Candice sighed as she unpacked her few belongings, and thought of the laptop at
the bottom of her suitcase. She then fingered the tickets she held. Every week, for the
next five, she would visit a different place. She would go under a different name. They
wouldn't find her. They would give up, and then she would go back to Michigan, and go
to the high school where she belonged, Interlochen. Until the first letter, Candice would
dance all day, to make up for her five-week vacation. She loved that week, the week
before the letter came.

It had come. Candice almost cried. Just like three years ago, it stated:

Dear Miss C. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that your education is to be continued at Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your ticket is enclosed, your train leaves from
King's Cross station, London England, at 10:00, from platform 9 _. Your list of school
supplies is also enclosed.

Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Candice now purposely burned the letter. A fire spell whispered at the letter, then
canceled when it had burned took care of that. Candice packed her bags, and left.

Candice had fun at the places she went, to Hawaii, and took surfing lessons, to
California, and toured Hollywood, to the Grand Canyon, to Luray Caverns, and finally,
back to New York. In New York, she stayed with Ada. There was no word from
Hogwarts. Yet she could Farsee now, and she knew they were looking for her. She had
been reported to the MoM. At the end of five weeks, she wanted desperately to return to
Interlochen, but she remained at Ada's for one more week. When she returned to
Interlochen, it was but two days until September 1st. Candice was nervous, very nervous.
Yet nothing happened. No one had come to see her while she was away. Had they given
up? Was she free? She calmed her nerves by reading, lying on her bed, against her
pillow. She read very late that night. Near midnight, she stopped. She did not get up, but
she listened. She very quietly listened for whatever had made that noise. The clock struck
12, and she felt as if her she were being dragged by her back. She cursed. Her pillow had
been turned into a portkey. She landed at the feet of a giant man. Bushels of untidy brown
hair hid most of his ruddy face and twinkling black eyes. She got up, and ran. Her heart
pounding, she didn't even know where she was. A sign said "The Leaky Cauldron", still
in her pajamas, she kicked the wizard guarding the door (she knew martial arts would pay
off) and raced into a backyard type of place. The giant was right behind her. This was the
wizarding world, there had to be an opening somewhere in that brick wall. Invoking her
will, the wall opened at her command. She smiled. Diagon Alley, the sign said.
Wherever, she didn't care. She ran through the wall, leaving the giant to open the wall his
way. Her eyes darted her and there, and she ran into the nearest shop, it was closed of
course, and the door didn't open. She continued to try the doors of each shop. None
would open. She cursed in frustration and ran towards the only escape that she could see,
the bank, Gringotts. She ran up the stairs and hid in the corner of the doors. The giant was
coming. If only she could apparate! The giant moved closer. A wisp of air chilled her
spine, as a sharp voice she knew too well sounded behind her.

"Forget it, Hagrid, I've found her. Stupefy!"