Chapter two
"I'm a what?" Zerial asked grogilly and she remembered why she was in her room on her bed.
"a witch." mother stated simply.
Zerial laughed out loud. "and let me guess so are you?"
"yes," mother continued simply. "your biological parents are as well."
Zerial didnt think she had ever seen anyone sit so still before. or have such a bland expression on their face. "so thats why..." Zerial began but trailed off. she was putting all the pieces together. the things catching fire. all the strange things that happened to the kids who picked on her. "so... all those things that happened at school --"
"were accidents," mother cut in. "i too have been using magic accidentally."
"wait, what?" Zerial asked now puzzled.
mother scratched her head absently. "you remember that time the phone exploded?"
"yeah..." Zerial affirmed sceptically. "did you..."
mother chuckled slightly. "yes. i did as a matter of fact. i got a phone call that rather upset me. and i uh... accidentally blew up the phone.
Zerial laughed again. "very funny." she said standing up. "good one mother. you almost had me." she brushed an non existent wrinkle out of her shirt.
"I'm not fooling around Zerial. its true. i cant tell you everything. but we're moving." mother said also standing up.
"you know, if i hadn't heard that phone call. i wouldn't believe you." Zerial and her mother turned to leave the room. "your not joking are you?" she asked seriously as the left the room together.
"no. I'm not. so, where would you like to live? just out of curiosity." mother asked casually as they were walking down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"your asking me that?" Zerial asked disbelievingly. "you don't even ask what color socks i want when we go shopping, but you are asking me where i want to live?"
"i am actually." mother said, drumming her fingers on the counter. "so where will it be? the center of everything?"
"that would be London right?"Zerial asked walking to the table to sit down.
"that would be correct." mother replied, joining her daughter.
"Hogwarts would accept you just about anywhere. as long as your in Europe." mother said, continuing her constant drum with her fingers.
"what is--?" Zerial began.
"well, what would you like to do now? look for new homes?" mother asked, quickly jumping up and changing the subject.
Zerial was about to ask another question about Hogwarts, but she remembered what her mother had said on the phone. 'i wont tell her everything, one question leads to another." she decided that she would most likely have to find things out as they came to her. for she would get no where from asking her mother questions. she never had. "yeah, sure. sounds great." then she got up and joined her mother in the living room.
"so how do we go about this? the Internet?" Zerial asked, now interested in their new home.
mother just chuckled. "hardly. we go to the Leakey cauldron."
"what the heck is that?" said Zerial with one eyebrow cocked.
"you'll see. but not yet. I'm going to the store to get some boxes. we're moving." mother then grabbed her keys and headed out the door about fifteen seconds later however, she was back in the house for her purse.
Zerial began to group her things, mostly clothes and books, but still there were quite a lot. she loved to read. almost as much as she loved her neighbor across the street; Mrs. Marston. the nicest old lady there was. she was widowed years ago and her daughter Caralea had been killed in her line of business. what ever it was.
Mrs. Marston has this habit of keeping everything her daughter ever owned. if Caralea had it, Mrs. Marston would. or she would at least know about it.
Every Friday evening, Mrs. Marston invited Zerial over for tea. when Mrs. Marston called however, mother hadn't come back yet. mother knew Zerial's schedule better than Zerial did. so she was sure it would be fine for her to go over. after all she had been doing this for four years now.
Mrs. Marston had the strangest arrangement of things in her home. all kinds of old books in expensive looking leather binding. when you opened her closet, you wouldn't find a coat, but a cloak. and if you were searching for normal clothes, you wouldn't find them. what you would find though, was a dress and matching robes.
the poor woman always looked strange. but she had a kind heart. she also had funny things in her house that she wouldn't let you touch. and when ever you were sad, if you ate one of Mrs. Marston's cookies, you would feel much better. quite like singing. everything around you would seem ten times better than they actually were.
she also kept Caralea's room tidy. it was more clean in fact than the other parts of the house. it looked more like a shrine. as she thought of all these things, Zerial couldn't help but think of all the things her mother had just told her. she was a witch. wow. the thought overwhelmed her.
and then there were all of the things her mother had said on the phone. "I'm tired of living like muggles..." she had said. what on earth was a muggle.
owell, she had best not think of these things now, she thought on her way over to Mrs. Marston's house.
she might let something slip. and what ever she wanted to know, she didnt think this one would be a good conversation to have with Mrs. Marston.
Zerial knocked hard on Mrs. Marston's door because she was slightly hard of hearing. the woman opened the door and had a smile on that made Zerial feel less confused and more content.
"welcome in dear." Mrs. Marston shouted.
"thanks, but i cant stay long. I'm packing." Zerial shouted back.
"packing? what ever for?" the woman said, on her way to the kitchen.
Zerial waited until Mrs. Marston was back in the room so she could hear. "we're, that is, my mother and i are moving."
"oh, what a pity. at least you'll have the whole summer to make friends in your new house." Mrs. Marston said walking towards Zerial with a plate of cookies and some milk.
"well, actually i think ill be in a completely different environment." Zerial said kind of dully. she didnt really want to move at this point. she would miss Mrs. Marston very much.
"oh, I'm sure you'll adapt. you're a strong one you are." she said offering a cookie.
Zerial took it and downed the milk. "thank you, very much. that was good."
"now eat the cookie dear. you'll feel better." Mrs. Marston said lovingly, pointing at the cookie.
Zerial was about to take a bite of the cookie, when she saw a big, brown, chestnut traveling trunk up against the wall with a doily on top of it. she had seen it many times before. but none of those times did it hold any meaning. this time recognized the word that was under 'Caralea Marston' the word was big and in gold lettering. it read: Hogwarts.
