Annabeth was practically hopping in her seat. She was on her way to Diagon Alley to meet up with her friends. She had returned from the attic yesterday to find, just as she suspected, Thalia and Luke's owls with their latest letters waiting by her window. She had quickly written them back explaining how they could go to Diagon Alley the next day. Within the hour, they had replied and the plans were set. Now here she was, on her way to meet them. Her dad driving her.
That had been the most surprising part. Most of the time, he was too busy, rushing to lectures and classes and such, to drive her anywhere. But he was trying. It wasn't a lot, just a small drive, but it meant a lot to her. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought.
"And here we are," her dad said, coming to a stop right in front of the Leaky Cauldron. He frowned as he looked at it. "Maybe I should come with you. Don't think I like the looks of that place."
"It's fine, dad," she told him. "Luke and Thalia will be with me. Besides, everyone goes through that place. It's very respectable."
"Hmmm," her father said, doubtful. "Alright, fine. I'll trust you. For now. But if anything happens, you call me." He nodded at her cell phone.
"Don't worry dad, I will. I promise."
"And please don't get into any trouble this time."
"I won't dad, I promise."
"Good. Because then we'll have to find new punishments for you and we're running out of ideas."
"Don't worry, I'll spare you that hassle." She unclipped her seatbelt and opened the door, stepping out. She turned and looked at him. "Thanks for the ride. I'll see you later."
He nodded back and then drove away. Annabeth watched him go for a second. It had been a very strange 24 hours for her, but a good strange. She was starting to see her family in a new light. Well, her dad anyway. Her stepmother was still gave her the stink-eye and her stepbrothers were still annoying. But her dad didn't seem as bad anymore. And her stepbrothers weren't always annoying. And she guessed she did deserve the last stink-eye after accidentally spilling rice all over the table at dinner last night.
"Ugh, what is happening to me." She shook her head and then pushed open the door to the Leaky Cauldron and walked in. A second later, she was enveloped in a hug. She grunted, feeling the arms crush around her. "Uh, Thalia? I can't breathe."
"Oh, sorry." The girl stepped back, smiling. "It's just so good to see you again."
"Thanks." Annabeth knew her friend wasn't the huggy type so it did mean a lot coming from her.
"Good to see you, Beth," Luke said, stepping up and wrapping her in a quick hug as well. "Been too long."
"Yeah. I still can't believe my dad eased up," Annabeth said. "Among other things."
They both frowned at that. "Well, it doesn't matter now. It kind of worked out anyway. Jason had to come here anyway since it was the only day both my dad and Hera had off so it worked out. They still won't let me go anywhere alone."
"Seriously?" Annabeth blinked.
"Yeah. Something about 'disgracing the family name' or whatever. Doesn't matter, I sneak out all the time and they don't even realize. Now come on, let's go."
Annabeth couldn't help grinning as they made their way through the pub to the back wall where Luke tapped a few bricks, opening the gateway to Diagon Alley. Annabeth had been here a few times already, mostly to help get Luke and Thalia's school supplies, but it still took her breath away to see the line of shops and stalls, witches and wizards mingling about. A far cry from the busy, traffic-riddled streets of the Muggle world.
"Alright, where do you want to start?" Thalia asked.
"The bookstore," Annabeth replied instantly.
"How did I know you were going to say that?"
"Because we know her too well," Luke added with a smile, winking at Annabeth and making her feel warm inside. "To Flourish and Blotts it is."
"And don't worry about money," Thalia added. "It's all on me."
"Really? You don't have to. My dad gave me some to conver-"
"No, seriously Annabeth, it's fine. Technically, my dad only gave me enough to pay for my stuff but Jason slipped me a bunch more when they weren't looking."
"Where are they now anyway?"
"Oh, getting Jason's wand. Speaking of which, we should probably go get yours after the bookstore. You're probably dying to have one."
Annabeth couldn't help but smile at that. "Actually, I'm not."
Both turned to her. "Why not?" Luke asked. "I know I would be."
"Cause I already have one." Annabeth pulled out her wand and relished the looks of amazement on her friends' faces.
"Where did you get that?" Luke asked.
