Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl Holly Jolly Christmas One

DISCLAIMER: I did not create either the Daria cartoon or Harry Potter. Nor do I own them. I am playing on the fields of their creators' imagination.

Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl*Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl*Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl

Daria carefully stepped past the edge of the fireplace then stood up.

"Good, you made it," said Anahita. who'd flooed in just before Daria.

"I'm not a fireplace virgin," said Daria. "I did use the Floo last summer to get to Balmorhea State Park."

"Well, this was your first time using the British Floo network, so someone has to worry about you," Anahita replied. "Anyway, welcome to our home."

Anahita wasn't alone. There was a tall, dark-haired girl that Daria guessed to be college-age. Daria quickly remembered her from some photos Anahita had shown her: this was Jessica.

"Oh, hi!" said Daria.

Anahita handled introductions. "Jessica, this is Daria Morgendorffer. Daria, this is Jessica Wainwright."

"Hallo," said Jessica. "You must be the girl from Texas."

"That I am," said Daria. Her accent had softened a little bit but was still present.

"Jessica is our au pair," said Anahita. "She helps Mum mind Dana."

"Oh," said Daria. "So where is your little sister?"

"She's upstairs asleep," said Jessica. "She wanted to stay up to welcome you home but she was too tired. I put her to bed."

"So how was your first term at Hogwarts?" asked Jessica.

"I loved it," said Anahita. "I learned lots of new things and it's so much fun to learn new things from good teachers."

"Even Professor Binns?" said Jessica.

"Well, there are a couple of them that aren't so good," said Anahita. "I wish we had a better potions teacher. I don't like Professor Snape very much."

"I didn't either," said Jessica. "He's very good at potion-making, but not very good at teaching."

"What about you, Daria?" she said, turning her attention to Daria. "Did you have any potion teachers besides Snape?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," said Daria. "After I got officially outed, a couple of the local matriarchs went over to my Mom's house and suggested that I enroll at a beginner's potion-maker's class. I took classes at Mrs. Ocampo's for about seven months before I came over here."

"Mrs. Ocampo?" said Jessica.

"A local potion-maker and potions teacher in the town where I live," said Daria.

"Are there a lot of witches and wizards where you live?" asked Jessica.

"Not really," said Daria. "There seems to be more witches and wizards in Highland than most parts of West Texas, but that's not saying very much. There aren't all that many people living in West Texas, period."

"Excuse me, I need to clean my glasses," she said, reaching into her pocket for a handkerchief, then wiping her lenses.

There was a roar from the fireplace and Mister Waring stepped out of the fireplace, followed by another roar and Mrs. Waring. The elder Warings smiled when they saw their daughter and their house guest.

Ah, I see you made it," said Mr. Waring.

"Yes, Sir," said Daria. "Anahita and I got here a few minutes ago."

"Welcome to our home," said Mr. Waring. "It looks like you've met Jessica."

"We were just talking," said Daria. "I just told her that I had a little bit of potion-making experience before I came to Hogwarts."

There was another roar in the fireplace and Mrs. Waring stepped out.

"Ah, you've arrived," she said. "Welcome to our home."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Daria.

Mrs. Waring put up her hand for a moment. "Jessica, how is Dana?"

"Upstairs and asleep," said Jessica. "She wanted to stay awake for your arrival but nodded off about an hour before you got here. I took her upstairs and put her under the covers."

"Thank you," said Mrs. Waring.

"Anahita, why don't you help Daria take her luggage upstairs and then we can sit down for a late dinner?" said Mrs. Waring.

"Will do, Mum," said Anahita.

"This way," said Anahita. "Up the stairs."

"Apples and pears?" said Daria.

"You're learning Cockney slang!" said Anahita. "Good for you!"

Anahita pulled out her wand and pointed it at a round, object that looked like a frosted-glass ball.

"Lumos!" she said.

The frosted-glass ball began glowing. "We don't have electricity, but we don't use paraffin for interior lighting," said Anahita.

Daria gave a sigh of relief. She knew that people used kerosene lamps just before electricity became popular, but the idea of using them worried her. Too much of a fire-risk.

"So where will I be sleeping?" said Daria.

"My room," said Anahita. "My bedroom has a second bed."

Anahita walked down a short hallway and opened a door. "My room," she said quietly, then used her wand to light another frosted-glass ball on the other side of the door, illuminating a bedroom.

Daria was only able to pick out a few details of Anahita's bedroom. The glass ball gave the room the same amount of illumination as a forty-watt incandescent bulb. There wasn't really enough light to pick out the finer details of Anahita's room. Anahita took her suitcase and set it at the foot of one of the beds.

"This one's mine," she said.

Daria first set her suitcase at the foot of the other bed, then shed her outer garments. "Now I won't roast," she said.

"You won't," said Anahita. "It will get chilly later on, but we just use more blankets."

