Harriet Roswell and the School of Witchcraft

Chapter 2

Harriets 15th birthday began in bed. She had barely realised that the sun had broken through her curtains when Alex slipped a tray of pancakes, maple syrup, bacon, orange juice and tea, with a little bowl of watermelon on to her lap. Harriet rubbed her eyes as she looked up to Alex.

"Hi."

"Happy Birthday sweetie. I have lots of plans for today, so an early start, don't look at the time."

"What time is it?"

"Don't look" Alex shook his head and then handed her a thin rectangular present. She unwrapped a small box, and took out a kindle.

"You can take it anywhere, and its super easy to read with optional backlight. It's all insured for theft, loss or breakage so you can feel happy carrying it wherever you want."

"Thank you."

"I did make you a little book account you can use on your kindle, the details are all here" Alex said handing her a card "I had to make it, because I did a lot of searching, and I went ahead and got you a few books on famous people of colour, a few books written by famous indian authors and a superhero story of a tough indian woman."

"That was a lot of searching."

"It was but it's nice to have culture and to explore our past. I know your mother took a lot of pride in her culture, so I do what I can. It's fascinating to see ways in how our ancestors lived. If there weren't so many I'd learn about everyones cultures."

"Considering what the British did maybe you should." Harriet said, Alex laughed.

"Hey, your father was british!" Alex said and got up and opened up the curtains "now I've got a few things to pack, so when your finished get up. Wear sporty gear."

"Oh no."

"Nah, it'll be good."

Lukas arrived shortly after Harriet came downstairs. His face was red and blotchy.

"Happy Birthday!" Lukas said and sneezed.

"Thanks, are you alright?" Harriet asked.

"I'm fine" Lukas said and he handed her a card. Harriet opened it. It said 'Happy Birthday' on the front and had pictures of cats. There was no inscription inside the card.

"Thanks" Harriet frowned and put the card on the kitchen counter. Alex handed Lukas a bag, with a rucksack on his own back.

"Got your kindle?" Alex asked.

"Yep" Harriet said holding up a tiny rucksack just big enough for a kindle, it looked like a frog.

"Cute! Okay lets go."

"I'll drive." Lukas offered.

"Absolutely not."

The surprise was a climb up the mountain Snowdonia. Harriet took one look at the mountain before she turned to Alex.

"Don't want to."

"Trust me" Alex said, and they began the climb. It was a long climb, and hard. Despite the early morning sweat was dripping off their faces. They stopped for a juice box twice. They reached the summit and took a picture around the little statue that looked like a clock on the top. Walking down was a lot easier. Harriet half thought that she might as well roll down, if it weren't for the occasional drops into the abyss or passing mountain trains.

They walked down until the clouds disappeared and the weather was warmer. Then Alex set out a picnic blanket and three dishes, tuna pasta with sweetcorn, scotch eggs, a BLT sandwich (although Lukas had cheese) and a chocolate chip cupcake.

"What flavour?" Alex asked holding 3 cartons of flavoured milkshake.

"Mmm. Banana please." Alex handed her the banana and then turned to Lukas.

"What flavour-" he rolled his eyes before waiting for a response and handed him the chocolate flavoured one. Alex took a sip of his strawberry drink, and poked at his pasta.

"Are you proud of yourself Hattie?" He asked.

"Satisfied I guess?"

"That was your first goal of your year, and you totally crushed it, and now you can crush anything."

"Could have given me an easier goal..."

"It's a confidence boosting exercise!"

"Thank you... I think."

"Do you not fancy Ben Nevis for you 16th birthday?"

"Not my birthday."

"What if I bring more food?"

"Mmmm. I could consider it." Harriet said biting into her scotch egg.

"Guess what I've got planned next?"

Harriet thought for a moment, and then she thought deeper, and fear crossed her face "Ben Nevis?"

"Nope, you ready for the list?"

"Well" Harriet looked back up the mountain "I guess so."

"Shopping, then we're going to go a spa for a little massage."

"Ooooh, fancy. Is Lukas coming?"

"I'm coming but I'm just going to hang out in the hot tubs and swim. I'm going to do a lot of farting in the hot tub." Lukas nodded as he turned the page of his book. Alex sighed.

"Then we're all going to get our nails done."

"All of us?"Harriet asked excited, her eyes gleaming with Chaos.

"Yes."

"Nice."

Shopping felt like climbing a mountain, and Harriet wasn't sure if that had been what Alex meant about her goals being mountains. It sure felt like that. The massage and hot-tub experience afterwards was a superior relaxing experience more than she had ever hoped for. Possibly just because she was able to take the weight off her legs. After her massage she and Alex hobbled into the hot tub where Lukas had been for the past 30 minutes, he was sat, with his head lobbed to one side whilst wearing sunglasses, possibly dead.

"Theres a strict 15 minute turn you know" Lukas said sitting close to him, so there was plenty of room for Harriet. Harriet and Alex altered from between the pools, but eventually all came to Lukas's way of thinking, until they were eventually asked to leave by a security guard and a line of six people. Lukas didn't talk at all while he got his nails done, he had them painted black. Alex got fake nails painted white with little gems. Harriet took a while thinking, but eventually she settled on some long white, pink and dark blue colours nails, with glitter tips and little gems.

They had dinner on the coast, someplace with large tall windows where it was late enough for the sky to cast a pink glow across the ocean. They had a starters of garlic bread (which was truly a hazard with Harriets new nails), followed by a fancy creamy fish pasta dish, and then to Harriets horrified surprised the staff brought out a birthday cake, blasting a knock off happy-birthday song.

When they got home they put on a film a cat appeared on Harriets lap, a leaflet for some sort of boarding school, and a beer in her hand. Although she wasn't sure on the pamphlet, she did enjoy the cat, and the beer, before she fell asleep next to Alex, Lukas having passed out almost immediately after sitting down in an armchair for 'just a second'.