Audrey woke up slowly, letting the sunshine from the window completely seep
into her small room. She looked around her and sighed, knowing that even
though today was a special day, it certainly didn't really feel like it.
Outside, a small breeze was sweeping through the branches of the trees in
front of the Moon house and inside, the rooms were very empty and quite
dead. There was no one in the household this morning because of Jonathan's
unexpected business trips and because Marianne had left earlier to visit
some friends. How Marianne was allowed to go kilometers away to visit
friends, Audrey had no idea. It didn't seem natural that her father let
Marianne, a thirteen-year-old girl, travel the country alone. Maybe
Marianne had some friends who picked her up. But trying to push these
thoughts away from her mind, Audrey wanted to enjoy the day as much as
possible since this would be the only time she would ever be just freshly
aged eleven. And since the sun was beautiful outside and the household was
empty, she climbed out of her bed, quickly donned some clothing, and ran
outside to sit in the grass.
She laid herself out underneath the grand oak tree that towered over the neighborhood and looked up at the branches, wishing, dreaming and hoping for things she knew would never take place. The wind blew gently through the leaves, producing a beautifully calming, rustling noise that was pleasant to the ears. 'I'm eleven,' she thought to herself, stretching out and breathing deeply. ' And now I'm much older, though I don't feel it..Eleven, that's a strange number. One, one.'
Her thoughts trailed on, flying up to the sky, swirling in the wind. A few minutes later, her train of consciousness changed to a different topic. 'Why is it that we're the only house in this entire neighborhood that has a tall, healthy tree?' She lifted herself up on her elbows and glanced at the other houses on her street. The small birdhouse-like houses each had a patch of grass in the front, bare except for some bushes, a petit garden or little sprouts of branches that were somehow considered to be trees. Her oak tree seemed to be stretching to touch the clouds, rising high above her. Audrey lay back down and let the wind take her mind and let it think of whichever subject it came upon. The sun trickled through the branches loaded heavy with leaves and the light danced on the ground next to where Audrey's body was sprawled casually.
Audrey lazily got to her feet and went inside, pausing at the door to look up at the crisp blue sky. 'Stardust!' she called gently in her head. She climbed the stairs and went inside her bedroom to sit on the bed and think some more.
'Happy Birthday, Audrey!' Stardust exclaimed excitedly as he dashed into Audrey's small room and gracefully leaped unto her lap. 'So, have you opened the small beige box yet?' He settled himself between her legs and regarded her with curiosity.
"Oh!" Audrey cried suddenly. 'I completely forgot about the box. I was too busy trying not to think about it that I actually didn't think of it anymore!' She laughed to herself, but then she quickly snapped her head back and her eyes widened. 'Today's my eleventh birthday.' She cautiously looked at the drawer where she had hidden the little beige box days before.
'Well, go open it,' Stardust urged her. 'You should, and now is the best time since no one is home.'
'But didn't papa want me to open it when he gave it to me?'
'I believe you chose rightly when you decided to leave the package unopened until your birthday. In this way, you will keep your mother's wish and you will better understand your situation.' Stardust stared directly at Audrey with a serious expression.
'Why? What's so important about my being eleven?' Audrey shifted her weight and gingerly stood up, gently pushing Stardust to the side.
'Just open the parcel and you'll discover what it is.' Stardust sat on his haunches and his golden eyes bore into Audrey's.
'You know what it is? And you didn't tell me?' Audrey looked incredulously at her cat.
'I only have an estimate of what is contained in that small box. But my opinion doesn't matter.'
Stardust's urging and curiosity got the better of Audrey and she swiftly went to her desk, grabbed the handle to the drawer and pulled it open. She frantically searched through its contents, muttering to herself. The she spotted the box, the creamy-colored surface close to her fingertips. She scooped it up in her hands and brought it over to Stardust, who was regarding it with caution. She hurriedly crouched on her bed and placed the box on one palm, then the other, trying to envision what she was holding.
'Wait, no one ever said it was important,' Audrey quickly discovered. 'Could it actually be important? It's just a small little box.'
