The squeaky iron gate of the brown bricked townhouse, number 749, banged shut. A family of three walked up the stone pathway from the busy London street where the black taxi cab had left them. The air smelled heavy with rain, although it hadn't rained in weeks. England had been experiencing record high temperatures for so early in the summer.
Mrs. Wiliams, an elderly widow who lived just next door in 747, peered earnestly at them from behind her floral curtains. She recognized Mr. and Mrs. Paton of course. Joseph, with his tall almost-too-thin build and grey hair, and his American wife Dorothea, with her short blonde hair and trying-too-hard gait.
But the girl who trailed behind them, lugging an old-fashioned brown leather trunk, was one that Mrs. Williams didn't recognize. She was a tall girl no more than fifteen or sixteen with long blonde hair braided into an even plait. Even in the dark Mrs. Williams could feel an odd sense about the girl. She seemed unnervingly old for her age and walked as though the weight of the entire world rested upon her shoulders.
The old widow quickly put on her slippers and hurried outside, pretending to check the post one last time before bed. "Oh hi, Joseph!" she waved. "and Dorothea," she added somewhat begrudgingly. Mrs. Wiliams didn't particularly care for Americans. She often found them to be rude and offputting, but she desperately wished to know who this strange girl she had never seen before was and was willing to put it aside for now.
"Hi Mrs. Williams," called Joseph, as he took the trunk out of the girl's hands and started up the stairs. The sound of metal clanging from inside the trunk caused Joseph to handle it with more care. Now that she was closer, Mrs. Williams could see a striking similarity between the Patons and the girl. Perhaps she was a niece or distant cousin who had come to visit London, she thought.
"And who might this be?"
The family stopped and exchanged glances. "This is our daughter," replied Dorothea after several moments. "James."
James smiled and waved, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the strange look the older woman was giving her. It almost seemed as though the elderly woman was trying to size her up.
"I didn't know you had a daughter," the woman replied, but it sounded more like a question. James looked between her mother and father unsure of what explanation she could offer as to where she had been for almost a year.
"I-I've been away at boarding school."
Mrs. Williams huffed. "James isn't much of a name for a girl you know."
James's father smiled. "It's a family name. Goodnight Mrs. Williams," he said before opening the door and leading them inside.
The house had changed a lot in a year. Even through the dim lighting, James could see that nearly everything had been redecorated. The walls now sported a fresh coat of royal blue paint, the dining area had been completely made over, and all the furniture in the sitting room now matched. There was no longer a weird smell in the kitchen and the brown boxes that had once littered the floor were long unpacked. There was even a vase of lilies on the kitchen table which had been well cared for and were still in full bloom.
One thing that had remained the same though was James's acceptance letter to Hogwarts, which was still perched upon one of the window sills. She smiled fondly as she looked down at it, remembering how happy that day had been.
With everything that had happened in the last several months, it seemed hard to remember Hogwarts as the exciting promise of hope and new opportunity that it had been last summer. It was also hard to remember how good it had been too. Despite everything it had brought her so much joy.
"Are you hungry?" asked her mother, interrupting James's train of thoughts.
"No, I uh, I ate on the train. I think I'll just go to bed if you don't mind."
"No, of course not," said her father. "I'll take your trunk up."
Dorothea stared at her daughter wistfully. "You've changed so much."
"Mom! Don't look so sad! I'm still me."
Her mother sniffed. "I know- I just don't know how we're expected to send you off every year and not see you for months on end. Tell me it was worth it at least?"
"It was."
Dorothea smoothed her shirt and cleared her throat, as well as what might have been a few tears from the corner of her eye. "Good- now, um I haven't touched your bedroom but we can redecorate it this summer. I'm sure you're tired so, off to bed Bug."
James gave her mother a hug before heading up the creaky stairs to the attic bedroom. When she opened the door she found that everything was indeed exactly as she had left it. There were still several boxes of unpacked things pushed into the corner and clothes hanging out of the dresser that had never been properly put away. A layer of thick dust had collected on all of the surfaces and the summer heat had left the room stuffy.
