Edited 8/25/21
"Ugh cmon!" I groaned out while jumping on my bag, silently begging it to shut so I could zip it up. I could feel the knot in between my eyebrows tighten in complete frustration. One pair of white shoes had stuck out just enough that it prevented me from fully closing it.
"Finally!" my sister and I yelled in unison when we saw that the bag zipped shut. The last several days we had been forced to sort through all of our possessions, and pack up whatever we could, leaving our previously filled rooms empty.
I looked around at my lilac colored bedroom and sighed in sadness. There were marks and holes in the paint where I had taped pictures up and hung various posters.
The closet door was also bent from the night me and my friends played hide and seek. I could still hear the roars of laughter echoing in my head when I couldn't open the door, causing us all to fall on it.
It was a weird feeling to be moving away from your childhood home. Remembering the countless memories in this house made it difficult to keep tears from spilling out.
"Weird isn't it Violet? Just leaving it all behind," my sister, Ruby, commented. She was a petite young girl at the age of 11, who's maturity almost surpassed my own. Her long black hair was braided into two even pigtails and her slightly gaped teeth gave a sad crooked smile.
I sat down on the ground having my own big brown eyes meet my sisters. Besides our eye color which we both inherited from our mom, our physical characteristics were pretty much the opposite of each others.
"Very weird to see our entire life in boxes," I sighed, "but you and I both know that it's for the best. Dad wouldn't of made us move otherwise," my sister settled herself into my arms in an embrace.
Our father was a professor at Ilvermorny Wizarding School where he taught Education (specifically muggle education) in America. Whispers had been circulating about 'you know who' resurfacing which made my dad incredibly nervous.
Dad had always been uneasy with people criticizing his family bloodline and his line of work. He spent years receiving hate on his views of the muggle world, and his philosophy that, 'humans aren't so different than wizards'. Dad was actually muggleborn and he ended up marrying a muggleborn women as well, my mom.
All I knew about my mom was that she died when I was around the age of four and my dad would never speak of it. In fact, mom's memory was hardly ever brought up since it was a topic no one dared to speak of. The only reason I even knew her full name was because of the writing in the family scrapbook that dad now kept hidden away in boxes.
With him being completely on edge, he considered some new job opportunity that was brought to him several months ago.
One night when the three of us were watching a muggle movie, an older witch with a green cloak and funny little hat knocked on the front door.
I watched Dad as he greeted her like an old friend. Someone we had never heard of which wasn't unusual since he didn't share much about his life before us.
She introduced herself as Minerva, and explained that if we all agreed on the move to Britain, Ruby and I would attend Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Dad was also invited to teach a position at the school alongside us.
"I don't even want to go to Hogly-worts" whined Ruby while I chuckled in response.
"It's pronounced Hogwarts Ruby don't act dumb," I scoffed, "Plus I heard they have 4 houses just like at our school. And dad will be teaching something called Muggle Studies which could be fun." I tried remaining optimistic, but it was really difficult to do knowing I was leaving my own school halfway through.
Ruby was lucky as she was about to start her first year at Hogwarts. Meanwhile, I was attending at the start of my fourth year since I had turned 15 at the beginning of the summer.
Moving from America to Britain was going to be a huge change for our family, especially me. At my old school I already belonged; I was already sorted into a house and on my way to becoming Quidditch captain for my own team.
It was selfish and I knew it. But if I had the choice I would have much preferred to stay in America.
"Girls are you about ready to go?" dad yelled from downstairs. I shook my head out of my negative thoughts and focused on reality in front of me. Taking a quick last glance at my bedroom, I huffed in annoyance thinking about how unfair it was that our lives could be turned upside down in the short span of two months.
"Yeah we're coming down now!" I responded as I grabbed my suitcases and apparated with them downstairs. Ruby grinned as she got to sit on the suitcase and travel through the air with me. My dad gave me a narrowed look when I appeared in the living room and I already knew a lecture was going to come.
"Yes yes I know. I forgot your no fun rule," I said sarcastically.
"Well Violet how many times do I have to tell you not to practice magic outside of school! In England the rules are different than here. You-you could be expelled for doing what you just did!" I refrained from rolling my eyes in response but put my wand in the pocket of my jeans anyways.
