The First Muggleborn
Chapter 6
The next two weeks passed by in a flurry of packing and owls. Rowena had kept her word and an owl arrived the very next day, bearing a letter that described the details of Arabella's arrival at Hogwarts. Due to her unusual circumstances, Bella would be permitted to arrive in a carriage, until alternative arrangement could be arranged. Because of this, she would need to leave at least a week in advance of the start of term.
There was also the problem with the carriage driver: who could drive the carriage without finding out about Hogwarts? Rowena had told Catherine and Arabella not to worry about that; it would be taken care of once she arrived. The explanation was rather cryptic, and both women worried that whoever drove might wind up not returning, but they had agreed to put their trust in these people and prayed that whoever was selected for the journey would return unharmed.
Eventually, the day came when Arabella had her bags loaded onto the carriage, with one of the stablemen waiting for her to get in. There had been a few more incidents of what Rowena had referred to as "accidental magic" and neither Catherine, nor Arabella, wanted to risk Richard stumbling on any of them, so they thought it best to leave with a few extra days for travel. It was August 22, and both of Arabella's parents stood in front of the manor, tearfully sending her off—well, her mother was anyway. Richard stood, ever the imposing figure, making sure to hug his eldest child with as much dignity as he could muster. Bella knew him well though, and could see how much he was already missing her. Her younger siblings had little idea what was going on, but Bella gave them both hugs regardless.
"Be safe, Bella," her mother told her, as she gave a firm hug. "Make sure you learn all you can. Nothing can go wrong."
"I understand mother," and she did. Arabella needed to learn how to control this magic within her before something terrible happened, or someone accused her openly of being a witch, no matter how truthful that claim was. "I won't disappoint you."
After boarding the carriage, Arabella waved to her family as they grew smaller and smaller in the distance, until she could no longer see them through the growing forestation that she traveled through.
It didn't take very long for her to get bored. In fact, it was likely no more than a half hour before she began to fidget with restlessness. This would be a long trip. She tried to quell her fidgeting by reminding herself that she didn't get the opportunity to leave Wessex often and should take advantage of the sights she passed.
As she looked out the window, she wasn't impressed. Trees. Lots and lots of trees. Since her father was an avid hunter, she knew that there were many different types of trees and there were ways you could tell them apart, but to Bella, they were all brown and had leaves.
She must have fallen asleep at some point, because after a few moments of tree gazing, she was being lightly shaken awake by Osbeorn, the driver. They had reached a small village and he thought she would want to stop to eat and stretch. She did, and as Bella began to step out of the carriage, realized how tight her young muscles had become over the few hours they had been riding. She followed Osbeorn around the village until they came upon a home that took them in and fed them. Fortunately, Catherine had given Osbeorn money to compensate anyone they came across. After they ate and rested, the pair returned to the carriage and Bella reluctantly settled in for another few boring hours of travel.
Arabella's travel consisted of much the same level of excitement throughout the entire journey. She spent her time sightseeing through her window, practicing her embroidery, and humming tunes to herself. At one point the horse lost a shoe, but fortunately the carriage wasn't far from a village, so it was repaired relatively quickly.
When it became too dark for Osbeorn to see the path each evening, they either spent the night in a nearby village, or Arabella would have to make due with her carriage, while the older man tried to make himself comfortable sleeping outside. Bella consoled her mind by convincing herself that he must be comfortable in all sorts of strange environments. He normally worked in the pasture and likely slept in the barn. Briefly, the girl wondered if he was married, having never taken the time to learn much about the people who worked in her family's manor.
After nearly a week, Arabella noticed the carriage had slowed somewhat, so she peered out the window and realized that they had arrived at a sort of town. There were people milling about in every direction, but what had likely caught Osbeorn's attention and caused the slowed pace of the carriage was the blatant use of magic among the population. Every which way Bella looked, witches and wizards had their wands out and were casting spells or curses or whatever they were called. One woman, not far from the carriage, had magicked her bags to float behind her as she walked. It was at her whom Osbeorn was staring at, unaware that the horse was slowing to a stop, with a determined gaze on some grass by the side of the pathway.
"Osbeorn!" Bella called to him from her window. She caught his attention and saw that his eyes had grown wide as a deer who knew it was trapped.
