𝑆𝐴𝑉𝐼𝑁𝐺 𝐷𝑅𝐴𝐶𝑂 𝑀𝐴𝐿𝐹𝑂𝑌

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎 - 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

"I'll fetch some!" said Dad and whipped out his wand.

"No! Let me!" I said.

Swish and flick – a bottle of water flew from the kitchen counter straight to my hand. I then flicked my wand again and made the bottle levitate over the glasses, filling them up.

Mum clapped her hands excitedly. Although she had lived with a wizard half her life, it always amazed her to see me doing magic. Maybe it was because she had gotten used to me without a wand for the better part of a decade.

"You're getting good with the nonverbals. Only don't abuse magic! You know you're supposed to use it only for educational reasons outside of Hogwarts," said Dad strictly.

"Mastering a nonverbal spell is an educational reason. The Ministry can fight me in this one!"

"Cheater!" said Mum sunnily.

In any other case, performing magic in front of a muggle would be illegal. Thankfully, that didn't count for those married to a witch or wizard and the parents of magical children, otherwise, I would be in deep trouble at the moment.

Dad quickly returned to his silent concerns.

"Harry sent me a letter. We are all going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get our books for the new year," I announced, sure they would have no problem with me meeting my friends tomorrow. The café was only a minute away from the Leaky Cauldron after all and they often let me wander alone nearby. "Of course, I'll help at the café in the morning."

On Mondays, Linus, our helpful barista, started his shift at 12, so I usually filled in his place, while Mum worked on baking at the back of the shop. I usually always stayed for a bit longer, just because of the lack of things to do during a lazy summer.

"Oh-oh! Can I come? I will be done with baking before noon and I bet Linus can handle the shop for a couple of hours," said Mum cheerily. Although Mum had been hopping back and forth between the magical and the muggle world for almost twenty years, it never ceased to excite her when she had the chance to fully immerse herself into our world. Maybe it made her feel more like a witch at heart.

"Mum..." I said unexcited. "I don't think anyone's parents are going to be with us tomorrow. We are 16 after all..." I said hesitantly. It pained me to deny her a pleasure so pure and innocent.

"Oh, alright..." she said, trying to hide her disappointment.

Dad still had the newspaper at the corner of the table and was absorbed in his reading while cutting his meat.

"Phin." Mum awakened him.

"Sorry, what were we talking about?" he said, throwing looks between us, still lost in his thoughts.

"No newspaper during dinner," Mum reminded him. It was Dad's habit to never do just one thing at a time. If he was eating, he had to be reading something at the same time; if he was drinking his morning coffee, he had to be occupied with reading the news. He quickly obliged with an honest smile and set the newspaper aside.

"Everything alright, Dad?"

"Yes, yes. Everything's alright..." he said. He put a hand against his forehead so as to indicate a headache.

"Did you read something on the news?" I asked.

"Please, Ophelia. It's nothing you should worry about," he said and breathed out.

"Phin. I think we should share this with Ophelia," said Mum. Dad gave her a discreet look of disapproval that honestly came out funny instead of scary. Dad was not an intimidating man. Mum looked back unyieldingly. "She can't leave without us talking to her..." she added.

Although it might work in the opposite way in most families, Dad was always the one who preferred looking away from a problem, if it meant not troubling me. Mum on the other hand liked to be more straightforward with the harsh reality we were facing.

"Alright then..." he said. "Apparently, there have been some abductions. Ever since You Know Who's return became common knowledge, the Death Eaters have been becoming more aggressive."

"Who got abducted? Not anyone we know, of course."

"No. No. It was a married couple and a newborn. It was a muggle couple but the baby girl was registered as a witch under the Ministry. A muggle-born. We have no idea about their whereabouts," Dad continued.

"Dear God, help them..." muttered Mum and shook her head.

"Well, if the Death Eaters got them, there is not much hope," said Dad with a desperate shake of his head. "It's a tragedy. And of course, the situation today at the Ministry was hectic. We have all sorts of problems with the Muggle Prime Minister ever since the terror attack at the Millennial Bridge and with the press..."

I was sure, however, that this was not the biggest cause of concern for either Mum or Dad. After all, we heard news of abductions all the time throughout the summer and, as tragic as it was, it was nothing out of the ordinary for times like these.

"What does this mean about us?"

My eyes were fixed on Dad's.

"So far, it seems we are safe. But things could turn sour at any second. We talked with your mum last night," he said, catching a glimpse of my mother and holding her hand across the table, "and we agreed that we have to be ready for everything."

I nodded slowly and tried to breathe normally.

"We might have to go into hiding, Ophelia," added Mum, always jumping straight into the core of issues.

I was there, seeing it all as it was happening. I was there when Harry looked at me terrified and told me You Know Who was back. I had believed him at once when he said Cedric was killed before his own eyes. I had cried. I was there to see him fighting against all odds when no one believed him. I had fought with Dumbledore's Army next to Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville, despite the snobby eyes of those who didn't want a Slytherin in the Room of Requirement and the high chances of getting expelled. I had seen Harry coming back from the Ministry, in tears, when he lost his godfather a few months ago.

Yet the war had never felt closer to home. My own parents had been caught in it. Suddenly I was more terrified than when I had seen Umbridge lean over my desk to threaten me by saying that, if I didn't tell her everything I knew about my Gryffindor friends, my father would lose his job at the Ministry within a week.

I spread my hands across the table and held my parents' hands so firmly, that I had to hold myself back from hurting them.

"Of course, I talked with Albus after our meeting with the Order last Saturday. We agreed that, if need be, he will let you out of Hogwarts and into hiding with us."

"Is there anything you want me to do? Any way I can help?" I said.

"If you could stay our sassy, funny daughter, that would be perfect," said Mum with a warm smile.

"We know it was a rough summer, swan queen..." said Dad with a crooked smile. "We don't want to burden you with more worries. After all, this is an option we might not ever have to open. Focus on your studies – focus on yourself – and we will take care of the rest."

...I am starting to reminisce about the easy, old times of my first years in Hogwarts – not much care in the world. I am watching the world getting darker, Margot, and I am not sure if we are anywhere near the end. It feels more like the beginning.

See you soon,
Ophelia

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