Chapter 3: Names have power

"Are you sure about this?" Elsa whispered to her twin as they followed the witch to her home.

Jack shrugged. "You want to know about that magical school, don't you?"

She sighed. He knew her too well.

Their day had started normally. They snuck into Buckingham Palace for breakfast. Despite Elsa's protest, Jack threw a snowball at the queen but missed and hit a bald guy behind her. After pranking the royal guards with strategically placed ice puddles, they got bored and ran to the park. They only started playing when they encountered the witch.

As they'd found after leaving their home mountain, humans couldn't see magical beings like them. So they assumed that they had found another nature spirit, but the woman revealed that she was a witch and assumed that they were like her. Before they could correct her, she bribed them with food and promises of magic school, and everything went downhill from then on.

The witch showed them a skill of apparating, an amazing magical transportation method that brought them to the other side of London in seconds. They ate at a dingy, old pub called The Leaky Cauldron, where they found more people who could see them. The witch interrogated them about their living situation and family and was appalled to learn that they didn't have a permanent home. She insisted on helping them find a home within the wizarding community, determined to prove how much they belonged in her world.

Jack went with the lie, waiting to see where it would lead to, but Elsa preferred having a plan. This whole situation could go wrong in an instant if the witch found out what they really were, but the concept of a magical school was intriguing.

Human kids had no idea how good they had it. Their schools were safe places to study. They had teachers, break time for play and meals, and what amazed Elsa even more, hundreds of other children to play with. She tried to play among them with her brother, but the experience quickly soured. Being unseen sucked.

She watched a group of girls that were close like sisters. She had always had a close connection with her brother, a magical bond that went deep to her heart, but friends had a bond that had nothing to do with blood or magic. It was made by choice—a choice she would never get when invisible.

Or so she thought.

They had no idea that there was an alternative. This hidden wizarding world was their chance to experience everything they were denied. Where else would two Winter Spirits belong but in the world of magic?

By the time they were climbing the stairs to the witch's house, Elsa was fully on board with Jack. She wanted to know more. They were going to humor this witch to find out as much as they could about her world.

McGonagall took out a stick, no, a wand, and waved it in front of the door handle. It clicked and the door opened on its own.

The first thing Elsa noticed was that there were no light switches like the ones they'd seen in all human homes. That was a shame. She grew to like electricity. It was more practical than torches and lanterns.

The witch waved her wand and candles lit up around them.

Elsa said a quiet "Wow." Maybe electricity wasn't necessary when one could use magic?

The house was far from ordinary. There were many strange objects around, each pulsing with a different kind of magic, and the portraits on the walls were alive. Next to her, Jack bounced on his feet, eager to check out the house. It didn't take much to excite her brother.

The witch faced them, her lips pursed. "Welcome to my home. I shall warn you, there are charms placed on all objects in this house. If you try to steal anything, you will pay dearly." She stared them down with a scorching look to emphasize her warning.

"We won't take anything," Jack said. He gave her a dashing grin, and she responded with the tiniest tight-lipped smile and a nod.

"I have only one guest bedroom prepared, but it has two beds. Does that arrangement agree with you? If not, I can…"

"No, that's perfect," Elsa interrupted, her pulse sped up just at the suggestion of being separated from her brother. "I don't want to sleep in an empty room all by myself."

"Very well. Join me for tea," the witch said. "There is much you have to learn."

She led them to a plaid sofa in a wood-panelled sitting room and disappeared in the adjacent room.

"Look how big this fireplace is." Jack ran up to it and pointed at the moving pictures sitting on the stone mantle. "These little people walk from one picture to the next!"

"Don't touch it!" Elsa hissed through her teeth. They didn't need the witch angry at them for playing with her stuff.

Jack ignored her. "This guy is wearing a skirt!"

"It's a kilt," McGonagall said from the doorway, a tray with a tea set and a plate of biscuits in her hands.

"That was quick," Jack said and bounded over to sit next to Elsa.

McGonagall served them tea and sat in her armchair very straight and proper. Elsa tried to copy her position, down to the way she held her teacup with a pinky finger up. Next to her, Jack slurped his tea and got up to look around.

"Have you ever used a wand?" McGonagall said, her lips pinched as she eyed him moving through the room.

Elsa shook her head, hoping she could make up for her brother's fidgeting.

"You weren't sure if you're a witch. Here's a way to find out." The witch offered her own wand. "Wave it very gently. I want to see how it responds to you."

The wand was warm to the touch. Its magic radiated through the wood into Elsa's hand. She waved it as instructed and froze her cup of tea.

"There you go," McGonagall said.

"But she can do that without a wand," Jack said, standing next to the sofa. "Do something non-icy."

Elsa waved the wand again and the cup shattered.

"I'm so sorry," she gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "I didn't do it on purpose. I swear."

She hesitantly glanced at the witch, expecting a scolding and a punishment. She couldn't believe she had jeopardized her chance to learn magic before she even started.