'My dear, it is important only if you wish it to be.' Stardust nudged Audrey's hand and pushed it closer to the beige box. 'Just open it, it could just be a good surprise, I believe.' Audrey took the box, tipped it to the side and untied the brown string. She dug her fingernails into the grooves of the edges of the top and lightly and carefully pulled it open. Lots of tissue paper was revealed and Audrey cautiously rummaged though it, finding a beautiful sterling silver ring. The metal was a bit worn and had a dark, grayish tint to it, but the gleam and shine of the ring was magnificent. It wasn't wide, but also not narrow; it was a petit width and when Audrey pushed it unto her ring finger on her left hand, it was her precise size. On the top, there was a gorgeous stone cut into the metal, its color a rosy amber, pretty yet subtle. This stone was as wide as her ring finger and the light softly reflected off its surface. In the middle of the stone was another rock, but it was unpolished. It was very miniscule, the size of one's pupils when there is a blinding light glaring into one's eyes, and its color was the same dusty rose amber as the stone it was encrusted into, but it was duller and somewhat darker, but still wonderfully mysterious just the same.
Stardust was intently staring at the piece of jewelry which Audrey wore on her finger. 'Stardust, I don't think it's very important, but it sure feels like it.' She glanced down at the ring and rolled her hand from side to side so that she could see it glimmer and shine.
'I suggest you keep that safe, from everyone.' Stardust's tone had become grave and cautious, his manner frightened and alert. He jumped off the bed and went towards the door, glancing at Audrey for a moment before he slipped through the opening to the hallway.
Audrey was shocked. Never before had her Stardust been so stark and abrupt towards her, he'd always been gentle and kind, understanding and comforting. But now, when his comments could be heard and when she could directly communicate with him, he turned away in fear. What was so significant about this tiny piece of metal?
'Stardust is probably just over reacting. A ring couldn't posses any power!' She grasped the ring, slipped it off her pale finger and placed it among the crinkly tissue paper in the box. Thinking of Stardust's bizarre behavior, she slid the top and bottom together and quickly let the box rest on top of her desk. Still in wonder, she gathered herself and found her way downstairs to the sitting room where she took a promising book from the shelves and plopped down in the dark blue armchair, allowing her troubles to flow from her mind to the story being unraveled in her imagination.
That night, Jonathan and Marianne surprised Audrey with a small celebration including cake, presents and many smiles. Usually, nothing atypical happened on someone's birthday in their family except that there was giving of gifts. But Marianne had believed that this was a unique occasion, marking Audrey's coming of age. But Audrey did not know this, and the news she received that night was unbelievably incredible. Never before could she completely believe in what she heard, it had always just been a dream that couldn't be reached. It was exactly like the egg and long-necked bottle experiment. It looks fully impossible, yet no matter how it seems, the egg could simply (and amazingly) slip right through the neck. It was possible.
After dinner (which Marianne had prepared by herself, using Isabella's treasured cookbook that had been in existence for many, many generations) Jonathan and Audrey helped Marianne clear the kitchen and clean the dishes before residing in the dark blue-based sitting room. Audrey took a seat on the sofa, relaxing into its contours and breathing deeply, knowing that she felt very safe and secure. Jonathan joined her, neatly lowering himself next to her as he called "Marianne! Where are you?" towards the kitchen.
"I'm here!" she grinned as she swooped through the doorway carrying some brightly wrapped packages. "I wouldn't miss this for the world!" She seemed so giddy and excited, carelessly dropping the packages on the glass-topped coffee table and hurriedly rushing to the big bay window to securely draw the dark blue drapes, leaving the sitting room warmly lit by the soft electric lighting.
By this time, Audrey's thoughts were whizzing in swirls, confused and greatly curious. 'Why is Marianne so excited? It's just a couple of presents.And why did she shut the windows and close the drapes?' But her wondering was abruptly terminated when the room became deathly silent and Audrey found Jonathan and Marianne intently staring at her. She was about to break the still air when her father uttered the oddest word she had ever heard.