"From my dad. It belonged to my mom and apparently he's been holding onto it all this time to give to me."
"Wow," Thalia muttered. "I thought you said your dad was a jackass."
Annabeth paused. "Yeah, I thought he was. But…I think I may have misjudged him."
"Hmmm," Luke said dubiously. "Well, anyway that's one thing checked off the list. Now, let's go get our books."
They walked into the store and Annabeth sighed, feeling at home. She instantly moved around, looking at everything she could.
"Don't worry," Luke told her. "I'll get your books. You just explore."
"And get what you want," Thalia added. "Don't worry about the price."
Annabeth could barely nod before she was gone. She personally wanted to pick up and buy every book in there but she thought that might be pushing Thalia's generosity just a little bit. But she did look at every single one, thinking on which ones to take with her.
In the end, she bought five books in addition to her school ones. Hogwarts: A History cause she wanted to know more about the school and also because she hoped it contained secrets of the castle's architecture, two books on magically constructed buildings and monuments throughout history, one on wizarding history and another on ancient runes.
"You can get more if you want," Thalia said as they stood in line.
"No, no, this is fine," Annabeth assured her. "Look, if I want more, I can get more. Don't worry about it."
"Alright, if you insist. Where to next?"
"Madam Malkin's probably," Luke said. "You'll need your robes. I'll head off to get the, uh, some of the other stuff." He looked meaningfully at Thalia as he said that.
"Right," she nodded unconvincingly. "The other stuff."
"What are you two up to?" Annabeth asked.
"Nothing," they both answered quickly. Too quickly. Annabeth frowned but knew she wouldn't get anything out of them so shrugged.
"Alright, I'll go get your cauldron and scales and other stuff," Thalia added, looking over Annabeth's list.
"You really don't have to," Annabeth told her.
"No, don't worry about it, it's fine. I need to stock up on my potion ingredients anyway and those shops are all close together. Here," she handed Annabeth some coins. "For the robes. And anything else."
Annabeth wanted to protest but Thalia was already walking away so she just sighed and headed over to Madam Malkin's.
"Ah, another first-year?" the witch said as Annabeth entered. "Already got one in the back." She led the way, leading Annabeth to the back room where a familiar blonde kid stood.
"Jason?"
Thalia's brother looked up at his name. "Oh, hey Annabeth. How's it going?"
"Not bad," she replied, standing on the available stool as Malkin began measuring her. "Where are your parents?"
Jason rolled his eyes. "They're buying me that new broom. Never mind that I told them first-years aren't allowed to fly and I already have a good one."
"Yeah that's a bummer," Annabeth nodded. "I wanted to try out for Quidditch."
"Me too," he agreed. "Hey, if we wind up in the same house, we can train together next year." Whenever Annabeth had visited his house, they all usually wound up playing Quidditch and Jason was pretty good. Though, not to brag, not as good as her. Or Reyna.
Annabeth smiled. "Yeah, maybe. What house you think you'll end up in?"
He shrugged. "Ah, I don't know. They all sound fine to me." He paused for a second and then added, "though I do have a soft spot for Hufflepuff."
Annabeth nodded. He did seem like a Hufflepuff. Always loyal to his friends, always there when someone needed him. Though she didn't really know much about the houses other than what Thalia and Luke had told her. "I'm hoping for Gryffindor," she told him.
"To be with Thalia and Luke?" he asked and she nodded in reply. "Yeah, you guys are like three peas in a pod. It's kind of adorable."
"Aw, thanks."
Just then, the curtain to the front of the shop opened and another blonde boy with a pale, pointed face walked over and stood on one of the stools. As soon as he saw him, Jason's expression darkened.
"Hello Draco, how are you?" he said in a tone that implied heavily he couldn't care less.
"I'm fine, Grace. You?"
"Dandy."
Now Annabeth recognized the kid. Draco Malfoy. Son of Lucius Malfoy who was a friend to the Grace family. Except the children who told her repeatedly, whenever his name came up, how awful he was. And apparently, so was his son.
"So…" Jason said, clearly trying to fill the silence. "Excited for school?"
"Yes, quite." He then noticed Annabeth for the first time. "And you are?"
"Annabeth. Chase," she added.
