Disclaimer: I own a lot of these characters (Chloe, Merlin, their parents, Profs. Uproot and Yorupe, Fantella, Mr. Figg, etc.) but if you've read the Harry Potter books, you'll know which ones I don't own. Those are owned by J.K. Rowling. :)

Author's Note: Well, it's chapter two! You don't need to review -- I write for myself, not for my audience! (What little, tiny, insignificant one I have anyway ;) So review if you want to, don't if you don't. Thanks!

Chapter Two

Before I continue too much, I should probably explain who Fantella McFay really is.

Fantella McFay is the person I like least in life. Hate is too strong of a word, mainly because, well, I don't hate her! She's not a jerk or an idiot, and she's not really mean either. Fannie is one of the "popular" girls at school. She and her friends are always on the top ten grades list.

Which explains why this could be my downfall. How did I know? Professor Yorupe had explained that grades would be a big factor of this, and most of the time Fannie and her friends got better grades than I did. My chances were ruined!

Fannie and her friends filed past me, one by one, smirking as they put their applications in the box. They knew as well as I did that they had better chances than I at going.

I sighed. Should I bother putting it in? Should I bother going through all of that trouble, to probably get turned down? I looked at the note in my hand, and sighed. I dropped it in the box. But for what? Should I take it out? I knew a spell that could take out the last form put in there, should I use it?

Just then Sarah Grimm, my best friend, came around the corner and submitted her form. So much for that idea. I sighed.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "You're looking kind of upset."

"Yeah," I said. "Fannie just came with all of her gang, and they all submitted forms. You and I have no chance any more!" She sighed too, and shrugged.

"Well, nothing we can do but sit and hope! Let's go do something after school!" Trust Sarah to be an optimist in conditions such as these. I laughed. Just then a voice came over the magical speaker.

"Next classes. Everyone to their next classes, please. Thank you!" I sighed, yet again.

"We'll think of something later then," Sarah told me. "Right now, we need to be getting to Transfiguration!"

* * *

One Week Later...

I was awoken at my desk by the speakers. Actually, not by the speakers, but by Sarah who had shot a tickling charm at me to wake me up in order to hear the speakers.

"Hello students," I heard the voice of the Headmaster over the speakers. "I am announcing the names of the girls and boys who have been chosen to go on our trip to Hogwarts.

"Before I start, I would like to remind those of you who applied and didn't get in, that while we didn't choose randomly, this does not mean that you are a bad student, and that we don't think you should go. If it was in our power, our entire school would go on this trip, but we can only afford to support so many children in going.

"Now, here's the moment we've been waiting for!" There was a pause as we heard him pick up a piece of paper. "If I read your name, please come straight to the office for more information on your trip!

"Fantella McFay!" Fannie stood up, looking smug. She gathered her things quickly, and left.

"Cindy Dekofchak!" A girl who wasn't in my class, also one of Fannie's friends.

"John Austin!" John stood up and followed Fannie.

"Carrie Sobek!" One of Fannie's friends.

"Estella Yankowski!" Another of Fannie's friends.

"Webster O'Brien!" He was in my World Magics class.

"William Lewis!" No idea...

"Quinn Roberts!" My friend! Go Quinn!

"Ethan Masters!" Fannie's boyfriend.

"Cole Bobson!" My friend! Go Cole!

"Congratulations to those we have chosen!" I groaned. Not me! "Would Jessica Figg, Gregory Masters, Chloe Richardson, and James Thomas please report to the office also? Thank you, and would the rest of you please have a good day!"

I was shocked. Why would they want me to go to the office? I looked over at Jessica Figg, and we both shrugged. She was as clueless as I. We gathered our things, and went together.

Out in the hall, Jessica started worrying. "Do you think we're in trouble?" she said. "Maybe they found out about the time I accidentally took home the jar of Dragon blood from potions? I mean, I returned it and all, but I didn't tell anyone! Or maybe-"

"Jessica, calm down!" I told her. "This is getting annoying. If it was that, that didn't involve me at all, and they'd call us in one by one, right?"

But one thing still hung on my mind.

What did they want me for?

* * *

When we got to the office, Greg Masters and James Thomas were all ready there. They were pretty worried too. I knew they were pretty big pranksters, but why were we all here? They didn't think that I had done anything... Did they?

