“...Happy birthday to you~!”
The many small flames were blown out, and the pancakes was cut into.
This was the day the young birthday girl had been waiting for for as long as she could remember. Today marked the eleventh birthday of the redhead, and she knew what was to come later today.
She bounced in her seat as she took a bite of her syrup-coated breakfast, humming in satisfaction as the sweet taste hit her tongue.
“Whoa there, sweetie! Slow down! We don’t want you to choke on your big day!” her father spoke from beside her, placing a hand on her back and laughing lightly.
“I can’t slow down, Dad! I’m too excited!” the girl replied, shoving another piece of pancake into her mouth. Izora continued to eat in this way until her plate was empty and her stomach was full. Getting up from her seat at the kitchen table, she carried her plate over to her mother, who was cooking more pancakes, and held the dirty dish in front of her, blocking her view of the pan. “I want more, Mom! Pretty please?”
“Honey, I really think you’ve had enough. How about you go check the the post?” her mother replied, taking the plate from the child and placing it in the sink located an arm’s length away.
With a huff, Izzy turned around and ran through the living room, over to the front door. “Ugh, fine! I’m still hungry, though!” she called as she ran, picking up the letters that had fallen to the floor from the mailman’s visit.
The widest grin she had ever mustered grew on her face as she thumbed through the post, stopping at one yellowing envelope addressed to her, sealed with a stamp.
“I’m sure you are, honey.”
In her oversized bedroom, Izora crashed onto her bed, hanging off the edge so she could rummage through her open suitcase. “Let’s see…” she mumbled, saying everything she had out loud to ensure herself that she had everything she’d need, even if she still had time before she was to go. “Robes, hat, gloves, cloak, too many books- all different, of course- caudron, phials, telescope, scales… where’s my wand?” Rolling off of her bed, Izzy looked underneath it, only to find dust bunnies in the darkness. “Where’s my wand?” she repeated, rushing over to her closet and ripping through its contents, pushing anything and everything out of her way. When her wand did not make an appearance, she bolted over to the top of the stairs and held onto the railing so she could yell down to her parents. “WHERE’S MY WAND!?”
From the bottom of the stairs popped her mother, a frown on her face. “I haven’t seen it, Izzy. Where did you leave it last?”
Izora thought about this for a moment, thinking of the last place she had her wand. A location popped into her mind, so she ran down the stairs, nearly tripping more than once. “I know! I’ll be right back!”
And with that, she passed right by her mother, leaving the house through the front door.
Izzy ran over to the garage placed next to the house, opening the large door the car went through in order to get in. In one half of the inside sat the white Volkswagen, waiting to be taken for a ride. The other housed a rug-like mat, tables strewn around it, and a dummy stood against the back wall, burned and torn in nearly every way. On the table nearest the dummy sat the Alder wand- right where it had been left. With a smirk, Izzy picked it up and decided to try a simple trick before heading back to the house.
She moved to stand in front of the dummy, wand outstretched, facing directly at the head. With a simple swish and flick, Izzy cried the spell name she wished to cast, smile growing larger. “Wingardium Leviosa!”
The dummy began to float up to the ceiling, before Izora brought her wand down, sending the fake man plummeting to the ground with a muffled but satisfying boom. Izzy giggled, skipping out of the garage and back to her front door, leaving the dummy in pieces on the floor for someone else to take care of.
“Got it!” the redhead called, running back upstairs to throw the magical stick into her suitcase.
Back in her room, Izora checked the list of supplies yet again. “...Telescope, scales, wand… Zip has to be around here somewhere…” She didn’t bother to look for her black-and-white cat, knowing he had not run off anywhere too crazy. “Alright, I think that’s everything!” Snapping her suitcase shut, Izzy dragged her belongings to the stairs, where she slowly brought it down by holding its front, sliding it in front of her as she walked down backwards. She left it by the front door and went into the living room, where her parents were seated, talking amongst themselves. “C’mon, guys! If we don’t leave now, we’re gonna be late! Let’s go!”
Checking his watch, Izzy’s father stood from his chair and headed into the family room. “She’s right, dear. I’ll be right there,” he spoke to his wife, disappearing into the large room.
“Why don’t we head out, Izzy, and wait for your father at the car?” suggested her mother, also standing and walking over to the front door, opening it so they could get out of the house. The suitcase was left where it was for Izzy’s father to take.
