A/N: Ok… I am apparently one of those fanfic writers that abandons their stories with abandon, sorry! But I am writing again after a whole year's hiatus (thanks for reviewing, I would not have thought to pick this up again without it).
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing; I am a mere dabbler. Trenton Lee Stewart is the mysterious master of the Society, and J. K. Rowling is the creator of Hogwarts.
CHAPTER 3: Lists, Letters, and The Naming of the Crew
Reynie was back at the Stonetown Orphanage. He and Miss Perumal were both happy to be together again, and were surprised by how much they missed one another during Reynie's brief stay with Professor Dumbledore. While he still enjoyed their shared routine of morning tea and newspapers, Reynie wished he could share everything he'd learned about the world of magic with his dear tutor. He felt even more out-of-place with the other children at the orphanage than ever before, and unintentionally memorized the correspondence from his new friends across the city. Sticky's faithfully detailed reports, breezy notes from Kate, and even the quirky poetry written by Constance became Reynie's solace as he waited for September with ever-growing excitement and apprehension.
Sticky, meanwhile, was reading through every book having to do with magic in the house. He welcomed the challenge as a distraction from the nervous butterflies pinging around in his stomach, and from writing a letter to his parents. Sticky wasn't sure what to say to them; he felt like a failure for running away from his life as quizzing champion. He rubbed his bald head, hoping in vain that a spiky stubble would emerge. "Maybe it's fitting," he reconsidered, "to have a new appearance for a new life. Maybe while I'm at Hogwarts my parents will start searching for me again." Whenever he got too far down the road of self-pity and fear, though, Kate would pull him out of it. Sticky was greatly entertained by her many circus tails, and he grew to tolerate even the most obnoxious of Constance's behaviors. Finally, he set the quill he borrowed from Number Two to a fresh scroll of parchment and began to write.
Dear Mother and Father,
I wish that both of you are well. I am staying with Professor Benedict Dumbledore in the city of Stonetown. I know about the letters you have been receiving for me regarding The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I intend to attend school there beginning on September 1st of this year.
Sticky, feeling sick to his stomach, stopped to decide what he should say to them. While polishing his spectacles, he heard Constance grumbling about Kate turning a page too loudly from another room. Smiling to himself almost in admiration of Constance's rudely bold, unfiltered comments, he continued:
I did not wish to disappoint either of you in performing poorly in quiz championships, but I could not handle the pressure of it all. I hope this letter helps you to see why I hid and ran away.
Love from your son, Sticky
P.S. Professor Dumbledore informed me that he would be able to deliver letters from you to me while I am away at school. I would very much like to receive correspondence from my parents.
P.P.S. I will be using Professor Dumbledore's "muggle-born" student plan, so my education at Hogwarts will not be at any financial cost to you both.
P.P.P.S. There is an extra can of lubricant for your chair joints, Mother, in the lower left corner of the cupboard beneath the stairs.
Rather than sending the letter to his parents right away, though, he sent it to Reynie with an explanation of the letter's intent. Within the week, his thoughtful new friend responded and gave Sticky supportive advice on his letter. Sticky was glad that he could rely on Reynie without fear of being made fun of, especially concerning a matter as sensitive as his family. Satisfied with his updated rendition of the letter (fortunately with fewer postscripts), he gave it to Number Two for mailing, and joined Kate and Constance sitting on the floor in one of the house's many impromptu libraries.
Kate was building a model of the Hogwarts castle out of the mountain of books Sticky had read earlier that week. Constance, in turn, was glaring at a thick, hard-covered, worn book titled Hogwarts: A History, by Bathilda Bagshot. Her face was scrunched up, and turning beet red. To Sticky's amazement, the front cover of the book lifted up and flipped over, opening to the first page. It appeared that Constance was already exercising intentional use of her magic. As Sticky had learned from a book titled Quibbles over Squibs: Signs of Magic in Your Developing Child, that was presently within Kate's Hogwarts re-creation, three year old wizards and witches are almost always indistinguishable from non-magical children. He tried to reassure himself that it was still common for eleven-year old wizards like himself to have very little control over this himself, and instead was just amazed by Constance's prodigious abilities. Both Kate and Reynie had admitted that they'd never done any intentional magic in their lives. Constance soon noticed Sticky staring and duly blew a raspberry at him to break his train of thought.
Despite frequent bickering, Sticky, Constance, and Kate quickly grew fond of one another, even if certain members of their group were much less willing to act politely and write less insulting poetry. However content they were to spend time together amassing information about the world they were soon to enter, they always remembered to include Reynie in their new discoveries. While Reynie was not physically present with the other three soon-to-be Hogwarts students, they all regularly updated him on all the going-ons at Professor Benedict's house. They each had backgrounds inducing sensitivity to being left out and forgotten about, and thus were determined not to do so concerning Reynie Muldoon.
Sticky and Constance, at least, were somewhat nervous about not fitting in at Hogwarts, so Sticky and Kate decided along with Constance and Reynie (albeit in absentia) to stay connected to one another, regardless of the house they get sorted into. Kate, of course, suggested that they have a name for their group, and suggested "The Great Kate Weather Witch Machine and her Stormy Witch and Warlock Companions", and was shot down immediately by Sticky's cringe. His accurate suggestion, however, was just as worthy of Constance's stormy countenance: "The Four Very Magical Stonetown Children Team". Sticky and Kate spouted rambling or boring name possibilities for a few days, until Reynie's letter of response asked them to consider a name paying homage to the people that brought them all together, and Constance, piping up with title as if the matter had already been settled, coined the name "The Mysterious Benedict Society". It was fitting to all of them, that their mysterious magical heritage came about as a result of Professor Dumbledore, the man they had got to know as Professor Benedict during their time living at his adopted daughters' house.
