Rob got a rather rude awakening the next morning.
"Get up!" urged his father. "You're going to be late for school if we don't hurry!"
Rob sat straight up in bed, blinking his tired eyes. "What? What school am I going to?" he yawned.
Father slapped him. "Doomhallow, of course! Don't ask such stupid questions!" He stormed out of the room, and Rob heard him go downstairs.
Rob muttered angrily and rubbed his cheek where he had been slapped, then got out of bed. He had his suitcase packed and ready; he had prepared it a week beforehand so he wouldn't have to waste time packing in case something like this came up. It was a good thing he liked to plan ahead, thought Rob, because Father could turn awfully nasty when upset. Mother was living proof of that.
Rob slipped on his robes and quickly ran his fingers through his hair, then went downstairs to eat breakfast.
His father was waiting for him at the table. "Eat quickly!" he instructed, shoving a plate over to him. "We're running late already, hurry!"
Rob took a few strips of bacon and a biscuit and wolfed them down as fast as he could. He wasn't too eager to get another slap.
His mother leaned over and took his plate from the table. When she pulled back up, her sleeve slid down and Rob saw a rather large, nasty looking black bruise on her forearm. He made the mistake of staring at it a bit too long.
Mother turned around and saw her looking at him. Her eyes widened and she yanked the sleeve back down, causing her to drop the plate. It hit the floor with a crash, and pieces of broken glass scattered all over the floor.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU WOMAN?" Father roared as he rose angrily from his chair and grabbed her bruised arm. Mother winced in pain at first, but then her expression turned to pure terror. Rob thought she resembled a caught rabbit.
Father slammed her against the wall. "You clean that mess up now, do you hear me? We're not leaving until it's all in the trash, so if we're late it will be your fault!"
Mother nodded vigorously, then darted for the dustpan. She swept the broken glass frantically into a pile, then into the dustpan, and emptied it all in the trash. She laid the empty dustpan on the counter and looked at Father hopefully for approval.
To her surprise, he came over and slapped her hard across the face. "GET THAT FILTHY THING OFF MY CLEAN COUNTER!"
Tears running down her face, she complied, and hung it back in its usual spot on the wall.
"Honestly woman, you are so stupid. Now come on, you've probably made us late." Father turned his back to her and headed to the fireplace. He grabbed a bit of Floo Powder from a small box on the counter and threw it into the flames. "Doomhallow Academy!" he shouted, and disappeared.
Mother walked up to the fireplace, but didn't go in. Instead, she turned to face Rob and pulled out a small book from her pocket. It was An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe. She stopped, as if considering something, then walked back over to Rob and put it in his hand. "Take this and put it in your suitcase, quick!" she instructed.
"What for?" Rob asked. "I'm going to Doomhallow, why do I need this?"
Mother pursed her lips and said, "I just don't think it suits you. And what if those awful Aurors come and storm the school? How would you ever finish your education?"
Rob raised his eyebrow at her. "Sorry Mother, but I'm going to have side with Father on this one. You're just being paranoid."
She squatted down a few inches, so she was eye level with him. "It can't hurt," she said. "Take it…please? For me?" She looked so pathetic at that moment that Rob wanted to give her a good slap as well.
"Alright," Rob agreed. "I'll take the stupid thing if it'll shut you up." Rob stuffed the book tightly into his suitcase, and then looked at his mother. She had her lips pursed again, as if she were deep in thought, but did not reply.
Finally, she turned around and went into the flames. "Doomhallow Academy," she said it in a dead tone of voice, and was gone.
It was Rob's turn now. He stepped into the emerald fire, and said, "Doomhallow Academy!"
It felt like he was rushing along through a long, twisting tunnel, but the sensation didn't nauseate him like it used to when he was small. He kept his elbows tucked in tightly, and his eyes squeezed shut. After a few seconds, he fell out of a surprisingly clean fireplace, and landed right on his nose. He stood up and rubbed it, then pulled his hand away to get his first glimpse of Doomhallow Academy.
"Well, well. Quite an entrance, Mr. Atkinson," came a cold voice, dripping with sarcasm. It belonged to a stately looking young man behind a desk, with black hair pulled back into a ponytail and piercing grey eyes. His spindly fingers were drumming softly on the wood.
"Yes, yes," Father cleared his throat rather loudly. "Well, I can assure you, Headmaster Kain, he will be head of the class within a week—"
Headmaster Kain put his hand up. "You're assuming, of course, that I let him in at all. We usually don't let people in the first day of term." He paused, and an amused grin spread across his face. "Also…I believe I was addressing your son? Rob, isn't it?" His steely grey eyes flicked over to Rob.
