Reluctant Witches

Several days had passed since Calypso Avery got her Hogwarts letter. She spent a happy time with her family, fetching things for the Dark Lord, who was cruel and seemed annoyed she came back, but her family all played a game in the evening to make up for it. In the meantime, our favorite professor had a bit of a problem…

Professor Severus Snape stood at the Muggle (non-magical) train station with his niece. People of all ages walked or ran by. Muggles chased their children and their tickets and checked watches and schedules in varying stages of anxiety, as though it was a big deal that they miss their train to go to a concert or meeting or whatever. Snape found it irritating. He had already paid for the ticket.

This was definitely one of the hardest things he ever had to do.

"I'm deeply disappointed," he said softly. "You know I always had to scrape to support us." His niece, Mae, stood there in fear. She felt she might know what her uncle was doing. He had only gotten one ticket.

The train pulled up, with a hiss and puff of steam for all the world as if this was a normal day and nothing was depressing. People streamed out, chatting excitedly for the most part. Snape felt at least one person could do nicely to look at him in sympathy. No one did.

Silently, Snape handed Mae the one ticket and gently guided her up the stairs. Obediently, half-heartedly, she took her bag and took a seat by the window.

Poor thing, she looked like she might cry. "No," she moaned softly, probably hoping her uncle would have pity and change his mind. It was a slim hope since he rarely did.

This time, as so many other times, he viewed her grimly. "I don't want to do this. I don't want to give you off to the orphanage. I doubt I can keep us from going hungry much longer," he said somberly. He lowered his voice. "Also you're not magic."

"But you're the only person I know!" she cried.

"Good bye," Snape said softly for the last time. Only a few people were boarding now. His niece looked ready to say something when he felt a sharp, boney thing jab into his mid-back.

"You this…'Mae' person?" someone behind him asked. He whipped around. A dirty redhead boy had a letter. He was about his niece's age with ragged clothes, freckles, and covered in dirt. "That sounds like a girl name," the boy said cheerfully, oblivious to Snape's hand shooting out and snatching the letter.

"Mae…you're…" Snape stuttered, unable to believe the address of the letter. He hurriedly shoved the letter in his pocket. "GET OFF THE TRAIN!" he bellowed. Mae stood, face alight. "I can keep you!"

Mae rushed out of the window's view. Snape ran to the doors. They were almost closed-but how could he explain to Dumbledore that he had let his own niece slip through his fingers-he didn't want to admit just how much he shamefully neglected her-maybe, maybe nobody was looking and it wouldn't hurt. He drew his wand. Careful to keep it as hidden as he could without hesitating, he flashed it at the doors. With an odd crunching sound, they grated to a stop, and slowly, agonizingly, came open again.

"OI!" the conductor called. "The door! Who jacked the door?"

Snape couldn't say how glad he was that he knew how to do nonverbal incantations. Mae had almost made it-"Him, he's got the door!" someone on the train shouted-but what did it matter, Mae had to get off and besides his wand was now hidden in his sleeve-he might as well release the spell. She would make it.

Mae hurled out just as they were closing.

"How did you not tell me you are magic?" he softly scolded her, hugging her tightly. He blinked back tears, slightly faint with relief that he didn't have to give her away. She was the only child of his beloved brother.

"You never spent a lot of time with me," she whispered. "I kind of thought I was out of control and odd! I wouldn't let you notice!"

"Blimey how'd ya do that?" a bystander screamed. He ran up, holding on to his top hat. He stopped by Snape and gazed at him in awe. Other people just had to stare too. Some were clapping. A few whistled. Seriously, holding a door open like that without touching it isn't possible. Someone said it was him. Then a fearful look crossed the man's face as though a deplorable thought came to him. "You aren't magic, are you?" he whispered.

Snape sent him a cold look. Getting arrested was the last thing he needed, because then Mae really would have to be sent to the orphanage. The bloke gulped and backed off.

Snape turned back to his niece after making sure the bloke wasn't calling any authority. "You realize Lily is also magic," he said softly.

Tears brimmed in her eyes, but he suspected it was more painful for him than her. "You wouldn't care I thought," she managed. "You never ask me about my life. Lily does that. I thought she was going to tell you."

