The train pulled into Newmarket station as the setting sun stained the sky dark pink. I lugged my trunk off the train and walked straight towards the parked cabs waiting by the road. When I found one that would be able to drive me to the house, the driver helped my put the trunk in the cab and we rode down the hill and out of the downtown area.
Mum and I technically lived right outside of Newmarket. There was a massive field of crops at the end of the road we lived on, and later on in the summer it would reek of manure. I paid the cap driver and approached the dark house as he pulled away. I bit back a sigh, seeing no lights on outside or inside, and I unlocked and opened the door.
The house smelled stale, and I knew Mum hadn't cleaned in a while. I closed the door behind me and continued through the house, dragging my trunk behind me. I could barely see the empty wine bottles randomly dispersed around the house and I ignored them for now: I'd clean them up later. I went down the hall and into my small bedroom, seeing that the room hadn't been touched since I had left last September.
It took a moment of me searching the house, but Mum wasn't here. I wondered if she had taken a late shift at Sainsbury's, knowing that if she had the store would be closing in an hour or so. If Mum wasn't at work, then she could end up coming home tomorrow morning or afternoon. I got dressed into a pair of soft shorts and a tee shirt, and got to work cleaning the kitchen first.
The trash bin was overflowing and there was a pile of dishes in the sink that looked too daunting at the moment, so I left them be. After a moment of looking around the pantry and fridge, I microwaved a cup of noodles and got a glass of water from the sink. I ate my dinner at the kitchen table in the silence of the house, and I already missed Hogwarts like an ache in my chest.
I finished cleaning the kitchen after eating and before I went to bed, I turned on the outside light so that if Mum did come home, she'd have at least one light on. I showered in my shower and tucked myself into bed, planning to completely unpack tomorrow after cleaning this room and the living room.
When I woke up the next morning, I did a quick search around and found that Mum was still gone. She must've gone out with friends from work, or had a boyfriend, or just slept on someone's couch. I ate a quick breakfast and began cleaning the living room, throwing out the empty wine bottles and empty takeout boxes. I dusted the surface of everything in the house and swept the floors, feeling better about being back home the more I cleaned and took control of the situation. I was busy unpacking my trunk when I heard the front door open and close.
There was a long pause before I heard Mum say, "Heather?"
I shook myself and got up, going to see Mum for the first time since last year. Mum was standing and looking around the living room, rubbing her temples. She looked up when she heard me enter and she blinked at me. "When did you get home?"
"Last night." I said.
Mum looked at the watch on her wrist and frowned. It was nearly five in the evening. "Hm. Welcome home then. I have to work early in the morning, so you'll be on your own tomorrow."
I nodded at that as she passed me to go into the kitchen. I crept after her, wanting to ask her about dinner tonight, just so I could know if I had to make another cup of noodles for myself. I had already eaten the second to last cup this morning for breakfast. Mum took a bottle from the fridge and narrowed her eyes at me when she saw me staring at her.
"What is it?" She asked sharply.
I blinked and shuffled my feet. "I was just wondering if you planned on making dinner tonight?"
"You think I wouldn't feed my only child? Is that it?"
I shuffled my feet again. "No, it's not that."
"I'm ordering pizza from those Italian blokes down the road." Mum snapped. "You don't get to come home and start acting like an entitled brat."
I retreated out of the kitchen the moment she turned her back on me. I knew that when Mum got into these moods, any amount of prying would cause her to lash out. The best time to talk to Mum was when she was three glasses of wine in and half asleep and a relatively happy drunk. Less than three and she was barely drunk and more than four was when she was either passed out or angry enough to start swinging.
Mum didn't try asking about class at Hogwarts and I couldn't help but wonder if she knew about how I had been petrified by a basilisk. If she did know, did she even care? I stayed in my room and finished unpacking my school trunk, adding my second year textbooks to the shelf in my closet where my first year textbooks were hidden. I briefly wondered if I could sell these books to someone and get some wizard money, but I figured I'd have to travel to Diagon Alley in London to do that. And right now Mum wasn't in the right mindset to give me money to travel down there.
The pizza had arrived by the time I finished cleaning my room. Mum and I ate our dinner in awkward silence as we watched some reality show my Mum was interested in. It seemed very American, but the only basis I had for this was their accents weren't from the U.K. Whatever it was, it kept Mum entertained as she sipped wine and ate pizza.
