Disclaimer: Refer to Ch.1
The curtain's hanging upon the window were blowing gently, making sweet whispers in the wind. Hermione stirred ever so slowly, so as not to wake her sleeping cousin, but continued to lie there. As the sun began to creep onto the bed, Cooper stretched like a cat waking out of a peaceful slumber. They both sat up at the same time, put on their slippers and robes, and made their way down the stairs, towards the only smell that would wake them up: coffee and donuts. (A/N: mmmmmm, that sounds good right now... Hey! How about that! Its time for breakfast...)
They entered the dining area to the sounds of their family laughing. Cooper headed straight for a cup of coffee, and Hermione went for a donut. She leaned back on the counter and watched her mother, father, small cousin, aunt and uncle sit at the table and do their morning routine, together. The girls both said good morning, gave hugs, and started up the stairs, Cooper snatching a glazed donut on the way.
"Well, dear coz, I'm going to go take a shower," Cooper said, setting her now empty cup down onto her desk. "Feel free to get dressed or, well, whatever."
She grinned, gathered her clean clothes, and went to the bathroom. Hermione got dressed quickly, and then remembered that she still had a donut. She ate the small thing, and walked to the waste-paper basket. Just before throwing in the napkin, she noticed a cream colored envelope, with emerald green handwriting, and a crimson red `H' seal.
Hermione grabbed the envelope and read the front out loud. "Ms. C. Landing, yellow door on second story, 1701 Branbury Dr., Santa Ana, California. Oh my God! She...she...Oh My God!" Hermione screamed. She ran out the room, over to the bathroom door, knocked frantically for 10 seconds, and when Cooper opened the door in a rush, Hermione grabbed her by the shirt, and dragged her into the bedroom, slamming the door after them.
"Why...did...you...not...tell...me" Hermione said, trying to gather her breath.
"Tell you what?" Cooper asked confused. `What the heck is she on and remind me to avoid it!' she thought.
"You got accepted to Hogwarts! Why didn't you say anything? How long have you known? Coop!!" Hermione was flailing her arms all around, the envelope still in her hand, yelling at the top of her lungs. Cooper grabbed her hands, took the envelope, looked it over, and replied bored, " I didn't really think it mattered. It's junk mail, duh! I mean, come on, there is no such thing as witches! That's why I threw it away. You don't really believe that crap do you?" (A/N: now THAT'S American. LOL)
"No such thing!" Hermione gasped. She once again grabbed Coopers shirt and dragged her along behind her, this time down the stairs to where their parents still were. Toby had already gone outside to play with Puddles, their chocolate lab puppy. The parents stopped conversing as soon as their daughters appeared.
"Hermione, dear, what's going on?" her Aunt Madison asked in the same sweet tone. "Why are you gripping Coop's nice shirt?"
"Mum, Dad, did you tell them yet? Did you?" Hermione asked in a rush, looking from one parent to another.
Christa nodded, and a look of realization appeared upon the Landing parents' faces. "Then please explain to Coop that this," Herm said, waving the envelope in the air for everyone to see, "is not CRAP! That they DO exist!" Exasperated, she sat down between her parents, and laid her head in her hands. Cooper looked from one person to another, her eyes lying for the longest time on her Aunt Christa and Uncle Nigel, giving them the `Can someone PLEASE explain this to me?' look. All of the sudden Hermione jumped out of her chair and ran upstairs. She came back five minutes later.
Madison helped her daughter into a chair at the head of the table, then took her seat once again, and gave Christa a look that said `Begin'.
"Cooper, honey, we all love you , and you know that right?" her Aunt Christa said, giving everyone a check to see if it was okay to go on. "Well, a couple years ago Hermione got the same letter as you. And we thought it was rubbish too, but it wasn't dear. Hermione got a Hogwart's letter too, and she's been attending that school for the past 5 years. While you've been going through middle and High school, Herm here has been learning spells and such things."
Cooper looked at everyone, and then smirked. "This is really funny guys, I mean it. I almost believed you. You guys are good. If you'll excuse me now, I would like to go back to the bathroom and finish my shower." Before she could get up from the table however, Hermione jumped up and placed her hands forcibly on Coop's shoulders. `Oh please don't let me get into too much trouble!' Hermione thought to herself.
