Wow! It's been a long time since the first update. I'm really sorry about that, but when we got to the second chapter it was decided that it needed to be re-written. The new re-written chapter got left accidentally on the computer that A4B4 had to return once the spring semester was out. But now the second chapter is finished and we're starting on the third...which will have to be re-written partly too. Again sorry. But hopefully this one will be out faster, though I'm taking summer semester one and A4B4 has summer reviews...BUT we won't let that slow us down...at least not too much ;). Anyways thanks to Conventina and SamGamgee for being the first reviewers! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 2: Old Acquaintances and New Beginnings
"What!" exclaimed Alanna, "I'm sorry, but could you say that last bit again, please?" It was just a day after Lucy's abrupt encounter with that man called Dumbledore, and she was visiting Alanna's house for lunch. Laura, as usual, was running a little late, so Lucy had begun to tell Alanna her incredulous story and would catch Laura up when she arrived.
"Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Lucy complied.
"Oh right! So what kind of a joke are you pulling this time?"
Lucy just gave an exasperated sigh as she looked her friend straight in the eyes.
"You really aren't joking." Alanna's voice was barely above a whisper. Lucy smiled and shook her head.
"Wow" Alanna gave a deep sigh of her own, "And you say that Michael is going with you?"
"Yep, Dumbledore said that he was the decedent of Merlin himself," Lucy affirmed the statement.
"Well, I can't see where he would get an idea like that," declared Alanna, "but yours makes perfect sense." Alanna picked up a stack of plates and headed towards the patio. Lucy followed her with the silverware, "What's that supposed to mean?" She began to follow Alanna around the table and place the silverware in their proper places on the table. Alanna paused and looked back at Lucy, "Well, think about it. Among other creepy things, you always know when the phone is going to ring a second before it does."
"You know?" Lucy said, "I asked Dumbledore about that. He said that strong magic will manifest itself in witches and wizards slightly even before they are old enough to attend school."
"My point is proven." said Alanna.
"What point are you trying to prove now?"
A woman in her early forties had appeared from the kitchen with a bowl of chips in one hand and a bowl of chili-cheese dip in the other.
"Oh, hey mom." Alanna greeted her mother, "I was just trying to tell Lucy that Michael is showing an interest in her, and she proved my point by completely denying it" Alanna easily covered up their prior conversation. 'A little too easily' Lucy thought.
Alanna's mom set her load on the table, walked over, and wrapped an arm around her daughter.
"Just to let you know, I approve of this Bradley boy. He held the door open for me and took my groceries to the car when I was at the store today."
Alanna rolled her eyes at Lucy which clearly stated her opinion of her mother's straightforward antics, a trait that was passed right on from the mother to the daughter no matter how much Alanna denied it. Standing as they were, Lucy could see many more similarities between the two. Both were of the same height and build, but it was their eyes that marked them as mother and daughter.
Both pairs were of a deep soulful brown, but Alanna's had an edge that her mother's didn't. Whenever Alanna focused her full attention on a person, her eyes seemed to bore into their soul. Lucy had been on the receiving end of that stare a few times, and it still made her jittery.
The women sat down to lunch and had just started on the hamburgers when a loud bang was heard from the front of the house followed by an echoing, "Hello?"
"We're outside," Alanna yelled, and soon after Laura's head popped through the doorway followed by the rest of her.
"Oh, man. I am starving. This looks great Mrs. Youngblood."
"Why, thank you," Alanna's mom chuckled at Laura as she plopped down into a chair and grabbed every dish within reach.
The meal passed with talk of everyone's weekends, and playful arguments kept them at the table long after the last of the homemade cookies disappeared. Alanna's mom finally declared that she had to wash the dishes before she ran a few errands and left the girls to their own devices.
Lucy had noticed that Laura had been acting differently during the meal. Her comments seemed to have alternate meanings, and she laughed as though she harbored a big secret.
"Hey, Laura. What's going on with you today?"
"Let's just say that I won't be able to come with you guys to the beach in a few weeks."
Lucy stared at her friend in complete bewilderment and mentally examined her friend's statement for a few seconds before a realization dawned on her.
"He said there would be to more," she whispered.
"What are you talking about?" Alanna asked, and Laura's brow was burrowed in confusion.
Lucy answered both of their questions by asking one of her own to Laura, "Did a peculiar old man pay you a visit last night?"
