A/N: Same disclaimer as before... though we've only met one of J.K.'s characters so far. I promise that Hogwarts is coming! You just have to wait a couple more chapters... I know, I know, but I like thinking out how everything would get done. She can't just apparate you know! Song has been remade so many times I'm not sure who's it really is... but it's one of my favorites!
Leaving On A Jetplane
"I just don't know," Mrs. Harrison sighed, "How are we going to afford this?"
"We'll manage somehow," Mr. Harrison replied, "It would be about the tuition we're paying for Will..."
"But for seven years?!" Mrs. Harrison was quite upset, "And she'll be across the Atlantic where we'll have hardly any contact with her and we'll barely see her! I don't want to let her go this soon! I thought we'd have her till she was eighteen..."
Mr. Harrison put his arm around his wife, "It's all right. We'll find a way. Maybe she can get a scholarship; besides, she might not even stay past a year."
"I'll write home all the time, I promise!" Anne interjected, "And I'm old enough to travel alone so I can come home for Christmas with out you guys coming to get me."
"I'm positive that if Anne keeps high academic marks for the first semester, financial arrangements could be made for her continued presence at Hogwarts," Ms. McGonagall assured the Harrisons. "As for traveling, at least one of you would need to accompany Anne for the first trip. An account must be opened at Gringott's Bank and American currency exchanged to wizarding currency. Shopping for supplies must be done and transport to the railway station needs to be provided. I can arrange for a guide to meet you in London and assist you in your tasks. All the supplies can be found in Diagon Alley, as well as Gringott's. The platform that the Hogwart's Express leaves from is difficult to find if you do not have a witch or wizard to direct you."
"Thank you," Mr. Harrison quietly replied and then looked at Anne for a long moment. "Well, I guess you are going to wizard school..."
Anne was so excited she couldn't say anything. She lit up and ran over to give a crushing hug to her parents. "Thanks! Oh, thank you!"
"I'm pleased that you have decided to attend Hogwarts, Anne. I must tell Headmaster Dumbledore that you will be coming and of your circumstances. I will send you a letter with the name of your consort and where to meet them. I really must be going now. I'll see you in the fall, Anne." With that, Ms. McGonagall waved her wand and disappeared.
The Harrisons stared in complete silence for a moment at the place where Ms. McGonagall had been. The mood was broken when Will got up and went back to his room. Anne was almost tempted to believe that the whole thing hadn't happened if it weren't for the fact that Mrs. Harrison was sniffling behind her.
Anne left the room quietly and went up to her room. She plopped on her bed and absently stroked her cat as she stared at the ceiling. She just couldn't believe this was happening to her! It was like she was in one of her fantasy books. Just yesterday she didn't believe in magic at all, and now... she had actually done it! A real witch had told her she had talent at it too! Anne could still feel the tingling in her palm from where she clutched the wand. She spent the rest of the day in a daze, but the next morning, a terrible truth hit her. She had a whole month to wait!
Anne had nothing to worry about though. The month sped by in a flurry of planning and packing. She called her few friends and told them she was going to a boarding school in England, and that she'd write and be back in the summers and at Christmas. She packed up all of her warm clothes in a trunk, along with some personal items to remind her of home.
The end of July rolled around and Anne found herself hugging Will good-bye and tearfully leaving her mother and home behind. Mr. Harrison put her trunk in the car, and they climbed in the car.
"I'll see you in a week, guys," Mr. Harrison said out the window as he backed the car out of the driveway.
"Remember to brush your teeth every night, and don't forget to write!" Mrs. Harrison said between sobs as she hugged Anne through the window one last time.
"I won't," Anne replied huskily, "I'll be fine, Mom. I love you." The car drove down the street and Anne stared out the window at her home until they turned the corner and it was no longer in sight. Anne struggled to gain control, but a few tears escaped and she hastily wiped them away. She glanced over at her dad, but he stared straight ahead, driving automatically. She turned on the radio and settled back for the drive to the airport.