What was the point of having magic if you weren't able to use it?
"Imagine the control he'll have over you as both a teacher and parent," Ruby laughed with her tongue poking out.
"—No fun—"
"—Curfew—"
"—No sweets—"
"—ZERO BOY TOLERANCE," Ruby shrieked in amusement.
"Gosh i'm really going to get grounded and have after school all in the same day," I pulled down on my dads sleeve as he looked uninterested in us mocking him.
"Correct no boys. And it's called detention at Hogwarts."
"Well sorry I'm just trying to enjoy one of my last days of freedom here," I sang while Ruby giggled at the face I made at him when he turned around. He didn't notice though, since he kept glancing at his pocket watch and muttering to himself, "I don't even understand why magic is forbidden outside of school over there. How will I ever be able to practice or use my wand over summer," I continued.
"Well the answer to that is you wont be performing magic over the summer. In order to do that you'd have to be of age, which is about 3 years away from now," he said matter of factly. "And as for practicing, you better study up hard while in class."
I groaned loudly thinking about how tiresome it was going to be to start making my bed and meals by hand now, "If we don't hurry up, we will miss the plane to England. It leaves in an hour and a half and we have tons of luggage to check in."
"Daddy?," Ruby asked while picking up our pet cat, Snow. He was a grumpy old cat with a permanent frown etched onto his face, "Why aren't we just using magic to get there?"
"Well since we are leaving to England neither you or Violet are old enough to apparate over there," he spoke in a calmer tone richer, "and I don't have the floo network set up in this house."
Since Dad was incredibly paranoid, he refused to get any type of transportation system hooked up to the house since he thought it could breach our 'security'.
"Did you already say goodbye to Lucy," my dad asked absentmindedly.
"Yeah we all went to brunch this morning and said our goodbyes," I gave a nod to him. Of course it would be hard leaving the friends I had made behind, but it hurt even more knowing I'd probably never speak to Lucy again.
Snow meowed as Ruby carelessly held him with one arm and I grabbed him from her while placing him into his crate.
"Good boy," I cooed while giving him a small snack, watching him purr and curl into his own little ball.
"Alright ladies say goodbye, we really must be going," he urged while muttering incantations to lift all our luggage into the car which was hidden in the garage.
As I turned to follow, I heard a little noise and saw Ruby with big eyes staring at a drawing on the wall. I slowly walked over and wrapped my arms around her from behind knowing exactly what her thoughts were. On the wall was 4 carved little stick figures that were holding hands. The drawing was done by my mothers magic and would need a strong spell in order to remove it the carving.
It was pretty much the only physical proof we had that my mom truly was with us at some point.
"I'm afraid people won't like me. You guys are the only ones that know me, what if they hate me," she whispered trying to keep her tears in. I held her tighter while placing my chin on the top of her head.
"Ruby that's when you just punch them in the throat," I said in a monotone voice
"And that's why you're going to end up in jail."
We both laughed, still staring at the markings on the wall.
"But seriously," I took a breath. "This picture goes to show that no matter what has happened, the four of us will be connected forever. I promise I will make sure we both have the best time and new life at Hogwarts, even if we aren't sorted into the same house—"
"Pinky promise me" she pouted while holding out her finger to me.
"Oh cmon—"
"Pinky promises can't be broken! Just do it," she pleaded with me.
I gave her a small smile and hooked my finger onto hers. Making sure dad wasn't watching, I pulled out my wand and charmed the plastic ring she was wearing to turn into a light golden color that had a mini version of the drawing on the wall engraved onto her ring.
"See," I told her as she gazed at it in amazement, "we don't need the house. No matter what, that ring shows that wherever you go we will also be by your side, even mom." She smiled at me while wiping her eyes and skipped off to the car in a much better mood.
I laughed at her while glancing at the wall one last time on my own before walking over to the garage.
"Are you ready?" My dad asked from the drivers seat as I jumped in. I felt him squeeze my hand and I looked at him giving a definite nod as we drove off.
As we made our way to the airport, I made sure not to look back into the rear view mirror and kept looking ahead as I daydreamed of what a life in England would be.
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A/N:
first chapter posted!! so excited to share this story with you guys <3