Chapter 23 – The Birthday Present

The Fortescues' house in the country was a wonder to Lydia. All the labour-saving gadgets she would expect in a well-to-do muggle home were present. In a magical house they were in the form of old-fashioned equivalents which worked by magic. She would stand fascinated, watching the crockery in a huge stone sink being sprayed with hot, soapy water from the tap. At the time same bristly brushes zoomed around all over the plates and bowls scrubbing them with vigour. The clothes which came out of the washing tub would fly around the scullery like mad birds. A warm wind howled around, drying them, and clouds of steam billowed out of the window.

In the evening there was no television. The family, and any guests who happened by, would tell stories or jokes, or they would sing songs and play tunes on all manner of magical instruments. Sometimes Xander would sit and watch them, but he never joined in the singing.

Lydia found that if she and Freddie got away from the magic of the house, she could use her phone. They went to the bottom of the garden and out to the other side of the copse which lay beyond. From there they could ring Sophie. Sophie was delighted to hear from them, even though they had already sent her letters by owl. They chattered about the holidays and their homework, which they had all done. Sophie had Lydia's attitude towards getting work done before starting to enjoy oneself. Freddie was not pleased, but at least he had been through the pain and the work was out of the way.

Lydia's mother and Uncle Ambrose visited for a few days, using the Floo Network. They would have picnics on the lawn or go to Ferdi's ice cream shop in Diagon Alley. Later, Lydia and Freddie went to stay with Draco and his family at Malfoy Manor. They liked Scorpius, Draco and Astoria's three-year-old boy. He seemed as irrepressibly happy as Freddie and would spend hours chasing around the corridors and halls of the manor on his toy broom. When Draco took Lydia away to practise her unique form of magic, they would leave Scorpius and Freddie playing on the floor with the little boy's toys.

Draco's mother, Narcissa, was an odd presence in the household. She seemed permanently near-stunned and would wander around the manor not seeming to know where she was. She often appeared to be looking for something but had forgotten what she was seeking. Lydia had told Freddie how Draco's father, Lucius, had abandoned them in the cavern under Throakley mine. They both realised it must have been a terrible shock for Narcissa to hear that her husband had left their son to die. No wonder the poor thing seemed so lost.

Lydia had long since decided that Draco was a good man but he proved it again and again with his attentiveness to the needs of everyone in the house. In particular, he was always checking that Astoria was all right. Lydia began to wonder if Mrs Malfoy had been ill as Draco was so protective of her. Astoria always thanked and reassured him which, to Lydia, suggested she had been ill. Under other circumstances she would surely have found Draco's coddling annoying.

At the end of the week at Malfoy Manor, Harry Potter and Uncle Ambrose arrived in the late morning, having apparated from Ambrose's house. Lydia had expected this. Of course, Harry wanted her to try once more to release Alorea Rakissen from her imprisonment in the egg. She felt more confident of success this time, but that was the problem. This time she might succeed and who knew what might happen as a result. She agreed to try, even though it meant leaving Freddie for a day or two.

As it turned out, the trip to Trenton was almost an exact repeat of her previous attempt. This time Ron was not present, though Harry and Ambrose were. Draco took Ron's place. As the professor was coaching Lydia in the use of her powers, he was keen to see her trying to put them to use. However, like the year before, Lydia could feel her magic sliding off whatever it was covering the surface of the egg. Draco used some small silver and glass instruments he had himself made. These were designed to measure Lydia's magic and had worked in earlier practice runs. Once again, they gave him readings and he took copious notes. Once again, he had little idea how to interpret the measurements. Ultimately, Draco was the only one who gained anything from the experience and Lydia left more dejected than last time.

Harry and Director Harizanis discussed what they could gain from interviewing Alorea Rakissen. For Harry the trail had gone cold. They were now investigating a significantly different organisation in Britain from Rakissen's. Kostas Harizanis worried that they had no idea at all what sort of organisation might exist in North America, nor what their plans might be. Lydia agreed to try again as soon as she felt she had made significant progress in understanding how to use her powers. Secretly, she felt she was doing exactly the right thing but that there was a greater power preventing her. Where this power came from, she had no idea. That unsettled her.

