Peach Flavored Dreams
Chapter Four: So Long, Farewell
Dumbledore's visit was concluded quickly. They had decided (that is to say, Dumbledore and Karen had decided) that it would be in Sarah's best interests if the move to magical Britain took place as soon as possible. This way, Dumbledore explained, she could be under Hogwarts' protection sooner rather than later, and they could thus prevent the Goblin King from changing his mind and revoking her one years' grace. Sarah could not agree more.
The next morning saw Sarah waking after an only semi-fitful slumber to attempt to finish as much of her packing as possible. She would be departing for Britain later that very day, and anything that she didn't pack now would be sent along 'later.' Uncertain as to what 'later' might mean, Sarah had decided to stuff everything she possibly could into the two large duffle bags that her father had provided for this very purpose.
Sarah was somewhat surprised at how few of her things she deemed essential for this trip. She'd packed a good two weeks' worth of clothing, a few photos, and some books. Most of the books were collections of old fairy tales—it never hurt to be prepared.
Since packing had taken a much shorter period of time than she'd expected, Sarah was at a bit of a loss of what to do with herself after she had finished. It was too early to go into town, and after her unexpected displays of power the day before, she was hesitant to expose herself to another unintentional loss of control just yet. Perhaps Karen would be willing to accompany her to the park… she would enjoy just one more afternoon in her childhood playground.
Humming to herself, quietly so as not to wake the sleeping occupants of the next room, Sarah crept her bedroom and down the stairs to the kitchen, where she proceeded to cook breakfast. As she rummaged about for ingredients, she marveled over what her new school would have in store for her. Thoughts swarmed her head, questions buzzing urgently, each one more curious than the one before. What would it be like? Certainly not a boring school, like the high school she had had the privilege of attending for the past three years. Something wonderful, something new and different…
"You're up awfully early, Sarah."
Beaming absentmindedly, Sarah swooped down to press a quick kiss to her brother's cheek.
"Morning Karen! Tobes," Sarah sang.
"Good morning, Sarah," Karen replied.
"Sit, sit. I'm making breakfast this morning."
Karen setting Toby into his highchair and took a seat at the centre island facing Sarah. From her place at the table, Karen watched her dark-haired stepdaughter fiddle with the stove preparing breakfast, chatting amiably as she cooked.
"So what sort of things can wizards do, anyway? You said they fly, and if there are schools and a government, there must be a bunch of magical careers and stuff, right? And what do they teach at a school for magic? Spells, enchantments—oh, and magic potions, of course! Can wizards predict the future?"
"Your enthusiasm is truly admirable, Sarah," laughed Karen. "I half-expected censure for not telling you, once the initial shock wore off. You really have matured." Sarah stuck out her tongue in response, eliciting another laugh from Karen. Toby banged his spoon against the table, and Sarah obediently filled his bowl with piping hot oatmeal. She shook a small amount of cinnamon into it, and he sneezed. "Well, wizards can do a lot, and have jobs fairly similar to those in the muggle world. We have shops, and people to run them. The same goes for businesses, newspapers, magazines, and the Ministry. Some people specialize in developing new spells and potions and such, and others try to advance our knowledge of, well, everything. There are Wizarding athletes, ambassadors, singers, novelists, doctors, interior decorators—pretty much anything you can think of." Karen watched in amusement as Sarah began to consider the possibilities.
"As for classes, I expect you'll be taking the average. Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and possibly Divination or Arithmancy. Maybe Ancient Runes."
"What's—"
"Please, dear, let me finish." Sarah quieted with good humor. She didn't miss the irony. "Potions, Charms, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures are what they sound like. Arithmancy is basically magic plus numbers plus intent, and Divination is predicting the future. Transfiguration deals with turning one thing into another. I think it's very likely that your schedule will be tailored to fit your needs, as some of these things will be more useful than others to a budding Fae." This last she said very carefully and very gently. Her suspicions were confirmed when Sarah paused in the middle of cracking an egg. Silence reigned. Even Toby stopped in his enthusiastic hurling of his oatmeal onto the walls to regard his sister solemnly.
"So why didn't you tell me you're a witch?"
Karen sighed. If avoidance was Sarah's method of choice, there was little she could do about it. They weren't that close yet. "I suppose it would be too much to ask that you'd forget about that." Sarah quirked an eyebrow in response, but a little of the tension bled out of her, and she returned to the stove. "Right. Well, I told Robert the night he proposed. It seemed only fair that he knew what he was getting himself into. We agreed that it would be best if you were gradually made aware of the fact—early on, if you'll recall, most of our gifts—my gifts—to you were books about magic. You would have found them fantasy, but they are based on fact."
