I've always loved fantasy- from books to movies to video games. I especially loved the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. I always felt connected with these books as if I had known all along about the hidden magical world all along.
On the day of my fifteenth birthday, I came home from my friend's house and immediately shut myself in my room. I loved my privacy and hated my family. Usually when I'm home, I read. I read many other fantasy novels, but Harry Potter is by far the best and most realistic. Well anyway, I came home and gratefully shut myself in my room because my parents were acting quite odd. Usually when I get home from somewhere, my parents are usually grouchy and moody, and don't have a problem when I disappear to my room. Today, for some odd reason, was different.
I had just opened my book when my mom knocked at my door and walked into my room. She sighed and said, "Lacie, all you do is read. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, or anything like that. It's just, well, why don't you spend some quality time with your family tonight?"
"But, I don't want to!" I said as she dragged me out of my room. "I'm just now getting to the good part-"
"-that you have read about 50 times already," my mom interrupted as she unwillingly led me down the hallway. I sat on the couch as my mom disappeared off to the kitchen. I sighed impatiently and said,"Now what?"
"God, Lacie, why are you so unhappy? Today's your birthday!" My dad said from behind the newspaper he was reading. "I'm just an unhappy person," I retorted coldly.
"Henry, put that newspaper away!" my mom called from the kitchen. He grumpily threw the paper on the other side of the recliner he was laying in.
"Mom, can I go to my room now? This is soo boring," I said moodily.
"You can wait," My mom said entering the living room. She was carrying a large cake covered with baby-blue icing and four lit candles. Baby-blue happens to be my favorite color, but I don't know what she was thinking when she put four candles on there…four happens not to be my favorite number.
My mom placed the cake on the coffee table in front of me and the whole family gathered around it to sing the 'Happy Birthday to You' song. When they were finished singing, my mom said enthusiacstically,"Now blow out the candles."
Instead of obeying her, I asked," Why are there only four candles?"
"No bother, dear, it's just a cake. I happened to run out of candles-"
"Hahaa!" My little brother Derrek laughed. "She's only four years old! Hahaa!"
I glared at him dangerously before jumping off the couch and running to my room. I heard my mom shout at Derrek and send him and my other two sisters to their rooms. I started to walk down the hall again to apologize to my parents. I mean they did go through all that trouble just for me, didn't they? However, I was at the end of the hallway when I stopped dead.
I heard my mom throw herself on the couch and sob. "Henry, I don't know what to do. The least she can do is spend some time with us before she goes, I mean she'll be leaving us tonight, after all." She sobbed even louder.
Were they really sending me away? Where? Why? I ran to my room and flung myself onto my bed. I was so upset, I was almost crying. Okay, okay…I lie. I was crying and I guess I must have cried myself to sleep because I had an awful nightmare. I heard evil cackling and saw green flashes of light. I think I've had this dream before.
I bolted up right, sweating and gasping for breath.
I looked around and judging by the amount of light that was in my room (which was none, by the way) I must have slept until nightfall.
I looked at my alarm clock. It was 9:00. Yikes, no wonder I was so hungry! I flipped my light switch up and light pored brightly into my eyes.
I laid back into bed. I looked on the floor and stared at all four Potter books. I decided to grab the fourth Harry book; that one was my favorite. I had only read it about 16 times.
I had just gotten comfortable when I heard the doorbell ring. Being the nosey person I am, I bolted out of my room and peered out of the hallway with my other nosey siblings (I guess it runs in the family).
I appeared just in time to see my parents open the door and invite the person in. She was very peculiar looking, indeed. She was very tall and big-boned. She had her hair up in an extremely tight and glossy bun at the top of her head. She looked neither happy nor angry- just very strict. But the thing that made her look the weirdest is the way she was dressed.
She was wearing what looked like a cross between a long bathrobe and a weird custom dress. It was emerald green and was made from a silk-like material.
"Who is that weird lady?" My eight year old sister, Jenna, whispered.
"Shh!" My other sister, Meredith, said.
Then my parents embraced the woman and my dad said,"Welcome back, Minerva." My mom just cried heavily as she hugged her. The woman looked at my mom and I was very surprised to see her wearing a comforting smile. I must say, a smile truly brightens up the features of one. The woman now no longer looked like a mistreated volture.
"It's all right, there's no need to cry," she told my mother.
My parents then had just noticed we had been standing there due to the excess noise my siblings were making as they argued and fought over whom would have the first M&M cookie when they were finished baking.
"Kids, go to your room," my dad said sternly.
Meredith groaned. "See what you did, Jenna?"
"Me?! It was you!" Jenna shrieked.
"Hush, now. That's enough," my dad said, irritated. "All of you go to your rooms right now." I turned around to go back to my room.
"Lacie, dear, you should stay," the woman said.