They bid their farewells and returned to Britain. Harry returned to work, but Ambrose stayed on for a night at Malfoy Manor. Catherine, Lydia's mum, had arrived in their absence, planning to meet up with Ambrose and drive him home. Lydia relayed her tale of woe and failure to Freddie, but Lydia's mum seemed excited to talk to Ambrose. They sat together and pored over some papers Catherine had brought with her. Uncle Ambrose seemed terribly pleased with himself as he approached the youngsters.

"I have an announcement to make, which I trust will provide some small relief from recent events," he smiled. "It transpires that I have a sum of money, of which I was previously unaware. Dear Catherine has kindly come up with a method by which I can spend a significant amount of it. She has found me a splendid new abode at which I may throw my filthy lucre. The significance of this for you, Littlest Lydia, is that it has a plethora of rooms in which you, your mother and your esteemed cat may be housed. Would you be prepared to suffer the proximity of your uncle in order to live in a dwelling such as this?"

He handed over an estate agent's details of the property. Lydia and Freddie examined it. Xander appeared and joined in their perusal. The sheaf of papers described an old rectory. It looked a little run-down and overgrown but it was quite splendid, not unlike a smaller version of Malfoy Manor. The price was… "Price On Application".

"It looks amazing!" she enthused. "And we can all live there?"

Ambrose nodded. "It has more space than both of our current homes, and plenty of outdoor space, too. I promise you will be able to escape me, should you so wish."

"It looks fabulous!" Freddie declared. "Shut up and say 'yes', Lydia. What are you waiting for?"

Lydia gave him an exasperated glare. "If I shut up, how can I say 'yes'?"

"Oh, you know what I mean," he protested. "She says 'yes', Mr Ward."

Ambrose raised his eyebrows at Lydia.

"Actually, I say 'yes, please'," she corrected.

Ambrose beamed. "Good. Then Catherine and I shall visit the estate agent on our way back to the frozen wastes of the North tomorrow and fling large gouts of money at them."

"Whereabouts is the house?" Lydia asked.

"In the lands of the South," Ambrose intoned. "We may have to repent our heathen ways and become civilised. At least we will be closer to your friends and catching the Hogwarts Express from London will be less arduous and ridiculous than before."

As the holidays drew to a close, the prospect of a new school year loomed over them. Lydia was surprised to find she was feeling nervous. She realised she was worrying about people's attitudes to her at school. Yes, she had found a way to suppress animosity towards her, but should she need to exercise that power? Influencing others using her magic felt like cheating. Making someone tolerate you against their will was only a short step away from forcing them to like you. Why could they not treat her on her own merits?

She and Freddie had received their school booklists. They had gathered all they needed over a few trips to Diagon Alley with Ferdi. Ambrose had met with them on one trip to thank Ferdi and pay back the money Lydia had borrowed for her school supplies. His house purchase was progressing well. He insisted that Freddie stay with them over Christmas at their new home, in repayment for the kindness they had shown Lydia over the summer.

When September the first arrived, a Wednesday, Lydia and Freddie accompanied Ferdi to his work at the shop using the Floo Network. Mr Fortescue had to use a spell to widen his fireplace to accommodate their trunks. Xander took to his 'room' in Lydia's Travelighter and settled in for a nap until they were on the train. Later in the morning, Ferdi took them to The Leaky Cauldron, from in front of which they caught a taxi to King's Cross Station.

On Platform 9¾ they found Sophie with her mother, watching out for them. She bounced up and down as she caught sight of them.

"Ohmygod!" Freddie observed. "Have you grown over the summer?"

It was true. Lydia, who had been the same height as Sophie, found she was looking up ever so slightly. It was probably little more than a centimetre or two but their friend seemed to be taller. Her shoulders seemed broader, too.

Sophie's mum laughed. "I think it's posture as much as anything. Sophie is so much happier now she has friends. Especially after the birthday present."

