In which I make a new
friend, and my parents
issue their first ever
warning.
Jacob and I were never allowed to have pets before.
Mum and dad's reasoning had alway been that it would be too many mouths to feed, and that we wouldn't be responsible enough to handle taking care of any pet. We both knew it was more about our level of responsibility than anything else. Our parents were financially quite well off. Us being responsible was another matter entirely, though. Oftentimes, the two of us were so lost in reenacting Jacob's Hogwarts adventures that we forgot to feed ourselves, which was something neither parent were too pleased about.
We were often told how fortunate it was that we were financially stable, compared to all the other families that had gone through such hardships because of the Dark wizard our world called You Know Who and He Who Must Not Be Named… named that way because his real name caused a surge of fear in anyone who heard it.
He was a man — rather, a monster — who'd terrorized the wizarding world for longer than Jacob and I had been alive. It wasn't until one Halloween — during the year Jacob disappeared — that it had been said he was finally defeated… by none other than a one year old child named Harry Potter… and never to be seen again.
The story went that he killed both the boy's parents, but when he went to kill him.. it didn't work, or it backfired. Due to the event, that boy was the only recorded wizard to have survived You Know Who's go-to curse… the Killing Curse.
Just the thought of such a curse caused me such fright that I could feel my blood freeze.
I couldn't imagine what kind of life that boy would have growing up. He'd lost his parents before he could ever be old enough to properly form a fond memory of them. And he would forever have that famed lightning bolt scar on his forehead as proof of an incident he'd never remember.
Any story of You Know Who was bound to give me nightmares for a few days. The stories of his crimes, and the deaths he caused along with his followers he named Death Eaters were horrendous. I could still recall the day mum and dad sat me down to tell me his actual name so I'd know it when I heard it:
Lord Voldemort.
The sharp tingle that turned into a shiver crawled up my spine, along with prickly goosebumps along my arms matching the ones on my parents' arms as they hugged me close. I never needed a reminder on the name after that. To lighten the mood, actually, they mentioned that Jacob had the same reaction… though, he definitely tried to play it off soon afterwards as nothing to snuff at.
Boys just had to be so prideful.
On to a somewhat brighter subject, I need to return to that of pets. I only mentioned them, because mum and dad decided they wanted to surprise me with one a week before Ash and I were to board the train before Hogwarts… each.
By 'each,' I mean that they each decided to get me a pet and somehow managed not to mention that detail to each other.
They stood side by side, each with a cloth-covered cage of a different size and shape, looking at one another with such shock that I stood before them with my gaze giddily eyeing both cages. Mum held an oval-topped, dome-shaped cage with a purple, starry designed cloth resting on top of it. The cage dad held was more box-shaped, with a simple black cover over it.
"Is this one of those things where I choose one gift, and the other one goes back to the store? Or can I have both?" I asked, inwardly debating on which pet I wanted most.
I knew for sure, mum had an owl. The cage was shaped too dome-like for it to be anything else. Dad's, however, was a good size for just about anything I could think of — a crup, a kneazle, a cat, and more.
The school supply list only ever mentions allowing an owl, a cat, or a toad, but I was always hopeful for the possibility of bringing a crup or a kneazle with me. Of course, I wanted to be around all types of animals, but I had never had the expectation of receiving a pet before that very moment. Let alone two.
"Well," dad chuckled, good-naturedly, running his hand through his messy blonde hair. "Seems we were both of the same mindset, Hanna."
"We seem to have also forgotten to clue each other in," mum replied dryly, clearly not as amused by the circumstances as her husband. She rather looked as though she'd eaten a sour grape with the way she pursed her lips.
I quickly stepped forward, knowing exactly what mum was going to do. She always made the decisions that resulted in the least amount of fun — least amount of joy, really. And I'd had plenty of opportunities over the years learning how best to persuade her. "Oh, mum, can't I keep them both? They come from your hearts, and you know I love animals. This is the best way for me to learn how to take some responsibility, and besides — they're already here, why not give them a forever home?"
The way she shifted her gaze immediately to dad showed her uncertainty. "Oh, I don't know, Jessamyn… you've never even had one pet before. To give you two would be…."
"A sign of good faith," I answered earnestly, which may have just been the deciding factor as mum smiled thoughtfully in response. "Please, mum? I won't let you down."
"Please say yes, mummy?"