Snape was going to say something when some kid howled near him. He turned to see who it was. The freckled boy gawked.

"And where did you find this," Snape said to the boy, taking Mae's letter from his pocket.

"On the doorstep of some grand house," the boy said, eyes wide. "Just as you left, a owl swooped down and dropped it on the ground! It was so weird! It only stared at me for a second. I guess those live in people's fire places. It dropped a letter on my head too." He waved his in the air. He looked at it. "At least, I think it's mine. It says 'Jonnykins' on it, right?"

"But you read 'Mae'," Snape said, taking the boy's letter. "Yes that says 'Jonnykins.'"

"Goody! I never get paper!" Jonnykins cheered. He did a little dance, then settled down, still grinning. "I read 'Mae' since that's a shorter name."

"It's just cursive," Mae said.

"Yea, but if you're a street kid like me, swirly fancy stuff is hard to read," Jonnykins said matter of factly.

"I'm a little annoyed Lily didn't tell you you're a witch," Snape muttered down at Mae.

Jonny got excited again. "Blimey! What's in it? What's it about? What's a witch? Does that mean I'm one too?"

Snape sighed. "It's a letter." He handed it back to Jonnykins. "Yes, you are a wizard, which means that you can go to this school." He pointed to the crest in the wax seal in the corner. "I work there."

"Blimey!" Jonnykins gasped.

"Being magic and getting this letter is an honor," Snape said.

"AWESOME!" Jonnykins shouted. Several people jumped. Snape's glower was enough to restrain Jonny from further shouting.

"Do you have anyone to accompany you to where we…need to go?" Snape said. Jonny shook his head. "Then come with me."

If there was any place Caly didn't want to be, it was Diagon Alley.

"O blimey," she whimpered, jostled by odd people from a world she hadn't seen since she was five. Memories were flooding back; her father carrying her on his hip while her mother shopped for healer supplies, her brother complaining, then him being shushed—

"Great scott, Griffith. Are you fourteen or what?" Narcissus interrupted her thoughts. He grabbed Griffith by the arm and dragged him away from petting a random bloke's weasel. "Only little children who don't know better can get away with touching random animals," Narcissus said sternly. Griffith nodded submissively, then scowled when his dad turned away.

He stared at Caly's caught look. "What, I'm a teenager," he whispered to her.

Just then, the Malfoys happened to walk up to them.

"O, how lovely," Svana said. "Your son got accepted to Hogwarts too, then?"

"Why, of course," Lucius said. "Here is Calypso's letter, by the way," he said graciously, handing it to her.

"Why, thank you," Narcissus said courteously, taking it and examining it. "I do say, I did forget what was on the list for first years to get." He glanced up. His eyes settled on a short, timid girl behind Narcissa, hiding as though she didn't want to be seen, even though her raven-black wild hair was so curly it made her hard not to spot. It was down to her waist. She peeped out through Narcissa's gauzy outer skirt. Even still, they could tell the little girl had chalk white skin.

"Remind me," Svana said softly. "Who is this?"

"Our daughter, Bellatrix Malfoy, named after Narcissa's sister," Lucius said. "She's timid and fragile. I would not have let her come with us to…the Hiding Place."

Griffith, grinning, crouched and opened his arms for Bella. She ran up to him and he picked her up.

"She was away, getting treated for a nasty cold," Narcissa said. "Thankfully, she's over it now. Also she's scared of new people, so please try not to frighten her."

"Of course," Svana said. "We love children. Your girl there is a pretty one. Her grey eyes…"

"Yes," Griffith agreed. She put her arms around his neck. He kissed her head.

"Pardon, my husband was the one who brought our son over to play, but I'm curious. Was she adopted?" Svana asked.

"Yes," Narcissa said. "Lucius didn't want her, but she was a darling cutie…we didn't know if she was somehow related to us because she does look like my sister. So I suspect she might be a Lestrange. My sister was taken prisoner when she was pregnant. I couldn't help feeling sorry for the girl's poor mother, seeing our Bella as a baby. She was pretty tiny and frail."

"I see," Svana said. "Forgive us for asking, but it has been too long, despite our visits, really."