"Ah, there you are," came Uncle Ambrose's voice. "Well, you two chose an ideal present for Sophie's birthday. As you can see, I had no trouble finding it after you told me where to look in Diagon Alley."

He gestured towards Sophie's luggage. Her trunk was accompanied by a parcel the size and approximate shape of a broom.

"And look what mum got me – from Diagon Alley!" Sophie said, bending down to pick up a pet carrier. Inside was a dark cat.

"She's called Elsa," Sophie explained. "I thought it would be nice for Xander to have a friend."

"Now that you are all here, I think it would be wise for you to board the Express," Ambrose pointed out. "Preferably some time before it departs."

"Thank you for sending that car to pick us up, Mr Ward," Sophie said.

"You are ever so welcome," Ambrose smiled. "I shall call him up in a while to take your dear mama home, rest assured."

Ambrose hugged Sophie, shook hands with Freddie and leaned in to hug Lydia goodbye. While he was close, he whispered to her.

"I knew you would have wanted to get Sophie a present and you had told me she was the best flyer in your year. I simply put two and two together."

"How did you know where she lived?" Lydia whispered back.

"You seem to forget I have influential friends at Hogwarts," he reminded her. "If you wish to invite Sophie to stay over Christmas at our new house, please do. It would be better coming from you, I believe."

Ambrose helped them aboard the train with their luggage. They found a compartment and settled in. Lydia let Xander out of the Travelighter trunk to join them. Sophie let Elsa out of her pet-carrier. There was a tense moment while the cats regarded each other. Then they touched noses, parted, and sought out separate comfortable places to lie down. The humans shrugged and smiled at each other. Lydia put Sophie's broom into the Travelighter for safekeeping.

As the train moved away, they waved to Ambrose and Selina, Sophie's mother. Two new first-year girls asked if they could join them. They allowed them in and, as the newcomers made a fuss of the cats, they felt like grown-up, sophisticated old hands at the Hogwarts game. They talked to the youngsters about Hogwarts and the Sorting Ceremony. They gave them tips on how to manage the various members of staff. When the food trolley came around, they treated the girls, both muggle-born, to a selection of everything the trolley had to offer. Lydia reflected that Uncle Ambrose must have done well with his new-found fortune. He had given her an uncomfortable amount of spending money on his last visit. It was all safely stowed in her Travelighter, to which only she and Xander had access. She felt it was safe from Xander as he lacked not only opposable thumbs but also anywhere to spend the cash.

At one point Sophie left to go to the bathroom. The two firsties begged to tag along, so all three went.

"How does he do that?" Freddie hissed as soon as they had left.

"Who?" Lydia asked.

"Your uncle. How does he know everybody and what their birthdays are and what they want and where they live and how to hire cars for them? He's got mad skills. He got Sophie the best possible present from us."

Lydia shrugged. "Dunno. Anyway, that's the wrong question."

"What's the right question?"

"How did we not know our friend's birthday?"

Freddie blew out his cheeks. "I know. What are we like? We need to be better friends."

"Do you think she'll try out for the quidditch team?" Lydia mused.

Freddie looked incredulous. "Deffo! Hooch basically told her to. And from what you've said about her flying I bet she gets in. She knows everything there is to know about quidditch."

Lydia looked at him.

"What?" he demanded.

"We're the nerds, aren't we?"

Freddie thought about it, then smiled as he made up his mind. "We're the cool nerds!"

"Because we're slightly cooler than two muggle-born firsties?"

Freddie held up a finger. "Let us consider the evidence. One of us is going to be on a house quidditch team. Another of us is heir to an ice cream empire. And the third has totally different magic and is glorious and notorious! Ergo: we're cool."

Lydia gave him a wan smile. "It'd be nice if people didn't hate us so much."

"It'd be nice if you could train your cat to do my homework for me, but we can't have everything. Anyway, they're just jealous and feeble-minded. Xander loves us and he's got perfect taste."

Xander looked up from his slumber and commented, "Mrrrow?"

They laughed.

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