Disclaimer: Athena belongs to me. The rest belongs to J.K Rowling.
Thank you for all your reviews!
Chapter 2: The Letter
11 years later.
Athena McGonagall opened her eyes and stretched lazily on her bed. She turned and looked at the calendar her bedroom wall, which showed that the summer holidays had started. She smiled and continued lying on her bed, listening to the surroundings. She heard the alarm clock on her desk ticking and the birds chirping outside her window.
She fiddled with her pendant that was connected to her chain and stared at it. She liked to see the planets moving at the edges. She had the pendant ever since she could remember and according to her mother, this pendant used to belong to her father. She had never seen her father before; she didn't even have a picture of him and her mother never mentioned about him. The only thing she knew about her father was that he died of illness, at least that's her mother said one time when she asked how did her father died.
"He..died of illness." Her mother said in a voice mixed with anger and sorrow and she had tears in her eyes. And from that time onwards, Athena wouldn't dare to ask about her father again, she didn't want to upset her mother. But she was still dying to know anything about her father.
Speaking of mother... Athena sat up. She wondered if her mother had awakened yet. She got out of her bed and walked to the full-length mirror near the door. She picked up her brush from her desk and brushed her long and wavy auburn hair. She stared at her reflection. She must have gotten her hair colour from her father because her mother has black hair. She smiled in satisfaction and walked out of her bedroom.
****
"Morning, Mom!"
Professor McGonagall looked up from her newspaper. She didn't change a bit, just that her hair had gone grey a little. She smiled at her daughter. "Morning."
Athena grinned and kissed her mother on her cheek. "Today is the first day of the holidays!" She said happily as she sat down on the dinning table.
"Any plans for today?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"No." Athena said after she had swallowed her spoonful of cereal. "You?"
Professor McGonagall smiled a little and shook her head.
"ATHENA! ATHENA MCGONAGALL!!!" Someone yelled from the outside of the house.
Professor McGonagall started to frown while Athena struck out her tongue. "Oops, sorry Mom."
"Athena, please tell your friend that there're such things as telephone and doorbell and tell him to use them when he want to call you."
"I did but Ares won't listen. He enjoys yelling. And he is not really my friend, just an annoying classmate. Excuse me, Mom." Athena apologized and got up from her seat. She rushed to the front door and opened it.
"Ares! How many times do I have to...." Professor McGonagall heard Athena yelling at Ares at the door. She sighed. If Ares is a Hogwarts student, he will probably ended up in Hufflepuff because he seems to be the type.
****
"Look Ares, what do you want? I am having breakfast right now." Athena asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"Sorry, but I am just wondering that what school will you go after summer?" Ares asked.
"Excuse me, you yelled for me during breakfast just for that?" Athena asked, with her mouth dropped open in disbelief.
"Just tell me and I won't bug you throughout the whole summer." Ares grinned.
Athena thought for a while. Her mother never mentioned her new school after summer. Where will she go? Maybe she will ask her mother later.
"I dunno." She said finally.
"I dunno?!" Ares asked with his eyes widened. "That's an odd name." He grinned.
"Yeah, it is odd, okay? So if you just excuse me, I am going back to breakfast. Good day." She said curtly and closed the door before Ares could say anything. "Whatever I go, I hope that I won't end up in the same school with you." Athena mumbled.
"Mom, which school will I go after summer?" Athena asked as she sat down.
Professor McGonagall looked at her daughter. If she remembers correctly, the letter of Hogwarts will arrived tomorrow and Athena will leave her for Hogwarts. And the dark wizards will be ready for her....
Professor McGonagall smiled sadly at her. "You will know tomorrow."
"Okay." Athena said and continued with her cereal. She looked up again. "Are you okay, Mom?"
"I'm okay."
"Oh." Athena said slowly. Maybe her mother was thinking about her father.