“Yeah, okay, Mum!” Rushing out the door for a second time, Izora basically dragged her mother over to the garage. “We’re gonna be late! Let’s go! Hurry up!”
“We won’t be late, sweetie,” her mother replied, giggling lightly, “we’ll make sure of that. There’s no need to rush!”
Neither of the ladies bothered to look over to the training side of the garage as they walked in and prepped the car for the trip it was about to embark on with them all. Izzy basically threw herself into the back seat, buckling herself in as quickly as she could and bouncing in place like she did months before as she waited for the others. Her mother calmly sat in the passenger’s side of the front, watching as her father appeared in the garage’s entrance, suitcase and cat in tow.
He paused when he walked in, looking over at the mess Izzy had made earlier. Instead of getting mad about it, though, he began to laugh, walking around the car to put the suitcase in the trunk. Closing its lid, he sat in the driver’s seat, handing the black-and-white cat back to his daughter. “Oh, don’t worry about the mess, hun. I’ll get that for you,” he joked, starting the car.
“Zip!” Izzy called out when her cat was passed to her, hugging the animal close to her chest. Zip did not try to escape her grip- rather, he purred and nuzzled the top of his head into the child’s chin. With a chuckle, Izora looked back to her home before it disappeared from view as the car pulled out of the driveway.
“So, Izzy, are you excited to start school?” Izzy’s mother asked, looking back to her daughter through the rearview mirror, a smile on her face.
Izzy stared at the back of her mother’s seat, her own smile growing painfully large before she answered the question. “I mean, I basically already started a little, right? Even with all that training, I’m super psyched to go to this place!” she answered, kicking her short legs in front of her.
“Haha! I bet you are, honey.”
The car ride continued on like this, until a seemingly normal train station came into view of the Nithercotts. Pressing her face against the glass of the car window, Izora marveled at the brick building, blue-grey eyes wide and full of wonder. “Wow! I can’t wait, Mum! Dad, go faster! Faster!”
For a moment, Izora’s father sped up the car, causing his wife to smack him in the arm playfully and his daughter to scream in happiness.
She just knew this time at Hogwarts would be unforgettable.
The many small flames were blown out, and the pancakes was cut into.
This was the day the young birthday girl had been waiting for for as long as she could remember. Today marked the eleventh birthday of the redhead, and she knew what was to come later today.
She bounced in her seat as she took a bite of her syrup-coated breakfast, humming in satisfaction as the sweet taste hit her tongue.
“Whoa there, sweetie! Slow down! We don’t want you to choke on your big day!” her father spoke from beside her, placing a hand on her back and laughing lightly.
“I can’t slow down, Dad! I’m too excited!” the girl replied, shoving another piece of pancake into her mouth. Izora continued to eat in this way until her plate was empty and her stomach was full. Getting up from her seat at the kitchen table, she carried her plate over to her mother, who was cooking more pancakes, and held the dirty dish in front of her, blocking her view of the pan. “I want more, Mom! Pretty please?”
“Honey, I really think you’ve had enough. How about you go check the the post?” her mother replied, taking the plate from the child and placing it in the sink located an arm’s length away.
With a huff, Izzy turned around and ran through the living room, over to the front door. “Ugh, fine! I’m still hungry, though!” she called as she ran, picking up the letters that had fallen to the floor from the mailman’s visit.
The widest grin she had ever mustered grew on her face as she thumbed through the post, stopping at one yellowing envelope addressed to her, sealed with a stamp.
“I’m sure you are, honey.”
~six months, two weeks, and a day later~
In her oversized bedroom, Izora crashed onto her bed, hanging off the edge so she could rummage through her open suitcase. “Let’s see…” she mumbled, saying everything she had out loud to ensure herself that she had everything she’d need, even if she still had time before she was to go. “Robes, hat, gloves, cloak, too many books- all different, of course- caudron, phials, telescope, scales… where’s my wand?” Rolling off of her bed, Izzy looked underneath it, only to find dust bunnies in the darkness. “Where’s my wand?” she repeated, rushing over to her closet and ripping through its contents, pushing anything and everything out of her way. When her wand did not make an appearance, she bolted over to the top of the stairs and held onto the railing so she could yell down to her parents. “WHERE’S MY WAND!?”