"Yes mi'Lady?"
"Why have we stopped?"
"I-there's-witchcraft," he responded uncomfortably, in a whisper.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Keep driving." Bella didn't know how to refute his claims that there were witches surrounding them, when there most definitely were witches surrounding them. At least she knew that they meant her no harm and they would pass through with no quarrel.
The carriage sped up quite a bit more after that and Arabella assumed the man was eager to leave the town he had so unwittingly led them in to. She smiled to herself for a moment. A small part of her seemed to enjoy that one day people might be this nervous around her simply because she had power over them. Unfortunately for Osbeorn, it was getting late and Arabella had absolutely no intention of sleeping in her carriage while there was a perfectly good village right there. She instructed him to pull the carriage over and join her in searching for somewhere to stay for the night.
After a short walk, the pair came across an interesting looking building that advertised rooms to let on a board outside the front door. Bella pushed open the door, with her companion close by her heels. There weren't many people inside, and those who were appeared bedraggled and foreboding. Attempting to push her unease aside and be brave in a scary environment, Arabella strode to what appeared to be a service counter. There stood a crusty looking man who was bent over the counter and rolling some coins around on top of the rough wood.
"Pardon me, sir." Bella began, he voice not as determined as she had planned.
"Eh?" The man glared up at her from his huddled position. Osbeorn's hand gripped Bella's shoulder tightly.
"My companion and I are in need of accommodations for the night. I saw a sign for rooms as we came inside." Crusty looked from Bella to Osbeorn, and back again, with a questionable smirk on his face.
"Lucky man," he said as he began searching for a key in the drawer behind the counter. "Maybe you'd give me a chance with 'er when you're done, eh?" Bella stared confusedly at the barman, but felt Osbeorn stiffen next to her.
"You will watch your tongue! Lady Arabella Atterberry is of noble birth and will be treated as such!" Osbeorn's face had grown bright red from the amount of blood that rushed there, before fading dramatically to a pale white after realized his outburst. Crusty lifted an eyebrow and handed Osbeorn the key.
"Tha'll be one Galleon."
"A what?" Bella's companion asked.
"A Galleon. You think this is free?"
"Here, sir," Arabella handed the wizarding money to the man across from her. During their correspondence via owl, Professor Ravenclaw had been gracious enough to exchange some of Arabella's muggle money for wizarding currency on her behalf, at the Wizarding Council, so she wouldn't have too much trouble on her way to school.
The man grunted in response to her offering and pocketed the coin.
"Name's Rosmerta. Murtagh Rosmerta."
"Thank you, sir."
"Be off wi' ya then." Before he could say anything else offensive, Bella grabbed Osbeorn's arm and led him in the direction Mr. Rosmerta pointed them.
Their room was nothing special. It was actually far below Bella's standards and she honestly almost considered sleeping in the carriage after all. But the sky looked like rain and poor Osbeorn already appeared to be coming down with something after the past week of questionable sleeping arrangements.
She was considerate enough, but not unselfish; she still claimed the bed for herself.
The pair quickly grew hungry, so the eleven-year-old handed her companion some wizarding money, which he inspected curiously but raised no questions, and sent him back to Crusty Rosmerta for some food. The amount she gave him must have been significant, because Osbeorn returned with nearly as much food as would normally be served for a feast at home.
"The fellow downstairs said we were in someplace called Hogsmeade. Strange sort of place isn't it?" Bella could tell Osbeorn was attempting to find out if she knew something he didn't about their destination and the strangeness of what had been going on.
"I suppose it's a funny name."
"And a funny town, wouldn't you say?"
"I...haven't noticed anything strange." He didn't appear satisfied, but kept his mouth shut anyway.
When their meal was over, Osbeorn left the room so Bella could dress for bed in privacy. When she alerted him that she had finished and was safely covered, he returned and removed his warm coat, before taking a pillow Bella had offered him, and curling up on his side at the far end of the room.
It took some time for the girl to drift off. As she lay there though, she took stock of the day. They had finally arrived at Hogsmeade! Professor Ravenclaw had told her that Hogwarts was a short distance from the village, so they would likely arrive at the school the following day. Bella wondered though, about how Osbeorn was able to enter the town. The older woman had also said it was enchanted to ward off non-magic folk. Then again: Magic. Bella sighed in mild frustration and rolled over.