Anahita's bedroom was very much like her. Daria could see a writing desk, a tall book case, and framed pictures on the wall. There was also a small closet, a cabinet, a dresser. and a couple of straight-back chairs. It reminded Daria of her room back in Highland, except Anahita's room was larger, as was her window, and that Anahita's room lacked electric lights and a typewriter on the desk.

"Let's go downstairs for dinner," said Anahita. "I'll show you how to stow things after we go back upstairs."

"Shouldn't we wash our hands first?" said Daria.

"Good idea. The bathroom's this way," said Anahita.

Anahita's bathroom, like much of the the rest of the house, was illuminated by one of those frosted globes. Despite the lack of a big mirror in front of the sink, Daria was reminded of the small bathroom back in Highland that she shared with Quinn and Veronica.

She washed her hands and dried them with a washcloth.

The girls then walked down the hallway to the stairs, Anahita using a Nox charm to darken the bathroom light-globe. "The charms eventually fade after four hours or so, but Da says that it's good practice to put them out when they're not in use," Anahita said.

The stairway light-globe was still shining when Daria and Anahita descended the staircase.

"Ready for dinner?" said Mrs. Waring when the girls reached the ground floor.

"Luggage stowed and hands washed," said Anahita.

"Well, what do you think of our home?" said Mrs. Waring.

"This is my first chance to look at it so I can't say yet," Daria replied. "Thank you again for your hospitality."

Daria wasn't quite sure what to say when being invited into a genuine British wizarding home. The Warings' living room—or did they call it a foyer—was a pleasant room with painted walls, several rugs, hardwood floors and what looked like comfortable upholstered furniture. There were several paintings on the walls as well as several photographs. More framed photographs stood on a side table. The living room look like it might have been a Muggle home from decades ago, although Daria noted the lack of electricity. Were those lamps also light globes, or did wizards use some other method, she wondered. Of course there was no television set.

"You're welcome," said Mrs. Waring. "So now what do you think?"

"Nice place," said Daria. "And since I'm obliged to keep the Statutes of Secrecy, I won't be able to dish to Martha Stewart."

"Who?" said Mrs. Waring.

"Martha Stewart," said Daria. "An American Mundie who's made a new for herself critiquing and selling interior decoration."

Anahita and Mrs. Waring chuckled in amusement.

"Anahita, you grew up here, didn't you?" asked Daria.

"Yes, I did," said Anahita. "I grew up here."

"That must be nice," said Daria.

"Riverrun Cove?" said Mrs. Waring.

"The street where I live in Highland," Daria replied.

"I know you girls have a million things to talk about, but let's all sit down and eat before it all gets cold," said Mrs. Waring.

The Warings and their guest made their way to the dining room. The table was already set with tablecloth, placemats, plates, glasses and silverware. The dinner was simple but tasty: a pot roast with vegetables, kept warm with magic.

"I hope you don't mind if we didn't kill the fatted calf, but we did make dinner beforehand," said Anthea.

"No, I don't mind," said Daria.

Daria sat down and waited for a cue. She was all too aware that she wasn't familiar with British wizarding customs. Mrs. Waring saw Daria's hesitation, then said "In this day nigh the sun's rest, we welcome the guest to our hearth and thank Mother Earth for providing sustenance."

Daria waited warily if Mrs. Waring had any other cultural surprises for her, but Mrs. Waring only smiled at her and said "Go ahead, tuck in."

Daria reached for a roll, then said "Could you pass the butter, please?"

The butter dish was closer to Mr. Waring's end of the table. He gestured, and the butter dish rose from the table top and floated down to Daria.

Mr. Waring watched the American girl's eyes widen with surprise. "A bit of wandless magic," he said.

"I'm impressed," said Daria. "I tried to do a little wandless levitation but stuff sometimes spills."

"Well practice makes perfect," said Mr. Waring. "Still, not all that many wizards and witches are capable of wandless levitation."

"A couple of people in Highland have the knack," said Daria.

The dinner was simple but tasty: a pot roast with vegetables, kept warm with magic.

"So Daria, what do your parents do in the Muggle world?" said Jessica.

"Well, my mother is a lawyer and my Dad is a manager for a wholesale distribution company," said Daria.

"Did they both go to Ilvermorny?" asked Jessica.

"No, both of my parents grew up in the Mundane world," said Daria. "My Mom's what people in America call a Wild Squib and my Dad's family is entirely non-magical, despite the Morgendorffer surname."

"What is a Wild Squib?" asked Jessica.

"A Wild Squib is a Muggle with the same magical abilities as a Squib born to a wizarding family, except that his or her parents weren't magical. I think my maternal grandmother and at least one of my aunts also qualify for that label."

"Could I trouble you for your Mum's maiden name?" asked Jessica.

