The whirl to England was something Jason never could have expected. It was his first time on a plane, and in an airport for that matter. The airports seemed normal enough. If anything, it was exactly like the city except in one massive building, with people milling around, yelling at each other, rushing off to places, with broken people treading right next to men in sharp business suits, all of them stuck with their individualistic thoughts.
He was used to it the moment he went through the doors. The plane however, was something entirely unexpected. He knew he wasn't good with heights from the time he was a boy, he'd been around enough high dives in pools to know height wasn't his strong suit. Somehow though, he had convinced himself that wouldn't be a problem, that a plane was an impregnable box, completely safe of harm and much safer than bike riding or a car. Confidently, he couldn't see what the worry could be about when they were slowly rolling onto the runway. That is, up until the engines kicked in for takeoff.
His knuckles bled white for the sleepless seven hour flight and his muscles cramped from being tight for so long. During his angst, his mother dozed through takeoff and seemed entirely unbothered by these stunts, lounging comfortably in her seat. Meanwhile Jason's seat may have been as comfortable as a torture rack.
He could only breath calmly once he'd scrambled off the terror machine that was their plane and had two feet on the ground in London.
The train to Surrey was a lot more quick and pleasant than the flight. The rolling countryside of England was a great escape from the urban jungle he lived in. Herds of sheep, green fields and low hills raced passed his line of sight on the train, and sitting in his window seat a part of him desired exploring a place like this. Away from the city, and in a beautiful spot of nature. He'd always treasured weekend getaways with his Mom into upstate New York. They'd camp now and then, and hike near the Catskills or the Adirondacks. Whenever he needed a little happy place he'd envision the view from the top of one of these peaks: The breathless view high above a valley below, sucking in the sweet Earthen air and feeling like you're ontop of the world.
They arrived at a little town in Surrey not long after and took a cab to his Nan's house. She lived in this little community with cookie-cutter houses all lined up next to each other. The sun was beginning to set in a great orange cascade of light during their ride.
The car pulled up onto the quiet neighborhood of 17 Shadow Drive, and he got the first view of his Nan's house from within the car window. A quaint and small two-story brick home sat their like all the rest of the homes. They exited the cab and lugged their bags up the front walkway which was lavishly decorated with flowers. Flanking the mahogany front door were gushingly vivid lilacs, and another breed of flower that had just been freshly planted spread around the outline of the home, wrapping around the entire side and perhaps extending into the backyard. It would take a few months for it to blossom, but when it did it would be a feast for the eyes.
His mother's face was expressionless and uninspired as she rang the doorbell. Despite having grown up in this home she did not show a hint of longing or nostalgia.
After waiting an entire minute, the front door slowly crept open and behind it stood Jason's grandmother: Freya Briggins.
Jason looked at her curiously, for she was not at all what he expected her to look like. He'd seen pictures of her before, of course, but nothing recent. There she stood, barely, a raggedy black dressing gown wrapped over her curved back, just covering her pink rabbit slippers. Her wispy gray hair draped over her gown wildly unkempt. It seemed as if the rabbits were looking up at Jason at the verge of tears.
Slowly, a glimmer of remembrance crossed her wrinkled, deeply tanned skin and her brooding frown animated happily," You're back." Widely, she outstretched her arms towards Audrey, who, conflictingly, opted to embrace her mother for the first time in almost seventeen years.
Still hugging, Freya wrapped her head around towards Jason and caught her breath," And you must be little Jason, all grown up! Your hair is just like your fathers," she spoke slowly and precisely, enunciating every word optimistically.
He smiled back at her and reached in for a hug," I'm glad to finally meet you, I'm so sorry for your loss."
She pulled away and relaxed her face somberly," Thank you, I know you've never properly met him, but Marius did not suffer, he passed away in his sleep."
His mother had not spoken yet and wore a face full of concern. Freya turned into her house and led them inside, directing Jason to take their bags up to the guest rooms.
He hauled their bags up the rickety stairs and put their luggages into two separate rooms, both totally cleaned and prepared for guests, sheets tucked under the mattresses and floors devoid of any kind of junk.
Coming back down to the front entrance by the stairs, he turned into the living room. The place smelled of an age-old library, a grand fireplace sat on the far wall from where he stood, with red Victorian style furniture surrounding a reddish-beige rug in the center. His mother was holding Freya's hand, helping her down into the tall armchair next to the fireplace, and she sat opposite her on the sofa, not saying a word.
