Disclaimer: (This goes for every chapter) Harry Potter and everything related belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Tommy did not mention his meeting with Professor Dumbledore to anybody. He knew his friends well and could easily imagine their reactions of he told them that he was a wizard and would be leaving at the end of the summer to learn how to concoct potions and turn people into frogs. Because he was going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It had taken him about an hour after Dumbledore had left to come to that conclusion.
He had never allowed himself to think about his future. He and all the teachers at the orphanage knew that he had the brains to become very successful, but the problem was the opportunity. Being an orphan, he would never be able to afford to attend a university; the minute he turned eighteen the faculty of St. Elizabeth's would send him on his way to find a job, probably working in a factory or shop. But now... now he had a talent that he could use. He could graduate from Hogwarts and become anybody and be as powerful as he wanted.
"What's the matter with you?" Ethan asked his friend who was staring out the dirty window of their room. This wasn't the first time he'd asked this question as Tommy had been doing a lot of this.
"Huh?"
"I'm serious now. Why have you been acting so odd lately? Ever since you got that letter at breakfast you've been really quiet and well- different. So spit it out." Ethan gave his friend one of his famous looks that said quite plainly, "I'm not going to drop it."
Tommy looked into the eyes of his friend and saw not curiosity, but genuine concern. He instantly felt bad for lying to him, and realized that he couldn't just disappear come September without telling him to truth.
"All right- I'll tell you what I've been thinking about but I promise you, it's too much to believe. That letter in the mail was an invitation to an... erm... very exclusive boarding school. They want me to come in September." Tommy was unable to look at his friend who would surely never forgive him for leaving.
"What- you're leaving! For the entire year! Are you mad? You can't just go to some random school that nobody's ever heard of just because they send you a letter! You'd rather spend the year with strangers who'll probably turn out to be kidnappers or serial killers than stay here with me and Kevin and... and..." He trailed off, looking shocked and deeply hurt.
Tommy was filled with guilt, but realized he was long past changing his mind. He had already informed the headmistress that he was going to attend, and she had sent an owl with a letter to the headmaster of Hogwarts. Dipple or Dippet or something like that.
"The man who came was not a nutter... well, he was a bit eccentric but seemed like a good teacher. And I want to go. We can still write and I'll probably be able to come home for Christmas and Easter! Come on, cheer up."
"So what's the name of this place anyway?" Ethan asked as Tommy tried to improvise a name, but ended up deciding on the whole truth.
"Hogwarts," he replied simply. Ethan snorted.
Tommy looked his best friend straight in the eye, and said "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry actually." Ethan started at him for a few seconds, then grinned.
"Good one! While you're there would you mind buying me a magic wand? Also, get me a broomstick while you're at it." Tommy didn't laugh at the joke.
"Professor Dumbledore- the man that came to speak to me- said you have to go to a place called Diagon Alley to buy that kind of thing," he said, keeping a straight face so Ethan would realize he spoke the truth. "Please Ethan, you have to believe me. Here, I'll show you the letter." He took out the thick parchment that he had kept in his pocket because anything lying around St. Elizabeth's was public domain. Privacy was not a quality the orphanage could boast.
Ethan stared at the letter for a few minutes and appeared very thoughtful. When he spoke, it was seriously and slowly, as if considering everything he said.
"If this is a joke, it would have taken a lot of work. I don't know why you'd come up with a joke like this. You'd have had to get Hettlebaum in on it- Jeremy said that Kelsy said that Hettlebaum had asked to speak to you in her office but that it didn't seem like you were in trouble," Ethan said, still looking thoughtful. Tommy cursed the lack of privacy in the place. It took about five minutes for a secret to spread to every single child.
"The headmistress doesn't have a sense of humor. You couldn't have come up with a joke so elaborate, no offense. I'm gonna be really embarrassed when you laugh in my face for believing this story but... you're telling the truth, aren't you?"
Tommy smiled at his friend and nodded, and it was at that moment that a wave of sadness swept over the pair. Their friendship would never be the same if they only saw each other during the summers. Neither knew quite what to say, so they remained silent until the situation grew too awkward to bear.
"Want to go play checkers or something?" Ethan asked with a half-hearted smile on his face.
"Sure," Tommy replied, glad of the distraction. "I'll use my magic powers to kick your arse!" Ethan laughed and the tension was broken. The next few weeks were enjoyable for Tommy, as he and his friends knew they were the last they would spend together for a while. He had decided to tell Kevin, Jeremy, and the others in the room about the boarding school, leaving out the minor detail that the curriculum incorporated magic instead of math. Ethan had promised not to tell anyone else, and although he caused a lot of mayhem, he was probably the most loyal person out there.
