A/N; Yes, this is another rewrite of Hogwarts Mystery. My previous story hasn't been updated in a long time because I wasn't happy with what I'd done with the story and with Celena as a character.
This rewrite focuses on developing the main character, Grace Prickle, more. Unlike the game, it's set five years after the battle of Hogwarts.
This story will update every Saturday. It's also posted on Wattpad and Archive of Our Own.
On the day she was to buy her school supplies, Grace Prickle woke early. Earlier than the rest of her family, earlier even than the birds who lived in the tree outside her window. She had waited nearly five years for this day, ever since her brother left for Hogwarts for the first time.
A smile spread across her face as she looked up at the ceiling, allowing thoughts of Hogwarts to fill her mind. She would buy her wand first, she decided. That was the part of the day she was most looking forward to. The rest- shopping for boring old robes and books- was simply a necessity before she could finally learn magic.
Too excited to go back to sleep, Grace threw off her covers and found her acceptance letter. It had only arrived the day before, carried in through an open window by a majestic Barn Owl. Grace had read the letter dozens of times in the hours since it arrived, so many times that the words were carved into her memory. Now she devoured the familiar lines of emerald green ink once again.
Dear Miss Prickle, the letter began,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.
Yours Sincerely,
Filius Flitwick
Deputy Headmaster
Grace put the letter back in its envelope and placed the envelope on her desk, so she wouldn't forget it. Then she checked, double-checked, and triple-checked to make sure she had already packed everything that didn't need to be bought at Diagon Alley. "Toothbrush, check. Pajamas, check. Regular clothes, check. Parchment, quills, and ink pot, check," she muttered as she ran through a mental list.
Satisfied, she checked her watch. It was barely five. The rest of her family wouldn't be up for at least another hour. She debated quadruple-checking her trunk before deciding to go downstairs to wait for her family.
Grace's family lived in a simply built house with four bedrooms. Her father was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, meaning that the family could have lived in a mansion if they so desired, but Mr. Prickle was a practical man who didn't believe in wasting Galleons on "pointless luxury", as he called it.
Grace looked around the living room, seeing her father's Spartan tastes reflected in every aspect of the room. The wood floors lacked any sort of carpeting, and the walls were painted a drab gray. The only splash of color came from a vase of flowers on the table in the center of the room, which her mother replaced every so often, whenever the flowers started to wilt. The flowers came from her mum's garden in the backyard.
Grace looked through a window at the lightening sky. She thought about what it would feel like to fly through the air with the wind blowing in her face. That was one of the many upsides of going to Hogwarts. She'd finally get to fly for real, instead of merely skimming the ground on a toy that would've lost a race to a snail.
She was jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of footsteps behind her. "You should be in bed, Pip," her brother's voice sighed.
Grace turned to look at her brother. Jacob was five years older than her and would be starting his sixth year at Hogwarts. "I couldn't sleep," she replied honestly.
"All right. Well, let's do something productive with that energy of yours," Jacob said, walking into the kitchen. "We have enough time to make breakfast before Mum and Dad wake up."
Grace followed him. The two siblings set to work frying eggs and sausages for breakfast.
She had barely set the plates on the table when her father appeared in the kitchen doorway, followed closely by her mum.
Jacob set the last two glasses on the table and the family started eating breakfast. Grace ate quickly, eager to be done. As soon as she had swallowed the last bite, she bounced out of her chair and waited impatiently for the rest of her family.
Her mum cast her an amused look, before glancing at Jacob, who was almost done. "Take your sister to Diagon Alley as soon as you're ready. Your father and I have work to do," she instructed.
"What story are you working on?" Grace asked eagerly, her impatience suddenly forgotten. Her mother was a reporter for the Daily Prophet, and always came home with the most interesting stories. Her last article had covered an incident involving a fan of the Appleby Arrows who had tried to sneak into the locker room of a rival team and burn the brooms.
"The corners of her mother's lips tilted upwards in a smile. "You'll find out when everyone else does," was all she offered.
Grace huffed in disappointment. Jacob pushed his chair back. He walked to the fireplace and took a pinch of Floo Powder from the pot on the mantel. He offered the pot to Grace.
Grace made a face as she took a pinch of Floo Powder. She hated Floo travel, but it was the quickest way to get to Diagon Alley.
Jacob tossed his pinch of Floo Powder into the sputtering flames, immediately transforming them into a raging emerald fire. With a shout of, "The Leaky Cauldron!" he stepped into the flames, which whisked him away with a spurt of green sparks.
Grace waited a moment before throwing her share of the Floo Powder into the fire. "The Leaky Cauldron," she said, taking care to enunciate so she wouldn't end up in the wrong place. Before she'd used Floo Powder for the first time, Jacob had terrified her by telling her about the time he'd accidentally Flooed to the house of a Death Eater. She'd eventually figured out that he was lying, but she was extra careful just in case. Gingerly, she stepped into the flames, pulling her elbows close to her sides and squeezing her eyes closed.
