the hippogriff – from being executed, and also get Buckbeak to fly Sirius away, saving the both of them.' He stopped, staring at Adele. 'What's with your face?'

Adele hastily swiped at her face. 'There's something in my eye,' she muttered. 'So you're not going then?' she asked grumpily.

'No,' Harry replied, his tone annoyed. 'I said, Peter Pettigrew escaped, so now Sirius is on the run and can't look after me.'

'Good,' Adele said before she could stop herself. Harry scowled at her.

'I miss Hogwarts and Ron and Hermione when I come here,' he said eventually as they walked. 'But I suppose it's alright, having you here. If you weren't, I think I'd go mad. Now what's with you?!'

Adele couldn't help it, she'd burst into tears. Harry's warm words had freed the aching loneliness that had been building in her all year, and now that she had started she couldn't stop. Hiccoughs shook her small body, and she crouched on the footpath, face in her hands.

Harry stood by awkwardly, hand hovering near her back. Usually he didn't have to stand around when girls cried, they all seemed to have the decency to do it elsewhere. But, he reminded himself, Adele was only ten. Maybe the talk of dementors had frightened her too much?

Eventually Adele calmed down enough to stop crying, and she collapsed onto the curb feeling rather embarrassed.

'I think it's gone now,' she said to break the sudden silence.

'What is?' Harry asked, confused.

'The thing in my eye.' She kept her expression serious, staring at a line of hedging across the road from them. 'I think I washed it out.'

She heard Harry stifle a laugh. 'Oh, yeah. Well, that's good.'

'My dad snapped my wand,' Adele said after a moment. 'And they told me I'm not supposed to believe in magic anymore.'

'Oh,' said Harry.

He stood up, hands in his pockets, and Adele quietly marvelled at how tall he had gotten. She could see his wand poking out of his pocket, and she resisted the urge to pull it out.

'You don't have to stop believing because they tell you too, though,' he said after a moment. Before Adele knew it, all the worries she'd been harbouring began to burst out.

'But they snapped my wand, plus I've never done anything strange. Lysander could shatter globes and blow open windows and that, and you said that you spoke to snakes and disappeared glass and regrew your hair. I can just trip people over so everyone laughs at them. It's not fair,' she added for good measure.

'Well... I'm about to start my fourth year now... which means you're about to turn eleven. There's a chance you'll get your letter.'

'I know...' Adele said. 'But my wand...'

'Was ridiculous. Besides, you get one after your invitation usually. And you're strange enough without blowing things up.'

She stood and kicked Harry hard in the ribs, glaring at him. 'Your aunt said they didn't want you back, so why are you here?' she snapped, changing the topic.

'Guess they changed their minds,' Harry answered, wincing and clutching his side. He frowned at her. Adele tripped him as he tried to get up.

***

Mrs. Polkiss was having a Tupperware party with a few of the women from the neighbourhood – Harry's Aunt Petunia included – so the two Polkiss children had been sent out of the house for the day. Piers made a bee-line for Dudley, and so Adele tagged along.

'Can't you just leave me alone?' Piers snapped when he noticed her behind him.

'I'm not following you, I'm going to see Harry,' she replied primly. He sneered.

'Your boyfriend?'

'You're the one visiting your boyfriend,' she muttered.

Piers would have hit her if she wasn't taller and stronger than he. As it was, he resolved to have Dudley beat Harry up later. That would teach her. Sort of.

The two siblings arrived to a very strange scene. Dudley and Harry were both sitting on the grass outside the Dursley's house. Harry wasn't weeding or mowing or planting or watering or anything, which surprised both newcomers.

Adele hit Harry on the head with an agapanthus bloom to get his attention and he turned around, glaring, his glasses crooked. Dudley and Piers quickly moved away, furtive glances shot in the peculiar pair's direction.

'How come you're not doing chores?' Adele asked immediately, as Harry reclined once again.

'I might have let slip that the Insane Sirius Black is my rather affectionate Godfather,' he said, grinning. 'I also might have conveniently forgotten to mention that he's innocent.'

'Harry!' Adele gasped. 'That's lying.'

Adele could see Aunt Petunia peeking at them through the curtains, but she chose to ignore her.

'I got a letter from Ron,' Harry started after a moment.

'Did he say hello to me?' interrupted Adele.

'Erm, no, but I'll tell him you said hi... he's asked me to come stay the last couple of weeks of the holidays.'

Adele sat up. Harry didn't notice her sudden alarm.

'We're going to the Quidditch World Cup.'

'Will Hermione be there too?' she asked almost immediately.

'I think so,' Harry nodded. 'Anyway, they're coming to pick me up this weeken-'

Adele flopped back onto the ground beside him, eyes opened wide and pleading. 'Can I come?'

Harry blinked firmly. 'But we're going to school straight after...'

'I'll get my letter soon!'

'I can't really invite you to Ron's house...'

'He won't mind, I don't eat much I promise, and Sparkles will leave Errol and Hedwig alone-'

'Sparkles?' Harry spluttered.

'She's the owl I'm going to buy – OH! Will we go to Diagon Alley, all of us together?'

'Look, Adele...'

'How shocked Lysander will be when he sees me, surrounded already by new friends. And imagine all the kinds of pranks wizards play! Probably much cleverer than muggle tricks, though for the moment I've had to make-do-'

'Adele!' Harry cried in exasperation, finally breaking through her monologue. She stopped, staring at him, mouth still open in mid-sentence.