"No worries," the witch said, taking her wand back. She didn't look angry at all as if she had expected this outcome. She restored the cup with a flick of the wand, although the tea inside it was still frozen.

Elsa released a sigh of relief. Although breaking the cup scared her, she hungered for more. The wand gave her magic a Winter Spirit would never yield. What else could she do with it?

"Cool," Jack exclaimed. "Can I try?"

"Yes," McGonagall said, giving him the wand.

When Jack waved it, snowflakes materialized in the room. He grinned while they gently fell around him, but Elsa wasn't impressed.

"Why won't you do something not snowy?" she challenged.

He stuck out a tongue at her, smirked mischievously, and pointed the wand at the frozen cup of tea. Elsa thought he was going to break it as she did, but then the ice inside the cup melted until it was a steaming liquid again.

"Ha!" he said. "How about that? Total opposite of my usual magic!"

"That's very good, Jack," McGonagall praised and took back her wand. "I think that answers your earlier question. Unless the wand itself rebelled against such misuse, a Muggle could wave it all day long and not have anything happen."

"Wands can think?" Jack asked, scratching his head.

"Not exactly," McGonagall said, "but they respond differently to different wizards. You'll find out for yourself when it's time for you to pick one." She put her wand down and picked up her teacup again. "It's final. As you can create magic, you're a witch and a wizard," she declared, looking at each of them. "You belong in the wizarding world."

Elsa exchanged a look with her brother, and he waggled his eyebrows at her. The woman's conclusion was wrong, of course, but if a Hogwarts teacher could be fooled into believing this ruse, maybe all wizards would see them as equals? Could they truly pretend to be wizard children, to be human?

"So, I've noticed," McGonagall said, "ice, snow, is that the usual type of magic you do wandless? Is there anything else that you've been able to do on your own?"

Elsa thought over her answer. What would sound normal for a wizard child? She went with the truth this time. "That type of magic comes easy to us."

"What about your family? Could your parents do magic or were they Muggles?"

Elsa cleared her throat. "Our mother was like us. We never met our father."

She raised her eyes pleadingly, hoping McGonagall wouldn't push for more questions. Elsa wasn't sure if she could come up with good lies, and she had a feeling that every truth about their mother would alert McGonagall. Witches didn't change age with the turn of the seasons and didn't have a horde of loyal hags at their command. And they most certainly did not raise their children deep within mountains. Though magical, witches were human, and there was nothing human about their mother.

Thankfully, McGonagall did not ask more questions and instead invited them to help her prepare supper, which turned out to be another magical experience. She used spells for tasks as simple as stirring the pot and finished the preparation in minutes. She summoned objects from a distance and made them float in the air. Being a witch was amazing.

When the night came, they cleaned up and settled in their comfortable beds. The only light came from a faint streak of moonlight streaming through the window. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Elsa started recalling the events of the day. McGonagall opened her home to them. Why? She seemed to have a genuine interest in their wellbeing. Did people that kind really exist?

"Elsa?" Jack asked in the darkness.

"Yeah?"

"I like her."

She wasn't sure if it was safe for Jack to get attached to the witch, knowing that this situation was only temporary. At the same time, she didn't want to deny him the fun he was having.

"So, why do you want to go to that school?" he asked.

She shrugged but then realized he couldn't see that. "There is so much to learn that you can't find in books on your own. And we could make friends. Imagine having friends…" she trailed off, afraid to get her hopes up. Was it possible for someone like her to find friends among witches?

"We're not like them. Would they accept us if they knew what we are?"

"I know."

They laid in their beds, listening to each other's soft breathing. The path in front of them had been unknown for months. For the first time, they had a guide, but the destination was still foggy.

Elsa asked. "You want it too, don't you?"

"All this magic, Elsa. I'd love to learn how to wield it. Where else can we get an opportunity like this? Ever since we escaped, I've felt this… I don't know… it just feels like I can do more than just frost like maybe I'm not so useless…"

It was the first time Elsa had ever heard him mention wanting to learn something. But his reasons…

"You want to be more than a Winter Spirit?"

After a pause, he continued in a much more serious tone, "If we knew magic, we wouldn't have to be afraid. We could stop running from Her."

Elsa sighed and closed her eyes for the night. They had a guide and the beginnings of a plan, which was better than constant running, but attending Hogwarts still felt like a minor stop before reaching their destination. The name of their final stop was still a mystery.

》 《

Minerva woke up the next morning and shot out of her bed. There were two homeless kids in her house. By Merlin's beard, why did she decide to invite them in? They could have robbed her in her sleep! Sure, she told them that little lie that each object in her house was charmed against thieves, but they could have seen through it. She had witnessed their sneakiness. They were thieves and didn't even try to hide it.

