It was a typical sunny day for the seaside town of Whitby. A young woman with short dark hair accompanied by two young girls was finishing their shopping for the day. The older daughter looked around ten. She'd her chocolate-brown hair in long braided pigtails with brightly colored hairbows. Her eyes were the same color as her hair. The younger daughter looked three to four years younger. She had long, loose, ebony hair and hazel eyes. Judging from how the sisters glanced at each other, it was unmistakable that they didn't get along.
"Okay, I believe we've got everything for tonight's dinner. Now, all we need to do is return our library books. Then we can go home and make dinner," their mother informed them.
"Mum! Why don't you wave your wand for once and get things done like a proper witch? I despise pretending to be a Muggle!" snapped the younger daughter, which caused her mother to look panicked.
The woman immediately pulled her daughters to a quiet alleyway and hissed, "We don't talk about the Wizarding World in public, remember? Your father only knows because I told him I was a witch when we married. But when we're out in public, we act like Muggles. It's one thing to use magic in the privacy of our own home. It's another to do it the present of Muggles! Do you understand me, Barbara?" her mother sternly questioned her younger daughter.
Barbara only scowled before muttering, "Fine," as the family continued to the public library. The young, curly-haired librarian greeted her part-time co-worker warmly. "Ariel! How are you doing on this wonderful day?"
"I'm doing perfectly fine, Melinda. Just doing a few quick errands and stopping by to drop off my daughters' library books."
Melinda looked over Ariel's shoulder to see that Ariel's oldest daughter, Mandy, was browsing in the adult section despite only being ten. Barbara, on the other hand? She was still pouting and looking bored."Is everything alright with the girls, Ariel?" Melinda asked quietly.
Ariel said, "Honestly, I think my husband Stuart is correct. That Barb has a personality disorder. We've refused to give into her entitled and bratty behavior. Yet she's still getting worse. She keeps taking things and playing nasty tricks on her older sister.
Like last weekend she had a bucket of water fall onto her sister despite knowing she's got a phobia about water ever since she nearly drowned when she was five," Ariel informed her colleague. She didn't mention how Barbara abused her magic to suspend the bucket over her sister's doorway. Mandy had freaked out so badly that her witchcraft caused all the light bulbs in the lamps to burst.
Ariel's sympathetic friend only shook her head, "I'm sorry to hear that. I also know your husband, a top child psychologist, can't even treat his child. It'd be unethical. I do hope you look into getting her some help."
"Well, Mandy has been learning about mental health and how to treat it. She also wants to be a child psychologist when she gets older. Multiple individuals would greatly benefit if mental health services were available." Ariel admired her daughter's dream of being the first Wizarding World therapist. One of the reasons she'd fallen for her husband Stuart was because of how he helped heal people's minds.
Furthermore, given all the trauma the Wizarding World had experienced over the last few centuries? It was high time that the Ministry approved getting people counseling instead of disregarding mental trauma and letting them suffer.
The two librarians finished their conversion, and the Brocklehursts headed homeward. When they got home, Ariel started using magic to whip up dinner and set the table. Meanwhile, the girls were sent to their rooms to do their homework. Mandy had always been a good student, getting top marks in every class. Her sister couldn't care less about studying. Barbara again loathed any form of Muggle behavior, and doing homework for a school full of Muggles drove her around the bend.
Yet girls could only go to Hogwarts once they were eleven. They'd already established themselves as witches from a young age. Still, like every other magical child, they'd wait until they turned eleven.
Soon, their father came home from work, and while his wife and eldest daughter greeted him warmly, Barb remained apathetic. Mandy spent most of the dinner asking her father about his job. He was more then willing to help her understand psychology. He then asked his younger daughter if she had anything she wished to share.
Barbara only rudely stated, "Yes, I wish we didn't have to hide what we are because of you shamefully!" and stormed out of the room, not touching her dinner.
Ariel took her husband's hand and shook her head, "We'll discipline her when we're both calmer. No need to make the situation worse by confronting her when we're both not calm."
"All I've ever done is try to be a good husband and father. I've helped hundreds of children over my career. But somehow, I can't help my daughter?" he miserably replied.
"Don't worry, Dad! I will always love and respect you. Even if Barbara doesn't!" she assured her father.
Her father smiled, "Thanks, sweetie. Here," he handed her a thick book, "Why don't you go to your room and read it while you're mother and I talk?"
"Yes, Daddy!" as she scampered up to her room. The parents did talk about what they should do concerning their youngest daughter. They couldn't send her to another therapist because she would reveal herself as a witch to spite them, not even caring it was illegal. Still, there had to be something they could do to help get their youngest off the dangerous path she seemed hellbent on taking. They didn't know what to do about it yet.
About a month later, Mandy got her Hogwarts letter! The family arranged a day to go to Diagon Alley to get their daughter's school supplies. Mandy couldn't wait for that day to come!
Mandy Brockhurst:
Ariel: Mother: Witch and works as a part-time librarian.
Stuart: Father: Muggle and works as a child psychologist
Barbara: Younger sister: witch and an entitled brat.