As Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Samantha, Stephanie, and Lily walked along in Hogsmeade with James leading the way for the others who hadn't been in Hogsmeade before, they were bitterly disappointed to see that Splintwitches Sporting Needs was closed for remodeling. As they continued to walk on, they passed a small white tent with a black? on it.
"Let's go see who or what is inside!" said James curiously.
Obviously, this was not part of the plan Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Samantha, Stephanie, and Lily had laid out for their first Hogsmeade trip.
But when James said he wanted to go see who or what was inside the tent, it meant that Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Samantha, Stephanie, and Lily were going to go and see what was inside the tent. Everyone present knew that Devon and James were the true bosses of the group and that going against the wishes of either Devon or James was a major no-no.
Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Samantha, Stephanie, and Lily all approached the slowly. Being that it was Halloween, just about anything could be found inside a tent marked with a?
But what was actually inside the tent was a girl. A girl who looked like a younger Stephanie.
When Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Samantha, Stephanie, and Lily entered the tent, the girl and Stephanie stared at each other in loud stunned silence for a minute and a nanosecond.
Then, with Stephanie and the girl still staring at each other, Stephanie's mouth opened wide.
"Courtney! You're alive!", "squealed a stunned Stephanie.
Courtney's mouth now opened wide and she exclaimed, "Stephanie! You're alive!"
"Courtney, sis, I thought you were dead. Your death was even reported in the Daily Prophet," said Stephanie heavily.
"Stephanie, I didn't know whether you died or escaped. I've been on the run since we lost our parents and our home. The ONLY reason that I survived is because I was outside at the time of the fire. If my death was reported, it would be because I was presumed dead when I was never seen or heard from after the incident, "explained Courtney.
"What did you see after the fire?" Stephanie asked Courtney urgently, feeling a need to know as much as she possibly could about the day her life changed forever.
At this point, both Courtney and Stephanie started to tear up a bit.
"I s-saw o-our home totally gu- gutted and m- mom's and d- dad's dead bodies a little outside where our back door had been. It seemed to me that they h- had escaped the fl- flames but died of smoke inhalation."
"I c- can't imagine what that was like to have seen," cried Stephanie guiltily, "I appaarated to the Ministry of Magic and informed Minister Shacklebolt that a massive fire had swept through my house. Investigators later found the house burnt to- totally down and m-mom and d- dad-dead."
"I know you're a witch," explained Courtney, "But because you are not a natural born witch, I assumed your magic was weak."
"Plenty of muggleborns have strong magic-" began Lily but Courtney cut her off.
"Stephanie isn't even a muggleborn," explained Courtney patiently, "Muggleborns are born with their magic. Stephanie is a natural born muggle who had a magical core surgically implanted into her just after she turned 11 so she could become a witch."
"On my eleventh birthday," said Stephanie clearly, "Professor McGonagall visited my house. She explained to me that she was looking to perform an experiment on whether muggles could be made into witches and wizards and if so to what degree. A magical core would be surgically inserted into me. A magical core has never been inserted into a muggle before, so no one had any idea what to expect. McGonagall warned me she couldn't guarantee me success in the Wizarding World. Still I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking the offer. If it didn't work out, I could go back to living in the muggle world with no harm done. If it did work out, well, what a wonderful opportunity."
"You told us you were muggleborn!" said James in a steely voice, "You never said you were a natural born muggle who had a magical core inserted into you, you liar!"
"Professor McGonagall told me that she preferred for as few people as possible to know about this experiment. At some point this experiment and its results result will become public but McGonagall wishes to be the one who chooses when that time is. Up until now, the only living people who knew about this were myself, Courtney, McGonagall, and Healer, the Healer who performed the procedure to insert the magical core into me.," Stephanie informed them.
Courtney's head dropped guiltily.
"Damn!" said Courtney regretfully, "I blew it. McGonagall DID tell the entire family not to going sprouting off about Stephanie being a "non-natural bon witch," and to keep our traps shut. I shouldn't have let that slip. I should have said, "I didn't how powerful a witch you were or something to that effect."