"Accio!" he whispered with a commanding hiss. He tightly held on to a long wooden stick. It was a beautiful mahogany color, thin and supple, so brilliantly remarkable that Audrey couldn't keep her eyes elsewhere. Immediately after her father spoke, he held out his hand to the air and clutched at something which Audrey didn't see. His face was set in the gravest expression, his usually jovial face stern, the eyes dark and intimidating, his lips forming the straightest line. Out of the corner of her eye, Audrey saw Marianne, who was sitting on the plushy armchair trying to contain herself, her hands trembling and twisting around each other. Her large black eyes were glued directly on Jonathan's clenched hand, slightly sparkling with great anticipation. Focusing her attention back to her father, Audrey gasped with utter surprise, for in Jonathan's upturned palm was the mysterious ring she had found in the small beige box earlier that day.
"Audrey, my child. I believe that it is now time to let you in on something that we've been hiding from you for quite a long while."
Jonathan Moon, the usually self-controlled and proper business man, sighed heavily with difficulty. Audrey did not breathe one word, but remained still, steadily gazing into her father's eyes. She was frightened out of her mind, but yet safer than she'd felt in a long time because her father's voice was deep, loving and extremely comforting. His dark brown eyes were darkest black and his mouth quivered, uncertain whether if he should continue or stop and keep it to himself.
"Papa, just tell her, will you?" Marianne blurted. By just glancing at her sitting in the armchair, anyone could see that she could no longer sustain herself, and if her father had waited a few seconds more, Marianne would have told Audrey herself. But Jonathan gathered and prepared himself.
"Audrey, we are a unique family in this neighborhood. I know you have noticed that sometimes things that normally don't happen to people happen to us." He was now very confident in himself and his tone of voice grew steadier.
"Like the owls?" Audrey suddenly emitted. "Or how we're the only house in this area to have an enormous tree in our front yard? And the fact that I can talk to Stardust and he answers back?" she finished.
"Those are perfect examples," he smiled cautiously, but he began to ease himself and continued. "There is an explanatory reason for these occurrences and now that you are of age, I may inform you about our family's true nature. Audrey, my dear, you are, by birth, a witch."
Marianne leapt up from her seat and ran over to Audrey, where she gave Audrey a tight, loving embrace. She was beaming and ecstatic. "Oh, now you finally know and now I can talk to you about everything!"
"Marianne, give her some space. So, what do you say Audrey?" Jonathan looked carefully at his youngest daughter, trying to interpret her expression of surprise. "Are you willing to train, study and go to school in order to use your magic to its highest potential?" he asked quietly.
During this entire dialogue, Audrey hadn't made one movement. Her eyes were open wide in astonishment and amazement, bulging a bit because of the impact of the news. And her lips were parted in a minute 'O,' her breathing short and choppy. She hadn't heard her father's question because in her mind, millions of different thoughts whirled around: 'A witch?' 'The owls.' 'Marianne's mysterious school.' 'Stardust.' 'Papa's cloaks.' 'Skinny wooden sticks.' 'Magic.' She couldn't think of any saying one single thought at a time. So many questions desired answering.
"Oh! Audrey, say you'll go to Hogwarts with me!" Marianne begged from her side.
"I'm a what? I have magic?" Audrey stuttered in disbelief.
"A witch, Audrey, a witch!" Marianne squealed. "I'd show you, but I'm not allowed unless I'm in the castle, so I guess papa will have to show you." She glanced towards her father with a pleading look.
"I suppose I'll have to demonstrate." Jonathan mumbled.
"Just do something simple, papa," Marianne suggested.
"Here we go." Jonathan took his wand and raised it, pointing it towards one of the brightly-wrapped presents. "Windgardium Leviosa!" he commanded with a swish of his wand. Audrey was astounded as the gift easily lifted off the coffee table and soared through the air, stopped in front of her face and simply dropped unto her lap. "Open it. It's from me," Jonathan whispered. Audrey took the small rectangular package and began to slip the bright blue wrapping off, all the while gazing curiously at her father. Inside she found a dark metal chain, sparkling in the dim light. "It's for the ring, so you can keep it safe with you at all times." Jonathan remarked.
Audrey twisted the chain around her fingers as she got up and got hold of the ring. Her father gently took the ring and chain from her hands, strung them together and tied the chain around Audrey's neck.
"Papa, what's the ring for?" Audrey shyly voiced. She fingered the ring lightly, and looked up to her father's face.