*****
The next morning, when Athena came down for breakfast, she saw her mother standing near the window, looking as if she was waiting for something.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
Professor McGonagall didn't respond. She continued to stare out of the window.
Athena shrugged and went for her breakfast. After she had done, she was surprised to see her mother, who was still standing by the window.
"Mom...." She started but stopped when she saw her mother's eyes widened and took a deep breath. She sighed and said, "Athena, go and get the mail."
"What mail? Today is Sunday." Athena said, thinking her mother had gone mad.
"Go." Her mother said firmly and gave her an "or-else" look.
"All right, all right." Athena said, walking towards the door with her eyes still on her mother. "But I doubt..." She stopped dead on her tracks and her mouth dropped open. Her mother was right, there was a mail. But there were no post on Sundays, where the heck did that letter come from? Athena bent down, picked it up and read the address:
Miss Athena McGonagall
13 Willow Street
London
England
Athena turned the letter over and looked in interest at a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms: a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'.
"Cute coat of arms..." She said, smiling and her smile faded when she looked up and saw her mother just stood there in the living room with a very pale look on her face.
"Open it." Professor McGonagall urged.
She tore open the envelope and took out the letter. She unfolded it and began to read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmistress: Georgia Sprouts
Dear Miss McGonagall,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. (Athena raised her eyebrows at this point) Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. And the school train, the Hogwarts Express, will leave for Hogwarts at 11am at Platform 9 ¾ in King's Cross Station. Please be punctual.
Yours sincerely,
Severus Snape
Deputy Headmaster
P.S: I enclosed your train ticket.
Hogwarts? Owl? Witchcraft? Platform 9 ¾? Athena felt totally confused. What's going on? Then she thought of something. "Oh, I get it! It must be that idiot Ares! He knows that I don't know what school will I be going so he put this letter through the letter box just for a joke!" She laughed and stopped when she saw her mother frowning.
"This is a joke right? I mean, I am interested in magic and all but..."
Professor McGonagall walked to her daughter and put her hands on her shoulders. "Athena, it is the time to tell you the truth. You are a witch."
Thank you for all your reviews!
Chapter 2: The Letter
11 years later.
Athena McGonagall opened her eyes and stretched lazily on her bed. She turned and looked at the calendar her bedroom wall, which showed that the summer holidays had started. She smiled and continued lying on her bed, listening to the surroundings. She heard the alarm clock on her desk ticking and the birds chirping outside her window.
She fiddled with her pendant that was connected to her chain and stared at it. She liked to see the planets moving at the edges. She had the pendant ever since she could remember and according to her mother, this pendant used to belong to her father. She had never seen her father before; she didn't even have a picture of him and her mother never mentioned about him. The only thing she knew about her father was that he died of illness, at least that's her mother said one time when she asked how did her father died.
"He..died of illness." Her mother said in a voice mixed with anger and sorrow and she had tears in her eyes. And from that time onwards, Athena wouldn't dare to ask about her father again, she didn't want to upset her mother. But she was still dying to know anything about her father.
Speaking of mother... Athena sat up. She wondered if her mother had awakened yet. She got out of her bed and walked to the full-length mirror near the door. She picked up her brush from her desk and brushed her long and wavy auburn hair. She stared at her reflection. She must have gotten her hair colour from her father because her mother has black hair. She smiled in satisfaction and walked out of her bedroom.
****
"Morning, Mom!"
Professor McGonagall looked up from her newspaper. She didn't change a bit, just that her hair had gone grey a little. She smiled at her daughter. "Morning."
Athena grinned and kissed her mother on her cheek. "Today is the first day of the holidays!" She said happily as she sat down on the dinning table.
"Any plans for today?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"No." Athena said after she had swallowed her spoonful of cereal. "You?"
Professor McGonagall smiled a little and shook her head.
"ATHENA! ATHENA MCGONAGALL!!!" Someone yelled from the outside of the house.
Professor McGonagall started to frown while Athena struck out her tongue. "Oops, sorry Mom."