Bellatrix was gazing with sympathy at the apparently lost and forsaken Caly. "You and I are gonna be friends," Bella whispered.

"I do need a friend," Caly sniffed. Slowly, Bellatrix slipped from Griffith's arms and tentatively hugged Caly.

"Aww look! Our Bella has the sweetest soul," Narcissa cooed.

"Not intimidating or feared at all," Lucius muttered. "She needs to work on it. Some Death Eater she's gonna be someday…"

"Well," Narcissus said. "Why don't we get our books and things together, then?"

"What an excellent idea," Narcissa said.

And so they went, chatting, Bella and Caly walking together.

"I don't remember you," Bellatrix managed. She was super shy still.

"I don't remember you," Caly replied sullenly. "I haven't been here in a super long time."

"I think you don't like this place," Bella guessed, head cocked.

"I don't like this at all!" Caly whispered. "I don't fit in…I don't feel a part of this…"

"Oi," Bella said softly, putting her arm around her. "I'll be your friend. I like all this, so maybe I can help you see the bright side." Caly smiled faintly, joy seeping into her black eyes.

After they had gathered their books and been sized up for robes, they only had to get their wands. They all went into Olivander's store.

When they entered, he shuffled over. "Why hello," he said. He eyed the three children. "Who first?"

"Not me!" Caly gasped, hiding behind Bella. Or rather, trying to. Everyone was taller than Bella.

"ME!" Draco said loudly and grandly. Olivander pulled off the shelf a long, thin box. He set it on the desk. Draco stepped forward eagerly.

"Now, Draco," Lucius said. Draco carefully took the wand. Nothing happened.

"It's ugly anyway," Draco sniffed, putting it back in the box. Several more were tried with the same results. Caly whimpered behind Bellatrix. She stared at the floor, where there were no wand boxes.

"Hawthorn, phoenix feather. Ten inches," she heard Olivander say later, after Draco tried several more wands. "Reasonably springy." She looked up just in time to see green and silver sparks shoot up from the wand as Draco took it. He yelped. Lucius and Narcissa clapped their hands.

"What a refined wand!" Lucius said. "Lovely!"

"Caly…" Narcissus said slowly. She crouched more behind Bellatrix.

"You go first, Bella," she whispered.

"No, you go, I want you to stop worrying and get it over with," Svana said. "It would make it easier for you."

Caly whimpered, but stepped forward tentatively to take the wand Olivander laid out for her. That one didn't work. They tried a few more.

"Ironbark, unicorn, eight inches," Olivander said, opening the box to a sleek, black wand.

"I like that one," Draco muttered, slightly furiously. Caly tentatively reached for it.

She picked it out of the box. They stood for a moment, then yellow sparks swirled out to the ceiling. She shrieked, then stared up at where they had gone. Her parents came forward.

"What a handsome one," Narcissus said. Svana nodded.

"O my Caly baby and her first wand," she said affectionately.

Narcissa had to gently push Bellatrix forward. She tried about half the wands in the store.

"We only have so much time," Lucius said impatiently.

"Goodness, this is our daughter's wand we are finding," Narcissa said. She gave him a slightly reproachful look. Bellatrix took a look at the next wand.

"Alder, basilisk horn, ten inches," Olivander said. Bellatrix delicately took it in her right hand. Nothing happened. Lucius sighed in impatience.

"You're a lefty, Bella," Narcissa said.

Bella switched hands. Green and black sparks slithered out. The company clapped. Even Lucius looked slightly in awe.

"You know what," he said softly. "For once I think you'll be just fine."

The reaction was immediate. "For once?" Bella whimpered.

The Averys gave him a look of contempt.

"LUCIOUS!" Narcissa scolded. Lucius cringed. He winced as she gave him a slap. "If you're going to continue treating her like that, I'm glad she's leaving!"

Caly threw her arms around Bella. "He's a meanie," she whispered. She let Griff pick Bella up.

"Black and green, slithering," Draco muttered as they left the store, after paying for the wands. "Ok fine. She's not as bad as I thought."

"Yes, Draco," Lucius said, glancing nervously at his wife. "A true Slytherin, I'm sure. She's part of the family."