"It was your mother's. She was going to give it to you herself, but she wanted to wait until you were eleven. But now you know. Wear it always and keep it safe with you. I believe your mother put it under a protection spell. You could say that part of her will always be with you." A single tear gushed out of Jonathan's eyes. "And Marianne has one as well. Show her, Marianne."
"Yes, papa." Marianne got up and her hand went to her chest. She searched for a chain, and when she found it, she pulled it out, smoothly slipping it out of her shirt. She held part of it in her hands, tightly clutched around it. "Audrey, Mama gave me this when I was eleven, just like you." She grinned and revealed the upside of her palm. Sitting upon her upturned hand was a pendant attached to a similar dark metal chain like Audrey's. In the middle of the pendant a dark rose-colored stone was encrusted in the same dark, worn sterling metal of which Audrey's ring was made. The stone was also unpolished and it gleamed in the dimly lit room, causing the reflected light to appear pink on the creamy walls. Coming off to the sides from the stone were pieces of metal stretched into thick wires that swirled together in loops to form a dazzling piece of art.
"What does it mean?" Audrey voiced. She tried to understand all that was happening. "So I'm going to a school where they teach magic?"
"Are you angry?" Marianne took Audrey's hand in her own and looked into her eyes with a pleading stare. "I mean, we've just told you our biggest secret, one we've been keeping from you for ages."
"Me, mad?" Audrey erupted with joyous laughter. "Of course not! It's just a bit of a shock, that's all. But you're serious, right? I mean, this isn't a birthday joke or anything?"
"No." Jonathan got up from the couch and turned around to talk to his daughters. His figure gained a level of authority and he became business- like once again. "Marianne, you'll need to teach Audrey about our world, you'll need to make sure that she knows the important factors that rule what we believe in. In the meantime, I shall be searching for a more suitable residence."
"Will you be out for long?" Marianne questioned with excitement.
"I will be back after tomorrow night, maybe even later. Please take care and keep each other safe, you understand?"
"Yes papa," Marianne smiled. "May we visit Diagon Alley? I need my new school supplies, and I think Audrey will be getting her list soon."
"You may go tomorrow. But remember, be careful." He was deadly serious about this, Audrey could tell, because his eyes narrowed and his chin jutted out with importance. Suddenly, he rushed over to Audrey, brushed her forehead with his lips and uttered a soft "Happy Birthday, my dear" before he rapidly spun around and marched towards the door. His dark blue cloak whizzed through the air and into his outstretched hand. Before leaving the house, he called back "And Marianne, don't go anywhere near Knockturn Alley!"
She laid herself out underneath the grand oak tree that towered over the neighborhood and looked up at the branches, wishing, dreaming and hoping for things she knew would never take place. The wind blew gently through the leaves, producing a beautifully calming, rustling noise that was pleasant to the ears. 'I'm eleven,' she thought to herself, stretching out and breathing deeply. ' And now I'm much older, though I don't feel it..Eleven, that's a strange number. One, one.'
Her thoughts trailed on, flying up to the sky, swirling in the wind. A few minutes later, her train of consciousness changed to a different topic. 'Why is it that we're the only house in this entire neighborhood that has a tall, healthy tree?' She lifted herself up on her elbows and glanced at the other houses on her street. The small birdhouse-like houses each had a patch of grass in the front, bare except for some bushes, a petit garden or little sprouts of branches that were somehow considered to be trees. Her oak tree seemed to be stretching to touch the clouds, rising high above her. Audrey lay back down and let the wind take her mind and let it think of whichever subject it came upon. The sun trickled through the branches loaded heavy with leaves and the light danced on the ground next to where Audrey's body was sprawled casually.
Audrey lazily got to her feet and went inside, pausing at the door to look up at the crisp blue sky. 'Stardust!' she called gently in her head. She climbed the stairs and went inside her bedroom to sit on the bed and think some more.
'Happy Birthday, Audrey!' Stardust exclaimed excitedly as he dashed into Audrey's small room and gracefully leaped unto her lap. 'So, have you opened the small beige box yet?' He settled himself between her legs and regarded her with curiosity.
