Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started with a prayer.

Hailey didn’t really know to who, she had only seen it done by others, and didn’t understand the subtleties. Nor did she really understand what she was praying for, a swirl of wishes and desires danced through her head, a desire for safety, a desire for happiness, several hundred wishes for several hundred worldly things.

A wish to be loved.

Now a prayer with no subject was a bit like dialing a random number on the phone. More than likely you’ll get nothing, or at the very least an unhelpful wrong number, but if you are very lucky…

[Hello~  who is this?]

Hailey nearly jumped out of her skin. She quickly glanced around her cupboard. But there was nobody there, and thinking about it, she didn’t recognize the voice, at all. It sounded young, and playful, with an accent Hailey was too inexperienced to place.

[Hey hey, easy, didn’t mean to scare you, I don’t get a lot of prayers these days, what's your name kid?]

“Hailey Potter, who are you?” she replied.

[What, you sent me a prayer without knowing who I am? Heh, not every day I get a prayer with no address. My Name is Suwako Moriya, I am a goddess of the earth, among other things. How can I help you?]

“Um…”

[Oh come on, don’t be shy, your prayer wouldn’t have gotten this far if you didn’t want something .]

[What's going on here?]

Hailey jumped when another new voice, this one sounding much more mature, with a somewhat more serious tone then the first voice.

[Hush Kanako, this nice little girl sent me a prayer, and I don’t want you to scare her off.]

[Really? Who on earth would be praying to you of all people?]

[Well Admittedly, this prayer was sort of unaddressed, but I got it, so I’ve decided to help this young lady.]

[Strange, and what does she want?]

[I was just asking her that before you interrupted me.]

“Who is that?” Hailey asked, confused.

[Oh, she can hear me as well? How unusual. She must have an impressive spiritual power.]

[Since she is too rude to introduce herself, Her name is Kanako, she’s my roommate.]

[I was just getting to that! Ehem. My name is Kanako Yasaka, I am a goddess of the wind and rain. Myself and Suwako share a place of worship as she so eloquently put.]

Hailey sweatdropped.

[What she said. But back to the subject at hand, what do you desire? You literally have two goddesses listening now, so no pressure.]

[Why did you feel the need to say that?]

[For fun.]

[Good grief.]

“Errr…”

[Look now you’ve intimidated the girl.]

[I don’t know, she sounds more confused than anything.]

“What do you ask from goddesses?” Hailey asked.

The voices were silent for a moment.

[Hard question to answer, most people usually have a clear idea what they want from a god before praying, even if it's just guidance.]

“Guidance?”

[Sometimes people question the gods when they are not sure what to do with their life, sometimes questioning a higher power can help people deal with uncertainty. And this can come in different forms.]

Kanako’s voice had become slightly softer and more patient, probably to put her at ease.

Hailey thought. Uncertain certainly felt like Hailey, maybe guidance is what she needs?

“Maybe some guidance?” She said tentatively.

[Very well, what would you like guidance on?]

The Question caused Hailey to have to think again. It turns out prayer was fairly complicated.

[Take your time, we goddesses don’t have a lot going on these days.]

Hailey tried to rack her brains, trying to put her swirling pit of dreams and desires into some sort of coherent question.

“How… how does one become loved?”

This prompted another silence from the goddess, although she swore she could hear some sort of distant murmuring.

[Do you currently not feel loved?]

“...No.” Hailey said, although saying it out loud, felt somewhat painful.

[We might need a little background. How about you tell us about yourself?]

“What do you need to know?”

[Oh you know, things you like, things you hate, dreams, where you live, and who do you live with.]

Hailey hesitated, she wasn’t supposed to talk about her life with anyone outside the house.

[...Please Hailey, we can’t help you if you don’t tell us. Try and put a little faith in us, and we promise that we will do our best.]

Hailey took a deep breath, before telling them everything. About her sad little life, about her aunt and uncle, about the abuse, the neglect, her little cupboard under the stairs. The more she talked, the more it hurt, but it also felt liberating, like a weight was being lifted off her chest.

When she finished, there was silence, and for a minute she thought the goddesses had left.

[Well, seems like there are some people who need a good cursing.]

[You stay right where you are Suwako! That won’t solve anything, save your divine energy for something useful.]

[Oh, and what do you suggest miss high and mighty?]

Rather than answering, Kanako directed her next words at Hailey.

[Hailey, I’m sorry you have to hear this, but your Aunt and Uncle... will probably never love you, nothing you could do will ever be good enough in their eyes.]

The words struck Hailey like a brick, but in her heart, she knew them to be true. She sniffled.

[Nice going Kanako, you made her cry.]

[Hush. Now I know this is hard for you, but you have to understand. They may never love you, but you do not need their love, they do not matter.]

Hailey listened to the goddesses words like a lifeline.

[For there will be others. There are many people in this world, millions, billions of people, and as long as you keep your heart open, you will find those that will love you.]

“R-really?” Hailey sniffed. “No matter how… freaky I am?”

[I have no doubt, you have a kind soul Hailey, as beautiful as it is rare. Share it with others and eventually you will never want for love. But first, you must leave this place. You are a flower that needs room to grow, and your aunt and uncle will stunt your growth.]

“L-leave?!” Hailey exclaimed.

[I know that may be somewhat overwhelming, but just do what I tell you, and you will be fine. Now, do your aunt and Uncle have a telephone?]

[A telephone?]

“Yes… but I was told I was not to touch it.” Hailey said.

[I’m going to ask you to be a little brave and do it anyway. I need you to make a call.]

“I-I don’t know how though.” Hailey said apologetically.

[Don’t worry, I do. I’ll talk you through it. Please, this first step is the most important.]

With shaky legs, and shaky resolve, Hailey stood up and quietly opened the cupboard door, and peered out into the gloom.

[Care to fill me in on the plan here?]

[Just be quiet, it will make sense in a minute.]

It was dark outside, as you’d expect for the late hour, but Hailey dared not turn on the lights for fear of her Aunt and Uncle. So feeling her way through the dark, she made her way to the Telephone in the Kitchen.

Lifting the earpiece like she had seen her Aunt do so many times, and holding it against her ear, she whispered. “What now?”

[Okay, do you see the numbers on the phone? Specifically the nine?]

Hailey squinted. Thankfully her night vision wasn’t bad, so she could make out the nine. “Yes.”

[You need to press that three times.]

[Nine nine nine?]

[It is the British equivalent of both one-one-zero and one-one-nine.]

[Oh… OH I get it, Now I’m following this.]

Hailey dialed the numbers obediently while the goddesses talked.

[Good, now press the little green button on the left.]

Hailey did so, and almost dropped the phone at the ringing noise.

[It will make that noise for a moment, then someone will speak and ask which service you require. You must answer with, ‘police’. Remember to keep your voice down, you don’t want to wake your relatives up.]

“Emergency, which service do you require?”

“P-police.” Hailey said, thankful for the warning.

“One moment please, while I transfer you to another operator.”

[Now this might get a little scary, and they will ask you a lot of questions, but just repeat whatever I tell you, and you will be fine.]

“Police, what is the nature of your emergency?”

Listening to the goddesses prompts in her head, she took a deep breath and said. “I… I’d like to report child abuse.”

What followed was a series of questions, asked very quickly. But thankfully with Kanako’s instructions she managed to keep up.

“Do you think you will be safe there until we can send an investigation team?” The operator asked after a while.

“I… don’t know.” Hailey answered, this time without needing any prompting, she didn’t feel like she would be if Vernon knew she made this call.

“Do you have anywhere you can stay in the meantime. A friend's house perhaps?” She asked.

“No.” Hailey answered, she didn’t have any friends after all.

“Alright, we’ll send a squad car over. Can you wait outside and we will come and take you somewhere safe. Is that alright?” The operator asked.

[Say yes.]

“Yes.” Hailey said.

Then the Kitchen light turned on.

Hailey turned around, only to see her cousin standing there, blinking stupidly.

Dudley took a moment to realise what was going on. “MUUUMM, DAAAAD! HAILEY IS USING THE PHONE!”

[Run, get outside.]

Hailey didn’t need telling. Dropping the phone in a panic, she ran out the backdoor, ignoring Dudleys continued shouting, quickly running around the side of the house and onto the street.

[The Police won’t be here in time, find somewhere to hide.]

[I think I can help here, run to that tree over there, quick, before they come outside!]

Hailey did as was instructed, sprinting over to the tree in the neighbour's yard.

Before she could reach the trunk she tripped on a root and the trunk seemed to open up in front of her. She tumbled into the hollow, strangely soft, interior, the trunk closing behind her, leaving only a sliver to see out of.

[Heh… heh… Still got it… can’t find you in here.]

[Suwako, be careful! Your spiritual energy isn’t what it used to be. What if-]

[I know my limits, don’t worry. You won’t be getting rid of me that easily. It would be pretty pathetic if a small miracle like this would be enough to off me. I just felt like I wanted to contribute to this great escape.]

Hailey sat huddled in the strange hollow listening to the gods bickering, and for some reason she felt strangely relaxed. Despite her uncle shouting after her. She had just witnessed something unreal, a tree opening up to grant her sanctuary, at the behest of the strange voice in her head, an actual miracle. And it felt cosy, almost like she was being embraced by the mysterious goddess. 

To the Goddess, it was a small thing, something they have been doing for most of their existence. but to Hailey, it was the first taste of love she had ever felt. And would become a major event in both their lives.

It was the moment Hailey discovered faith. Even as she emerged from her hiding place at the sound of Police sirens, and as she was taken away in a squad car. She could feel it filling her being.

She had received love from the gods, and she wanted nothing more than to return it, for the rest of her days.

Chapter Text

Fiona Williams pulled into the driveway of number three, crescent avenue, and when she saw Hailey on the porch sitting quietly on her suitcase, she couldn’t help but sigh.

Getting out of the car she walked up the path to where the young Potter sat, smiling to herself as she watched the woman approach.

“Good morning Miss Williams,” Hailey said, kicking her feet. “We’ve really got to stop meeting like this.”

“Very funny Hailey.” Miss Williams said dryly, “Any reason you are sitting out here?”

Hailey shrugged. “I decided to give them some space, things are awkward enough right now, might as well get out of their way.”

“Of course you did.” Miss Williams said, before sighing again. “I have to go sort out some paperwork with your… I suppose former foster parents, you can wait in the car if you like.”

“Yes Miss Williams,” Hailey said, standing up, and dragging the large wheeled suitcase to the car.

Miss Williams watched her go for a minute before stepping inside, and imagining all the reasons it could be this time, couldn’t help but sigh yet again.

It was tough being Haileys case worker.

Hailey sat in the backseat of Miss Williams car as it pulled out onto the open road. At first content to just watch the passing scenery, her attention was drawn by Miss Williams clearing her throat.

“So here we are again,” Miss Williams said, glancing at Hailey in the mirror.

“Seems so,” Hailey said.

“I’ve heard their side of the story, I am curious to hear what you think happened this time.” Miss Williams said.

Hailey pretended to think about it. “I honestly think this was just a case of religious differences this time, they were not bad people per say, but Christian, and rather conservative. I honestly didn’t have much faith in this placement lasting very long to begin with. They weren’t pleased when I did not say christian grace, nor my objection to attending church.”

“I see… They also said that you were causing trouble at school. Could you explain what happened there?” Miss Williams asked, although she had a decent grasp of what happened there based on the school they sent her too.

“Christian school.” Hailey said, confirming her suspicions. “I raised objections to the religious study lessons almost entirely focusing on Judo-Christian faiths.”

“Did you have to object with frogs?” Miss Williams said.

“No proof that was me.” Hailey said, giggling.

Miss Williams sighed. “No but considering your fascination with the creatures, there was plenty of circumstantial evidence.”

“I just think they are neat.” Hailey said, shrugging. “They are Suwako-sama’s favourite animal.”

“So you have told me.” Miss Williams said. After a pause , she added. “They also said you were consorting with snakes in the back garden.”

Hailey pouted. “Hardly ‘consorting’, can’t a girl talk to her little scaly friends? People talk to dogs don’t they?”

“They claim you were hissing at them, and they were hissing back.”

“How else should you talk to a snake? it's not as if they can speak english.” Hailey said. “Besides, Kanako-sama said that it is a rare magical gift to be fluent in snake.”

Miss Williams sighed yet again.

“You seem to be sighing a lot today, are you alright?” Hailey said in concern.

“I’m more worried about you Hailey, this is the third placement of yours to fall through.” Miss Williams said. “Are you sure you are feeling okay? You don’t have to put on a strong front for me.”

“I’m fine Miss Williams, I didn’t expect this placement to last anyway,” Hailey said, waving her hand. “I didn’t really bother getting too attached.”

“That's what I’m worried about,” Miss Williams said, partly to herself.

The conversation seemed to die down as Miss Williams returned her focus to the road, and Hailey went back to staring out the window.

[You know Hailey, she does have a point]

Hailey hmmed, to signal Kanako she was listening.

[I agree that this most recent placement was probably not going to work out, but I do feel like you could be making a more general effort to meet these foster families halfway]

“It's not as if I am trying to scare them off…” Hailey mumbled.

[Hailey, you are speaking out loud in company again]

“ Oops, sorry, I keep forgetting, ” Hailey thought instead. “But I’m not trying to scare these people off, it's just… I don’t know, I feel like most of them aren’t really going to appreciate me, as me. Does that make sense?”