There was a pregnant pause as Sarah took this in. "You don't seriously expect me to believe that a blond-haired, blue-eyed wizard who looks like Kenneth Branagh and whose favorite color is lilac actually managed to defeat a pack of rabid werewolves, do you?"
Breakfast was concluded with no further mention of the reasons for Sarah's imminent departure. Instead, for the rest of the morning, she and Karen took turns entertaining Toby, and Sarah eagerly absorbed as much information as she could about the strange new world that would soon be her haven. Karen, though normally the last woman Sarah would ask about the inner workings of pop culture America, turned out to be a veritable well of fascinating information about the world of mortal magic, or as Karen termed it, the Wizarding World. Try as she might, however, Sarah was unable to cajole her stepmother into breaking out her wand to show her a few tricks; the blonde woman truly seemed to have put her old life behind her.
They wiled away the rest of the day together, talking about anything and everything Sarah could expect upon her arrival. She was surprised to learn that there was only one Wizarding bank in the whole world: Gringotts. To add to this discovery, Sarah listened with a sense of growing unease to Karen's lengthy descriptions of the goblins that ran it. Dismissing the thought from her mind—after all, there was hardly anything she could do about it at this point—Sarah spent the remainder of the day enjoying her home, and her family.
Later that evening, the Williams family sat assembled in the living room, once more awaiting the arrival of a magical guest. Toby sat with Karen, oddly still even for him. Sarah sat separately, her bags at her feet, growing steadily more and more anxious. Now that she thought about it, two weeks' worth of clothes was hardly enough, and perhaps she would be better off with a few more things. It wasn't yet five; she had time to run upstairs and fetch that purple sweater, and who knows, it might be cold there, and she wasn't sure when it would be that she'd actually get the rest of her things, so maybe it would be best if—Sarah jumped half a foot in the air when a hand descended onto her cold shoulder.
"Honey, relax. I'm right here." Sarah looked up into her father's grey eyes and let out a soothing breath. Her body sagged back into the chair.
"I know. I'm just—I don't know. Nervous, I guess."
"I know what you mean." His face smiled, but his eyes, while warm, had lost some of their optimism. After yesterday's events he'd asked Karen to explain the situation in a bit more detail, and was less than pleased with what he had learned. A fairy? His Sarah? And this Goblin King character was certainly not one he would want near either of his children. As much as he disliked the idea of sending has only daughter so far away, it seemed to be the only option if he wanted to keep her safe. He took his daughter's hand, and held it tight. Sarah, his beautiful, darling Sarah, smiled up at him, squeezed his fingers, and returned her gaze to the ever-ticking clock.
They waited.
At two minutes to five there was a slight pop and all of the sudden the foyer was occupied by very striking woman of indeterminate age. She stood tall and straight, cloaked in long burgundy robes of a style similar to Dumbledore's, though thankfully of much better taste. Her dark hair, streaked with silver, was pulled tightly back into a bun at the nape of her neck, and her sharp eyes were framed with square-rimmed glasses. To top off the ensemble, she wore a tall, pointed hat—the type worn by witches in the movies. She stood for a moment on the carpet where she had appeared, and scanned the room. There was a pause as the Williams family blinked at her owlishly, before Karen remembered herself and leapt to her feet.
"Hello! Welcome. I'm Mrs. Williams. This is my husband, Richard. Pleased to meet you, Professor…?
"Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress. A pleasure."
"Please, would you take a seat?" offered Karen. McGonagall acquiesced. Mercifully, her rather formidable presence prevented Karen's inner hostess from suggesting some lemonade as well. There was an awkward silence as the articulate members Williams family scrambled for something neutral to say that wouldn't lead to the reason for her sudden appearance. Toby crawled into Karen's lap and tugged at her sleeve.
"What is it you teach, Professor McGonagall?" Sarah asked politely, speaking for the first time since the (obviously Scottish) witch's arrival.
"Transfiguration. You must be Miss Williams." McGonagall's voice was brisk, but not unkind. She extended a thin hand, and Sarah shook it. Her grip was surprisingly firm. Karen, taking Sarah's cue, chimed in.
"When Dumbledore said your arrival would be unconventional, I didn't think he meant it would be apparition! It's not so unusual here in the states, not by any means."