"Oh!" Audrey cried suddenly. 'I completely forgot about the box. I was too busy trying not to think about it that I actually didn't think of it anymore!' She laughed to herself, but then she quickly snapped her head back and her eyes widened. 'Today's my eleventh birthday.' She cautiously looked at the drawer where she had hidden the little beige box days before.
'Well, go open it,' Stardust urged her. 'You should, and now is the best time since no one is home.'
'But didn't papa want me to open it when he gave it to me?'
'I believe you chose rightly when you decided to leave the package unopened until your birthday. In this way, you will keep your mother's wish and you will better understand your situation.' Stardust stared directly at Audrey with a serious expression.
'Why? What's so important about my being eleven?' Audrey shifted her weight and gingerly stood up, gently pushing Stardust to the side.
'Just open the parcel and you'll discover what it is.' Stardust sat on his haunches and his golden eyes bore into Audrey's.
'You know what it is? And you didn't tell me?' Audrey looked incredulously at her cat.
'I only have an estimate of what is contained in that small box. But my opinion doesn't matter.'
Stardust's urging and curiosity got the better of Audrey and she swiftly went to her desk, grabbed the handle to the drawer and pulled it open. She frantically searched through its contents, muttering to herself. The she spotted the box, the creamy-colored surface close to her fingertips. She scooped it up in her hands and brought it over to Stardust, who was regarding it with caution. She hurriedly crouched on her bed and placed the box on one palm, then the other, trying to envision what she was holding.
'Wait, no one ever said it was important,' Audrey quickly discovered. 'Could it actually be important? It's just a small little box.'
'My dear, it is important only if you wish it to be.' Stardust nudged Audrey's hand and pushed it closer to the beige box. 'Just open it, it could just be a good surprise, I believe.' Audrey took the box, tipped it to the side and untied the brown string. She dug her fingernails into the grooves of the edges of the top and lightly and carefully pulled it open. Lots of tissue paper was revealed and Audrey cautiously rummaged though it, finding a beautiful sterling silver ring. The metal was a bit worn and had a dark, grayish tint to it, but the gleam and shine of the ring was magnificent. It wasn't wide, but also not narrow; it was a petit width and when Audrey pushed it unto her ring finger on her left hand, it was her precise size. On the top, there was a gorgeous stone cut into the metal, its color a rosy amber, pretty yet subtle. This stone was as wide as her ring finger and the light softly reflected off its surface. In the middle of the stone was another rock, but it was unpolished. It was very miniscule, the size of one's pupils when there is a blinding light glaring into one's eyes, and its color was the same dusty rose amber as the stone it was encrusted into, but it was duller and somewhat darker, but still wonderfully mysterious just the same.
Stardust was intently staring at the piece of jewelry which Audrey wore on her finger. 'Stardust, I don't think it's very important, but it sure feels like it.' She glanced down at the ring and rolled her hand from side to side so that she could see it glimmer and shine.
'I suggest you keep that safe, from everyone.' Stardust's tone had become grave and cautious, his manner frightened and alert. He jumped off the bed and went towards the door, glancing at Audrey for a moment before he slipped through the opening to the hallway.
Audrey was shocked. Never before had her Stardust been so stark and abrupt towards her, he'd always been gentle and kind, understanding and comforting. But now, when his comments could be heard and when she could directly communicate with him, he turned away in fear. What was so significant about this tiny piece of metal?
'Stardust is probably just over reacting. A ring couldn't posses any power!' She grasped the ring, slipped it off her pale finger and placed it among the crinkly tissue paper in the box. Thinking of Stardust's bizarre behavior, she slid the top and bottom together and quickly let the box rest on top of her desk. Still in wonder, she gathered herself and found her way downstairs to the sitting room where she took a promising book from the shelves and plopped down in the dark blue armchair, allowing her troubles to flow from her mind to the story being unraveled in her imagination.
That night, Jonathan and Marianne surprised Audrey with a small celebration including cake, presents and many smiles. Usually, nothing atypical happened on someone's birthday in their family except that there was giving of gifts. But Marianne had believed that this was a unique occasion, marking Audrey's coming of age. But Audrey did not know this, and the news she received that night was unbelievably incredible. Never before could she completely believe in what she heard, it had always just been a dream that couldn't be reached. It was exactly like the egg and long-necked bottle experiment. It looks fully impossible, yet no matter how it seems, the egg could simply (and amazingly) slip right through the neck. It was possible.