[That is a risk with foster parents I suppose. It's often hard for them to accept that the child in front of them is already a person who up until now was a stranger, they will never be as receptive and malleable as a child you raised yourself.]

[That doesn’t mean you should completely give up on connecting with them though. Once they get past your various supposed eccentricities, you are a perfectly nice girl. But for that to happen, you just have to be prepared to open up to people, even a little]

“Does it really matter? it's not as if I intend to stay in england after all.” Hailey sighed.

[Hailey that was out loud again]

In the front seat of the Car, Miss Williams could only continue to sigh.

She was still sighing later that evening as she stared into her drink.

“What's got you down Fie?”

She looked up to the person sharing the table with, her roommate and long time close female friend, Max.

“Nothing much, just work. I’ve been trying to find a permanent placement for one of my charges for two years, and so far nothing has stuck,” Fiona said.

“Yikes,” Max said. “What's wrong with them?”

Fiona opened her mouth, closed it again, thought about it some more, before taking a sip of her drink and massaging her temples. “Honestly I don’t even know, she’s just… odd.”

“How odd are we talking about here?” Max said, raising her eyebrow.

“Borderline supernatural,” Fiona said.

“... You aren’t being hyperbolic, are you?”

“I wish I was,” Fiona said, nursing her drink. “The amount of things about her that completely defy explanation… well, defies explanation.”

“Sample?” Max said

“She talks to snakes and they listen, frogs seem to follow her wherever she goes, she plays out in the rain and mud, yet returns home dry and spotless, she learned japanese overnight, with no known japanese acquaintances, and she is a devout follower of the Japanese Shinto faith. She also claims to regularly converse with two Shinto Deities, Called Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama.”

“Sama is an honorific.” Max corrected, “that is likely not part of their name.”

Fiona gave her a look, before groaning and resting her head on the table. “And that's why it's so hard to just dismiss them as simple delusions, there is no way she would be able to know this stuff without being told. She even attributes her escape from her abusive household to these supposed deities.”

“How? Did they smite her original family?” Max asked, cocking her head.

“One taught her how to report child abuse.” Fiona said.

“Huh… surprisingly sensible.” Max said.

“The other one also helped her hide inside a tree.” Fiona added. “The responders can confirm, she was inside a tree when they arrived.”

“Closer to what I was expecting.” Max said. “I assume she is seeing a psychiatrist or something?”

“Well we originally thought it might be schizophrenia, but she lacks basically any of the symptoms or impairments.” Fiona said, “at least if you ignore her chats with deities. She’s present, attentive, no impaired motor function, and with half the things that happen around her, I’m starting to wonder if I’m the crazy one.”

“Hey, if you are crazy then, by the sound of it, so is everybody else.” Max said, patting her hand reassuringly. “Perhaps she’s some kind of lovecraftian deity.”

“Gee, I feel so much better,” Fiona said sardonically, but lifted her head up anyway.

Taking another swig of her drink. “The Worst part is weirdness aside, she really is a nice girl, stubborn, but kind. She’s also quite mature for her age… Then again, that might be part of the problem.”

Max gestured to continue.

“Honestly it breaks my heart whenever she has to come back.” Fiona said. “But it barely seems to bother her. I think a big part of why a lot of foster families are intimidated by her is because she is too independent. She doesn’t really seem to get emotionally attached to anyone.”

“Well you said she came from an abusive household, she probably doesn’t trust easily.” Max said.

“I think it's slightly more than that… I’ve overheard her more than once talking about leaving England. I wonder if she is reluctant to attach herself to anyone because she doesn’t want anybody holding her back.” Fiona confided.

Max seemed to think about it, before saying, “I think there is probably a very simple method for solving this.”

“Really?” Fiona said, raising her eyebrow

“Just try talking to her. From what you say, she seems to have a good head on her shoulders, maybe if you can figure out exactly what she wants, it might be easier to find her a placement that will stick.”

“I mean… She’s only eight years old, do you really think that she will have a realistic idea of what she wants from life?” Fiona asked, sceptical.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Max said, taking a swig of her own drink. “Couldn’t hurt though.”

“I guess, I’ll think about it.” Fiona said.

At this point Max checked her watch, before downing the rest of her Drink and pulling the cello case onto her shoulder. “I gotta bounce, I got a gig tonight.”

“Heh, finally. Maybe you can pay your half of the rent this month.” Fiona said, before also finishing her drink.

“Hey, I always pay… eventually.” Max said, pouting.

“Of course you do.” Fiona said, also standing up, “I guess I better head home, nothing sadder than drinking by myself on a saturday.”

“Will you be alright going home alone?” Max said. 

“Please, if anything I should be asking that to you,” Fiona said dismissively.

“Alright, from the top guys,” Hailey said, waving a small stick like a conductor's baton. She then whistles a few notes.

The frogs in the pond did their best to croak in tune.

Hailey giggles to herself, before continuing to whistle the tune, waving the stick in a way that most certainly didn’t help, but made Hailey Feel fancy.

It was a rainy Sunday morning, and Hailey was enjoying dangling her legs in the park's pond, caring not for the mild rain that soaked into her clothes and saturated her hair.

[You know, it’s your fault our Hailey has become so strange in the eyes of others]

[Excuse me, The rain thing is one hundred percent your blessing]

[The ability to be unbothered by rain is merely odd, she is conducting a frog choir, that is extremely strange, and is entirely your influence]

[She’s not bad at it either, not all of them are in harmony, and the tenor in the back could do with some work, but not bad for a hobbyist]

[Good Grief]

“Kanako-sama, Suwako-sama, please, I’m trying to concentrate.” Hailey said, trying to pout but the corners of her mouth betrayed her, “The choire must be ready for the charity performance next week, otherwise we might not make enough money to pay the mortgage, and old mans Jenkins Marshmallow farm will be foreclosed, and get turned into a parking lot.”

[Oh Forgive us Hailey, far be it for us to distract you from your noble quest]

[Yes, old man Jenkins needs your aid after all]

[...So do Marshmallows actually grow on farms?]

[Hush, let her focus]

Hailey giggled again. But just as she was about to continue, she noticed someone on the bridge that crosses the pond, leaning on the safety railing.

It was a tall woman, with a slight tan, and dark coloured hair, under a burgundy wool beanie. She wore jeans, a dark green jacket, boots and had a cello case slung over her shoulder. She was currently under an umbrella and she was watching Hailey with amusement.

“Oh don’t mind me, I was just enjoying the performance,” She said.

“A bit wet to be walking through the park isn’t it?” Hailey asked, tilting her head.

“Says the girl sitting in a pond,” the Woman said.

“I’m a child, I’m not obligated to make sense,” Hailey said, smartly.

The woman chuckled. “Good answer. Still, it's not exactly peak summer weather today, aren’t you cold?”

“Not really, Rain doesn’t bother me. I dry quickly, and my faith keeps me warm,” Hailey said.

“Oh yeah, Fiona did say something like that. Sounds handy,” She said.

“Fiona? Are you talking about Miss Williams?”

“Oh yeah, probably should have mentioned, I’m your caseworkers roommate, You can call me Max. I’ve heard a bit about you recently,” She said, stepping off the bridge and walking around to Hailey.

“Oh? Good things I hope,” Hailey said.

“Well, she thinks you're a nice girl at least,” Max said, crouching beside Hailey. “She worries about you though.”

[Like I said, your fault]

[I’ll admit it when you do]

Hailey stifles a giggle, before answering. “Well, that's understandable, I have had three failed placements, it's probably enough to push a caseworker to drink. Not that I blame her though.”

“What, the placements, or the drink?” Max asked.

“Either or,” Hailey said, shrugging, before frowning. “I haven’t actually pushed her to drink have I?”

“Not any more than usual, she knows how to drink responsibly.” Max said.

“I suppose that's a relief, I imagine it's not easy on her to keep having to do this.”

“I can’t imagine it's easy on you, being rejected like that.” Max said. “You know you don’t need to act tough, you can be sad if you want.”

Hailey giggled. “Miss Williams said the same thing, I am fine though, I’m not sad, it is slightly frustrating, but only slightly.”

“Frustrating huh?” Max said. “How so.”

Haley waved her hand, “Oh you know, changing addresses, changing schools, all this moving about, and I barely have enough time to get used to the new normal before I’m back in group housing.”

She kicked her legs idly. “Although honestly this time it was a relief to be back.”

“Didn’t like the foster family?”

“Religious differences.” Hailey said in clarification.

Max nodded, That was all you really needed to say.

There was a moment of silence as they stared across the pond, the impromptu choir having dispersed over the course of the conversation.

“Hey, do you mind satisfying a little more of my curiosity?” Max said.

“Go ahead.” Hailey said.

“After all these placements, all these rejections, and coming out of an abusive home… Aren’t you lonely?” Max asked.

Hailey thought about it for a moment. “...No, I don’t think so… in fact, since Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama came into my life, I don’t think I’ve ever been alone.”

Max studied Haileys almost serene smile. “That so?”

[Not gonna lie Hailey, when you say it like that, you make us sound like stalkers]

Hailey pouted. “That is not what I meant!” Surprising Max.

[Don’t spoil the moment, Suwako]

[What? I don’t want people getting any weird ideas about us, that's all]

“I should probably clarify, they are not always watching me all the time, but rather they are a reassuring presence in my life, and they are always ready to keep me company.” Hailey said, still pouting. “Or give me questionably helpful commentary.”

[Ohh, was that a reproachful barb? She’s growing up so fast!]

[do I have to gag you?]

“Are they talking to you right now?” Max said, raising an eyebrow.

“...As a matter of fact, yes they are.” Hailey said, who, despite Kanako cautioning her multiple times, was really tired of pretending they weren’t. “Suwako-sama, was… concerned my statement was painting her as a stalker.”

“She sounds fun.” Max said.

Haileys pout softened until her near omnipresent smile returned. “Yes, she is, she’s a lot of fun.”

[You hear that Kanako, I’m the fun one]

[Well one of us has to be responsible]

“They are both fun.” Hailey corrected herself. “Although Kanako-sama is often forced to be the sensible one.”

[Treachery! Hailey I trusted you!]

[I am being serious Suwako, enough with the commentary already, or I really will gag you]

[Fair enough]

Hailey giggled.

Max stroked her chin thoughtfully. “You know, what, I think I figured it out.”

Hailey cocked her head. “Figured what out?”

“You.” Max said, pointing at Hailey. “You don’t get attached to your foster families, because, You already have a family, don’t you?”

Hailey Blinked, before giving a wry grin. “What, do you believe the crazy girl is being raised by her imaginary friends?”

“Hey, we are all crazy, one way or another.” Max said, shrugging diplomatically. “So is that a no?”

Hailey shook her head. “I don’t think it is. Suwako-sama and Kanako-sama… I’m not sure what you would describe our relationship, but I’d like to think ‘family’ is quite fitting. They gave me a chance of a happy life, they gave me purpose, and well, they are always there for me when I need them, if only in spirit.”

“Sounds close enough.” Max said. She thought for a moment. “...Slight tangent, but what do you want to be when you grow up?”

“Why, a Priestess of course.” Hailey said with no hesitation. “Kanako-sama has already started training me in spiritual arts. When I am old enough, I intend to travel to Japan so I can work in their shrine.”

“Wow, that's quite the commitment.” Max said. “Is that what they wanted you to do?”

“That is what I wanted to do.” Hailey corrected. “I insisted.”

“Still, one hell of a commitment. You are only eight after all.” Max said. “Are you sure you are ready to dedicate your life to priesthood?”

“I’m sure.” Hailey said, “It's the least I can do for what they have done for me, besides.” With this she looked into the middle distance. “I want to ease their burdens, even a little.”

“What problems could a god have?” Max asked.

“More than you think.” Hailey said. “Did you know the world used to be filled with fantastic things?”

Max sensed a monologue, and simply nodded for Hailey to continue.

“The world used to be a wonderful, magical place, full of monsters, gods, and heroes. Dangerous yes, but wonderful all the same.”

Hailey sighed, “Unfortunately as society became more rational, we had less and less time for such wondrous things as magic and myth, and gods suffered most of all… I just want to be there for them as much as they have for me.”

[*Sniffle*, Our Hailey is such a good girl]

“I see.” Max raised a hand, made to pat Hailey on the head, paused, thought better of it, and then lowered it again.

“Sounds like you’ve got everything worked out.” Max said.

“Not everything.” Hailey said. “But thank you.”

Max seemed to think for a moment, “Hey, I’m not sure if I’m overstepping here, but I think I got a solution for you…”

Fiona was surprised to hear, upon entering the apartment she and Max shared, a conversation in the living room.

“Now you can have my room for now, at least until we work out something more permanent.”

“Are you sure? I Could just sleep on the couch, or maybe a futon?”

“Nah, I travel a lot anyway for gigs, I’m pretty experienced at couch surfing already. But a growing girl needs her space.”

Fiona, growing suspicious when she recognised the second voice, kicked off her heels, and walked into the living room to confirm that indeed, Hailey was currently in her living room, playing the Legend of Zelda on the NES. “Max, Why is Hailey here?”

“Afternoon Miss Williams.” Hailey said, pausing the game.

