Today, June 21st, being Miranda's sister Mary's 11th birthday, made her
think of how her own father hadn't been there on that day. Little did
Miranda know how much this day would change her whole family's lives, and
affect her own deeply. They had a party with a handful of Mary's friends
in the back yard, and with Eric, their little brother, being as much of a
pest as possible, which wasn't difficult for a 9-year-old boy when around
11-year-old girls.
That evening, a seemingly average June day in Wenatchee, the town they lived in, the whole family, was relaxing, sitting by the pool. Around 5 o'clock was when everything changed, Miranda would remember that time on that day for as long as she would live. All five of them watched in awe as an owl came flying toward them with a letter in its mouth. They had all heard, and seen, owls when camping the previous summer, but knew they shouldn't be out in broad daylight, and most definitely shouldn't be carrying letters. Seeing an owl with a letter in its beak triggered memories for both Miranda she thought she'd nearly forgotten. Most curiously the bird flew down and perched itself on the armrest of Mary's chair, dropped the letter in her lap, and flew off as quickly as it had come.
Miranda suddenly found herself standing behind her sister, watching over her shoulder as she inspected the envelope. That's not normal paper, Miranda thought to herself, and is that a wax seal? Weird!
She only had a chance for quick look at the seal before her sister broke it, but thanks to her photographic memory, Miranda could remember that it had been an H in a crest, with a lion, a snake, a badger and an eagle.
As she read the letter over Mary's shoulder, Miranda couldn't help but feel a sense of awe, and perhaps a bit of jealousy. She glanced at her mother, and couldn't help but notice how pleased, yet simultaneously shocked, she looked. Her mother caught her eye and gave her a quick, almost imperceptible nod. Her mother stood up, and cleared her throat.
"Rob, Mary, Eric, there's something I've never told you about. Something I should've told all of you about long before Mary ever got her letter. As you, Mary, can tell from the letter, magic and witches and wizards are real, very real. I personally grew up in a family with a great history of magic, also known as a 'pureblood' family. I am a witch, but for your sakes I've never used or mentioned my magic in front you."
All three of them looked utterly floored at this announcement, but her mother continued, looking sternly at Mary and Eric. "I have explained to you two that your father was not the birth father of Miranda, and how despite this she is still, of course, your sister. There is a major difference, though, between your father and Miranda's birth father. Miranda's birth-father was a wizard, in fact one that is very important to the magical community in the United Kingdom."
Eric, always very bright, suddenly put two and two together. "Does that mean Miranda's a witch too?" he asked innocently.
Miranda looked down at her feet, knowing what her mother would have to explain next. "Well," Charity began hesitantly, "on some rare occasions a person, despite being born to wizarding or magical parents, will fail to develop magical abilities. The term commonly used for them is 'Squib'. Miranda is one of these. When a Squib is born to two pureblood families such as her birth father's and mine is a matter of great shame, though it truly depends on the families, and unfortunately both our families felt that way. That's why Miranda and I left him. Soon afterwards I met Rob and we moved with him to the States, and the rest, as they say, is history."
She gave them a moment to take this all in, and then continued again. "It also occurs that witches or wizards are born to 'Muggle', or non-wizarding parents. Having one wizarding parent greatly increases the chances that their child will be a witch or wizard. I've known for years now that Mary was a witch, but I hesitated to tell you," Charity said with a look at Rob, "because I was afraid that it'd be a great disappointment if she wasn't accepted to a wizarding school after making a big deal about it. You've been accepted to my old alma mater, Hogwarts. It's one of the greatest wizarding schools in Europe, and I know you'll just love it there." Charity beamed.
Mary looked very pleased, but a look of great concern suddenly crossed her face. "Europe? But... but... it's so far away! I can't go that far away from all of you!"
Miranda's stomach dropped out as she looked into her mother's eyes, knowing she already had something planned. "You won't have to go far from us. I told you I had a long line of magic family, I've already contacted them and had them make arrangements for us," she explained quickly.