We had to wait for the other kids to get out of their meeting with the Headmaster. We waited over twenty minutes, and when they finally came out, it was with glazed looks on their faces. Apparently it had been a long discussion.

Fannie lost her glazed look, however, when she saw us sitting there, worried expressions on our faces. I did not like that look.

After they had gone down the hall to their next classes, the Headmaster poked his head out and called us in.

"I suppose you are wondering why you are here," he told us. "Well, I assure you that you are not in trouble of any sort, although when I am done with you girls, I would like to speak with Masters and Thomas about a certain er, incident in the potions class last week." Greg and James squirmed a little uncomfortably, but looked a little relieved all the same.

"Well," continued the Headmaster, "I have called you here to let you know that you four have been chosen as substitutes for the trip to Hogwarts in England. In the event that one of our chosen students cannot make it, we will call one of you up. Understood?" We all nodded. "Okay then. If you are chosen later on, we will then give you your briefing on what is to happen, and what is expected of you. All right?" We all nodded again. "You are dismissed," he told Jessica and me. "Please go straight to your next classes -- I understand that they've already started." He smiled. Jess and I picked up our stuff -- and ran.

* * *

For the rest of the day, I found it extremely hard to study. How could they not pick me? Was it something I did? Was it because my parents are big school benefactors, and it would make it look like I paid my way through everything? Or what if my parents had decided that they didn't want me to go, and told them not to pick me? I couldn't get it out of my mind.

At home, I couldn't remember the spell to find something, which is pretty absent-minded -- even for me. Especially considering I use it every day. Mom, thinking I might be sick (and forgetting that I was supposed to be on probation), sent me up to my room to rest until supper.

So, bored, I set about conjuring up a small, portable, calling fire. First I got out my ceramic bowl, so that I wouldn't accidentally set stuff aflame. Then I carefully set up the calling sequence so that I would get Sarah on the line, no problem. I had just picked up my wand, when Merlin popped into the room.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"None of your business, shorty," I replied coldly. It wasn't his business anyway!

He gaped at my bowl. "You're doing magic, aren't you?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Sooo, you aren't allowed to do magic at home any more." He took a deep breath. "MOM!" I slapped my forehead. How could I be so stupid? This was probably why I didn't get picked to go to Hogwarts! Mom and Dad didn't want me to be using magic for anything other than school. Argh!

But Merlin wasn't done. Before Mom even got there, he was yelling again. "CHLOE'S USING MAGIC!"

"WHAT?" I heard Mom yell from the kitchen. She came racing down the hall. "Chloe, you know you're on probation."

"Yes Mom, I'm sorry." Mom turned to leave. Yikes, I thought. Close call. But Mom wasn't done.

"By the way, Chloe," she said. "I heard you didn't get to go on that trip to Hogwarts."

"Yeah," I said. "Quinn's going though! And I was chosen as an alternate in case one of the girls can't make it."

"Well! That's very nice!" She paused. "However, I was thinking." I looked up from the floor. "Your aunt Molly mentioned in her last letter that she hasn't seen you since you were young, and she was wondering if you'd be interested in visiting during Christmas vacation."

My eyes widened. "You... You mean..."

"That's right. I think we could ask her if you could go to her house at Christmas and make the exchange to Hogwarts right after." I jumped up and hugged Mom.

"Mom!" I said. "You're the greatest!"

* * *

That night at dinner, Mom proposed the idea to Dad. He wasn't too happy about it, but he let it fly.

Needless to say, Merlin teased me about it a lot.

"You just wanna go so you can look at the english boys," he said. "You don't really want to go to study!"

"What do you know, Merlin?" I asked, tying a note to my owl's leg. "Leave me alone."

"No," he told me.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"MOM!" I screamed. "Merlin's bugging me!"

"Merlin!" she called. "Leave your sister alone!"

"Fine!" he called back. He left as I launched Morgan out into the night. Morgan was carrying a note for Sarah.

Morgan is a fine owl, to be sure. I'm not exactly sure what kind she is, but she's big and black and silent. She's still pretty much just a baby though, so I can't really depend on her to get the letters there. Fortunately, if she couldn't find the place, she knew to return.

I just prayed the letter got to Sarah in time.