“Oh sorry, Good Afternoon Hailey.” Miss Williams said, before Fiona said. “Now like I said, why is Hailey here?”

“I thought I’d solve Haileys placement problem.” Max said. “You're welcome, by the way.”

“Excuse me for a moment Hailey.” Fiona said, before marching up to Max, lifting her off the couch by her arm, and marching her out of the room, and into the kitchen.

“What Exactly do you think you are doing?” Fiona said, jabbing Max in the chest.

“Like I said, I’m solving Haileys placement problem.” Max said.

“You can’t just randomly decide to adopt a foster child like that.” Fiona said hotly.

“Why not? We both have the certification. You should know, you were the one who made me get it.” Max said, shrugging.

“That was just in case of emergencies, you know perfectly well neither of us have the time to actually raise a child, I have a nine-to-five, and you are always running up and down the country for gigs.” Fiona countered.

“Well you did say she was too independent.” Max said, but at Fiona's glaring, she raised her arms up in surrender. “Alright, alright, I’ll explain.”

Fiona crossed her arms. “This had better be good.”

“I just happened to run into her in the park, she stood out because she was sitting in a pond conducting a frog choir, in the rain.”

“Of course she was.” Fiona sighed.

“And I basically did what I told you to do, I sat down and talked to her about what she wanted in life. And I was surprised, she’s a surprisingly mature girl, with a good head on her shoulders.”

Fiona gave a wry smile. “I suppose I can’t argue with that, goddesses notwithstanding.”

“Actually, I think the goddesses are more ‘because of’ rather than ‘in spite of’.” Max said.

“How so?” Fiona asked, raising her eyebrow.

“Just try talking to her about them, whatever they might be, they are not just voices in her head, they are people, and they basically raised her .” And she raised her hands defensively. “And I know that sounds crazy, but honestly, I was sold the minute her clothes dried the minute she walked through the door. If that isn’t some kind of magic or blessing or whatever, I don’t know what is.”

“I mean… you are not wrong.” Fiona said, frowning in thought.

“The reason she is so aloof with her foster families, is that she already has a family, and I don’t think she is really willing to connect with anyone who won't accept that. Those two mean everything to her.” Max said. “She doesn’t need someone to raise her, what she needs is a non judgemental environment to be herself while she grows up, and to send her off with a smile when she decides to go out on her own.”

“Go out? Does she…” Fiona said, but trailed off, when she wasn’t sure what to ask.

Max got it though. “Yeah, she wants to go to Japan when she grows up. She wants to be a type of Japanese priestess, a Shrine maiden. She’s already started her training.”

Fiona still seemed a little hesitant, so Max added. “I get you are hesitant, it's your job to make sure kids find a good home, but I honestly think she will be happy here. And despite her rather saintly demeanour, she is getting tired of moving around all the time. She needs somewhere to settle down, somewhere she can be as weird as she likes, and where nobody minds that she talks to gods nobody else can hear.”

Fiona drummed her fingers on her arm before sighing. “I’ll have a talk with her as well, and if she is really sure this is what she wants… I guess I’ll have to put in the paperwork.”

Max slapped her on the shoulder as she walked past her out of the kitchen. “Trust me, give it a week, and You’ll be wondering why we didn’t do this sooner. I’ve only known her a few hours, but I can already tell she’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

Chapter Text

It was the sound of bird song that awoke Hailey on this particular sunny morning.

Hailey rose from bed ponderously, and gave a languid stretch. Checking the digital clock on her bedside, she had to remind herself, chasing away the last wisps of sleep, that it was summer break, and there was, in fact nowhere she needed to be today.

Smiling softly, she swung herself out of bed, and made her way to the window, throwing it open.

She leaned on the windowsill, listening to the bird song as she herself started humming the song ‘Morning Mood’ to herself. Letting her spiritual power flow a little, her smile grew as the birds started singing in key.

Moving from the window, still humming, she knelt in front of the small handmade altar on her desk, with a handcrafted little clay frog, and a shed skin of a white snake sitting in the middle.

Her morning prayers finished, she then makes her way to the kitchen, where Fiona sat skimming the morning paper, a plate of half finished toast, and a cup of tea in front of her.

“Good morning Hailey.” Fiona said.

A little disappointed she had to stop her humming, she nevertheless answered pleasantly. “Good morning.”

“You sound chipper, sleep well?” Fiona asked.

“Quite well I think.” Hailey said, “I woke to birdsong this morning, which is far more pleasant than an alarm. How about you?” 

“Oh, I slept well enough,” Fiona said, smiling wryly, “Although nothing quite as whimsical as awakening to bird song.”

“Shame, whimsy is fun, you should try it more often.” Hailey said, extracting a frying pan from the cupboard. “I’m thinking of having some bacon and eggs, do you want any?”

“Thank you, but no, I’ve already eaten this morning.” Fiona said, gesturing to her toast.

“If you’re sure.” Hailey said, putting the pan on heat, and pouring a little oil. At the same time, she turned on the electric kettle.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence as Hailey prepared her breakfast. The sound of sizzling entered the air, joined not long after by the whistling of the kettle.

Smoothly switching from pan to pettle, she quickly prepared a pot of coffee.

Then, as if summoned by the whistle, a zombie like Max shuffles into the room, before slumping into a vacant chair, head on the table.

“Good Morning Max.” Hailey said, decanting some coffee into a mug.

Max mumbled something indistinct in response.

“Honestly, what time did you get in last night?” Fiona said, shaking her head, more amused than anything.

The response was further mumbles.

“Here you go.” Hailey said, setting down the mug in front of her.

“Mmthanu.” was Max's response, as she grasped for the coffee, and sluggishly downed it.

“You're welcome.” Hailey giggled before returning to making breakfast.

Shaking her head again. “Honestly Hailey you spoil her too much. She’s a grown woman, she shouldn’t need a ten year old to brew it for her.”

“Oh I don’t mind, I like being helpful after all.” Hailey said, plating two portions of bacon and eggs, with a few slices of toast.

Placing one in front of Max, she then sat down herself and began eating.

The conversation halted as they settled in to eat, and as Max slowly reclaimed her humanity via the power of caffeine.

After a while, Fiona, having set the paper aside, asked Hailey. “So, have you put any thought into what secondary school you want to go to? We have to start applying at some point. Otherwise we might miss enrollment this year.”

“Well I can’t say I’ve been fussed about it really.” Hailey said, “Although I suppose somewhere within walking distance would be nice.”

“Now Hailey,” Fiona said, frowning. “You really need to put a little more thought into it then that.”

“Well it's not as if Hailey needs that much in the way of qualifications.” Max supplied, having regained her capacity for human speech. “It's not as if you need certification to be a shinto priest.”

“It's important to keep your options open,” Fiona said, ignoring Max, “You never know what the future might hold, and having a good education can open a lot of doors. You don’t want to end up as a jobless vagrant like Max after all.”

“Oi!” Interjected Max. “I’ve paid my rent thank you very much, You don’t get to call me a jobless vagrant until next month.”

“So you have, my apologies.” Fiona said dryly, sipping her tea.

“Anyway…” Max said, “Got any plans for today Hailey?”

“Well, I was going to do some volunteer work for the group housing this morning.” Hailey explained airily. “A little bit of arts and crafts with the little ones. Other than that, I was going to maybe spend some time in the park, maybe hang out a little at the penny arcade, then come back sometime in the late afternoon.”

“Sounds like a full day.” Fiona said. “Do you want a little lunch money while you are out and about?”

“Please and thank you.” Hailey said cheerfully.

Having finished her meal, Hailey started collecting the dishes on the table.

“Don’t worry about washing up.” Max said. “You cooked breakfast, so I’ll handle that.”

“If you insist.” Hailey said, leaving the dishes by the sink, and heading back to her room.

“Before you head out, could you dry the washing quickly?” Fiona asked.

“Of course.” Hailey said, redirecting to the balcony of their little condo.

Stepping through the sliding door, she stepped over to the small clothes line, pulling her handmade Gohei out of her sleeve.

Muttering a quick prayer, a warm breeze blew in, ruffling her hair, pyjamas, and the clothes on the line.

Pressing her finger into one of the nearest shirts, she was pleased to confirm that it was now fully dry.

Satisfied, she then returned to her bedroom, and dressed in some street clothes, that being a pleated knee length skirt, and a random band shirt for a band she didn’t know, And finally a well worn, wide brimmed, white sun hat that she once bought in a yard sale, and had become rather fond of.

After equipping herself with her satchel bag, she was ready to face the day.

Passing the kitchen again on her way out, she said. “Clothes are dry.”

“Thank you Hailey, Have a good day.” Fiona said.

“Thank you, you too.”

A moment later, Max and Fiona heard the front door open and shut.

“You know, it's kinda funny.” Max said after a moment.

“What is?”

“How used to we are of all the weird shit Hailey can do.” Max said, smirking.

“Well, she has more than proved her powers at this point.” Fiona said. “To doubt her now would be irrational.”

“Coming from you? Do I need to remind you how long it took you to accept that Kanako and Suwako were even real?” Max said, teasingly.

Fiona blushed. “That's besides the point.”

“I kinda hope we can actually meet them at one point.” Max said. “You know, before she disappears off to Japan.”

“Well, sometime in the next few years, Hailey said she will be learning how to directly invoke gods, and channel them, so perhaps then, we might be able.” Fiona said, brow furrowed.

“Could be, would be pretty weird though.” Max said, leaning back. “I wonder what other weird stuff Hailey is gonna bring into our lives…”

Meanwhile on the counter, in a pile of unsorted mail, was a green envelope.

[Back in the group home again huh? What, did Fiona and Max finally get sick of you?]

‘ Hello Suwako-sama, and you know perfectly well why I am here. ’ Hailey thought, pouting.

True to her word, Hailey was currently in the nearby group housing, teaching a few young foster children how to sew with Yarn.

[You know me, I’m just messing with ya. So what are you making?]

Hailey could almost physically feel Suwako's hands on her shoulders as she metaphysically leaned over them to see what Hailey was working on. In the past few years as she advanced in her training, she was pleased to find that she was starting to get a better feel for her gods beyond just words and voices. Although mostly with Suwako more than Kanako, probably because Suwako was still without a physical body, and thus was more easily able to project her spirit all the way here.

She still longs to be able to touch them back, and she still has no idea what they actually look like beyond vague descriptions. But progress is progress.

‘I’m teaching them how to make their own stuffed toys with Yarn and felt.’ Hailey thought. ‘These children are fairly new to foster care, so I thought maybe helping them make a little friend they can bring with them before they find their new families.’

[Aww… that's so sweet!] Suwako was almost cooing, and Hailey felt a vague presence of arms wrapping around her, someone pressing against her back, and… something rubbing against the back of her head [Whose our adowable wittle angel, being so nice to aww the wounwy owphans]

Hailey got the distinct feeling Suwako was enjoying the fact that she can sorta touch Hailey now. Although if she was honest, Hailey was too, blushing at the praise, happy even though she was being babied.

After Suwako finished hugging her, and let Hailey get back to teaching, Hailey asked her ‘I haven’t heard from Kanako-sama today, is she busy?’

[What, am I not enough for you? Kidding, kidding. But anyway, Kanako is receiving some guests in the shrine]

Hailey nodded in understanding. Despite both Kanako and Suwako being gods, While Suwako is a native god, born from the land, Kanako is a divine spirit, meaning a mortal who ascended to godhood, before or after their death. Because of this she has a much stronger attachment to the physical world, allowing her to retain her tangible body even in their diminished state, as opposed to Suwako, who only can manifest in spirit.

Because of this, Kanako can manage the day to day operations of the shrine, although without openly declaring herself as a god, as in this day and age, that would do more harm than good.

[It's actually some of my descendants today, the Kochiya. They aren’t particularly devout, but they regularly visit the shrine for new years, and consider Kanako a family friend.]

Hailey Hmmm’d in acknowledgement, before thinking ‘I’m pretty sure you’ve talked about them before.’

[Have I?... I guess I must have. I admit I’m kinda a little excited right now.]

‘Why is that?’ Hailey asked.

[Ok so get this, they have this little five year old daughter named Sanae. Silly little tot with bright green hair, which was already pretty weird for this day and age, but that isn’t the end of it. I’ve always had the weird feeling that she is staring right at me, but I always kinda brushed it off as wishful thinking. But today, right in the middle of conversation she just pointed right at me and said ‘Whose that? She has a funny hat.’ Kanako almost spit out her drink, and her parents were so confused, but there was no denying it, she could see me!]

Suwako sounded positively giddy.

[I didn’t think there was a single drop of my divine blood left in that bloodline, let alone enough to manifest enough spiritual power to actually see me while I’m like this. I’m really looking forward to seeing how she grows up, maybe she might even want to become a shrine maiden!]

‘Oh, is that so?’ Hailey said evenly.

[... Hailey… Are you jealous?]

‘No… maybe a little bit.’ Hailey mentally mumbled. She wanted to see Suwako’s ‘funny hat’ too.

She felt the spiritual embrace again, and the undefined something started rubbing against her head again. Maybe it was Suwako’s cheek?

[Awww, you’re so cute when you act your age. Don’t Wowwy, you're still our Spwecical widdle girl! It's just that depending on if little Sanea gets interested in the spiritual you might have to share the attention a widdle bit, kay?]

