Previously:
She said that her name was Professor Sanderson and that she was a witch. For the first time in my life, I was speechless. I'm not saying that it's the first time I've kept my mouth shut and refrained from speaking. I'm saying it's the first time I've been incapable of speech. This was caused by my current incapacity to think. Everything and nothing was going through my head all at once. I know it doesn't make sense; just go with it. Point is, I was thunder struck. Professor Sanderson had managed to thunder strike me.
Chapter 3:
Then came the words I'd always known in my heart to be true, "You're a witch, too." My head was reeling. I'm a witch. I'd always thought that I belonged in a different world. A world where magic is common place. I'd discussed this with Renee and Charlie when I was first adopted. They told me that the world in my head was pretend. They didn't tell me I was stupid or forbid me to speak of such things. They told me that I should always treasure my imagination. They were, however, adamant that it was, in fact, all imaginary. Professor Sanderson was here to say "Yeah, not so much."
"Come again?" was Renee's brilliant response. Not that I was doing any better. I was still staring at the woman with my mouth gaping like a fish out of water. Brilliant first impression, Bella. "Your daughter is a witch, Ms. Swan," she'd repeated. I realized that she thought I didn't believe her when she started trying to talk me into the idea. She'd asked me if I'd ever done anything I couldn't explain when I was scared or angry. Truthfully the only thing I'd ever wondered about was how I evaded getting caught during some of my adventures. There had been times where I just knew I was busted, and had fervently wished I could just blend into the wall. Every time the teacher or student just passed me by like I wasn't even there. I'd brushed it off thinking they were just exceptionally unobservant. Maybe not. Maybe it had been magic. The problem was that I couldn't really tell my potential future professor that I'd sometimes make myself invisible when I was about to get caught breaking the rules. That would go over well, I'm sure.
Trying to think of other examples, I realized that I didn't really have much of a temper, and it was very difficult to truly scare me. Sure, it bothered me when people were rude to me and bullied those whom they viewed as weaker than themselves. I don't get mad, though; I get even. What's the point of getting overly angry and letting your emotions cloud your judgment? You make mistakes when you react that way. That's the same reason why I don't get overly scared. Fear is not a logical response to a potentially dangerous situation. In fact, allowing your fear to overtake your reason will more than likely cause whatever you fear to reach the very eventuality you were afraid of in the first place. It's a vicious cycle, is all I'm saying. Because of this, I couldn't think of a single time I may have used accidental magic to offer up as verification to her claim.
Because of this, I decided to take a different approach. I told her about my dreams. How I have vague memories of my biological father and his friends. How they lived in a magical world that I had accepted was only real in my imagination. I asked her if perhaps they weren't just random dreams. Could my father be a wizard? Professor Sanderson noticeably stiffened when I mentioned the dreams I had of my long lost father. She politely glossed over the paternity issue, telling me that while anything is possible, the school believed me to be a muggle born witch. At the dumbfounded expression on Renee's and my face she informed us that muggles are non-magic folk. Ah, of course.
She then began to tell me about her school. She said that she was a professor at Salem Institute for Witches, which was the first magical school in the United States. Upon hearing this I laughed. Out loud. In her face. She didn't really appreciate it. I asked her if she'd seen the movie "Hocus Pocus." She informed me that she does not keep up with muggle popular culture and that she'd never, in fact, seen any movie. I was back to gaping again. This was going to be a long conversation. I explained that the movie is about three witches called the Sanderson sisters who are resurrected in Salem and proceed to terrorize the town. I then asked her if there was any relation. She didn't find this amusing, either. Moving on.
She explained that the all girl school is the most prestigious magical primary school in the United States, and that it is a great honor to be accepted there. She told me about all the different classes and what the general day to day life is like for a Salem student. She explained that I would be attending the school for seven years, and that I would be required to take two sets of tests. I'd take the O.W.L.S., or Ordinary Wizarding Levels, at the end of my fifth year. The O.W.L results would show me which subjects I would be allowed to continue at N.E.W.T level. Upon completion of my seventh year I would sit for my N.E.W.T.s, or Nasty Exhausting Wizarding Tests. Charming, I know. If I did well on these tests I would pretty much be able to do anything I wanted in the wizarding world. I was ecstatic. It was every dream I'd ever had come true right before my eyes. I was a witch. I was going to study magic!
At this point Renee returned to her senses after concluding her out of body experience. She'd always thought her daughter had an overactive imagination, but it turns out she just had a really good memory. I couldn't really blame her for checking out for a few minutes. However, when she saw the overjoyed expression on my face, she suddenly paled and shook her head. What? Renee was saying no?
You know how I said that I never lose my temper? Well, there's a first time for everything. I saw red. Then I saw breaking glass. Ah, there's that elusive accidental magic you were asking about, Professor.