"Hmmm. Haven't heard of that name." He then frowned at her. "You are a witch, aren't you?"
"Of course she's a-" Jason began.
"It's alright Jason," Annabeth stopped him. "My mother was Athena White. Know her name?"
Malfoy nodded slightly. "Right, yes. I do remember hearing about her. Shame what happened." From his voice, it was clear he didn't mean a word of what he said.
Before Annabeth could reply or fire a curse at him, she hadn't decided which, the curtain opened again and another boy their age appeared, this one with messy black hair and stunning green eyes.
"Hello. Hogwarts too?" Jason asked.
"Yes," the boy replied, taking the last remaining stool.
"I think we're all Hogwarts," Annabeth told Jason.
"Good point," he agreed. He then turned back to Malfoy. "So where are your parents anyway?"
"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," he replied in a bored voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off and look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully Father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."
Annabeth tilted her head. "How will that help? You still won't be able to fly it."
Malfoy snorted. "Of course I can. Just head down to the Quidditch Pitch when no one else is there."
"Sounds exhilarating. You must tell me how it goes," Jason told him in an even more bored voice.
"Have you got your own brooms?" Malfoy asked them all.
"My parents are planning to get me one," Jason said while Annabeth just shook her head.
"No," the other kid said.
Malfoy turned to him and Annabeth. "Play Quidditch at all?"
"No," the kid said again but Annabeth noticed a slight furrow in his brow and wondered if he knew what Quidditch was. He must be a Muggle-born student. She felt a slight wave of sympathy for him, to start off meeting with someone like Malfoy and his prejudice.
"I do a little, when I can," Annabeth stepped in. "My friends and I play, right Jason?"
He snorted. "You do a lot more than a little, Chase," he told her and she smiled back at him.
"Well, I also play Quidditch," Malfoy interjected. "Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll all be in yet?"
"No," the kid said, a little resignation in his voice and again Annabeth felt bad for him.
"No one knows, you get sorted when you arrive," she said. At least that's what Thalia and Luke had told her.
Malfoy nodded. "True, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been – imagine being a Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" Jason looked like he was now ready to hex Malfoy when the bigot suddenly pointed out the window. "I say, look at that man!"
They all followed his gaze and Annabeth blinked as she saw a giant of a man, his face almost completely hidden behind a shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard. He was grinning at the other kid and pointing at two large ice creams in his hand.
"That's Hagrid," the kid said to them. "He works at Hogwarts."
Annabeth recalled something about him, Thalia and Luke mentioning him a little but she didn't know much about him.
"Oh, I've heard of him," Malfoy said. "He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"
"He's the gamekeeper," the kid replied, his voice getting colder.
"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage — lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."
"I think he's brilliant." The kid was now glaring openly at Malfoy. Jason stared at him, a look of respect on his face.
"Do you?" Malfoy sneered. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"
"They're dead," the kid replied shortly. Annabeth pursed her lips and Jason looked down, not sure what to say after that.
"Oh, sorry," Malfoy said, though he didn't sound very sorry to Annabeth. "But they were still our kind, right?"
"Oh jeez Malfoy, who cares?" Jason asked, rolling his eyes. "Like it matters."
"Of course it matters," Malfoy sneered at him. "I thought you would know better. So, were they?" he asked the kid.
"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."
"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families."
Annabeth gaped at him and was sorely tempted to fire a hex at him, if she knew how to do that.
"You're joking." Jason stared at Malfoy. "That is completely wrong. Magic doesn't work like that."
Malfoy snorted. "Magic is strongest in blood. If we don't keep the blood pure, it gets…muddied."
Annabeth didn't fully understand what he meant by that but Jason clearly did. He stiffened and closed his fists but Malfoy ignored him.
"What's your surname, anyway?" he asked the kid, a suspicious look on his face.
Before the kid could answer, Malkin returned with two sets of robes. "That's you done, dearies," she said to both him and Annabeth. The kid quickly hopped off the stool, taking the robes.
"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," Malfoy drawled.
"God, I hope not," Annabeth muttered, taking her own robes. Good luck, she mouthed to Jason as she left and he just sighed in response, Malfoy turning to him.
