two rings and bad things

9_ the move

Dear Malorie,
          Guess what, I moved to Amsterdam just last week! Crazy, right?! My mom has wanted to move for a very long time now, and my family wanted to be closer to Hogwarts, so she got a new job here. And that means I can finally write to everyone because I'm a lot closer than I was in America! I can't wait for the school year, see you soon!

Ed read the letter over a few times and then copied almost the exact same thing onto pieces of parchment for Lance and Malfoy.

She also decided she should maybe write one to Hermione too, they did occasionally have conversations in the library.

After thorough consideration, she finally decided to write a letter to her, too.

Dear Hermione,
Hi, I know we aren't super close, but I wanted to let you know that I have moved to Amsterdam. I also hope we can be friends, you seem really nice!

She just hoped Hermione wouldn't mind that she was a Slytherin... and friends with Malfoy.

"Here you go, Mercury," she said as she tied the letters to her scops owl's leg.

She thought this was a clever name, for it was after the Roman messenger God.

He was small, for an owl, but somehow still managed to fly with four pieces of parchment. Ed watched him fly out the window, excited for her friends to hear the news.

"Ed, lunch is almost ready!" Indie, her mother, called from downstairs.

"Coming!" She responded, and ran as fast as she could down the steps.

She helped set the table, of course, because her family was more accustomed to the muggle way of life.

She hated this. Magic had become such a huge part in her life that it felt like something was missing over the summer vacation.

Because of this, she even wished she was a pureblood, although she would never discriminate against other blood types.

In fact, most people at Hogwarts assumed she was a pureblood, Ed was in Slytherin, after all.

Only Malorie and Lance knew that she lived a muggle life outside of Hogwarts because they had talked about their families one night in the common room. Even Malfoy didn't know about this- he only knew that she had two younger brothers. But she wouldn't be able to keep this secret forever...

_______________

It wasn't long before the school supplies lists were sent out to the students for the year.

"Ed, I have something in the mail for you!" Mrs. Koldings said loudly over Kai and Leo's playful screams as she handed her a letter.

Ed recognized that it said Hogwarts, and was very excited, even though she had no idea what it said yet.

She ripped the envelope open, which revealed a piece of parchment that had the required books.

"Let's see... a standard book of spells... and a bunch of books by Gilderoy Lockhart, whoever that is," she muttered to herself.

"Can we go to Diagon Alley soon?!" Ed asked enthusiastically.

"Well, we won't be able to go until right before school starts, it's still an eight hour drive and I don't want to be driving back and forth," Mrs. Koldings stated.

"Oh, okay!" Ed replied. She didn't mind this, as long as she was able to go to Hogwarts she was happy.

_______________

It took about two weeks for the letters from Ed's friends to return, but at least Mercury was smart enough to bring them all back at once.

She noticed that he looked exhausted after the long trip, so she gave him some food and told him to go to sleep. After tending to her owl, she immediately opened Malorie's letter.

Dear Ed,
          That's amazing! Maybe you could come visit me sometime, my family would love to meet you, and I really miss you! :)

Ed smiled, she missed Malorie too. However, visiting her might have to wait until next year since the school year was getting closer already.

Next, she opened the letter from Malfoy.

Koldings,
That's great! Still far from here though, are you trying to kill my owl or something? I can't wait to beat Gryffindor this year! They won't stand a chance one we're on the Quidditch team. You are trying out, right?

Sincerely,
Malfoy

She laughed at his letter, but then paused for a second.

How did she forget about Quidditch?

She hadn't practiced all summer because she didn't have her own broomstick, but didn't think it was a good idea anyways. This was a whole different level than the race they had for fun last year, and had a feeling she wouldn't even make the team. Plus school might be harder, and Ed wanted to make sure she had enough time for all her homework. She decided that she would wait until next year to try out.

She wrote back to Malfoy explaining this, and hopefully he wouldn't be too disappointed.

Next, she opened Lance's letter.

Ed,
Wow, the Netherlands?! I've been there once and it was great! You'll definitely enjoy it. See you at school!

Hermione's letter was next. Ed was slightly hesitant to open it, just in case Hermione didn't want to be friends with her. But she was wrong.

Dear Ed Koldings,
Good thing you moved, now you won't spend nearly as much time traveling to London! And... aren't we already friends? You did help me find Transfiguration: A Beginner's Guide in the library for extra practice, after all. But I suggest we don't tell anyone, I know the rivalry between our houses can be quite intense. Although I have to admit, your not all that bad, for a Slytheirn.

With love,
Hermione

Ed beamed, she was so glad she had another friend, even if she was a Gryffindor. But sometimes it didn't really matter what house someone was in.

_______________

The start of term was now only a couple days away, which meant the Koldings family had to leave for their road trip to London.

But before they left, Ed made sure to say goodbye to her new neighbor, who had quickly become her friend over the summer.

Interestingly enough, Annette Heyden was a witch as well, which they soon found out.

However, she went to Beauxbatons, the wizard school in France. Either way, Ed knew she would see her again soon.

And with that thought, the family set out for London, once again.