She dressed quickly and went to check on the twins. She lightly knocked on the door to the guest bedroom. No answer. She pushed it open and found two empty beds. Her heart sank. They left. Probably with her possessions. At least they fixed the beds after themselves.

She walked down the stairs, her heart aching at the thought of them out there on their own. They were only eleven. She wasn't able to get much information from them, other than they had no family and no one to turn to. There was fear in their eyes when she had asked them about the home they ran away from.

"We will never go back," Jack had told her, squeezing his sister's hand. "Not in a million winters."

"Will you at least tell me the name of who you lived with?"

He whispered, "Names have power."

"Yes, they do," she said just as softly.

They were smart to avoid saying the name of the person they feared. A powerful witch could place a tracing charm on their own name and be alerted when spoken of. But if that was who they lived with, why was everything in the wizarding world so foreign to them?

Not wanting to upset them, Minerva didn't push the issue. She hoped that with time they would tell her more, but now they ran away from her as well. Had she done something wrong? She thought it was a good sign that they weren't scared of her, but they might have only pretended to like her. She was no one's favorite teacher.

Even if so, she couldn't ignore her responsibility to do right by them. She could start her search by visiting the Office of Muggle Services to inquire about missing children.

She turned to the kitchen and nearly had a heart attack when Jack jumped in front of her.

"We made pancakes!"

Minerva clutched her heart, trying to steady herself. They didn't leave!

Elsa squatted on the floor of the sitting room, sculpting an ice creature, but instead of carving a block of ice, she added ice to it with her touch. She looked up from her work and smiled pleasantly.

"Do you like it?" She looked at her project with pride. "It's based on that sculpture over there." She pointed at a wooden Gryffindor lion standing on a nearby shelf.

Minerva recovered from her shock and scolded herself for having so little faith in them. Maybe they liked her after all or maybe they were that desperate.

"It's beautiful. You're very talented."

The girl shrugged and resumed her work. "I'm okay."

"Elsa, stop showing off." Jack got in front of Minerva again and made a wide gesture towards the kitchen. "Breakfast time!"

Minerva let him lead her to the table where a plate of warm pancakes sat, accompanied by three steaming cups of tea, and three small plates. The twins sat down and grinned up at her, awaiting her reaction. They did all of this without magic, didn't they?

"This looks wonderful, children."

Minerva had always claimed that she didn't mind living alone and that it wasn't a big deal that she never got to be a mother. She raised hundreds of children as a teacher, but this felt different. She found a lump in her throat, wishing every morning felt like this. Even though the twins were her guests, she felt like a part of their little family.

She thoroughly enjoyed their breakfast together. The pancakes were edible, and the twins were pleasant company. Jack was quick to joke around and had an infectious laugh. Elsa in turn had a calm, intelligent comeback for each of his teases. They kept glancing at her, and she became aware that they were testing her reactions. She didn't let them get out of control, no matter how sorry she felt for them. They had to be taught good manners. Thankfully, they were so interested in learning about the wizarding world, they accepted her rules as a part of it.

After breakfast, Elsa finished her sculpture and brought it to Minerva with a nervous smile. It looked more like a house cat than a lion, but it was a beautiful, fierce house cat. It was perfect.

"Thank you," Minerva said. There was that lump in her throat again.

She made space for it on a shelf and placed a cooling charm on it so it wouldn't melt. She wanted to keep it forever.

She left the children to play while she sat down to write a letter to Dumbledore. She described the situation and asked if the twins could be admitted to Hogwarts despite not having an invitation or an official guardian. She sent it to him via owl and got a response that afternoon.

She read the letter back a few times.

Their names appeared in the Book of Admittance as soon as I opened it to the latest page, Dumbledore said in the letter.

That was beyond odd. Names of magical children usually appeared in the book when they first exhibited their powers. The twins had been using their abilities long before they met her. The level of control Elsa had over ice was uncanny. These children not only had potential, they were already skilled, maybe even trained, but by whom?

Dumbledore's response to her question regarding twins not having a family or a guardian was just as puzzling.

I think you already know what you want to do, don't you? Whatever you decide, you have my support.

She looked up from the parchment to the twins that were exploring her little library.

"You'll like this one," Elsa said, holding a volume out for her brother. "Most Macabre Monstrosities."

"Cool," Jack said, flipping a few pages. "You won't find these in human libraries."

"You mean 'Muggle' libraries, don't you?" Minerva asked from her spot.

Jack shrugged.

She felt a sting deep inside her. What if this was the reason why they ran away from home? "Is that what you thought before, that you're not human?"

Jack exchanged a look with his sister, and some silent conversation happened between them. They did that a lot.

Minerva continued, "Wizards are human, Jack. Having magic doesn't make you a different species."

He shrugged again and looked back into the book.

They had a lot to learn about themselves and the wizarding world. They needed her. Dumbledore was right. She knew what she wanted to do. Until she found them a permanent solution, they would stay with her.

They weren't going back to living on the streets if Minerva had something to say about that.