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Dear Miss Mason,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
Emma's parents are thrilled. Such a good school, so well respected, and those alumni- just look at the battle against the Dark Lord! All that talent!- they're beyond proud. Emma's pleased on their behalf, of course. She wants to make her parents proud. She doesn't ask how badly the school was damaged in the war; she doesn't inquire how many teachers are missing or dead; she doesn't mention wishing she could stay home for a year. Maybe until things are just a little more rebuilt.
(She thinks it, though.)
She smiles and hugs her parents and agrees yes, of course it's wonderful, helping to rebuild the wizarding world is important. She'll start school in the fall, become a better witch.
And, as her mother points out excitedly- now they need to go shopping.
Emma's hardly unfamiliar with Diagon Alley. It's the place to be seen, as far as her parents are concerned, so that's where they've always shopped. But it feels different, somehow, to be shopping for Hogwarts. Her mother is showing every shopkeeper the list, fingers underlining the Hogwarts letterhead. Her father is stopping every friend he sees, talking loudly about "here to shop for Emma's first year, at Hogwarts you know".
Emma wants to scrunch up and hide from the attention, but her parents are so happy. It's only just the once she starts school, she supposes. She plasters on a smile and follows after her mother. Almost done now; all she needs is a wand.
And as everyone knows, there's only one place to get those.
parental_guidance
chanuphis
"You're welcome! This is supposed to be complicated, though, so I might not be able to."
She points her Ollivander wand at the extra hair and says firmly, "Evanesco," just like her mum cleaning up a spill.
Nothing.
"I'm probably missing something. I don't think it's in the first year textbooks or I'd look it up."
She points her Ollivander wand at the extra hair and says firmly, "Evanesco," just like her mum cleaning up a spill.
Nothing.
"I'm probably missing something. I don't think it's in the first year textbooks or I'd look it up."
metamorphmaga
So does Jenny!
Since the spell is not in fact "Evesco", unsurprisingly, nothing happens.
Since the spell is not in fact "Evesco", unsurprisingly, nothing happens.
metamorphmaga
"It was about half a joke? I mean, I've seen my wand go all sparkler, it seemed like maybe a thing."
parental_guidance
"The neighbor's kids blew up a tree one time," Emma volunteers. "It knocked a branch onto the house. My mother made them come help her with the repair spells."
chanuphis
"When Renée was substitute teaching in Australia one of the kids in her class blew up the time-out corner when she was about to get sent to it."
metamorphmaga
"Patrick would absolutely do that," Jenny says fondly. "Probably Michael and Thomas too, if they thought of it, but- Patrick would so do that. Your mum's a teacher?"
chanuphis
"Yes, she teaches - basically wix nursery school. The one she worked at before we went to Australia took her right back when she asked, she's very good. Are your siblings magic too? I didn't think it was usual to have more than one in an otherwise Muggle family."
metamorphmaga
"Awww, that's cute. Kiddies are the best! Well. When not being small demons. And I don't think so? I haven't seen any of them do anything magic, anyway. It's just- what he would do, if he could. It's probably good he can't. He is fiendishly creative about his pranks already, I could tell stories all day."
chanuphis
"I've gone with Renée to work a couple of times and I can take or leave small children, really."
parental_guidance
"Leave," Emma contributes. "Mostly since I have no idea what to do, and freeze up." Pause. "Worse than normal, I mean."
metamorphmaga
"Awwww, but kids are easy! I mean, Unicorn Face makes it super easy, but they're easy! Find a park and a football and you're set for hours."
parental_guidance
"That must be it," Emma says dryly. "I am handicapped by my witchness. If only we had football instead of Quidditch. Um, that's- football on brooms? Ish?"
She looks at Miranda. "Do you play at all? Or watch?"
She looks at Miranda. "Do you play at all? Or watch?"
chanuphis
"Quidditch?" asks Miranda. "I've never played it, I'm very clumsy just walking around and Renée doesn't want me on a broom until I'm somewhere there's a qualified healer just around the corner. I don't really watch it either but occasionally she does."
parental_guidance
"My parents don't care much, but my dad goes to matches sometimes. I think mostly to be social, though. I don't care much about the game itself, but I had a broomstick when I was younger. I wasn't spectacular at flying or anything but it's so much fun. Are you excited for flying lessons?" She grins. "Since there will in fact be qualified healer just around the corner."
parental_guidance
"Well, school brooms are pretty basic, but there are some pretty fancy stabilizing spells out there now? You could cover for clumsy pretty well, I bet."