The Healer | Part 1: The Hogwarts Years

The Journey Back

Edith

The sun was just starting to rise when I woke up the following morning. I got up, pulled on my dressing gown and headed downstairs to the kitchen, I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.

My mother was the only other one awake. She was already fully dressed, sipping on a cup of coffee and reading a book at the kitchen table.

'Good morning, love,' she smiled up at me as I walked in. 'Tea?'

'Aye, please,' I sat down and let her make me a cup of tea. She set it down in front of me and then took her seat again.

'How was your term, dear?' She asked. 'We didn't really get much of a chance to chat about it.'

'Well, I know it bothers Bonnie to hear about my school,' I replied.

'Donna you worry about Bonnie,' my mum waved her hand, 'she'll be alright now that she has her own wee place in the world.'

'Will she?' I asked.

'Oh, aye,' Mum assured me. 'She's doing very well for herself in Edinburgh. She has loads of new friends.'

'That's good.' I said. The tea was still too hot to drink, but the warm mug felt nice on my hands. It smelled like home. I felt like a child again, like I didn't have any responsibilities or anything to worry about. Almost as if the wizarding world never existed and the Triwizard Tournament, the OWLs and my homework with it.

'So, how was school?' My mother prompted me again.

I told her about the Triwizard Tournament. She seemed horrified at the idea but calmed down when I told her only adults were allowed to enter. I left out the part about a fourteen-year-old being part of the competition. She didn't need to know that bit.

She was interested in hearing about the dragons though, and said she was proud of me for helping out in the first aid tent. She also enjoyed hearing about the foreign students.

'Part of the Tournament is the Yule Ball,' I told her. 'It's a fancy dress party on Christmas Day. Everyone was going mad trying to get a date!'

'Oh, that sounds like good fun!' My mum smiled.

'People even asked me to go to the ball with them,' I said quietly. I averted my gaze and pretended to take a sip of my tea.

'Did they, now?' My mum replied. 'Who?'

'One of the foreign lads,' I answered. 'His name is Andrej, he's from Slovenia.'

'Is he nice?' She asked.

'I think so,' I said. She laughed.

'What do you mean, you think so?' She chuckled.

'I've only spoken to him a few times!' I defended myself.

'You usually have good judgement,' Mum said. 'Was he disappointed?'

'I think so,' I said. 'He was a good sport about it, anyway.'

'He sounds lovely,' Mum smiled and took another sip of her tea. 'Who else asked you to go to the Ball with them?'

'A lad named George, he's a Hogwarts student as well, but only a year above mine,' I answered.

'Oh?' Mum raised an eyebrow, 'and what's he like?'

'I donna really ken, Mum,' I took a drink of tea, it had finally cooled down enough for me to drink. 'I've barely spoken to him before.'

'Well, you must have said something nice to him,' Mum prodded. 'Otherwise he wouldn't have asked you to be his date.'

'I dunno,' I sighed. I told my mum about Fred and George and how they invented all sorts of joke products. I told her about what I had done to their hair and what they had done to mine in return. Mum found the whole story hilarious, she was wiping tears from her eyes when I finished.