With one hand still on Coop's shoulders, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her wand. With a swish and flick she said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" and pointed at a candle in the middle of the table. It began to float into the air, as if on a pillow, and twirled around, making it give the illusion that it was dancing. It then landed gently back into the candle-holder and Hermione held her breath, walked back to her seat and sat there, very still. Not 10 minutes later a red letter came in through the window and landed right in front of Hermione. Everyone gasped, and Herm looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She opened it very slowly, and covered her ears just as it bellowed, "MS. GRANGER, WHAT IN THE WIZARDING WORLD WERE YOU THINKING? PERFORMING MAGIC IN FRONT OF PEOPLE, MUGGLES NONE THE LESS?! THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND ONLY WARNING. PLEASE HEED IT. Professor McGonagall."
Everyone except for Hermione was shocked. Cooper looked like a ton of bricks had just fallen on her. She couldn't believe it. It was true! Her own cousin was a witch! And she was to be one too! Cooper then proceeded to drag Hermione up to her bedroom, and give her the third degree.
"Why didn't you TELL ME!? You're a freaking witch girl! I can't believe it! Crap! And I can be one too!?" Cooper was jumping up and down, like a kid who had just gotten all of their Christmas wishes come true.
The rest of the week passed by quickly. Cooper had persuaded her parents to let her go back with Hermione and her family in order to attend Hogwarts. Hermione tried her best to explain what things were like in the wizarding world but it couldn't be done. Everything was too much for Cooper to handle. In one morning her whole world had turned upside down. After much deliberation she had convinced herself that it was for the best. `Sure,' she had thought, `I'm leaving my friends, but think of it! I'll be making new ones! And I can practice magic too! This is the life.'
At the end of the week she said goodbye to her parents. It was a sad time for her. The longest she had ever been away was for a month, and that was because she had gone on a school field trip. This was for a year. And she wouldn't even be able to see her 5 year-old brother at all. This was going to be one heck of a year.
The curtain's hanging upon the window were blowing gently, making sweet whispers in the wind. Hermione stirred ever so slowly, so as not to wake her sleeping cousin, but continued to lie there. As the sun began to creep onto the bed, Cooper stretched like a cat waking out of a peaceful slumber. They both sat up at the same time, put on their slippers and robes, and made their way down the stairs, towards the only smell that would wake them up: coffee and donuts. (A/N: mmmmmm, that sounds good right now... Hey! How about that! Its time for breakfast...)
They entered the dining area to the sounds of their family laughing. Cooper headed straight for a cup of coffee, and Hermione went for a donut. She leaned back on the counter and watched her mother, father, small cousin, aunt and uncle sit at the table and do their morning routine, together. The girls both said good morning, gave hugs, and started up the stairs, Cooper snatching a glazed donut on the way.
"Well, dear coz, I'm going to go take a shower," Cooper said, setting her now empty cup down onto her desk. "Feel free to get dressed or, well, whatever."
She grinned, gathered her clean clothes, and went to the bathroom. Hermione got dressed quickly, and then remembered that she still had a donut. She ate the small thing, and walked to the waste-paper basket. Just before throwing in the napkin, she noticed a cream colored envelope, with emerald green handwriting, and a crimson red `H' seal.
Hermione grabbed the envelope and read the front out loud. "Ms. C. Landing, yellow door on second story, 1701 Branbury Dr., Santa Ana, California. Oh my God! She...she...Oh My God!" Hermione screamed. She ran out the room, over to the bathroom door, knocked frantically for 10 seconds, and when Cooper opened the door in a rush, Hermione grabbed her by the shirt, and dragged her into the bedroom, slamming the door after them.
"Why...did...you...not...tell...me" Hermione said, trying to gather her breath.
"Tell you what?" Cooper asked confused. `What the heck is she on and remind me to avoid it!' she thought.
