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The car started off down the street and Elle turned back to se her parents holding each their tightly looking after the car with an aura of defeat. The car in question smelt slightly like smoke and metal. Remus drove quickly and the car squeaked loudly as though it was going to fall apart.
"Can you tell me what's going on?" Elle spoke up hoping to sound confident but the quaver in her voice said otherwise.
Remus looked over sympathetically and nodded heavily.
"It's a lot to take in... I'm sure your parents have done a good job of hiding it" he let out an empty laugh,
"I expect so" Elle murmured focusing on his bony hands as he gripped tight to the steering wheel.
"Well I'm your fathers brother... your uncle but I'm also sure you've never heard of me" She shook her head hoping he'd notice she wouldn't have to speak up again.
"Your father comes from a family of magic... he however can not use magic and he always resented the wizarding world for that so he decided to cut all ties from it"
"I went to a school called Hogwarts and rarely saw Sam... my parents always saw him as a disappointment but I wanted nothing more than for him to be included in the family... he however saw differently"
Remus took a sharp left which jolted Elle slightly as she listened closely to his words.
"Your mother is a muggle... which in our world means non magic born but she knows all about this world, Sam told her which is quite admirable really"
"So I have magic?"
"You have the potential for magic yes but you have to learn it to be able to use it... a lot like learning a language really" he looked to her encouragingly.
"Hogwarts is actually a school for magic?"
"Yes it is the best school for magic and two years ago they tried to enlist you but your parents hid the letter and unfortunately they never tried again"
"So I've missed my chance?"
"Well Hogwarts is a seven year school and usually pupils start when they're eleven but I don't think it's impossible for you to join late.., the only problem is whether they'd let you skip two years or not"
"I'm a fast learner... I'll be able to catch up" Elle rambled excitedly.
"Well I'm glad to hear that... it well definitely come in handy but i think it best if we speak to the school directly to see whether it is in fact possible" Lupin smiled.
The recurring dread rushed over Elle once again and she returned to the panicked state that this was all some sort of joke and that she was actually in danger.
"Are you lying" her voice rang out clearer this time with the strive of confidence she desired,
"No I'm not" he replied blatantly without a change in his expression,
"Prove it then" she sparked up turning in her seat to face him, he sighed and pulled the car onto a curb.
He reached in to hit inside pocket and retrieved a thin brown wooden stick,
"Is that a wand?" He nodded and pointed it towards a book sitting on the back seat and it began to float. Elle gaped in amazement squinting to look for a string that could be holding up the book.
"Do you still think I'm lying" he smiled noticing the shocked expression dawning on his nieces face.
"I want to believe it all I do... but it all seems to good to be true"
"Well start believing because it's all real... you're a witch Elle".
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Two hours later Remus pulled the car into a drive facing a shabby semi-detached house.
"You'll have to stay here overnight if that's ok...we don't have much time of course Hogwarts starts tomorrow"
"Tomorrow... how is that going to work... I don't have any belongings... we don't even know if I can go yet" she sighed following her uncle through the front door. The house smelt of pine wood and smoke, as the light flickered on it glowed a soft orange.
"We'll know if you can go to Hogwarts by tonight... I sent out an Owl yesterday addressed to Dumbledore and he's always good at getting a rapid response sent" he smiled,
"You sent an owl? ... who is Dumbledore?" Remus pointed to an old leather sofa as though instructing Elle to sit on it.
She followed his instructions and listened to him keenly as he explained the ins and outs of the wizarding world.
An hour had past and Elle still had a dozen questions which was understandable considering how new she was to all of this.
Before she could ask more about how apparition worked, there was a faint tap on the front window.
Elle looked over in surprise but Lupin moved to the window calmly and opened it wide allowing entrance to a large brown tawny owl.
The owl had a letter attached to its leg which looked the same as the letter Elle had found in the filing cabinet.
Lupin opened the letter hurriedly as the owl sat on the ledge staring towards the girl with large yellow eyes.
Elle found it cute and smiled at it doubting the owl would register this action.
Remus' smile grew wider as he skimmed the letter, he signaled to the owl that there was no reply needed and it flew off into the night. Lupin closed the window shielding the cold air from the now warm living room.
"What does it say?" Elle said excitedly as Lupin returned to his seat.
"Dumbledore is glad you are ready to join Hogwarts and sees no problem with you starting late.. he believes that instead of starting you at first year it would be more comfortable to be in third year surrounded by people your age however you will have to take extra lessons to catch up but you already ensured me that you're a fast learner so I doubt this is any problem to you"
"I am a fast learner and Dumbledore was right I'd much rather be around people my own age... it's easier to make friends that way" Lupin agreed,
"Dumbledore mentioned that you will have to journey to Hogwarts with the first years in order to take place in the proper sorting ceremony... but after that you're officially a third year student"
The surreality of this information washed over Elle like a tidal wave and she couldn't help but laugh thinking over her old self wishing that there was something greater out there for her... now there actually was.
