A/N: Here I have the second chapter of my new story! I hope you all like it, and followers please review and give me some suggestions! I'll be putting questions out there pretty often.
Anomaly
Chapter 2
Walking briskly down Morrie Road, Mr. Evengle scratched his back again. He always found the fabric of Muggle clothing to be extremely irritating. No matter how many times he wore it to these meetings, Mr. Evengle could never get used to it. This Muggle street, he noticed, was quite different from most Muggle streets he had been to. Instead of seeing the well-groomed lawns and hearing no sound at all, there were a lot of people chatting outside, children playing, and the houses were colorful and interestingly shaped. Finally, he approached a small green house at the end of the street with a small sign with the name 'Daniels' painted on it.
A teenage girl opened the door. "Er, hello, sir, can I help you?"
"I'm here to see Melanie Daniels and a parental figure, please," said Mr. Evengle.
The girl bore a look of shock on her face. "Sorry? How do you know my name?"
"Oh, you're Melanie? Lovely to meet you. May I come in?" he asked, offering his hand.
She stared at it for a moment, nodded, and waved him in. "Mum!" she called. "There's a man here to see us, he's called…" Melanie looked at him, eyebrows raised.
Mr. Evengle cleared his throat. "Evengle," he said. "Robert Evengle."
"Robert Evengle!" she shouted.
After a moment, a woman wrapped in a shawl with straggly, brown hair and a dead look in her eyes came down the stairs. She smiled wearily at her daughter.
Melanie smiled back. "Hi, Mum. Sleep well?"
Mr. Evengle glanced at his watch; it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon.
Mrs. Daniels nodded. "Yes, thanks, love. Now, who is this?"
"Mrs. Daniels, I'm Mr. Robert Evengle. Feel free to call me by my first name. I have rather important information to discuss with you and your daughter. Perhaps it would be better if we sat down?" He gestured to the couch.
Giving him an odd look, Mrs. Daniels nodded and moved to sit. "Would you like something to eat or drink, Mr. Evengle?" she asked politely.
"No, thank you," he said. "This is a matter of utmost importance, and I suggest you keep your minds open. You may want to throw me out of the house, but please consider what I have to say."
Melanie's insides were gripped with fear. Who was he? What could it be?
"Melanie," he said directly to her. "Lately, have you ever felt you could do things that were out of the ordinary, and different? Perhaps when you were upset, or afraid, or angry?"
She gulped and nodded. Oh God. He had come to tell her she was a loony. He was a doctor taking her to a psycho ward. He was from a government-funded organization to come get loonies like her and train them to be assassins.
"Now, first, I must explain something to you both. You're going to need to remain calm." He waited, testing their reactions. "Millions of years ago, there were men and women who taught themselves basic witchcraft, and passed their learning to their children, and so on. As these people evolved, the witchcraft became a part of their system, a part of their blood. Magical blood slowly came into existence. Today, real wizards and witches coexist with non-magical people, living in their own world, concealing themselves so as not to attract attention or alarm anyone."
"So what you're saying," Melanie interrupted, "is that magic is real, and so are wizards and witches?"
Mr. Evengle sighed. "Yes, that's basically what I'm saying. Please don't be alarmed," he said, looking at both women. "Wizards are just like non-magical people, but with the ability to control magical elements."
Mrs. Daniels stared at him wide-eyed. "But…but…why? Why tell us this? Is something happening? Are you going to tell everyone?"
"No, no," said Mr. Evengle. "Don't panic, Mrs. Daniels. I'm telling only you this, because our records show that your daughter, Melanie, recently received a transfusion of Wizard blood."
Melanie froze. "Wh-what? That would make me a—"
"Witch, yes. The reason this is different is, well, this has never happened before. Most wizards don't generally donate blood, and even if they have there has never been a case like this. All wizards and witches until now have been born as such.
"So…Melanie has magical powers now?" Mrs. Daniels whispered.
"Not quite," said Mr. Evengle. Melanie's heart sank. She had started to grow quite excited. "You see," he continued, "all wizards and witches are required by law to attend a wizarding school or be homeschooled in order to control their magic. If they don't, it can go absolutely out of control. That's why I'm here. Because you live in England, you're under this Ministry of Magic's jurisdiction—"
"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Melanie repeated skeptically.