Renee dropped to her knees in front of me and grasped my hands. "I'm sorry, Bella," she'd said. She told me she'd never deny me this opportunity if it was in her power to provide it. She was an elementary school teacher. The only reason I was able to attend the private academy was because of my scholarship. Upon seeing the heartbroken expression on Renee's face my temper immediately disappeared. Renee couldn't afford to send me to the most prestigious magical academy in the US. Of course she couldn't. That's okay, though. There had to be other less expensive schools, I reasoned.
However, upon hearing what the problem was, Professor Sanderson informed us that the tuition was a non-issue. She said that there was an old family in Britain who provided a special scholarship, and that I had been chosen to receive it. All they needed was a drop of my blood on an official withdrawal of funds from the account, and all my tuition would be paid for. She didn't actually allow either me or Renee to read the document, but I noticed that the word "Gringotts" across the top of the parchment. I was understandably suspicious about this mysterious and undeniably convenient scholarship. However, you should never look a gift horse in the mouth, and this was horse was a freaking prized stallion. I didn't care if its teeth were jacked up.
Renee wasn't quite as enthusiastic about the idea of me spilling my blood on a binding document without reading it, so I quickly held out my hand. Before any objections could be made Professor Sanderson had pricked my finger and the contract was binding. Nothing was going to stop me from studying magic. Professor Sanderson assured Renee that the contract simply stated that I accepted the transfer of the scholarship funds to pay for my tuition and boarding expenses as well as a yearly stipend while I attend Salem. She explained that the funds will only be given to the school as long as I was a student there, and that if I decided to go to a different institution the funds would be forwarded to the new school of my choosing. Sweet. Thank you, fairy god mother. I then wondered if perhaps I wasn't too far off. I asked the professor and she just smiled.
At the mention of other magical schools Renee startled. She asked Professor Sanderson if there was such a place as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor Sanderson looked surprised at that and informed Renee that it was a school in Scotland where most of the magical children in Britain attend. Apparently I had received a letter from them while I was in Forks and Renee thought that someone was playing a prank on me. Professor Sanderson told us that while Hogwarts was an extraordinary school, that wizarding communities throughout Europe and Asia had issues with discrimination against muggle borns. She said that while there is currently peace in wizarding Britain, persecution based on blood status was still an ongoing issue. She told us that a mere seven years ago the country was at war, and blood prejudice still runs deep. There would be those who would view me as less of a person because of my unknown biological parentage and muggle adoptive parents.
I didn't like the sound of that. It sounded like what the United States had experienced with desegregation. There were a lot of people who hated other people for no reason except the color of their skin. There are still issues of racism in this country, of course, but we've come a long way. People aren't born to hate each other for no reason, and because I wasn't raised to notice a difference between people because of their appearance, I don't. I really don't like people that do. It's blatant ignorance, and there's no reasoning with someone who refuses to see the truth that their hate is irrational. A person should be judged by their actions, and that's how I want to be judged when I enter the magical world.
Professor Sanderson informed me that most people in the American wizarding communities don't even acknowledge blood status. She explained that most witches and wizards in this country came to America because they were sick of the discriminatory practices entrenched in their home countries. She also explained how it's not just muggle borns that face discrimination. "Purebloods" also face prejudice when they openly welcome new magic blood into their wizarding communities. They call them blood traitors. Honestly, what's wrong with those people? It sounds to me like they are so damn inbred they've lost the ability of cognizant thought. I mean, they do realize if there weren't new people entering the gene pool they'd all be married to their own cousins which would perpetuate recessive genes, causing birth defects and overall genetic sketchiness, right? I asked her this and she just laughed. Out loud. In my face. Well, turnabout is fair play, I suppose. She explained that it was actually relatively common place in pureblood circles to marry someone with whom they have a blood relation. Squick. Apparently this was another popular reason for "pureblooded" wizards to migrate to the US. They didn't want to marry their cousins. I don't blame them.
After our discussion about the differences between magical communities around the world, I decided to stay in America and attend the Salem Institute for Witches. Upon hearing my decision Professor Sanderson smiled and told me that I should now forget all about that blood purity hogwash because it is considered offensive to differentiate between magical persons in America based on blood status. Fine by me, Professor.
We then moved our discussion on to what I'd need to do in preparation for my first year at Salem. Sandy, as I'd now dubbed her, gave me a list of supplies I'd need to bring with me to school. Er…cauldrons, a wand, magical books…Where on Earth was I supposed to find these things? She informed me that there are multiple magical shopping districts in America and that she would be coming back the next weekend to escort me and Renee. I wanted to go right then, but she said she had to get the "scholarship" filed so that I could get my stipend (yeah right, Professor, like I'm buying that story. I decided it would be a side project once I'd settled in to figure out what that was all about). She gave me a list of cities and asked me which one I preferred. I chose New York. How awesome is that? I was going to wizarding NYC!
A/N:
I don't really have a set schedule for posting this story. Right now I have a lot of ideas swimming in my head, and I just want to get them out there. I'll probably update quickly until my muse runs out and I have to go on a hunt for inspiration.
Thank you to Sweetie7smiled and StopTheMadness for your reviews! I really appreciate it!