She nearly tripped on the bunched-up rug as she walked in.
"Careful there," her father warned.
James smiled. "Goodnight Dad."
"G'night love," he whispered, giving her a longing look before shutting the door behind him. James sighed as she looked around the room. She almost laughed as she noticed that the peeling red and gold wallpaper was the exact same shade as the bedspreads in her room at Hogwarts. The thought of unpacking was too much for the moment so she simply slid into bed, not even bothering to change out of her clothes, and waited for sleep to wash over her.
By six-thirty the next morning, James's room was almost blindingly bright. The morning sun had already heated the tiny room to a nearly insufferable degree and she awoke drenched in sweat. Her fingers reached instinctively towards her wand and the incantation was already halfway out her lips when she suddenly remembered that she wasn't allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts. James muttered to herself quietly and walked across the room, her limbs stiff, to open the window. She stood there for a moment, basking in the cool breeze and sun on her cheeks.
James looked down at the busy road beneath her. She could only faintly remember what it had been like the first time she had arrived, but still felt the same sense of overwhelmingness. The magical world was just so much... quieter. Except when a duel or one of the twins' pranks was going on. She snorted slightly at the thought of the fireworks they had set off on New Year's Eve.
With a heavy heart, James began unpacking her things from Hogwarts. She left all her magical items (cauldrons, potion supplies, enchanted cards, and regrettably her wand) inside her trunk and pushed it far beneath her bed. Since there was no rule against reading, she carefully lined all her books on the top of her dresser like they were prized possessions. In the center of it all she placed a framed polaroid of her, Ginny, and Hermione laughing in the common room. Moving photos were perhaps one of James's favorite pieces of magic to behold. By the time she was finished, she could hear her mother clattering around in the kitchen downstairs.
Her mother and father were both waiting for her downstairs; her father with a cup of coffee and the morning paper in his hands, and her mother who was pushing a pan full of scrambled eggs onto a plate. "Good morning then!" Joseph said cheerfully. James's mother walked over to smooth her hair and kiss her forehead lovingly. She poured herself a cup of coffee before leaning against the counter to look both her parents up and down.
"Why are you so tan?" she questioned.
"We just got back from a week in Croatia."
"Croatia?"
"Yeah! Maybe now that you're back I'll see if I can take some more time off work and we can all go somewhere together, the three of us."
James fiddled with the handle of her mug. "No, I think I should be here just in case-"
"In case what?"
In case something happens. "I just want to explore the city a bit more is all. I didn't really get to see it much last summer," she fibbed.
Her mother chuckled. "Well if I remember correctly, someone was a bit too caught up in their books last summer to ever get out of the house and do anything with us."
James blushed. "Okay, well, I did wish I hadn't done that just about as soon as I left!" She took a seat at the round kitchen table beside her father.
He folded his paper, took off his eyeglasses, and looked at her in way that made his blue eyes sparkle. "Go on then," he beckoned. "I expect you're dying to tell us all about this wonderful world of magic then."
"Well... I can make things fly now."
"Really?!"
"Yeah! And wizards can fly too. They have broomsticks and everything."
Her parents looked at each other, astounded. "And they've got potions that can mend bones overnight! And, and food that can turn you into animals! There are even ghosts that live in the castle and just float around living their own lives! Except it's quite horrible when you accidentally run into one, 'cause then you get their ghost bits all over you."
Dorothea wrinkled her nose at that last bit. "And how was the tournament?" her father asked, taking a sip of his coffee. "Tri-triwizard tournament was that it? You said that was going on this year."
"Oh, um, yeah."
Cedric.
"Who won?" asked her mother.
"My uh, my friend Harry did."
Harry.
"I'm sure that must have been quite exciting."
James nearly broke out in laughter at the irony of it. The Triwizard Tournament had been intense and thrilling, but not for the reason it was supposed to have been.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, I uh- I think I might actually go for a walk though if that's okay. Seize the day and all that."