I nearly jolted when dad positioned himself next to me on his knees, his hands still holding the cage in front of him while making it look like he was praying as he asked that question in his highest tone. His head was level with my shoulder as he looked up at mum with what I could only call his 'attempt' at crup puppy eyes.
I wanted to laugh and roll my eyes all at the same time. I couldn't be sure if he was mocking me, or trying to help me.
Mum tried.. so hard.. to hold back a smile. But a corner of her lips twitched up, and from there she lost her composure, holding a hand up to cover her mouth as she snickered. "All right, all right, I give. We'll keep them both."
"Yes!" I cheered, jumping forward to wrap my arms around her waist. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome, Jessamyn… but —"
I pulled back, immediately knowing the fact that a 'but' always led to something I wasn't going to be happy about. I eyed her nervously, "But what?"
Her gaze shifted from mine to smile at something behind me, "Ash, perfect timing. Would you come over here, please?"
I turned to see Ash obediently strutting over to stand beside me. On my other side, dad stood up again, shifting the cage to rest under his arm with a mewl of retort sounding off inside, cementing the possibility of a cat or a kneazle.
Ash's eyes lit up at the cage in mum's hands. "Is that —?"
"Joziah and I seem to have both gotten pets as a gift for Jessamyn. She can have both, but my gift I believe the two of you should share," mum said, lifting the cloth to reveal the most stunning barn owl I had ever seen.
It had a face of pure white and a body of the lightest gray, pitch black eyes glancing around it at a quick rate in a three sixty degree spin of our surroundings. It hooted and fluffed its wings in slight agitation.
"Meet Star," mum said, smiling at my open-mouthed adoration. "The manager at Eeylops said he was a highly mistrusting owl, but very well trained. With him, you can both send letters home throughout the year and we'll send some goodies."
"All right! Thanks so much!" Ash said excitedly, pumping his fists in the air. "Hey, Jessie, we should call him Starflight instead! What do you think?"
I held back a pout. It wouldn't help. On the bright side, mum wasn't returning the owl. And technically I still owned him, it's just I was sharing him with someone who would be living with us for a while — at most until we graduated Hogwarts. No big deal, I thought. And even though we'd be at Hogwarts, there was a very slim chance we'd end up in the same House. We'd see each other in some classes, and maybe in the owlery to send our letters, but it wouldn't be all the time.
"I actually like it," I admitted, watching as the owl narrowed his large eyes at us. "Starflight. It doesn't add too much to Star, so he still keeps his name." I sighed thoughtfully then, turned to look at Ash properly, "I guess since we're sharing him, you can hold onto him."
"Really?" Ash asked with bright eyes, throwing his arms around me in a quick hug before bolting to my mum to get Starflight. "Thanks again!" he exclaimed as he ran for the stairs to go up to his room.
Dad placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, "I'm proud of you, Pip."
I swallowed a knot that appeared in my throat, and I swear I saw mum's shoulders tense up. Dad often called me by the nickname, but it was something he only started doing after Jacob disappeared. Like that was supposed to make up for Jacob's lack of presence. However, it only reminded me that I missed hearing it from Jacob's mouth. And if my repetitive dream was real, it was his idea from the beginning.
"Thanks," I said hollowly, turning my attention to the cage still hanging under his arm. "Can I… see my other gift?"
"Oh! Yes, of course," he said, visibly flustered as he handed me the cage directly, and waited patiently for my reaction.
Once I had it safely tucked under my arm — with some difficulty considering the surprising weight — I pulled back the cover for my line of sight to meet a set of yellow-green eyes. It was a cat, its fluffy black fur tinged with gray. I reached a finger tentatively through one of the bar openings, watching closely as it leaned forward to sniff at it. After a minute or so of that, it licked my finger with its rough tongue and began purring louder than I'd ever heard a cat purr before.
I'd spent plenty of time at the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley to know the different breeds and personalities of cats. Hearing this one purr already in our first interaction was one I'd never seen. But I most definitely welcomed it.
"Can you guess what kind of cat she is?" dad asked cheerfully. "You've always been rather good at that."
"She's a nebelung… the length of her fur, and the color give it away. Then again, most nebelungs' eyes are just green," I deduced, tilting my head to one side.
"Always an incredible skill, Mynnie," dad said, rubbing a hand against my skull. Though preferable, the nickname had seemed like an attempt at creating something that didn't remind us of Jacob.
