Anything that's not blatant is
a riddle
Please read and review if you can!
Author's penname: Elixa Amethyst
Voices of the Past Part II
Written March 2002 onwards, pre Order of the Phoenix.
All characters and things you recognise, are © JKRowling, no infringement
intended.
All references to
"mediwizard" mean healer.
Read Part I at ?storyid1672635
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Chapter Six
The New North Family Witch
Footsteps and shouting came from the direction the bush Susan had been hiding behind. I looked up and saw Severus and Timothy running as fast as they could towards us, several more wizards behind them.
"What happened?" Severus exclaimed, I stood up, revealing Susan who was still on the floor from fainting.
"She cast a spell on the plant, overpowered it… she had my wand." I said, trying to work out if what had just happened was real, or I had imagined it.
"Susan!" Timothy North was by his daughter, shaking her shoulders gently. The once squib came round as he did.
"Dad?" She asked.
"Thank Merlin!" He exclaimed. Severus asked for my wand, which I handed to him after I prised it from Susan's grip.
"Prior Incantato!" Snape said, and the ghost of the spell I'd seen Susan cast emerged from my wand, proving it was Susan. Severus looked at me in an odd way.
"She cast this by herself?" I nodded, and went on to explain how it happened, all about the dare, everything. Timothy had his arm around his daughter, who was sat up, still on the ground. He and the other wizards who'd seen the light and hurried to find out what it was, listened intently. They wanted to know how a squib of sixteen years could have cast such a spell. The only thing was I had no idea how either.
We returned to Timothy North's house, and found a cat sitting on their doorstep. I recognised the spectacle markings and so did Severus.
"Minerva." He greeted, opening the door.
"I didn't want to appear too noticeably in case I disturbed the village. How did you get here so fast anyway?" She asked, and promptly turned into her human self. She saw me and then nodded to Severus with a quiet oh. Severus introduced everyone once we were inside the North house.
"Timothy, Susan, and everybody else, Professor McGonagall, deputy headmistress and colleague at Hogwarts. Minerva, Susan North, Timothy North her father." Professor McGonagall looked carefully at Susan through her wire rimmed spectacles.
"Miss North I am going to ask you to perform any magic you can with a wand."
"She can use mine." I offered. McGonagall shook her head.
"That is very kind Elixa, but we have to check with another wand." I nodded and stepped back. Minerva materialised a box on the table beside Susan.
"Mr Ollivander has found the wand you picked up when you were very young when one of your brothers were in his shop." Susan opened the box at the deputy headmistress's request and stood up. She looked around herself and her eyes fell back on the box the wand had come out of.
"In your own time Miss North." Susan took a deep breath. Everyone in the room was in suspense. If Susan managed to show she was magical, then she could go to Hogwarts, even though she would be old enough to go into the sixth year when I'd be in the seventh.
"Wingardium Leviosa." Before our eyes the box raised from the table. Susan looked amazed too, her concentration great though. She raised the box higher, concentrating hard. Slowly she let it down and the box landed gently on the table.
"I did it." Susan breathed. She glanced around herself. I blinked first, and then glanced with her at the faces of the wizards and witches present. McGonagall looked surprised, Severus looked as if he smelled something suspicious. Mr North's eyes were full of tears, swelling with pride.
"Anything else you'd like to show us Miss North?" Severus asked, folding his arms, the suspicious look on his face deepening.
"I don't know any other spells Professor, I just remember my brothers showing me this one the first Christmas holiday after I would have gone into the first year at Hogwarts."
"Miss North, how sure are you that your magic is your own?" Minerva asked. Susan swallowed and looked at me.
"Unless I took it from Elixa… I think it must be." I gave a nervous look. It was the same feeling I'd had when I was a cat. What if she had, and I was now the squib? I took my wand and pointed at the box that Susan had just levitated. To my relief it turned into a wizard's hat. I heard Severus and Minerva give a slight breath of relief as I did. I stepped forwards and picked up the hat to check. I turned and placed it on Susan's head.
"Welcome to the world of witchcraft and wizardry fully Susan." McGonagall said slowly.
"I don't like it." Severus said fiercely when he was alone with Minerva and I.
"What, that she's no longer a squib?" I asked.
"Elixa not even the likes of Kwikspell could have changed Susan." Minerva told me. I swallowed and looked to Severus. He rolled up his left sleeve and frowned, rolling the sleeve back down.
"Nothing." He told us.
"How could it be possible?" I asked, knowing very well that that was the precise question on everyone's mind. I just voiced it out loud. Dumbledore had the necklace…
"We don't know, but one thing we do know, is we're going to keep a very close eye on Susan North…" Minerva told me.
Within hours the news had been spread around the village and I was face to face with Walter Halter once again.
"We meet again Miss Amethyst." He said. I gave an unimpressed look, something I'd been perfecting by watching Severus, who had his own very good one. The village was preparing for a party in celebration of the news. Above me were strings of bunting changing colour and playing music, fairy lights and other decorations. Someone had produced some huge fireworks further down the road. I glanced behind me and saw Severus standing with his arms folded talking to a witch in rainbow coloured robes, her hair braided. He caught my eye and then went back to talking to the witch. Walter Halter had moved away. I looked over to where Minerva was sampling some punch that appeared to have been created by Tituba. I swept away, heading for the North's house. One of her brothers was standing outside, who I'd never met.
"Hello, you must be Elixa Amethyst then." He said. I nodded.
"Either Bobby or Christopher?" I asked.
"Bobby, Christopher is covering the back of the house." I gave a smile. The two North brothers were doing their best to make sure that no one got in before Susan was ready. Bobby let me past though.