Hailey was blushing again, this time embarrassed. ‘I’m a big girl, I’m not going to let a little bit of jealousy control me, especially towards a five year old.’

The hugging continued. [Oh you say that now, but wait until the teenage hormones kick in, then you’d be surprised what a little bit of any emotion can do.]

‘... should I be scared? ’ Hailey thought, tentatively.

Suwako cackled.

[You should be terrified ]

“I’m home!” Hailey called, shutting the door behind her.

“In here Hailey, we got something weird for you!” Max called back.

Eyebrow raised, she walked to the living room, where Fiona and Max were sitting on the couch. Max was watching some weird Spanish soap opera, while Fiona was only half paying attention, while curling a dumbbell on one arm.

“Hey Hailey, how was your day?” Fiona asked.

“Pretty good. What's this about having something weird?”

Max patted the couch beside her, and Hailey sat down. Max then passed her a green envelope. “This was in the mail for you this morning. Probably should have given it to you before we left, but Fie hadn’t sorted the mail yet. It is pretty weird though.”

“It's already open.” Hailey said as she examined it.

“Sorry, I have already read it.” said Fiona, “The address on the front was weirdly specific, so I wanted to check if it wasn’t a stalker or something equally sinister.”

Hailey did check, and indeed, it was not just addressed to her house, but her bedroom.

“Jury’s still out on the whole stalker thing.” Max said. “But the whole letter is so weird that we figured you might be able to make more sense of it than we would. You have more experience in weird shit after all.”

Hailey snorted, before pulling the letter out of the envelope and unfolding it.

An eyebrow raised. “It's… a school acceptance letter?”

Max nodded. “To a magic school apparently.”

“I did check, and I couldn’t really find any public records on any school called Hogwarts, for what it's worth.” Fiona said.

“I certainly don’t recall applying for any school called Hogwarts either.” Hailey added.

“We figured as much. You probably would have mentioned it by now, if you had.” Max said.

Hailey skimmed the attached booklist as well.

“Well…” she said, sardonically, “I have a feeling I won’t be finding any of these at Waterstones.”

Max gave a laugh.

“Any chance it could be genuine?” Fiona asked.

At Haileys questioning glance, she clarified. “I mean, it’s well established fact by now that you are blatantly supernatural, so I wasn’t quite ready to dismiss it out of hand. It's also possible that Your gods might know something that we don’t.”

“I mean, Kanako always said that I probably had some magical blood in me, so it couldn’t hurt to ask.” Hailey conceded.

She mentally called out to Kanako, and after a moment she could feel the gods attention land on her.

[Yes Hailey?]

‘I got a weird letter in the mail Kanako-sama.’ Hailey thought, ‘It's an acceptance letter to a magical school apparently.’

[Hmmmm…] She could feel the goddesses gaze rest on the letter, so she held it out as flat as she could to make it easier to read.

[Well, the letter is magical in nature, I can tell you that much. However, on the matter of its contents, I’m afraid I can’t help you. Even before being greatly diminished, Japan's magical community has always been somewhat secular, so I have no clue as to European magical culture or the existence or non-existence of any such schools. I also don’t have much in the way of contacts these days. Most have moved on… one way or another.]

‘I see… well thanks anyway.’ Hailey thought.

[Honestly though, whether its authentic or not, it doesn’t really matter considering]

Hailey Nodded, ‘ah yes, I was wondering about that.’

“What did she say?” Max asked.

“She said that the letter is definitely magical, but she doesn’t know enough about magic in Europe to know if the school is real or not. But she also said that it doesn’t really matter if it was.” Hailey explained.

Fiona stopped curling and shot her a quizzical look. “Why is that?”

“There is no return address or post code.” Hailey said simply. “And the letter asks to reply via owl .”

“Owl?” Max said, “You mean like a carrier pigeon, but an Owl?”

Hailey shrugged. “Maybe?”

They all stopped and pondered this.

“So even if we wanted to reply, we can’t.” Fiona summarised.

“I guess not.” Max said.

They thought about it some more, before just continuing to watch the soap opera.

Chapter Text

“Good Morning Minerva, how can I help you?” Said Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, quickly glancing up from his desk at the entry, before his eyes flicked back down to his paperwork, still busy with preparations for the upcoming school year.

“Good Morning Albus.” Professor Minerva Mcgonagall, Deputy Headmistress said, closing the door behind her, a clipboard in hand. “I just came to inform you that the acceptance letters have come in.”

“Capital, are there any outstanding applications?” Dumbledore asked, still mostly absorbed in the page in front of him.

Mcgonagall flicked through the clipboard. “Lets see… there is one- Hailey Potter?” she said, surprised.

That got Dumbledore to look up, shooting Mcgonagall a quizzical look. “Hailey Potter is on the mailing list?”

“I mean, yes I suppose, despite living with muggles, she is not muggleborn after all, and you did leave the letter to The Dursleys…” Mcgonagall said, although hesitantly, as if there was something wrong with that conceptually.

“But Hailey lacks access to owl post. There is no way for her to send a reply.” Dumbledore said.

Mcgonagall felt the need to facepalm. “Ah, yes, of course, that is what I was missing. There must have been some clerical error. Excuse me Dumbledore, I should probably prepare for a home visit then.”

“Unfortunately so, perhaps I should look into it, in case it's an oversight with the self-mailing charms, or just something being improperly filed at the ministry.” Dumbledore said.

“While I have to go meet the Dursleys.” Mcgonagall groused.

“Ah…” Dumbledore said, suddenly looking a little embarrassed, “that reminds me, I have yet to mention something important…”

Mcgonagall raised her eyebrow.

“The Dursleys were arrested for criminal neglect, and emotional abuse of a minor.” Dumbledore said, after a pause. “Hailey is currently in foster care.”

Mcgonagall gave him a long, flat look. Before taking a deep calming breath. “You know Albus,” she said, her voice dripping with contempt, “while I am not usually one to say I told you so…”

She let it hang in the air.

“...But in this case, I understand it is richly deserved.” Dumbledore said, nodding sadly.

“Might I ask where Hailey is now?” Mcgonagall asked, icily.

With a twist of his wrist, a green Hogwarts letter was in Dumbledore's hand, which he handed to Mcgonagall. “As I understand, Hailey is currently living with her current legal guardians, being her caseworker, and her roommate, in a condo in suburban London.”

“And what is a caseworker?” Mcgonagall said, taking the letter and reading the address.

“I had to look this up myself, and apparently a caseworker is part of the Muggle foster system, it is their job to not only manage the adoption process, making sure the prospective parents are fit and able to care for the child, but also check up on the children regularly to make sure they are not being mistreated.” Dumbledore explained. “As I understand it, after several problematic placements, her Caseworker decided to foster her herself.”

“Sounds like a sensible concept.” Mcgonagall’s tone was somewhat scathing. “Perhaps we could learn a thing or two from them in this instance.”

Dumbledore sighed. “Yes, perhaps we could.”

After a quick check to make sure she was presentable, Mcgonagall knocked smartly, three times on the door.

While she waited for someone to answer, she took another glance at her surroundings. Thankfully, despite her worst fears, the apartment Hailey apparently lived in was in a good neighbourhood, with fairly pleasant surroundings, and well maintained.

Then again, so had Privit Drive at a glance, and she had heard horror stories about the foster system from some of her Muggleborn friends, so she still steeled herself for the worst case scenario. 

When she heard footsteps approach through the door, she made one last check to her appearance, before mentally preparing herself for the usual exchanges.

The door was opened by a tall, somewhat lanky, bronze-skinned woman, with a relaxed demeanour and a general air of scruffiness about her.

She quickly looked her up and down, before meeting her eyes with an amused smirk. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to be from a magic school would you?”

Mcgonagall blinked, as this was not usually how these conversations started. She quickly rallied however, reminding herself that they did already receive the letter, and it is possible that The Dursleys had managed to tell Hailey about Dumbledore's original letter.

“Yes, indeed, I am Professor Minerva Mcgonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I take it you were-”

But before she could finish, The Woman leaned back and called over her Shoulder, “Hey Fie!, one of them actually showed up!”

“One of who?!” Someone called back.

Another person rounded the corner, a shorter, stockier woman then the first, wearing a white singlet showing off her well defined arm muscles.

She took one look at Mcgonagall, performing a quick up and down glance. “Ah, I see… well she certainly looks the part.”

“As I was saying,” Mcgonagall said, affixing the taller one with a disapproving glare, somewhat miffed at being interrupted, “I am Professor Minerva Mcgonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

“Names Max.” The tall one said, completely unruffled.

“I am Fiona Williams.” the shorter one said. “Sorry about her. How can we help you?”

Mcgonagall immediately identified Fiona as the more reasonable one, and turned to address her. “I am looking for one Hailey Potter, I am led to believe that she is currently living here?”

“She does,” Fiona said, nodding, “But what is your business with her?”

“Well… I have come to give her her acceptance letter.” Mcgonagall said, feeling a little awkward.

“Didn’t she already get one?” Max cut in, still smirking with amusement. “We would have written back sooner, But we asked the local owls, and they don’t seem interested in a career in mail delivery.”

Mcgonagall sighed. “Yes, yes, unfortunately there was a clerical error, Hailey was born to magical parents, so we assume she must have erroneously been left on the mailing list with other wizarding children, as opposed to the homevisit list for those of non-magical parentage. An error I am here to correct.”

Max gave a loud “Ha!” before chuckling. “Figures, it turns out even in the magical land of Narnia, the bureaucracy is useless!”

“Ignore her,” Fiona said, “she’s been getting a kick out of this entire business. But roll it back a moment, did you say, her parents were magical?”

“Yes, Lily and James Potter were Witch and Wizard.” Mcgonagall said. “While her Mother was Muggleborn… that is to say, that is how we refer to magical children born to non-magical parents, we call nonmagicals Muggles.” Mcgonagall quickly clarified at the pair of blank expressions. “...And her father came from a very old and respected line of Magicals.”

Fiona gave Mcgonagall a thoughtful frown, before gesturing inside. “Can you come in? I need to ask you a few questions.”

“I’m sure you do.” Mcgonagall said, coming in.

She was led into the kitchen and sat down opposite Fiona, who had gotten a notebook and pen from somewhere, while Max just leaned on the doorframe.

“I need to ask what you know about Haley's parents.” Fiona said, pen poised.

Before Mcgonagall could ask for clarification, Fiona continued. “All the records surrounding Hailey before she became a ward of the state are, to put it mildly, extremely sketchy. There is no birth certificate to be found, or indeed any record of her birth we can find. On top of that, almost all records of her Mother, one Lily Evans, cease after she finished primary school, and there are no records of a James Potter at all. Not even evidence of their marriage. Blood tests allowed us to confirm Hailey is Lily's daughter, but with no records of the ‘husband’, or any name change... while we use Potter because she is most familiar with it, but she is legally an Evans.”

“The only record we have that there was a man named James Potter, who was married to Miss Evans are the testimonies of Vernon and Petunia Dursley, who claimed they died in a DUI induced accident. But even this is called into question, with no Police reports or hospital records to corroborate this.”

Fiona gave Mcgonagall a look, and asked. “Can you explain… any of this?”

Mcgonagall, blinked, as she had been expecting to be asked questions about magic, or the school, not interrogated about Haileys parentage.

Nevertheless, she tried to answer to the best of her abilities. “Well, to explain most of that… You see, The international wizarding community had long ago decided to hide itself from the wider world, an act called the Statute of Secrecy. There is an entire community of Wizards and Witches living secretly in both Britain and elsewhere. A majority of the holes in your records can be explained by that.”

“Lily, also went to Hogwarts, and thus joined the wizarding community, which is why her records vanish after primary school. And James has always been a wizard, thus why he is entirely absent from your records. The marriage, which to be clear did indeed happen, I was there, was also mostly a wizard affair. The only Muggle guests being Lilys parents, while they were still with us.”

“Also, you are correct in saying the car crash was suspect, as that was a complete fabrication by the Dursleys. They did not die in an accident, and certainly not from any ‘DUI’. No, they were killed by a powerful dark Wizard, who attacked them in their home.”

The mood dropped perceptibly. Even Max had stopped smiling.

“So it was a murder?” Fiona reiterated. “Could you elaborate?”

Mcgonagall hesitated, but quickly gave in. “Yes. You see, there had been something of a civil war at the time, with the belligerent being a powerful man, called… who called himself… Lord Voldemort.” Mcgonagall eventually forced out, looking very uncomfortable. “Although most of us refer to him as ‘he-who-must-not-be-named’ or ‘you-know-who’. Haley's parents had been involved in resisting him, before they had gone into hiding due to the birth of Hailey. Unfortunately they were found, cornered… and killed…”

Mcgonagall let it hang as she gave a moment of silence to their memory, before continuing. “He had tried to kill Hailey as well. However, for reasons we still don’t understand, the same curse that killed Lily and James, failed to kill Hailey, in fact, it was reflected back at the caster, killing You-know-who on the spot. The only effect it had on Hailey, was giving her the scar. Hailey is considered a hero because of it.”

There was yet another pause, before Fiona dropped her notepad, leaned back, and groaned.

“You ok?” Max asked, who had moved over to loom over her upturned face.