Floo travel was hot and dizzying, but at least it was over quickly. Barely a minute had passed before Grace stepped out of a different fireplace, into the familiar environment of the Leaky Cauldron.
Before her head had stopped spinning, Jacob took her arm, pulling her away from the fireplace and out the back door, to the brick wall that was the entrance to Diagon Alley. Grace watched as he pulled out his wand and tapped it to the bricks. Just before he tucked the wand back into his pocket, Grace realized that it wasn't the wand she'd seen him with for over five years. Instead, it was a wand that she'd never seen before.
"When did you get a new wand?" she asked.
Jacob's face closed off and he turned away from her. "I don't want to talk about it," he said, breaking into a fast walk.
That only made Grace more curious, but she managed to hold her tongue and run to catch up to Jacob. "Let's go to Ollivander's first!" she burst out as she caught up to him.
The same closed-off look appeared on Jacob's face. "You can get your wand later. We should get your books first," he said in an oddly clipped tone.
"But-" Grace protested.
"Later," Jacob snapped.
Grace's shoulders sagged. She gave her brother a confused and hurt look. Why was he acting like this?
Jacob sighed. "Don't give me that look, Pip. It's just- look, learning magic isn't all fun and games. I don't want you going off to Hogwarts thinking it'll be a dream come true, because sometimes it is, but sometimes- sometimes it's nothing but a nightmare." His voice cracked and he turned away from her, but not before Grace had seen the tears gathering in his eyes.
Grace let her brother lead her to Flourish and Blotts while she puzzled over his strange behavior. Try as she might, she couldn't imagine what could have happened to make Jacob turn against Hogwarts.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the jangling of the bell as Jacob pushed open the door to the bookshop. Looking around, she saw neatly arranged shelves bursting with books. A family of four were talking in the corner. The daughter, who looked to be about Grace's age, bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet as she waited for her mother to finish talking. A small boy gripped the father's hand while he looked around the bookshop with wide eyes.
Jacob gestured to the family. "Try to make a friend. I'll get your books for you," he instructed before striding off.
Grace furrowed her brow, but it wasn't the weirdest thing her brother had done that day, not by a long shot, so she shrugged and approached the family.
The mother saw her first. She said something to her daughter, who turned around. Her eyes lit up when she saw Grace. "Hi!" the girl practically shrieked. "I'm Rowan Khanna. Are you going to be a first-year too?"
"Yes. I've been waiting for years!" Grace replied, happy to meet someone who shared her excitement, especially after her brother's cryptic warning. "Oh, I'm Grace Prickle," she added.
"What house do you want? What class are you most excited for? Have you gotten your wand yet? Are you going to-"
Grace held up her hands with a laugh. "Slow down! I can't even remember what your first question was!"
"Sorry," Rowan said. For a moment, she looked apologetic, before the excitement returned to her eyes and she started chattering again. "I hope I'm in Ravenclaw. I love reading and I can't wait to learn everything! I'm going to be the youngest professor ever one day!"
Grace took a moment to consider what house she wanted. Sometimes families all went to the same house, but every member of her family had gone to a different house. Her mum had been a Hufflepuff, her dad a Slytherin, and Jacob was a Gryffindor. Maybe she would be a Ravenclaw. Then every house would be represented in their family.
Mrs. Khanna offered to get Rowan's books for her, giving the two girls time to discuss. They barely heard her, already deep in an excited conversation. They discussed everything they knew about Hogwarts. Rowan knew a lot more about the history of the school ("I've read Hogwarts; A History seventeen times! I practically have it memorized!") while Grace contributed the stories Jacob had told her.
All too soon, Jacob and Mrs. Khanna returned with bags of books, and it was time to leave the bookshop.
"Would you mind looking after Grace for a while?" Jacob asked Mrs. Khanna. "I have some things I need to do." He handed her the bag of money he had brought, removing a few coins for himself.
When they left the bookshop, Jacob went one way, while the Khannas and Grace went the other. Grace barely noticed, she was so wrapped up in her conversation with Rowan.
She did notice, however, when they came to a stop in front of a different store. "Ollivander's..." she breathed. They were getting their wands!
While Grace was paralyzed by excitement, Mrs. Khanna pushed open the door to the shop. Rowan practically knocked both Grace and her mum over as she sprinted inside. Grace pushed through the door behind her friend with a quick, "Excuse me," to Mrs. Khanna, who looked simultaneously amused and annoyed.
The shop was small and dusty. Apart from a small area near the door, the space was crammed with countless shelves, each filled with narrow boxes that must hold the wands. It was colder in the wand shop than it had been in Flourish and Blotts.
