Twice Chosen | Esmerelda Potter

Epilogue: The Box

"Bye Harry!" a Ravenclaw girl shouts.

"See you next year, Esmerelda!" a Hufflepuff girl yells. 

"Blimey, you two! You're popular!" Ron shakes his head in disbelief. 

"I promise you Ron, not where I'm going," Harry says.

I lift my navy blue trunk off of the train, being careful not to drop Captiosus's cage. Now a line greets us, the train conductor will only let us leave three or four at a time, making sure we don't alert any Muggles on the other side of the barrier.

Unfortunately, we are in the back of the line; being popular also means we're the last ones off the train. 

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When the train conductor finally lets us through, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I dash through the wall, and then ending up back in the regular King's Cross Station. 

I spot Dora immediately. I drop my trunk and run to hug her.

"I missed you! How was your first year? I want to hear all about it!" Dora exclaims.

"I want to hear about what happened to you as well!" I reply. "I'm sure plenty has happened!"

"You're right about that," Dora speaks. 

"I'll be back. I need to get my trunk," I tell Dora.

As I turn around, I see Hermione with her parents and all the Weasleys with their mother, the same lady who helped Harry and I onto the train at the beginning of the year.

As I roll my trunk back to Dora, Harry runs up to me. 

"I've gotta go. My...err...family...is waiting for me. I've already said goodbye to Ron and Hermione."

Harry points to three people standing awkwardly by a bench by the front of King's Cross. "That's Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and my cousin Dudley," Harry reminds me. 

Uncle Vernon is built like a circle, both tall and large. He wears a newspaper hat and a plaid shirt, as well as a scowl. Aunt Petunia is short and thin with curly black hair, and she looks more embarrassed than angry. Cousin Dudley has his mother's hair and his father's build, and he is busy chasing an insect around the platform.

It's strange to think that they were related to us.

"Oh, Harry! Promise me that you'll write every day! Please! I mean, I wish we could talk telepathically, but we can only talk so close," I stop while a single tear collects in my eye.

"Esmerelda, I promise I'll see you again. There's next year, and five more after that. I promise, I won't ever leave you again," Harry says.

"Me neither," I pause while collecting my thoughts. "Now, go see your family."

He gives me a knowing look and walks slowly, obviously trying to stall. 

"Write every day!" I remind him. 

"Esmerelda!" someone shouts suddenly behind me. I turn around. Hermione runs toward me and hugs me.

"Promise you'll write to me?" Hermione asks. 

"Yes, if my owl is still awake by then," I tell Hermione.

"Have a great summer!" I call to her. She waves back and runs to catch up with her parents, who are pulling her trunk for her.

When I turn around to see Harry again, he is gone. I sigh. Only three months until I see him again.

I go back to Dora, who is having a very extensive conversation with Ron's mother. Mrs. Weasley's fiery red hair and Dora's purple hair contrast each other, and I laugh as I look at it.

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"Your owl's name is Captiosus?" Fred Weasley asks.

"Yes," I say. "It means smart in Latin."

"Why don't you just call it Cap?" George asks.

"Because that's not its name," I retort.

Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and I have been sitting on a bench for the last half hour while Dora and Mrs. Weasley are talking. And they haven't stopped yet.

"But I call you Elda, that's the same thing!" Ron replies.

"You can call her Cap if you want, but I am calling her Captiosus," I say. At the mention of her name, Captiosus turns her head and nibbles on my finger through the cage.

"Say, Percy, what's your owl's name?" I say, referring to the large gray owl sitting in a cage next to him on the bench.

"It's not mine, but my whole family shares him. His name is Errol."

"Better than Captiosus," George mutters.

I give him a pointed look.

"Gee, I hope they stay talking all day! I don't feel like leaving," Ron says. 

"Yeah, me too," I add.

Almost on cue, Dora and Mrs. Weasley come over to our bench and tell us that we have to go home. 

"You're welcome at our house anytime this summer, Esmerelda," Mrs. Weasley says to me.

"I will need the help this summer," Dora starts. "I'm beginning Auror training next week!"

"A dark-wizard catcher!" Ron exclaims. "Merlin's beard, that's bloody amazing!"

Dora smiles. "I'll be trained by none other than Mad-Eye Moody."

All the Weasley boys gasp. 

"The Mad-Eye-Moody?" Fred gasps.

"Who's that?" I ask.

"Only the best Auror in the whole world!" George replies.

"You'll be busy then!" Mrs. Weasley chimes in. "I will help you anytime."

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After the sickening apparation home, I toss my trunk into my room, not even bothering to unpack. My room looks the exact same as I left it nine months ago, with the blinds still half-open, and my closet still messy.

The only new thing is an owl perch in the corner, for Captiosus.

I put my scrapbook from Hagrid on my dresser. I've already looked through it multiple times on the train when I wasn't eating or playing games.

I retrieve the box that I started working on the day before I went to Diagon Alley for the first time. It is only half-colored and inspiration hadn't struck yet. Now I know exactly what to do with the box. 

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I sigh happily as I tape the last piece of cardboard to the inside of the box. 

Night has since fallen and I have already eaten dinner. I have been working on this box forever today.

And now it's finally done.

This box is divided into seven sections, one for each year of school. I carefully empty my pockets of my robes, and pick out the piece of the Sorcerer's Stone that I found and drop it into the box, along with the currency conversion chart that Hagrid gave me in Gringotts, a feather that Captiosus shed on the train, my letters from Dora throughout the year, the various pictures of the school, the broken piece of the wand, and lastly, my Hogwarts acceptance letter and school supply list.

I take a red marker and write on the side of my box.

"Hogwarts Memory Box"

I pull three rolls of parchment from my desk and a quill, while deciding if it's too early to write a letter.

I smile and look through the scrapbook one more time before turning off the light and going to sleep. 

This is going to be a great summer.