Chapter 3

The next morning, I awoke. Immediately I noticed something different. There was a weight on me. I opened my eyes and saw Lizz. Memories flooded back from the night before.

Gently, I shook Lizz a bit.

"Wake up Lizz, it's time for breakfast" Lizz' eyes flew open and she sat up abruptly. Quickly she looked around, like a dear caught in the headlights. She too, now remembered yesterday and turned to look at me.

"Hi" she said timidly.

"Morning" I grinned. "Would you like some breakfast? I've got loads of food now! Does a pancake sound good?"

She screwed her nose up in confusion. "What are pancakes?" She said.

I frowned. A child that did not no what pancakes were? Did those even exist? Apparently...they did.

"Uh,...it's really good! So I'll just make you one. I promise you'll like it"

"Thank you" she said.

I went to the kitchen and making pancakes. Lizz came in too and looked from afar. "Come" I urged her gently. "You can look, but don't touch the stove or you'll burn yourself" She slowly came forward and looked at how I made pancakes.

Within no time, A stock of pancakes were piled up on a plate. I set the table up. Lizz looked at her food, carefully. She acted like everything could be dangerous. She then looked at me. It was obvious that her parents didn't take very good care of her. She was skinny and looked at everything with suspicion.

She took a small bite and her little face lit up. "This is actually good!" She said happily. It was the first time I saw her give me a big smile. It melted my heart!

I grinned at her. "I make the best pancakes!"

When we ate, I started thinking what I should do now. I did not know anything about raising a child. I was determined that Lizz would never go back to her parents. Should I report to the ministry? I decided that I would ask someone at work.

work! I thought. What do I do with Lizz? I can't take her with me!

Lizz saw my face and panic swept over her face. "Something I did...do wrong? She stuttered. My face softened.

"Of course not. I am just going to call work and say that I won't be able to make it today" I explained and she relaxed visibly. I stood up as Lizz finished. She kept staring at the large pile of pancakes.

"Do...you want another pancake?" I asked gently. She looked up, eyes wide.

"Can I?" She said.

"Yeah, take as many as you want" I smiled and walked to the phone. I called my work.

"Daily Prophet, Grace Watson speaking" Grace (her co-worker) said.

"Hi Grace, it's Jamie"

"Jamie?...hi" She said, probably thinking why I would call. I never call.

"I'm just calling to say that I won't be able to make it to work today"

"Oh...are you sick?" She asked.

"Um...not really, but I have a question that I want to ask you"

"What is it?" I can hear that she's curious now. This has got to be the longest non-related talk I ever had with her.

"Well.." I hesitated "I was wondering if you can come over...I can ask my question then"

A silence. I knew she was considering. Grace was the one I needed to speak to. She was often at the ministry, looking for stories. She knows a lot of what happens around there.

"I'll be right over" She said after a while.

"wait! Don't you need to know where I live?" I asked her.

"Honey, as a reporter, I have access to the even the most secret information...and a phonebook" She said. I giggled.

"See ya in five minutes" She said and hung up. I definitely shocked her. I had not only asked for her help, but I also giggled. I turned back to Lizz. She had finished her second pancake and looked me with fear in her eyes.

"Listen sweetie, somebody is coming over in a few minutes, but she won't hurt you" I assured her. Her fear went away a bit, but she sat stiffly on her chair.

The doorbell rang and Lizz jumped. I opened the door and there was Grace. I invited her in.

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?" she said, cutting right to the chase. She's a reporter all right.

"why don't we go to the living room" we walked in. Lizz was behind my couch, looking carefully at Grace, noticing her every move.

"Jamie! I didn't know that you had a daughter" Grace said loudly. Lizz shrunk back by the loud voice.

"She's not mine" I said. We sat down and I explained the story to her.

"how sad" Grace said. Lizz sat on the ground, listening. "And you want to know what to do with her now?"

"well...yeah...she can't and she won't go back to her parents"

Grace nodded in understanding. "Well, she'll have to declare to ministry officials that her parents abused her and also how"

I glanced in worry at Lizz. "I don't know if she can do that"

"Well...you'll have to explain her then that otherwise she will go back to her parents"

When Lizz heard that, she spoke up for the first time. "I'll do it"

Grace looked taken aback, but nodded nonetheless. "I'll arrange it"

"Thank you" I said.

"No problem" I said. "And I promise that I won't write a story about this. If people would hear about this, you'll get non-stop letters from people who've read the story and ask if they can help somehow. You won't have any privacy and that would be no good for Lizz"

"Thank you" Lizz said. She was very smart to understand all of this.

"I don't know how to repay you, Grace" I said.

"It was no problem" She said.

And that was it. Over the next few weeks, Lizz stayed with me. She had told her story to ministry officials and I was shocked about how her parents had abused her. They had yelled at her, cursed, hexed and beaten her. It was decided that Lizz would never go back to her parents. The ministry told me that they would contact me if they had decided what to do with Lizz. Until then, Lizz stayed with me.

Lizz was still a bit introverted at first, but she became more like a normal child each day. Laughing more, meeting people etc. Also Grace was now my best friend. She stayed at my place a lot and helped babysitting Lizz when I had to work.

I have to admit, I've had grown quite fond of Lizz and was even considering adopting her. But would Lizz like that idea? I'd have to ask her. I hoped fervently that she wanted to, because I saw Lizz as her family now.

I am beginning to learn Lizz things of Magic. Of course, Lizz was not allowed to perform any, but she did learn. I was grateful that Lizz didn't ask anything about who my parents were or my past. I came home one day. I had just came from the ministry and I wanted to ask Lizz if she would like to stay with me, forever and not just temporary.

"Hello?" I called out as she entered her apartment.

"Hi Jamie! You're late" Grace said, coming ito sight.I put down my purse and explained.

"Yeah, I went to the ministry to get some paperwork...I'm...going to ask Lizz if she would like it if I adopted her" I said hesitantly.

"YES!" Lizz called out and came storming into the hallway and threw her arms around my neck.

I laughed. Lizz smiled and Grace grinned. "There's your answer"

I pulled back. "Are you sure? Don't you want to think about it first?"

"Nope" She said, grinning from ear to ear. "I wanna stay with you!"

That night, I magically placed another bedroom in my apartment. Lizz was allowed to decorate it herself. It turned out with light pink walls, a white bed with dresser, LOTS and LOTS of stuffed animals. And because it was a special night, she got a pure white kitten named Miss Lady.

We filed the paperwork and some other stuff and now, Lizz was now named, Elizabeth Weasley.