Brightening up, I set the cage down and opened it to pull the cat out and hold her against my chest. She mewled once again in retort, glancing up at the multi-crystal chandelier on the ceiling. Part of the fluff on her body, I realized, was due to the extra size in her stomach. Either she was pregnant, or… I had to struggle to hold in my chuckles as I narrowed my eyes 'accusingly' at dad, "I love her, but did you give me an overweight cat for a reason? Is there something you're trying to tell me?"
Dad burst into laughter with his hands resting against his stomach, whereas mum rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk out of the room… the echo of her heels clicking away while dad struggled to reassure me that that was not his objective.
If there was one thing I had to give my parents credit for being consistent at, it was their determination to be there for the send-off on the Hogwarts Express. They did it for all the six years that Jacob attended and, again, they were on either side of me walking through King's Cross Station for my first time on the train.
I pushed my trolley with a mixture of excitement and anxiety bubbling through my chest, the cage holding the lazy cat I named Purr rested levelly on my trunk as we hurried through the crowded platform. Nearby, Ash pushed his trolley with Starflight, the owl, looking in all directions with such ruffled feathers that I sensed he didn't appreciate large crowds….
How is he going to handle Hogwarts' Owlery? I shuddered at the thought.
To save a bit of time and energy during the train ride, Ash and I were both already wearing our school uniforms. Our mums had insisted on it, to Ash's utter dismay. I didn't mind for the time being, concerning the fact that I wasn't comfortable with the idea of changing clothes with anyone else around, girl or not. Even in the dorms, I intended on using the bathroom to change clothes.
We slowed down our quick pace as we reached the platform with the wall numbered nine on the left side and ten on the right. Dad pointed the brick wall out to Martha. "On the other side of this is the train, but it's best to go at it at a bit of a run."
"I understand," she nodded, turning to Ash with a mischievous grin. "Ready to go, my son?"
"Why are you smiling like that?" he asked dubiously, leaning his upper body backwards away from her. "You're going to make me go through first, aren't you?"
She brought her hand around to his back, the smile still gracing her features. "Why would you think so lowly of me, son? I'm coming right with you."
"Or right behi — ahhh!" with a spirited sprint, her hand pressed firmly against his back, they were running toward the wall with both Ash and Starflight screeching bloody murder the whole way. It wasn't until they completely disappeared into the bricks that the screams immediately ceased.
The surrounding crowd of Muggles stopped in their tracks, glancing around in bewilderment. Once a good minute had passed, there was a collective number of shrugs as everyone continued on with their days, obviously determined to pretend they hadn't heard anything.
"Muggles are weird," I muttered to myself. If I hadn't known it to be an overdramatic Ash, I would've had the urge to investigate just to make sure nothing terrible was happening. Meanwhile, that entire crowd had just brushed it off as nothing. My eyes wandered until they fell on a portly security guard grasping at the ticket of a boy — with a trolley holding a single suitcase — standing in front of him, the back of his sandy blonde-haired head facing me as the guard gave him a dubious look.
"Hush now, dear, let's go before we draw suspicion," mum said, resting her own hand against my back.
"Mum, can we hold on for just a second? I'll be right back," without waiting for a reply, I pushed past her to jog in the direction of the boy and the guard. As I approached, I heard the guard speaking loudly.
"How the hell did you make such an authentic looking ticket?" he asked the boy who wrung his hands together so tightly, it nearly distracted me from noticing he was shaking like a leaf. "You kids rile me up nowadays! Who'd've even thought of a platform nine and three-quart —?"
By that point, I'd reached them and efficiently snatched the ticket out of his hands. After a quick glance at the number nine and three quarters, it was confirmed for me that this boy was a new, Muggle-born wizard. Smiling brightly at the security guard, I wrapped one arm around the boy's shoulders to his surprised yelp. "Erm — sorry about my brother here. It's a little prank he came up with. Great artist, am I right? But he really needs to work on his delivery lines, what can I say?"
Flustered, the boy gave me a look of such confusion, he opened his mouth as though to say something… but no words escaped.
The guard brushed a hand over his reddish brown mustache. "Well, all right then, little lady. Keep him out of trouble, will yuh?"
"I will undoubtedly do my best," I grinned, steering the boy around and toward my parents. "Sorry for the scare, but I think you should know that the actual train to Hogwarts is hidden from the Muggle world."