Anne had never been out of the country. The long, cramped flight was exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. It was too crowded and loud to sleep, but she couldn't concentrate enough to read for very long, either. She stared out the window while for a while, and she must have fallen asleep because she woke to a flight attendant asking her what she'd like to eat. The airline food was typically bland and too cold, but she found that she didn't really care.
"How long do we have?" she asked her dad eagerly.
"A couple of hours yet." He replied, still reading his book. Anne gave a little frustrated sigh and wiggled discontentedly in her seat. "Go back to sleep, the trip will go faster." Mr. Harrison said, discretely conveying to her not to move around too much. Anne sighed again and glanced out the window. She could only see the blue of the sky and the endless sea of white clouds stretching to the horizon. She flipped the shade down and tilted her head onto her dad's shoulder. He put his arm around her and kissed her on the head and Anne fell asleep to the thrum of the jet engines.
She awoke to the announcement that, "All seatbacks and tray tables should be in the upright and locked positions." She was instantly wide-awake and couldn't wait for the plane to land. As it landed, Anne looked out of the window to see the typical English weather - rain and fog. She didn't mind too much though, she was too excited to let the weather bring her down. The plane seemed to take forever to unload. They finally exited and made their way to the baggage claim carousel where they waited another infinitely long time-span for their luggage to appear.
They finally got out of the airport and found a taxi to take them to their hotel. They would be meeting their escort tomorrow morning. Anne hungrily stared out of the windows at the city of London. It was the largest and oldest she had ever been in. She ached to be able to tour all the famous - and infamous landmarks. She wouldn't have time on this trip, but maybe one summer her parents could come and pick her up...
The two Harrisons stumbled into their hotel room and dumped their luggage on the floor. Anne got ready for bed, but couldn't fall asleep right away. She kept thinking about what the next day would be like. She wondered where in London they could find things like wands and cauldrons. She eventually fell asleep thinking of small shops in the side streets of London that covertly sold magical items. She couldn't have been more wrong about where they would be shopping tomorrow...
P.S. Sorry this chapter is so... un-interesting. There really isn't any other way of doing it though. Anne has to get to London somehow... next chapter should be more fun:p Yay, Diagon Alley!!
Leaving On A Jetplane
"I just don't know," Mrs. Harrison sighed, "How are we going to afford this?"
"We'll manage somehow," Mr. Harrison replied, "It would be about the tuition we're paying for Will..."
"But for seven years?!" Mrs. Harrison was quite upset, "And she'll be across the Atlantic where we'll have hardly any contact with her and we'll barely see her! I don't want to let her go this soon! I thought we'd have her till she was eighteen..."
Mr. Harrison put his arm around his wife, "It's all right. We'll find a way. Maybe she can get a scholarship; besides, she might not even stay past a year."
"I'll write home all the time, I promise!" Anne interjected, "And I'm old enough to travel alone so I can come home for Christmas with out you guys coming to get me."
"I'm positive that if Anne keeps high academic marks for the first semester, financial arrangements could be made for her continued presence at Hogwarts," Ms. McGonagall assured the Harrisons. "As for traveling, at least one of you would need to accompany Anne for the first trip. An account must be opened at Gringott's Bank and American currency exchanged to wizarding currency. Shopping for supplies must be done and transport to the railway station needs to be provided. I can arrange for a guide to meet you in London and assist you in your tasks. All the supplies can be found in Diagon Alley, as well as Gringott's. The platform that the Hogwart's Express leaves from is difficult to find if you do not have a witch or wizard to direct you."
"Thank you," Mr. Harrison quietly replied and then looked at Anne for a long moment. "Well, I guess you are going to wizard school..."
Anne was so excited she couldn't say anything. She lit up and ran over to give a crushing hug to her parents. "Thanks! Oh, thank you!"
"I'm pleased that you have decided to attend Hogwarts, Anne. I must tell Headmaster Dumbledore that you will be coming and of your circumstances. I will send you a letter with the name of your consort and where to meet them. I really must be going now. I'll see you in the fall, Anne." With that, Ms. McGonagall waved her wand and disappeared.
