The Lost Heir of Ilvermony

Revelations and The Yule Ball

July Fourth is the best day of the year to me. People are all out and vendors have lines so long that they don’t notice a child slipping away. I have eaten so much of what my Mom called junk food I found a shady place in the park and went to sleep. Waking-up the happy sunshine families are gone. Replaced with adults all of them noticing me in my beat up boots with too big shorts both stolen. Thankfully the fireworks light up the sky. I run down a side street to the Tenders where young kids like me are all too common.

There is a party everywhere the music of all types is blasting from apartments. It's the fourth where people start drinking in the morning. I’ve been drinking from many solo cups with unknown substances and the contents are making my head spin. The lights are alive and I see the waves of music twirling around. I feel myself floating into the sky. A hand grabs me before I’m too far off the ground.

“Foolish girl.” The small man is my height, wearing animal skins and pointed ears. 

“Whaooooo!” I feel my eyes get wide. “What are you?”

The man pulls me to an empty house where neon painted letters are more vivid in my wide eyes. I laugh as the letters pop off the walls and start to dance around the room. Letters sing silly songs. “William.” He says in crockey old voice. “Now put the letters back on the wall.”

 I’m not scared that he sees this too. “Noooo. “ I whine as he opens a bottle it smells like sour apples.

His voice is stern. “Drink this.”

“Happy Birthday ‘Merica.” I drink the whole thing as the letters jump back onto the wall and I sink into sleep.

My eyes opened from the dream about the first and last time I was drunk. The little me had nightmares when I woke up the next day. The happy dancing letters had horns with bloody fangs. It scared so much that I avoided the Tenders for months after being haunted by what my own mind was capable of. Silently I slip into my socks pulling as my roommates sore softly, Capser is in his enclosure. I feel him dreaming happily. All our dress and robes are hanging to air out from their time in our trunks. 

My blue silk is hanging like a ghost in the pre-dawn room quietly. The ball is only for third years and up so anyone who isn’t staying has gone home. Not a lot of people stay for Christmas most the younger students are gone and all who are going to the ball will leave tomorrow. Even my friends are going, watching carriages pull away as a new layer of fine snow falls I feel self doubt. Tonight I’ll have to dance in front of the whole school, not something I’m looking forward to. The bright side is that anyone who is going to the ball will be gone tomorrow. I’ll have the castle to myself more or less the Mato and Castlo students are staying.

Entering the common room I see Daniel sitting by the fire, his face hidden by a book. “Hey Buddy I didn’t think you would be staying.”

Daniel talks about his parents all the time and they send him letters almost and I think if I win the prize I’ll get him an owl of his own. He doesn't look up but says. “Yeah.” His voice is forced joy laced with a deep longing.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” His voice is choked. Looking more closely I see his book is upside down.

Waving my wand the book flies to my hand. Daniel’s face is red, his eyes puffy like he's crying. A swell of sorrow fills me. I sit beside him and he hugs me closely, crying. “I was hoping I could go home but my Dad’s truck needed a new transmission and they can’t afford to bring my home.”

I put my arm around. “Oh I’m sorry it's not bad here around christmas. The Pudewidge celebrates the solstices with fireworks and keep fires burning all day.”