Paint the Sky with Stars
--by Egon Starcollector
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I borrowed the title from Enya. *winks* I just own Rebecca and Stacy McIvers.
Theodore Granger was digging through his tool chest looking for a wrench to fix the sink. The blinding June sun poured through the window onto his back, making him feel vaguely like a broasted chicken. Suddenly the telephone rang. "Dear, it's for you," his wife's voice called.
"All right." He walked over to the extension, smiling at his daughter Hermione as he did so. Hermione, the light of his life, was about to enter her sixth year as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He'd been shocked at first to learn that his daughter was a witch, but once he saw how happy she was he accepted it. His shy, brilliant, bossy daughter had real friends for the first time in her life, and she was even dating a charming young man named Harry. Hogwarts, Theodore realized, had probably been the best thing that had ever happened to her.
He picked up the phone. "Dr. Granger speaking." He fully expected it to be a patient; patients always seemed to have dental emergencies when he and his wife were busy attempting such frivolous tasks as eating, doing chores, or using the loo.
"Tad? It's Becky."
He nearly dropped the receiver. He gripped the edge of the counter for support. "Becky?" he rasped, his mouth suddenly dry.
Rebecca Granger was the only person who'd ever called him "Tad." She was his little sister. Twenty years ago, when she was seventeen, she'd run away from home. The police never found any trace of her. He had long since given her up for dead, and had named his daughter Hermione Rebecca in memory of her aunt. But there was no mistaking that voice....
"Look, Tad, I...I'm not even going to bother with an explanation because we both know there really isn't one. I was young and confused. But now, well...I lost my husband in a car accident a few years ago. My daughter's sixteen now, and she's been accepted as a transfer student at a school over there...."
"Really? Why, my daughter will be sixteen in September!"
"Are you serious? That's wonderful; it would be lovely for Stacy to interact with a relative her own age. You see...I know this is a lot for me to ask, but I was wondering...."
"If she could stay with us? I'll have to ask Liz--that's my wife-- but I'm sure she'll say yes."
"Oh thank you. Oh, and there's one more very important thing. About this school: Stacy's a...well...she's a...."
"A witch?"
There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line. Then a quiet, "How did you know?"
"My daughter is one as well."
"Well then...she goes to Hogwarts?"
"Yes; a Prefect, in fact! May well make Head Girl."
"Wonderful; congratulations! And that means they'll be classmates."
"So it seems. Wait, here's Liz; just a second."
"Who is it, dear," Elizabeth Granger asked as she came up behind her husband.
"You won't believe it."
"Try me."
"It's...it's my sister."
"What???"
"I know, I know...but I'd know her voice anywhere. Liz, her daughter is a witch like Hermione. She's transferring to Hogwarts in the fall...she'll be in Hermione's year, and Becky wants to know if the girl can stay with us."
"Well where else would she stay, you silly git?" she said, kissing Theodore lovingly on the cheek.
"Liz, you're the best!"
"I know, that's why you married me," she said with a wink.
"Becky, Becky, are you still there?"
"Yes, I am."
"She said yes. Your daughter can stay with us."
"Oh thank you! I...I really don't know how to thank you."
"Let your big brother take you to lunch and fill him in on the last twenty years?"
Becky's piccolo laugh rang on the other end. "That's more than fair. We'll be at Heathrow Airport next Saturday at two--or so the tickets say. Is that all right?"
"That will be fine. We'll come pick you up and then go somewhere to eat so the girls can get acquainted. We'll see you then!"
"All right. Goodbye. And Tad?"
"Yes?"
"I...I'm sorry. I love you."
He smiled gently. "You too, sis."
Theodore hung up the phone. Now to tell Hermione. "Sugar, I have some news for you...."
--by Egon Starcollector
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I borrowed the title from Enya. *winks* I just own Rebecca and Stacy McIvers.
Theodore Granger was digging through his tool chest looking for a wrench to fix the sink. The blinding June sun poured through the window onto his back, making him feel vaguely like a broasted chicken. Suddenly the telephone rang. "Dear, it's for you," his wife's voice called.
"All right." He walked over to the extension, smiling at his daughter Hermione as he did so. Hermione, the light of his life, was about to enter her sixth year as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He'd been shocked at first to learn that his daughter was a witch, but once he saw how happy she was he accepted it. His shy, brilliant, bossy daughter had real friends for the first time in her life, and she was even dating a charming young man named Harry. Hogwarts, Theodore realized, had probably been the best thing that had ever happened to her.
He picked up the phone. "Dr. Granger speaking." He fully expected it to be a patient; patients always seemed to have dental emergencies when he and his wife were busy attempting such frivolous tasks as eating, doing chores, or using the loo.
"Tad? It's Becky."
He nearly dropped the receiver. He gripped the edge of the counter for support. "Becky?" he rasped, his mouth suddenly dry.
Rebecca Granger was the only person who'd ever called him "Tad." She was his little sister. Twenty years ago, when she was seventeen, she'd run away from home. The police never found any trace of her. He had long since given her up for dead, and had named his daughter Hermione Rebecca in memory of her aunt. But there was no mistaking that voice....
"Look, Tad, I...I'm not even going to bother with an explanation because we both know there really isn't one. I was young and confused. But now, well...I lost my husband in a car accident a few years ago. My daughter's sixteen now, and she's been accepted as a transfer student at a school over there...."
"Really? Why, my daughter will be sixteen in September!"
"Are you serious? That's wonderful; it would be lovely for Stacy to interact with a relative her own age. You see...I know this is a lot for me to ask, but I was wondering...."
"If she could stay with us? I'll have to ask Liz--that's my wife-- but I'm sure she'll say yes."
"Oh thank you. Oh, and there's one more very important thing. About this school: Stacy's a...well...she's a...."
"A witch?"
There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line. Then a quiet, "How did you know?"
"My daughter is one as well."
"Well then...she goes to Hogwarts?"
"Yes; a Prefect, in fact! May well make Head Girl."
"Wonderful; congratulations! And that means they'll be classmates."
"So it seems. Wait, here's Liz; just a second."
"Who is it, dear," Elizabeth Granger asked as she came up behind her husband.
"You won't believe it."
"Try me."
"It's...it's my sister."
"What???"
"I know, I know...but I'd know her voice anywhere. Liz, her daughter is a witch like Hermione. She's transferring to Hogwarts in the fall...she'll be in Hermione's year, and Becky wants to know if the girl can stay with us."
"Well where else would she stay, you silly git?" she said, kissing Theodore lovingly on the cheek.
"Liz, you're the best!"
"I know, that's why you married me," she said with a wink.
"Becky, Becky, are you still there?"
"Yes, I am."
"She said yes. Your daughter can stay with us."
"Oh thank you! I...I really don't know how to thank you."
"Let your big brother take you to lunch and fill him in on the last twenty years?"
Becky's piccolo laugh rang on the other end. "That's more than fair. We'll be at Heathrow Airport next Saturday at two--or so the tickets say. Is that all right?"
"That will be fine. We'll come pick you up and then go somewhere to eat so the girls can get acquainted. We'll see you then!"
"All right. Goodbye. And Tad?"
"Yes?"
"I...I'm sorry. I love you."
He smiled gently. "You too, sis."
Theodore hung up the phone. Now to tell Hermione. "Sugar, I have some news for you...."