Spellbound

Chapter 1

"I can't believe it! I can't believe it! I'm a witch! Momma, I'm a witch!" the usually passive eleven year old squealed to her mother, who was trying to calm her exuberant child. "Do you think I'll be able to cast spells and fly on broomsticks and meet monsters and battle evil sorcerers and-"

"Ea, please darling, calm down. We'll-" her mother started, only to be enthusiastically interrupted by her child again.

"Does this mean that Uncle Harry is really a wizard? Oh! And what about Aunt Ginny and James and Severus and Lily? Are they magical too? Oh, how splendid that would be! And I would be going all the way to Salem! That's so far! How will I get there? By magic? By-"

"That's enough, Ea!" her father shouted. This whole time, he had sat silently in his recliner, glaring at the TV, which wasn't even on. "I'm not even sure I should be allowing this! The only reason I am is because I've seen what it could be like to try to avoid those letters. But the Potter's are still nothing but freaks to our family. It's not something to be excited about!" he breathed in heavily, seeming surprised at his own outburst.

Ea's bottom lip shook violently before she ran up to her room. Her mother sighed, "Dudley, love, we talked about this. You knew this might happen. Why are you being so cruel?" Her soft voice and temperament was always a boon for her husband's temper, but was not mistaken for passivity. Darcy would always look after her daughter, no matter who she had to maul, even if it meant putting her husband in his place.

Dudley heaved a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes against his own shame, "I'm sorry dear, I don't know what's gotten into me. Harry and Ginny have been nothing but helpful. I'm just worried for our little firebug. She's just so unaware of how rare, how special she is." It hurt him to admit it, but it would hurt even more if he let on that talking about it was helping more.

"You'll need to call your family and tell them. She's younger than any of her cousins. Accept maybe Lily. They may send her to Salem since Ea got accepted. She might not be totally alone Dudderball, and even if she is, she's strong," she continued lovingly, moving to sit on his lap. Darcy put her arms around his neck, "you're going to go upstairs and talk to her. You'll do best to add an apology in that talk too if you know what's best for you." she said, her Irish lilt coming through strong.

"Alright," he kissed his wife, "alright," another kiss, "alright." He got up and trudged up the stairs to give the talk of his eleven year old's life.

One Year Later:

"Mum, are you sure I should go this year? I mean, I know "it'll be fine" but are you really sure?" Ea squirmed as she pulled on her new uniform. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to go through all the sorting embarrassment again. They had finally moved to Dudley's hometown in London. After escaping the horrors of Salem Institute, she wasn't sure if she was too enthusiastic about this Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Oh, Ea, you'll be fine, I promise. And don't forget to try out for the Quidditch team! It does look like fun!" As usual, whenever someone brought up her mother's promise to let her try out for Quidditch, Ea lit up.

"You can bet my college fund on it Mum!" was all she said. With that, they rolled her trunk and new materials to the car. Ea was going to visit Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny for the rest of the summer, like she had last year, to get ready for the new year. Last year, they came to visit her in the U.S. because it was easier to travel by magic than by normal methods of transportation, but she hadn't gotten to see her cousins at all.

This year, though, this year was going to be different. She wouldn't be alone this year. She would have her sibling-like and rambunctious cousins to get her through school.

Ea snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of the doorbell ringing like Big Ben. She rushed to answer and when she opened it, leaped into the air in a flying tackle to land squarely in her uncle's arms. "Uncle Harry! Uncle Harry! You guys are right on time! Mum just made her extra gooey brownies, but I helped make them! You like brownies don't you Aunt Ginny?"

They laughed as they entered the house, and disengaged from their niece's enthusiastic greeting, "It's good to see you too Madden. Did you do your homework over the summer?" Ginny said, laughing when Ea audibly groaned and nodded, before running off to collect the last of her things.

There was silence between the parents in the hall, before Ginny piped up, "I'd love to try your brownies Darcy, the kids always rave about them when they visit."

Darcy didn't hesitate to start on the new topic and away from the nervous energy that now surrounded the men. As they exited, Harry chuckled, "She sure has gotten big. Quite a bit bigger than Lily, actually." he moved in for a handshake.

"'Course she has! She needs a little of me doesn't she?" Dudley lightly boasted, shaking Harry's proffered hand pointedly, "Thanks for coming to get her. After what happened in Salem, we've just been..."

"I understand, Duds. We'll keep her safe. McGonagall knows about everything, and has taken the necessary precau-" he stopped speaking as Ea tromped down the stairs with a backpack and her ridiculously large barn owl, Hitoro, already in his cage. "Good heavens Ea! What have you been feeding him? He's enormous!"

Her head snapped up as if she hadn't been standing right next to them when he spoke, and her eyes were wide. "Wha? Oh! Um... He's been hunting for himself since last year. I guess I didn't realize how big he's gotten." Her eyes stared at Hitoro, and they seemed to stare at each other as if communicating silently.

Harry cleared his throat, "Shall we get going? We don't want to catch the evening traffic. Your cousins are so desperate to see you that they've divided days in the week to spend time with you." He glanced at his cousin. Dudley nodded in response. Harry had spoken to him beforehand and they made sure that she wouldn't be left alone until she was at school and had other things to occupy her mind.

"Alright!" she gushed, as she flew into her mother's arms, "I'm going to miss you mama; so much..." she breathed, her arms tightening around Darcy's waist.

"I know, little firebug, and I'll miss you. Don't forget to write to me about everything! Alright?" It was becoming difficult for Darcy to breathe.

"Yes mum." she sniffled, then turned to her father. Dudley just held open his arms and she rushed into them.

He chuckled lightly, "You'll be fine, Ea. You trust your Da' don't you?" she nodded, "Then trust me when I tell you that this year is going to be the best year you've ever had! Okay?" Ea nodded more enthusiastically and he patted her head before she turned to march out of the front door.

Ginny hugged Darcy, and Harry noticed that her eyes were red, as if she had been crying. He made a mental note to ask about that later. Giving one last hand shake to his cousin, Harry turned out of their house and got into his car. Ea was staring out the window, into the sky. Harry hoped that what she needed was out there, calling to her. And he desperately wanted her to find it.