"Barksdale," Daria replied. "And yes, I look like the ones over here but I don't think my family has had anything to do with their English cousins for centuries."

"Can I ask you if you know what wizards and witches do for a living in your part of the world?" said Jessica.

"I don't know that much; I'm only eleven," said Daria, "but I do know that some of the witches and wizards who live near my town live and work in the non-Magical world. Some of them play catch-up where they'd left off their Muggle schooling and then get ordinary jobs. I know of at least one lady who works as a checker in a super-market and I've heard of another who went off to law school herself. Nobody thinks it's a big deal, at least not in Highland."

"So how does the MACUSA react to people working in the Muggle world?" asked Jessica.

"I can't really tell you," said Daria, "but it looks like they don't care that much as long as we conceal our magic and try not to get noticed."

"How often have you gotten noticed?" asked Jessica.

"A couple of times," said Daria. "The last time was when a guy broke into my Mom's house and I used a Bombarda curse on him."

"Ouch," said Mrs. Waring.

"This all sounds fascinating," said Mr. Waring, "but perhaps we can talk about it tomorrow."

"You said that you have two sisters," said Mrs. Waring. "How old are they?"

"Quinn is ten and Veronica is five," said Daria.

"Both of your parents work, am I right?" said Mrs. Waring. "How do your parents manage child-minding?"

"My younger sisters are in day-care after school, then Dad picks them up," said Daria, "On evenings when my parents go out, we use baby-sitters. My parents did hire nannies for longer periods."

"I see," said Mrs. Waring. Daria didn't think she approved. Maybe this au pair arrangement might be a better idea, she thought.

"We'll have to talk more about this," said Mrs. Waring. "In the meantime, who's for dessert?"

Dessert was a pudding, followed by after-dinner tea. Daria watched with amazement as Jessica and Mrs. Waring used magic to clear away the dinner dishes from the table.

After the last of the pudding was eaten, Mrs. Waring said "I expect that you girls are exhausted. Why don't you girls go up to bed? Jessica and I will take care of the dishes."

"But Mum," began Anahita.

"Not to worry, I'll put you to work tomorrow," said Mrs. Waring.

-(((O-O)))—

Mr. and Mrs. Waring retired not long after. As they lay under the covers, they thought about their house guest.

"Interesting girl," said Mrs. Waring.

"That she is," said Mr. Waring. "Definitely not from around here."

"You're right about her Barksdale family appearance," said Mrs. Waring, "except for her eyes. They're gray, like a witch's from one of the old families."

"I hadn't thought about that," said Mr. Waring.

Mrs. Waring chuckled. "She's clever. A bit awkward."

"That she is," said Mr. Waring. "Of course, most Ravenclaws are."

"Thank you," said Anthea.

"I'm curious about her town's wizarding circles," she continued. "We'll have to ask when she learned about magic and how much she knows about our world."

"There's something dodgy about her being at Hogwarts that bothers me," she continued.

"Definitely dodgy," said Mr. Waring. "It bothers me as well."

"An American girl with two Muggle parents attending Hogwarts," said Mrs. Waring. "Why Hogwarts? Hogwarts doesn't usually accept foreign-born students. Shouldn't she be attending Ilvermorny or one of the other American schools?"

"Hogwarts does accept foreign-born students if one or the other parent was from Magical Britain," said Mr. Waring.

"Oh, my," said Mrs. Waring.

"I wonder about Mrs. Morgendorffer's relationship with Mister Morgendorffer," said Mr. Waring. "Little Daria says that they're still married."

"She might have strayed," said Mrs. Waring. "But if she did, I wonder who Daria's real father might be?"

"Someone from the war," said Mr. Waring. "His family would be wealthy, with connections to Dumbledore and the Ministry. At a guess, one of the Old Families."

"If her father is from one of the Old Families, I wonder which one?" said Mrs. Waring.

Mr. Waring stared at the bedroom ceiling, thinking about Mrs. Waring's question. "My first guess would be a family that doesn't care that much about blood status. My second guess would be a family that lost so many children in the war that they're desperate enough to groom an American half-blood as an heiress."

Mrs. Waring paused in thought. "If she is a daughter of one of the Old Families, I wonder if she knows?" she said.

"I don't know," said Mr. Waring. "I doubt it. She's only eleven after all."

"Should we tell her?" said Mrs. Waring.

"No," said Mr. Waring. "It's not our place. I say take her story at face value and stay out of it."

Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl* Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl* Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl

Author's notes: I am hypothesizing that some young witches take work as au pairs after graduating from Hogwarts while they are either seeking apprenticeships or perhaps resuming their Muggle schooling. The Warings may not be able to afford house elves, but they are prosperous enough to hire an au pair.

I know this was not a canon thing in the Potterverse, but I am making it a wizarding custom that once flourished before the First Wizarding War, then began to reappear about seven or eight years after Voldemort's disappearance.