(author's note: still summer of '81)

"I thought your typical unicorn was white," Martin finally said.

"I am archetypical," Tlingel responded, dropping to all fours, "and possessed of virtues beyond the ordinary."

From "Unicorn Variation" by Roger Zelazny (in Tales From The Spaceport Bar

Chapter 15: Black Unicorn

The day was cloudy but the air was warm with a hint of lavender. Madeline lay on her back watching a couple of sparrows. "When do you think my letter will come?" she asked lazily.

Charlie was laying on his side picking at the grass and watching a beetle. "I dunno," he said.

"Maybe Dumbledore doesn't know about me, you know, because I'm supposed to be a secret."

"Dumbledore knows everything," said Bill, who was sitting up practicing flicks with a stick, imagining what it will be like to have a real wand.

"You probably won't go until Bill goes next year," offered Charlie as he allowed the beetle to walk across the back of his hand. Bill's eleventh birthday wasn't until November, so he couldn't attend the wizarding school this year.

"No, I'm eleven already. I should be getting my letter, only Dumbledore doesn't know where I am," said Madeline.

"You think that's it?" asked Bill as he tossed away the stick and stood up and stretched. He was lean and quite tall already, although he only a little over ten and a half years old.

Madeline sat up and squinted her dark eyes up at him. "What do you mean? Why do you think I haven't gotten one yet?" she said challengingly.

Charlie's eyes darted back and forth between them. He didn't notice the beetle fly away.

"I don't know," Bill looked away and chewed his bottom lip in thought. "I just think..."

"What?" Madeline sprang to her feet with her hands on her hips. Though she was quite a bit shorter than Bill, she intimidated him slightly. "Go ahead, out with it!" Her tone and manner resembled Molly when she demanded a confession about who broke, spilled, or took something.

Bill looked around vaguely and ventured, "Well, you're not exactly very...I don't think you have," he paused, "any magic." His eyes widened as she strode boldly up to him and shoved him hard in the chest.

She screamed, "How can you say that? Both my parents were very powerful and I'm pureblooded, just like you!," she bluffed. In actuality she knew next to nothing about her parents. "How can you say that? And my brother is an auror!" she added with genuine pride and a flip of the hair.

"Blimey Madeline," Bill argued back, "Fred and George could make stuff fall off tables when they were still really little and even Ron can do stuff, like levitate a cookie, and you-," his voice softened, "you have never done anything like that. I don't think you're a real witch. I'm sorry." He frowned and braced himself for an expected blow, but she just stood there with her lip quivering and her nose turning red from trying to hold back tears.

Charlie was standing now and gaping at the scene, but he didn't know what to say. He tried to plead mentally to his brother to take back what he said, but unfortunately neither of them were psychic. Then he turned to Madeline again, but she was already running away. Her black hair blowing back wildly was the last thing Charlie saw as she rounded the corner of the house. Bill shrugged his shoulders when Charlie glared at him. "I'm just telling the truth," said Bill defensively, "I'm not trying to be mean." He dodged too late and got Charlie's fist in his upper arm. "Ow!" Bill kicked his brother in the leg. By the time Arthur came out of the house, the boys were wrestling on the ground with Charlie getting the better of Bill.

"Boys, break it up!" Charlie kept Bill pinned to the ground with one powerful arm across his chest and looked up at his father. Charlie's nose was bleeding and blood was smeared across his heavily freckled face and Bill has a bad cut on his upper lip and a black eye. Their father calmly said, "Get up and tell me what happened." Their mother appeared and squeaked at the sight. "It's all right, Molly, I'm taking care of it," Arthur assured her.

She took her wand out of the pocket of her flowery apron which barely covered her heavily pregnant belly. "Just let me fix them up."

"Later, Molly dear," he said gently. She reluctantly waddled away.

Arthur looked expectantly at the boys. They untangle themselves and stood up. Charlie spoke first. "Dad, it was Bill who started it. He said that Madeline wasn't a witch."

"Dad, I think she's a squib," said Bill in a guilty tone.

Arthur sighed, conjured up a chair, and sat down. "Bill, even if she is, it's not your place to point it out."

Charlie's eyes widened in shock. "Dad!"

Bill was speechless, for truly, he realized that he would gladly take another blow from Charlie's rock hard fist than be right about his suspicion.

Arthur rubbed his chin and thought. "Boys, we aren't going to talk about this again until after Alastor has had a chance to talk to Madeline. Is that understood?" Their father looked at them each in turn. They nodded. "Now I guess you two should go let your mother fret over you." They each gingerly touched their wounded faces and plodded into the house. Meanwhile, Arthur sat with a frown and his brows knitted in thought.

Later

Madeline and Charlie were sitting by the pond watching a family of ducks. Charlie's nose was completely fixed. With so many boys, Molly had become quite adept at simple healing spells. Charlie was tossing stones into the water and watching the concentric circles they made. Madeline was weaving a daisy chain. "Charlie, you know it's true, though." He didn't answer. "I know it's true. I've known for a long time, I guess," she added.

"Dad said we're not supposed to talk about it," he muttered. The clouds had cleared and the sun shined bright. The weather failed completely to harmonize with their mood.

She said, "I know it's shameful." He looked at her in mild panic but she just gazed steadily into his eyes. "Charlie, there's something wrong with me that they won't talk about. I mean, what about..." but he cut her off.

"Shhh! We aren't supposed to talk about...anything," his voice faltered and then trailed away like he wished the whole topic would.

"Why Charlie? Why aren't we supposed to talk about it?" Her voice was impatient and her small fists balled up. "It's about me, I can talk about it if I like!"

"Ok, calm down. We can talk about it." He looked uneasily over his shoulder. "Just not so loud." He looked back at Madeline and said quietly. "And there's nothing wrong with you." He looked down at his own large calloused hands and then tilted his head slightly to look at her, squinting because the sun was behind her. Her long wavy coal black hair was a sharp contrast to his very short red hair. She was as thin and willowy as he was stout and sturdy. But lately they had made so many plans together- to live and work outdoors with magical creatures: phoenixes, unicorns, hippogriffs, but especially dragons.

"What if I can't go to Hogwarts?" He didn't answer. She tossed the daisy chain onto the water. It hardly made a ripple. She looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

Without looking at her he answered helplessly, "I don't know."

"What if no one will let me work with dragons?" She watched him and waited while he thought about that. He shrugged but she pestered him for an answer. "Well?"

He looked at her sideways, a faint smile playing across his lips. "I guess I'll just have to buy you your own dragon." A wide grin spread across her face but at the same time tears welled up in her eyes and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Madeline, don't," he mildly protested, but then put an arm around her. He felt the dampness of her tears on his shoulder and heard her quiet sobs. He said quietly, "It'll be ok. Don't cry."

Suddenly Bill plopped himself down beside Madeline. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she turned to look at him. She felt Charlie tense up beside her and put her hand on his arm, her eyes still fixed on Bill.

Bill took a deep breath and avoided her eyes. "Blimey, I'm sorry." He looked so pitiful, frowning like that, she had to forgive him.

"I know. It's not your fault," she assured him as she sniffed and wiped her eyes again. "Besides," she added as she head butted him in the arm, "you're awfully nice. If it was the other way around, I'd be teasing you mercilessly." All three of the children start laughing.

"That's probably true," said Bill.