As she walked out of the store, folding the robes into one of her bags, she ran right into what felt like a furry wall. "Oh, sorry," she said, taking a step back and then another to take the person in front of her. It was the giant man she'd seen through the window, the one the kid had called Hagrid.
"No worries," the man smiled down at her. Next to him, the kid eyed her curiously.
"Hey, sorry about Malfoy in there," Annabeth told him. "We're not all like him, I promise."
"Thanks," he replied.
"I'm Annabeth Chase by the way." She held out her hand.
"Uh, Harry. Harry Potter."
Annabeth couldn't say she was as well-versed in the Wizarding World as she would have liked. What she knew came from what she'd learned from Luke and Thalia or the books she was able to read and hide from her stepmother. So there was still so much she didn't know about the world. But that name she did recognize.
She blinked and gaped for a second, taking another look at the kid. He was small and skinny, his clothes looked disheveled and didn't seem to quite fit him, and his scruffy-looking hair looked like it would take a miracle to comb. Not at all the person Annabeth would have expected to have defeated the most powerful dark wizard in history.
"Uh…wow," she said, shaking his hand. "Sorry, it's just…you're not quite…never mind," Annabeth shook her head, not wanting to be rude. "You're kind of famous, you know."
Hagrid grinned and nudged Harry which almost knocked him over. "Toldja. Famous."
"Yeah, I've been getting that a lot today." Harry gave a sheepish smile. "Not quite used to that."
Annabeth frowned. Did he not know? She thought back to his responses to Malfoy's questions, how much he seemed to not know about their world. Almost as if he had grown up away from it all.
Before she could think more on this, she heard her name being called and saw Thalia approaching, several bags of stuff over her shoulders. "Here," she said, handing Annabeth a couple bags. "Your cauldron, scales, ingredients, blah blah blah, point is I got it."
"Thanks," Annabeth said, looking through it to make sure her friend had gotten it all. She loved Thalia, but she could get distracted pretty easily. Thankfully, it did look like it was all there.
"Hello there, Thalia."
"Oh, Hagrid, hey," Thalia said, noticing him for the first time which was odd considering his size. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, just getting Harry here all his things before school starts."
"Ah, another first year, huh?" Thalia jerked her head towards Annabeth. "Same as her. Who knows, maybe you two will wind up in the same house."
Harry frowned and Annabeth realized he must not know what the houses were. Thalia, though, didn't seem to notice. "Speaking of first-years, you haven't seen my brother have you?" she asked Annabeth. "Dad's looking for him."
As if on cue, Jason walked out of Malkin's with his robes, rubbing his forehead. "Well that was a nightmare," he muttered.
"Oh, there you are," Thalia said, walking up to him. "Dad's looking for you. He said to meet him at the Quidditch shop to pick out your broom."
Jason sighed. "I keep telling him first-years can't have brooms but does he listen?" He rolled his eyes and ran off down the street.
"Is he going to be as much trouble as yeh are?" Hagrid asked jokingly.
Thalia laughed. "Jason? God no. He's too much of a rule-follower than that. Anyway, Annabeth we should probably go catch up with Luke. It was nice seeing you again Hagrid and good to meet you Harry."
"Yeah, same," Harry replied with a half-wave.
"Maybe we'll see each other at school," Annabeth said. "Good luck with your shopping. And don't worry about what Malfoy said. Magic has nothing to do with blood."
"When did you see Malfoy?" Thalia asked as they walked away.
"He was getting his robes at Malkin's too."
"Oh, is that why Jason looked so annoyed? Huh, no wonder. Anyway, I think Luke's this way."
As they walked, Annabeth was tempted to tell Thalia that the boy they just met was Harry Potter but decided not to. She wasn't sure why. She guessed it was her own reaction, one of surprise to seeing him like that, that made her want to keep it secret for now. She wondered why he was like that. She would have expected the most famous wizarding boy to have the most fancy clothes like the ones Thalia and Jason had to wear at fancy parties. Also, he was in the company of Hagrid, the apparent gamekeeper of Hogwarts. She knew his parents had been killed, but shouldn't he have some legal guardian. Unless it was Hagrid.
