… Faint Memories …
The night air felt cold. There was a cackling laugh that sends shivers down my spine. I'm vaguely aware of another presence in the room with me. I roll and squirm in my crib. I can feel the cold sinking into my bones. A woman screams and collapses to the floor and blinding green light.
I bolt up in bed panting and sweating. I gasp uncontrollable trying to rid myself of the horrid dream. It's too late to go back to sleep so I get up and throw on my running clothes. I grab a water before I start my run and drink a bit while I stretch. I return home an hour and a half later to find my parents in the garden hard at work. I chug the rest of my water and help them in the garden. "Another bad dream?" dad asks as he plucks some fresh herbs. "Yep, the same blinding green light." I sigh heavily and add a few potatoes and carrots to my basket.
"Are you sure you're, ok?" mum asks with a note of concern. "I went for a run earlier and I'm feeling much better." I smile and pick a few green onions and tomatoes. My twin sister comes out a few minutes later in her overalls and crouches next to me. "You left early. You could've woken me. I would've gone running with you." She yawns tiredly and pouts. "Yeah, that was real convincing Meredith." I roll my eyes playfully. She eyes my basket.
"What are we making today?" she wonders. "Gnocchi and a vegetable lasagna." I smile as she tries to keep her balance. "When is our tutor coming over?" Meredith asks mum. "You have 3 hours to pick your veggies, wash up, and prep everything. I should also remind you that your math and language teachers have rescheduled so we'll go to the zoo tomorrow. I want you both to plan and pack a small lunch." mum picks a rather large head of cabbage and places it in her basket.
Meredith goes to get her basket and begins picking her veggies while I pick herbs and check the hen house. I take a quick shower since I'm now sweaty and dirty. I put my long black hair in a braid and put on a simple sundress and sandals. Meredith stumbles past to the showers. I lay out a similar outfit, but she has me put her hair in pigtails. I hurry down to the kitchen and wash and prep my ingredients. Our tutor arrives right on schedule and our cooking lesson begins.
I watch nervously as our tutor and parents try my dishes first then Meredith's. None of them gives any indication if they like or hate the food. I bite my lip nervously and Meredith grabs my hand. "You pass with flying colors. For next week I want you girls to research various deserts from different cultures pick six you want to try and be prepared with the ingredients and the recipes." Our tutor smiles and nods to our parents before leaving. Meredith slides to the floor in relief. I try some of her food and do a happy dance. Mum joins me and in seconds there's not a single morsel left on the plate.
I sit in the sunroom and flip through recipe books for my next assignment. Both our parents are chefs and they passed on their love of food to us. I should mention they aren't our biological parents. Our biological parents died when we were young, and we were adopted soon after by the parents we know today. Mum has dark chocolate brown hair and hazel eyes. Dad has copper red hair and forest green eyes. They hired tutors for us when we were around 5 because we excelled intellectually and that made it hard for us to sit in class with our fellow students.
Meredith is always a nervous wreck when we're to be graded on our assignments, but she always manages to do something that knocks our socks off. She runs into the sunroom and puts her head on my lap. "What are you making to take to the zoo?" she asks. "Pasta salad with grilled fruit." I reply still flipping through the book. "Cass. Cassie! Cassie, please help me! I don't know what to pack." Meredith whines. I close my book with a sigh and let her lead me to the kitchen.
I help her with her short rib meatballs and banana nut bread with fresh homemade butter. I go back to my recipe search until it's time for dance lessons. This week I have ballet, ballroom, and tap so I pack appropriately and grab fruit, granola bars, and a few waters. Mum drops us off at the studio. Meredith has contemporary, jazz, and hip hop. I wave and go get changed for tap.
Meredith wakes me early the next morning. I shower and slip into the short sleeve shirt and apron dress mum laid out. I pair it with sneakers and put my hair into a low ponytail. I skip to the kitchen and finish the pasta salad and grill the fresh fruit. I pack it into seal tight containers and place them in the picnic basket mum has sitting on the counter. I peel oranges and a banana while I wait for my family to finish getting ready.
Meredith is in hyper mode as we walk around the zoo. When we stop for lunch, she's starving and wolfs down her food. I hand her a slice of grilled watermelon with syrup drizzled on it. "Cassidy, does it look like she needs more sugar." Dad chuckles. "I see your point." I take the watermelon slice and hand it to him. Meredith frowns and I hold out a forkful of the pasta salad I made. She takes the bite and dances happily in her seat.
After lunch we head to the reptile house. I'm reading the information cards when I hear screaming down the hall. apparently one of the snakes has escaped. I swear the snake looks happy as it passes me. I turn slowly in the direction it came from. A boy with untidy black hair and green eyes like mine and Meredith's is watching the snake with a smile. Our eyes meet for a split second and then a beefy man begins to yell at the boy. Mum and dad hurry over with Meredith trailing behind them. They make sure I'm ok then hug me tightly.
A year has passed, and Meredith and I are in the garden when I spot a strange person walking up the drive. I immediately call for mum. She hurries out of the house and greets the newcomer. They go inside and I go back to gardening. Meredith hands me a cup of water and I take it gratefully. Dad comes out after an hour. "You girls go wash up then come into the living room." he ushers us inside. We enter the living room and sit down next to mum. It's then that we find out we're wizards. The Ministry official has us do a few simple tests and then takes us to Diagon Alley. We exchange money then get our supplies. Our last stop is the wandmakers.
For once I'm just as nervous if not more so than Meredith. Meredith goes first and sends several boxes fling with her first attempt. It takes several wands and 30 minutes to find the right fit. Mr. Olivander waves me forward. It takes another 10 minutes to find the right wand for me. Once home I put my things away and flop onto my bed. Me a wizard. I can hardly believe it.
I've already put my things on the train and walk over to my parents. "Aww we're going to miss you girls oh so much!" mum sniffles pulling me into a hug. I hug her back not wanting to let go. Dad peels me off of her and I cling to him. "You have to go. You'll miss the train." he whispers. I frown but listen. I have to drag Meredith to the train, and we wave until we can no longer see them.
"Cassidy Evans Potter!" the stern looking woman calls out my name. I make my way forward and climb onto the stool. She places the Sorting Hat on my head and thankfully it droops so low I can no longer see the rest of the hall. "Ravenclaw!" the hat yells. I breath a sigh of relief and hop down off the stool and hand the hat back to the stern woman. I hurry to my new house without tripping. "Meredith Evans Potter." She calls out. A girl with big silvery eyes and pale blonde hair nudges me. "Is that your sister?" she wonders. I nod. "Ravenclaw!" the hat yells after a minute.
Meredith hands the hat back and rushes over. "That was nerve wracking." She gasps. I pat her head calming her down. "Hi, I'm Cassidy, but you can call me Cassie." I hold my hand out to the girl from earlier. She shakes my hand. "I'm Luna, Luna Lovegood." She smiles.