"It's okay, Courtney," said Stephanie, "McGonagall said she wanted as few people as possible to know. She doesn't want the whole school or the whole magical community knowing about this and rumor mongering about it. I know you've only ever met Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Samantha, and Lily a couple of times at King's Cross and even there only for short snippets. But you can rest completely assured that all of them can be trusted to keep secrets and not go shooting their mouths off. I will inform McGonagall that Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Samantha, and Lily now know about this but I'm sure she'll be unconcerned. She knows that they are all very trustworthy people."
Courtney looked relived and then said, "Stephanie, I also owe you an apology."
Seeing the confused looks on the faces of Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Samantha, and Lily, Courtney piped up in a sad, somber, guilty voice, "The last time I saw Stephanie, the last thing I said to my sister was that I hated her and that I hoped I never had to see or speak to her ever again."
"Ouch!" piped up Lily involuntarily, "I can't even begin to imagine how much guilt you must have carried with you about that being the last thing your sister ever heard from you."
"It's been weighing heavily on my heart since that day," said Courtney heavily.
"It was actually a blessing in disguise that you were so angry with me that day," said Stephanie thoughtfully, "You only went outside to get away from me and if you had been inside the house at the time of fire you probably would have died. I say it's all part of God's plan for us."
"There is no god!" chorused Samantha and Lily angrily.
Courtney gave a small nod of agreement towards Stephanie that only Stephanie understood.
"Can I tell them why you were mad at me that night?" Stephanie asked Courtney.
"Yes," answered Courtney simply.
"Courtney and I like both art," explained Stephanie, "I love to draw, and Courtney loves to paint. On the night we lost our home, Courtney had spent the afternoon painting what she thought, and was, a beautiful, perfect painting depiction of a total solar eclipse."
"That painting was inspired by a real total solar eclipse," smiled Courtney, "On August 21st, 2017, mom and dad had taken Stephanie and I on a trip to Nashville to see a total solar eclipse in person."
"All hail mom and dad for giving us that opportunity," said Stephanie appreciatively, "Total solar eclipses don't come around that often."
"The next one isn't until April 8th, 2024 and will extend from Texas to Maine," said Courtney matter of factly, "To one in person was a breathtaking treat."
"TV and the internet don't do it justice," said Stephanie.
"But my painting came close," said Courtney proudly.
"And I wrecked it," admitted Stephanie sadly, "Courtney asked me to come up to her room and told me she had something she wanted to show me. Courtney usually didn't allow me into her room, so I knew this had to be something big. I got a glimpse of this majestic painting of a total solar eclipse and I..."
"Spit it out, Stephanie," said Courtney encouragingly, "I have since forgiven you."
"I spilled soda on the painting, ruining it," said Stephanie guiltily, her head drooping, "Courtney was really angry and told me at the top of her lungs that she hated me and that she never wanted to see me or speak to me ever again and she ran outside. Mom and dad overheard this and when I told them why Courtney was angry with me, they understood her anger but felt she had gone too far in saying that she never wanted to see or speak to me again."
"It must have so frustrating to spend the whole afternoon working on that painting, do a wonderful job on it, and have it ruined," said Samantha sympathetically.
"It was," said Courtney clearly, "But mom and dad were right about me going too far. I realized that the next morning. I have had to carry this wrench in my heart the whole time that I've been on the run that the last thing my sister ever heard from me was that I hated her and never wanted to see her ever again. And the fact that we separated from each other merely hours after I said that..."
Courtney trailed off but realized, "But it WAS a blessing in disguise. Everything happens for a reason. I was meant to survive and if that's what had to happen for me to survive, so be it."
"Going forward," said Lily encouragingly, "Let this experience serve as a lesson. Tomorrow is never guaranteed, and you should never say something like that to a loved one because you never know if it will be the last time you see them alive."
Courtney nodded and said, "I think that is a good lesson to learn, but I think it was meant for me to survive, Stephanie where have you lived since we lost our home?"
"For a very brief time I was in an orphanage-
"That's why I ran away," said Courtney timidly, "I was so scared, and I was terrified of having to live in an orphanage. I've heard too many horror stories about them."
"Well, Samantha read in the Evening prophet that night about us losing our house and parents and about me being in an orphanage," Stephanie informed Courtney, "She persuaded her parents, Samuel and Sarah Saver, to adopt me. I have been living with the Savers whist not at Hogwarts ever since. I have also changed my last name to Saver, both as a token of appreciation for what the Savers did for me in taking me in and because I felt like in order to get on with my life and move on, I needed to leave the name Baylac in the past."