"Miss!" Bella grumbled in response from under the furs covering her. "Miss!" She peeked one eye open, but saw only the inside of the skin. "Miss! We must be leaving!"
"Go back to sleep." She ordered her sleep disruptor.
"Miss, we should not tarry. The institution waits."
"What?"
"Your Hogwarts."
"Oh...right." Arabella rubbed her eyes clear of morning fogginess and noticed the hairs on Osbeorn's arm were standing on end. Remembering how the stable cats at home reacted in the same way when frightened, the blonde took some pity on the man and hurried herself a bit more so they could leave. The dark-haired man appeared quite grateful and made an effort to calmly leave Bella in some privacy.
Once downstairs, he practically inhaled his breakfast (some sort of vegetable stew, but which vegetables, Bella couldn't be sure). Bella ate somewhat more delicately, but still tried to make haste. Osbeorn then stood by the entrance as she wiped the corners of her mouth and politely bid Crusty Rosmerta goodbye. He only grunted in reply.
Dawn had only just arrived, meaning only a few people were wandering the pebbled road. Not many were using magic either, and those who were only performed minor tasks and mischief. Some children in an alleyway, perhaps a year or two older than Bella, really, had somehow managed to change a frog into a goblet and proceeded to change it back and forth several times. When Osbeorn asked Arabella if she could see this, she blamed his "hallucinations" on the early morning and tiredness. Whether he believed her or not, Bella felt that the carriage moved much faster than it had all week.
A thick Scottish fog had settled over the hills in the distance, but as the carriage bounced along, a silhouette could be seen forming through the grey mist. Bella's eyes widened as she spotted towers so tall they must have been touching the clouds in the sky. Part of the ground level appeared to have been carved from a cliffside, as though the structure had naturally grown from the rock. In fact, the bricks that made up the rest of the castle, for that's truly what this place looked like, looked as though they may in fact have been made from the same stone it grew from. Surely some amount of magic was responsible for its formation.
The carriage grew closer, and with it, so did Arabella. She remembered to blink only when her eyes dried out and began to burn. This was when she pulled her attention away from the skyward spires and toward the massive lake that seemed to encircle her new school. The morning mist had begun to burn off in the early August morning heat, but puffs of fog continued to roll across the surface. Once, she even spotted the tail of a fish breaching the water, far larger than any she had ever seen.
No one stood at the main door to welcome Arabella and her companion, much to the blonde's disappointment. After a few moments of looking at their surroundings, Osbeorn strode forward to push the great wooden doors open. Bella suspected his eagerness to get inside might have had something to do with the muttering weasel that was slowly making its way over to them from a grassy patch several yards away. She couldn't be sure, but it sounded like the creature was spewing profanities at them.
Once the pair was safely inside, they could see that finding someone to welcome them would be a challenge. The entrance hall split off into many different hallways and staircases, some of which Bella saw were moving! Osbeorn had taken it upon himself to search their surroundings though, and had made his way to another set of massive doors. They must have been very heavy, for he struggled to pry them open, but once he did, he and Bella could see another vast room, this time with long tables inside.
"Oh, it's you." Bella glanced to the sound of the voice and spotted Helena sitting at one of the tables. This one had a blue banner with some type of bird hanging over it.
"Helena! Hello. Do you know if there is anyone here?" Helena turned away with a bored expression and closed the large book she had been writing in.
"Yes. I suppose I can take you to my mother; she's in her office."
"Of course. Thank you." Helena kept a brisk pace as she led the pair back the way they came and up several staircases. When the group had arrived at yet another door, Helena knocked once, and entered without waiting for a response.
"Helena, dear! I thought you were- Oh Arabella! You've arrived!" Professor Ravenclaw was sitting at her desk across the room, but quickly rose to greet the newcomers.
"Hello Professor," Bella sputtered out as she was engulfed in a tight hug from the woman.
"If that is all, I will be going now."
"Helena, there's no need to be so dour. Haven't you missed Miss Arabella?"
"Not particularly." The group stood for a moment in the now awkward silence.