"Mrs. Marston, what is that?" Zerial said, pointing at the trunk.
"oh its nothing dear. it just Caralea's traveling trunk. surly you've seen one of those before." Mrs. Marston shouted, still erging Zerial to eat the cookie.
"yes. i have. what is 'Hogwarts'?" Zerial asked, staring at the trunk.
"oh, its just a school that my Caralea went to. go on eat your cookie." Mrs. Marston walked over to stand in front of Zerial.
"no thanks, I'm not really hungry. what kind of school was it?" Zerial pressed. she couldn't get answers from her mother. but Mrs. Marston knew something. and Zerial was going to find out.
"just a school dear. now thats enough questions. your mother will have my head if i answer any more."the woman shouted disappearing into the kitchen again.
so Hogwarts was a school. 'would i be going there?' she wondered. maybe she was wrong about Mrs. Marston all along. perhaps she was a witch too. she dressed funny but she could still be a witch. no, no. she was hoping that she was a witch. there was no possibility. but was there? that trunk. it said Hogwarts on it.
how else would she know about Hogwarts? she wouldn't. Mrs. Marston must be a witch. well, she would find out. Zerial walked closer to the trunk. kneeled down and looked at the edge of the trunk. there was no key hole. no latch to pull it open. not even any hinges. how did it open? maybe you just simply took the lid off..
so, Zerial spent the next few minuets tying to pry the lid off of the trunk. she pushed and pulled and lifted. but nothing happened. she sat on the floor facing the trunk and panting.
frustrated, Zerial kicked the trunk absently and said, "just open will you?"
she watched in awe as the trunk opened.
Mrs. Marston walked in and clapping her hands together, she said, "well its about time you figured it out."
Zerial jumped up and yelled, "your a witch too!"
"yes, yes. i am. and that trunk there if for you." Mrs. Marston said with a gleam in her eye. "happy birthday Zerial."
Zerial gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth and said," for me?"
to which Mrs. Marston just nodded and sat in a chair in the living room.
"but, but my mother would have a fit! she wouldn't like this at all." but even as she said it, Zerial walked back to the trunk and started to look at the things on the top.
"don't you worry about your mother. ill deal with her. you just have fun with your early birth day presant." Mrs. Marston said happily.
Zerial glanced at her, noticing that she had never seen this woman so happy. "so, what in here is mine?" Zerial asked timidly.
"it is all yours," Mrs. Marston said with a big grin. "if you find it in the trunk its yours. and please don t be afraid to read Caralea's journals. those are for you also. i expect you'll find a number of unexpected things in there."
"wow." was all Zerial could get out as she pulled a broom out of the trunk. "does this ---"
"yes, it flies. but that unfortunately, you need your mother's permission to use." said Mrs. Marston.
Zerial spent the next hour looking at all the things in the trunk. there were sealed little bottles with liquid in them. some sort of bird cage, journals, spell books, books about different kinds of plants and creatures. and Zerial's favorite, socks that changed colors. they went from blue to pink to green to red and continued the cycle endlessly.
as it became dark Mrs. Marston said it would be a gook idea to go home.
disappointed, Zerial looked at the trunk and then at Mrs. Marston and said, "will you close it?"
Mrs. Marston said, "only the rightful owner of the trunk may open it."
Zerial sighed, "and how do i go about this?"
Mrs. Marston grinned. "just ask it to close."
"um okay." Zerial said and turned to the trunk. "uh, please close."
and it obliged. the lid glided back to the trunk and sealed its self once more. Zerial cheered.
"alright off you go. " she said. Zerial gave Mrs. Marston a hug.
"i don't want to move." Zerial said heading towards the door.
"oh, posh. you'll be fine. maybe ill com visit you tomorrow. and take that trunk with you. its yours now. and i don t want to deal with it any more." Mrs. Marston said with a big grin.
Zerial grinned back. "um, please follow me?" she said to the trunk.
to Zerial's sheer delight, the trunk followed her out of Mrs. Marston's house and into hers.
when Zerial closed the front door. mother said. "did you have a good time at Mrs. Marston's?"
"go into the living room please." Zerial said to the trunk before answering her mother. "yes i had a great time. you will never guess what Mrs. Marston gave me for my birthday."
"and what did she give you?" mother asked while washing dishes.
Zerial looked at all the boxes. there were at least twenty. "she gave me Caralea's old traveling trunk."
Zerial expected her mother to fly off the handle but she seemed absolutely unconcerned. "thats nice. what was your favorite thing in there?"
shocked at her mother's reaction, Zerial continued. "um, the broom stick i believe. will you teach me how to fly it?"
"well, not right now. muggles might see us." mother said. and Zerial noticed that her mother was not washing the dishes, the were washing themselves.
"wow." was the only word Zerial could think of to describe her current feelings. "want to see all the stuff in there? it's all really cool. and some things i need you to explain to me."
mother left the sink, the dishes still going, and followed her daughter into the living room. "open it will you?"
"sure." Zerial agreed. "please open." and it did.
now it was mother's turn to say it, "wow."
they looked at all the potions and mother told her what they were as best she could. they looked at all the books and make a list of all the titles. they played with the invisibility cloak. mostly they played tag with it. and when the trunk was nicely organized and the books were stacked , as the journals had been in a nice pile in a corner of the trunk, they went to bed. it had been, by far, the best birthday eave, she had ever had. and somehow, she mused, she knew she had been different. and was glad of it. she brushed her silver hair and fell asleep.