He Who Must Not Be Named

"It started twenty two years ago. And it lasted for eleven years." She started. "This wizard, whose name I dare not speak, started gathering other men, women and beasts, to try and control the world of magic. Some tried to stand up against him… And he killed them. He tortured and killed them. When I was younger, I used to be part of something we called the Order of the Phoenix and we fought his army. We were the last resistance against the Dark Lord." She went on, tears filling her eyes.

"People would go missing every day. There were really dark times. No one dared to get friendly with unknown people… We hardly trusted anyone we already knew. And no matter how we resisted, there was no light by the end of the tunnel. One day, a great friend of mine was caught and tortured. She died without saying a single word, but I wasn't so sure I wouldn't say anything either. So I fled that night. I never went far, never left the United Kingdom, but I made sure to disappear. I hid my wand, I didn't use magic, I got married to your father, I had you."

"How did it end, mommy?"

"Yes, I recall how it ended." She sounded very distant, as if the pain was still to terrible to look closely at the memory. "It was the middle of night when someone wearing a black cloak knocked our door. You were just a year old… I knew it was him. I just knew it, so I got your father up and told him to..." Elise could see her mother was making a real effort not to cry. "I told him to take you and run away. Disappear. I took my wand with me. I knew I would have to protect you… hold him off to give you a chance. But it wasn't him… It was a friend. He told me 'It's over. The Potter are dead. And so is the Dark Lord.' The Potter were part of the Order. They were friends. They resisted to death." Somehow, Elise felt her mother wasn't telling the whole truth, but decided no to push.

"Did the Potter kill this Dark Lord?" Thomas asked, trying not to be too invasive.

"Oh no. It was their baby."

"How can a baby kill a wizard?"

"When He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named arrived, James tried to stop him so Lily could get the baby and leave. But there wasn't enough time… So when the Dark Lord got in the baby's bedroom, Lily blocked his spell. Somehow when he had her out of the way and pointed his wand to try to kill Harry again, the spell didn't work. More than that, the whole house exploded and the Dark Lord disappeared that night in Godric's Hollow. His empire was gone. And Harry Potter is the only wizard to ever survive to the killing curse."

"So… You are a witch. And so I am a witch. And what about Thomas? And… If this evil wizard is dead, why didn't you go back?"

"I was ashamed. I had forsaken my friends… I left everything behind. There was nothing left to me… Until I realized you were a witch too. And Thomas is a muggleborn. Then I knew someday I would have to face the past… But I didn't expect it to be so soon."

"A what-born?" Thomas asked, nearly offended.

"A muggleborn. It's how we call it when a wizard is born in a non magical family."

"That's amazing..." Said Thomas. "And where is this Hogwarts place?"

"Hogwarts is a school where you will learn to control and use magic on different fields. There's every sort of thing… from potions to flying on a broomstick."

"Broomsticks?!" Elise squealed. "I'd love to fly!"

"Oh, flying is amazing. There is a game, called quidditch… James used to play it. He was very good, one of the best. He was from Gryffindor."

"Gryffindor?"

"Hogwarts divides the students in four houses. There is Gryffindor, house of the brave. Slytherin is the house of the ambitious… they can be very prejudicious towards muggleborns. Ravenclaw is home to the most intelligent minds. And there is Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff doesn't get much recognition, but that doesn't mean they aren't amazing. It's a house for the kind, the friendly, those who protect." The woman didn't say it, but it got pretty clear that she herself was a Hufflepuff.

"So we are leaving our school and going to Hogwarts?"

"Yes. That's it. We have to send an owl… we have to go to London."

"London? Where are we going to find all this stuff?"

"There is a place in London called the Diagon Alley. And if I'm not mistaken, I still have some wizarding currency in Gringotts. The wizarding bank." She explained. "I suppose… I will have to convert my muggle money into Galleons. And so is your mother, Thomas. Don't worry, though, things are cheap on the wizarding world."

The two kids were so confused they didn't even bother to ask what a Galleon was.

"I will talk to your mother and make her understand what's going on. I'll… I will tell her it is true."

