Chapter one: The beginning
I'm just a normal person, that's what I believe in.
Renee Ann Matte was already awake, yet she continues lying white staring at the ceiling. Sunlight was already emitting on her window, the birds were chirping and her alarm clock was ringing so loudly at her desk…yet she ignored them all. Renee's mind was still drifted on her dream (or nightmares, she thought) as she had been dreaming that same scene for already a week.
In her dream she was running in an endless road, or at least she thought it was a road. It was so dark that she couldn't even see it herself and the only thing the girl knew was running from something…like her life was at stake. Renee has a long stick on her hand, clutching it so hard that she thought it would break any minute on her grasp.
It's not just a stick, it's a wand. I am a witch, she reminded herself.
Being a witch was definitely not a normal thing, at least at the neighborhood they were staying in. Renee and her mother were hiding in a muggle community as long as she could remember. Her mother, Isabel never explained why; And Renee never dared to ask again because she always knew her mother's reply would be.
"Soon, my dear…when the time has come, I'll explain everything to you" it was her mother's words that she already memorized.
The thing was…Renee love living in this place. Her mother was sufficiently exposing her at the wizard world and for her it was already enough. Isabel had been teaching her basic magic ever since she gave some signs of magic and her mother had been a great teacher to her (even though she is a vile teacher). Isabel has been prohibited her to use magic whenever she was at her working place, and Renee never obeyed that rule.
Her trail of thoughts was cut off when the latter heard a soft knock at the door. An Elf, not more than two feet tall appeared on her doorstep.
"Mistress asked Toby to wake up the young mistress, breakfast is almost ready" Toby squeaked with his trembling voice.
Renee wondered if all house elves were like that.
"Okay, you could go now" Renee said at the house elf and Toby closed the door to at the kitchen again.
Renee lazily got up from her bed and stand up to the mirror on the wall. A fifteen year old girl stared back at her. She has brown messy hair that reaches her shoulders, and bright green eyes that reflecting her every emotions.
She sighed and tried to smile at the reflection, it didn't even reached her eyes. Renee was already tired of those dreams already. Summer vacation was almost done and those dreams were getting me insane one of these days! She thought angrily as she went at the bathroom to get herself fixed and went downstairs.
She went straight in the kitchen after changing her sleepwear to a simple summer dress. Renee saw a slender woman in her mid sixties, busy at the kitchen counter while Toby grumpily preparing the table.
Renee frowned as she sat in her usual chair and stared at her mother. This couldn't be a good sign; mother never cooks breakfast, she thought as she stared at her mother's back. Isabel always leaves the cooking to their house elf; as far as everyone knew her, she's a terrible cook.
She nudged their house elf as if looking for some answer to the old woman's odd behavior. Toby glanced at the newspaper lying on the table. Renee picked it up and read the front headline of the daily prophet, the wizard's number one newspaper.
Renee frowned once again as she read the headline. Harry Potter, The boy who lied. The headline says.
Harry Potter, The boy who lied
Last Triwizard event were a shock for everyone that one of the champions, Cedric Diggry died while completing the last challenge of the said event.
But the more shocking news to it is Harry potter, who is also one of the champions, is claiming that the dark lord revived.
The dark lord, Voldemort who is also called "you-know-who" is one of the darkest wizard's of all time. He killed anyone that is on his way.
The ministry of magic was already gave a statement saying that the boy was just in the staged of confusion when said those words…..
Renee stopped reading. Reading this would make my day worse, she sighed. Yet, she was amused that the article wrote the 'you-know-who's' name. It was a taboo to say his name and the newspaper has all the explanation she needed at her mother's odd behavior.
"Mum, it's already burning" Renee sighed as she could smell the burned sausage in the kitchen.
"Oh dear! What happened...Toby go and finish this" She finally gave up cooking (to Renee's relief). She gave a cup of coffee at her daughter and sat across her.
The two really resemble each other. Isabel also has those green eyes that Renee got inherited from, and has a smile that could make every person smile back at them. Renee can't help but notice those dark circles on her mother's eyes that even make up cannot hide.
"Morning dear, have a nice sleep?"
"Yeah" Renee lied and looked at the newspaper once again while sipping her coffee. An envelope caught her eye. For me? It was really addressed to her. She frowned once again as she saw the sender.
Why would Hogwarts send a letter to me?
"You're going to Hogwarts this year, dear" Isabel said, answering Renee's unspoken questions. Renee looked at her in disbelief.
She must be kidding me!
"What?" Her day couldn't be worst than this. She ripped the envelope open and read the contents in great fury.
Dear Ms. Renee Matte
We would like to inform you that passed the examination and now can enroll to our school, Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. Please be reminded that you have to respond to this letter on or before July 30….