His eyes darted between them, waiting for one of them to say something, until his mother broke the silence," This place hasn't changed much," she glanced around the house lazily," Still using the same old furniture."
Freya nodded complacently," Indeed, albeit the mantelpiece is different."
Jason scanned the pictures above the fireplace. There was a picture of his mother and grandparents, sitting side by side in front of the fireplace, Nan sitting in the same armchair and Audrey sitting in the same sofa, with his grandfather proudly between the two, gazing happily into the camera. The picture shockingly mirrored how his family was oriented now. Except for the clear difference, that being Marius Briggins was no longer in the room, and instead of cheerfulness and a bright smile his mother looked resentful and his Nan ashamed.
There was another picture of Jason as a boy, building a sandcastle on the sandy Jersey shore with his mother helping him dig. And beside that a younger version of his mother stood pregnant, with his father standing beside her, one arm over her shoulders.
"You should have never left," his grandmother said, bluntly," It's all me and your father ever wanted, to take care of you and your children," She peered at Jason," It's not right what happened, I'd never have it happen again," She looked down at her rabbit slippers, they looked back up at her remorsefully.
His mother sat there, teary-eyed, fingers gripping her sofa," I missed you."
Jason found himself fiddling with his necklace as the air cooled. Nan pointed her glossy eyes at the thing, recognizing it immediately," Your grandfather's necklace, I remember Marius sent this as a gift for your first birthday. It's been in his family for generations."
She reached out with her hand, indicating for him to show it to her.
He unclipped it and lowered it into her cupped hand from above," I've worn it every day for as long as I can remember."
Of course, he had no real reason for wearing it, he'd just been accustomed to it over time. At this point it was sentimental.
"It's a beautiful piece of jewelery, this necklace. Marius always wondered if you wore it or not."
She stared into the glowy green emerald, entranced by its beauty shining in the light. Then, after a minute of her looking at the necklace she rose, trembling slightly," I'll make you tea, I haven't had guests for a while."
His mother stood up, gripping her arm," No worries Mum we're fine and you seem desperately tired." Bags lined Freya's eyes, but a stubbornness to continue raged despite the loss of her beloved.
"Nonsense," she shook her off and then marched to the kitchen.
"She's strong as an ox, but she doesn't look well. Something in her step and her voice doesn't sit well with me." Audrey sat down next to Jason again," She's eighty-four and now she lives alone," she choked a sob," Poor thing."
He couldn't imagine living to any old age, being only sixteen himself. As they waited for Freya he couldn't help but wonder, why did his mother leave England and her family in the first place? Embarrassed that he hadn't asked these questions at a younger age, he felt disinclined to ask them now, when her emotions ran so high. But why else would she rarely talk about her parents, or her father? Why else did they never visit his grandparents, ever?
A bad son he was, being so uninformed, but the thoughts swam from his mind as the sound of the tea kettle went off like a train whistle, and Freya whisked back into the room.
He sipped the wonderful tea and the family, now united, caught up with all the happenings of the past decade and a half. Once the sun had fully set and the night had turned dark, his grandmother went off to bed at an early hour, totally exhausted from the work of planning the funeral, receiving her descendants and perhaps drained emotionally as well. Buzzing with energy, Jason couldn't go to sleep so him and Audrey began to do work around the house.
Nan had a lively garden in her backyard, with plump red tomato plants, cucumber and zucchinis rooted from the dirt. The garden was neatly organized and freshly maintained. The kitchen however, was falling into pieces. The old wooden cabinets were scratched and wobbly whenever opened, the kitchen table too small with cracked edges, and the stove had several broken burners in place.
Audrey took to the kitchen right away and began organizing everything as a chef would, though there wasn't much they could do about the faulty parts. Jason tried fixing some of the cabinets, though he wasn't as prepared to do that as he thought he'd be. He eventually gave up and surrendered to reading late into the night before heading to sleep in his cozy guest room, which was bigger than his real room, sleeping at a late hour.
The light shined through the windows before the birds had started chirping that morning and Jason rose as songbirds began to play their hymns.
Nobody else in the house was up yet so he decided to move down to the kitchen and make some breakfast. A carton of eggs sat in the refrigerator so he cracked them open in a bowl and poured them on a frying pan, ready to make scrambled eggs.
