A few days later, my family was sitting in the living room, waiting for Dad to get home. We were watching Mary Poppins, one of my favorite movies of all time. That Bert guy? Pure awesome. I practiced his songs in my room all the time, accent included.
Dad had perfect timing. He got home just as the credits rolled. After he had finished being attacked by my little sister, he went up the stairs to change into his Muggle clothes. He came back down and flopped onto the couch, wincing. Mum noticed at once.
"What happened?" she asked worriedly, rushing to his side.
"Oh, nothing, love," Dad told her, a small smile on his lips. "The wizard stunned me, but we were only some 30 feet off the ground, and Ferris was able to slow me down before I hit the ground. I'm just a little sore, Gin."
"Oh…" she muttered distractedly. She started fussing with his hair.
"I've been elected to deliver a Muggleborn her Hogwarts letter tomorrow," he told us conversationally, sitting up and batting Mum's hands away from his head.
"Isn't that usually done by a professor?" Mum asked.
"Yeah, but this girl lives very close by," he answered. "On this street, in fact."
"Well, for now, it's time to start dinner," Mum said, standing up. "Who wants to help?"
We all decided to. We made beef stew and also some bread pudding. By the time dinner was done, my mouth was watering so much that I thought I should be drooling. It was thick and warm and filling. Albus did the dishes once we were finished.
After dinner, the family got out our Wii. I know what you're thinking. Wizards playing a Wii? Well, let me tell you, some of those games are fun. Since the Wii has four remotes and our family has five people, we rotated through the games.
We got bored with the Wii after a while, so Dad and Al got out Al's wizard's chess set, and Mum and Lily played gobstones. I, on the other hand, went up to my room to practice guitar and to research some new songs to learn. I had so many songs memorized. I could quite easily be pulled without warning up onto a stage and still play – well – for quite a while. I was trying to get a certain song down now. It was an American song called 'Start a Band,' and I liked it a lot. The guitar solos would have been amazing to do with another person, because they were perfect for a guitar battle. I was hoping to find someone I could play it with someday, but for now I was stuck playing solo.
I made a lot of headway on the song. As I struggled to learn the last little bit, I became aware of someone standing in the doorway, watching me. I spun around to see Dad leaned up against the doorframe, smiling at me.
"I don't know where you get that talent," he told me, straightening up and walking in. "Your mum and I are both better at Quidditch."
"It's magic," I told him, a grin on my face. "You really think I'm good?"
"I really do, James." He ruffled my hair.
"What if there's no one at Hogwarts who likes music like I do?" I asked him worriedly.
"Then I suppose you'll just have to find someone who likes pranks," he said solemnly, but I could see a smile in his emerald eyes.
I grinned. "Oi, Dad, speaking of Hogwarts, can I come with you to meet that Muggleborn?"
"I don't think so, James," he said.
"But what if they need moral support?" I asked quickly. "From someone their age, you know? It'll be my first year at Hogwarts, too!"
"Time for bed, James," came Mum's voice from the doorway.
"But-"
"We'll talk about it in the morning, James," Dad said.
"Come get us when you're ready for us to come back," Mum said, and they left to go tuck in my siblings. I got dressed for bed, pulling on the orange Chudley cannons pyjamas that my Uncle Ron got me for Christmas one year. They weren't my favorite team, but they were alright. I then traveled to the bathroom, where I proceeded to brush my teeth. Finishing with that, I ran down the stairs.
"I'm ready for bed," I told them. They were watching the wizarding news (a recent development,) and they looked rather worried. But they stood up and followed me up the stairs nonetheless. They tucked me in bed and said goodnight, then left again, Dad flicking out the lights behind him and plunging my large, golden room into darkness.
The next morning was rather hectic. Apparently Teddy was coming over to visit that afternoon, and for some reason my mum thought that meant she had to make as much food as a Hogwarts house elf. So instead of a homemade breakfast, we had cereal. Muggle cereal. I liked cereal, but warm food is much, much better.
I showered and brushed my teeth, then pulled on jeans and a Muse t-shirt. I jogged down the stairs, whistling 'Chim Chim Cheree' to myself. I saw Dad opening the door to leave.
"Where are you going?" I asked him.
"To talk to that Muggleborn's family," he answered.
"But you said we'd talk about me going with you!" I protested angrily.
He stood for a moment and thought. "No funny business?" he asked me skeptically.
"I promise!" I said quickly. I put my right hand over my heart. "I solemnly swear that if Dad takes me with him, there will be no funny business."
"I want to come too!" Lily cried, rushing over to us. "Daddy, please?"
"Lily, love," Dad said quietly, "we don't want to overwhelm the poor girl, do we?"
"James gets to go!" she protested. "It's not fair!"
"Lily, love," Mum said from the kitchen doorway, "why don't you come help me cook? We can make a surprise for Daddy!"
"Okay!" she said happily. "Bye Daddy! Bye James!"
She ran into the kitchen.
"Thanks, Ginny," Dad said in relief. "C'mon, James. Let's go.'
We walked out the door and out into the bright August sunlight. He walked down to the sidewalk.
"No car?" I asked, confused.
"We can walk, it's not far."
"Al…right," I said, thoroughly confused. But when we turned up the walk of a house and headed for the front door, I understood. After all, I had only been here a few nights ago.
"Oh, no," I muttered. "Don't tell me that awful Sara girl is the Muggleborn!"
"James!" Dad said, "That is not a nice thing to say!" he knocked on the door. As I listened to footsteps approach, I realized something. He hadn't answered my question.