Startled with this turn in conversation and the allusion to Lucy's story, Alanna whipped her head to look at Laura, shocked. Was she going to lose both of her friends?
Laura on the other hand just looked deflated. Lucy apparently knew about their big secret, and that took all the fun out telling it.
"A man with a white beard by the name of Dumbledore?"
"The very same."
"It seems I'm not the only one he visited." Laura said with a grin, "What's your story?"
"I tell you mine, you tell me yours?" Lucy asked.
Laura nodded her head in agreement, and Lucy began retelling her tale for her friend and ending with a statement about her and Michael's heritage.
"That's quite a story," Laura said after a moments pause. Then she grinned her trademark trickster grin, "Let's see if I can top it."
Alanna was a little more than doubtful that Laura could win her bet. Nevertheless every bet required an outside observer to fairly declare a winner, so she leaned forward in her seat as Laura began her story.
Laura had been lying on her bed, wonder yet again, as all teenagers do at some point, how she could possible be part of her family.
How could they care about me, she thought to herself, they don't even listen. If they had listened, then they would have known about Hurley.
Laura's cocker spaniel, Hurley, had been acting strange for about a week. She had begged her parents to get the poor animal looked at after she saw him walk straight into a wall. Her parents didn't believe her and claimed that they could afford that kind of vet bill and had other things to do with their time. They both worked for a local law firm after all. With no success in convincing her parents about the seriousness of the situation, she was forced to monitor Hurley's decline. Her parents were finally convinced that something was wrong when he tried to bite her father's hand when he was dumping food into Hurley's bowl. The family took Hurley to the vet the next day where Hurley was diagnosed with seizures. With a heavy heart the vet told them that the symptoms would only get worse and that it would be in Hurley's best interest if the put him to sleep. With much discussion on the parents' part and many objection on Laura's they decided to follow the vets' advice. Laura was heart broken and refused to speak to her parents on the ride back and went straight up to lie on her bed when they arrived back home. Her parents had begun to argue in the living room and didn't hear when the door bell rang a few minutes later.
Laura sighed and decided that if the visitor ever wanted an answer, then she was going to have to do it. She grudgingly got up from her bed and headed down the hallway to the door.
"May, I help you?"
"Ah, yes. My name is Professor Dumbledore, and I am looking for a Laura Turner."
The old stranger looked at her expectantly, as if he knew exactly who he was talking to.
"That's me," Laura closed the door a little more so that she barely fit in the opening. It was a desperate but failed attempt to hide the chaos occurring within the house.
"Upon seeing the current circumstances," the man paused and spared a glance to the front door, "I should think that it would be better to carry this in another area."
Laura didn't know why she followed the stranger, though she thought I might have been her intense desire to put some distance between her and her family. His manner seemed trustworthy, so she followed him to the bench located in the front yard. The old man set himself set himself down on one end of the bench with a small sigh and waited for Laura to adjust herself on the other side before continuing,
"Now, Miss Turner, I am going to tell you something that might seem ludicrous at first, but I ask for you to hear me through."
"Okay." That was all she could say to such a statement.
He nodded then said, "As I have previously stated, my name is Professor Dumbledore, and I am Headmaster at a school called Witchcraft and Wizardry. The school resides in an area in Europe, and students with special talents are selected to attend. Usually a student is notified of their selection by their eleventh birthday, but it has taken me this long to find you."
"Whoa, whoa. Hold on." Laura held her hands up in front of her face, "You just you have been looking for me to attend a school of magic!"
"Precisely."
"Baring how unbelievably cool that would be, I have no knowledge of anything magical within my family history, and I know that I don't have any powers. Believe me, I've wished for them for years!"
"Ms. Turner, this is where my tale combines with yours." He paused to make sure he had her attention, "The family in this house is not your true family and bears no resemblance to the one awaiting you."
There was a pregnant pause while Laura shook her head in disbelief. She had never felt like a member of her family completely and had always wondered if there was somewhere where she truly fit in. Now it seemed that all her daydreaming had come true without warning. Doesn't it always happen that way, she thought wryly to herself. She turned her attention back to Dumbledore,
"What took you so long?"
Dumbledore chuckled and said, "There were very complicated spells hiding you from out sensors. They have just now been dissolved, revealing your presence to us along with three others. I have already spoken to two of them and will speak to the last one tonight. In a weeks time the four of you will be collected to purchase supplies, and then be taken to Hogwarts to receive the instruction you have missed this past three years."
