A/N
I've finally updated this story with chapter three. Thank you to lostsoullonelyheart for giving me my second encouraging review, which gave me the impetus to update this story that no one seemed to be reading!
Chapter three: Susie's ListSusie sat on her bed, holding her letter and staring into space. Her mind was reeling from all the new discoveries and she wasn't quite sure how to process them. Maybe it would help if she made a list? Her mother was always making lists and found them quite useful. Susie had never really understood why, but now things seemed to be so complicated, perhaps a list was the only way.
She sat at her desk and began.
1 I am a witch.
That was kind of good actually. Everyone had always thought she was odd and if she was a witch it made sense that she'd be odd. She'd be able to cast spells, and fly on a broomstick and eat children. Well maybe not the last one. That was what bad witches did and Susie didn't think she was a bad witch. Good witches gave wishes and sent people to balls. That would probably be better than eating children. Or was that fairies with the balls thing? Or Fairy Godmothers? She thought it was Fairy Godmothers actually. So what was it that good witches did? The only good witch she could think of at that moment was the good witch in the Wizard of Oz and she couldn't remember her doing anything much but being nice.
2 There is a school for witches and wizards called Hogwarts and they want me to go there.
That wasn't something she had ever heard about but she supposed it made sense. After all magic probably had to be learnt the same way maths did. Although it was probably a bit more interesting than maths. Maths, in Susie's opinion, was easy but very dull. Spells were likely to be far more interesting. She could learn how to make things fly or turn people into toads or something. Did she want to turn anyone into a toad? Well actually there were some people who would probably benefit from a little bit of toad time. Like Maria Cooper. Maria Cooper would make a good toad. Certainly she had to make a better toad than she did a girl because she wasn't a very nice girl at all.
3 Both Mum and Dad had sisters who were witches but aren't any more because they are dead.
That deserved thinking about more. Two aunts that she had never heard about: Aunt Jane and Aunt Frances. She supposed she should feel sad that they were dead but she hadn't ever heard of them until half an hour ago so it was a little difficult. Two aunts who were witches. Like her. But dead. Until this morning Susie only had one Aunt. Her name was Aunt Ella and she was Uncle Pat's wife. Now she had two more aunts. Only they were dead. It was a little sad that they were dead because it would have been very useful if they weren't because then she could have asked them what good witches did. That's if they were good witches. She supposed they must have been because:
4 Aunt Jane and Aunt Frances met at Hogwarts and became best friends, they introduced Mum and Dad and that's how they got married.
Well that's how Mum and Dad got married, not Aunt Jane and Aunt Frances. She didn't think Aunt Jane and Aunt Frances were married because Mum and Dad would have said something if they were. Did witches get married? Well actually, Susie decided, she wasn't really interested because she didn't really want to get married at all. Most boys were stupid and they thought her strange.
5 A witch or wizard was coming to the house on Tuesday to talk to her family about what it meant that she was a witch.
That was exciting really. A real-life witch or wizard. She could ask them what good witches did because they didn't eat children and whether she would be able to turn Maria Cooper into a toad and whether witches got married. Actually it wouldn't be a bad idea to write down all those questions so that she didn't forget to ask them when the real-life witch or wizard turned up. She took another sheet of paper and began a new list. This time it was a list of questions.
1 What do good witches do?
Tuesday morning arrived very slowly. It seemed to be two or three weeks worth of waiting in Susie's mind before it actually came round. Time, Susie had observed, did that sometimes. She was very excited when Tuesday finally arrived. She dressed nicely, making sure her jeans didn't have any holes and her t-shirt didn't have any stains on it. She sat down at the dining table with her list to wait. She tried to wait patiently, really she did but she must have been fidgeting because her mother said "Oh for goodness sake Susie, go and do something while you are waiting! They aren't due until 11 and it is only 9.30. You are driving me round the bend!"
So Susie went up to her room and waited instead.
Finally, 11.00 came around and the doorbell rang. Susie raced down the stairs and collided with her mother just has she was opening the door. Both of them landed, in a heap, on top of a short man with long brown hair and an emerald green cloak. Susie's mother apologised as she helped the man to his feet "She has been very excited." She said by way of explanation.
"Not at all, don't worry. Of course she has been excited." Said the man kindly as he brushed the dirt of his cloak. "Only natural."
Susie was very embarrassed. Her first real wizard and she knocked him over in the drive. She mumbled an apology looking at the floor. Her mother invited the wizard in and introduced herself and Susie's Dad. The wizard introduced himself as Marvin Bigglesworth "And I take it this is our newest witch, Susan!" He said with a smile.
"Susie." Said Susie. "Everyone calls me Susie."
"Then so shall I!" Said Mr Bigglesworth. "Now, I expect you all have a lot of questions." He started. Questions – Susie had left her list upstairs! With a look of horror on her face she ran upstairs to her bedroom to grab it, then raced back downstairs holding the dog-eared piece of paper as if it was precious.
"So you see," her mother was saying as her father poured Mr Bigglesworth some tea, "we were both aware of the wizarding world to a certain extent before Susie's letter."
"Ah, I'd wondered." He said. "Most Muggle families are less believing at first than you were."
"Indeed!" Said Susie's father. "I remember my parents reaction when Frankie got her letter."
"Frankie?" Said Mr Bigglesworth. "You are Frances Fisher's brother?" Susie's Dad nodded. "Why my dear chap, I knew Frances well!" Mr Bigglesworth continued, "Such a tragedy. She is still very much missed you know."
"By me too." Said Susie's Dad sadly.
"But that must mean" said Mr Bigglesworth, "not Jane Richards' sister?" He turned to Susie's mother.
"Yes, Jane was my sister."
"Oh my goodness. Well it isn't surprising that this young lady" he looked at Susie kindly, "has turned out magical. Not surprising at all."
Susie was getting a little impatient, truth be told. After all Mr Bigglesworth was here to see her and she did have lots of questions she wanted answered.
"No I can't say we were very shocked." Said Susie's father fondly. "Susie has never been, what you might call, typical." The three adults shared a laugh. Now this was too much. Susie had lot's of questions to ask and it was her that they were talking about after all!
"What is that you have there young lady?" Asked Mr Bigglesworth kindly.
"My list."
"Your list?"
"I have some questions."
"Of course you do. So why don't you ask them and I'll do my very best to answer."
"Thank you Mr Bigglesworth. Question number one," Susie started, "what do good witches do? In the stories where there are bad witches they eat children but I don't want to be a bad witch, I want to be a good witch so please sir what do good witches do?"
"Well," said Mr Bigglesworth, "good witches do all sorts of things. For example …"