"Athena, please tell your friend that there're such things as telephone and doorbell and tell him to use them when he want to call you."
"I did but Ares won't listen. He enjoys yelling. And he is not really my friend, just an annoying classmate. Excuse me, Mom." Athena apologized and got up from her seat. She rushed to the front door and opened it.
"Ares! How many times do I have to...." Professor McGonagall heard Athena yelling at Ares at the door. She sighed. If Ares is a Hogwarts student, he will probably ended up in Hufflepuff because he seems to be the type.
****
"Look Ares, what do you want? I am having breakfast right now." Athena asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"Sorry, but I am just wondering that what school will you go after summer?" Ares asked.
"Excuse me, you yelled for me during breakfast just for that?" Athena asked, with her mouth dropped open in disbelief.
"Just tell me and I won't bug you throughout the whole summer." Ares grinned.
Athena thought for a while. Her mother never mentioned her new school after summer. Where will she go? Maybe she will ask her mother later.
"I dunno." She said finally.
"I dunno?!" Ares asked with his eyes widened. "That's an odd name." He grinned.
"Yeah, it is odd, okay? So if you just excuse me, I am going back to breakfast. Good day." She said curtly and closed the door before Ares could say anything. "Whatever I go, I hope that I won't end up in the same school with you." Athena mumbled.
"Mom, which school will I go after summer?" Athena asked as she sat down.
Professor McGonagall looked at her daughter. If she remembers correctly, the letter of Hogwarts will arrived tomorrow and Athena will leave her for Hogwarts. And the dark wizards will be ready for her....
Professor McGonagall smiled sadly at her. "You will know tomorrow."
"Okay." Athena said and continued with her cereal. She looked up again. "Are you okay, Mom?"
"I'm okay."
"Oh." Athena said slowly. Maybe her mother was thinking about her father.
*****
The next morning, when Athena came down for breakfast, she saw her mother standing near the window, looking as if she was waiting for something.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
Professor McGonagall didn't respond. She continued to stare out of the window.
Athena shrugged and went for her breakfast. After she had done, she was surprised to see her mother, who was still standing by the window.
"Mom...." She started but stopped when she saw her mother's eyes widened and took a deep breath. She sighed and said, "Athena, go and get the mail."
"What mail? Today is Sunday." Athena said, thinking her mother had gone mad.
"Go." Her mother said firmly and gave her an "or-else" look.
"All right, all right." Athena said, walking towards the door with her eyes still on her mother. "But I doubt..." She stopped dead on her tracks and her mouth dropped open. Her mother was right, there was a mail. But there were no post on Sundays, where the heck did that letter come from? Athena bent down, picked it up and read the address:
Miss Athena McGonagall
13 Willow Street
London
England
Athena turned the letter over and looked in interest at a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms: a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'.
"Cute coat of arms..." She said, smiling and her smile faded when she looked up and saw her mother just stood there in the living room with a very pale look on her face.
"Open it." Professor McGonagall urged.
She tore open the envelope and took out the letter. She unfolded it and began to read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmistress: Georgia Sprouts
Dear Miss McGonagall,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. (Athena raised her eyebrows at this point) Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. And the school train, the Hogwarts Express, will leave for Hogwarts at 11am at Platform 9 ¾ in King's Cross Station. Please be punctual.
Yours sincerely,
Severus Snape
Deputy Headmaster
P.S: I enclosed your train ticket.
Hogwarts? Owl? Witchcraft? Platform 9 ¾? Athena felt totally confused. What's going on? Then she thought of something. "Oh, I get it! It must be that idiot Ares! He knows that I don't know what school will I be going so he put this letter through the letter box just for a joke!" She laughed and stopped when she saw her mother frowning.
"This is a joke right? I mean, I am interested in magic and all but..."
Professor McGonagall walked to her daughter and put her hands on her shoulders. "Athena, it is the time to tell you the truth. You are a witch."
