Chapter 4: New Neighbors are Coming
Matt's and Evie's Great Grandmother Endora got them back to their family home (and until recently, their family business,) in rural Bonne Terre, Missouri, with a flourish of her arms and the sound of a chime. She got them a quick snack and then had them wash up and get straight to bed. No television she said; it was late.
Of course, neither Matt nor his sister wanted to go to sleep just yet - they wanted to wait for mom and dad to get back from Salem and tell them about mom's old friend from Hogwarts. But Endora insisted – they both had school the next day – and they both knew that it was useless to argue with their formidable Great Grandmother. Being more tired than they realized, the Stephens siblings both fell asleep within fifteen minutes of their heads hitting their pillows.
When Matt woke up the next morning, he heard voices and other noises coming from the backyard. Looking out the window of his room to investigate, he saw that a large tent had been pitched in the yard and that several men and women were bringing furniture and boxes inside. Under normal circumstances, there was no way that even a tent that size could hold all those boxes, much less the queen-size bed that some of the men were currently moving inside. But considering the fact that they were levitating the bed through the flap, Matt knew that the circumstances were probably normal enough if one was a wizard or a witch.
Barefoot and still in his pajamas, Matt ran out to get a closer look, realizing that his sister Evie was right behind him, also still in her bedclothes. The Stephens children got out through the sliding screen door to the backyard so quickly that they were just in time to see the end of the bed go through into the tent. Peeking through the flap, they saw the bed being moved into one corner of a space with more square footage than their own house had; or so it seemed, since there were no inner walls set up yet to divide the large space into separate rooms. Off to the side, Matt saw rolled-up canvas and prefab 2"x4" frames that would no doubt form the interior walls when the movers were done getting everything else in place. And that was not all that Matt and Evie noticed. In addition to the queen bed the movers had just brought inside, there were three other, single-size beds already in the tent.
Matt and Evie were so engrossed in taking everything in that they did not notice their Aunt Tabitha standing behind them. "Well, what do you think, kids? Pretty awesome, huh?"
"Aunt Tabbie!" said Matt and Evie simultaneously as they turned around. They immediately hugged their aunt, and then they began firing off a barrage of questions.
"What is all this for?"
"What does this mean?"
"Are some people going to stay with us? Is it mom's old friend from Hogwarts?"
"They must be wizards! No way would muggles be allowed inside a tent like this!"
"They got kids our age, right? That's why there are three smaller beds!"
Tabitha laughed. "Hold on, you two! I know that you both have a million questions. But to get them answered, you will need to go back inside the house and get dressed and have breakfast. You r mom and dad have something very important to tell you before the school bus comes to get you. I know this is way cool; a tent that's bigger inside than out. But right now, we are in the movers' way, so we all need to leave immediately."
Tabitha twitched her nose, orbing her nephew and niece back inside, where they saw their mom and dad talking with a tall, regal-looking witch with long, jet-black hair who wearing a classic, black Gothic dress. Though both Matt and Evie had seen Gomez and Morticia Addams many times – they were regular customers of their parent's business when they still had a business – the Stephens Siblings had never met the famous Auror Wednesday Addams in-person, but they knew of her by reputation.
Wednesday smiled at Matt and Evie. But before either of them could say anything, their mom repeated their aunt's instructions to get dressed and come to the table as soon as possible. This they did, immediately scurrying to their rooms, dressing so fast that they beat their best Christmas Morning record by several minutes.
When both children got to the table and sat at their places, their father formally introduced Agent Addams, and said, "Kids, your mother and I have something to tell you. We know that you two have a lot of questions, but if you are patient and hear us out, most of them should be answered by the time you have eaten and are ready to leave for school."
As soon as Matt and Evie sat at their places, their mom set a plate of savory grillades and grits with a side of pain perdu and a large glass of milk before them, and added, "Hopefully, this should not take too long. But if it does and you miss the bus, one of us will drive you to school. And if we are really running late, Aunt Tabitha will get you to school by side-along apparation."
"Why don't we just skip school today?" suggested Matt before taking a mouthful of grits and stealing another glance at the activity outside. "I mean, this looks really important, and you might need us, here, to help out!"
"Nice try, young man," said Janelle dryly. "But we have a lot of things to do, and they will be more difficult if you two are underfoot. You will go to school today. Now, may we please have your undivided attention." It was a statement, not a question, much less a request.
Both children nodded, and Adam continued, "Last night at Matt's hearing, your mom and I met a family that came over from England; Reginald and Mary Cattermole. Your mom went to Hogwarts with Mary, so we talked for a little while."
Matt said, "That's why you had Evie and me go home with Greatgran Endora. I fell asleep after nine-thirty, and you still were not back yet."
"We had a lot to discuss," said Janelle. "And please, no more comments or questions until we are finished. Oh, and Matt, please remember to say "Evie and I," from now on."
