Dragon Wings
Things were crazy for the Blackenstones that day (well, for the Blackenstone parents at least.) A young Chinese Fireball they had been looking after had grown two feet in the last three days, and was now big enough to knock Laurey over. Laurey's parents had been called out to stun a trouble making Peruvian Vipertooth in Ireland, meaning that Laurey was left at home alone. She didn't have much to do; only to check on the Chinese Fireball and occasionally feed it a bucket of food. Not a very difficult day.
Her shoulder length brown hair was easy to manage and straight that day (as it usually was) as she ran her brush through it a few times just to make sure no knots had crept up to her in her sleep. Staring at her own reflection in the mirror, Laurey rolled her eyes. Staring back at her was a young eleven year old girl with midnight blue eyes, dark brown hair, and scars from burns covering her arms and shoulders. Yawning widely, she changed out of her pajamas and into a pair of jeans, a plain red sweater and a deep blue cloak that went down to her ankles.
The night before, she had dreamt of riding dragon, as she had every night since she could remember. That night, she had been riding a Hungarian Horntail. They zoomed through the sky so fast that not even riders of Firebolts would be able to catch them.
Humming a tune that she was making up off the top of her head, Laurey busied herself in readying the mixture of chicken blood and brandy for the Chinese Fireball. With a sigh, she opened the door to the back yard and walked through the long grass and over to a massive pen where a scarlet dragon was tied up. It grunted as Laurey approached. "Oh, shut up." She said, putting the bucket down on the ground. She leaned against the fence and watched as the dragon devoured the strange meal.
Turning back around and walking across the fields, Laurey's attention was drawn to an eagle owl fluttering around the window in the Blackenstone kitchen. We must have mail... She thought, breaking into a bit of a jog to go see what the owl could possibly be doing at her house. She wasn't expecting any mail. She had already been accepted into Beauxbaton, and wasn't expecting any more letters. Her parents had been planning to go with her to buy her school stuff the next day in Diagon Alley.
Laurey pushed the door open and was relieved to feel the magical air conditioning blow against her face. It was the thick of summer, and every time of day was muggy and humid. As she walked over to the kitchen, the shadow of a large tawny owl crossed by the window and disappeared in a blink of an eye. Sitting on the counter top, was a thick yellowish parchment envelope.
With a shaky hand, Laurey picked it up and opened the envelope. Her eyes widened as she read the letter. She had to read it over a few times to fully comprehend it.
"Dear Miss Blackenstone,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Laurey gaped. She had been accepted into Hogwarts. But she was going to Beauxbaton! Her whole family had gone there! Secretly, she wanted to go to Hogwarts, but she knew her parents wouldn't let her.
Later that day, after much thought, Laurey decided. She was going to go to Hogwarts, if her parents liked it or not. She was sitting in a small window seat with her nose buried in a book about dragons when she heard the door slam downstairs. "LAUREY WE'RE HOME!" Her father shouted from downstairs.
Oh no.... Laurey thought as she marked her page and stood up. What was he going to say? What was he going to do? Her stomach was in knots as she descended the stairs. Her mother was out checking on the Chinese Fireball outside and her father sat on the couch, reading the Daily Prophet. "So, are you all ready for Diagon Alley?" He asked, without even looking up from his paper.
"What?" Laurey asked, raising her eyebrows. "I thought we were going tomorrow!"
"We were," Laurey's mother said, walking in from the back door. "But we decided to take you today, as a special treat!"
Laurey's stomach felt like dropped several feet. "I-"She said, almost shaking from nerves. She had no idea how she was going to tell them. "I-..." She trailed off and went back over her plan through her mind, which sounded so organized a few hours before. "I'm not going to Beauxbaton." She finally admitted. "I just got a letter from Hogwarts, telling me that I had been accepted. And.... And I'd rather go there."
Her father dropped his news paper. He surveyed Laurey's face and raised his eyebrows. "You will be attending Beauxbaton." He said so sharply that Laurey almost cringed in pain from it. He stood up suddenly and walked over to her. "But we will take you to Diagon Alley." He said, with a smirk and turned to his wife.
After a quick trip with Floo Powder, Laurey landed on her feet in the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron. She stepped out, and brushed some of the ash from her cloak. Her parents had told her they would be right behind her, and she hoped dearly that they weren't too mad at her for not going to Beauxbaton.
She sat down at a table made for three people and watched the fireplace with unblinking eyes; waiting... But they didn't come. She had waited over an hour, and still, they didn't come. Very concerned, Laurey stood up and walked over to the fireplace. On the bottom there was a scarlet envelope, starting to smolder. A howler....
"LAUREY ANN BLACKENSTONE!" The card shouted. "IF YOU WILL NOT ATTEND BEAUXBATON ACADEMY, THEN YOU WILL NOT BE OUR DAUGHTER! YOU ARE DISOWNED!"
Her heart stopped. Where could she go? What could she do? She had no money; she couldn't afford school anymore. She crumpled to the ground and cried. She had no family. She wasn't even a Blackenstone anymore. She was just Laurey...
As Laurey cried, a girl with bright red hair and violet eyes passed with her parents behind her. Leo Bell was going into her fourth year at Hogwarts, but still had the appearance of a twelve year old. She didn't even notice the shapeless lump until she passed back, with three Butterbeers in her arms. "Mum, dad, I got the-"She stopped, as she saw the girl at her feet. "Oh my G-d!" She said, dropping the butterbeers. They broke and shattered into a million pieces as Leo knelt down. "Are you okay?"