"Do I get to meet my real family?"
"Ah, yes. I have alerted them as well and have arranged for a meeting after you have completed your initial instruction."
"Why not before?" Laura demanded
Dumbledore held up placating hands, "All of that will be revealed to you when you arrive, should you choose to do so."
"Are you kidding me?" Laura squealed, "Get me outta here!"
Dumbledore smiled at her show of enthusiasm.
"In one week's time. I must be off now. You will have an excellent education at Hogwarts."
"And then he got up, walked down the street, and, I swear to you, disappeared before he turned the corner." Laura finished telling her story, and silence was present at the table for a few minutes.
"This is going to be interesting," Lucy declared a few moments later.
Laura's grin was from ear to ear. With the smile on her face, she turned to Alanna, "So, who had the best story?"
There was a slight pause when Alanna didn't answer. Her eyes remained on the table top as she said, "I think that the two stories are equal."
"What's wrong?" Laura asked.
Alanna's eyes finally rose to look at both girls in the face, "I'm going to miss you guys."
Laura's heart sunk as she realized that, although her dream of having another life had come true, she would be leaving one of her best friends behind.
"Wait," Lucy said after some thought, "The man, Dumbledore, said he was looking for four people." She counted on her fingers, "Laura, Michael, and me. That makes three. There's still a chance that you could come with us."
Alanna just shook her head and smiled, "There is nothing special about swimming fast. That's the only thing that sets me apart. I look almost exactly like my mom, and I have never had any weird quirks that have manifested themselves."
Laura and Lucy were at a loss for an argument, but Alanna saved them from an uncomfortable silence by suddenly standing up, grabbing all the remaining dishes and plates, and heading back into the house.
"You guys better bring back pictures, and I want presents in the summer." She yelled back over her shoulder.
Both girls started giggling, and immediately the gloomy mode vanished. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the living room watching a few movies and playing an intense game of Scrabble in which Laura spelt "emerge" for a triple point score and the win.
The girls said their goodbye's to each other when dusk began to fall, and Alanna promised to meet her friends at the pick-up spot the day of the departure. Alanna watched them until they walked around the corner of the block then returned to the living room couch. She plopped herself down in the middle and began flipping through the channels. Her mom would be home soon with the groceries and they could begin cooking supper.
A half hour later, she heard a rumbling in the driveway. Her mother came through the doorway minutes later with bulging paper bags in her arms and plastic sacks hanging from her elbows.
"A little help here, please." Her mother's disembodied voice came from somewhere behind the bags. Alanna got up, helped take the groceries into the kitchen, and began putting them in their right spots as her mother started boiling pasta for supper.
Both women leaned against the kitchen island with their bowls of fettuccine Alfred and talked about their summer plans. Alanna's fork was midway to her mouth when she heard a loud knock on her front door. Her mom, shooting her a confused look, stood up to answer it.
Alanna finished her pasta and looked in the direction of the door, expecting to hear at the very least the murmuring of hello's, but she just heard dead silence. Curious, she walked down the short hallway to discover her mother standing stock still. She was staring at a man who had a long white beard and spectacles perched on his nose; her hands were still clutching the doorknob. Alanna tried to walk back into the cover of the hallway, but the man had noticed her. His eyes fell past her mother, caught by Alanna's movement, and the spell that held her mother was broken.
"Well, Wendy. She is your daughter," the man spoke.
The smallest of smiles flittered across her mother's face, "Well I should hope so. I would hate to think she got her wit from somewhere else. Come in Albus."
Alanna looked at the man more closely and took in the beard as well as the weird looking clothing and gasped in recognition. This was the same man that had visited Laura and Lucy. What was he doing here…and how did her mom know him?
"Thank you." He stepped through the door, took off his coat, and took in the look on Alanna's face, "It seems my reputation precedes me."
"You're Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts," her tone quickly changed from one of wonder to one of accusing by the end of the statement.
"Alanna," her mother warned, then blinked, "How do you know this man?"
Alanna glared at Dumbledore, then, without a word, turned on her heels and walked back down the hallway, towards the living room. A couple seconds later, they heard her call out, "He's taking my friends back with him!"
