Notes:
Yes, I know I don't have reviews yet. The review replies at the bottom of the page are those that I received when I first posted the story. See the previous chapter notes for the explanation of that. Anyway, I'll keep my old review replies and reply to any new ones at every chapter, so happy reading. And review if you like, I appreciate those.
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Chapter 1: Going to school?
It was a nice summer day with a warm sun and some puffy clouds moving along the blue sky. A nice breeze was blowing over the landscape, making it seem like the grass flowed like a calm river and making leaves in the trees rustle.
Gabriel Rayon lay in the midst of the quiet scenery, gazing at sky. He quite liked lying in the middle of nowhere, there were less scents to disturb him. Out here, it just smelled like grass and forest.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
The tranquility was disturbed as Gabriel's watch alarm went off.
"Dinner time then… dammit, I just got myself comfortable. Ah well… Since we're having meat, I guess it's a good thing anyway."
Gabriel's voice had already changed with his age, having a low tone and an almost growling quality. Now at fourteen years old, his light blond hair flowed straight down to his shoulders. His blue eyes shined dully, but were hard to notice because he had his eyes half-closed, walking lazily across the field back to his home. He usually wasn't this quiet, but on occasion he'd seek out a spot where no one would disturb him.
Good thing he didn't have to walk far, his home being situated near the field in one of the suburbs of London. He walked a little across the streets until he came at a white house with mostly green windows and doors. The garden was filled with plants and flowers instead of the usual grass lawn. A mini cooper was parked in the driveway next to the house.
"I'm home!" Gabriel yelled as he stepped through the front door.
He could already smell the pork chops his mother was making. He quickly swallowed some saliva that was gathering in his mouth, so that he wouldn't drool. He took off his shoes and walked into the kitchen to greet his mother.
His mother, Rachel, was a tad smaller than Gabriel and seemed quite young to be a mother. She had her black hair, which normally was flowing, in a bun at the back of her head, so it wouldn't interfere with her cooking.
"Hey, Gabi." His mother always teased Gabriel with that name.
"Come on, mom. You know I hate being called that. It sounds so girly." Gabriel shuddered a bit at that.
"Well, it's not my fault people think you're a girl when they first see you. You're the one that insists on keeping your hair long."
"Well, it wouldn't be as bad if you stopped calling me 'Gabi'."
"Hush. Dinner is ready, so sit down and eat up. You do realize I made your favorite?"
Gabriel nodded and sat down. He patiently waited until his mother filled his plate and hers and then they both started to eat together. Gabriel soon was gulfing down his chops and the question could only be if he even chewed them before swallowing. Even so, he was still in his quiet mood, which didn't go unnoticed by Rachel.
"You're being quiet again, Gabi." Her voice interrupted his current trail of thought. "A penny for your thoughts?"
Gabriel sighed. Sometimes his mother could be way too perceptive and he knew what the outcome of this conversation would be. Again.
"The new school year is going to begin soon." He didn't sound too happy about that, like he was starting an argument he knew he lost before he even began it. But both knew that he'd do anything to be able to enter a normal school.
"Honey, you know why you're not going to school, even though you've been accepted to it for the last three years."
"I know. But I really still want to go. I've been home schooled for three years already. Frankly, it's starting to get boring. I want to meet more people than just from this neighborhood."
Rachel was about to say something, when there was a tapping noise on at the window. They both looked at it, knowing perfectly well what it would be. A pretty barn owl was trying to get their attention to open the window. Rachel finally relented and let the little owl in. She took the letter, gave a quick glance over it and grabbed a quill to write a reply on the back. She finished rather quickly and sent the owl back
Gabriel surrendered with a big sigh. He wouldn't be joining the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry this year as well. He continued eating his dinner, since not even an earthquake would separate him and his meal, but his thoughts were wandering once again.
Dammit. Why the hell did I have to be the one that was born cursed? I mean, it's nice that I have a better smell than most and that my reflexes are good. But I really, really hate it when I lose control… … I guess the reason why I can't join a regular school is valid though.
