Jane Fizzle and the Chamber of Secrets

Chapter 1

    Not for the first time, an argument has broken out over breakfast at Jane's aunt and uncle's house. Uncle Arnold has been woken in the early hours of the morning by Tibbles, Jane's black cat, wanting attention or food.

    "Third time this week!" he roars across the table. "If you can't control that cat, it'll have to go!"

    Jane tries, yet again, to explain. "He's a cat," she says. "He's used to people loving on him whenever he wants. If you can be a bit nicer-"

    "Do I look stupid?" Uncle Arnold snarls, taking a bite of his fried eggs. "Once that cat gets an ounce of attention from any of us, it'll expect more!"  He exchanges dark looks with his wife, Maria.

    Jane tries to argue back, but her words are drowned down by her cousin, Jacob. "You could still be nice to the sweet thing," he smiles weakly, having Jane's back. Over the summer, he has attempted to heal a very broken relationship with Jane, opening his eyes and realizing his mum and dad are toxic. The two are now close and have each other's back. Jacob wants to protect her from those who aren't welcoming.

    "Jackey, this isn't a discussion for you. Eat more bacon, there's some more in the frying pan," Aunt Maria tells him. "We must build you up while we've got the chance... I don't like the sound of that Muggle school food..."

    "I agree, Maria, Smeltings needs better options like Hogwarts," Uncle Arnold grunts.

    "I wish there were more options, to be honest," Jane comments, moving her now wavy hair out of her green eyes. Jane's hair has gotten a lot better over the summer holiday. Last year, it was all choppy and uneven, now it's a little longer and wavy.

    Uncle Arnold and Aunt Maria gasp, Aunt Maria putting her hands over Jacob's ears, Uncle Arnold looking like he's going to hit her. Jane holds her hands over her face, flinching up.

    "WHAT HAVE WE TOLD YOU ABOUT TALKING ABOUT HOGWARTS IN THIS HOUSE!?" Uncle Arnold yells at her. "AND RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR SQUIB COUSIN! THE AMOUNT OF DISRESPECT!"

    "I-I'm sorry! I was just saying that there needs to be more options!" Jane cries out from her arms, Jacob moving his mothers hands away from him with an annoyed look.

    "Come on, it's okay," Jacob says, putting a gentle hand on Jane's shoulder. "I, for one, am proud of her."

    Jane slowly removes her arms away from her face and looks over at Jacob with a weak smile. "Thanks."

    "Jacob, stop being nice to her, you're clearly upset and angry at her for being a witch and you're not," Uncle Arnold tells him, the smile from Jacob's face fading a little. Jane covered her mouth with her hand a little.

    "I'm not upset..." Jacob says weakly, his voice cracking a little.

    "You clearly are, why else is your voice cracking?" Aunt Maria asks, sipping her tea gently, placing it down on its plate when she's finished. "Gosh, we need a house-elf with all of this cleaning."

    "Jane can clean," Uncle Arnold says.

    Ever since Jane has came home for the summer holidays, Uncle Arnold has been treating her like a bomb that might go off at any moment, because Jane Fizzle is a witch, and his own son didn't get any magic abilities at all. He's sour about it, making Jane's life horrible just to feel good about his own creation.

    Jane misses Hogwarts so much, it's like having a constant stomach ache. She misses the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, her classes (though perhaps not Randolph, the Potions master), the mail arriving by owl, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in her four-poster bed in the dormitory, visiting the gamekeeper, Robin, in his cabin next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, and, especially, Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world (six tall goal posts, four flying balls, and fourteen players on broomsticks).