"The train is early tomorrow so we better go to Diagon Alley today if we have any hope of getting everything on time" he smiled,
"I don't have any money to pay for all this... plus all of my clothes are at home" Elle stressed as she thought of what she would do now.
"I did think of that but I think I have a plan that will allow you to get your things... and money won't be an issue your dad never needed wizard money when he became a muggle so all of his funds are still in gringots... we just have to find the key"
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"I didn't think I'd be back so soon" Elle sighed as Lupin parked up outside the house gingerly,
"You remember the plan right?" Remus muttered softly as he eyed the house in suspicion,
"You get my parents to the front door and hold them off while I sneak in through the back window, collect my stuff and find the mysterious key"
"Exactly"
"You have no idea where this key is?"
"Unfortunately not... I suspect he will have kept it hidden, it'll be a small gold old fashioned looking key... can't be that hard to find"
"Yeah well you're not the one looking for it" Elle smiled sarcastically as the pair got out of the car and began walking towards the house,
"I'll tell them that you're not here, that way they won't be looking out for you" Remus muttered quickly as the house edged nearer and nearer.
Elle nodded and darted off to the side gate opening it with ease as she heard the familiar sound of the door bell echoing from within the house.
The downstairs windows were shut and impossible to open from the outside, Elle rolled her eyes at this and looked up to the study window which she already knew would be wide open. Samson always left the study window open in the summer afternoons as the room got 'too hot' this caused major bug problems which thoroughly annoyed both Heather and Elle.
Warily the brunette kicked the drainpipe and watched it shake gently at the contact. She didn't have any hope that this would work but she grasped the white plastic tightly and began to claw her way up it.
Elle was breathless by the time she made it halfway and groped desperately for the window ledge, her hand clasped it tightly as she edged herself further up the pipe not daring to look down.
She wasn't even that high up but the thought of falling left her shaky.
Finally Elle managed to grip hold of the window which was swung out way too wide, she stretched her leg across cursing herself for her lack of flexibility.
She was now stood with one leg on the window sill, one arm clutching the widow and the other limbs clinging to the pipe.
Closing her eyes and praying for the best she let go of the pipe and pulled her self into the window with her right arm. Her forehead hit the window frame hard and she cursed quietly.
Elle had wasted a lot of time clambering pathetically into the study and she could hear the raised voices of her parents meaning the distraction was already in full swing.
She raced to her room first which wasn't only across the hall, there was a large brown leather suitcase positioned on the top of her wardrobe and she managed to yank it down without making too much noise.
Not that her parents would hear her over their shouting anyway. Elle began to shove random clothes into the suitcase until it threatened not to close.
She didn't have many other possessions but she made sure to pack her sketch book and pencils along with a note book that she regularly wrote in.
Once the case was shut Elle breathed a sigh of relief trying not to think of how she planned on getting out of this house.
Then it dawned on her that she still hadn't retrieved the key Lupin had told her about. She knew her Dad well yet she had no inkling of where he would hide a key to a magic bank account.
She scrambled up and walked into the study again rifling through the drawers and hoping desperately that her fingers would meet with something metal. But there was nothing and Elle knew that she only had limited time. As she ran to her parents bedroom she caught some of the words floating up the stairs.
"Betrayal, our daughter, magic is dangerous" she ignored these and opened her parents wardrobe looking around to see if anything stood out to her.
There she saw a jet black box with silver linings sitting surrounded by shoe boxes at the foot of the wardrobe. She picked it up and attempted to open it hoping that this wasn't locked.
Luckily for Elle the box wasn't locked and inside was exactly what she was looking for, a small old fashioned golden key, it had a red ribbon wrapped around the end and it gleamed in the light entering the front of the house.
Elle smiled and clutched the key in her hand as she put the box back exactly as she had found it.
Rapidly she moved back to the study as looked out the window wondering if her parents would hear the loud clatter of a suitcase flying out the window over their yells of anger.
They'd probably hear it. Elle sighed in frustration, they'd see her if she crept down stairs but now it seemed that was her only option... Remus has implied that her parents may not let her go so easily this time and made it known that she must not be seen by them. Elle looked back towards the window.
Screw it. She learnt out holding the suitcase as low down as she could without toppling out of the window with it. She aimed to drop it on the grass but the weight of the case became too much for her and she eventually had to let it go and hoped she'd chucked it on the right spot. It made a large thud but the main hit was muffled by the long grass which hadn't been cut in a few weeks.
Elle shimmied down the pole which was a lot easier than crawling up it. She made sure the gold key was still in her hadn't as she grabbed the case and moved quickly along the side of the house. She peered round to see Remus still standing outside of the front door arguing with her parents, he seemed fed up at this point and noticed Elle immediately as she stuck her head round the wall.
"You both obviously can't listen to reason... I regret bothering you and I will ensure that you will see Elle at Christmas" with that he pulled the front door shut himself and waited a few seconds anxiously wondering if they'd wrench it open again to continue their spiralling words of anger.
Elle raced to the car as Lupin opened the boot allowing Elle to shove the suitcase carelessly into it and jump back into the car as it drove away.