“I was hoping this would clear things up, only to find out there is an international conspiracy to hide magic from the masses, there was apparently a civil war on English soil I didn’t know about, and Hailey’s parents were murdered by a Sauron wannabe, who apparently was so terrible that they don’t even want to speak their name. Hailey, as a literal Baby then killed him somehow…” Fiona groaned. “And there is no way I can report any of this without sounding insane, and potentially pissing off the Wizard Illuminati.”

Max patted her on the shoulder. “Well it's not as if anything surrounding Hailey could ever be simple.”

“Speaking of which,” Mcgonagall said, hoping to get things back on track for her job, “Where is Hailey? I haven’t seen her yet.”

Max, after quickly checking that Fiona wasn’t gonna answer, said. “Well, she went out a while ago to-”

But she was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening, and someone calling. “I’m home!”

“Hey Hailey!” Max called back, “Come into the kitchen, someone from the magical school is here to see you!”

“Seriously?!” was the reply, and after a moment, a young girl rounded the corner.

Mcgonagall quickly examined the girl, dressed in a nondescript t-shirt, and a pleated skirt, with a large wide brimmed hat keeping her hair down. She would have been a kid you wouldn’t have really looked twice at, were it not for her emerald green eyes behind her smart looking glasses, and her bright red scar.

Hailey, who had also been examining Mcgonagall, said. “Well you certainly look the part.”

Hailey then tilted her head for a moment, as if in thought.

She then said, “You also seem quite magical, according to Kanako-sama.”

Mcgonagall, not sure what to make of that sentence, decided to shelve it for now, and simply introduce herself. “Good afternoon Miss Potter, I am Minerva Mcgonagall, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and wizardry. I am here to talk about your enrollment.”

“Well, as you seem to be aware, I am Hailey Potter, pleasure to meet you.” Hailey said pleasantly.

She then gave another head tilt, this time inquisitive. “Although I do have to ask why I got an enrollment letter for a school I never applied for, much less a magical one.”

“Well, every magical child of age in Great Britain gets a Hogwarts letter.” Mcgonagall explained. “On top of that, you are a legacy student, as your parents strongly wished for you to attend.”

“My parents?” cocking her head the other way.

“Yeah, apparently your parents were a Witch and Wizard,” Max supplied. “Who knew?”

“Were you really not aware?” Mcgonagall asked, frowning, as apparently the Dursleys had also failed in this comparatively simple task.

“Afraid not, all I know is what my Aunt and Uncle told me, who said they were, and I quote,” Hailey said, raising her fingers to air quote, “A pair of good for nothings who died drinking behind the wheel, end quote.”

“They WHAT!?” Mcgonagall almost bellowed, shooting to her feet in fury, making everybody jump.

“Oh I knew it, I told him the Dursleys were a bad idea!” Mcgonagall seethed. “I am going to give Dumbledore a real piece of my mind…”

She trailed off when she remembered she was in company, before coughing and regaining her composure, taking a few deep breaths. 

“Sorry,” Mcgonagall said eventually, “I… I knew Lily and James quite well, both as a teacher, and as a friend… they were some of the best Wizards… No, best people you ever could meet, and their loss was felt by many… the thought of them described like that by their own daughter, was too much.”

“Sorry, I didn't mean to offend,” Hailey said softly. “I was merely repeating what I was told, I should have been more tactful.”

“No it's quite alright.” Mcgonagall said, “I was not upset at you, but rather your Aunt and Uncle, as well as Professor Dumbledore.”

“On that note.” Fiona said, finally rejoining the conversation, having picked her notebook back up. “During your… outburst, you said that you cautioned against the Dursleys. Does that mean you were involved in Haileys original placement with her Aunt and Uncle?”

Mcgonagall nodded. “Yes, against my better judgement. But as it happened, Petunia Dursley née Evans was Halley's closest living relative, and Professor Dumbledore thought that being given a normal muggle upbringing, where no one knew she was famous, would be better then being raised as a celebrity in the Wizarding world. A sentiment that I would have wholeheartedly agreed with, were it with anyone else but the Dursleys.”

“And if I may, why was the Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster responsible for housing an orphaned child?” Fiona asked.

“Well, Haileys Godfather was unfortunately… unavailable,” Mcgonagal’s eyes darted to Hailey for a moment, “And lacking any close wizarding relatives, British Wizarding Law dictates that guardianship of any magical children falls to The Headmaster of Hogwarts, which in this case is Dumbledore, until they are of age, or another wizard of good standing is designated.”

Fiona frowned. “So by your law, even after he was adopted by her Aunt and Uncle, The Headmaster was still legally her guardian?”

“Well, yes and no…” Mcgonagall said. “Legally he was Hailey's magical guardian, which in this case means that it is his job to represent a magical child living with non magical parents or guardians, and their interests in the magical community, not the muggle one. While living with muggles, their direct guardianship still overrules his, in most non-magical instances. Additionally, Wizarding Lore also forbids directly interacting with Magical children with muggle parents until they are of school age, this includes Wizarding children adopted by Muggle relatives. We were not even allowed to directly interact with the Dursleys, leaving her on the doorstep in a basket with a letter.”

Fiona blanched incredulously. “You mean to tell me that in her original placement, there were no interviews, no background checks, no follow ups, and not even any consent in the original placement?”

“...No, I’m afraid not.” Mcgonagall admitted.

“I’m starting to see why the Dursleys resented me.” Hailey said, frowning.

“Hailey…” Fiona said, chiding her.

“What? I’m not saying what they did was right. I am just saying I have fresh insight into their behaviour.” Hailey said, shrugging. “I can understand someone's motivations while not condoning their behaviour.”

“Either way, you guys really need some better child protection laws.” Max said.

“It would appear so.” Mcgonagall said, massaging her temple. “From what I have recently gathered, we could probably learn a thing or two about how Muggles handle such matters.”

“You most certainly could.” Fiona said sardonically.

Fiona then checked her notebook. “Back on the subject of the school. You said that every magical child gets these letters when they are of school age, yet there is only one letter. How many magical schools are there?”

“Hogwarts is the only school in the British Isles, the magical population is not big enough to support two, the second closest magical school is in france.” Mcgonagall explained.

“Well, not that great in terms of having options…” Muttered Fiona, before asking another question. “Would it be possible for me to inspect the school?”

“Come again?” Mcgonagall said.

“Look, regardless of your laws, by our laws Hailey is currently a ward of the state, and as both her current guardian, and her caseworker, Haileys health and wellbeing is my moral, legal and professional responsibility.” Fiona said, “And considering that I have never heard of this school, I need to inspect it to make sure that it is a safe and legitimate educational institution, as I currently only have your word that it even is a school.”

“Not only that, but among my duties as caseworker, I have to regularly report on Hailey. In other words I cannot let her just fall off the face of the earth like her mother did. It would cost me both my job and my guardianship. There needs to be a papertrail for this Hogwarts.”

“To top it off, Hailey has yet to say if she wants to go yet. Despite being so young, Hailey is a mature, independent girl. It's her final decision if she wants to go or not, but it needs to be an informed decision.”

They all looked at Hailey, but her head was tilted, and she appeared to be lost in thought…

[So Haley's parents were magical, go figure.]

[The chances were always high, on top of her spiritual presence we’ve always known she was fairly magical]

“They also apparently pre-enrolled me in magical school.”

[Well, it's not as if you had any plans for your secondary education anyway]

“Will it not get in the way of my priestess training?”

[Not really. We were always intending to plan your training around your schooling anyway. And despite being fundamentally different, Magic and spiritual arts are not mutually exclusive. Hell with a bit of cross training, you can use spiritual arts to mimic or enhance some spellcraft]

[While Suwako is mostly correct. We cannot ignore that magical schools tend to neglect basic curriculums in favour of more in depth magical studies. Like, Literacy, Mathematics and the sciences]

[On the other side of things, While your priestess training might mitigate the worst of it, not training to control your magic may result in losing control of it during moments of high stress or emotional turmoil]

“So it's a trade off, there are arguments for, and against.”

[pretty much, and regardless of the direction, it won’t really change the final destination. We will keep training you, and you can travel to Japan once you are of age and we sort out some visas]

[At the end of the day, it's your decision Hailey. Whatever you decide, we will do our best to accommodate you]

Hailey quietly considered it for a moment.

“Hmmm… Well, I think I’d quite like to learn more about my Magical heritage, although I’d probably like to learn more before I commit to a decision.”

[Prudent, I approve… although it seems they are looking at you, you may have zoned out too much]

“...Is she alright?” Mcgonagall asked, concerned at the unresponsive child.

“Ehh, she’s fine.” Max said, “She’s probably just communing with her Gods, and lost track of her surroundings, she does that sometimes.”

At that moment, Hailey gave her head a little shake, before refocusing on the others. “Sorry, were you talking to me?”

“We were just talking about you attending magic school, and me potentially inspecting the facility. I was explaining that I’d like to hear your opinions on the matter before we commit to anything.” Fiona said

“Well, I’m currently not against the idea.” Hailey said. “I’d like to know more about the school first though. May I ask a few questions?”

“Of course, feel free.” Mcgonagall said. Internally she was a little surprised, as most ten year olds when told that they could go to magic school were far too keen to bother asking questions, but she supposes it only proves Fiona's assertion that Hailey is fairly mature for her age.

“What is the school's stance on religion?” she asked.

“Pfft.” Max had to withhold a laugh, while Fiona just wryly shook her head.

“Excuse me?” Mcgonagall said, once more taken completely by surprise.

As Hailey was simply awaiting an answer, Fiona provided the explanation. “Hailey is a devoted Shintoist, as well as a priestess in training. She had problems with it in one of her previous schools.”

“I am afraid I am not familiar, what is a Shintoist?” Mcgonagall asked, her tone careful, trying not to offend.

Judging by her sunny smile, Hailey was more than happy to answer. “A Shintoist is a practitioner or adherent of the Shinto Faith, a polytheistic religion originating from Japan. At its roots, it is based on a form of Animism, as did many early religions. It primarily honours the Yaoyorozu no Kami, or the eight million gods to use a direct translation, although perhaps a more accurate and commonly used translation would be the Myriad gods, as eight million is more of a ballpark then a concrete figure.”

“More specifically, I am the direct disciple of the gods, Kanako Yasaka, a Goddess of Wind and Rain, and Suwako Moriya, Goddess of Earth and Mountains.”

“Also the reason she was coinked out there for a minute. She often talks to those two directly.” Max supplied.

“Are you being serious?” Mcgonagall asks incredulously.

Fiona raised an eyebrow. “From where we are standing, it's no less absurd than the existence of magic, or a secret society of wizards, and she had more than proved the power of her faith with miracles for us to doubt her on this. Is this unusual?”

“To my knowledge, it's unheard of.” Mcgonagall said, uncertain. “While there are some wizarding families who still practice some form of Druidism, I don’t think I have ever heard of someone interacting with deities or miracles. Are you sure you were not mistaken? Magical children are known to occasionally perform bouts of accidental magic that may appear miraculous to some…”

Haileys smile was replaced with a pout. “I assure you my miracles, and my faith, are anything but ‘accidental’.”

Hailey then pulled a long wooden rod out of her sleeve, to Mcgonagall’s surprise, as she had almost mistaken it for a wand. But it was longer than any wand she had seen, too long to have fitted in Haileys sleeve for that matter without preventing her arm from bending, and at the tip, there was a paper card wedged into a split at the end, covered in foreign characters.

Hailey then made to leave the room.

Max then lightly grabbed her shoulder as she passed. “And where do you think you are going?”

“Just stepping outside for a moment.” Hailey said, not meeting her eyes.

“Really? Because I just wanted to let you know I have an outdoor gig tonight, and it would be a real shame if someone were to summon a rainstorm just to prove a point.” Max said evenly.

Pout intensifying, Hailey returned to where she had been standing previously. “Spoilsport.”

“I mean, you could always do a plague of frogs if it would make you feel better.” Max suggested, making Hailey brighten.

“Not in the house she isn’t.” Fiona shot them down, bringing back Haileys pout. “Last time she did that I kept finding them in the cistern for weeks.”

Hailey, now outright brooding, sat down with a huff.

Mcgonagall, spectator to the entire odd performance, said, “Forgive me for asking this again, but are you being serious? She can call rainstorms, or plagues of frogs on command?”

“Among other things, yes, she has apparently been training in the spiritual arts since she was six.”

“That poor weatherman was so confused.” Max snickered, “Clouds are not supposed to move like that.”

“She was trained? By these… deities you mean?” Mcgonagall asked. “And you believe that?”

“Honestly, it's hard not too.” Fiona sighed. “Even if you disregard the miracles, there is too much about her that cannot be explained without some unseen third party being involved.”

“Such as?” Mcgonagall asked.

Fiona started listing on her fingers. “She is fluent in Japanese, she is knowledgeable about Japanese Culture and history, and has so much information about Shinto beliefs and practices that even I, an adult, struggle to look up.”

“I admit, that is not something that can be explained by accidental magic.” Mcgonagall said, frowning. It can do a lot of things, but as far as she knows, bestowing knowledge is not one of them.

With a sigh, she filed the information away for later, and instead answered Haileys original question. “Well, Hogwarts has no formal stance on Religion, and Wizarding society is largely agnostic. We know of the existence of the immortal soul and life after death, but what forms that might take still eludes us, beyond ghosts and similar spirits.”