Her parents frowned at each other. "Ok, well do you want any breakfast before you go?"
"I'll just grab something when I get back."
After changing out of yesterday's sweaty outfit, James hurried out the door with a growling stomach and shut the door behind her. She breathed a deep sigh of relief. She had almost forgotten how many things there were that she couldn't tell her parents.
"Going somewhere, dearie?"
James nearly jumped from fright at the words coming from her elderly next-door neighbor, who was pruning a bush of flowers next to the gate that separated their properties. "Yeah, I suppose," she breathed.
"Where to?"
"Haven't the faintest idea."
James took off down the street, not really caring where she was headed. She soon became entwined with the hundreds of pedestrians walking about, none of whom stopped for even a second to look at her. It felt nice to be invisible for once. To not be "the new girl" or the girl who was dating Anthony. No one in the muggle world knew who she was and it didn't bother her one bit. Although the ruckous that muggles made did feel to be a bit too much.
Eventually, James found her way to an old bookstore nestled in the corner of a busy intersection. The entrance was so small that she nearly missed it entirely and it seemed as though no one had visited for ages. A joyful bell rang as she opened the squeaky door. The layer of thick dust and familiar smell of fresh ink on paper nearly reminded her of Olivander's for a moment.
A cheerful store clerk greeted her, and after much insistence, James was left on her own to wander through the aisles. She glanced over familiar titles, cookbooks, textbooks, and even old children's stories books. It wasn't until that joyful bell rang again that the hairs on her neck began to prickle. James had the oddest feeling that she was being watched. Of course, it made no sense for anybody in muggle London to be looking at her, but she put the book she was holding back on the shelf anyways and made her way out of the store.
The scent of fresh-baked pastries wafting down the street caught her attention next. James stared through the window longingly until she realized that she didn't have any muggle money with her. She instead decided to go back home and try to avoid any questions her parents might ask that would make them decide to keep her from going back to Hogwarts. It was going to be a very long summer indeed.
It wasn't until two weeks later that James had her first contact with the wizarding world. It came from a sharp peck at her window, late at night, by a spotted brown owl carrying a small letter. She sleepily opened the window to accept the delivery. After recognizing Ginny's handwriting, she tore the letter open.
Hi James,
I hope everything's okay with you. Mum's been driving me crazy and I desperately need to get out of the house. Plus, I miss you. Can we meet tomorrow? I can be outside your house by 11.
Love,
Ginny
James grinned and quickly wrote her reply, telling Ginny to please come and save her from boredom. She gave her letter to the owl and went back to bed nearly unable to contain her excitement.
The next morning, James crept downstairs with her clothes on and purse packed. She had made sure to include muggle money in her belongings this time. She thought she might take Ginny to the bakery she had passed a few weeks before. Then they could go to a park just to sit and talk for a bit. They could even do some of the typical touristy things as long as Ginny didn't have to leave too quickly. James wasn't sure if Ginny had ever experienced muggle London so it would be quite the adventure to teach her all the proper mannerisms.
"Would you mind if I met up with a friend?"
Dorothea was bent over the hearth of the fireplace, intently scrubbing the sooty bricks that had been stained with pure black ash. "Will you be out long? I wanted to see if you wanted to pick out some new things for your room later."
"I don't think we'll be out the whole day."
"Well alright then," her mother smiled. After a quick goodbye and a promise that she would return home in time for shopping, James set off. It was blisteringly hot outside and she sorely regretted wearing a skirt because the breeze kept threatening to expose her entire backside to the entire world.
She quickly caught sight of familiar flaming red hair and a wide-faced grin at the corner of her street. Within moments James was enveloped in a rib-crushing hug.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," cried Ginny. James couldn't quite believe how much Ginny had seemed to change in the course of only two weeks. She seemed taller for one but older too. Creases on Ginny's forehead that hadn't been there before the end of term had suddenly appeared. She seemed far paler than usual too.