"Did you get the key?" Lupin asked breathlessly as the car sped down the road,
"Yeah I've got it" Elle smiled proudly opening her hand to admire the delicate gold key resting on her palm,
"Perfect... we only have a few more hours before the shops in Diagon Alley close so we better get a move on"
"So Diagon Alley is in London?" Elle thought back to the few times she'd been into the city centre of London, she didn't remember any signs of magic while she was there... not that she was looking out for any.
"Yes but you have to know where it is to be able to find it" this didn't make sense to Elle but she decided not to worry about it too much.
The car trundled on as the pair sat in silence, Elle looked out the window feeling the exhaustion of the day wear over her.
The trees blurred into watercolour as the car sped past them and Elle decided it wouldn't hurt to rest her eyes for a few seconds.
As the relief of relaxation entered her mind she fell deeper until the sounds around her whirled and distorted, muffled as though played through a bad speaker. Then all went silent.
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"Elle.... Elle wake up" The brunette was lightly pushed awake by Remus who had parked the car on the side of a road, the streets were busy but the crowds were fairing now that the day was growing later.
Elle got out the car and began to follow Lupin up the path looking around eagerly for some sort of magic.
It didn't take long to realise that the two of them were still in 'muggle' territory. The shoppers consisted of parents rushing around to get the last school essentials and some teenagers arguing loudly about which metro to get home.
The bustle ebbed into the back of Elle's head as she thought about everything Lupin had told her about the magic world. The new information had excited her but she still couldn't bring herself to fully believe it all, there was something in the back of her mind telling her this was all wrong.
After a five minute walk they seemed to be on the street that Remus was looking for, Elle didn't see any hint that this street contained magic but she prayed she wasn't being creatively kidnapped.
They reached the end of the street and Lupin stopped outside of a rustic looking pub. No one else walking past seemed to register the appearance of the pub at all despite the loud music and laughter coming from within. This gave Elle the impression that they had finally reached their destination.
She looked in wonder up at the sign labelling the front of the establishment.The Leaky Cauldron. That was a magic name if Elle had ever heard one.
The pair stepped inside and were greeted by an immediate ambiance of joy and humour.
Most of the people in the pub looked just like you and me however others (to Elle's surprise) did not. There were goblins, hags and even a lost looking centaur roaming around. The air was thick but smelt of pies and beer.
Lupin led Elle round to the back of the pub where a door opened into a small enclosed courtyard. The people in the pub seemed too busy minding their own business to pay them any attention which seemed a relief to Elle who was still overwhelmed by all of these people.
The courtyard was a dead end and Elle looked to her uncle in surprise. Remus took no notice and walked to a brick wall at the end of the clearing. There he retrieved his wand from his pocket and tapped the wall in some sort of pattern.
After he did this he stepped back and Elle watched in amazement as the bricks began to move, twisting around and creating an opening in the wall.
As the opening formed it revealed another street this one much different to a regular London street.
It had an aura of excitement with colourful shops and dated cobbles. Voices seemed chirpier and more friendly as they danced around Elle's hearing.
"This is Diagon Alley" Remus smiled happily at the look of excitement on Elle's face as they paced quickly up the path.
The girl twisted and turned in every direction in attempts to take everything in, there were still kids around buying supplies and shouting gleefully about which Hogwarts house they wanted to be in.
Lupin and Elle reached the end of the path and stood in front of a large white marble building with an impressive looking black door.
"This is Gringotts bank" stepping inside Elle looked in awe at the high ceilings and towering pillars. The gaping corridor was pristine and the air smelt crisp.
As they went through another door the goblins came into view, they were bent over work, looking through papers and counting money. They looked judgmentally over their small glasses and Elle turned to look at the floor not wishing to look at them any longer out of intimidation.
They reached the desk at the end of the corridor and were faced by an older looking goblin who stared down at them expectantly.
"We wish to visit Samson Lupin's vault please" Remus smiled as he pushed the gold key across the counter "it's vault number 523" The goblin nodded and beckoned to another to come forward.
"Griphook will take you down" the voice was scratchy and cat like. The key was passed to Griphook who the Lupins now followed. They walked down another corridor before reaching a small cart that seemed to travel down some dark tracks.
This part of the bank had a different feel to the previous well kept expensive looking building. The tunnel the tracks followed looked shabby and frightening.
Elle and Remus climbed into the cart as Griphook took hold of the steering contraption. The cart started slow and at first Elle didn't think that anything more could surprise her.
That was until the small cart dramatically dropped like a rollercoaster sending them flying down the tracks.
Remus could have warned her about this. She held tight to the bars beside her and tried hard not to throw up.
She had never been a fan of roller coasters. In fact she'd only ever been on one.
The cart flew round corners and Elle believed multiple times that she was about to be thrown out of it.
When it skidded to a halt she jolted forward and gasped for breath.
Griphook and Lupin got out of the cart as though nothing had happened and Elle hoped they hadn't noticed that she'd turned a sickly white.
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I'm editing this and I didn't realise how long the first few chapters were :0
They do get shorter as it goes along