Marauders American Girl

What the hell is Ilermony?

My name is Kendra Watson. I'm just a normal girl living in the ghetto. My dad hates that we have to live here, but it's impossible to move anywhere else on little more than minimum wage. We had a roof over our heads and food to eat most of the time. It wasn't the best but it was alright.

"Kendra!" Dad called. "Come inside! Now!" There was an older woman in a funny dress standing on our doorstep. Her hair was done up in a tight bun that made her look even more serious than she probably was. Hopefully. She was talking to dad and he looked ready to cry. Curious and slightly scared, I walked up towards the pair.

"Good afternoon, Kendra Watson," she greeted. "My name is Aleanora Daryl."

"What kind of a name is that?" I muttered to myself. She continued talking as if she hadn't heard me, which was likely. I'd learned to keep my snark to a minimum volume. Mom always got mad if I said anything so I didn't speak much, unless I was pissed.

"I am a teacher at the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." My eyebrows shot up. "You have been invited to come study with us."

"This is a joke, right?" I questioned.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Watson," Mrs. Daryl replied.

"What the hell is Ilermony?" I scoffed. "Some fancy private school for brats with nothing better to do?"

"Ilvermorny is a boarding school," she corrected.

"We don't have the money to pay for it, ma'am," I denied. "And I'm not a witch."

"Money won't be a problem," she assured me. "And neither will the fact that you think you are not a witch."

"I know I'm not a witch."

"You are sweetie," Dad told me softly. "And I'm a wizard." He looked about ready to cry. It must've been true and if it was, he'd been hiding his magic from me for quite some time now.

"Tell me, Kendra, have strange things happened to you?" she questioned, changing the topic. "Things that shouldn't be able to happen and yet they did?"

"Bruises I've gotten have disappeared before I could blink. Glasses of water have refilled themselves when I wasn't looking," I shrugged. "Is it things like that?"

"Precisely," she smiled. "Things like that prove that you are just as much of a witch as I am, albeit untrained. But Ilvermorny is dedicated to training young witches and wizards, such as yourself, to be able to control this magic."

"How come I've never heard of real magic before?" I asked petulantly, turning towards my dad who'd kept me unaware of his own magic.

"Have you heard of the Salem Witch Trials?" Mrs. Daryl returned. I shook my head. "Well, many witches and a few wizards were killed because they had magic. Unfortunately, many no-maj's were also killed. We with magic have been in hiding so that we don't have to go through that fear again. It is why I have to warn you not to say anything about the details of this school to any friends you have here."

"But it's a boarding school," I replied, thinking everything through. "I don't have the grades to tell people that I got in on a scholarship."

"Not even in one subject?" Mrs. Daryl prodded.

"Maybe, uh, English?" I suggested.

"English, wonderful!" she clapped her hands together. I flinched. Hard. "Oh no, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," I forced a smile. "No harm done." She looked skeptic, but continued on in her explanation about Ilvermorny.

We waited a few more days for her to come back. I was stuck inside with Dad. That meant bruises galore. There she is. I could see her walking down the street from my window. She waved hello to me and I waved back. Dad opened the door. I could hear him screaming at her. She wasn't flinching. Her calm voice gave a sharp contrast to his angry one. She was going to win this fight. Smiling, I went to pack my bag. I could still hear them going at it.

"Stay away from my daughter!" Dad screamed. He was drunk. He didn't remember that he wanted me to go. That he'd already approved.

"What would your wife say?" Mrs. Daryl retorted. "Would she want you to give up this opportunity for her?"

"I probably wouldn't if she were still alive," Dad answered softly. That was the most I'd ever heard him mention her.

"Then let her come with me to the boarding school," Mrs. Daryl pleaded. "Your wife would want it." Dad stomped inside, slamming the door behind him. I checked to make sure I'd packed everything as Dad barged into my room.

"Get up," he ordered. "You're leaving." If I hadn't heard their conversation, I would've been devastated. But I knew I was going to school. I was going to learn magic, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. I picked up my bag as he shoved me down the stairs. Mrs. Daryl was waiting patiently when he opened the front door.

"Bye, Daddy! Thank you!" I gave him a short hug before following Mrs. Daryl down the street. The door slammed shut as we walked away.

"Kendra, where are you going?" Tyrone questioned. Other kids echoed him as I walked down the street.

"I got a scholarship to a boarding school," I called to them. They cheered and whooped. We kept walking until we reached a deserted alley.

"Grab my arm. Take a deep breath and close your eyes," Mrs. Daryl told me. I did as she said. A gut wrenching feeling swept through me. I felt like barfing it was so bad. But then it stopped almost as soon as it began. I clutched her arm tightly and bent over, trying to get rid of my nausea.

"Welcome to Paral Lane," she stated. I looked up and gasped in awe. Men and women in robes and funny hats walked casually through the street. "You'll be staying at an inn, the Lucky Rabbit, for a couple nights. I have a couple more children to pick up for school, but I'll get you settled in here first." She took me straight up to a room in the inn, saying a quick hello to the bartender as we passed.

"That trunk at the end of the bed has all your school supplies in it," she stated. "Well, except your wand of course. You can look through that if you want." I nodded slightly and she passed me the key. "Don't be afraid to wander. I'll be back in three days to take you and the others to school."

"Goodbye, Mrs. Daryl," I replied softly as she left, the door to my room closing behind her. I stayed in the room, leaving only for meals. I started reading my textbooks. They were the most boring books on the planet! But I did learn some semblance of how magic integrated into people's daily lives. It was nice.