His tense shoulders loosened as we walked, his brown eyes locked on me with a small smile formed.. growing little by little as we walked. "So… y-you're going to Hogwarts, too?"
"Yeah, it's going to be my first year, just like you," I said, taking my arm from around his shoulders to stop and hold my hand out. "I'm Jessamyn."
"Ben," he replied, placing a clammy hand in mine for a quick shake. "I don't know how I can thank you. I've been asking people how to find platform nine and three-quarters for at least twenty minutes. You're a lifesaver."
I eyed his timid form for a moment in retrospect. His shoulders were hunched slightly, like if he stood any straighter it'd be too imposing for him. After our introductions, his hands retreated to his sides to fidget with the oversized black slacks he wore, clenching the fabric within his fists.
"Well…" I hesitated, glancing at my parents who watched us in awed fascination. "You may not think so after I tell you how we have to get to the train."
His smile immediately downturned, "H-how — erm —"
"We just have to run through a wall… that wall," I pointed out the wall between platforms nine and ten, hearing the expected moan of the boy next to me. "I know it's not the easiest experience, but I could run through it with you if you like."
Ben perked up immediately, "You would really do that for me?"
"Of course," I said, gesturing with my head to come on so we both finished the remaining walk to my parents. Once we stood in front of them, Ben gave a shaky bow of his head in acknowledgement and I began introductions. "Ben, these are my parents. Mum, dad, this is Ben. He's also starting Hogwarts this year, but he didn't know how to get to platform nine and three-quarters."
"Nice to meet you," Ben stated meekly.
"Nice to meet you as well," dad said good-naturedly, holding his hand out to his to vigorously shake him so much that his head and upper jostled around while Ben tried to retain his balance.
"Dad," my tone with him was whinier than I wanted it to be, but this boy was already nigh terrified of running through the wall! "I just rescued him from the security guard. Do I have to rescue him from you, too?"
He let go of Ben with a gust of laughter breezing through his response, "I wasn't that rough with him, Mynnie."
Mum rolled her eyes with a toothy grin, unable to stay serious around dad's antics. "I'm very glad to meet you, Ben. I'm also glad Jessamyn decided to go rescue you. It would have been hard on you to miss the train, as it seems you have no way to contact the school to come get you." She was referring, of course, to his lack of an owl, which made Ben visibly gulp his nerves down at the prospect. "But, for now, that's nothing to worry about. Would you like one of us to run through the barrier with you?"
"A-actually… I was… I hoped J-Jessamyn would run through with me?" his answer tapered off into such uncertainty, it had become a question.
I immediately was filled with such sympathy, I turned to my parents with a nod. "There you have it. I promised him I'd do so, anyway. Could.. one of you push my trolley for me?"
They eyed each other with such inscrutable gazes, I guessed they were disappointed. However, they readily stood next to each other with their hands side by side on the handle of my trolley. "Of course. Ready when you are."
Soon enough, I stood next to Ben, feeling his figure tremble heavily beside me as our hands also rested side by side on his trolley handle.
"All right," I said, attempting to make my tone as bright as possible. "Since you're running with me as the conductor of this trolley, you have nothing to worry about. Ready to go?"
"No," he admitted, clamping his eyes shut and bending himself forward even more. "But I'll go when you're ready… we'll go through, right? We won't ram right into it?"
"I promise, it's a smooth trip," I reassured him. "In that case… three… two… one… run!"
We took off at a bolt, Ben bending his head to the side while we went, eyes still tightly closed. As always, a rush of excited adrenaline coursed through me at the sight of the wall drawing nearer, forcing down the urge to decelerate or change direction. Finally, we made it through to the other side and, when I dug my heels into the ground, so did Ben.
"You can look now," I breathed, taking in the sight on the very right of us of the large scarlet train I used to see on a yearly basis. The sign above the crowd of parents giving kids and teens hugs and kisses good-bye — most teens shrugging their mothers off of them to save face with their friends — said 'Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock.'
A short distance away, Ash waved his arms at me to get my attention and pointed wildly at the train. After that, he quickly gave his mum a peck on the cheek — as she motioned for him to do so — and proceeded to take his trunk in one hand, with Starflight in the other, before running to hop on the train.
Guess he's not sitting with me. Perhaps off to find Ford Billingsley.