After dinner (which Marianne had prepared by herself, using Isabella's treasured cookbook that had been in existence for many, many generations) Jonathan and Audrey helped Marianne clear the kitchen and clean the dishes before residing in the dark blue-based sitting room. Audrey took a seat on the sofa, relaxing into its contours and breathing deeply, knowing that she felt very safe and secure. Jonathan joined her, neatly lowering himself next to her as he called "Marianne! Where are you?" towards the kitchen.
"I'm here!" she grinned as she swooped through the doorway carrying some brightly wrapped packages. "I wouldn't miss this for the world!" She seemed so giddy and excited, carelessly dropping the packages on the glass-topped coffee table and hurriedly rushing to the big bay window to securely draw the dark blue drapes, leaving the sitting room warmly lit by the soft electric lighting.
By this time, Audrey's thoughts were whizzing in swirls, confused and greatly curious. 'Why is Marianne so excited? It's just a couple of presents.And why did she shut the windows and close the drapes?' But her wondering was abruptly terminated when the room became deathly silent and Audrey found Jonathan and Marianne intently staring at her. She was about to break the still air when her father uttered the oddest word she had ever heard.
"Accio!" he whispered with a commanding hiss. He tightly held on to a long wooden stick. It was a beautiful mahogany color, thin and supple, so brilliantly remarkable that Audrey couldn't keep her eyes elsewhere. Immediately after her father spoke, he held out his hand to the air and clutched at something which Audrey didn't see. His face was set in the gravest expression, his usually jovial face stern, the eyes dark and intimidating, his lips forming the straightest line. Out of the corner of her eye, Audrey saw Marianne, who was sitting on the plushy armchair trying to contain herself, her hands trembling and twisting around each other. Her large black eyes were glued directly on Jonathan's clenched hand, slightly sparkling with great anticipation. Focusing her attention back to her father, Audrey gasped with utter surprise, for in Jonathan's upturned palm was the mysterious ring she had found in the small beige box earlier that day.
"Audrey, my child. I believe that it is now time to let you in on something that we've been hiding from you for quite a long while."
Jonathan Moon, the usually self-controlled and proper business man, sighed heavily with difficulty. Audrey did not breathe one word, but remained still, steadily gazing into her father's eyes. She was frightened out of her mind, but yet safer than she'd felt in a long time because her father's voice was deep, loving and extremely comforting. His dark brown eyes were darkest black and his mouth quivered, uncertain whether if he should continue or stop and keep it to himself.
"Papa, just tell her, will you?" Marianne blurted. By just glancing at her sitting in the armchair, anyone could see that she could no longer sustain herself, and if her father had waited a few seconds more, Marianne would have told Audrey herself. But Jonathan gathered and prepared himself.
"Audrey, we are a unique family in this neighborhood. I know you have noticed that sometimes things that normally don't happen to people happen to us." He was now very confident in himself and his tone of voice grew steadier.
"Like the owls?" Audrey suddenly emitted. "Or how we're the only house in this area to have an enormous tree in our front yard? And the fact that I can talk to Stardust and he answers back?" she finished.
"Those are perfect examples," he smiled cautiously, but he began to ease himself and continued. "There is an explanatory reason for these occurrences and now that you are of age, I may inform you about our family's true nature. Audrey, my dear, you are, by birth, a witch."
Marianne leapt up from her seat and ran over to Audrey, where she gave Audrey a tight, loving embrace. She was beaming and ecstatic. "Oh, now you finally know and now I can talk to you about everything!"
"Marianne, give her some space. So, what do you say Audrey?" Jonathan looked carefully at his youngest daughter, trying to interpret her expression of surprise. "Are you willing to train, study and go to school in order to use your magic to its highest potential?" he asked quietly.