"Courtney," said Samantha pleadingly, "I didn't know you were still alive. It was certainly never my intent to steal your sister from you."
"Samantha," said Courtney warmly, "Thank you. Thank you for being there for Stephanie and taking care of her. You saved my Stephanie from hell by getting her out of that goddamn orphanage."
"Courtney!" said Stephanie sharply, "We do NOT take God's name in vein."
"Sorry," said Courtney gently.
Turning back to Samantha, Courtney said, "Samantha, you didn't steal my sister from me at all, you were the one who make sure she was well cared for and had a good home. I know it probably feels a little awkward in the moment here, but the truth is that, not only did you not steal my sister from me, but you actually prevented my sister from being stolen me. I shudder to think what state Stephanie would be in if she'd spent any length of time in that orphanage. You were the one who made sure that didn't happen."
Samantha smiled at Courtney and Courtney smiled back at Samantha.
Turning to Stephanie, Courtney held out her right hand and said, "Stephanie, if you agree that we have forgiven each other for what happened between us on the afternoon before we lost our house, please shake my hand."
Stephanie extended her left hand to Courtney and the biological sisters exchanged a hearty handshake. This served as a huge release for both of them and the looks on their faces afterward indicated a peace that hadn't been present since they'd met in this tent.
"And Samantha," added Courtney, now turning back to her, and holding out her right hand to Samantha, "I want to shake your hand for a different reason. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am that Stephanie had such a great friend that she was able to get a good home out of that friendship when it seemed like times were most dark."
Courtney and Samantha exchanged a quicker handshake.
"Courtney," said Samantha clearly, "it so happens that the Savers still have one extra room. I think the best possible solution for you would be for us to adopt you as well. In that way you could have a comfortable home and be in the same family as your biological sister again."
Stephanie and Courtney exchanged stunned looks with each other and Samantha and both Stephanie and Courtney beamed at Samantha.
"Are you sure Samuel and Sarah will be okay with this?" Courtney asked.
"Yes," said Stephanie confidently, "They took me in when I needed a home because I am one of their daughter's best friends. Now that I myself have established a parent/daughter relationship with them they will be only too happy to give my own biological sister the home she so desperately needs."
"Mom and dad are great people," said Samantha proudly, "Courtney, you should be aware though that despite not being biologically related-
"The relationship between you and Stephanie is now no longer merely a friendship. It really is a sister-sister relationship," realized Courtney. "
"You have to understand then," said Samantha seriously, "That if we do adopt you, the relationship between you and Stephanie will not necessarily be like it was before-
"I understand," interjected Courtney, "Everything happens for a reason and, just as it was ultimately meant for Stephanie to end up a Saver, it was ultimately meant for me to become a Saver as well. Stephanie has more than enough care, compassion, and attention for both of us."
There were a few seconds and a few nanoseconds of silence.
"How exactly is this going to work?" asked Courtney.
"I assume you set this tent up with the hopes of finding me?" guessed Stephanie.
"Indeed," confirmed Courtney, "I knew second years were allowed into Hogsmeade this year-
"Thanks to me," boasted Samantha as she did every chance she got.
"And one day whilst on the run. I overheard people talking and parts of their conversations made it clear to me that I had ended up in Hogsmeade. At that point, I set myself up in this tent and kept my ears open. Fate favored me a bit here. I heard it through the grapevine that Halloween would be the first Hogsmeade weekend this year. I've kept my ears open and I overheard people wishing each other Happy Halloween this morning. At that point. I moved my tent to a much more visible location and drew a? on it in the hopes of attracting attention. The fates made sure it was you lot who found me."
"We. that is to say, Samantha, you, and I will leave Hogsmeade now and inform McGonagall that we have found you," began Stephanie."
She will contact mom and dad and you can meet them tonight," added Samantha.
"I will ask McGonagall for permission for Samantha and myself to leave Hogwarts for one day tomorrow so that we can spend a first day together as a new family and then you will live there. Samantha and I will next come home at Christmastime.' finished Stephanie.
"That all makes sense," said Courtney in understanding.