'You can't come,' said Harry gently. 'Ron didn't invite you.'

'Can't you ask?' she implored. Harry shook his head firmly.

'...They're my friends, Adele. When you come to Hogwarts you can make your own. Friends that are your own age.'

He stood up, and Adele felt suddenly dwarfed as she sat on the ground. She had never forgotten their ages, but had simply begun to think they didn't matter.

Well, they still didn't. To her at least.

'But...' she tried, but Harry was already shaking his head again.

'Besides, won't you be happy to be reunited with Lysander? I'm sure you'd get along with Malfoy, you're similar in some ways.'

'But you hate Malfoy!' Adele wailed, feeling tears threaten. 'How can I-?'

'Look, I'll still talk to you sometimes, I guess, you'll just have other friends as well,' Harry said quickly, trying to remedy the situation. 'All I'm saying is you can't forget that I'm a fourth year and you're, well, just a first year.'

Adele leapt to her feet, radiating anger. 'I HATE YOU!' she screamed. 'YOU HATE ME!'

'I don't hate you,' Harry spluttered. 'It's more like-'

Harry stopped with a gasp of pain, clutching at the shin Adele had just assaulted.

'As soon as I get my wand I'm going to Incendio you, Harry Potter!' Adele snarled.

'Don't be an idiot,' he wheezed from where he had collapsed to his knees. '...You'd understand if you were older.'

'I wish I was!' she cried.

Recovering, Harry stumbled to his feet, still slightly winded. Adele was stomping in circles, flattening the grass in her anger.

'I wish I was a witch right now! Like Hermes!'

'Hermione,' corrected Harry automatically. 'And anyway,' his voice was gentler now, but still brisk. 'There's still your letter, coming soon. And we'll still be frien...'

He cleared his throat.

'...Yes?' Adele pressed, looking at him intensely.

Harry cleared his throat again.

'We'll still be... from the same street. And we can still spend Summer together.'

'Unless you get a better offer,' Adele growled. Harry pretended not to hear and patted her on the head.

'Did I tell you about Sir Cadogan, last year?' he asked, in a not-very-subtle change of subject.

Adele shook her head, even though he had. Harry launched into the story eagerly.

'Well, after Sirius attacked the Fat Lady, they had to replace her portrait...'

***

Harry left that weekend. Despite their small dispute they parted readily and on good terms, Harry promising to write before they went back to school.

Before he left though, Adele cut the laces in his sneakers, drew on one of his glasses lenses and stole one of his textbooks. She reasoned that he could easily fix and/or replace all three items.

Mischief managed, Adele settled into her house, waiting eagerly for the owl bearing her letter.

And she waited.

And waited some more.

Adele began to despair. Surely it was too late? No sensible school would leave it this late to invite students? There was barely a week left of the holidays – nowhere near enough notice for pulling out of old schools. Adele imagined that her owl had been knocked off course, or otherwise delayed. She had a nightmare in which Piers received her letter by mistake, and woke up screaming. All too soon, she began to doubt that her letter had ever been coming.

There is no such thing as magic. The small girl's father's voice rang in her ears. Could it be true?

Seeds of distrust had been sewn, and they began to flower. Maybe... maybe it really was a lie? A joke that Harry was playing on her, to pay her back for all of the pranks he had been the butt of.

After all, he had – conveniently – never been able to show her anything magical.

But what she had seen Lysander do...

Maybe he had been in on it too?

Torn and confused, Adele sank into a sort of stupor. She wandered around as if dead for the entire rest of the week, though it was a couple of days before her parents noticed at all.

There is no such thing as magic. She had never really truly considered that possibility. It left her gasping for breath, as if suddenly someone had yanked the ground out from under her feet.

Two days before the holidays ended, Adele's worries were abated rather suddenly. The afternoon was sticky, as usual for summer, but she had opened the window to allow a breeze in, unknowingly allowing the admittance of an owl.

Lying on the bed and drawing (usually a depiction of all the different ways she would punish Harry when he came back) it took Adele a few moments before she even noticed the owl. It was rather large and brown, with round yellow eyes that flicked around the room cautiously. Around its ankle, a letter was tied.

At first Adele lay as if someone had put her under a Petrificus Totalus charm (she'd been reading about them in the book she'd stolen from Harry). Then she moved very suddenly, almost startling the poor owl to death.

Tearing the envelope from its bindings, she broke the seal without really looking at it.

I've got my letter, Harry!

The letter unfolded almost all by itself. It was smaller than she had thought it would be, and as she stared at the rather messy cursive, she left as if her veins were slowly being filled with lead.

It was from Harry. It read;

Dear Adele;

Have you got your letter yet?

H

The entirety of Surrey, heard her scream of rage and anguish.

There is no such thing as magic.

Author's Note:

This chapter is too long. I can also swear that this story was never meant to be so... serious D:

Also, a couple of discrepancies between my story timeline and the actual Harry Potter timeline have been pointed out to me (such as the fact that Harry didn't find out about the unforgivable curses until later etc). I really would like people to point out anything odd that they notice, and depending on how serious my offence is I will alter the story accordingly. C:

No really, I meant this story to be a comedy XD There are funny bits... right? RIGHT?! D:

Thank you to everyone who reads, reviews, favourites and subscribes c:

- Ecm