By the time they arrived at the bakery, James couldn't help but feel as though she had done all the talking. Ginny had been oddly reserved and had barely said anything about her own summer which was out of character for the small girl who could often talk for hours once she got started. They settled into a quiet booth at the back of the cafe, where only the waiters passed by to bring out plates from the kitchen.
"How are things?"
Ginny didn't say anything.
"Is it bad?"
With a long sigh, Ginny pulled a folded-up copy of The Daily Prophet from her bag. At the top of the page in big underlined bolded letters read: "Harry Potter: The Heartbreaking Tale of an Orphaned Boy, Fallen into Madness"
"Fudge has gone absolutely mad," whispered Ginny. "This isn't even the worst of it. Just today's lovely story about how Harry accidentally killed Cedric Diggory in a deranged attempt to make his parents proud by winning the Triwizard Tournament."
"But surely no one would-"
"Believe it? I would be surprised if people didn't. It's not exactly like anyone was there that night. And with the way the Daily Prophet's been talking... well, they make it very convincing."
James stared incredulously at the paper. Anyone who knew Harry, she thought, knew that he would never do something like this. He would never leave the "once fame-destined Cedric Diggory to fend for himself as the power-crazed teenage Harry Potter made a run for the Goblet of Fire, not caring that his own school mate was in mortal danger" as the paper put it.
"Mum barely lets us out of the house anymore these days," Ginny continued. "Not that we're even living at home anymore."
"Well, where are you staying then?"
"I can't say. Even if I wanted to, they've got Fidelius Charm on it so we're pretty much trapped."
James had read about the Fidelius Charm before. Only the person who had cast the charm could divulge where such an object hidden under it was placed. It was completely unlocatable, even with blood magic or the like. You just disappeared off the map when you were there.
"Well, where does your mom think you are now? Will she worry if you're gone too long?"
The red-haired girl looked down at the table awkwardly. "...She doesn't know I'm not there. She went to the shops earlier, dad's at work, and people have been coming in and out all day. What they don't know won't hurt them though."
They walked through the city for a long time after that. Ginny clearly hated being trapped at wherever they were staying. James could imagine that it would be hard, especially after being at Hogwarts where the entire world was open and no one questioned where you were outside of class time. She missed Hogwarts too. Although her own homelife was no where near as restrictive.
Perhaps it was because James hadn't really ever had the chance to live in London, but the muggle world seemed so mundane now. There had been several occasions where James had reached for her wand to open the blinds or put a cooling charm on their house that only ever seemed to get hotter. She missed magic but perhaps even more frighteningly she missed her friends and the home that Hogwarts had become. She missed seeing Ginny every day, Hermione, Harry, and even Ron. She secretly missed George too, not that James was willing to admit that to herself quite yet. Her parents did their best to understand what it was like, but there were some things that just couldn't be explained.
"I have to go soon," said Ginny rather abruptly as they finished off the last of their ice cream cones underneath the shade of a large ash tree in the corner of a playground.
"Already?"
"I have this for you though," said Ginny as she handed a folded rectangular piece of paper to James. "Dad bought them ages ago for me, it was supposed to be an early birthday present."
It was a ticket to see Chiaro di Luna on August, 1st: her and Ginny's favorite band.
"Ginny, you don't have to give it to me. I wouldn't want to go without you. Besides, I'm sure we can do something else for your birthday. Maybe your parents will let you come to my house?"
"Oh, I'm still going," Ginny retorted defiantly. "They can't keep me locked up. Besides, no one will even notice if I'm gone."
James stared at her awkwardly, not sure how she felt about helping Ginny sneak out of the house. Even if it was to see, in James's mind at least, the greatest band of all time. "Come on we can't-"
"Plus I've... I've already invited Michael to come with me. Please say you'll come! And don't give me that look! I'll need someone levelheaded to keep an eye on things, just in case I, I... get distracted."
James could help but laugh at the deep scarlet blush that spread across Ginny's face. "So I take its going well between you two?" she teased.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Please. Say you'll come."
"Alright then, stop begging."