"You mean... move to the United Kingdom?" Rob asked just as quickly. "Move... into the wizarding world? I'm no wizard, what can I expect to do for income? I'm not even a citizen of that country! How can I expect to get—what did you call us—'Muggle' work!"
"Oh, Rob, you won't need to worry about money!" Charity replied placatingly. "Selling our home and the things we can't take with us will give us more than enough to start off with, and get Mary into Hogwarts. My family has agreed to help us, at least until I can find a job myself. Not all jobs in the wizarding world necessarily require use of magic, either, you know. We can open a shop; you don't need magic to count money. I have connections with the Ministry of Magic that can take care of our move 'legally' with the Muggle governments."
Miranda wasn't happy about this idea at all, not one bit. This meant that she would be moving away from everything that she'd known for as long as she could remember. She imagined Mary, Eric and her father would be feeling the same way.
She could especially see her step-father would feel the way she was, both of them being forced into the wizarding world while not being able to do magic. He had, after all, lived in the United States all his life, had been raised in the very town they lived in, and had never been told of the wizarding world before tonight. Her father was a doctor, and she knew giving up his practice, his interaction with his patients, would be difficult for him. Maybe, she thought, he could still help people, treating them in Muggle-ways, or maybe he could learn non-magic ways of treating people with wizarding methods.
Miranda suddenly wondered what she would do herself. She wasn't an adult, and still had 2 years of education left, at least by the United States standards. If they were moving into the magical world, she wouldn't be able to continue her education after she was 18 in the Muggle way, and it would be difficult adjusting to the culture in the United Kingdom. She suddenly felt guilty that she didn't remember more of the time that she had lived in England.
Eric and Mary were both thrilled at the prospect of this new 'magic' world, and becoming part of it, as Miranda soon learned. Charity revealed to Eric that he was a wizard, but still had 3 years until he could enter school for training. Miranda couldn't help feeling more than a bit bitter.
Why do they get to go to Hogwarts and have these great adventures, and take those interesting classes, she thought angrily to herself as she lay crying into a pillow, and eventually go on to have lives in their own right in the magic world? All I get is to be shunned and to be forced to depend on my mother to have any type of life? It just isn't fair.
That evening, a seemingly average June day in Wenatchee, the town they lived in, the whole family, was relaxing, sitting by the pool. Around 5 o'clock was when everything changed, Miranda would remember that time on that day for as long as she would live. All five of them watched in awe as an owl came flying toward them with a letter in its mouth. They had all heard, and seen, owls when camping the previous summer, but knew they shouldn't be out in broad daylight, and most definitely shouldn't be carrying letters. Seeing an owl with a letter in its beak triggered memories for both Miranda she thought she'd nearly forgotten. Most curiously the bird flew down and perched itself on the armrest of Mary's chair, dropped the letter in her lap, and flew off as quickly as it had come.
Miranda suddenly found herself standing behind her sister, watching over her shoulder as she inspected the envelope. That's not normal paper, Miranda thought to herself, and is that a wax seal? Weird!
She only had a chance for quick look at the seal before her sister broke it, but thanks to her photographic memory, Miranda could remember that it had been an H in a crest, with a lion, a snake, a badger and an eagle.
As she read the letter over Mary's shoulder, Miranda couldn't help but feel a sense of awe, and perhaps a bit of jealousy. She glanced at her mother, and couldn't help but notice how pleased, yet simultaneously shocked, she looked. Her mother caught her eye and gave her a quick, almost imperceptible nod. Her mother stood up, and cleared her throat.
"Rob, Mary, Eric, there's something I've never told you about. Something I should've told all of you about long before Mary ever got her letter. As you, Mary, can tell from the letter, magic and witches and wizards are real, very real. I personally grew up in a family with a great history of magic, also known as a 'pureblood' family. I am a witch, but for your sakes I've never used or mentioned my magic in front you."