"That would be because I am not the one the Headmaster intended to send." Sarah observed curiously the touch of affectionate exasperation that bled into the austere professor's voice. "When I learned whom he had meant to send, I came here to ensure things go as planned. Your husband is a muggle, and I would not wish him to cause undue alarm. He has not arrived, then?"
"No, not yet." Karen said, puzzled.
"If you aren't the person Professor Dumbledore sent to get me, then who is?"
"I expect you'll meet him in a moment," McGonagall said, a queer half-smile tugging at one corner of her mouth. Abruptly the Williams family became aware of a low rumbling sound filling the silence of the evening. It grew slowly, gradually building in depth and intensity, louder and louder and louder as the very air began to vibrate. Something was coming, something large. At exactly four minutes past five o' clock, it arrived, the thunderous roar escalating until it was deafening and right outside the front of the house, and then tapering off with the puttering sound of a well-kept engine.
Sarah, Karen, and Richard exchanged glances, and then simultaneously leapt to their feet to rush to the window and peer out into the front yard in the light of the coming dusk.
"What on earth is that?" Richard asked, his mouth gaping loosely open. Karen exhibited a similar reaction, gazing in shock at what appeared to be a gigantic blue motorcycle that had apparently just flown into her rose bushes.
The doorbell rang, and Toby, who had in the interim crawled until he was before the door, gurgled at it. Sarah squared her shoulders and strode with more confidence than she felt to answer it. She felt Professor McGonagall's eyes on her back as she knelt to pick up Toby before turning to open the door.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled—the door swung open—and a giant of a man ducked under the doorway and stepped through.
"He-hello," Sarah stuttered. The man peered at her with glittering black eyes through a wiry black beard. Sarah stepped back to allow him further in. Taking up more than half of the foyer with his great width and height, the man turned and shut the door behind him. It fell closed with an audible thud that shook the foundations of the house. Sarah gulped, her throat slightly dry. He rotated to face her again, and Sarah took in his full appearance for the first time. The stranger wore an enormous musty brown coat and black rubber golashes the size of baby dolphins; in one trash bin lid-sized hand he carried a luridly pink umbrella.
"I'm pleased to meet you," said Sarah. Shifting Toby to her other hip, she managed to extract a hand to offer to the stranger with a nervous smile. As he shook the proffered limb, his eyes crinkled into a wide smile. Sarah was pleased to say that this time, she had said it without the slightest tremor in her voice.
"Nice ter meet yeh," the man said. "I'm Hagrid. Yeh must be Sarah."
"Yes. And this my brother, Toby." Sarah added, gently bouncing the toddler in her arms.
"Hullo little feller," Hagrid said, leaning forward to offer Toby his finger. Toby accepted the gesture, grabbing onto it solemnly with one hand. He regarded Hagrid, eyes grave, and Hagrid chuckled.
"My parents are over there, staring at your motorcycle," Sarah stated calmly.
"Ah, righ'." Hagrid said, looking up with a slightly guilty expression on his face. Gently reclaiming his finger, he ambled over to where Karen and Richard were openly gawking at both him and his equally immense motorcycle. They couldn't seem to decide which was more alarming. "Sorry abou' the bushes."
Karen nodded dumbly. Richard cleared his throat. "And y-you're the one this Dumble-bore sent for Sarah?"
"Yeah, that's righ'."
"You're going to fly to Britain on a motorcycle?" Karen asked, her voice uncharacteristically high.
"You can see why I thought it wise to come along," McGonagall said. At the sound of her voice, Hagrid jumped visibly and whirled around. The floor shook when he came down.
"Pro-professor McGonagall! What're yeh doin' here?"
"What do you think I'm doing here, Hagrid? Did you really expect that I could allow you to take a sixteen year-old girl with unstable magic on a transatlantic journey in that contraption of yours? I don't care what Dumbledore says, when I'm through with the pair of you, you'll wish that—"
"Hold on, hold on!" Hagrid interrupted hurriedly. "I wasn't gonna take the bike!"
McGonagall looked as though she was on the verge of grabbing his ear and yelling into it. "You certainly weren't going to try to apparate away with her!"
"O' course not! He gave me a Portkey!"
"Ah. And who, precisely, was going to activate it?" she demanded shrewdly. Hagrid fiddled nervously with the pink umbrella. Together, Sarah thought, they made a truly ridiculous picture, the colossal man completely cowed by the much smaller, but very determined witch.