"You got accepted to Hogwarts! Why didn't you say anything? How long have you known? Coop!!" Hermione was flailing her arms all around, the envelope still in her hand, yelling at the top of her lungs. Cooper grabbed her hands, took the envelope, looked it over, and replied bored, " I didn't really think it mattered. It's junk mail, duh! I mean, come on, there is no such thing as witches! That's why I threw it away. You don't really believe that crap do you?" (A/N: now THAT'S American. LOL)
"No such thing!" Hermione gasped. She once again grabbed Coopers shirt and dragged her along behind her, this time down the stairs to where their parents still were. Toby had already gone outside to play with Puddles, their chocolate lab puppy. The parents stopped conversing as soon as their daughters appeared.
"Hermione, dear, what's going on?" her Aunt Madison asked in the same sweet tone. "Why are you gripping Coop's nice shirt?"
"Mum, Dad, did you tell them yet? Did you?" Hermione asked in a rush, looking from one parent to another.
Christa nodded, and a look of realization appeared upon the Landing parents' faces. "Then please explain to Coop that this," Herm said, waving the envelope in the air for everyone to see, "is not CRAP! That they DO exist!" Exasperated, she sat down between her parents, and laid her head in her hands. Cooper looked from one person to another, her eyes lying for the longest time on her Aunt Christa and Uncle Nigel, giving them the `Can someone PLEASE explain this to me?' look. All of the sudden Hermione jumped out of her chair and ran upstairs. She came back five minutes later.
Madison helped her daughter into a chair at the head of the table, then took her seat once again, and gave Christa a look that said `Begin'.
"Cooper, honey, we all love you , and you know that right?" her Aunt Christa said, giving everyone a check to see if it was okay to go on. "Well, a couple years ago Hermione got the same letter as you. And we thought it was rubbish too, but it wasn't dear. Hermione got a Hogwart's letter too, and she's been attending that school for the past 5 years. While you've been going through middle and High school, Herm here has been learning spells and such things."
Cooper looked at everyone, and then smirked. "This is really funny guys, I mean it. I almost believed you. You guys are good. If you'll excuse me now, I would like to go back to the bathroom and finish my shower." Before she could get up from the table however, Hermione jumped up and placed her hands forcibly on Coop's shoulders. `Oh please don't let me get into too much trouble!' Hermione thought to herself.
With one hand still on Coop's shoulders, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her wand. With a swish and flick she said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" and pointed at a candle in the middle of the table. It began to float into the air, as if on a pillow, and twirled around, making it give the illusion that it was dancing. It then landed gently back into the candle-holder and Hermione held her breath, walked back to her seat and sat there, very still. Not 10 minutes later a red letter came in through the window and landed right in front of Hermione. Everyone gasped, and Herm looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She opened it very slowly, and covered her ears just as it bellowed, "MS. GRANGER, WHAT IN THE WIZARDING WORLD WERE YOU THINKING? PERFORMING MAGIC IN FRONT OF PEOPLE, MUGGLES NONE THE LESS?! THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND ONLY WARNING. PLEASE HEED IT. Professor McGonagall."
Everyone except for Hermione was shocked. Cooper looked like a ton of bricks had just fallen on her. She couldn't believe it. It was true! Her own cousin was a witch! And she was to be one too! Cooper then proceeded to drag Hermione up to her bedroom, and give her the third degree.
"Why didn't you TELL ME!? You're a freaking witch girl! I can't believe it! Crap! And I can be one too!?" Cooper was jumping up and down, like a kid who had just gotten all of their Christmas wishes come true.
The rest of the week passed by quickly. Cooper had persuaded her parents to let her go back with Hermione and her family in order to attend Hogwarts. Hermione tried her best to explain what things were like in the wizarding world but it couldn't be done. Everything was too much for Cooper to handle. In one morning her whole world had turned upside down. After much deliberation she had convinced herself that it was for the best. `Sure,' she had thought, `I'm leaving my friends, but think of it! I'll be making new ones! And I can practice magic too! This is the life.'
At the end of the week she said goodbye to her parents. It was a sad time for her. The longest she had ever been away was for a month, and that was because she had gone on a school field trip. This was for a year. And she wouldn't even be able to see her 5 year-old brother at all. This was going to be one heck of a year.