She told the two kids to follow her into her room and showed them a twelve inch long notched stick. It was her wand.

"Each wand is unique. And it chooses it's owner."

The kids looked at each other with a doubtful gaze. How could a wand, an unanimated object, choose anything? But well… how could there be a parallel magical society in their world and no one know it?

It was all so weird… And still, there they were, planning on a traveling to a school for wizards because they were… wizards.

"Now, let's have dinner and then off to bed. It will be a long day tomorrow and I want you two to rest."

They did as she told. Eating in silence, the only noise as they dined was the spoons reaching the bottom of their bowls. They could barely taste the soup, since their brains were working so hard. In fact, one could nearly hear how loud they were thinking. Thomas left just after washing the dishes, without even giving Elise their usual hug. Elise didn't seem to mind and went straight to bed. She didn't get any sleep, of course, since she was too anxious for the next day.

So the next morning, when she realized the daylight was already coming through her window, Elise got up, took a shower and got dressed in less than ten minutes and when she got to the kitchen her mother was already there, preparing eggs and bacon.

"Would you put some bread in the toaster for me, dear?" She asked.

"Yes, mom." Elise did as she was told.

"I invited Rachel and Thomas to have breakfast with us, so I can explain everything to her. I want to make it clear that she will probably not take it too well… Muggles are usually very shocked at first. She might even call us crazy or something like that. But she will get used to it, Rachel is a very optimistic woman."

"Mom, could you show me some magic?"

"What?"

"I would like to see it. Very very much."

Lina thought for a few seconds. She supposed it was alright, since Elise was a witch too and nobody could possibly see it.

"Alright, alright. I will show you a very simple spell, okay? So no one will get suspicious. Can you bring me a match?"

"Yes, mom." And she got a match from the drawer.

Lina pointed her wand to the match and said a few words. Then the match turned into a needle! A needle!

Lina widened her eyes.

Right then, Rachel knocked on the glass door and Lina hurried to open it.

As they had their breakfast, Thomas and Elise were unusually quiet, staring at each other as they used to do before being able to talk. That was all very, very unusual and Rachel couldn't help but ask what was going on.

"Rachel, the kids received letters last night. They have a new school to go."

"What? No, Thomas already has his vacancy at the new school… I already have his uniform!"

"It's no usual school, Rachel. It's a school fit for children like them."

"Like them? What the hell does it mean, Lina?"

"Well… How can a put that? Elise, could you go to your room and bring the letter for us?"

Again, Elise did as she was told. In no time she was back with the parchment in hands. She handed it to Rachel.

"There you go, Mrs. Allen."

"Thank you, dear." Rachel opened the parchment and read for a moment. Then she started shouting like crazy. They could barely understand what she was saying, but managed to get some words out of it. Among them, there were the words prank, stupid and idiots. Lina patiently waited for Rachel to calm down and let her speak.

"You see, Rachel, I am, myself, a witch. What makes Elise a half-blood. As for Thomas, he is what we call a muggleborn, which means you have no magical blood, but he does. It's not that uncommon."

"Lina, you have been a friend for all these years… What is it? You can tell me. Is it about Roger?" Lina smiled and shook her head.

"No, Rachel, it is true. Look." She got her wand and waved it. After reciting a few words, one of the cups on the table started to fly.

Rachel fainted.

She didn't wake up for a few seconds, but when she did, all the shouting started again. A few cups of tea were required until she got her temper back.

"So, what you are saying is that… They are going to a boarding school of witchcraft?"

Lina nodded. Elise held hands with Thomas.

"Are you positive that Thomas is a wizard?" Asked Rachel again.

"I am. He wouldn't receive a letter if he wasn't."

"Well… alright then. May I ask where you intend to find all those things in the letter?"

"There is a hidden place in London. I was thinking of taking them there today. Oh my! We have to answer to the letters!" She recalled. "Yes, we must go today. I'll bring Thomas back by the evening."

Rachel nodded, trying to find her voice to answer properly.

"I will… I will sleep some more." She said as Lina and the children left to the street.