Neither of the two adults said a word till Wendy broke the silence, "Is it really that bad Albus, that they need to go to Hogwarts?"
Dumbledore sighed, "It's worse. Harry Potter has been attending the school for the past three years, and each is worse than the last. Voldermort is gaining power, and Sirius came out of hiding this past August to help protect the boy."
"No, Albus, you shouldn't have let him! He'll get caught!"
"He already has been," Dumbledore spoke over her argument, "and in a bizarre accident, he escaped."
Wendy sighed her relief.
"But the other side is amassing its power, and I need to do the same. You know very well that Hogwarts is the safest place for them, especially since something broke through the protection spells, and that it is the best place to develop their talents."
"What about Alanna? You know the added threat," Wendy whispered.
"I will take every precaution to prevent that threat, then she will be able to come back and fulfill her other duties."
"That time is over, and you know it, Albus!" Wendy retorted.
Dumbledore finally looked Wendy in the eyes and saw her reluctance. He took her hands in his.
"Wendy, your role of protector is no longer needed. The children can now be looked after by my staff, and a few of your old friends if I am not mistaken, but Alanna is still going to need your support," Dumbledore chuckled, "especially in the next few minutes."
Wendy looked at Dumbledore for a moment, then sighed and nodded once. They walked together into the living room where Alanna was surfing through the channels on the television in an attempt to ignore them.
"Alanna," her mother called out while situating herself on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Alanna turned her attention from the screen to her mother, but said nothing. It seemed as if her mother had sided with the stranger. Well, if that was the case, then her mother was going to have to start the conversation because she didn't feel like talking to her very much. Her mother saw the thought on her daughter's face and grew exasperated,
"Oh stop it, Alanna. He isn't taking your friends away from you," she paused and said quietly, "You're going with him, too."
"What?" The shook that she was feeling made her breath disappear.
Her mother rested her chin on her fists as she contemplated her next statement. She glanced up at Dumbledore, who had positioned himself by the arm of the sofa, before beginning.
"There is something that I should have told you a long time ago. I was just looking for the right time," she chuckled, "I guess now is as good a time as any."
Alanna just blinked and tried to think of anything that her mother could possibly tell her that warranted this type of introduction. Nothing could've ever prepared her for her mother's next sentence.
"We are selkies." She paused and looked into her daughter's face to judge the reaction. After seeing no look of recognition, she decided to continue, "Selkies are said to be mythical creatures that live in the sea in the form of a seal and can take human form from time to time by removing their seal skin. It is also said that no one can catch them because as soon as they even think they sense something, they put on their skins again and flee to the ocean."
Dumbledore chuckled at this statement. "But those reports are only half right. Selkies do not belong to either form more than the other. Sometimes a few individuals choose to live the majority of their life in human form rather than seal. That is how I met you're mother."
"That's right." Wendy agreed, "I was wandering around before Dumbledore found me and invited me to attend his school."
"Wait!" Alanna exclaimed, holding up her hands, "You've been to this Hogwarts?"
"Yes, I have," her mother replied, "And had some of the best times in my life. I made friends their almost instantly and wasn't so bad in the academic area if I don't say so myself."
"One of the brightest pupils of her time." Dumbledore agreed.
Wendy smiled at the complement then turned to her daughter, "Now, what questions do you have for me. Hopefully I will have the answers you need."
Alanna though for a few moments, "So is this why I am so good at swimming?"
"Yes, selkies have always had a natural affinity to the water."
"Do I have my own…skin?" Alanna asked with a definite tone of disgust.
Her mother threw her head back with the force of her laugh, "Yes, but don't think of it like that. It's a pelt for a lack of a better word, but not from a dead animal. You will think differently when you see it, but for now I will keep it where it is. You are a bit young to use it as of right now."
Alanna nodded and thought for a bit more. Then, taking everything in stride, turned to Dumbledore and asked, "So am I leaving with everyone else?"
Dumbledore smiled, she was as strong as her mother, "Yes, everyone needs to be caught up in their lessons in order to be able to start the next year with their own age."
They talked about a few more arrangements and discussed Wendy's years at Hogwarts a little more before Dumbledore took his leave. Alanna's mother, seeing what time it was, exclaimed that she was going to bed in order to get a little sleep before work tomorrow. Alanna followed her head and, before she drifted to sleep, she smiled, imagining the look on her friends faces when she met them this time next week.