He finished eating his dinner and cleaned up his plates. Normally, he would've waited until his mother was finished and help her clean up, but he wasn't feeling all that helpful right now. He walked out of the kitchen and already was halfway up the stairs when he heard a knock on the door.
"I'll get it!"
Gabriel opened to door to see who it was and was confronted with a very elderly looking person. He had a long, almost white beard and long white hair. He was dressed in robes with some arcane symbol on them and wore a pointy hat.
"Can I come in, Gabriel?" The man's voice was cheerful, perfectly matching the twinkle he had in his eyes.
Gabriel then noticed that the barn owl that came to the window was sitting on the man's shoulder.
"This must be someone from Hogwarts then!" Gabriel thought. He stepped aside and held the door open, so the stranger could get past him inside the house. "Sure, come in," he said, for once having real hope of entering Hogwarts. The man couldn't be here just for some chitchat with the person that wouldn't be entering school again, could he?
"Now, Gabriel, if you could tell your mother that Albus Dumbledore has arrived and would like to see her, then I guess we can talk your reply to our letter over."
"Okay, Mr. Dumbledore." Gabriel agreed excitedly.
"No need for formalities yet, Gabriel. Call me Albus for now. But when we are finished here, I think you should be calling me Headmaster."
"Right, Albus." Gabriel couldn't help but grin at the last statement. It seemed like Dumbledore was going to insist that he entered Hogwarts. Gabriel finally had a real chance to go to Hogwarts and he was getting excited.
Dumbledore smiled at the answer of the kid. But when Gabriel grinned, Albus noticed something odd. Gabriel had an almost feral grin and two of his upper teeth stuck out a bit more than they were supposed to. They almost looked like little fangs. But he looked quite the opposite of threatening, being quite amicable.
"Yo, mom! Albus Dumbledore is here to see you."
His mother stopped cleaning the dishes, looking quite surprised at the sudden visit. She dried her hands and took her hair out of her bun, preferring to look that way when around visitors. She took off her apron and went to the hall to greet her visitor.
"Hello, Headmaster," she said, before realizing that she wasn't even a student anymore and that calling Dumbledore headmaster was a habit of hers. One that she really should stop.
"No need to be so formal, Rachel. You're not even a student anymore." Dumbledore let a smile form while he looked at the woman that once studied at his school. Compared to him, she was still a young girl even though she had grown, physically and mentally. "Now, I received your reply to Gabriel's invitation to join Hogwarts. Now, declining four times already seems a tad severe, don't you think?"
Rachel gave a big sigh. Dumbledore probably already knew a lot, but she was going to play dumb anyway.
"Come, Albus. You realize that it's our decision if we want to send Gabriel to Hogwarts. I'd miss him way too much if he were gone for the most of the year. And we've got a good home teacher so that Gabi won't fall behind and will still be able to take his O.W.L.s."
Gabriel's mother finished that whole bit in one breath, as if she was practicing it everyday, so that she would know what to say when someone asked her about it.
"I see." Albus didn't even flinch, already expecting this answer. So he changed the subject. "And how's Mr. Senner?"
"Daniel?" Rachel was surprised at the sudden subject change, but decided that Albus had given up and was starting plain small talk. "Oh, he's fine, though I still think that the hospital is demanding way too much from him. It gets annoying to eat without him, even though he still tries to be here whenever he can."
"It's always too bad that a parent can't spend that much time with his child." Albus said. He then turned to Gabriel. "But it seems as though both of your parents love you dearly, isn't it so Gabriel?"
Gabriel nodded. His biological parents died in a car crash before he was born. Rachel had told him that his adoptive father didn't manage to save them, but that he managed to let him be born. And when Daniel learned that Gabriel was magical, he adopted the child, since Rachel couldn't conceive any children of their own.
