Chapter Text
Does anyone else think, time decides to play some vicious game against the students each summer? Elaine certainly did, she had just finished her primary school, and it was almost August! However, holidays weren’t the only ones affected by time’s whims and cruelty – Elaine and Linda’s birthday was mere days away. Turning 11 was a big deal, and their excitement mixed with sadness, caused by the insidious (imminent, yet surprising) start idea of starting secondary school. The thought made her slightly queasy; she thought it better not to think about it and make the most out of the remaining month. Now after returning from her uncle’s house in London, it seemed quite doable, knowing they were going to stay at home in Glasgow, hang out with children from the neighbourhood and, maybe read a book or two
Few days have passed since their arrival, until their carefree plans were interrupted by a woman standing on their porch. She knocked on the door a few times, before Mrs Morrison opened the door
'Good morning, Mrs. I believe we have not met yet. What is your name and, may I ask for the purpose of your visit?' asked the father a bit too formally after guessing, based on the visitor’s odd attire, that she was most likely an unwanted Jehovah witness
'Yes, of course - Minerva McGonagall; I’d like to discuss Elaine’s education. Shall we talk inside?'
'Sure' answered Mr Morrison while closing the door still wary of the guest, currently just additionally confused and slightly uneasy about the random woman knowing his daughter’s name
'I’m here!' an intrigued girl sprinted in their direction, summoned by hearing her name
'Have you received our letter?' the woman kept talking
'What letter?' the genuine surprise in his voice, threw her off
'Well.... that complicates things' the visitor’s features froze for half a second. 'I know it will sound absurd at the beginning... but your daughter is special... She is a witch.'
Everyone in the room started laughing, except the mysterious guest, who still had a serious expression on her face
'That’s bonkers, wizards don’t exist!' said Mrs Morrison. 'Are you trying to convince me my daughter is some sort of magical being?'
'I expected your reaction, but I can assure you. Magic is real'
'Oh really? Then how come no one had ever seen it?'
'I could show you, if you’d like to' the guest offered
'I'd love to see that!' said Linda
Now all eyes turned towards the visitor, intently watching her walk to the centre of the living room. To everyone’s surprise, the woman’s frame quickly shifted to a cat’s form. The moment their brains processed the situation, their mocking attitudes changed. The woman (the cat?) sat and stared at each of them separately, giving them time to truly take in this information. After a minute of silence, when everyone had already pinched themselves, McGonagall returned to her original form
'How... how’s that possible?' the shaky, yet impressed voice of Graham, the twins’ older brother, muttered the question which was on everyone’s minds
'As I told you, it was magic'
'If what you said is true, am I also able to do that?' Elaine asked with stars in her eyes
'No, not really' the visitor observed the fading smile on the young girl's face, 'at least not yet.' The children's faces lit up again, 'but, you could learn other things, if you’d go to Hogwarts, which is why I’m here. It is a school for young wizards, like you, where you would be taught how to use your magic and...'
'What about me?!' Graham asked in pure excitement
'And me!?' Linda followed, 'Can we become wizards too?'
'Unfortunately, not. It is...' the woman was interrupted again
'I promise we wouldn’t be any trouble!' Graham insisted
'And we would try so hard, we would certainly be some of the best students!' Linda still couldn’t understand why she wasn’t suitable for becoming a witch
'...something you are born with, you can’t change it' McGonagall replied, as usual feeling a bit sorry for the Muggles, who not only had to process the discovery of a whole new world, but also grieve the loss of this world, in which they weren’t able to participate in, on the basis of matters out of their control. It must have been so awful...
Few seconds of silence passes, then Mrs Morrison disrupted it
'Could you tell us more... about this school?', the words earned her a smile from the visitor
For the next two hours, Mrs McGonagall slowly explained everything necessary to the family, who was, naturally, very intrigued by the situation. She even showed them some of the spells, when she mentioned them, to fulfil their curiosity, but even more so to furthermore convince Elaine’s guardians. Meanwhile the girl in question had been writing down all information, as not to forget even the slightest details of the new world uncovering right before her eyes
Having heard all the basics, Elaine’s parents decided she will attend Hogwarts, but they will provide her with muggle textbooks corresponding with the grade she would be in a regular secondary school, for her to eventually pass her Highers; to have the option to go to university, and live a normal life, if she decided the wizarding world wasn’t for her. It was particularly important to Mr Morrison, who was a teacher, and always preached the value of getting a good education. McGonagall wanted to argue, that Muggleborns practically never decide to go back to living their previous lifestyle, but she kept that thought to herself. Which parent would happily send their child away, knowing after their departure they would rather distance themselves from their own kind, than to live amongst them? Elaine opposed at the beginning, but she new her dad’s argument made sense. She suspected she won’t want to go to a regular university – not when she had all the amazing possibilities of the magical world opened to her. However as she understood she won’t be able to win, she complied with her parents’ wish
'All right. So how will we get her school supplies?' asked Mr Morrison
'We will go to the Diagon Alley, but Elaine would need to come with me. You may assist her, if you’d like' the professor added, noticing the initial doubt on the girl’s parents' faces. 'Would tomorrow suit you?
'Yeah, the sooner we get it over with, the better. How much will it cost?'
'I’m sure we can buy all that we need under 250 €'
The whole family said "Goodbye" to the mysterious woman. It was getting dark, but Elaine was sure she wouldn't be able to sleep that night