As the eggs sizzled and cracked in the heat, the floorboards creaked above him as his Mother rose early, too. The steps groaned miserably as she descended the steps, and she appeared at the entryway to the kitchen, her jet black hair still messy from her night of sleep," I haven't seen you up this early since school," she yawned.
"Yep, the birds are making a racket out there, I can't sleep any longer," he tapped his hand on the counter impatiently, wondering if he should ask the question that had been nagging him all night. Why did you leave?
He had been so wrapped up with this thought that he had only just noticed the smell of burning eggs wafting through the house. Cursing, he rapidly moved the pan off the stove and scooped the disappointing black eggs that he had messed up onto plates.
His Mom had sat down on the table and looked at him with an amused smile," I can't be as good of a chef as you Mom."
Audrey giggled when they suddenly heard the doorbell ring.
"Who visits someone else's house at eight in the morning?" Jason grumpily stalked out of the kitchen, gripping the door handle with his Mom at his heels, who was equally confused, before pulling it inwards.
He caught himself from gasping; Before him stood the strangest person he'd ever seen. As if she was ready to perform on stage for a play, the short stout woman, about the same age as Nan, stood with a relic of a hat, pointy and brown ontop of her curly gray hair and a rigid robe reaching down to the floor, bespeckled with dirt, as if she had just finished digging a hole in the yard. The stranger appeared perfectly comfortable in her queer costume, and a caring smile crossed her endearing eyes, making Jason immediately at ease with the otherwise insane clothes she wore. The Earthly aroma of the woman immediately made Jason think of his Nan, she looked like she'd appreciate a fellow gardener.
His mother's face went white and she stood frozen, while the lady began to speak," Good morning! A beautiful day, isn't it? The blackbirds are besides themselves with tunes."
"Yeah, uh, hi," Jason said slowly, still trying to get over his initial surprise.
"This is the Briggins' residence, correct?"
He hesitated momentarily," Yeah, my Nan's still sleeping though, if you were trying to talk to her."
The woman's round face softened," I didn't know Freya to be a late sleeper, oh but it must be hard for her." She handed Jason a bouquet of red flowers," I'm sorry for your loss, Marius was a good man and a perfect match," she looked inquisitively at them," And you must be their daughter, Audrey Thomas?"
Silence hung for a second as Audrey straightened up before stepping out in front of Jason," Yes, who are you?"
"I'm Pomona Sprout, I knew Freya since we were girls and I want to offer my condolences to her—"
"You're a witch," she said bluntly, a dagger in her voice. Jason looked upon his mother confused. Then looking back at the plump woman, he noticed that she did dress like a witch would in a movie or play.
The old lady was clearly hurt by this comment as her shoulders slumped and her smile faded sadly," Yes, I am." Jason reeled back now, this woman had to either be joking or insane," I heard what happened, and I can see why you wouldn't be too happy to see someone like me. Your parents should have told you, but I urge you not to hold it over your mother's head, she loves you more than anything in the world."
Audrey looked down sympathetically while Sprout turned towards Jason," And you're Jason Thomas, surely!"
"That's me, yep," he said uncomfortably.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Jason. Of course, I haven't just come here to offer my condolences to my good friend, I'm also a Professor at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she said confidently, her smile returning to her.
He shifted awkwardly, not very sure of what to say to this bizarre comment," Okay, I don't know what that is." He still wasn't sure whether he should entertain the woman's insanity or tell her she needed to see a doctor.
She tilted her head," Oh," she looked in between him and his white-faced mother," You're not acquainted with magic are you? That's not entirely surprising I suppose."
"Oh, magic?" He feigned an interest in the subject, thinking it'd be amusing to play along with the antics," I've seen lots of magic, card tricks and disappearing woman. It's all very, very, real and interesting," he said mockingly.
She grew a devious smile," You have the skepticism of a Muggle."
He looked at her, confused," I consider myself to be logically optimistic," he spoke confidently," I believe in science, where everything has an explanation. Anything that's magic can't be explained or proven, that's why it's not science."
Sprout reached into her pocket and pulled out a finely carved stick. At the same time his mother jolted, and stood there tense and fearful," No worries dear, sometimes we only believe what our eyes can see."
He scoffed," Alright I'm ready to be amazed."
"Herbivicus!" She pointed her wand at the ungrown plants surrounding the house and a jet of green light beamed from the tip of her stick. As if it was a time-lapse, the baby plants shuddered, the stem growing tall, splitting off into more stems. Blue petals appeared among the stems, and he noticed the other hydrangeas around the house growing too. Amazingly, they all seemed to grip the empty space above them and pull their ungrown petals out of the stems into a thick luscious bouquet of bushes.