I turned back around and looked at her. Both of my parents nodded their heads in agreement.
"Should we tell her now?" my mom asked stiffly.
"Y-yes, of course," the woman replied.
"Lacie, let's go into the living room," my dad suggested. We all went in and my dad gestured for everyone to sit down. I flopped myself on the sofa, feeling very confused.
"I really don't know where to start," the woman said uncomfortably. "I guess we should start off by telling you we're not your real parents. This woman here, Minerva McGonagall, is your true mother," my dad said," when you were a year old, we made a deal to keep you for fourteen years. And when your fifteenth birthday came, she was to take you back, and well, today's the day."
Was I dreaming? When I woke from that nightmare, did I fall back asleep? I this really just a joke, where my parents are trying to get me to quit reading my beloved Harry Potter books?
I always thought I was adopted, as all kids do, but seriously?
And have I read Harry Potter so much that now I'm brainwashed by it? Did Professor McGonagall seriously just say I was her daughter?
I laughed making them stare at me, looking very startled. "How can this be true?" I asked, still laughing.
"Maybe it's just best to tell you from the beginning," Professor McGonagall said.
"When you were just a year old, we went to a friend of mine's house because her and her husband were in a bit of trouble. I was going to help them out while you played with their year old son, Harry Pott—"
"No way! Not Harry Potter!" I shrieked, interrupting her rudely. She then looked very puzzled.
"
Suddenly, I was excited; I always was when Harry was the main subject in somebody's conversation.
"Oh, I know about it all. I know about Harry, and that you're a teacher at Hogwarts (I know about Hogwarts, too), and-"
"You weren't supposed to tell her!" she shrieked at my parents.
"--and Dumbledore, and the Ministry of Magic, and Voldemort—"
They all gasped.
"If you know about this all, then you surely must know not to speak his name, especially at this dangerous time!" she said grimly.
"W-we didn't tell her anything," my dad stammered.
"Then how?—" she started.
"I'll tell you later," I said.
"Oh all right. Now, if you know about Harry Potter, then you must be familiar with his famous story, am I right?"
"Oh yes ma'am," I replied.
"Well the story starts that night, but hardly anybody knows the true story. You see, the Potters knew You-Know-Who was coming that night and they were practically helpless. So they invited Dumbledore over to help them, but he was so busy, he asked me as a favor to do it instead. So I brought you over to play with their son, Harry, while we adults did our business. I went inside to do something when I looked out of the window and saw him appear. I tried to go out and help, but I couldn't. My fear had glued me to the spot. Sadly, I saw him murder James Potter and then, somehow, you had ended up getting hold of my wand. You didn't know what you were doing, of course, but sparks were flying from it as he killed poor Lily. As he was doing that, some of the sparks flew out of the wand without him realizing it. Then he tried to kill little Harry, but with Lily's magic of love and that curse you actually put on You-Know-Who, he lost his powers and fled, and Harry only ended up with that lightening bolt scar on his forehead.
"Now I was scared he's come back and kill you, so Dumbledore put a charm on you for fourteen years. Of course we realized, once it was too late, that we needn't have put the charm on you. But it was already done, and there was not a counter-curse to perform. I had to wait what seemed like forever. Tonight you get to come back with me, and when term starts back up again, you get to go to Hogwarts."
"So—so you're really my mom?" I asked, feeling very odd. Tears filled into her eyes as she hugged me and said, "Yes."
I pulled way from the hug and asked her, "Will I still be able to visit?"
"Of course," she said warmly.
"I have one question—actually I have a lot of questions—but I was wondering one particular thing."
"Sure."
"Well, in Transfiguration Class, will you be stricter on me than the others?" I asked almost laughing.
She didn't laugh back; on the contrary, her face split into a puzzled expression.
"How do you kn—"
"I'll tell you later."
"Okay, whatever. And I'll try my best not to favor you too much."
"Lacie, go and pack your things, all right? Don't pack them all, just the necessary stuff," my dad said.
I went off to my room and tried to pack the most important things.
Wow, I thought, I'm going to Hogwarts! I'm going to actually meet harry Potter, and I'm the daughter of one the most strict teachers at Hogwarts; I can do anything. I wonder, am I still dreaming, or is this really happening to me? Well, if I am still dreaming, it's an awfully long dream!
I packed all my 'necessary' stuff in about 100 bags (I can't help it! I have a lot of clothes I just can't leave here!).
I left them in my room and walked out. "I'm finished," I announced to them."
"All right," Mom (whoa! That's weird, calling her that, and all!) said.
I said good-bye and hugged and kissed my family, like, a billion times before we finally left. I was very disappointed when we traveled by a car. I was hoping for something more, well, magical. We got to her house and we were so tired, we both agreed that we would talk more in the morning…after we had gotten some sleep.