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"Professor McKenzie?" Hope said, entering the Headmaster's office tentatively
"Ah, Alexis," Professor McKenzie said, standing. He paused. "Or do you prefer Hope?"
"It's Hope, sir," Hope said politely. Professor McKenzie pointed at a chair. Hope sat.
"You applied to go to France, correct?" Professor McKenzie asked, sitting behind his desk.
"Yes, I did," Hope said. Oh, I hope I get to go, she thought.
The Headmaster shuffled some papers on his desk. "I'm afraid that the school in France doesn't have any openings left."
Hope's face fell. "Figures," she muttered.
"However," he continued. "However, there is an opening at Hogwarts, the school in Scotland. Perhaps you'd be interested in going there, instead."
"Would I ever!" Hope said, grinning.
"Your guardians have already given you permission, I see," Professor McKenzie said, glancing at the forms again. "You will leave tomorrow and travel to King's Cross Station in London by Floo Powder, then take the Hogwarts Express to the school. Pack your things, Hope - you're going to Scotland."
Hope hurried to her room and started throwing things in her trunk - books, quills, inks, pieces of parchment, her diary, robes, everything went in and Hope didn't really care where. Finally she got everything in, took about ten minutes to close it since it was so full, and used her wand to lock it.
Maddie came in while Hope was closing it (without knocking, as usual), a stony expression on her face.
"Do you ever knock?" Hope asked, slightly out of breath from the effort of closing her trunk, but too excited to be irritated as Maddie.
Maddie didn't answer, simply sat on Hope's bed and watched her for a bit. Finally, she spoke.
"So you're really going," she said.
"Yes, I'm really going," Hope answered shortly. "I've told you that since I applied to go."
"Yeah, but Ty and me didn't think that you were actually serious," Maddie retorted. She sniffed and furiously rubbed her traitorous eyes.
Hope stared. Maddie, showing emotion that wasn't anger or contempt? Not once in a century would Hope have ever believed Maddie capable of showing sadness.
"I'll still write, Mad," she said softly. "And it's not like I'm going away forever. It's only the next two years. And Professor McKenzie said I could come back over vacation."
"Yeah, but it's our last two years here," Maddie protested.
"Aw, Mad," Hope said, getting up and hugging her best friend.
Maddie sniffed again.
"Don't you dare cry," Hope told her sternly. "If you cry, I'll cry, and then we'd both be crying, and that would be waaaaay too out of character for both of us."
Maddie started laughing, then pushed Hope away. "What makes you think I was going to cry?" she asked scornfully.
"Oh, I dunno, only the teary eyes, and the sniffing," Hope teased.
"Shut up. You'd better not forget to write, Alhoma," Maddie said.
"Yeah, yeah," Hope muttered. "As long as you write back, Macaro."
Alhoma and Macaro were their nicknames for each other. They had taken the first two letters of their first, middle, and last names and put them together. Madeline Carol Roberts became Macaro and Alexis Hope Matthews became Alhoma.
"I'll write back," Maddie promised. She turned around and walked out, without saying goodbye. Hope was used to it. Maddie always said that goodbyes were only for people who were dying and there was absolutely no chance of seeing them again - until you died yourself.
"Professor McKenzie?" Hope said, entering the Headmaster's office tentatively
"Ah, Alexis," Professor McKenzie said, standing. He paused. "Or do you prefer Hope?"
"It's Hope, sir," Hope said politely. Professor McKenzie pointed at a chair. Hope sat.
"You applied to go to France, correct?" Professor McKenzie asked, sitting behind his desk.
"Yes, I did," Hope said. Oh, I hope I get to go, she thought.
The Headmaster shuffled some papers on his desk. "I'm afraid that the school in France doesn't have any openings left."
Hope's face fell. "Figures," she muttered.
"However," he continued. "However, there is an opening at Hogwarts, the school in Scotland. Perhaps you'd be interested in going there, instead."
"Would I ever!" Hope said, grinning.
"Your guardians have already given you permission, I see," Professor McKenzie said, glancing at the forms again. "You will leave tomorrow and travel to King's Cross Station in London by Floo Powder, then take the Hogwarts Express to the school. Pack your things, Hope - you're going to Scotland."
Hope hurried to her room and started throwing things in her trunk - books, quills, inks, pieces of parchment, her diary, robes, everything went in and Hope didn't really care where. Finally she got everything in, took about ten minutes to close it since it was so full, and used her wand to lock it.
Maddie came in while Hope was closing it (without knocking, as usual), a stony expression on her face.
"Do you ever knock?" Hope asked, slightly out of breath from the effort of closing her trunk, but too excited to be irritated as Maddie.
Maddie didn't answer, simply sat on Hope's bed and watched her for a bit. Finally, she spoke.
"So you're really going," she said.
"Yes, I'm really going," Hope answered shortly. "I've told you that since I applied to go."
"Yeah, but Ty and me didn't think that you were actually serious," Maddie retorted. She sniffed and furiously rubbed her traitorous eyes.
Hope stared. Maddie, showing emotion that wasn't anger or contempt? Not once in a century would Hope have ever believed Maddie capable of showing sadness.
"I'll still write, Mad," she said softly. "And it's not like I'm going away forever. It's only the next two years. And Professor McKenzie said I could come back over vacation."
"Yeah, but it's our last two years here," Maddie protested.
"Aw, Mad," Hope said, getting up and hugging her best friend.
Maddie sniffed again.
"Don't you dare cry," Hope told her sternly. "If you cry, I'll cry, and then we'd both be crying, and that would be waaaaay too out of character for both of us."
Maddie started laughing, then pushed Hope away. "What makes you think I was going to cry?" she asked scornfully.
"Oh, I dunno, only the teary eyes, and the sniffing," Hope teased.
"Shut up. You'd better not forget to write, Alhoma," Maddie said.
"Yeah, yeah," Hope muttered. "As long as you write back, Macaro."
Alhoma and Macaro were their nicknames for each other. They had taken the first two letters of their first, middle, and last names and put them together. Madeline Carol Roberts became Macaro and Alexis Hope Matthews became Alhoma.
"I'll write back," Maddie promised. She turned around and walked out, without saying goodbye. Hope was used to it. Maddie always said that goodbyes were only for people who were dying and there was absolutely no chance of seeing them again - until you died yourself.