She shook her head. It wasn't her business. "So, where are we going?" she asked, trying to clear her mind.
"There," Thalia gestured towards the Eeylops Owl Emporium.
"Wait." Annabeth came to a stop. "You're not…are you…?"
Thalia grinned. "It was Luke's idea," she said. "And you deserve it."
"Are you serious?" Annabeth gasped.
"Well, you've been using our owls for the past few years. Only makes sense that you got one of your own. Now, let's go see which one he picked out for you."
They didn't even make it to the door before Luke suddenly walked out and Annabeth gasped at what she saw in his hands. It was an owl with brown feathers with white spots dappled in a beautiful pattern. It was currently sleeping, head tucked under its wing. And it was the greatest thing she'd ever seen.
"Oh my god," Annabeth whispered.
"You like her?" Luke grinned.
"I love her." Annabeth carefully took the cage from him and as she did, the owl woke up, peering at her wide eyes.
"What are you gonna name her?" Thalia asked.
Annabeth didn't even really have to think about it. "Athena."
The rest of the summer passed in a blur. Annabeth spent most of the time either in her room, pouring over books to learn as much as she could before school started, or out with her friends. Now that she had a wand, Annabeth was now able to call the Knight Bus to take her wherever she wanted to go. At least now she didn't have to keep using the muggle buses to get around. She kept counting down the weeks until she could go, brimming with excitement as the day got closer and closer. But she also found more time to spend with her dad, watching old, sappy rom-coms like Roman Holiday together. Her life was finally starting to look up.
Which was why, naturally, things eventually horribly wrong.
It was the night before she left. She had everything packed. Her books, all organized neatly at the bottom of her suitcase. Her clothes, folded and lined. Her cauldron and potion ingredients, wrapped up and ready to go. Everything was set. Now she was just sitting in her bed, pouring over her magical architecture book and imagining what she would build one day when given the chance.
"Whoa, cool!"
She looked up and jumped when she saw her younger brother Matthew holding her wand in his hand.
"Bobby, look what I got!" he announced loudly, running out of the room.
"Matthew, no!" she cried, leaping out of the bed to chase after him. She ran down the hall into their room where he was showing his brother the wand.
"Cool!" Bobby gasped. "What can it do?"
"Matthew, give that back!" Annabeth demanded.
"No! I just got it," he said fiercely, holding it away.
"Give it to me."
"But I want to play with it."
"It's not a toy, now give it back!"
"No!"
"I want to play with it too!" Bobby interjected, reaching for the wand now.
"I want to play first," Matthew told him, now holding the wand against his chest.
Annabeth glared and reached for it but he instantly ran away. He tried to make a break for the door but she blocked him so he ran to his bed and curled into a ball.
"Matthew, that's mine," Annabeth told him. "That's very dangerous. You don't know what it can do."
"But I want it!"
"I want it more!" Bobby argued.
"Not now, Bobby!" Annabeth told him. "Matthew, give to me now!" She honestly didn't think he was in any danger. As far as she knew, wands needed a witch or wizard to work so it should be harmless in her hands. But, they did have a magical core so she didn't fully know.
When Matthew still didn't move, Annabeth had had enough and she jumped up on the bed with him, grabbing for her wand.
"NO!" he shrieked, twisting in the bed. Annabeth struggled to hold him still while she reached for the wand but he was like an eel, writhing around wildly. Things only got worse when Bobby jumped in as well.
"Bobby, Matthew, stop it!" Annabeth cried out.
"I want it!"
"Give it to me!"
"What is going on?"
Annabeth didn't need to turn to recognize her stepmother's voice. "Matthew took my wand and won't give it back," she said over her shoulder.
"Matthew, give her back her wand."
Annabeth, who had just managed to get ahold of her wand, nearly let it go when she heard those words. She never thought she'd hear her stepmother agree with her. It was a weird but nice feeling.
"But mommy, I want it!" Matthew complained.
"Give it to her now!"
"Almost…got it…" Annabeth groaned, trying to yank it from Matthew's surprisingly tight grip.
"NO!" Matthew howled.