All three of them looked utterly floored at this announcement, but her mother continued, looking sternly at Mary and Eric. "I have explained to you two that your father was not the birth father of Miranda, and how despite this she is still, of course, your sister. There is a major difference, though, between your father and Miranda's birth father. Miranda's birth-father was a wizard, in fact one that is very important to the magical community in the United Kingdom."
Eric, always very bright, suddenly put two and two together. "Does that mean Miranda's a witch too?" he asked innocently.
Miranda looked down at her feet, knowing what her mother would have to explain next. "Well," Charity began hesitantly, "on some rare occasions a person, despite being born to wizarding or magical parents, will fail to develop magical abilities. The term commonly used for them is 'Squib'. Miranda is one of these. When a Squib is born to two pureblood families such as her birth father's and mine is a matter of great shame, though it truly depends on the families, and unfortunately both our families felt that way. That's why Miranda and I left him. Soon afterwards I met Rob and we moved with him to the States, and the rest, as they say, is history."
She gave them a moment to take this all in, and then continued again. "It also occurs that witches or wizards are born to 'Muggle', or non-wizarding parents. Having one wizarding parent greatly increases the chances that their child will be a witch or wizard. I've known for years now that Mary was a witch, but I hesitated to tell you," Charity said with a look at Rob, "because I was afraid that it'd be a great disappointment if she wasn't accepted to a wizarding school after making a big deal about it. You've been accepted to my old alma mater, Hogwarts. It's one of the greatest wizarding schools in Europe, and I know you'll just love it there." Charity beamed.
Mary looked very pleased, but a look of great concern suddenly crossed her face. "Europe? But... but... it's so far away! I can't go that far away from all of you!"
Miranda's stomach dropped out as she looked into her mother's eyes, knowing she already had something planned. "You won't have to go far from us. I told you I had a long line of magic family, I've already contacted them and had them make arrangements for us," she explained quickly.
"You mean... move to the United Kingdom?" Rob asked just as quickly. "Move... into the wizarding world? I'm no wizard, what can I expect to do for income? I'm not even a citizen of that country! How can I expect to get—what did you call us—'Muggle' work!"
"Oh, Rob, you won't need to worry about money!" Charity replied placatingly. "Selling our home and the things we can't take with us will give us more than enough to start off with, and get Mary into Hogwarts. My family has agreed to help us, at least until I can find a job myself. Not all jobs in the wizarding world necessarily require use of magic, either, you know. We can open a shop; you don't need magic to count money. I have connections with the Ministry of Magic that can take care of our move 'legally' with the Muggle governments."
Miranda wasn't happy about this idea at all, not one bit. This meant that she would be moving away from everything that she'd known for as long as she could remember. She imagined Mary, Eric and her father would be feeling the same way.
She could especially see her step-father would feel the way she was, both of them being forced into the wizarding world while not being able to do magic. He had, after all, lived in the United States all his life, had been raised in the very town they lived in, and had never been told of the wizarding world before tonight. Her father was a doctor, and she knew giving up his practice, his interaction with his patients, would be difficult for him. Maybe, she thought, he could still help people, treating them in Muggle-ways, or maybe he could learn non-magic ways of treating people with wizarding methods.
Miranda suddenly wondered what she would do herself. She wasn't an adult, and still had 2 years of education left, at least by the United States standards. If they were moving into the magical world, she wouldn't be able to continue her education after she was 18 in the Muggle way, and it would be difficult adjusting to the culture in the United Kingdom. She suddenly felt guilty that she didn't remember more of the time that she had lived in England.
Eric and Mary were both thrilled at the prospect of this new 'magic' world, and becoming part of it, as Miranda soon learned. Charity revealed to Eric that he was a wizard, but still had 3 years until he could enter school for training. Miranda couldn't help feeling more than a bit bitter.
Why do they get to go to Hogwarts and have these great adventures, and take those interesting classes, she thought angrily to herself as she lay crying into a pillow, and eventually go on to have lives in their own right in the magic world? All I get is to be shunned and to be forced to depend on my mother to have any type of life? It just isn't fair.