Cho pressed the doorbell and listened to the ring echo through the house. Mina
hid her face into Cho's neck, and Kioshi peeked out from behind her leg. Cho looked at
the tear stained note in her hand and read it for what had to be the millionth time. She
could almost recite it from heart.
Dear Cho,
My dearly beloved first child. If you are reading this right now, I shall assume
that I am dead. For I know that soon my time will come. I admit to bearing witness to an
event that I know was not meant to be witnessed. I am sure the participants will not allow
me to live. I am writing to you to beg you not to grieve for me. Death is merely a lovely
breath of fresh air after the years of suffocation that life forced upon me. My only
reserves in accepting my fate is the knowledge that I will leave you, my innocent,
unprotected children alone. I ask you, the eldest, to look after your siblings. Should you
ever be in danger, or need help I beg you to visit an old friend and mentor of mine, Ms.
Sienna. I know she would not want you to hesitate in coming to her, her address is
written at the bottom of this paper. Know that wherever I am right now, I am looking
down on you. I beg you to live life to the fullest and take the opportunities that I never
had. I will forever miss you.
Love,
Your caring mother,
Akiko Chang
7862 Acanthus Lane
Soon it would be time for school to start; she would be starting her fourth year at
Hogwarts, and she had no idea what to do with her siblings. She had contemplated
staying at home to look after them, but decided that she would be able to do nothing to
protect them if she didn't continue her training as a witch, and she would find it hard to
find a job in a wizarding community if she dropped out after only three years of
education. Cho thought back to the night she had agreed to help her step father, and felt
sick. He had promised that her siblings would not be hurt as long as she did what they
asked, and true to his word Kioshi had been brought home the next morning. But she still
didn't want to risk them staying with him alone. She thought that if there was ever a time
she was in danger and needed help, the time was now. She just prayed that this Ms.
Sienna would be able to help her. Asking someone to look after a seven year old and a
three year old for almost a year was a big deal.
Cho looked back up at the address next to the door, 7862. Her heart started
beating faster as she heard footsteps coming towards the door. The lock clicked, and the
door opened. "Akiko?" The young lady in front of her asked. Suddenly she found herself
embraced in a warm hug. "Oh, no…I um," stuttered Cho, "I'm Akiko's daughter, Cho."
"Oh my," the lady said, pulling away. "Yes of course you are, now I see. You just look so
much like she always did." The lady chattered on, her blond hair bouncing, and her blue
eyes sparkling. "And then you must be Kioshi, and you Mina. Oh do come right in. It is
so lovely to have visitors. Is your mother here with you?" she paused looking behind Cho
as if expecting her mother to jump out from behind the bushes or something. Cho shook
her head slowly. "My mother passed away a few months ago." She said. "Oh. I'm sorry."
The lady, who Cho now assumed was Miss. Sienna, whispered. And once again Cho
found herself in a hug. When Miss. Sienna let go, Cho looked at her face and saw tears
rolling down her cheeks. My mom must have been close to this lady, she thought, and she
wondered why they had never met her before. "Don't cry." Mina's little voice said, and
to Cho's amazement Mina slipped down from Cho's arms, walked over to the Miss.
Sienna and put her little arms around Miss. Sienna's leg. Mina had always been very shy
around strangers. Miss. Sienna smiled, wiped her eyes, and picked up Mina. "I'm sorry,
you must think I'm terribly rude, I haven't even introduced myself, my name is Sienna
Hailey Taya Aldain, but please call me Sienna, or if you insist like your mom did, Miss.
Sienna. Would you like a cup of tea?" Cho only had a chance to nod before she and her
siblings were ushered into the sitting room by the friendly Miss. Sienna, and supplied
with tea, milk, and scones. "Now dear," Miss. Sienna asked, "was there anything
specifically that you came here for?" "Well yes," Cho started. This was the part Cho had
been dreading. She was just about to ask for a big commitment from a lady that she
barely even knew, though she seemed nice enough. And what if the lady said no, what
would she do, and where could she take her siblings, she didn't know. "Since my mothers
death, I have been the one taking care of my siblings. And…and my step father…um…"
she paused. Miss. Sienna smiled. "Cho, aren't you starting school, in a few days? I guess
you'll probably be in your fourth year am I right? Your siblings are just darling, I'm sure
they would be lonesome without you during the school year, I don't suppose you would
consider letting them stay with me? I know that that's a big thing to ask, but I was
extremely close to your mom." Sienna said. Cho felt as though a weight had been taken
off her shoulders. She laughed. "Oh would you? That would be wonderful, I was worried
about who would look after them!" For the first time in weeks Cho truly smiled.