"Hello," said Mrs. Barnes with a smile. "What are you two doing here?"
"Who is it?" came Mr. Barnes' voice from the living room.
"Two of the Potters," she answered him. "Now, what can I do for you two?"
"I have something to talk to you about," Dad told her, "and James came to help me."
"Well, come on in and make yourselves at home."
We did just that. We walked into an entryway and were led through a large arch into a living room. It was large, with tan carpet and darker brown paint on the walls. Hanging on these walls were paintings that looked extremely expensive. There was a large flat screen television on the wall, and Mr. Barnes and Jon were watching football (not to be confused with American football.) They were sitting on a cream leather sofa, which did not look nearly as comfortable as ours. Cream curtains that matched the sofa framed the large front windows. The whole room seemed more like a show than an actual lived in room, but that may have been because I was so used to the oddities of our family that normalness seemed fake, somehow.
"Now, what is it that you needed to talk to us about?" Mrs. Barnes asked.
"I'd like your daughter to be here as well, if you don't mind," he told her. "It'll be a lot easier on everyone that way, and I'll only have to explain once.
"I'll call her. Sara!" Mr. Barnes shouted.
"I... wasn't talking about Sara," Dad said awkwardly as Sara clomped down the stairs. She was wearing a dreadfully pink and frilly dress.
"Whoever were you talking about, then?" Mrs. Barnes asked, but I saw her eyes narrow in fear.
"Samantha," Dad said shortly. "I'm talking about Samantha."
The Barnes' eyes all widened. I looked at Dad like he was insane.
"Samantha?" I asked him. "Who in the name of Merlin is Samantha?"
Dad didn't answer me. "Could you call her for me, ma'am?" he asked Mrs. Barnes gently.
"Samantha!" she called, still staring at Dad like he was mental. I heard the sound of feet coming down the stairs. They sounded quite as if they would have rather stayed upstairs. Then the feet came into view. Followed by legs. Followed by... her.
"You?" I asked incredulously. "You're Samantha?"
"What're you doing here?" she asked, sounding thoroughly scared.
"Samantha-" Dad started, but she cut him off.
"Sam," she told him.
"Okay, Sam. I am Harry James Potter, Head Auror for the Ministry of Magic. And this," he handed her a letter addressed to Samantha Marks, "belongs to you. Read it out loud."
"Alright, here it goes," she said. She opened the letter and cleared her throat.
"Dear Students,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September (or when you happen to register). We await your owl after registration."
She stopped and raised her head in disbelief. "Witchcraft? Wizardry? That's not real!"
"Wow Sam," I said with a smile. "You remind me of Al." I made a gagging sound, and my dad scowled at me but didn't say anything.
"But it isn't real, is it?" she asked.
"I don't know," Dad said mildly. He pulled out his wand and said loudly and clearly, "Expecto Patronum!" His silver stag Patronus burst forth. He had it canter once around the room. It came to a halt in front in front of the disbelieving Barnes family, minus Sara, before disappearing completely.
"This can't be happening," Sam whispered. "I can't be a wizard."
"You're absolutely right," I told her matter-of-factly. "You can't."
"Then why in the world did he just-" Mr. Barnes said before he saw my dad glare at me.
"I thought you said you were going to help me, James," he said.
"No," I disagreed. "I merely promised that there would be no funny business."
"Please explain to us what's going on here," Sam's mom practically snarled.
"You know, Mrs. Barnes? You remind me of my Great Aunt Petunia," I informed her. Dad glared. "Fine," I muttered. "I merely mean that only blokes can be wizards. Girls are witches."
"You," Sam said with a smile, "are a jerk, you know that?"
"Now you really sound like Al," I said, making another face. Sam giggled.
"Well, whether she's been accepted or not, she's not allowed out of this house. As much as you - and the rest of the world, for that matter - are concerned, she doesn't even exist."
"Wow," my dad said again. "And I thought the Dursleys were bad. They may have made me live in a closet, but at least they let me out of the house."
"And what did these Dursleys do when they found out you were a wizard?" Sam's dad snapped.
"Well, they refused to send me to 'some freak school'" Dad told him.
"Then so will we!"
"You didn't let me finish," Dad said. "They refused to send me, so the man who came to get me gave their son a pig's tail. I'm sure your daughter Sara would look very nice with one." Dad grinned. Personally, I was shocked. I never thought my dad would even think of pranking.
Just as dad had obviously planned, the color drained from her parent's faces.
"You aren't serious," Mrs. Barnes said, pulling a horrified Sara as close to her as possible.
"Nope," I said. They all looked at me again.
"James…" Dad said warningly.
"What is he going on about now?" Mr. Barnes growled. Dad sighed.
"My Godfather's name was Sirius, as in the constellation," he told them, turning to glare at me again. I just kept grinning at him. "James seems to think the pun is funny."
"Wait until you see Diagon Alley," I gushed excitedly to Sam. "It's amazing."
"How will I see it?" she asked.
"When you go to London, to get your things," I told her. "You have to buy the school things they require in the letter."
"We aren't buying this girl anything!" Mr. Barnes said angrily. "And we will not be taking her anywhere!"
"Then she can come with us," Dad said. "My family is going today to get James' school things. I don't mind bringing her along."
"Fine!" he shouted suddenly, standing up and pointing toward the door. A look of worry crossed dad's face and he stood.
"C'mon, James, Sam," he said, heading toward the door. I didn't need telling twice. The memory of the night of the party was still etched in my mind. Mr. Barnes opened the door and the three of us filed outside.
"And she will never enter this house again!" he shouted, slamming the door behind us.