Chapter 2

Luckily for Elsie, the summer holidays were fast approaching, and being a teacher's pet had its benefits when it came to getting into trouble. Elsie got off lightly for the events of the previous day.

Elsie recieved a lunchtime detention, which in her eyes, was a good thing, because it meant being inside, away from all the brats in her grade, even if it meant writing four pages of lines saying "I must not hit people."

The rest of the week went by without incident, and that weekend Elsie and her mother recieved an unexpected visitor.

It was a saturday morning, and Elsie woke to the sound of knocking at their door. She ran to her window to spy on the visitor.

There was a man at their front door, dressed in an overly large royal blue trench coat, a yellow top hat, and a bottle-green suit with yellow converse shoes. It was her eccentric Uncle Ernie, who came visiting about once a year.

Linda opened the door, and greeted the visitor with surprise. "Ernest! I wasn't expecting you! How are you? Come in!" She ushered him inside and urged him to make himself at home.

"I've just got to finish making breakfast for Elsie," she called over her shoulder as she walked back to the kitchen. "It's pancakes, would you like some?"

"Absolutely, Linda, I'd love some," Elsie heard her uncle say.

Elsie quickly got dressed and rushed out to greet her uncle.

"Elsie! Just the girl I wanted to see! You've grown so big, and it's no wonder, with your mother's cooking. I have a present for you."

"Hi Uncle Ernie," Elsie said shyly. She stood in front of him, expectantly.

As she watched, her uncle reached into the inner pocket of his trench coat, and carefully pulled out what looked like a very large ball of grey lint, and held it out to Elsie in both hands.

But wait, this ball of lint uncurled itself and Elsie realised that it had limbs, and a tiny head with pointy ears and whiskers, which was now looking up at Elsie with impossibly bright blue eyes. It was a KITTEN!

Elsie carefully took the kitten and held it in her own hands. "Is it really mine?"

"Yes, if your mother lets you keep it. Otherwise I'll have to find it another owner."

Elsie turned toward her mother, who was now walking out of the kitchen with a tray stacked high with pancakes and maple syrup. Elsie looked pleadingly at her mother. "Can I keep him, please?"

"Is he house-trained, Ernie? Vaccinated? Registered?"

"It's all taken care of, Linda. You don't have to worry about a thing."

Linda sighed, then nodded and said "Fine, you can keep the kitten. But put him down while you're eating breakfast, and go and wash your hands." Elsie obediently set the kitten on the couch next to her, and went to wash her hands.

While they sat in the living room eating breakfast, Ernie told the family where he had been the past few months. He'd been to France, and described the Eiffel Tower, and the food, and the Louvres, and a whole manner of different places. He described them excitedly, waving his hands wildly about and twice nearly knocking over his cup of tea.

"I have something for you too, Linda. Here," he said as he pulled a black velvet jewellery box out of another pocket, and handed it to her.

Elsie's mother gasped as she opened the box. "It's beautiful! You shouldn't have..but thank you," she said as she showed Elsie what was inside. It was a pair of two gold rings, each set with an intricate pattern of sapphires and diamonds.

"Anything for my favourite sister in law," Ernie said with a smile. "I found it in my brother's things a few years ago, and I'm sure he was intending to give it to you before he..." Ernie trailed off, unsure whether to finish that sentence, because Elsie was in the room.

"It's okay, Uncle Ernie, I know he died of cancer when I was a baby," Elsie said reassuringly.

"Yes, when he died of cancer, that's right," Ernie repeated, and met Linda's eyes across the table.

"Elsie, honey, why don't you go and have a shower, while Ernie helps me clean up breakfast?" suggested Linda. Elsie knew this was code for "the grown ups need to have a private conversation now, run along."

So Elsie did as she was told. As she was drying her hair, she heard their raised voices carry across the house.

"HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST I DON'T KNOW HOW TO RAISE MY OWN CHILD!"

"I wasn't suggesting that Linda! I just think it's time she knew the truth!"

