SILENT MIND - YEAR 1

4. Sorting Ceremony

The first day of September brought not so many changes as one could expect. The same rain and chill air, the same clouded skies above. Basically the same thing I expected to see every day since the day I decided to move to live with my dad. If things were as they should be, I would begin my studies in Forks High School today. Instead I was sitting in rented car, absently looking at passing streets of London while we drove to the King's Cross train station where my journey towards probably the most strangest place in the world had to begin.

To come to think of that, this day could be a lot worse. Instead of going to Hogwarts, I could be locked up in prison. The idea still made me shiver.

When Charlie finally pulled into a parking lot, I already coped with irreversible fate. With a sigh I climbed out, then slowly walked around the car as if slow movements could put off the inevitable. Charlie helped me to get the huge trunk with school things out, then he went to get the cart while I pulled out my rucksack and cage with barn owl. The owl hooted, clearly showing her annoyment for being locked up.

"Please, shut up, okay? I won't let you out before we reach the school." Great, now I was talking to a bird. Could my life be even more stranger than it already was?

"Here you go, Bells," Charlie interrupted my pathetic internal musing. Together we lifted my trunk up and onto the cart, then he eyed the cage. "An owl, huh? Are you sure you want to keep it?"

I grinned mischievously. Ever since the day I came back to motel with an owl, Charlie kept on asking me the same question. Not that he did not trusted me to be able of taking a proper care of the bird, but because he considered it as unusual choice for a pet.

"She's nice. And it's very popular thing among students to have an unusual pet."

It was a blatant lie, but I could not really tell him that it was rather that or cat, or toad. The first option was immediately ruled out, because I always had been a bit allergic to cats. And toads are too cold and slimy, even mere thought about taking them in hand seemed repulsing. The owl was the most suitable pet to purchase.

"I called her Amy, like Grandma Swan."

"Oh, that's an honour," Charlie grumbled, but I could tell he was kind of pleased. "Well, I hope she will keep an eye on you."

"I'm sure she will, dad," I placed the cage on the trunk, making sure there was no chance for it to fall off, then I turned and hugged Charlie. Leaving was something I did not wanted to do, but I also knew there was no other choice.

Charlie still grumbled. "I hate the thought of not seeing you until the summer break."

"I know, dad, I'll miss you too. But I promise, everything will be fine. Just imagine – Oxford," I grinned. "Imagine Renee's face when she will hear about it."

"She will jump up and down in pride. But – at least call me, Bells," Charlie sighed, but it was obvious he was running out of arguments.

"I'm not quite sure it would be possible. The educational programme is very loaded, especially in first couple of years. So it's not likely I'll have a lot of free time. You know, I'll send you a letter, okay? In a very old-fashioned way."

I hated myself for lying to him, but I knew my dad would freak out if I told him the truth about what kind of school I was going to attend – the Hogwarts, a school of magic, which young wizards and witches from entire Britain attended to learn various things about magic.

When I told Charlie I was going to stay in Great Britain, he was reluctant to let me go at first. Then I showed him acceptance letter from Oxford. He read it at least three times to make sure it was real. And then all arguments were over. Education in this country was always considered as very prestige thing, especially in Oxford. Even if I later decided to quit that whole magic thing and get a job in a Muggle world (I still could not quite get used to this word), Dumbledore already promised to get me a real diploma that would confirm that I had graduated Oxfords' university.