“Huh… gonna have to unpack that later.” Mumbled Max, and Fiona could only nod mutely.

“Hmm… I see…” Mumbled Hailey, but it was clear that she was only half listening, lost in thought, fingers tapping the shaft of her Gohei.

She brightened. “Oh, that could work.”

She then got up, and, after retrieving a glass cup from the cupboard, filled it with water. Planting it on the table, in between Fiona and Mcgonagall, she then took a straight posture, legs together, and started speaking Japanese in hushed tones, head bowed, with the tip of her Gohei held upright in front of her face, so close as to nearly touch her forehead.

Mcgonagall wasn’t sure what she was feeling, but she could see the girl's clothes flutter and sway in an unheard, unfelt wind.

With an air of finality, she barked a final syllable, and brought the gohei gently, but decisively, on the rim of the glass, with a gentle ‘ding’.

For a moment, nothing happened, making Mcgonagall wonder what that was about, before slowly, the water started to bubble.

What started as a few stray bubbles, slowly built in intensity until the surface of the water roiled like it was boiling. Then gradually, the bubbles started turning a shade of red.

Mcgonagall, a master of transfiguration, watched stunned as the bubbles slowly dyed the water, until the entire glass was a deep maroon. The bubbles then slowed, calming to a gentle fizz.

They stared at the now gentle bubbling, until Max asked incredulously. “Hailey… Did you just turn water into wine?”

Hailey looked a little winded, but satisfied. “Admittedly it is more a western myth than a Shinto one, and it is more accurate to say I blessed the cup to do so rather then transformed the water myself. It’s not really a miracle in my goddesses' primary domains, but a miracle is a miracle.”

Mcgonagall was still staring. Miracle or magic, that would have been an incredibly complex piece of transfiguration for a first year, let alone for someone who hasn’t even gotten her wand yet. It was not impossible with accidental magic true, but intentionally, on command?

Max, less burdened by magical revelations, took a sip of the wine.

She made a face. “It's not very good.”

Hailey pouted again, hands on hips. “Well I’m sorry, I’m not old enough to drink. How am I supposed to know what good wine tastes like?”

Chapter notes that were too big to fit in the official notes:

Another curve ball for me on the polls, if we had only counted 1st votes, it would have been beaten out by the Boundary effect spinoff (12 compared to 16), but seeing as I was counting 2nd and 3rd votes for this poll, there was simply no competition, this story was a lot of peoples second and third favourite, with 12 1st, 21 2nd, and 24 3rd, giving it a total of 57, which is actually equal to Hailey Komeiji, although last week we were only counting 1st and 2nd votes.

But enough boring statistics that only I care about, lets talk about the chapter.

But yeah, that is my explanation of why Harry got a letter instead of a home visit, clerical error, and an automated system running into an uncommon edge case. From what we’ve seen, Wizards automate everything they can get away with, so it wouldn’t surprise me, nor do I blame them. If I could wave a stick and make my paperwork do itself, I would totally do it.

Also, not sure if I put my feelings about Harry/Hailey being left with the Dursleys out there, I’ll say it now: I saw nothing wrong with Dumbledore's decision to leave cannon Harry with the Dursleys, with his Legal godfather in prison, and both grandparents dead, it would be perfectly reasonable to leave a child in the custody of his aunt and uncle, even without the blood protection needing a close relative to empower it, in my head that's just bonus points. It was simply the best option Dumbledore had available, with the information he had at the time. What reasonable person would assume they might lock him in a cupboard under the stairs after all.

What I do object to, was the manner in which he left him, and the lack of care he received afterwards. Leaving him on the doorstep, virtually giving them no option but to take him in, was irresponsible, and not fair to the Dursleys, although I imagine most of you don’t care about that part. And the fact that that there was no followup, or care given to Harry afterwards by the Wizard community also felt irresponsible (disregarding the bit in the fifth book where Misses Fig was revealed to be a squib spy sent by Dumbledore to keep an eye on Harry, which honestly didn’t really make sense to me, felt like an arse pull Rowling needed for the trial scene to work, and just opened up a bunch of plotholes around how harry was treated, so I tend to ignore it).

Although to be fair, and to sum up my broader feelings on the subject. I do think this is less of a problem with the original story, The Philosophers Stone, and more an issue with the series as a whole, trying to age up with its audience. This kind of ‘Hero left on the doorstep of their mean relatives’ is a perfectly reasonable thing to happen in a children's story, because thats what the first book was, a children's story, and quite a good one honestly, full of fun Whimsy and general silliness. But when taken out of that context, and into the context of say, the firth book, with all its more young adult themes of systemic racism, abuse of power, and govenment corruption, it becomes kinda fucked to think about all those fun little kids adventure story tropes in the first three books. Its this perspective is probably why I’m a lot more forgiving for all these little plot holes then most, and try and find explanations and justifications that make sense without compromising the intent of the scene.

With that in mind, I decided to headcannon in a reason why He was left like that, and nobody checked on him to make sure he was being treated right, or stepped in to Help Harry when it was clear he was not. Thus I decided, they were straight up not allowed to by the statute of Secrecy. It makes sense if you ask me, with how archaic wizarding society is, how much weight they put on family, and how strict they are on enforcing secrecy rules, it wouldn’t surprise me if ‘left on the doorstep with a letter and then ignored until Hogwarts’ was standard operating procedure. It makes sense, it lets me make fun of the Wizarding Government some more, and it allows me to keep my preferred characterisation of Dumbledore, as a kooky old man, with too many responsibilities, doing the best he can, with the limited options he has available.

Although he is going to get an absolute Bollocking from Mcgonnagal regardless.

As for the water to Wine thing, it was just a fun idea, and to be fair, alcohol based miracles are fairly common in mythology, due to how important alcoholic beverages were in most cultures. Clean drinking water was rare and hard to come by after all, and germs and hygiene were poorly understood, to that end, what most people, even children, tended to drink weak or watered down beers and wines, because of the alcohol was a natural disinfectant, so people got less sick than if they had drunk water strait out of the river, or well. That was probably why Jesus turning water into wine was a big deal, not just because his followers wanted to get shitfaced, but because it was safer to drink then the water. There is also some historical debate on whether the story of Jesus turning water into Wine was in some way based on the greek god  Dionysus, which whether you agree with it or not, only goes to show that this kind of myth was not exclusively christian.

Also as a more general update, I’ve been looking at spacebattles, as a potential platform to cross post on, as well as Ao3, and while I’m not quite fond of the formatting/layout spacebattles has, being like a Forum rather then dedicated fiction site, This website isn’t perfect either, so I think I’ll give it a shot regardless. Ao3 too I guess, although Ao3 feels weird to me, as while I do understand there is plenty of General or teen stories on there, in my brain it's kinda just ‘the smut site’ so it will probably take a mental gear shift to take that plunge. No real interest in Touching Wattpad though, I’ve only been on their once or twice, and I’ve always got kinda weird vibes, and I remember the search and tagging leaving much to be desired.

Either way, I’ll probably start crossposting all the old chapters some time this week on those websites, and I’ll see how it goes. And I’ll probably post links next monday in case anyone wants to read on other websites. Hell, maybe eventually if I get enough spare time or disposable income I might start putting pictures in my stories.

Although on that note, to all those artists trying to Solicit me to commission artworks I AM CURRENTLY NOT INTERESTED, I don’t have that kind of disposable income, and you cannot post pictures on this website regardless, please stop sending me DMs or writing reviews asking me to check out your instagram, I am not on instagram, nor am I interested in your services at this time. And regardless, as an amateur (although out of practice atm) artist myself, if I am gonna put art in any time in the near future, it will likely be my own. 

Also if you are an AI artist (I haven’t checked but I assume some of you are), the same as above but about 50 percent less polite, Why would anyone pay to commission an AI artist?

Chapter Text

“... And while Hailey is somewhat interested, she is planning on withholding her decision until her caseworker, miss Williams, can perform an inspection,” Mcgonagall said, relaying the results of her meeting to Dumbledore.

“An interesting problem to have,” Dumbledore said, looking tired, still recovering from the absolute tongue-lashing McGonagall had given him about the Dursleys. “For magical students, the school is well known enough, and for most muggleborns, they are so enamoured by the concept of magic being real that they don’t really question the quality or safety of Hogwarts… Or indeed its existence.”

“It is apparently a legitimate concern,” Mcgonagall supplied. “While fairly rare, I’m told fake school scams are not unheard of in muggle society. How do you think we should proceed?”

Dumbledore thought about it, before sighing. “Well, seeing as how neither she nor her guardian will consent to her attending without one, at this point there is no harm in letting her inspect the premises. At worst, Hailey will simply have to enrol next year while we try to address the caseworkers' concerns, if we can. Some of the school board probably won’t like it… but what they don’t know won’t hurt them.” Dumbledore said, the twinkle in his eye returning. “As a side note, I am curious to hear what a muggle child care professional would think of our school, perhaps it might provide an interesting outside perspective.”

Mcgonagall considered this, and nodded. “Very well, but what of the documentation the caseworker needs? I understand that was also non-negotiable.”

“That one is less of a concern, although I fear a very tedious one.” Dumbledore said. “There have been times in the past where students or parents required such documentation, as such, Hogwarts is registered under a pseudonym as a muggle public school. However it has been some years since it was last needed, so I may need to go and bring it up to date.”

Dumbledore sighed, as if already dreading it. “I shall see to the documentation. Would you be so kind as to organise an inspection time, and accompany her?”

“Very well.” Mcgonagall nodded. “I’ll go about seeing when miss Williams is free.”

“So this is Hogwarts?” Fiona said, dressed in her smart business attire, and carrying a clipboard, looking up at the towering castle. “This is a school right?”

“Yes, although as you may have guessed, It was originally Hogwarts castle, belonging to one of the school's founders, before being converted into a school in the tenth century, but still keeping the name,” Mcgonagall provided.

“Looks pretty good for being over a thousand years old,” Fiona said, taking notes. “How is it maintained?”

“The castle's enchantments help prevent significant decay, as well as monitor for any structural damage,” Mcgonagall supplied.

Fiona made a note of that, before looking across the grounds. Her eyes rested on the large forest bordering what she assumes is the property line.

“I notice there is a forest open to the grounds.” Fiona said.

“Yes, the Forbidden Forest, the school has traditionally been involved in its care and maintenance,” Mcgonagall said.

Fiona blinked, before giving Mcgonagall the side eye. “Why is it called that?”

Mcgonagall also blinked. “Well, it's because barring special circumstances, it is forbidden for students to enter without supervision,” Mcgonagal said, confused.

Fiona’s eyes narrow. “...And why is it forbidden?”

“Ah,” Mcgonagall said, suddenly understanding where this was going, and somewhat uncomfortably explained. “Well, there are a variety of somewhat dangerous magical creatures within the woods, as well as several rather secular communities of magical beings, like the centaurs who live in the depths.”

“And what, pray tell, is stopping students from walking in and encountering said, dangerous beasts,” Fiona asked, dryly.

“Well… it's against the rules. If they are caught, they will be punished,” Mcgonagall said, although she wasn’t even convincing herself at this point. The number of times Hagrid had to chase the Weasleys out said a lot about how much that particular rule was respected.

“So allow me to clarify,” Fiona said sardonically. “There is a forest on the edge of the grounds, which might I remind you, is already a dangerous thing for a child to wander around unsupervised in, which is apparently filled with monsters, that students can just walk in, with the only thing stopping them… is being told they can’t? In addition I can see nothing stopping said dangerous creatures from wandering onto the grounds unimpeded…”

“...And in all of the past one thousand years,” Fiona said with an air of incredulity entering her voice, “not once was a fence considered?”

“... Well, we do have to have access to the forest, due to our caretaker duties,” Mcgonagall suggested, although she knew it was a rather feeble defence for the schools past and present administration.

“Yes,” Fiona said mercilessly, making a note, “that is what gates are for.”

“Alright, these cannot be safe,” Fiona said, watching the moving staircases slide into position.

“What do you mean?” Mcgonagall asked.

“Well if the stairs you are standing on move while you are midstep, you could easily lose your balance and tumble. On top of that, there is nothing to catch you at the bottom should you fall while the stair is midair, meaning an unlucky student might fall as far as seven stories down onto a hard floor. There aren’t even any warnings when and how the stairs move either, as far as I can tell.”

Mcgonagall opens her mouth to retort, closes it again, and rubs her chin in thought.

“... How hasn’t there been an accident? Surely there must have been one…” She mumbled incredulously.

Fiona made a note.

“I keep seeing those suits of Armour in a lot of the corridors.” Fiona observed. “They seem to be armed, is that not a safety risk?”

“Actually, they are part of the Castle's security system.” Mcgonagall offered. “If the castle ever becomes under attack, the suits will become animated and attempt to repel the invaders.”

Eyebrow raised, Fiona asked. “How often does a school come under attack?”

Mcgonagall thought about it. “...Probably not since it has actually functioned as a castle as far as I know… however, they are woven into the Castles' truly ancient enchantments, which have bled together over the centuries, so it tends to cause issues if we move them out of place for too long.”

Fiona made more notes.

“Ok, how is this place ventilated?” Fiona said, looking over the potions classroom incredulously. “We are in a sub basement, in the middle of some kind of catacombs, and unless I got turned around at some point, underneath a lake .”