"What truth? The truth that made me lose Max in the first place? No! I turned my back on that world ten years ago, and I intend to keep it that way, Elsie included!"

Elsie wondered what on earth they were shouting about. It was obviously something very important, and Elsie crept out of the bathroom and closer to the living room so she could eavesdrop.

"You can't do that forever, Linda. It's obvious the girl's got talent, and she needs to be trained! Or have you forgotten how dangerous an untrained witch can be?"

Witch? Elsie thought to herself. No, he must have said something else, possibly a rude word.

"She's not a witch. She would have shown it by now." That word again. Elsie wiggled her fingers in her ears to make sure she was hearing things properly.

"What's this letter then?" Elsie couldn't see, but heard paper rustling. She guessed it must have been the letter she was supposed to give to her mother last week, and though she didn't know what it had to do with witches, she felt she had some explaining to do.

Sheepishly Elsie walked into the room, her head down. "Mum?"

"Elsie! Were you eavesdropping?" Both Linda and Ernest turned towards her.

"Sorry Mum. You were both very loud though, our neighbours probably heard. I...I'm sorry about not giving you that letter from school. I should have known they'd send another one. I don't know what happened, I just snapped."

"What letter from school?" asked Linda, with a completely confused expression on her face.

Elsie looked at the letter in Uncle Ernie's hands. It was the odd one from "Hogwarts" that her mother had said was probably a prank. "What's going on, Mum? What were you arguing about?"

"Nothing, Elsie. It's nothing."

"It's not nothing, Elsie," cut in Ernie. "You're a witch, and so is your mother. And your father-"

"Was sick." Linda cut him off.

"No mum, I'm not two anymore, you can't just tell me it's nothing and expect me to ignore it. And you're scaring my kitten. Look, he's trembling!" They both looked as Elsie ran to pick up the grey kitten, who was indeed, trembling.

Linda looked at Ernie with despair. The secret she had fought so hard to keep for so many years, was all unravelling. She didn't think she was evil, hiding it from her daughter, it was just- safer that Elsie didn't know. But now, she supposed, Elsie had to know, or their relationship would never be the same.

"Fine," she sighed, and motioned for both Elsie and Ernie to sit down.

"Your uncle's telling the truth, Elsie. I'm a witch. You're probably a witch, assuming that letter is indeed from Hogwarts. And your father...forgive me, Elsie. I can't talk about it, it's too painful."

Ernie put his hand on Linda's shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm a witch," Elsie said, disbelief obvious in her tone of voice.

"Yes, you are!" said Ernie excitedly. "And I'm a wizard!"

"I don't believe you," said Elsie. "Prove it."

POP! Uncle Ernie dissappeared.

POP! He reappeared.

"That, my dear, is called Apparating."

Elsie's mouth dropped wide open. She looked at her mother and asked "Can you do that?"

"Yes, but I'm out of practice. I haven't done magic in years."

"Why didn't you tell me, Mum? This is so cool!"

"I thought it would be safer. But it's obvious I couldn't hide this from you forever. Just remember, Elsie, magic is dangerous! It's not all fun and games. You need to be careful."

But Linda's warning went unheeded, as Elsie imagined all the cool things magic could do. She could turn David Lemon into a rabbit, see how that made him feel. She could dissappear whenever people were chasing her at school. Oh how marvellous life was going to be!

"So can I take Elsie shopping for her Hogwarts supplies?" asked Ernie gently.

"You mean that witchcraft school is real? It wasn't a joke? I get to change schools?"

"Yes, Elsie. I guess you'll have to now. It's a week until the school term ends, so there's not really any point going back to your old school is there?" conceded Linda.

Elsie had a huge grin on her face. She couldn't believe her luck. Magic was real, she was changing schools, and she had a very cute kitten to name. Elsie picked up the kitten and bounded into her room. She was going to scour her book collection for an appropriate and fitting magical name.

"I hope you know what barrel of trouble you've unleashed, Ernie." Whispered Linda, anxiously.

"It'll be fine, Linda. Trust me," said Ernie with a smile.