So that's explains the updated books and that bloody exam! Renee looked at her mother as if the girl read dumbest news on the world.
"You can't do this to me!" Renee slammed the letter on the table as she already forgotten her manners. Toby was surprised at the girl's outburst that he almost scalded himself on the pan.
"Yes I can dear, you're almost seventeen now. You need to go to a proper school" Isabel calmly said at her daughter.
She really has the nerve to calmly tell me I'm going to that school? It's as if were having trivial matters here! Like whose going to throw the garbage or going home late or…
"I'm already in a proper school mum! And besides I've already told you I want to apply to a medical school" Renee groaned loudly at her mother.
"No buts Renee Ann Matte. You're going to Hogwarts and that's final"
Renee looked at her mother in defeat. Saying her full name could mean how serious her mother was. She still hasn't finished high school, yet Renee fully decided to go in a medical school. It was always her dream to be a nurse.
And that dream will be delayed by that stupid Hogwarts School.
It was a quiet breakfast. Renee was still livid at her mother that she slammed the door as she exited the house for a walk and to clear her mind. She was already static to start her school year now, and all of those were destroyed by a single letter. Her feet lead her in the nearest park and angrily sat at her favorite spot, a bench under the tree that has a clear view of the playground. She sighed loudly as she gazed at the kids playing with envy, how I wished I could have those innocent lives like them.
Renee never had a normal childhood like those kids she was seeing right now. She never even had close friends as her classmates were always avoiding her for some reason. When she was eleven years old, she had a field trip with her class in a zoo. They were at the reptile section when Renee noticed the big snake sleeping in its cage. Some of her classmates keep knocking in the glass to make it move.
"Stop it! Can't you see it's sleeping?" she scolded them. They angrily looked at her and went away.
"Sorry, my classmates were just stupid. They don't know you're sleeping" She whispered at the snake as she apologized for them,
I looked foolish…talking to a snake is a stupid idea, she thought. But the most surprisingly was when the snake replied.
"It's okay. I've always got that everyday" the snake raised its head at her and winked.
"You can understand me?" Renee almost whispered. She never had a chance to talk to snake everyday. Why can I understand the snake on the first place? The question filled her mind.
Before the snake could reply, her mean classmates went back as they saw the snake already moved.
"Hey move aside!" her meanest classmate Ben shoved her and stumbled at the floor. Renee looked at them darkly. And to her surprise, the glass surprisingly disappeared that her two classmates leaning on the glass fell in the snake's cage. The big snake went outside the cage and gave her a small goodbye before it went outside, scaring all the people at the zoo.
After that incident, Isabel was called at the school because her classmates were accusing her that Renee was the culprit of the snake's escape and the glass disappearance.
"And where did I put the glass…in my pocket?" Renee sarcastically told them. Of course no one believed the boys, and she went home without any punishments from the school.
"It was ridiculous that I was the one to blame at the disappearance!" Renee complained at her mother as they were heading home.
I was also there when that happened and also surprise! Though I was half pleased of what happened to them (they were always mean to her), it's not like I make it like that, she thought.
That's when Isabel explained that she was a witch. "Not some ordinary witch" she remembered Isabel telling to her. She said she was only a quarter muggle and already expecting that extraordinary things will happen to her.
Isabel started to teach her basic magic that she learned at her previous school. She taught her potions, Herbology and even charms. It became the start of Renee being exposed to her real identity. And at a little age she learned to keep secrets from her classmates (being a witch) and to her mother, for talking to a snake. It was really unnecessary to keep that a secret to her mother, but she keeps it on herself anyway.
Renee could still vividly remember the first time she got to see a wizarding community, a place where she doesn't need to pretend or hide. It was also the day when Isabel took her to buy some books for her home study and bring along their current house elf.
There is a certain memory she will never forget in that excursion. After buying books, Isabel left her in a shabby looking store telling her that the latter needed to meet someone while Renee was looking for a wand. The girl opened the door, and surprised for seeing a giant looking man. He was also with a boy around her age, holding a wand on his right hand with astonishment.
"Very good, that will be your wand" the older man told the boy. The giant man gave him the strange money, the same money Isabel gave her and went outside with the boy.
As the boy passed, Renee noticed the lightning scar on his forehead. She looked at him peculiarly, as she didn't know that she was already seeing the boy who lived. The boy touched the scar as he passed Renee was if it was hurting.
"Are you okay?" Renee heard the giant man asked.
"My scar burns" she heard the boy replied at the giant man as they went away.
What a funny looking scar, she thought as she continue to gaze at their direction.
"What can I do for you Miss Matte?" the old man asked. Renee was startled and gazed at the old man.
"How did you…"
"Oh, I just know my dear. It was like yesterday when your mother bought her wand for the first time" He said as he randomly selecting slender boxes he has in his shelves.
