Secrets (D.M)

summer

"Adeline!" Gabby said, wrapping her arms around Adeline. "How was school?"

"Great!" Adeline answered. "Harry fought a basilisk."

Gabby's eyes widened. "Oh- uhm... Great?-"

On the car ride home, Gabby took a turn opposite the direction of their house.

"Where are we going?" Adeline asked. "This isn't the way home."

"We're moving to a different house." Gabby said. "Fresh start."

"I don't need a fresh start, mum! That was home!" Adeline complains. "Plus I spend most of my time at Hogwarts."

"No more complaining, and no questions." Gabby muttered. "Shh now."

Adeline played with her fingers for the rest of the journey home.

***

"This is the new house?" Adeline asked.

She looked up at the old Victorian house, smaller than the last house.

"It's a bit smaller, but it's better quality." Gabby told her.

"Okay.. Is my room nice?" Adeline asked.

"Go up and choose, there are three rooms." Gabby told her.

Adeline ran to the front door, up the stairs.

"AND DON'T CHOOSE THE MASTER ROOM! THAT ONE'S MINE!" Gabby called after her.

Adeline chose the smaller room with a window seat.

It had plain white walls and a fan light. Closest door to the stairs!

"This one, mum!" Adeline showed her.

"Cool. Now go unpack some stuff, I can't do it all by myself." Gabby told her, motioning her head towards the car.

Adeline ran to the car.

She took three boxes upstairs to unpack, there was a lot in them.

A box with old papers caught her eye, maybe she could decorate a wall in her bedroom with them! That would be cool.

She flicked through the pile and found an old newspaper article.

She read it, frowning.

Missing child, witch. Date gone missing: 12th September 1283!

Please contact the following address if you have info on this child.

The address was scribbled out in thick black marker, why? A picture of a young witch, looking no more than 3 years old. Why would her mum have kept this newspaper article?

Adeline chose to ignore it, it can't mean anything, right? And she went upstairs. Unboxed some more things.

"Mum I found this old box of papers." Adeline said later, sitting down for dinner. "Can I decorate my wall with them?"

"I don't see why not, get to it tomorrow while I unpack." Gabby tells her.

Adeline smiles and runs up to bed.

***

"Mum" Said Adeline, the following day, showing her the photo wall. "Can I have some old pictures in my room, too? Like baby pictures."

"Maybe." Gabby tells her. "I'll see what I can find."

Adeline writes to her friends, telling them about her new house.

***

The rest of the summer, Adeline was doing no more than decorating her room. She liked doing that.

She received a letter in the mail, from a unknown person.

Hey!

You won't know who this is, as I have no name at the bottom of the letter.

I am in the same year as you in Hogwarts.

This isn't a love letter, don't be stupid. (Despite your obsession with me)

But I need to tell you. There's a murderer on the loose, please be careful. I don't want to loose you (despite we barely know each other.)

This probably isn't who you think it is, haha.

Goodbye, see you in year three.

Who sent this? Adeline folded it up and put it in her wardrobe. If this person was so worried about her, why didn't they put their initials, or name? Surely it was just one of her friends. Neville? Adeline chose to ignore this. As why would someone write her a letter without signing it off?

***

It was near the end of the summer holidays, now.

"Mum? Have you gotten the baby pictures, yet?" Adeline asked.

"No." Said her mum.

Adeline frowned. "Okay, I'm going to Diagon Alley."

"Stay safe!" Her mum called after her.

There was a lot of confusion as to why there was always a new Defence against the dark arts teacher every year. Adeline wondered who it'd be this year.

"Adeline!" Shouted Neville.

"Oh hi Neville" Adeline replied. "I didn't know you'd be in Diagon Alley today!"

"Yeah, I need the new school stuff!" Neville replied. "Mostly everyone's here today."

"Oh." Adeline replied. "Are Hannah and Susan here?"

"I don't know.. I haven't seen them." Neville told her. "Everyone looks older this year."

"Yeah." Adeline said smiling. "You look so mature" She joked, punching him playfully.

Neville laughed. "You too!"

"Come on, are they serving butterbeer in the Leaky Cauldron today?" Adeline asked him.

"Yes! Let's go." Neville told her.

In the Leaky Cauldron, Neville and Adeline were sat on a corner table, drinking butterbeer.

"Has your mum signed your Hogsmeade letter?" Neville asked Adeline.

"Um, not yet, I haven't shown it to her." Adeline explained. "What about you?"

"My gran signed it!" Neville exclaimed. "I can't wait to go! Have you heard of Honeydukes?"

"No.." Adeline said, confused.

"It's a sweet shop, with jelly slugs and more!" Neville said, happily.

Adeline smiled and drank her butterbeer.