A/N: Okay this story is just writing itself. I will post chapters as I write them.
This chapter is dedicated to my first two reviewers: CrazyMuggleborn44 and mekio777
(EDIT: I have had people telling me that my explanation for Rain not already being in a Wizarding school was weak, so I've edited this chapter to end any confusion)
Chapter Two
The next morning found Rain and her parents and brother sitting in the living room, waiting for the representative of the Wizard School. The previous night had held a rather interesting discussion about whether or not the letter was genuine. In the end everyone agreed that the representative could prove to them the the existence of magic. Now everyone was in the living room, waiting excitedly for the representative to appear.
At eleven o'clock, the doorbell rang. Rain and her brother, Dustin, leaped to their feet, both intending to be the first to answer the door. Tammy and her husband, John, got to their feet in a much less hurried way.
Dustin got to the door first, flinging it open as Rain skidded to a halt to avoid crashing into him. On the doorstep was a tall man with a long flowing beard that almost reached his waist. He was dressed in a peculiar mix of formal and casual clothes. He had pinstriped trousers as well as a green plaid button down shirt with a trench coat over top.
Dustin gawked at him, while Rain tried to stifle a giggle. Their parents came around the corner and spotted the oddly dressed man smiling at the teenagers' bewilderment.
"Hello?" said John, cautiously. "How can we help you?"
"Hello," said the odd man. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, I'm the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I believe we have a meeting."
"Yes, of course," Tammy said, ushering her children out of the way. "Come in."
They moved into the living room, where Tammy and John sat on the loveseat and Rain and Dustin shared the sofa, leaving the armchair for Dumbledore.
"Am I really a witch?" Rain blurted out before she could stop herself.
Dumbledore smiled, blue eyes twinkling in amusement. "Indeed you are."
"Um, can I ask a question?" Dustin asked, still mesmerized by Dumbledore's peculiar clothes.
"Of course."
"How can we be sure you're telling the truth? I mean, do you have proof that magic even exists?"
Rain's parents were nodding in agreement with their son.
"I would be happy to prove to you the existence of magic," said Dumbledore.
"It's gotta be something that normal people can't do," said Dustin. "Cause my uncle taught me and Rain all sorts of tricks that look like magic, but are just illusions and sleight of hand."
Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "Naturally. Do you have a pencil?"
Rain got up and went to John's computer desk. She grabbed a pencil from the cup sitting there and brought it back. She held it out to Dumbledore.
"Break it in half," he said. "And place it on the table there."
So Rain did as he asked and placed the two halves on the table apart from each other. Dumbledore then produced a long thin bit of wood that Rain decided must be a wand, pointed it at the pencil and said, "Reparo."
The two halves found each other and melded back together. The family gasped in surprise and awe.
"Cool," Dustin said.
"Will I be able to do that?" Rain asked.
"Certainly," said Dumbledore, "and much more."
"Can I be a wizard, too?" Dustin asked excitedly.
"I'm afraid not, Dustin. You see, your sister has presented magical abilities, but you have not. I'm afraid you're completely Muggle."
"I'm completely what?" Dustin asked, confused.
"Muggle, you have no magical ability. Like your parents."
"Then how do you know I'm a witch?" Rain asked. "I haven't done anything magical."
"Oh but you have," Dumbledore argued. "Has anything odd happened to or around you when you were angry or scared?"
"The earthquakes!" Dustin exclaimed. "Whenever you got mad or frustrated the house would shake. That must have been you, Rain!"
"We lived on a fault zone, it could have been earthquakes," Rain argued back.
"What about when Kyle chased you up that tree?" Dustin countered. "You were halfway up before I could blink. You can't tell me you just jumped really high."
"There is that..." Rain admitted.
"Or when Nana gave you that fuzzy pink sweater for your sixth birthday."
"It caught fire," Rain supplied. "I'd forgotten about that."
She looked at Dumbledore and smiled.
"What I must ask, though," said Dumbledore. "Is why you weren't already in a wizarding school in the United States? They start at eleven years old, as we do here."
"Well, I was born in Canada," Rain pondered. "But we moved to the States in June the year I turned eleven."
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps in the confusion of the move, you were overlooked. However we are now presented with a problem; because of whatever mistake your Governors of Magic made in locating magically gifted children, you are now three years behind in your knowledge of magic."
"Three years!" Rain exclaimed.
"Now I have two possible solutions. One is to put you in first year with the eleven-year-old students. The other is to put you into fourth year and assign students to tutor you so that you may catch up to the rest in your class. I now leave it up to you which option is chosen."
Rain looked at her lap and thought. She could feel her parent's gazes on her as she made her decision. On the one hand, she could start in first year and attempt to ignore the ridicule of looking like she failed three times. She also wouldn't graduate on time and be in school three extra years. On the other hand, she could start in fourth and struggle her way to be equal with the other students. But she always was good at catching up. In the end it was the prospect of spending an extra three years in school that made her decision.
"Can I go into fourth year?" she asked, looking up.
Dumbledore smiled. "Of course. But Rainnina, you are allowed to change your mind if it gets too hard."
Rain nodded. "Okay, I'll do that then."
"Good," said Dumbledore, clapping his hands together. "I'll send someone over next week to take you to Diagon Alley to purchase your school supplies. They are not like Muggle school supplies, you see."
He handed Rain a slip of parchment. On it was a long list of books along with a few other essentials.
"I'm afraid you'll need to purchase a few books for first, second, and third year as well as fourth."
"That makes sense," Rain reasoned.
"Also I am aware that your financial situation at the moment isn't up to the task of providing you with a private school education. Luckily for you, however, the school has a fund for just such occasions."
From a pocket in his bizarre trench coat he pulled a pouch with what sounded like coins jangling in it. He handed the pouch to Rain, who took it and shook out some odd gold, silver, and bronze coins. These didn't look anything like Euros or Pounds.
"That should get you through the year," said Dumbledore. "The gold ones are Galleons, the silver ones are Sickles, and the bronze ones are Knuts. Twenty-nine Knuts in a Sickle, and seventeen Sickles in a Galleon."
Three hours later Rain was lying on her bed, facing the ceiling and admiring the wizard money. She didn't look up when her brother entered.
"You're so lucky," he said.
"Hmm," Rain murmured.
"I wonder if Warren is a wizard," he pondered.
"What?" Rain finally looked at her half-brother at the mention of her father's name.
"Well, if he's a wizard then it makes sense where your powers came from."
"If Warren was a wizard don't you think he would have told mom when she became pregnant with me. You know, to warn her that I would be a witch."
"Good point, but you know Warren never did have his head on right."
"True... Do you think I should send him an e-mail? Get his side maybe?"
"No! Don't do that, if he isn't then you would be telling him you're a witch."
"But you mom and John know."
"Well, we're your family. Warren lost all claim to being your father when he ran off."
"I suppose you're right."
"Hey," Dustin asked gently.
"What?"
"Do you think you could bring me back something from that new school you're going to?"
"Sure I'll see what I can do."
Later on their mother found her kids playing with Rain's new coins in her room, getting along better than they had in a long time. Tammy smiled; she had expected this to tear the two of them apart, but it seemed to repair the gap that had grown between them over the last few years. Just like the pencil, magic seemed to have repaired her children's relationship.
A/N: Awe isn't that sweet, brother and sister coming together because of magic. Tell me what you think. R&R.