"And I love both of them." Gabriel gave a smile as he said that. But he was still wondering if he would be able to join Hogwarts. It almost seemed as if Dumbledore had given up on persuading his mother.
Dumbledore nodded and continued. "But you still would like to join Hogwarts more than anything, right? And I realize what the real reason is that your parents won't let you enter." Seeing Gabriel's and Rachel's dumbfounded and worried look, made Dumbledore wanting to assure them. "Please, don't worry. I'm the only one that knows about this, not even the Hogwarts staff knows, even though I don't think you'd have to keep it a secret."
Now Gabriel was completely confused. "How did you find out about my curse? And even so, if you know about it, shouldn't you be happy that I won't go to Hogwarts? I mean, considering what happened last time…" Gabriel bit his lip remembering what he did. He never wanted to go through that again.
Maybe not going to school would be better now.
"You consider what you have a curse? Perhaps it is, but I still think that it's too soon to draw that conclusion. And as I've concluded, you've got yourself under good control now, don't you? Though the methods you sometimes use to keep control still require some more finesse."
Gabriel's mind was racing. Damn, he knew about that as well? Isn't there anything that he didn't know about?
"We could help you with control if you would enter Hogwarts. And it would be a good chance for you to be under more magical children your age. Isn't that what you want the most?"
Gabriel perked up on that. "You could teach me better control? And I could be with more magical children? That would be great!"
Rachel gave a loud sigh. The conversation had turned from her and she still wanted her say in this as well. But she already had made up her mind when she saw Gabriel last reaction. Refusing now would cause a lot of pain to her son and no loving parent wanted to cause that. "I guess there is little for me to say anymore. And convincing your father won't be much of a problem, since he was mostly for the idea anyway. But you have to take real good care of my son, Albus. Else you know I'll be shoving something hot and sharp where it doesn't belong, my former headmaster or not."
Dumbledore eyes twinkled even more madly when she heard his former student being so protective of her son. And Gabriel snorted when he produced a mental image of what she was threatening.
But Rachel turned to Gabriel, clearly annoyed her threat was taken so lightly by both. "And you have to realize this'll be your decision. Say the word, do you want to go to Hogwarts or not?." Realizing she sounded a bit harsh, she added in a gentler tone. "You know what might happen and I don't want you to be hurt again, sweetie."
Gabriel wasn't really paying attention anymore though. He was sniffing the air with a renewed interest. Suddenly his eyes widened in fear and he excused himself rather bluntly and took off running towards the kitchen door. Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow at Gabriel's sudden behavior and his mother just let out a knowing, exasperated sigh.
Gabriel now opened the door and aimed to get outside. But then he was thrown back in the kitchen, as if something launched itself at him and knocked him over. Gabriel skidded a bit over the kitchen floor, looking at the red shape that was upon him, which then declared itself ominously.
"I finally caught you! Prepare to suffer my wrath!"
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Author's notes (which I didn't do in the prologue… but then I realized I had reviewers…):
First off… I want to thank both my proofreaders, Orthogon and [50-50]. They read my chapters when they are still horrible and disgusting and then help me improve them.
Second, a thanks to my reviewers.
· gummie-bare, norfintrollgirl, darkmoon-on-dragonwings, Fireblade K'Chona: Thanks for the encouragement ^_^ hope you like the first chapter.
· Back2thechaos: Nope, the professor wasn't Dumbledore. I don't really know if it came out right, but it was his current adoptive father, Daniel.
· RubeeTabs: Hmm, you have a point there… from now on all the lazy reviewers which don't want to sign in, can review anyway! Oh, and those that don't write stories here (yet) can review too. I like reviews ^-^
Third, I didn't exactly plan this story out. That means I have a general idea of where this is going and what the plotline should be. It's by no means fleshed out, so bear with me. It's my first story ^_^
Oh, and this chapter was so long… about 2000 pages. And I suddenly realize that's what I used to write in a forum rpg almost daily. I must have been mad . MAD, I TELL YOU!