"Yes," Rob said confidently. This Headmaster was intimidating, but that was all the more reason to look completely unafraid.
The smile quickly vanished from Kain's face. "What was that again?" he asked, his voice deadly quiet.
Rob gulped. "Yes…" he repeated uncertainly. What had he done wrong?
Kain got up from his chair and marched over to Rob, then put his finger under Rob's chin and lifted it. "You will address me as 'Sir' from now on. Is this understood?" Rob felt like he was about to melt under the teacher's icy glare.
"Yes," Rob answered quickly. "I mean, yes sir!"
Kain smirked at him, then turned to face Father. "This one has a lot to learn, but I daresay we'll make a Death Eater out of him yet. He certainly has enough…potential."
Rob shuddered involuntarily at the emphasis on the last word.
"So. He's accepted then?" Father extended his hand to Kain.
Kain took Father's hand firmly and shook it. "Yes. Your son will proceed to the Great Hall with the other students and continue his schedule normally."
"Then our business here is done." With that, his Father pinched a bit of Floo Powder from his pocket and tossed it into the fire, then stepped in and was gone. Mother followed behind, but Rob caught a glimpse of her defeated face before she disappeared.
It suddenly struck him that he had been left alone in the same room as Headmaster Kain.
Kain came from behind grabbed his shoulder. "You do understand that your parents have paid me a substantial amount of money to allow you into this school on such short notice?" he whispered in Rob's ear.
Rob nodded, even though he had not been told anything of the sort.
"Good. And of course you are familiar with the school rules?"
Rob nodded again. He would have to borrow a copy off someone once he got to his dorm.
"Excellent!" Kain's face broke into a grin, and he slapped Rob heartily on the back. "I'm sure you'll do just fine here, then!"
That was the absolute last thing Rob had expected from someone like Kain. "Yes sir!" he agreed, and moved quickly toward the door.
Kain leaned over and caught his shoulder again. "Oh, and Atkinson?" The grin had turned into a smirk.
"Yes sir?" Rob asked nervously, wishing more than anything that he could be out of Kain's sight.
"Try to keep off my bad side."
Rob nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes—yes sir, I most certainly will—"
"You are dismissed!" Kain barked and shoved Rob out the door, locking it behind him.
Rob just stared blankly at the closed door for a moment. He was thoroughly confused, but for the most part, just glad to be out of Kain's office.
"Get up!" urged his father. "You're going to be late for school if we don't hurry!"
Rob sat straight up in bed, blinking his tired eyes. "What? What school am I going to?" he yawned.
Father slapped him. "Doomhallow, of course! Don't ask such stupid questions!" He stormed out of the room, and Rob heard him go downstairs.
Rob muttered angrily and rubbed his cheek where he had been slapped, then got out of bed. He had his suitcase packed and ready; he had prepared it a week beforehand so he wouldn't have to waste time packing in case something like this came up. It was a good thing he liked to plan ahead, thought Rob, because Father could turn awfully nasty when upset. Mother was living proof of that.
Rob slipped on his robes and quickly ran his fingers through his hair, then went downstairs to eat breakfast.
His father was waiting for him at the table. "Eat quickly!" he instructed, shoving a plate over to him. "We're running late already, hurry!"
Rob took a few strips of bacon and a biscuit and wolfed them down as fast as he could. He wasn't too eager to get another slap.
His mother leaned over and took his plate from the table. When she pulled back up, her sleeve slid down and Rob saw a rather large, nasty looking black bruise on her forearm. He made the mistake of staring at it a bit too long.
Mother turned around and saw her looking at him. Her eyes widened and she yanked the sleeve back down, causing her to drop the plate. It hit the floor with a crash, and pieces of broken glass scattered all over the floor.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU WOMAN?" Father roared as he rose angrily from his chair and grabbed her bruised arm. Mother winced in pain at first, but then her expression turned to pure terror. Rob thought she resembled a caught rabbit.
Father slammed her against the wall. "You clean that mess up now, do you hear me? We're not leaving until it's all in the trash, so if we're late it will be your fault!"
Mother nodded vigorously, then darted for the dustpan. She swept the broken glass frantically into a pile, then into the dustpan, and emptied it all in the trash. She laid the empty dustpan on the counter and looked at Father hopefully for approval.
To her surprise, he came over and slapped her hard across the face. "GET THAT FILTHY THING OFF MY CLEAN COUNTER!"
Tears running down her face, she complied, and hung it back in its usual spot on the wall.
"Honestly woman, you are so stupid. Now come on, you've probably made us late." Father turned his back to her and headed to the fireplace. He grabbed a bit of Floo Powder from a small box on the counter and threw it into the flames. "Doomhallow Academy!" he shouted, and disappeared.