A man with long white hair appeared next to Rowan so suddenly that Grace thought he had Apparated, except for the fact that he had been perfectly silent. "Good morning," he said in a soft, cool voice. Rowan jumped as she faced him.
The man- Ollivander- pulled a tape measure from his pocket. "Hold out your wand arm," he instructed Rowan.
Rowan held out her right hand. Ollivander let go of the tape measure, which whizzed around Rowan, measuring various parts of her while Ollivander searched the shelves.
He returned with a long, thin box in his hand. Opening it, he offered Rowan the wand inside. The wand was made of a pale wood, narrowing into a point on one end and flairing to form a grip at the other. It was simpler than the other wands Grace had seen. Most wands had various designs wrapping around the wood. Her mother's carried the design of a flowering vine, while her father's wand bore a variety of twisting black lines that resembled a spider's web. Along one side of Jacob's wand ran a jagged crack.
Rowan waved the wand. When nothing happened, her shoulders sagged. Ollivander snatched the wand from her hand and returned it to the box.
"Not to worry, I've never matched a wand and a witch on the first try," Ollivander said cheerfully as he rummaged through the shelves again.
Rowan waved several more wands, each failing to respond. Finally, Ollivander offered her a yellow wand. "Hornbeam, eight inches, unicorn hair core," he listed.
Rowan waved the wand, sending a shower of golden sparks from the end. A smile broke out on her face and she stared at her wand with an expression of wonderment.
"Over time, your wand will develop different features to reflect your personality," Ollivander said as he plucked Rowan's wand from her fingers, returning it to its box before allowing her to take the box. Rowan cradled it to her chest as if it was her child, and not an inanimate stick.
Ollivander turned his gaze on Grace. He had wide, silver eyes. Grace returned his stare until she was forced to blink. When she opened her eyes, Ollivander's gaze remained as unwavering as before.
Ollivander handed her several wands to try. Each of them felt cold and lifeless in her hands, and she was never surprised when they failed to produce so much as a spark. Ollivander zipped between her and the shelves, selecting wands and discarding them just as quickly. Grace watched the pile of discarded boxes grow slowly larger, wondering if she would ever find the right wand. Rowan hadn't taken this long.
"Ash, twelve inches, dragon heartstring core," Ollivander recited as he offered Grace yet another wand.
The wand felt different from the others. For one thing, it was pleasantly warm. As soon as her fingers wrapped around the base she felt a connection with the wand, as if she'd found a part of her that she'd never realized had been missing. It was no surprise, then, that the wand produced a stream of blue sparks.
Grace and Rowan paid for their wands before rejoining Rowan's family, who had waited outside while they found their wands. Rowan's brother, who Grace had learned was named Finch, asked to hold her wand.
Rowan took her wand out of its box and offered it to Finch. He took it gently, as if it was made of glass, wide eyes fixed it.
The next few hours were spent buying the rest of their supplies. First, they went to Madam Malkin's, where they stood on stools while being fitted for their robes. At the Apothecary, they scooped a variety of strange ingredients into empty kits. The last item on their supply lists were telescopes.
Once they had their telescopes, Grace and the Khannas rejoined the crowd in Diagon Alley. Grace thanked the Khannas and walked back to the Leaky Cauldron.
"See you on the Hogwarts Express!" Rowan called after her.
Grace turned to wave at Rowan one last time before walking through the back entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. Jacob wasn't there yet, so she took a seat in an empty armchair and waited.
Hours later, she was still waiting. She checked her watch. It had been five hours since she returned to the Leaky Cauldron.
Nervously, Grace looked around again. Jacob wasn't anywhere in sight. He'd said he would be finished with his errands and take her home soon, and Jacob never broke his promises. So where was he?
Unease crept through her. She decided to Floo home by herself and wait for Jacob there.
The Leaky Cauldron kept a pot of Floo Powder on the mantel for its guests. She waited as a wizard in dark green robes stepped into the flames. When the wizard had disappeared from view and the flames returned to their natural color, she took a pinch of Floo Powder.
"17 Mill Road," she said, tossing the Floo Powder into the fire before stepping into the emerald flames.
A minute later, she stumbled out of the fireplace at her home. There was no sign of her parents and she assumed that they were still at work.
Grace pulled out the copy of Hogwarts; A History that Rowan had convinced her to buy. She skimmed through the first few chapters, but as time went on it became harder and harder for her to focus. Her excitement about starting at Hogwarts had faded, replaced by worry about what had happened to Jacob.
Finally, she gave up and set the thick book aside. She resolved to simply stay where she was, keeping watch for Jacob until he returned. She sat perfectly still on the plain gray couch, watching the fireplace intently.
She was still sitting there when her parents returned sometime in the evening. She'd go to sleep that night with no knowledge of where her brother had gone, or why he hadn't returned.