And so the remainder of the summer months passed in a similar fashion: Kate, Sticky, and Constance bickering light-heartedly and learning great volumes of information about magic, while always remembering to include their friend Reynie from across the city. But finally, the last week of August rolled around the corner, and Miss Perumal took Reynie back to Professor Dumbledore's old house. Reynie was feeling somewhat teary, for he did not expect to see his beloved tutor until the next summer. He gave her a smile and a hug, which was reciprocated with Miss Perumal expressing how proud she was of Reynie for attending an "advanced school", and how she always knew he was capable of great things, and was devastated that Reynie's blossoming meant he was leaving his poor old tutor. After extracting a promise of an exchange of letters from time to time, and a last hug, Reynie met Rhonda and his three friends and entered back into Professor Dumbledore's little pocket of magic within Stonetown.
With the full Mysterious Benedict Society convened at last, the reality of their situation set in. In less than one week, they would be leaving their comfortable, yet lonely "muggledom", as Kate phrased the non-magical world, and exploring the foreign world of magic. None of the four, except Constance, slept well in the night before their trip to Diagon Alley, but Constance was known to fall asleep while standing if Sticky's book summaries grew too tedious. Reynie woke before the sun, only to find Sticky silently polishing his spectacles in the dark across the room. They left the bedroom together, Sticky pointing out the floorboards to step on to cause minimum squeaking, and found Kate already awake, enjoying breakfast with Number Two. Neither of the anxious boys wanted anything more than toast, so soon all they had to do was wait for their young companion to arise from her slumber. Kate, never one to sit around idly especially when anticipating a great adventure, had already scrubbed the kitchen and reorganized the cluttered cabinets. She began toying with her kaleidoscope, and revealed to Reynie and Sticky that it was in actuality a transfigured artifact from her father. She had always had it in her bucket, but never knew exactly why. After exhausting all her usual methods of fidgeting with the many tools in her bucket, she decided to add something new. She asked Sticky to recite the Hogwarts first year's book and equipment lists, along with anything of note about Diagon Alley. He obliged, having recently memorized all the books mentioning Diagon Alley, and he explained with only slightly excessive detail all the shops they would be visiting later that day. Kate, taking notes in quick, neat writing, put her "Bucket Lists" in the bucket, and bounced on the balls of her feet in anticipation of her first taste of bustling wizarding society.
Rhonda finally succeeded in coaxing the befuddled and cross Constance out of her slumber, and after yet another debate concerning the nutritional value of candy at breakfast time, they were all ready to go. Reynie and Sticky had been standing by the door, waiting to see how they would get to Diagon Alley, when Number Two came in search of them. "We're waiting for you two in the sitting room," she said, and popped a small red grape into her mouth. "It's time to set off for Wizarding London." Sticky and Reynie glanced at each other in confusion, but with a shrug Reynie followed Number Two to the sitting room, where Rhonda was standing with a bowl of glittering green powder. Kate and Constance, impatiently watching the flames, explained with great hurry and excitement how Floo Powder works, and sure enough the flames burst into a brilliant emerald green as soon as Rhonda sprinkled a pinch of the powder into the flames. Number Two went first, stepping into the fire and barking out clearly, "Diagon Alley." She soon whirled away, leaving the four children in amazement. Kate went next, followed by Reynie and then Constance, who needed a leg up to get into the fireplace. Sticky, who had been polishing his spectacles as he watched them disappear one by one, took a deep breath, thrust his handful of Floo powder into the fireplace, and stepped in, his body trembling with nerves. He was thoughtful enough to hold his breath, and avoided inhaling the hot ashes surrounding him. Exhaling "Diagon Alley," in an uncharacteristically loud voice, he went spinning into the Floo network, squeezing his elbows and knees tight to avoid knocking others' chimney exits. He felt as though he was being sucked down a giant drain. He seemed to be spinning very fast - the roaring in his ears was deafening - he tried to keep his eyes open. When he was feeling quite dizzy and nauseated from the journey, he finally came to a stop, and tumbled out to see Number Two and Kate standing above him, with Reynie and Constance still on the ground regaining their bearings from the trip. Rhonda, with stylish pale green hair, stepped smartly out of the exit fireplace and brushed off her elegant robe. Reynie got to his feet gingerly, and looked at their surroundings. They were inside what appeared to be a dark and grubby-looking pub. "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron," said the elderly bartender. "It's been quite a bit, Number Two. I see we have some new recruits?" Number Two responded in a straightforward and only slightly brusque manner, expediting their walk into the pub's courtyard. She daintily pulled her wand out of her yellow robe's pocket, and tapped thrice on a brick three above and two to the right of an inconspicuous trash can. The brick she had touched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing a large archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.
Diagon Ally, thought Sticky with exhilaration. Fear spiked in his chest at the sight beyond the archway, but it was no match for his excitement. He felt brave, for once, with the Mysterious Benedict Society by his side. His glasses planted firmly on the bridge of his nose, Sticky walked through the archway into the wizarding world.
A/N: And that's chapter 3! I borrowed some of JK Rowling's writing for these parts, but I won't often do that. Her style doesn't mesh so well with Trenton Lee Stewart's style or my own. Sorry again for leaving this hanging for so so long. Anyway, next up is their adventure into Diagon Alley!