“Oh, I assure you there is no need to worry,” Mcgonagall said, feeling a little relieved that she can properly address this concern, “There are gaps in the bricks above the chalkboard. They are enchanted to draw in the smoke and fumes, and neutralise them in a small chamber. Observe.”

Mcgonagall pulled out her wand, and lit the fire pits with an upwards flick.

Fiona watched the smoke pool across the ceiling, but she could see there was a current as the smoke was drawn towards the front of the class, and could even see it drawn into the slits hidden by the room's poor lighting.

“Well… good to know that it is properly handled,” Fiona said, eyebrows raised in surprise, making a note. Although privately, she wondered if the reason it drew the smoke in so slowly was to create an ambiance.

Mcgonagall privately thought she didn’t have to be that surprised, they weren’t completely ignorant to safety…

“Okay, now to what possible point could there be to a tree that actively tries to hit people on school grounds,” Fiona said flatly, staring at the Whomping Willow trying and failing to bludgeon an amused looking cat sitting just outside of its reach.

“W-well… It's a long story…” Mcgonagall said, beyond uncomfortable.

“Thank you for coming in, Poppy,” Mcgonagall said, greeting Madam Pomfry. “As I explained, our guest had suddenly wanted to know about what injuries we could treat at the school.”

“She saw the Whomping Willow didn’t she?” Pomfery said wryly.

“...Yes,” Mcgonagall admitted.

“Well, no matter, I was planning to come in and check the inventory before the new term anyway.” Pomfery said, before turning to Fiona. “I am Madam Pomfery, the matron of the school's Hospital wing. How can I help you?”

“Nice to meet you. I am Fiona Williams, a caseworker,” Fiona said, before pausing, and clarifying. “A caseworker is a ‘muggle’ job that is about making sure orphans and foster children are properly cared for by their families and institutions. One of my charges is coming to your school this year, and thus I needed to come and inspect this school to make sure it is a safe environment.”

“I see,” Pomfery said, eyebrows raised, before turning to Mcgonagall.

“The Headmaster has allowed this, but please avoid discussing it with the rest of the faculty for the time being. It was not cleared by the school board.” Mcgonagall said.

“I understand,” Pomfery said, nodding before turning back to Fiona. “Very well, ask away.”

“Well, in my inspection I have found quite a few injury hazards,” Fiona said, “So could you tell me about what ailments and injuries are common among students, and perhaps run through what you are capable of treating here?”

“Well, to properly address the original concern, the Willow usually results in at least one or two injuries a year, usually a few scratches and bruises—on occasion a broken arm or light concussion, usually among first or second years. The older students tend to know better. So nothing too serious, as I usually can get them right and rain and out the door before dinner, but I do wish Albus would do something about the wretched thing, someone could really hurt themselves if they weren’t careful.” Pomfrey began. “More common are the Quidditch injuries, usually several a season. Does my head in with worry I tell you. Then there are the magic accidents and curses. If I had a sickle for every time an argument got too heated and resulted in a student coming in half transfigured into a stoat, or projectile vomiting slugs... Why, just last year someone in second year tried colouring their robes to be more Christmassy while she was still wearing them, and ended up with skin as red as a strawberry instead, poor dear. Lastly, there are of course the more mundane issues of scuffles where students resort to their fists as opposed to magic, as you’d expect from any collection of hormonal teenagers, but mostly that's just a few bruises and bloody noses, most wizarding children are not particular strong or physically fit after all.

“As for what treatments are available, I can treat broken bones, missing bones, lacerations, grazes, blood clots, concussions, malnutrition, transfiguration mishaps, most variations of influenza and the common cold, infections, most non-magical poisons and venoms, alongside the more common magical ones, most curses from fifth year level down, splinching, common allergies, burns, viral infections, broken hearts, bacterial infections, acne, sunburn, migraines, headaches… I think that's most of them covered,” Pomfrey concluded. “For anything more serious I usually need to get assistance from another member of the faculty, like professor Sprout or professor Snape, order in some more specialised medicine, or in extreme cases, send the patient to Saint Mungo’s for more advanced care, that is extremely rare however.”

Fiona could only blink, before taking quite a few notes.

The offhand mention of Quidditch had inevitably led the inspection to the Quidditch pitch itself.

“So the players fly high up in the air on broomsticks, trying to get these balls into these hoops,” Fiona reiterated slowly, “While two heavy Iron balls fly around trying to knock people off their broom, while some other players with bats try to protect their own team, while trying to direct them to the other team?”

“There is also the Snitch,” Mcgonagall reminded her helpfully. “When the Seeker catches it, the game ends.”

“...How are people not dying?” Fiona asked, giving Mcgonagall the most incredulous look of the day.

“Actually, serious injury, let alone death, at a school level Quidditch match is very rare.” Mcgonagall said. “Not only are most of the balls much slower then a league level game, and the grass is cultivated to be extra soft and springy, lowering the chances of hard landings, the referee is on standby to catch any falling students with levitation charms, and studies have shown that Wizards in general are more resistant to blunt force trauma, lowering the severity of most injuries considerably. The most severe injuries we get on the school pitch are a few broken bones and some light head trauma.”

There was a pause, and Mcgonagall added. “It is also entirely voluntary, Quidditch outside of the house teams is limited to supervised recreational pickup games between students during off hours. It is not mandatory to participate, so the only ones playing are the ones already confident in their flying.”

Fiona’s look bordered disbelief. “So somehow… this game about hitting people with cannon balls high in the air… is no more dangerous than football?”

“I… suppose so? I’m not too familiar with the sport.” McGonagall said.

Fiona made a note. “Honestly, that might be the most magical thing I’ve been told all day.”

In the end, after a long day of inspection, questioning, and disbelief, Fiona was finally ready to give her thoughts, and Mcgonagall was both relieved it was over, and dreading the verdict.

“In the broadest sense,” Fiona began, reading over her notes, “If this was a normal school, you would be buried in lawsuits. forget Hailey attending, you would be lucky not to get the place shut down.”

“However, a lot of the dangers and risks, no matter how numerous, seem to be largely mitigated by the durability of wizards, and the potency of magical medicine. Combine that with the apparent lack of death or mortal injury, it leaves it hard to determine exactly what could or should be changed. However, I have summarised some of the most pressing issues I found, plus some suggestions on how to make the schools safer, both for Hailey or others.

“I suggest a high fence along the perimeter of the Forbidden Forest, possibly electric, or some magical equivalent, to deter both beasts and troublemakers from wandering in and out of school grounds. The same should be said for the Whomping Willow, for reasons I shouldn’t even need to explain, assuming outright removing it is out of the question.

“Additional safety measures should also be deployed for the moving staircases. I’m not sure of how the magic works, but I would at least put some warning lights to tell students when they are about to move, and perhaps a small warning tone to play when they do so, so people still on the stairs know when to hold on. If possible, safety gates should be installed on the ends of stairs, and where they connect to landings would be ideal, to prevent someone from falling off entirely, or walking out over nothing by mistake. Some hazard tape could also be placed on the ends of the moving segments of stairs, at the very least, so people know where to watch their step.

“The suits of armour—providing they cannot be outright disarmed—should have something covering the naked blades, swords should be in their sheathe, and padding should be placed on the spears, halberds and axes. As any parent will tell you, children and blades don’t mix well.

“I also do note that the school is downright labyrinthian in places, and could really do with some signage, or maps of some description to help students get to class and not get lost.

“Another thing, although it has very little to do with Hailey, is the lack of accessibility options, especially considering most classrooms can only be accessed by going up or down stairs, with even the common rooms being located in either the towers or the basements. Any students with impaired mobility might struggle to get to class unassisted, perhaps some thought should be put into elevators, or chair lifts?”

“I see…” Mcgonagall said, after it was clear Fiona had finished for the moment. “And you won’t let Hailey attend unless these are addressed?”

Fiona hesitated for a moment, before sighing. “Well, that is largely up to Hailey. Despite being barely eleven years old, she’s a bright girl with a good head on her shoulders. The reason myself and Max took her in rather than a normal foster family, is because we decided that giving her a stable environment to be her own person was more important for her then finding her a more traditional family, who might not respect her autonomy and individuality.

“To that end, and when you consider Hailey's abilities and temperament, none of these issues are that great a risk to Hailey personally. She is more than capable of looking after herself. This inspection was more to make sure Hailey had the information and tools to make an informed decision. If she wants to go at this point, I don’t intend to stop her.”

“I see…” Mcgonagall said, surprised, and a little touched to how considerate Fiona was to Hailey. “Forgive me for saying this, from what I can see… I think she is lucky to have you.”

“That's nice of you to say,” Fiona said, before consulting her notes, “I do however strongly recommend that fence however, should that not be addressed, I will probably try to talk Hailey out of going.”

To that, Mcgonagall sighed. “I’ll have a talk with the Headmaster and the groundskeeper, I’m sure we can get something arranged.”

“...And so that's my impression of Hogwarts.” Fiona said, having explained the results of her inspection to Hailey and Max. “The curriculum is a little sparse for my liking, but I’m told that is fairly normal for magical schools.”

“Sounds pretty wild,” Max said, “Like, imagine going to a castle for school. So what do you think Hailey, you still wanna go?”

Hailey did think about it.

[Is it weird that I want to see the tree that punts people?]

[Yes.]

[Wow, no hesitation.]

‘Do you have any more thoughts on me going?’ Hailey asked.

[Not really. It was about what I was expecting from a magical school. My opinion hasn’t really changed.]

[Me neither, pros and cons… Although if you ask me, magic school might be a little more fun.]

[That should not be the deciding factor on your future education.]

[It's as good a reason as any.]

Hailey giggled, then after pondering for a few moments later…

“I think I’ll go,” Hailey said. “If nothing else, it will be an adventure.”

Max smiled ruefully. “Sounds like as good a reason as any.”

“Alright,” Fiona said. “Provided Dumbledore comes through with that paperwork, we’ll see about getting you enrolled.”

McGonagall, more than a little fatigued, and having just finished dropping off Fiona, walked into the Leaky Cauldron.

At a table sat an equally exhausted looking Albus Dumbledore, dressed unusually in a smart looking suit, which clashed quite spectacularly with his long flowing beard.

“Good afternoon Minerva. How did the inspection go?” Dumbledore said, managing a smile.

“Inspection was right, it felt more like an audit than the little check up I was expecting.” Mcgonagall said, sitting down. “How were things on your end?”

“I’m afraid that muggle bureaucracy has only gotten more byzantine and complex since last I tried to navigate it.” Dumbledore said gloomily. “Despite using magic to smooth out the creases and fill in the gaps, it was still quite an ordeal. I should probably try putting more effort into maintaining it, so I don’t have to do this again any time soon. Perhaps I might even be eligible for some extra funding… Nevertheless, it is done. Hailey's case worker should have her paper trail should she need it.”

He then stopped to think for a moment, before snapping his fingers. “Ah, yes, perhaps I should ask the results of her investigation before proceeding any further. How did she end up finding our school?”

Mcgonagall handed him Fiona’s unofficial report. “Lacking in many areas, with several strong recommendations for improvement. However she did say Hailey could attend if she wants too.”

“That is a relief, I’d hate to think my efforts were for nothing,” Dumbledore said, starting to skim the document.

“She was however very insistent on a perimeter fence for the Forbidden Forest… extremely insistent in fact, as she considers dangerous beasts having access to the school grounds to be problematic, and as well as students having access to said dangerous beasts.”

Dumbledore stopped to consider it.

“... She is probably correct.”

McGonagall could only nod.

Chapter Text

After finally freeing Hailey from the throng of admirers and well wishers, Mcgonagall ushered Hailey, Max and Fiona out the back door of the Leaky Cauldron.

[Well, aren't you the little celebrity?]

“It's quite jarring, finding out you are famous.” Hailey said, Wide eyed, and a little ruffled.

“I don’t know whether to be jealous or not.” Max joked.

“I’d settle on being worried.” Fiona said, concerned. “They can’t find out where we live right?”

“Don’t worry, the wards we placed on your apartment should make it difficult to be located by magic.” Mcgonagall said. “Regardless, I don’t think you need to be too worried. She hasn’t been in magical Britain since You-know-who’s defeat, I imagine they will calm down once the novelty wears off. She should, however, get used to being recognised by strangers.”

[You know, I think I’m starting to understand this Dumbledore fellows decision, it would not have been healthy for Hailey to grow up in this environment]

[Counterpoint, neither was growing up with the Dursleys]

[Touche]

Fiona looked around the small courtyard. “Where to next? This appears to be a dead end.”

“‘Appears to be’ is correct, the entryway is camouflaged.” Mcgonagall said, striding over to a bare wall, taking out her wand.

“Now, you take your amulets, or Wand when Hailey gets hers, and tap it like so.” Mcgonagall said, tapping several bricks in sequence.

The bricks then shifted, and then rearranged themselves into an archway, suddenly revealing an entire street beyond.

“Welcome to Diagon Alley, the place where most of Magical Britain's commerce takes place.” Mcgonagall said. “Now come along, Gringotts is this way.”

Mcgonagall led them through the street, shop windows filled with cauldrons, books, telescopes, strange plants, stranger animals, and various colorful things the Mundane women could not even identify.