Mother walked up to the fireplace, but didn't go in. Instead, she turned to face Rob and pulled out a small book from her pocket. It was An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe. She stopped, as if considering something, then walked back over to Rob and put it in his hand. "Take this and put it in your suitcase, quick!" she instructed.
"What for?" Rob asked. "I'm going to Doomhallow, why do I need this?"
Mother pursed her lips and said, "I just don't think it suits you. And what if those awful Aurors come and storm the school? How would you ever finish your education?"
Rob raised his eyebrow at her. "Sorry Mother, but I'm going to have side with Father on this one. You're just being paranoid."
She squatted down a few inches, so she was eye level with him. "It can't hurt," she said. "Take it…please? For me?" She looked so pathetic at that moment that Rob wanted to give her a good slap as well.
"Alright," Rob agreed. "I'll take the stupid thing if it'll shut you up." Rob stuffed the book tightly into his suitcase, and then looked at his mother. She had her lips pursed again, as if she were deep in thought, but did not reply.
Finally, she turned around and went into the flames. "Doomhallow Academy," she said it in a dead tone of voice, and was gone.
It was Rob's turn now. He stepped into the emerald fire, and said, "Doomhallow Academy!"
It felt like he was rushing along through a long, twisting tunnel, but the sensation didn't nauseate him like it used to when he was small. He kept his elbows tucked in tightly, and his eyes squeezed shut. After a few seconds, he fell out of a surprisingly clean fireplace, and landed right on his nose. He stood up and rubbed it, then pulled his hand away to get his first glimpse of Doomhallow Academy.
"Well, well. Quite an entrance, Mr. Atkinson," came a cold voice, dripping with sarcasm. It belonged to a stately looking young man behind a desk, with black hair pulled back into a ponytail and piercing grey eyes. His spindly fingers were drumming softly on the wood.
"Yes, yes," Father cleared his throat rather loudly. "Well, I can assure you, Headmaster Kain, he will be head of the class within a week—"
Headmaster Kain put his hand up. "You're assuming, of course, that I let him in at all. We usually don't let people in the first day of term." He paused, and an amused grin spread across his face. "Also…I believe I was addressing your son? Rob, isn't it?" His steely grey eyes flicked over to Rob.
"Yes," Rob said confidently. This Headmaster was intimidating, but that was all the more reason to look completely unafraid.
The smile quickly vanished from Kain's face. "What was that again?" he asked, his voice deadly quiet.
Rob gulped. "Yes…" he repeated uncertainly. What had he done wrong?
Kain got up from his chair and marched over to Rob, then put his finger under Rob's chin and lifted it. "You will address me as 'Sir' from now on. Is this understood?" Rob felt like he was about to melt under the teacher's icy glare.
"Yes," Rob answered quickly. "I mean, yes sir!"
Kain smirked at him, then turned to face Father. "This one has a lot to learn, but I daresay we'll make a Death Eater out of him yet. He certainly has enough…potential."
Rob shuddered involuntarily at the emphasis on the last word.
"So. He's accepted then?" Father extended his hand to Kain.
Kain took Father's hand firmly and shook it. "Yes. Your son will proceed to the Great Hall with the other students and continue his schedule normally."
"Then our business here is done." With that, his Father pinched a bit of Floo Powder from his pocket and tossed it into the fire, then stepped in and was gone. Mother followed behind, but Rob caught a glimpse of her defeated face before she disappeared.
It suddenly struck him that he had been left alone in the same room as Headmaster Kain.
Kain came from behind grabbed his shoulder. "You do understand that your parents have paid me a substantial amount of money to allow you into this school on such short notice?" he whispered in Rob's ear.
Rob nodded, even though he had not been told anything of the sort.
"Good. And of course you are familiar with the school rules?"
Rob nodded again. He would have to borrow a copy off someone once he got to his dorm.
"Excellent!" Kain's face broke into a grin, and he slapped Rob heartily on the back. "I'm sure you'll do just fine here, then!"
That was the absolute last thing Rob had expected from someone like Kain. "Yes sir!" he agreed, and moved quickly toward the door.
Kain leaned over and caught his shoulder again. "Oh, and Atkinson?" The grin had turned into a smirk.
"Yes sir?" Rob asked nervously, wishing more than anything that he could be out of Kain's sight.
"Try to keep off my bad side."
Rob nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes—yes sir, I most certainly will—"
"You are dismissed!" Kain barked and shoved Rob out the door, locking it behind him.
Rob just stared blankly at the closed door for a moment. He was thoroughly confused, but for the most part, just glad to be out of Kain's office.