Even though it was summer, they still had to take classes in the evenings, something everyone thought was terribly unfair. The kids at the private school around the corner didn't have to go to school year round- why should they? It was a popular joke among the students at St. Elizabeth's to overflow the suggestion box that sat in the office with the request of canceling classes, but it never seemed to work.
Headmistress Hettlebaum was currently standing at the front of the classroom, about to start English class. She went down the list taking roll call, and each student stood up when his or her name was called. She read the name "Ethan O'Malley with a look of disdain on her face. He stood up and smiled at her.
"Here!"
"Here who?" She replied, looking irritated.
"Here Headmistress Hettlebum!" The entire class looked down at their desks, shaking with silent laughter. The rather large woman paced in front of him, rather like a general surveying his ranks.
"Ethan O'Malley. I have a little job for you. Since you seem to have so much trouble with my name, you have just earned yourself of spending the day tomorrow in my office writing 'I will respect Headmistress Hettlebaum' five hundred times. Now I would advise you to take out your book and make it so that I forget that you are in my classroom or even exist. Do I make myself clear?" Ethan nodded respectfully but his eyes sparkled.
The rest of the lesson passed without incident, and when the clock chimed nine they were free to go. However, as Tommy was following the throng out the door, the headmistress called him back. She waited until she was sure everyone had left, and then closed the door behind her.
"I have been informed that Hogwarts is sending somebody on Sunday after church to take you for your school supplies. Since we at the orphanage are on an.... erm... tight budget, your basic supplies are being paid for out of Hogwarts funds. Since you are attending with financial aid, you will only be allowed to purchase what is on your supply list. Anything else has to be out of your own pocket money. I simply will not tolerate it if I get a letter from this school asking us for money since you spent too much. Understand?"
Tommy nodded and after agreeing to meet his escort in Ms. Hettlebaum's office directly after Sunday mass, he left the room and shut the door behind him, thinking that this week would crawl by now that he had something to look forward to.
Thanks a ton to Impaired Heart, Prof.Spider, and Nocturnal007 for reviewing this story. I didn't expect to get reviews, so you three made my day!
Tommy did not mention his meeting with Professor Dumbledore to anybody. He knew his friends well and could easily imagine their reactions of he told them that he was a wizard and would be leaving at the end of the summer to learn how to concoct potions and turn people into frogs. Because he was going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It had taken him about an hour after Dumbledore had left to come to that conclusion.
He had never allowed himself to think about his future. He and all the teachers at the orphanage knew that he had the brains to become very successful, but the problem was the opportunity. Being an orphan, he would never be able to afford to attend a university; the minute he turned eighteen the faculty of St. Elizabeth's would send him on his way to find a job, probably working in a factory or shop. But now... now he had a talent that he could use. He could graduate from Hogwarts and become anybody and be as powerful as he wanted.
"What's the matter with you?" Ethan asked his friend who was staring out the dirty window of their room. This wasn't the first time he'd asked this question as Tommy had been doing a lot of this.
"Huh?"
"I'm serious now. Why have you been acting so odd lately? Ever since you got that letter at breakfast you've been really quiet and well- different. So spit it out." Ethan gave his friend one of his famous looks that said quite plainly, "I'm not going to drop it."
Tommy looked into the eyes of his friend and saw not curiosity, but genuine concern. He instantly felt bad for lying to him, and realized that he couldn't just disappear come September without telling him to truth.
"All right- I'll tell you what I've been thinking about but I promise you, it's too much to believe. That letter in the mail was an invitation to an... erm... very exclusive boarding school. They want me to come in September." Tommy was unable to look at his friend who would surely never forgive him for leaving.
"What- you're leaving! For the entire year! Are you mad? You can't just go to some random school that nobody's ever heard of just because they send you a letter! You'd rather spend the year with strangers who'll probably turn out to be kidnappers or serial killers than stay here with me and Kevin and... and..." He trailed off, looking shocked and deeply hurt.
Tommy was filled with guilt, but realized he was long past changing his mind. He had already informed the headmistress that he was going to attend, and she had sent an owl with a letter to the headmaster of Hogwarts. Dipple or Dippet or something like that.
"The man who came was not a nutter... well, he was a bit eccentric but seemed like a good teacher. And I want to go. We can still write and I'll probably be able to come home for Christmas and Easter! Come on, cheer up."