“Now normally, those with Muggle parents or guardians could get their pounds or euros exchanged at Gringotts for wizarding currency.” Mcgonagall explained, bringing their attention back to her. “However, as I mentioned earlier, Hailey has a substantial inheritance left behind by her late parents, so instead we will be making a withdrawal. I will be managing the transaction this time, but afterwards, I will be giving Hailey her Key, so remember to pay attention for the future.”

“If it were anyone else, I’d be concerned about giving an eleven year old unrestricted access to an inheritance.” Fiona remarked. “How substantial are we talking about here?”

“The Potters were an extremely old and wealthy family, and have amassed quite the fortune over the years, and own various businesses and investment properties throughout magical Britain. As I understand, James, due to involving himself in the war effort, mostly left the running of his family's enterprises to The Potter accountant, who had continued to do so after his death for when Hailey herself could inherit it, so it has only been accumulating income for the past decade.” Mcgonagall explained. “There is probably enough in there to see Hailey live comfortably right into old age, perhaps even her grandchildren too.”

Max whistled. Before nudging Hailey playfully, “Well aren’t you the little high roller, perhaps you should start paying a third of the rent.”

“Well, if I am indeed that wealthy, I suppose I should be contributing.” Hailey said, in thought.

“She was just joking, Hailey, You don’t have to pay rent.” Fiona said, rolling her eyes.

“I know, but I honestly wouldn’t mind. You've both done so much for me that it would be the least I could do. I’m not even sure what I’d do with all that money in the future anyway.” Hailey said.

Before Mcgonagal could ask what she meant, she was distracted by their arrival at Gringotts.

Mcgonagall halted the procession, and pointed out the armed guards outside. “You see those guards? Those are goblins. Gringotts is a goblin run bank. They are perfectly reasonable beings, but I advise you to remain polite when dealing with them. They have ways of making things difficult for those they do not like.”

“Sounds like a banker to me,” Max said sarcastically.

“You behave.” Fiona said.

“Just letting you know, as some muggles find them somewhat unnerving.” Mcgonnagal said, leading them up the stairs.

[Strange decision]

‘What is?’ Hailey thought.

[Letting goblins run a bank, most fair folk are tricky to deal with in general, and goblins are the least fair of the lot]

‘Fair folk? You mean fairies?’ Hailey asked.

[Yes, goblins are traditionally considered among the fae, although depending on who you ask, their position in fae society tends to eb and flow at the whims of the goblins and the courts. Nevertheless they are somewhat capricious creatures to deal with. Although to think in another way, contract law has always been somewhat fae in nature, so perhaps a goblin banker is not too far fetched]

[Now that you mention it, can’t really argue, still feels weird though]

[Well, like all magicals, they probably had to move with the times, or otherwise risk being left to be forgotten]

As they were about to pass the threshold, Hailey caught the inscription above the door.

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

[Yeah, feeling less weird now]

[Undeniably fae]

Hailey giggled.

“Not sure how I feel about Banks having inbuilt roller coasters.” Fiona grumbled as she stepped out of the cart.

“You kidding? I think I’m gonna judge other banks for not having Roller coasters.” Max said, more peppy.

“It was certainly more fun than I was expecting from a withdrawal.” Hailey said, grinning.

Mcgonnagal was used to it, but privately she did agree with Fiona, it was a bit much most days. 

“Here we are, Vault 687, the Potter vaults.” Their goblin guide, Griphook said. He then slotted the key in the lock, and pushed open the heavy looking doors with deceptive ease, accompanied by a billowing cloud of green smoke. “I shall wait for you to finish, take your time.”

Max gave an appreciative whistle. “Wow, that's a regular dragons hoard you got there Hailey, are these gold?” She picked up one of the larger golden coins to examine.

Fiona, more practically asked. “This is wizarding money I presume? How much are these worth exactly? I assume these do not translate directly into pounds.”

“Not quite, The small bronze ones are Knuts, the Silver ones are Sickles, and the Gold ones are Galleons. Its seventeen Sickles to a galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts to the Sickle.”

This got a look from the two muggles and priestess in training.

“That seems needlessly obtuse.” Max said.

“So I’ve been told.” Mcgonagall said dryly. This isn’t the first time she had had this conversation. “As for the conversion, I do not know the rates off the top of my head, but… Mr Griphook?” She called out the vault door.

“Currently, four point nine three Pounds to the Galleon.” The Goblin called back.

“Thank you.” Mcgonagall said. “That said, the value of certain objects in wizarding society might differ from Muggle equivalents, so if you like, we can quickly go over your supply list, and I can give you a better idea on prices.”

“That would be appreciated. Thank you.” 

While the adults discussed finances, Hailey was distracted by a godly conversation.

[Wow, Hailey, you really are loaded aren’t you?]

Hailey giggled. ‘It seems so, yes. Shame really, not sure how I’ll spend it though, probably won’t be much use once I become a priestess.’

[Oh I don’t know, with a few exchanges, this could translate to a substantial amount of Yen. Perhaps you could invest some into the shrine]

[Kanako, shame on you for being so worldly. We are supposed to be setting a proper example for young Hailey]

The words were chiding but the tone facetious, and Hailey found herself once more wondering what Suwako’s smile looked like.

[I’m just trying to be practical]

Hailey also wondered if Kanako was frowning or pouting. She stifled another giggle.

After collecting the necessary funds and another ride back to the surface. Their shopping trip began.

Hailey found it quite fun wandering around the various shops, getting her school robes fitted at Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, examining various cauldrons, puzzling over Wizarding stationary, browsing magical bookstores, regarding potion ingredients with morbid fascination in the apothecary, and generally getting immersed in this bizarre new world she found herself in.

Eventually their shopping trip led them to Olivanders, where Hailey was supposedly getting the most important part of her kit yet.

It was a small, pokey looking shop, dusty-looking, with flakey golden letters, nevertheless, Mcgonagall said that there was no finer place to get their wand, so in they went.

It was a narrow shop, with very little in the way of furnishing, just wall to wall shelves piled high with hundreds of small rectangular boxes, wands she presumed, a few desks, and a single chair.

There was also no sign of a shopkeeper, at least before Hailey heard a soft “Good Afternoon.”

Hailey nearly jumped out of her skin, Fiona’s fists clenched and Max…

“F***ing Hell! Where did you come from!?” She swore very loudly, clutching her chest.

All the adults in the room stopped to level her an unimpressed stare.

“Ahh, I meant… flip.” She said weakly.

The old man, who had caused the shock, and looked a little miffed at the outburst throwing him off his rhythm, nevertheless, cleared his throat and refocused on Hailey once again.

“I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Hailey Potter." He spoke, in a soft, almost ethereal tone. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." He got closer, as if examining Hailey. "Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it, it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

“Umm… thank you?” Hailey said, more bemused at this point then anything.

“I take it you are Mr. Olivander?” Fiona said, stepping up.

“That I am. Olivander, Wandmaker… at your service.” The old man said softly. “And I assume you are Miss Potter's guardian, a pleasure to make your acquaintance…”

“Fiona Williams,” she said, “Caseworker, and the potty mouth over there is Max.”

“Oi.”

Fiona levelled her a stare, as if daring to refute it.

“well maybe if certain creepy old men weren’t stalking around trying to give people heart attacks…” Max grumbled under her breath, but still averted her eyes.

“...Anyway, As you could imagine, we are here for Hailey's wand.”

“Of course… Please step this way Miss Potter.” Olivander said.

Hailey let herself be directed, until she stood in the middle of the floor, and Olivander then pulled out a silver tape measure.

“Please hold out your wand arm.”

Hailey assumed he meant her dominant arm, and lifted her right one.

The tape then lifted itself into the air, and started measuring Hailey by itself, starting fairly normal, with measurements like arm length, and hand span, but steadily getting more and more absurd over time.

Meanwhile, Olivander, not even looking at the results, started pulling boxes off the shelf, talking all the while.

“Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard’s wand.”

Hailey might have found this more interesting, but she was somewhat distracted by the tape measure measuring nostril width.

“That's enough.” Olivander said, and the tape immediately ceased and fell to the floor.

“Right then Ms Potter, try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring, nine inches, nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."

Hailey did so, and gave it a little swish, nothing happened, and Olivander took it back, before handing her another.

What followed was a long and tedious process of being handed wands, getting no results, and getting them taken away.

[Honestly, what was all that measuring for, if it takes this many tries to get a decent result?]

[I don’t know, theatre? He seems to have his process, maybe it's just part of his mysterious old man shtick]

[I should hope not, this man is supposed to be a professional. The best, we’ve been told. Surely there must be a more efficient method than this]

[Well maybe- Woah, felt that one]

“Huh?” Hailey exclaimed, who had been lulled into a haze by the tedium, was brought back to the present by a tingle up her arm, she looked down to the wand she had just taken, and was overcome with a sense of rightness, and a flick produced a shower of sparks.

Ollivander cried triumphantly. "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well well well... how curious... how very curious... " 

Taking it back, he put Hailey's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious...”

“What is?” asked Hailey, worried that she had missed something important while daydreaming.

Mr. Ollivander fixed Hailey with his pale stare. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Ms. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather, just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother... Why, its brother gave you that scar."

There was a pregnant pause, and a barely perceptible chill in the air.

[Well thats F***ing ominous]

[Language!]

[The censor got it, its fine]

[Time and place Suwako, how many times do I have to tell you this to drill it into your thick skull]

‘Well that killed the mood’ Hailey thought dryly.

Out loud she said. “Is that…bad?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not. Lord Voldemort did many great things… Terrible of course, but nonetheless great.” Olivander said, placing the wand box in Hailey's hand, closing it around it. “Perhaps we can expect great things from you too.”

Hailey looked down at the wand pensively, it felt somewhat heavier now, in a way beyond just being in a box.

“That will be Seven Galleons please.” Ollivander said.

[Wow, read the mood dude]

[Sayth the pot to the kettle]

[Hey I can read the mood plenty, I usually just choose to ignore it]

[Somehow I’m not convinced]

Hailey couldn’t help but giggle.

Well, whatever happens, she won’t be alone.

“Anything else we need?” Fiona asked as she scanned the list yet again. “I don’t think she really needs a pet, so…”

“Actually, a pet might be a good idea.” Mcgonagall interjected. “Specifically an owl. As you might have gathered, we commonly use owls for postage, so a good owl will help Hailey stay in contact with both you, and any friends she meets at school over the holidays.”

“What, don’t you guys use phones?” Max asked.

Mcgonagall thought for a moment. “Ah, those are those new Muggle things where people can talk through wires, yes? Most older Wizarding households don’t have them.”

“New?” Max said incredulously, mostly to herself, as she tried to recall how old Phones were, and drew a blank.

[Me dammit, I’m supposed to be the old fashioned one here, this is embarrassing]

[Telephones were invented last century… how behind are these people?]

Hailey sweatdropped.

Fiona got over her own incredulity, and decided not to belabour the point. “I’m not sure… does our apartment even allow pets… and can Owls even be house trained? I’m not sure I want the apartment covered in birdpoop.”

“No need to worry, Wizarding owls are far removed from their wilder cousins. They are extraordinarily bright, and very independent. I personally have never had a problem with my Owl… doing its business where it's not supposed to.”

Fiona seemed to consider it for a moment, before turning to Hailey. “Well, how about it Hailey? If we get one, it will be your responsibility.”

Hailey pondered this.

[How about you get a toad instead, those are allowed]

‘I can get as many toads as I want, when I want, why would I buy one?’ Hailey asked, tilting her head.

[that's… a fair point]

‘Besides, while I like them, frogs are not the best companion animals, and not particularly as helpful as owls apparently are.’ Hailey said.

[True enough… although I still want to see magical toads though, they might have something interesting going on compared to Normal ones]

‘Nothing wrong with looking.’ Hailey conceded.

[How about you Kanako, you interested in seeing magical snakes?]

[Not particularly, Western myth is not particularly kind to the snake, so most local magical snakes tend to be rather nasty creatures as a result]

[There there, we can’t all be popular magical pets]

“I think I’d like an Owl please.” Hailey said, making her decision. “Although I am curious about the toads, could we see those first?”

Mcgonagal hesitated. “If you wish… although I personally don’t recommend a toad at this point in time.”

Hailey tilted her head. “Why not?”

“They have fallen out of fashion recently, so it's not really a popular choice outside potion masters and enthusiasts.”

[What?!]

[There there, we can’t all be popular magical pets]

[Ha-ha]

It was the end of the day, and after a quick stop to Kings Cross to show off where she would be boarding the Hogwarts express. They had bid farewell to Ms Mcgonagal, and were on the drive home.

You know,” Max said, with an introspective air, “If someone told me a few years ago that I was gonna have an Eleven year old roommate, who talks to gods, can perform miracles, and is also a witch, who have a secret society, with their own schools, that is super secret…”

There was a pause as everyone waited for her to finish the thought.

“...I honestly don’t know what I’d do, but I’d buy the book if they wrote it I guess.” Max said.

“Truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction I guess.” Fiona said, “But what about you Hailey, this is all moving pretty fast. How are you feeling about all this?”

Hailey pondered for a moment, Today had possibly been the strangest she has ever had. She has known for years that magic has existed, that there were powers and beings beyond her wildest imagining, but this was possibly the first genuine look into the fantastical world she had experienced, everything was so strange, downright alien in some regard.

She found herself smiling. “You know, I think I’m looking forward to it.”

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