A House Divided [a Wizarding World Story]

The Letter

Luce sits on the side of the pool, her feet brushing the top of the water, one of her new books next to her. Her eyes are closed, her face up toward the sky, letting the rays of summer warm her face, highlighting golden strands in her dark hair. Suddenly, the sun's warm glow disappears and she is plunged into a world of darkness. She opens one eye to see what happened. John is standing over her, his head perfectly eclipsing the sun.

"Do you mind, bighead?"

"What did that Professor really want with you?"

"She told me that I was accepted into this school and that it was free."

"For how long?"

"It could be up to 7 years-"

"Where is it?"

"She didn't say..."

"Is it a specialized program?"

"Umm... I suppose so?"

"Do they want you because you're such a dunce?"

"Don't be rude John. You're just upset that people want me to go to their school."

"No, I'm really not. There's something fishy going on... No one is telling me the whole truth... I'll figure it out soon enough." He moves away and Luce resumes her skyward-facing position.

Luce couldn't help but remember a time last summer that was very similar to this. John had just seemingly stopped pestering her when moments later, Luce feels something fly over her head. Then a wave of water crashed against her, soaking her and a book she was reading pool-side. She had shrieked, wiping the water from her face.

"You'll have ruined my book!" She yelled loudly, alerting her parents that something had happened.

"Grow up, it's just a book." John retorted.

"What's happened?" Their father approached the pair, a much smaller baby Ali in hand.

"He jumped in and soaked me and my book!" Luce points at John, while John sticks his tongue out at her.

"Here, let me see the book, maybe the damage won't be that bad." Luce obliged, scanning the ground for her book. When she bent down to pick it up, it was dry as a bone and warm as if it had spent hours in the sun. She looked up at her father, startled. He laughed. "It seems as if you bore the brunt of the water, Lucinda. I think your book will make it, don't you?" She nodded, still astounded.

She had always thought the water had somehow missed the book, but knowing what she does now, maybe that wasn't the case. Now she knew that magic existed, and she had some, what if she dried the book by magic? How many other times had she done magic and not known it?

It could really be anything, couldn't it? Any stroke of luck, any top-grade, anything that ever went my way could've just been magic and not me. But how would I know? Am I meant to keep hidden until I can control my magic? What if I have mind control powers, and I've been controlling everyone for years and not known it? Luce's mind continues to spiral as she grows a light shade of green in the light of the sun.

A few hours later, after Luce had successfully convinced herself that she was a monster and needed to be taken away from the world, her parents entered the garden.

"John, could go inside and keep an eye on the baby while we talk to Luce?" John rolls his eyes, but stands up, wrapped in a towel.

"I'll figure out what's going on, whether you want me to or not." He makes his way into the house.

"Alright, Luce, your mother and I have discussed... Are you alright?" His kind face was etched with concern. Luce nods.

"Yes..." She clears her throat. "Yes, I'm alright. I've just been thinking about all the times I could have done magic and not known it, and, well, I don't like the feeling that I might do more without knowing it..." She looks down at the water, her feet still skimming it.

"Well, we have good news for you then," Amelia smiles and sits next to her daughter. "Your father and I have decided that you should go to Hallwarts-"

"Hogwarts, dear." Joshua laughs as he sits on the other side of Luce.

"Yes, thank you. We think you should go, for at least one year. Maybe you can learn how to control your um, your powers a bit, and then you'll come back to regular school..." Luce hugs her mother tightly, her father joining in.

"Thank you..." she whispers softly.

"And who knows," her father laughs, "maybe the place is dreadful and you only want to stay one year."

They stayed like that for some time, wrapped in each other's arms, not saying anything at all, as if trying to preemptively make up for all the missed time during the next few months.

John paces the living room, looking out into the garden from the door.

What is going on with them? What aren't they telling me and why aren't they telling me it? He looks around the room, Ali asleep in her exersaucer. What had that woman said? That she was from a school... A school called what? Something funny with an H... Hallmarks. No, that's not it... Holl something... No, Hog something. He sits down at the family computer, opening a search engine, typing: boarding school Hog. The only things that came up were about pig-tending programs at boarding schools.

"Whatever it is, I'll figure it out eventually..."

The first thing next morning, Luce was wide awake, ready to face the day. Sitting at her desk, she smooths down the thick parchment that was contained in the second envelope Professor McGonagall had given her, the one with which she was to send her response to the acceptance letter. Clicking a ballpoint pen absentmindedly, she gazes out the window at the street below. She starts to write, head resting on her left arm.

Dear Professor McGonagall,

I have talked it over with my parents and they say I can come for the year, maybe longer! I am excited to go to Hogwarts and am wondering where to get my cauldron and wand and other stuff. If you have any shops in mind, I'd like to know.

See you on 1 September,

Lucinda Martin

Luce smiles to herself, then carefully folds the parchment and places it back into the envelope. She seals it, then starts to hunt through her desk draws for stamps. After about 3 minutes she stops, stamps in-hand. She sticks it to the left upper corner of the envelope, then very carefully fills out her return address;

Lucinda Martin

22 Rosebery Road

Felixstowe

SUFFOLK

IP11 7 JQ

After double-checking her spelling and formatting, she searches the original letter for a mailing address.

Wait, how am I meant to mail this? She thinks, flipping the letter over again. After a few minutes of silent thinking, she starts to write;

Professor McGonagall

Hogwarts

United Kingdom

"That will have to do..." She whispers softly to herself, standing from her desk. By the time she completed the entire process of writing and addressing her letter, the golden sun was sending yellow, orange, and pink through the deep blue sky, the sounds of morning drifting in through the window and into the house.