During this entire dialogue, Audrey hadn't made one movement. Her eyes were open wide in astonishment and amazement, bulging a bit because of the impact of the news. And her lips were parted in a minute 'O,' her breathing short and choppy. She hadn't heard her father's question because in her mind, millions of different thoughts whirled around: 'A witch?' 'The owls.' 'Marianne's mysterious school.' 'Stardust.' 'Papa's cloaks.' 'Skinny wooden sticks.' 'Magic.' She couldn't think of any saying one single thought at a time. So many questions desired answering.
"Oh! Audrey, say you'll go to Hogwarts with me!" Marianne begged from her side.
"I'm a what? I have magic?" Audrey stuttered in disbelief.
"A witch, Audrey, a witch!" Marianne squealed. "I'd show you, but I'm not allowed unless I'm in the castle, so I guess papa will have to show you." She glanced towards her father with a pleading look.
"I suppose I'll have to demonstrate." Jonathan mumbled.
"Just do something simple, papa," Marianne suggested.
"Here we go." Jonathan took his wand and raised it, pointing it towards one of the brightly-wrapped presents. "Windgardium Leviosa!" he commanded with a swish of his wand. Audrey was astounded as the gift easily lifted off the coffee table and soared through the air, stopped in front of her face and simply dropped unto her lap. "Open it. It's from me," Jonathan whispered. Audrey took the small rectangular package and began to slip the bright blue wrapping off, all the while gazing curiously at her father. Inside she found a dark metal chain, sparkling in the dim light. "It's for the ring, so you can keep it safe with you at all times." Jonathan remarked.
Audrey twisted the chain around her fingers as she got up and got hold of the ring. Her father gently took the ring and chain from her hands, strung them together and tied the chain around Audrey's neck.
"Papa, what's the ring for?" Audrey shyly voiced. She fingered the ring lightly, and looked up to her father's face.
"It was your mother's. She was going to give it to you herself, but she wanted to wait until you were eleven. But now you know. Wear it always and keep it safe with you. I believe your mother put it under a protection spell. You could say that part of her will always be with you." A single tear gushed out of Jonathan's eyes. "And Marianne has one as well. Show her, Marianne."
"Yes, papa." Marianne got up and her hand went to her chest. She searched for a chain, and when she found it, she pulled it out, smoothly slipping it out of her shirt. She held part of it in her hands, tightly clutched around it. "Audrey, Mama gave me this when I was eleven, just like you." She grinned and revealed the upside of her palm. Sitting upon her upturned hand was a pendant attached to a similar dark metal chain like Audrey's. In the middle of the pendant a dark rose-colored stone was encrusted in the same dark, worn sterling metal of which Audrey's ring was made. The stone was also unpolished and it gleamed in the dimly lit room, causing the reflected light to appear pink on the creamy walls. Coming off to the sides from the stone were pieces of metal stretched into thick wires that swirled together in loops to form a dazzling piece of art.
"What does it mean?" Audrey voiced. She tried to understand all that was happening. "So I'm going to a school where they teach magic?"
"Are you angry?" Marianne took Audrey's hand in her own and looked into her eyes with a pleading stare. "I mean, we've just told you our biggest secret, one we've been keeping from you for ages."
"Me, mad?" Audrey erupted with joyous laughter. "Of course not! It's just a bit of a shock, that's all. But you're serious, right? I mean, this isn't a birthday joke or anything?"
"No." Jonathan got up from the couch and turned around to talk to his daughters. His figure gained a level of authority and he became business- like once again. "Marianne, you'll need to teach Audrey about our world, you'll need to make sure that she knows the important factors that rule what we believe in. In the meantime, I shall be searching for a more suitable residence."
"Will you be out for long?" Marianne questioned with excitement.
"I will be back after tomorrow night, maybe even later. Please take care and keep each other safe, you understand?"
"Yes papa," Marianne smiled. "May we visit Diagon Alley? I need my new school supplies, and I think Audrey will be getting her list soon."
"You may go tomorrow. But remember, be careful." He was deadly serious about this, Audrey could tell, because his eyes narrowed and his chin jutted out with importance. Suddenly, he rushed over to Audrey, brushed her forehead with his lips and uttered a soft "Happy Birthday, my dear" before he rapidly spun around and marched towards the door. His dark blue cloak whizzed through the air and into his outstretched hand. Before leaving the house, he called back "And Marianne, don't go anywhere near Knockturn Alley!"