Nodding, Mr. Evengle continued, "That means you'll be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, unless you choose to have an education out of the country. However, I do assure you that Hogwarts is the best school of witchcraft in the world."
There was a long pause. "Listen sir," said Melanie, "I don't know about this. I mean, how do I know you're telling the truth? How do I know you're not some, like, crazy kidnapper and you're gonna take me for a ransom or something?"
Without a word, Mr. Evengle pulled a long, wooden stick out of his pocket and pointed it at a little photo frame on the side table. It levitated into the air, spun around three times, and set itself back down. The two women were left breathless.
"My God," Mrs. Daniels whispered. "You're saying Melanie can do that?"
"Not yet," replied Mr. Evengle. "But she will be able to once she has received proper education."
Melanie felt her insides clench violently. She would never be the same again. "Can I make it go away?" she asked. "Like, is it possible?"
"No, I'm afraid not, Melanie," said Mr. Evengle. "But I assure you, you won't want to for much longer. Magic is a wonderful and useful gift. You'll love it, really."
"So what happens at Hog-whatsit? What do I learn?"
"Well, you learn various magical subjects which will teach you how to control your magic."
"What if—what if I don't wanna go to a magic school?" Melanie asked desperately. "What if I wanna go to a regular school and learn English and Math and Science and all those things?"
"Unfortunately, that isn't going to be possible," he said, standing up. "Melanie, if you don't go to a Wizarding school, your magic will become a danger to you and your mother, and everyone else you know."
Melanie's face contorted. God knew she couldn't even consider inflicting harm on her mother after the accident. They were still healing; precious little time had passed. Silently, she nodded her consent. "Fine. I'll go to this Hoggy place."
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," he said. "I do have your letter of admission, and your supply list. It will be convenient for your education that it is the summertime, and you'll be able to start at the beginning of term, rather than the middle. However, it will be necessary for you to come in and take private tutoring so as to reach the level you should be at."
"Oh no," she breathed. "Please tell me I don't have to sit in class with five-year-olds!"
Mr. Evengle chuckled. "No, no, dear. You'll be with classmates your age, perhaps a year younger. And Wizarding school always begins at the age of eleven, not five. As you are fifteen, we hope you'll be placed in fifth year." He turned to Mrs. Daniels. "Are you in agreement with your daughter's decision?"
Mrs. Daniels turned to Melanie. "Are you sure, Melanie?"
She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."
"Very well," said Mr. Evengle as he approached the door. "By the end of the week we'll send someone to take you to get your school supplies and bring you to Hogwarts."
"Wait!" cried Melanie. "Can…can my mum come?" she asked hesitantly.
The man turned around, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, Melanie. Hogwarts is a boarding school. You'll be staying on the grounds during the term. You may come home for vacations."
Melanie hesitated. "You'll have to give us time to think about it," she decided.
He nodded. "All right. You can tell the representative at the end of the week your decision."
She smiled. "Thanks."
"I'll let myself out." And he did.
"Come now, Melanie, you heard what the man said. If you don't learn to control your magic, it'll go out of control!"
"But mum, I really can't just leave you alone!"
Melanie felt her argument was quite solid. Nothing was going to sway her, and her mother seemed to recognize that.
"Well, how about this?" She attempted to compromise. "I'll sell the house—"
"Mum!" she protested.
"I'll sell the house," Mrs. Daniels repeated, louder, "and I'll move closer to wherever this Hogwarts is. You'll have to stay on the campus but maybe you can visit on weekends or something." Her mother looked hopeful.
Melanie took a long pause. "Oh fine," she sighed, frustrated. "You win. I'll go."
Mrs. Daniels squealed and ran to hug her daughter tightly. "Oh, my baby is going to make such an amazing witch!" she whispered over and over.
A/N: I hope you liked it! Questions: I've been thinking of what kind of story I should make this. In terms of plotline, my Forever Young has drama and adventure, but I don't know if I should make this have a deep and mysterious plotline or just a light and simple romantic comedy. What do you all think? Also, who thinks Mr. Evengle should become a major character? Personally, I kind of like him, but give me your thoughts!
~Maya