From the bottom of the stairs popped her mother, a frown on her face. “I haven’t seen it, Izzy. Where did you leave it last?”
Izora thought about this for a moment, thinking of the last place she had her wand. A location popped into her mind, so she ran down the stairs, nearly tripping more than once. “I know! I’ll be right back!”
And with that, she passed right by her mother, leaving the house through the front door.
Izzy ran over to the garage placed next to the house, opening the large door the car went through in order to get in. In one half of the inside sat the white Volkswagen, waiting to be taken for a ride. The other housed a rug-like mat, tables strewn around it, and a dummy stood against the back wall, burned and torn in nearly every way. On the table nearest the dummy sat the Alder wand- right where it had been left. With a smirk, Izzy picked it up and decided to try a simple trick before heading back to the house.
She moved to stand in front of the dummy, wand outstretched, facing directly at the head. With a simple swish and flick, Izzy cried the spell name she wished to cast, smile growing larger. “Wingardium Leviosa!”
The dummy began to float up to the ceiling, before Izora brought her wand down, sending the fake man plummeting to the ground with a muffled but satisfying boom. Izzy giggled, skipping out of the garage and back to her front door, leaving the dummy in pieces on the floor for someone else to take care of.
“Got it!” the redhead called, running back upstairs to throw the magical stick into her suitcase.
Back in her room, Izora checked the list of supplies yet again. “...Telescope, scales, wand… Zip has to be around here somewhere…” She didn’t bother to look for her black-and-white cat, knowing he had not run off anywhere too crazy. “Alright, I think that’s everything!” Snapping her suitcase shut, Izzy dragged her belongings to the stairs, where she slowly brought it down by holding its front, sliding it in front of her as she walked down backwards. She left it by the front door and went into the living room, where her parents were seated, talking amongst themselves. “C’mon, guys! If we don’t leave now, we’re gonna be late! Let’s go!”
Checking his watch, Izzy’s father stood from his chair and headed into the family room. “She’s right, dear. I’ll be right there,” he spoke to his wife, disappearing into the large room.
“Why don’t we head out, Izzy, and wait for your father at the car?” suggested her mother, also standing and walking over to the front door, opening it so they could get out of the house. The suitcase was left where it was for Izzy’s father to take.
“Yeah, okay, Mum!” Rushing out the door for a second time, Izora basically dragged her mother over to the garage. “We’re gonna be late! Let’s go! Hurry up!”
“We won’t be late, sweetie,” her mother replied, giggling lightly, “we’ll make sure of that. There’s no need to rush!”
Neither of the ladies bothered to look over to the training side of the garage as they walked in and prepped the car for the trip it was about to embark on with them all. Izzy basically threw herself into the back seat, buckling herself in as quickly as she could and bouncing in place like she did months before as she waited for the others. Her mother calmly sat in the passenger’s side of the front, watching as her father appeared in the garage’s entrance, suitcase and cat in tow.
He paused when he walked in, looking over at the mess Izzy had made earlier. Instead of getting mad about it, though, he began to laugh, walking around the car to put the suitcase in the trunk. Closing its lid, he sat in the driver’s seat, handing the black-and-white cat back to his daughter. “Oh, don’t worry about the mess, hun. I’ll get that for you,” he joked, starting the car.
“Zip!” Izzy called out when her cat was passed to her, hugging the animal close to her chest. Zip did not try to escape her grip- rather, he purred and nuzzled the top of his head into the child’s chin. With a chuckle, Izora looked back to her home before it disappeared from view as the car pulled out of the driveway.
“So, Izzy, are you excited to start school?” Izzy’s mother asked, looking back to her daughter through the rearview mirror, a smile on her face.
Izzy stared at the back of her mother’s seat, her own smile growing painfully large before she answered the question. “I mean, I basically already started a little, right? Even with all that training, I’m super psyched to go to this place!” she answered, kicking her short legs in front of her.
“Haha! I bet you are, honey.”
The car ride continued on like this, until a seemingly normal train station came into view of the Nithercotts. Pressing her face against the glass of the car window, Izora marveled at the brick building, blue-grey eyes wide and full of wonder. “Wow! I can’t wait, Mum! Dad, go faster! Faster!”
For a moment, Izora’s father sped up the car, causing his wife to smack him in the arm playfully and his daughter to scream in happiness.
She just knew this time at Hogwarts would be unforgettable.