Matt rolled his eyes impatiently and groaned. Why do parents always do stuff like that? But his parents ignored his minor impudence and Janelle continued, "The Cattermoles had just escaped from England, where Mary was on "trial" for "stealing magic from a true wizard or witch." She's muggle-born, like me. And ever since . . . "What's-His-Face" and his gang came to power over there, being muggle-born is the worst possible "crime" that one can commit.
"Fortunately, she and her husband, who worked at the UK's Ministry of Magic –" Evie shot up her hand as though she were in school. Janelle sighed, and said, "Yes, Evie?"
"The Ministry of Magic is England's Federal Bureau of Sorcery, isn't that right, mom?"
Before Janelle could reply, Agent Addams said, "Actually, dear, it is more like the Magical Congress of the United States of America – MACUSA; at least it was, at one time." She took a dainty sip of coffee from her cup and continued. "But the legitimate representatives of the UK's Wizarding Community were forced out last month when their Ministry of Magic was taken over by Pureblood Supremacists and their sympathizers. And ever since then they have made it a priority to persecute muggle-born wizards and witches and their families at every opportunity; even if they have to make the opportunities, themselves . . . ."
Both Matt and Evie nodded, hanging on every word Agent Addams said. Along with the Peasgoods and the Halliwells, the Addamses were very well-known Leading Citizens in the American Wizarding Community. In fact, they were nothing less than legendary . . . .
While other American Wizarding families did everything they could to maintain a low profile in the mostly muggle communities where they lived, the Addamses liked to "hide in plain sight." And while their encounters with their muggle neighbors stopped just short of violating the Statute of Secrecy, it was a well-known fact that local muggles would drive or walk a little faster whenever they passed the Addams' home at 0001 Cemetery Lane.
A few weeks earlier, Agent Addams' parents, Gomez and Morticia, along with her Uncle Fester, came over to buy up everything that Adam and Janelle still had left for sale on their nearly empty shelves. It was the last time the Stephens children saw their mom and dad make a sale. And it was an experience that the Stephens children would not soon forget.
Matt had been playing catch with Evie when he saw the Addamses drive up in a 1930's vintage Duesenberg Limousine driven by their servant; an imposing flesh-golem they called "Lurch." Moments later, their parents had come outside to meet them. The Addamses were concerned by events playing-out in the UK, and as a precaution, they wanted to stock their shelves with as much hard-to-find magical ingredients as possible. And by that time, they were all getting hard to find.
"These idiots don't like muggle-borns," said Gomez as he shook his head while puffing on an expensive Cuban cigar. "But the next down on their "to-be-hated list" are those they consider to be "blood traitors." And if they want to consider us as blood-traitors, I only hope that we can do all we can to not disappoint them!"
Morticia smiled and added, "Our family motto is "Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc." Do you children know what that means?" When Matt and Evie shook their heads, Morticia leaned over them and said, "We gladly feast on those who would subdue us." Both Matt and Evie nodded, suitably impressed.
"You got that right, 'Tish," said Gomez. "And we may just have an all-you-can-eat Death Eater buffet delivered to our door any day now. I just want to be ready for them when they come."
"Well, I'm not worried, Gomez!" blustered Fester Addams, who wore an old WW1 army helmet and carried an even older blunderbuss. "If that riff-raff tries to come after us, I'll shoot 'em in the back! And that goes double for that m***** f***** who calls himself their Dark Lord!"
Then things started to get weird. The adults all turned pale (which was quite an achievement for the Addamses,) and Matt and Evie began laughing up a storm the way that any self-respecting children under twelve would do when an adult swore in their presence.
And then things had gotten really weird. Fester began to apologize profusely. Morticia said that the way Fester "pronounced it" may not have attracted "his" attention, since the "t" at the end should have been silent. Gomez said that Adam and his family were "welcome" to move in with them, where it might be safer if things went from bad to worse. Morticia disagreed, saying that it would put the Stephenses in more danger to live with known (and proud of it) "blood traitors."
In the end, an abashed Fester "hired" Matt and Evie to carry what the Addamses bought to the trunk of their Limousine, "paying" the kids $50.00 each.
"Fester, this isn't something that money can fix . . . ." said Gomez shaking his head seriously, and then adding that if Adam and Janelle "needed anything," that they should not hesitate to call him. And then they were gone, their car disapparating with a loud backfire as it went down the road . . . .
Tabitha said, "Wednesday and I are currently assigned to resettle the families who have managed to escape from "What's-His-Face" and his goons in the UK. Sadly, we don't have a lot of work to do. Not many have been able to escape from the UK after the Ministry fell due to the Death Eaters' Snatcher teams patrolling the boarders."
Evie said, "Aunt Tabby, why does everyone call the bad-guys' leader "What's-His-Face" or "You-Know-Who?" Don't we know his real name?"
"We do . . . ," said Tabitha cautiously. "But this self-styled Dark Lord has put a spell on his name called a "Taboo." This means that if anyone says his name, he will know who said it and where they are when they said it. So to avoid triggering the taboo in the UK, they call him, "You-Know-Who." Over here, we like to call him "What's-His-Face."