"Erm…" Hagrid mumbled something under his breath, and McGonagall's eyes flashed.
"It is fortunate, then, that I had the foresight that clearly both you and the Headmaster lack." She said acidly, but the venom in her voice was much belied by the warmth Sarah spotted in her eyes, and the gentleness of the hand she lay on Hagrid's arm (the closest part of him she could reach—it was level with the top of her hat).
Turning to face the somewhat stunned Williams family, McGonagall continued.
"If it's not too much trouble, it would be best if Miss Williams were to depart shortly. It is, after all, better to be safe than sorry."
"O-of course," said Karen, shaking herself out of her semi-stupor. "We'll only be a moment."
But when the Williams gathered around Sarah to impart last-minute words of advice, they found that they had already said everything they could. All that was left were the final farewells.
Richard was first. The proud Williams patriarch gathered his beloved daughter into his arms, and held her tight—for all he knew, this would be that last time he saw his daughter as more human than not. His eyes stung with tears left unshed, and he whispered into his firstborn child's dark hair, "I love you, Sarah."
"I know, Daddy. I love you, too."
Karen was next. Stepmother and daughter embraced, and for once they held nothing back—they embraced as equals, and as friends. "Be strong, honey. I'll talk to you soon."
"Thank you, Karen. Thank you for everything—and I'm sorry."
Toby said nothing when it was his turn, only stretched his arms out to his sister, begging silently to be held. Sarah obliged. Their farewell was one without words, but strangely, Sarah found the most comfort by gazing into his solemn, curiously aged eyes. He did not judge her, and would not, regardless of what changes she might undergo. She was his sister—his only sister. She had fought for him through dangers untold and hardships innumerable because she loved him—and thus he loved her unconditionally. He knew the sacrifices she had made for him, and he understood them with wisdom far beyond his short life. Somehow Sarah read all of this in his eyes, and as if he had reached with his warm heart and mind to soothe hers, she was soothed.
"Well, then," Sarah said. She cuddled Toby to her chest one last time before handing him to her father. She smiled shakily. "I guess this is it."
Turning to the two magical envoys that had retreated tactfully to the foyer at the start of the goodbyes, Sarah braced herself, and crossed the room.
"I'm ready," she said.
"Take hold of the bear, please." Clutched in McGonagall's outstretched hand was the filthiest stuffed animal Sarah had ever seen. Sarah grabbed the sole remaining ear, and looked up expectantly. Gathered around the scruffy, smelly stuffed animal, they made a bizarre trio. McGonagall waited a moment to ensure Sarah had a firm grip on the bear, then tapped it three times with her wand, muttering something that Sarah couldn't quite catch—and then Sarah felt a strange tug in the area behind her navel, and they were gone, whizzing round and round faster than she could think, until she could barely hold on, but it didn't seem to matter anymore because her finger seemed glued in place—and suddenly it was over. They had arrived.
"Whoa," Sarah breathed, before toppling over in a dead faint.
Disclaimer: I own neither the Harry Potter franchise nor that of the Labyrinth. Those who do own them are monumentally more fortunate, more famous, and more mature. Nor do I place any claim on the first three chapters of this fic; they have been posted here with minor changes for the convenience of the readers with the conditional permission of the original author, papersoul, as once again detailed below:
Author's Note: It took me forever to update this, didn't it? That was a rhetorical question. Honestly, it's too damn hard to post on this site so I'm abandoning this. These three chapters group together quite nicely as a sort of prologue to a longer arc, or they can stand alone. I think they're fine as a stand-alone but I AM throwing this open to anyone who reads it with the following challenge:
Continue the story, if you so desire, but I have a few requirements. 1) Drop me a line with a story-link so I can read it. 2) Sarah has to be Sorted. 3) Give Sarah an animagical form. That's it. Have fun, kiddies!
Let me make this very clear: In posting these three chapters, I do in no way intend to deceive. They are not mine, and I believe I have made this as easily apparent as possible. Those who believe I have written all of this fic are mistaken, but as I have yet to figure out how to reply to reviews directly, there has been no way for me to correct this misapprehension except to attempt to explain myself again here. As I have been updating with the first three chapters, I have been writing and refining MY additions to the story; my parts will be coming slowly since I do not have a great deal of time at my disposal.
Please, please review! And if anyone knows how to insert those horizontal page breaks, I'd love to know the secret! :)