"I'll go back the Great Hall now. I was studying." Without waiting for a rebuttal from her mother, the dark-haired eleven-year-old turned and disappeared down the hall.
"Classes haven't even started yet...No doubt she'll be sorted into our house." The professor muttered to no one in particular. "I see you have a companion. What is your name sir?"
"Osbeorn, ma'am."
"Hello, Osbeorn. I'm Professor Rowena Ravenclaw. Would you do me a great kindness and sit for a moment?" The man walked over to a nearby chair and did as he was asked, although he seemed very suspicious, especially after having witnessed the strangeness of the past day.
Rowena made her way over to her desk and picked up the wand that Bella had now seen several times before.
"How long was your journey?" She asked, tapping the tip of her wand against her chin.
"About a week, ma'am."
"And would you say you saw anything strange on your travels?" Poor Osbeorn glanced at Arabella desperately, before responding.
"Well, I suppose...there were a few things..."
"Obliviate." Bella was taken quite by surprise at the Professor's sudden use of the spell. She wasn't sure what it was supposed to accomplish, but as she watched Osbeorn, she saw that his expression changed from one of near panic, to that of a thoroughly confused man, before he promptly lost consciousness.
"Very good. Moppy!" Before Bella had a chance to ask what a Moppy was, or if it was another spell, a small creature wearing a glorified rag appeared in the middle of the room. It almost looked human, except for its incredibly short stature, excessively wrinkled skin, and large floppy ears.
"Yes, what can Moppy do for Mistress?" The creature gazed up at Mistress Ravenclaw with eyes three times larger than a normal human's.
"Could you please let the others know that the magbob witch is here? Then take this man to a nearby muggle village and make sure he's safe until he wakes?" Bella glanced back to Osbeorn, who was slumped in the chair and beginning to snore. "And please make sure his carriage is nearby."
"As Mistress wishes." The little creature practically hopped over to Osbeorn and grabbed his hand before snapping its fingers and disappearing again.
"Magbob?" Bella questioned.
"Oh, don't worry about that dear. It's just a term that's been floating around to describe what you are."
"I don't understand."
"Your magic just...bobbed up! I didn't come up with it. I'm not quite sure who did, but it seems to be catching."
"Oh." What could Arabella do about this strange word being used to define her? Not much.
"And what was that...thing?"
"What thing, dear?"
"The-uh...the little person that was just here."
"Oh! That was a House Elf, Arabella. You likely won't see many of them, but there are many here at the castle, should you need anything. Just call out their names. That was Moppy, as you've probably assumed. Now, let's get you to Godric's office. The other Founders are very eager to meet you. We haven't had a witch born to muggle parents before!"
It was another few minutes walking before the pair arrived at a statue of a gargoyle.
"Fortem." Bella understood the Latin word for 'brave' and watched as the gargoyle jumped aside and allowed the two women to enter the door it was apparently guarding. The older woman knocked and waited for the person inside to bid them enter.
"Greetings!" A large man, who somewhat resembled her father, with bright red hair stood in front of an ornate desk. He smiled broadly at the two witches who entered his office and welcomed them to take a seat. "I am Godric Gryffindor. The others should be here shortly."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Headmaster." Bella curtsied before taking her seat.
"Headmaster?" The man glanced from Bella to his fellow professor. "Rowena, have you been filling this poor girl's head with misinformation?" Professor Ravenclaw just smirked and sipped a cup of tea she had served herself.
"You know you're the best man for the position. The others agree. Why won't you just concede?"
"We've gone over this; I don't want to be Headmaster. We all founded this school and we all have equal stakes in it." Bella glanced back and forth between the magical people in the room and sipped a cup of tea that Rowena presented to her in between their bickering.
It didn't take long for a knock to sound at the door and a stout woman appeared after being invited inside. She was closely followed by a bald man with a pointed beard, who glared at her and kept his distance.
"Is this the girl? She doesn't look strange at all!" The new witch announced to Professors Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, in a Welsh accent.
"Of course not Helga, she's a witch, not a grindylow." Rowena laughed from her seat next to Arabella.
"It's such a pleasure to meet you, My name is Helga Hufflepuff and this sour fellow," she gestured to the bald man in the corner, "is Salazar Slytherin. Welcome to Hogwarts."
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