I regarded Mum from the corner of my eye, really seeing her for the first time since last September. Deborah Schmidt was still considered very pretty, with wide brown eyes and curly dark hair that she had cut short right above her shoulders. She was still young, having just turned thirty. I had heard her story countless times growing up; she had had me when she was only sixteen, and my dad had stuck around for two years before leaving the pair of us. I got the bitter feeling that Mum blamed me for her life not turning out the way she wanted it.
Mum fell asleep on the couch after three glasses of wine and I silently picked up the pizza box and put the leftovers in the fridge. I went into my room to sleep, giving Mum one more glance before disappearing. She'd be gone to work before I woke up.
The first two weeks back home went by painfully slow. Mum worked most days so I was alone for most of the time. I started working on my homework so that I didn't have to do it at the last minute. I was almost done with my Potions essay when an owl tapped its beak on my front window.
I opened the window and the owl flew into my living room. I smiled at the owl as it stuck out its foot, offering me the envelope tied to it. I untied the letter and fixed a bowl of water for the owl. I tore open the envelope and sat down to read the letter.
Dear Schmidt, How's your summer going so far? Mine is going okay, I miss hanging out with you and talking about Herbology. Every time I try to talk to Gran about it, she just acts so disinterested. I've planted the bowtruckle seeds already, and there's already some sprigs growing out of the ground! It won't have any bowtruckles until next summer, but they should grow a lot before school starts again. I can't wait to see them grow already! Write back soon. From, Neville Longbottom
I smiled at the letter and wished I was with Longbottom to help him plant the bowtruckle plant. It sounded more fun than sitting here working on a Potions paper that wouldn't be due for another few months. The owl was still drinking at the water bowl and I hoped it stuck around long enough for me to write a reply.
Dear Longbottom, It's good to hear from you so soon. My summer has been boring so far; I wish I could help with the bowtruckle plant. It sounds more fun than sitting around home all day. I don't think we'll be learning about bowtruckles for a long time in Herbology. I've signed up for our electives for next year. I'm going to be taking Care for Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes. I mainly took Ancient Runes to give me a class away from the others in my house, as none of them had signed up for it. And I really like magical creatures, so Care seemed like a good fit. Can't wait to hear from you again. From, Heather Schmidt
I wondered when Longbottom and I would be friendly enough to be on a first name basis, and decided that I'd use his first name in the next letter I wrote to him. I sealed the envelope and tied it to the barn owl's leg, opening a window for it to fly out of. The owl hooted thankfully and took off, leaving me behind to watch it. I kept my eyes on the flying owl until it was a speck of black in the blue sky, and I sighed heavily wishing that I could just as easily fly away from here.
Mum and I spent majority of the summer moving around each other as if we weren't sure how to communicate with each other. It had been this way for a couple of years, ever since Professor McGonagall had visited our little house and explained that the weird things I had been able to do. It was like Mum had no idea how to process her only child being a witch, and she chose to deal with it by ignoring me and hoping it went away.
Which it did every September through June.
I got my back to school list of textbooks in August, and Mum responded by giving me enough money to get to Diagon Alley in London and some money to buy my textbooks. I'd have to take the early morning train to Kings Cross and then take a train back to Newmarket in the evening. She had the day off of work that day, and I tried not to think about whether or not she planned it that way.
The train ride to London was boring, and I looked forward to the journey back that would give me some new textbooks to read. I had brought a few of my old textbooks with me, to see if I could sell them back to Flourish and Blotts. It'd be nice to have some extra money on me when I went back to Hogwarts.
In my letter welcoming me to my third year, Professor McGonagall had included a permission form to go to a wizarding village called Hogsmeade. Neville and I wrote to each other excitedly, looking forward to go to this village on weekends. The only problem I'd have to get past was getting Mum to sign the permission slip. I had learned long ago not to ask questions, and not to ask for any favors. Maybe tonight after getting home from Diagon Alley, I could convince Mum to sign the form after she had a day without me hanging around the house like a ghost.
Diagon Alley was a twenty minute ride through the underground from Kings Cross, and when I entered through the Leaky Cauldron, I couldn't fight the smile that had been creeping onto my face.