And then, as Annabeth felt a surge of anger at her brother for doing this, she also felt the wand grow warm in her hands. Her eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen and she made one last pull, finally yanking the wand free from Matthew's grip, right before a burst of light shot out of its end and fired straight into the wall, leaving a large scorch mark in its wake.
For about ten seconds there was silence as they all stared at the scorch on the wall. Annabeth could hear her heart beating out of her chest. She glanced over at her stepmom and saw her shocked expression.
Then, Bobby and Matthew suddenly started screaming again, Matthew at his mother for Annabeth to give him back the wand, and Bobby at everyone that he wanted a turn with the wand. But Annabeth's gaze never left her stepmom as she saw that shocked expression turn stone cold fast as she fixed a glare directly at Annabeth, who felt her stomach sink.
Ten minutes later, she found herself on her bed again. Bobby and Matthew had been placated and were now watching TV in the family room while her stepmom did her best to remove the scorch mark. Annabeth stared at her architecture book. Just a little while ago, she had been happily reading it, imagining herself on the train tomorrow finally heading off to Hogwarts. Then, this had all happened and now she had no idea what was going to happen. She just knew it was going to be bad.
She heard the front door open and knew her dad was home. He often worked late at the University. She heard her stepmom leave the twins' room and walk down the stairs. She heard her talk with her dad in an angry hum. She didn't hear but could easily imagine her dad's sigh. And then she heard the sound of him and her stepmom walking up the stairs, each thump filling her with more and more dread until they stood in her doorway.
She didn't want to look up but she forced herself too, staring back at them. Her dad looked tired, worn out while her stepmom's expression was as stony as before.
"So…" her dad started, taking a seat at her desk. "Annabeth, your stepmom told me what happened but I'd like to hear it from you as well."
Annabeth blinked, not expecting that, while her stepmom shot her dad a look. Annabeth paused, collecting her thoughts, before explaining how Matthew had grabbed her wand, how he refused to give it back, and how them fighting had accidentally sent magic shooting out.
She left out the bit about how two minutes afterwards, she'd received a letter from the Ministry of Magic warning her about the use of magic in the presence of Muggles. That had sent cold shivers down her spine, seeing how close she had come to expulsion from the school she hadn't even started at. She wanted to defend herself, but even accidental magic had consequences. They wouldn't listen to her.
But…maybe her dad would.
"Alright," he nodded when she was done. "Well, I think it's best if you keep your wand in a more secure place from now on. Well, until tomorrow anyway."
Annabeth let out a small sigh of relief. So they weren't going to try and stop her from going tomorrow. After her last punishment, that had been at the forefront of her worries.
"That's it?" her stepmom interjected and Annabeth felt her spirits sink again. "That's all you have to say?"
"What else is there to say?" he replied. "It was an accident. No one was hurt. We'll make sure it doesn't happen again."
"Oh yes we will. By taking that…thing and holding onto it until she leaves."
Annabeth gasped and held on tighter to her wand. "No, you can't!" she pleaded. "It's mine."
"You've already proven you can't be trusted with it. You left it lying around where Matthew and Bobby easily found it. What if you hadn't seen them? Who knows what might have happened?"
Annabeth spluttered but realized she didn't quite have an argument for that. Still, they couldn't just take away her wand. Ever since she received it, it had become far more than just a tool. It was like an extension of herself now, more so since it had belonged to her mother. To lose it…
"I'll pack it up now, they won't find it again," Annabeth promised.
"Sorry, not good enough. Hand it over." Her stepmom held out her hand, as if that was the end of it.
Annabeth turned pleadingly to her father.
"Honey, if she puts it in the suitcase, then-"
"No. She obviously can't be trusted with it. How do we know she won't bring it back out to use again after we've left?"
Annabeth gaped at her. She hadn't used her wand at all except for perhaps a few minor spells at Thalia's place just to get a feel for it (underage magic in a wizarding home, while still frowned upon, wasn't exactly a crime). Besides, it was the night before she left, why would she use it now?
She tried explaining this but her stepmom just caught her off again. "I don't want to hear it. My mind is made up. Hand it over."
She again turned to her dad but felt her heart clench when he looked at her guiltily. "It's just one night," he told her.
"Are you serious? You're siding with her?" Annabeth accused, pointing at her stepmom.