Stunned, Jason froze, observing the blue plants that now surrounded the front part of the house," Ahh, wha— what— ehh," all of his thoughts stopped working.
He turned to Sprout who gripped her wand at either end, smiling excitedly," That, is magic."
Audrey wasn't sharing Jason's surprise on her face and he could only help think that he was missing something. How? He couldn't really have just seen this! He rubbed his eyes with his fingers, looked around to reset his vision, but when he looked back the blue hydrangeas were still there.
Sprout, bright as the flowers spoke again," You're a wizard, Jason."
"No he's not," Audrey concluded, before Jason could think about what she said," He's never done magic, and never will do magic. I don't know why you'd think he's a wizard but he's not."
He was having trouble wrapping his head around this. Him? A wizard? He couldn't yet make up his mind whether that was real or not," No, I'm not. I don't know how the hell this happened," he motioned to the Hydrangeas," How did you do it?"
She smiled again," There's not much to it, just simple magic. You haven't had any instruction, but you are a wizard, we know it. Yesterday we received an owl from MACUSA about an underage wizard in New York who transformed a ball into a snake, though that was probably done unintentionally. That was you wasn't it?"
The memories of the snake flashed back into his head. Maybe that wasn't just a coincidence after all… That really happened. He turned that ball into a snake. In that instant his entire world view was in turmoil.
"That… happened next to me but I didn't turn the ball into the snake…" he looked at her for reassurance," Look, maybe that was magic but I can't do anything like that, I just happened to be there at the wrong time."
Audrey cut in," He's too old! Sixteen year olds don't suddenly start doing magic, symptoms are shown earlier than that," she spoke like they were talking about some sort of disease.
Jason noticed that his mother knew more about the subject than him, but there was too many things going on at once for him to point it out.
"If he's not magic then I'm not old! Either that or the idiots in America made a serious mistake. It's very common for descendants of wizards and witches to have these abilities, and as it so happens most of your great-grandparents were wizards and witches too!"
"What? You're telling me Nan's parents could do stuff like this?" He asked eagerly.
She nodded," It's not my place to tell you your family history, but what I can tell you, is that you have a place at Hogwarts," she pulled a yellow-stained envelope with a fancy H sealed onto it from her robe, handing it to him," Hogwarts is the finest school of wizardry there is, and although we typically start students when they're about eleven and learn for seven years, the Headmistress and I have devised a special curriculum for you to succeed if you choose to accept. Your Nan should know about it if you don't believe me."
He could scarcely believe it. They had an entire school, for magic children, and nobody knew about it, and now he had a chance to join. Something in the back of his head nagged at him, telling him it was a lie, a scam to screw him over. But he saw the magic with his own eyes, and if it was real, then he could be a wizard. But was it real? Was this all not a dream?
"I… No… I don't believe it."
"Of course you don't, any sane person learning at your age for the first time wouldn't believe they had it in them either."
Audrey turned towards him," What's she talking about? With the ball and the snake?"
He awkwardly explained the outline of the story of what had happened a couple days ago at Alex's pool. He left out some of the bad parts, like how Andrew Levitt chucked a volleyball at his face, but spoke truthfully otherwise.
Looking stumped, Audrey ran her fingers through her hair, her silver wedding ring still on her finger after all these years," Well… you… you might just be a wizard Jason, if that's true," Then her face boiled, turning to Sprout for answers," But how's this possible? I've raised him for sixteen years and he's never done any magic before this, I don't see how he could possibly start at such a late age."
Sprout looked puzzled," We're not exactly sure why, Audrey, but there have been rare cases in the past where children as old as sixteen show their first signs of magic."
Seeming to accept the reality, Audrey became silent, her brows knitted and forehead creasing close together, as if she was in a painful school of thought.
Again, Jason wondered how she seemed to come up with these oddly specific questions about magic.
"If, I'm not clinically insane, and this is all real, I suppose I'd go. Ideally, this sounds like the coolest thing ever," he spoke excitedly, a part of him now resigned to commit to this adventure.
"Maybe we should think about that first Jason," his mother said quickly.
Sprout agreed," Listen to your mother, take some time to think about it, I'll be at Marius' funeral to hear your decision."
He didn't know what to say but wanted to say something to the coolest person ever," Thank you, Professor," he said with a smile.