And it wasn't yesterday when he cleaned his store; she thought and snorted to herself.
"Now try this" He offered Renee a slender piece of wood. She looked at the old man and he smiled eagerly in reply.
Renee pointed the wand at the boxes that suddenly flew out of the shelves, making a big mess. She returned the wand on the man's hand, worried that he might be angry of what she did.
"Well, I'm not surprised. Your mother was liked that when she was picking her wand" He said, as if he was already used on those kind of scenes.
After trial and error in finding the right wand for her, they already found the right one. It was slender and straight wand. As Renee gave her the strange money, the man looked at her thoughtfully before she went away.
"I'm also curious of what will happen to you, my dear. Please be careful. Have a nice day" He said and went back at his table. In a swish of his wand, the boxes returned to their proper places and the whole store was back as it is.
Renee went outside, thinking about the man had said. She shoved it aside thinking that it wasn't really that important. She completely had forgotten the man as she looked at the displays at the stores as she passed by. She finally passed a Quidditch store and stared at the broomstick in the glass pane.
"That's the nimbus 2000! The fastest broom in the world!" one of the kids beamed as his nose were touching the glass.
So they were using broomsticks like in some fairytales huh, she thought as she gazed at the boy drooling on it. It was then two boys with same faces came to get him.
"Hey Ron, don't just stare there. Mum's looking for you" the guy with a lighter shade of hair than the other said to the boy.
"You're drooling on the glass, saliva-Ron" the other guy said, teasing their younger brother.
They went away and Renee could still hear the twins teasing the younger boy between them and continue to walk. She collided with her mother, with an elf at her side.
"What's that?" Renee sacredly pointed the creature at her mother's side.
"This is Toby. He will be our new companion at home. Now that you know the existence of wizards we could finally hire a house elf to make our house chores easier" She explained as she led the way back to their house.
"Okay…but what if people saw him? They will be scared to death" it was actually an advantage for her; Renee was already tired of fast food.
"House elves cannot be easily be seen by muggles, right Toby?" the house elf nodded.
"What's a muggle?" Renee was starting to get confuse at the new things she was learning today.
"That's what we called a non-magic folk" Toby squeaked, making Renee jumped in surprise.
I have many things needed to learn about this world, she thought.
…
Renee opened her eyes after that long time in deep thought; It was then she decided to go back at the house to confront Isabel once more.
A little persuasion couldn't hurt me.
Renee opened the door and saw Toby cleaning the floor. This house elf really didn't know the real meaning of 'rest'.
She sat on the sofa and looked for the remote. When Renee didn't find it, she took her wand from her pocket and murmured "accio remote" under her breath. Mother was out anyway. She started to look for a good show, trying to divert her attention to the problem on hand…but still no avail.
This Hogwarts thing will never be out of my head.
Instead, she turned her attention to the house elf at the floor.
"Toby how is it like to be in wizard world?" Renee asked curiously at the house elf.
"Wizard world is a nice place young mistress. But not all were nice, some were nasty…evil creatures" He stumbled at every word he said.
Yeah, that would be great; it's liked a rat going to a cave of snakes. Renee sighed and noticed the same newspaper lying on the sofa.
She must have read this before she left.
Renee gave up on the idea in getting information at Toby. He has been living for us for more than six years, maybe he doesn't know much about that world anymore. She stood up, turning the TV off and headed to her bedroom.
The fifteen year old paced at her room with her mind in deep thoughts again. I need to deal with this. Maybe I could make some plan to make my Hogwarts life shorter…They must have some unforgivable rules that can make me expelled. Renee began to think of a plan for the mess she got into.
…
A few days passed, and Renee needed to go to Hogwarts today. Mother seems to plan this so well, Renee could easily see that; it was Isabel who respond the admission letter and bought her school supplies so Renee couldn't complain anymore.
Renee just finished packing her things in her trunk when Isabel entered the room, holding some extra books for her to carry.
"Here, Bring this with you" Isabel said, smiling at the sulking teen. She handed the books at her, which was all updated to Renee's amusement. It was like I was under home schooling Hogwarts prepared for me. She sighed and took the books from her mother's hand and squeezed it inside the bulging trunk.
"Do I really have to do this?" Renee asked once again, clinging to that small hope that Isabel will change her mind.
"It's for your own good. Now off you go. Toby will go with you at the station. I have still things to do here" Isabel said, squeezing Renee's hand. She always does something behind my back, and always saying I was too young to know it.
"Take care" Renee choked as she hugged her mother, hoping her voice wouldn't betray her.
"I'll miss you dear. Write to me always, and no funny business! I'll know if you do!" She warned her, half laughing and crying at the same time.