"You are making a big deal out of nothing," her stepmom replied, rolling her eyes.
"Nothing? This is my wand. It's…a part of me."
"It's a piece of wood that allows you to do your…bibbity bobbity boo nonsense. And you can part with it for one night to make sure what happened doesn't happen again."
"It's not just a piece of wood, it's the only thing I have of my mother!"
There was silence for a moment as her stepmom looked at her in startled surprise and then at the piece of wood. "That…doesn't change the fact that it's still too dangerous. You can have it back tomorrow morning."
"No, you can't."
"Annabeth, enough!" her stepmom said firmly.
"You can't do this. You're not my mother!"
Her stepmom eyed her coldly. "That may be so but this is my house and while you're living here, you will obey my rules."
"Dad?"
Her father looked at her almost apologetically. "I'm sorry, honey, but you could have hurt your brothers with that thing. Maybe it is for the best that…"
Annabeth didn't let him finish. She'd had enough now. She'd thought her dad had changed, that maybe their relationship had evolved more. But no, it was obvious he was always going to take his new family's side over her. And she couldn't deal with that anymore.
She got up and went to her suitcase, throwing her architecture book inside.
"What do you think you're doing?" her stepmom asked sharply.
"You said as long as I was living here, I had to follow your rules," Annabeth replied, grabbing the last-minute items she hadn't packed yet and shoving them in to her case, all the while trying to blink back the tears. "Well, I'm making it easier on everyone by leaving."
"Leaving?" her dad questioned. "But…where?"
"Thalia's," she replied. "She won't mind be staying the night and let's face it, it'd be better if I went to King's Cross tomorrow with my own kind anyway."
Her stepmom sniffed. "Well, I guess that does settle that."
"What?" her dad's head swung towards her and then back to Annabeth. "No. No, you can't do this."
"Why not dad?" Annabeth demanded. "Why not? You obviously don't want me around."
"D-don't say that," her dad protested. "Of course we want you around."
"Really? Because every time I even mention Hogwarts or my friends or magic, you start acting weird and she gets that look in her eye, like I'm going to infect her kids or something. And any time I use magic, accidentally, you act like it's some sort of disease."
Her dad looked like he wanted to protest but wasn't quite sure how and Annabeth didn't give him the chance. Years of pent-up emotions just came flooding out of her and showed no signs of stopping.
"Ever since you married her, it's like you wanted to move as far away from my way of life as possible, including away from me. You acted like you never wanted me around, like I was some burden placed on you. And yeah, I know, you tried these last few weeks, but now it's clear you weren't really trying."
"It's…honey, it's…it's just a wand," he said feebly.
"No dad, it's not. It's that no matter what happens, you always side against me. You made me feel unwanted in this home so much that I have to leave to actually feel liked. Well…" Annabeth threw her hands out, "you got what you wanted, dad. Cause I'm leaving."
He opened his mouth to say something, an apology, an admittance, a denial, or something else but Annabeth didn't care anymore. She was done with it all. She quickly packed the rest of her things and dragged her suitcase and Athena's cage to the front door and outside into the night air. Her father trailed behind her, still looking like he was going to say something. Annabeth just ignored him and made it to the sidewalk, holding out her wand.
A second later, there was a loud BANG and the Knight Bus appeared down the street, zooming to a stop in front of her.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency-"
"I know Stanley, I know," Annabeth told him, taking her suitcase and lifting it up the steps.
"Annabeth, wait," her dad suddenly said.
"What, dad?" She turned sharply.
He faltered for a moment and then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he said. "I…I hope you have a good time. At the school."
Annabeth stared at him for a long moment before giving him a slight nod. She didn't really feel like saying goodbye. She was still too angry with him. So she just turned back around and carried her suitcase up the rest of the way.
"Will you be home for Christmas?" her dad asked behind her.
Annabeth stopped again. "I don't know," she answered honestly. Then she walked up the last step and entered the bus, leaving her dad behind. A second later, they were zooming away and Annabeth slumped into the nearest seat, holding tightly to her stuff and doing her best to stop the hot tears from rolling down her cheeks.
Please review if you can and let me know what you think of the story so far.