"Always, I know this is a lot to take in and I doubt you're fully convinced about anything, so take the time to discuss this decision."
Audrey caught her breath before thanking her for her time.
"And you too, I send my love to Freya as she rests wearily, tell her I stopped by and gave her those flowers!"
They shut the door and said their goodbyes as Sprout trotted away from the front doorstep.
Audrey sat down on the velvet red sofa, her hands rubbing her temples.
Jason put the flowers from Sprout down before confronting her," You knew about magic didn't you?"
Her eyes blinked conflictingly," Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me? And what's this stuff about my great-grandparents being magic?"
She let out a deep heavy sigh, leaning her head back on the couch cushion, her black hair spreading over it," Would you have believed anyone who told you that there's a world full of magic and wizards and witches and dragons without any proof?
He thought about that for a second and agreed with her.
"Freya's parents were magical," she crossed her arms," So were Marius'," She spat disapprovingly, looking to the side.
"What are you not telling me?" He couldn't understand why she wanted to keep secrets from him.
"I was trying to protect you!" She rang out," Magic isn't all just growing plants and turning a ball into a snake; Wizards are dangerous, they could kill a man with the flick of a wand, torture them to insanity, burn them alive, unassisted. I always thought that you weren't a wizard, so I thought I would never have had to tell you about this, but it seems that you may be one!"
"I don't need protection," He mumbled half-heartedly.
She raised her eyebrow and gave him a bit of a warning look. Rarely did she raise his voice or get mad at him, she was as kind and gentle as any mother and not scary by any means, but despite that he still worried about disappointing her.
Fixing his tone, he spoke again," How come Nan and Grandpa told you, but you didn't tell me?"
She sighed, again," It's a long story," She locked eyes with him, her eyes trembling slightly," I left England almost seventeen years ago, after your father died. They never told me about it all." She cleared her throat," Your grandfather was part of a big wizarding family, and it was expected that every child practice magic. He had no abilities, he was not magic— it's something you're born with— They called him a Squib, and his wicked father disowned him for it. That's why he takes after Freya's family name, Briggins."
She looked away from him, into the ash-ridden fireplace," After your father was killed in a car accident, one of his older brothers came to visit Marius for some necessary family business. I don't think my father ever intended for me to learn about magic in my lifetime, just as I never intended for you to learn, but nonetheless he couldn't stop his brother from anything he did. He was a wizard, my Uncle, that's how I found out."
He shuffled with his hands tucked in his jeans, unsatisfied with the simplification of the story that clearly missed a lot of big details. She dodged part of the question, but the half-answer was better than none," Is he still alive?"
She shrugged her bare shoulders, still in her dressing gown," Jason, I know this might seem exciting and adventurous, but, some of these people, like your Great-Uncle, are not normal. They're violent and viscous and it's not a safe place you'd be going to, Hogwarts. You'd be surrounded by dangerous people, many of which could kill you in a heartbeat."
Always being overprotective. Good God this gets so old, he thought to himself, before rebutting," You may be right, it might be sort of dangerous but just because your Great Uncle wasn't a nice guy doesn't mean that all witches and wizards are bad people. What's life without a little risk?"
She held her arms in her hands, rubbing them anxiously. He wondered what his Great Uncle could have done to make her hate magic so much.
"It's your decision, Jason, but I'd advise against it. What about finishing High School? You'd be living here, in the UK. Once you start going to Hogwarts, you'll," She stuttered, teary-eyed again," You'll be one of them."
Sniffling, his mother rose from the couch, standing face-to-face with Jason," Speak with Nan when she wakes, I need to get dressed," she made her way towards the stairwell.
"Of course I'd like to finish High School, but this is something… Otherworldly. I can't just say no to this, I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I do. And so what if I become a wizard?" He saw her teary eyes glare at him," That'd be the best thing that ever happened to me."
She stepped towards him again, putting her hands on his face, holding him in her palms," I love you, and I'll support whatever you want to do but I don't want to see you killed."
He reached in for a hug," I won't be."
They hugged for a good long time before she pulled away and headed upstairs.
He finished his burnt eggs in the kitchen, trying to process the best news ever. The warnings of his mother waned the more he thought about the prospects that lie ahead. After all she'd only ever met one wizard before Sprout. She must have made a bad generalization of a group of people based off the wrongdoings of a single man.
Glowing, he felt the happiest he had felt all summer.