Ben opened his eyes and jumped, leaning against me with wide eyes. "There's… so many people…."
Through the iron archway behind us, my parents appeared through the barrier which held the sign stating 'Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.'
"Well…" I voiced thoughtfully, "yes, we're going to school in a castle. There's going to be a lot of students, but this crowd is only bigger than that because of everyone's parents… erm — which, I hope you don't mind my asking, but why didn't your parents come see you off?"
"Oh.. they said their goodbyes in the car. They're not too sure about all this wizard stuff… and, frankly, neither am I."
As I thought through my response — still, of course, finding it odd that they'd let his… reserved nature go through this experience completely alone — my line of thinking was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of someone calling my name. When I looked up, I saw Rowan running toward me with their trunk in hand, looking absolutely ecstatic and red-faced. They dropped their trunk before throwing their arms around me, screeching, "Can you believe it?! The day is finally here! It's so good to see you again!"
I hugged them back just as fervently, still finding it super surreal that I had found such a good friend already. And, to top it all off, I had just made another one… I think….? "I'm glad you're here," I said, pulling away to gesture accordingly between the two of them. "Rowan, this is Ben. I just met him a few minutes ago. Ben, this is Rowan. I met them at Diagon Alley when we were getting our school supplies."
"Pleasure," Rowan said, holding their hand out which Ben took with a small smile.
"Likewise."
"Rowan, Ben is Muggleborn. I'm thinking, since you know so much about Hogwarts, that you could tell him more about it on the ride," I suggested with a smile,
Rowan's eyes lit up ecstatically, stepping toward Ben so eagerly that I wondered if they noticed him take a step back in dismay. "A Muggleborn?! I've always wanted to know how the Muggle world operates without the use of magic like we have! Oh, the most incredible inventions they must have — I have to know all of it!… But, erm, not to worry," and just like that, they attempted to play it off like they hadn't just gotten out of their body at the news. "I know all there is to Hogwarts — both history and hidden secrets. I'll gladly share all of them with you, just… in return, can you answer all my questions about the Muggle world?"
"Er… —" Ben's hesitancy caused Rowan to blink their large, light brown eyes pleadingly at him. With slight reluctance, he shrugged, "Sure."
As Rowan gushed their excitement, a hand on my shoulder bade me to turn around. Dad gestured for me to come with him, leading me over to my trolley where mum stood in wait.
Once I stood there, staring expectantly back at them, dad went to stand next to mum. They glanced at each other with an agreeing nod, before their gazes were completely on me. They both stepped toward me, as one, and bent down on their knees to properly look me in the eyes. I inwardly gulped at the proximity. This had to be super serious for them to make sure I felt like they were talking to me rather than down on me… the way Jacob had once claimed they always did to him.
"Jessamyn, honey… we have some ground rules for you to follow," mum stated, rolling her lips tightly against each other.
"We know the year might not go as smoothly.. due to certain circumstances," dad included, resting a hand against both our shoulders. "But we do expect for you to make sure you stay safe."
"Anything happens, anything at all," mum insisted, her eyes dangerously tearing up, "I expect you to tell a teacher, and get in contact with us. Understand me?"
A wave of a sense of obligation and nervousness washed over me at this. The excursions with the Cursed Vaults that Jacob pushed through caused mum and dad months — no, years — of stress and worry over his safety. More than anything, I actually wanted to research those very vaults to see if I could find any clues as to where he might have disappeared to, but… the fears of our parents was something I'd hoped to avoid weighing in on me. I realized I couldn't very well abate those fears… unless I put everything I possibly could into making my first few months at Hogwarts as trouble free as possible.
The only question that remained…? Just how difficult will that be?
"We mean it, Jessamyn," dad said strictly at my lack of response. "I'm going to be honest, it took a lot of convincing from me for your mother to agree to send you to Hogwarts. The only consolation she has in all this is that Ash is going with you, and that you seem to have found some great friends already. But any sign of trouble, or word of Cursed Vaults, or any other hullabaloo… and we'll be forced to pull you out and send you to Ilvermorny. Sound fair?"
How ironic is it that they wanted someone there to keep me distracted, and I ended up with the biggest troublemaker of all? If anything, he'd probably insist on joining me… I suppressed a shiver. "Sounds fair," I replied with a nod, to their collective relief. As if I have any other choice right now….