The Harrisons stared in complete silence for a moment at the place where Ms. McGonagall had been. The mood was broken when Will got up and went back to his room. Anne was almost tempted to believe that the whole thing hadn't happened if it weren't for the fact that Mrs. Harrison was sniffling behind her.
Anne left the room quietly and went up to her room. She plopped on her bed and absently stroked her cat as she stared at the ceiling. She just couldn't believe this was happening to her! It was like she was in one of her fantasy books. Just yesterday she didn't believe in magic at all, and now... she had actually done it! A real witch had told her she had talent at it too! Anne could still feel the tingling in her palm from where she clutched the wand. She spent the rest of the day in a daze, but the next morning, a terrible truth hit her. She had a whole month to wait!
Anne had nothing to worry about though. The month sped by in a flurry of planning and packing. She called her few friends and told them she was going to a boarding school in England, and that she'd write and be back in the summers and at Christmas. She packed up all of her warm clothes in a trunk, along with some personal items to remind her of home.
The end of July rolled around and Anne found herself hugging Will good-bye and tearfully leaving her mother and home behind. Mr. Harrison put her trunk in the car, and they climbed in the car.
"I'll see you in a week, guys," Mr. Harrison said out the window as he backed the car out of the driveway.
"Remember to brush your teeth every night, and don't forget to write!" Mrs. Harrison said between sobs as she hugged Anne through the window one last time.
"I won't," Anne replied huskily, "I'll be fine, Mom. I love you." The car drove down the street and Anne stared out the window at her home until they turned the corner and it was no longer in sight. Anne struggled to gain control, but a few tears escaped and she hastily wiped them away. She glanced over at her dad, but he stared straight ahead, driving automatically. She turned on the radio and settled back for the drive to the airport.
Anne had never been out of the country. The long, cramped flight was exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. It was too crowded and loud to sleep, but she couldn't concentrate enough to read for very long, either. She stared out the window while for a while, and she must have fallen asleep because she woke to a flight attendant asking her what she'd like to eat. The airline food was typically bland and too cold, but she found that she didn't really care.
"How long do we have?" she asked her dad eagerly.
"A couple of hours yet." He replied, still reading his book. Anne gave a little frustrated sigh and wiggled discontentedly in her seat. "Go back to sleep, the trip will go faster." Mr. Harrison said, discretely conveying to her not to move around too much. Anne sighed again and glanced out the window. She could only see the blue of the sky and the endless sea of white clouds stretching to the horizon. She flipped the shade down and tilted her head onto her dad's shoulder. He put his arm around her and kissed her on the head and Anne fell asleep to the thrum of the jet engines.
She awoke to the announcement that, "All seatbacks and tray tables should be in the upright and locked positions." She was instantly wide-awake and couldn't wait for the plane to land. As it landed, Anne looked out of the window to see the typical English weather - rain and fog. She didn't mind too much though, she was too excited to let the weather bring her down. The plane seemed to take forever to unload. They finally exited and made their way to the baggage claim carousel where they waited another infinitely long time-span for their luggage to appear.
They finally got out of the airport and found a taxi to take them to their hotel. They would be meeting their escort tomorrow morning. Anne hungrily stared out of the windows at the city of London. It was the largest and oldest she had ever been in. She ached to be able to tour all the famous - and infamous landmarks. She wouldn't have time on this trip, but maybe one summer her parents could come and pick her up...
The two Harrisons stumbled into their hotel room and dumped their luggage on the floor. Anne got ready for bed, but couldn't fall asleep right away. She kept thinking about what the next day would be like. She wondered where in London they could find things like wands and cauldrons. She eventually fell asleep thinking of small shops in the side streets of London that covertly sold magical items. She couldn't have been more wrong about where they would be shopping tomorrow...
P.S. Sorry this chapter is so... un-interesting. There really isn't any other way of doing it though. Anne has to get to London somehow... next chapter should be more fun:p Yay, Diagon Alley!!