The man at the bar bowed his head at me as I passed him and I smiled rather cheerfully at him. When I exited the pub and entered the actual street of Diagon Alley, it was like the weight of the Muggle world evaporated. This world was where I belonged, not the too quiet and stuffy Muggle world waiting for me in that house in Newmarket. If it was possible to just not go back to Mum and that house, I wasn't sure if I would go back.
I walked past a cluster of witches standing outside of the apothecary, talking loudly about prices and arguing about who would get the last few bottles of frog's toes. Flourish and Blotts looked slightly crowded inside, and I figured that there were probably other students already here getting their books. I adjusted my grip on my heavy backpack and entered the bookshop, looking for the first employee to ask about exchanging my old textbooks.
The employee actually took my old textbooks and began exchanging them for my new textbooks. I made a mental note to come back with the rest of my younger year textbooks next time I came here. I put the new books into my bag and the employee strapped a leather cord around my Care for Magical Creatures textbook, a nasty and snapping monster called the Monster Book of Monsters. When all of my textbooks were appropriately wrangled and in a bag, I stepped back outside into the sunshine and immediately saw a very familiar face.
"Potter?" I said.
Harry Potter blinked and for a long moment, we stared at each other in awkward remembrance. Last school year, we had been on vaguely friendly terms, as friendly as me keeping his Polyjuice Potion scheme a secret and him not being a jerk about me being Muggleborn could get. He had grown in the few months I hadn't seen him, his hair sticking up on the back of his head.
Potter smiled thinly at me, looking just as awkward as I felt. "Oh. Hi, Schmidt. How is your summer?"
I blinked. "Okay, I guess. Yours?"
He turned a faint shade of pink and cleared his throat slightly. "It's been interesting to say the least. I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts."
"Me too," I replied. For a moment neither of us said anything. "Looking forward to the new classes this year."
Potter smiled thinly again. "We're getting a new professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Well, we'd have to. Lockhart had what? They called it an episode at the end year of the year."
"An episode is the nicest way of putting it." Potter replied. When we didn't speak immediately after that, it wasn't as awkward as before. Potter hesitated before continuing. "Hey, I got a letter from Hermione earlier in the summer, and she's going to be insisting we all become friends."
"Granger doesn't need to do that." I said immediately. "I'm fine the way I am right now." The lie was so easy coming out that I nearly believed it. But Potter seemed to be harder to convince, because he frowned at me but shrugged anyway.
"Okay." Potter said. "I'm just letting you know that she's going to be trying to befriend you. I think last year made Hermione rethink her stance on Slytherins."
"If she's looking for more Muggleborn Slytherins, I'll let her know when I find anymore." I said dryly. "So far I'm the only one."
Potter shrugged again. "I'm sure there are more. Doesn't seem likely that you're the only one to be sorted into Slytherin."
"Thanks, Potter." I said earnestly. I checked my watch very quickly before glancing back at Gringotts. "I have to go exchange some money before heading out. I've got to get back to Newmarket"
"Alright. I guess I'll see you around Hogwarts then."
Potter and I waved goodbye to each other before we turned away and went along our own ways.
It was nearly dark by the time I got back to the house. The living room light was shining out of the window as my taxi dropped me off, and it didn't strike me as odd until I opened the front door and heard more than one voice coming from the living room. I swallowed and tried rushing past the living room, to get farther into the hallway and into the safety of my bedroom before Mum or any of her friends saw me.
"Girl!" A man's voice called out from the living room and I froze in place.
"This your daughter, Debbie?" A woman's voice asked, and I could tell by her voice more than her look that she was already heavily drunk. Her blond hair was slightly disheveled, and she was sitting in the lap of the man who must've called me girl when I walked in. The woman continued. "She's pretty. Looks like you, Debbie."
Mum appeared, standing in the doorway of the kitchen and watching me with narrowed eyes. "There's pizza in the kitchen for you. Get some and get in your room."
"Oh c'mon, Debbie." The man drawled out.
I ducked my head and rushed into the kitchen, sneaking past Mum and hurrying to grab a plate.
"She doesn't like company that much," Mum was loudly explaining to her friends. "She likes to hide away whenever anyone new comes along."
From my backpack, I heard the Monster Book of Monsters growl against its leather binding and I hurried into my room, wanting to stay miles away from Mum and her friends. When I got my plate of pizza, I hurried into my room, a swell of laughter rising from the living room behind me as I closed and locked the bedroom door behind me.