"Ours works on two levels," added Agent Adams with a devious smile. "If you ever saw what he looks like, you'll be wondering what his face is supposed to be, too."
Then Matt said, "We got a kid in my class whose family was originally from Bosnia. Are the Cattermoles War Refugees, like Amira's family?"
Tabitha said, "They were when they first got here; before they were granted asylum by the MACUSA. But now that that process is finished, they are officially guests of the American Wizarding Community. They are free to stay here for as long as they want, or return to the UK when their Wizarding Community gets its sanity back."
Adam picked up where his big sister left off. "You know kids, it may be best to just think of the Cattermole family as our new neighbors, and nothing else. Not "refugees." Not "asylum seekers. Our new neighbors." They seemed pretty dazed when we first met them. I can't even begin to imagine what they had to go through to get here safely.
"So for now we really have to be careful what we say to them, right sis?" Tabitha nodded. If nothing else, growing up as the children of a witch and a muggle advertising executive, she and Adam knew from an early age that words have unimaginable power; whether you used them to cast a spell or to convince someone that they should buy Brand X instead of Brand Y.
Evie said, "Those three small beds we saw the movers taking into the tent. Our new neighbors have kids, don't they? Kids our age?"
Janelle nodded. "They have two girls and a boy. One of the girls is your age, Evie; she's eight." That made Evie jump with glee and say, "YESSSS!" Janelle continued, "Their eldest is your age, Matt. And the youngest is six."
"Is their son the one who is my age?" said Matt hopefully.
"No, they have a ten-year-old daughter," said Janelle, who noticed her son's disappointment and quickly added, "But she is a witch, Matt. You won't have to keep any secrets from her and when the two of you get home from school, you can be yourselves."
Adam said, "And their six year old son would probably like having an older boy around to act like a kind of honorary big brother to pal around with; especially since he has two older sisters . . . ."
Matt nodded. "When are they coming here?"
Aunt Tabitha said, "They should be here between five and six this evening."
Matt turned to his mom and dad, and said, "You gotta let me stay home from school, today, or sign me out early! I need to finish my tree house so I can show it to them when they get here!"
"And take down the "No Girls Allowed" sign," added Evie dryly.
"That sign doesn't mean you, sis," said Matt. "I just put it there for, you know . . . tradition. The new girls will be welcome up there, too!"
"You are going to school, today," said Adam with finality. "But I'll tell you what. I'll finish cutting the wood for the railings while you are at school. I'll pre-drill the holes for the bolts, and levitate them up to the platform. Then all you have to do is bolt them in place once you get back from school. That should give you plenty of time to finish your tree house and get cleaned up to meet and greet the Cattermoles."
Matt and Evie finished breakfast, got their lunches (a thermos of warm gumbo and a slice of fresh, crusty bread,) and went out to go to the bus stop at the end of their long driveway. Their dad left too, walking with them, and said, "I have some work to do on the car we are selling, son. I just want to detail and wax Kowalski one more time before I have to bring her to the buyer day after tomorrow. I wish we didn't have to sell her, but . . . ."
Matt signed with resigned disappointment. "Kowalski" was the name of dad's and mom's white 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T that they had just bought a few years earlier when things were better. About six months earlier, they had sold their 1956 Chevy Nomad. When Kowalski was gone, they would only have three cars left: dad's two-toned blue 1971 Buick "Boat Tail" Riviera; mom's yellow and black 1978 AMC Pacer with the crest of Hufflepuff House painted on the hood (that had been enchanted to look like something else when muggles looked at it;) and their gold 1975 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser Wagon, which was probably the car that he would be taught to drive in.
It wasn't that Matt had anything against the Vista Cruiser. He just sort of hoped that he got to drive something a bit . . . older; something that was already a classic when he got his license, instead of something that would have to age into classic status like his mom's ride.
For better or for worse, American Wizards were Car Crazy, and old classic cars were even more of a status symbol for them than for their muggle counterparts. The older cars were easy to maintain and less susceptible to the effects of stray magic than the modern, computer-laden cars. And the lousy gas mileage was not a problem if you could wave a wand or twitch a nose and turn water into gasoline. Sure, the FBS collected the taxes for every gallon of water transfigured that muggles regularly paid at the pump; but a gallon of gas still cost a wizard or witch far less than a muggle would have to pay.
Matt had half-hoped that Kowalski would have been his car, some day. But Matt also knew that dad's and mom's business was in trouble thanks to the stupid Death Eaters in the UK, and said nothing in protest.
When they got to the end of the driveway, Adam Stephens hugged his son and daughter, and wished them a good day at school before going back to the house and the old side building that they converted into the family garage. Moments later, the school bus came, and brother and sister each sat in their respective seats as the bus took them to Bonne Terre Elementary.