"So what's the name of this place anyway?" Ethan asked as Tommy tried to improvise a name, but ended up deciding on the whole truth.
"Hogwarts," he replied simply. Ethan snorted.
Tommy looked his best friend straight in the eye, and said "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry actually." Ethan started at him for a few seconds, then grinned.
"Good one! While you're there would you mind buying me a magic wand? Also, get me a broomstick while you're at it." Tommy didn't laugh at the joke.
"Professor Dumbledore- the man that came to speak to me- said you have to go to a place called Diagon Alley to buy that kind of thing," he said, keeping a straight face so Ethan would realize he spoke the truth. "Please Ethan, you have to believe me. Here, I'll show you the letter." He took out the thick parchment that he had kept in his pocket because anything lying around St. Elizabeth's was public domain. Privacy was not a quality the orphanage could boast.
Ethan stared at the letter for a few minutes and appeared very thoughtful. When he spoke, it was seriously and slowly, as if considering everything he said.
"If this is a joke, it would have taken a lot of work. I don't know why you'd come up with a joke like this. You'd have had to get Hettlebaum in on it- Jeremy said that Kelsy said that Hettlebaum had asked to speak to you in her office but that it didn't seem like you were in trouble," Ethan said, still looking thoughtful. Tommy cursed the lack of privacy in the place. It took about five minutes for a secret to spread to every single child.
"The headmistress doesn't have a sense of humor. You couldn't have come up with a joke so elaborate, no offense. I'm gonna be really embarrassed when you laugh in my face for believing this story but... you're telling the truth, aren't you?"
Tommy smiled at his friend and nodded, and it was at that moment that a wave of sadness swept over the pair. Their friendship would never be the same if they only saw each other during the summers. Neither knew quite what to say, so they remained silent until the situation grew too awkward to bear.
"Want to go play checkers or something?" Ethan asked with a half-hearted smile on his face.
"Sure," Tommy replied, glad of the distraction. "I'll use my magic powers to kick your arse!" Ethan laughed and the tension was broken. The next few weeks were enjoyable for Tommy, as he and his friends knew they were the last they would spend together for a while. He had decided to tell Kevin, Jeremy, and the others in the room about the boarding school, leaving out the minor detail that the curriculum incorporated magic instead of math. Ethan had promised not to tell anyone else, and although he caused a lot of mayhem, he was probably the most loyal person out there.
Even though it was summer, they still had to take classes in the evenings, something everyone thought was terribly unfair. The kids at the private school around the corner didn't have to go to school year round- why should they? It was a popular joke among the students at St. Elizabeth's to overflow the suggestion box that sat in the office with the request of canceling classes, but it never seemed to work.
Headmistress Hettlebaum was currently standing at the front of the classroom, about to start English class. She went down the list taking roll call, and each student stood up when his or her name was called. She read the name "Ethan O'Malley with a look of disdain on her face. He stood up and smiled at her.
"Here!"
"Here who?" She replied, looking irritated.
"Here Headmistress Hettlebum!" The entire class looked down at their desks, shaking with silent laughter. The rather large woman paced in front of him, rather like a general surveying his ranks.
"Ethan O'Malley. I have a little job for you. Since you seem to have so much trouble with my name, you have just earned yourself of spending the day tomorrow in my office writing 'I will respect Headmistress Hettlebaum' five hundred times. Now I would advise you to take out your book and make it so that I forget that you are in my classroom or even exist. Do I make myself clear?" Ethan nodded respectfully but his eyes sparkled.
The rest of the lesson passed without incident, and when the clock chimed nine they were free to go. However, as Tommy was following the throng out the door, the headmistress called him back. She waited until she was sure everyone had left, and then closed the door behind her.
"I have been informed that Hogwarts is sending somebody on Sunday after church to take you for your school supplies. Since we at the orphanage are on an.... erm... tight budget, your basic supplies are being paid for out of Hogwarts funds. Since you are attending with financial aid, you will only be allowed to purchase what is on your supply list. Anything else has to be out of your own pocket money. I simply will not tolerate it if I get a letter from this school asking us for money since you spent too much. Understand?"
Tommy nodded and after agreeing to meet his escort in Ms. Hettlebaum's office directly after Sunday mass, he left the room and shut the door behind him, thinking that this week would crawl by now that he had something to look forward to.
Thanks a ton to Impaired Heart, Prof.Spider, and Nocturnal007 for reviewing this story. I didn't expect to get reviews, so you three made my day!