Missing Home
1991-First Year
A few days later…
It was finally the weekend. The week was relatively uninteresting. Most classes were doing introductions about magic and how things ran in their classrooms. Apart from Potions, where she had given in her work the class after and Professor Snape had asked for more homework again.
Elizabeth could understand he was being hard for a reason, but also, she couldn’t help but think that he was just making more work for himself.
He did say however, that all work will be returned next Monday, so she can know how she did on those.
Saturday was spent mostly going over what she learnt over the last week. She had mastered the Levitation Spell (at least when she was by herself. With others, it tended to go awry, but it was left frequent than before.) Apart from that she started teaching herself other basic spells like producing light with her wand and unlocking simple locks. She also found a good spell to clean up the ink splotches she left everywhere. That really was a life saver. In none of them did she had them down a hundred percent of the time, but slow progress is still progress.
While in the library where she spent most of the day wanting to practice alone, she met a girl named Hermione Granger. She seemed to be going through so many books, it was absolute madness, but they were able to talk about the Potions homework.
On Sunday though, she felt drained. Anyone that started to talk to her, she would cut them short and spent most of her time in bed. It was a beautiful day, but she couldn’t really see the joy in it.
Elizabeth knew exactly why she was acting that way and why it was wrong to be rude to the people who were just being nice, but she couldn’t help herself. The words would fall out of her mouth before she could think about what she was saying.
Sundays were her day with her uncle. He made sure nothing was planned that day and they spent the day together doing everything and nothing. They both needed Nothing Days as they called them. A day to reset and get ready for the next week. Plus, it was new recipe day.
She pulled out her notebook from her bag earlier and was flipping through it on her bed. This was where she would write down the ones they liked. Crêpes, macarons, ratatouille, etc. They even tried to make mille-feuilles, but those turned out delicious, but you would not know that by the look of them.
The crème patissière was too runny and wouldn’t hold. Their layers weren’t clear. They would fall apart, but they were so good.
She held the book closer to her as she laid on the bed. The sun was starting to dip behind the forest line.
“Supper is almost over. You should probably at least eat something,” Erin came into the shared room.
Elizabeth didn’t answer.
“Alright get up lazy bones!” Someone pulled the cover off and started grabbing her legs.
Olivia was pulling her off.
“What are you doing?” Elizabeth screamed, sitting up and kicking the girl away.
“Getting you out. You’ve been avoiding everyone the whole weekend.”
“We’re worried about you, Liz,” Erin said.
Elizabeth looked at the girls. Logically, she knew she should eat. She already skipped lunch and stayed in the room for breakfast, munching on granola bars she still had. Plus, she didn't have any more and her stomach was already grumbling.
“Fine, let’s go.”
She got changed into real clothes: a pair of jeans and a green sweatshirt.
They got down. There was only ten minutes left of dinner. She ate as much as she could in that time. When the food disappeared, Olivia told her, “If you’re still hungry, I know how to get into the kitchens.”
“That’s breaking the rules,” Erin whispered loudly.
“Pshhh. Everyone in Hufflepuff grabs extra snacks from there. It’s right next to the Hufflepuff common room. All you do is tickle the pear on the big painting.”
“Where?” Elizabeth asked.
“I’ll show you quickly. Erin if you don’t want to come then don’t.”
Erin didn’t want to be left alone so, the three girls went down to where the kitchens and the Hufflepuff common room were.
“Right there.”
“I’m okay on food, but good to know. Thanks Olivia,” thanked Elizabeth.
They said farewell to Olivia who went to her own dorms and the other two started their way back to Ravenclaw Tower.
“Can I ask why you’ve been distant? If I did something to upset you, I’m really sorry.” Erin asked.
“You didn’t do anything. I just miss home.”
“Me too. I miss my family suppers and watching the telly with dad. My mother complaining about the prices of vegetables. I also miss my friends. I had to explain to them that I was going to a boarding school and they were confused. Their parents were even more confused. Didn’t get how my parents could afford a private boarding school.”
“I’m sorry. That must have been a hard transition.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think it’s much different than most of the kids here. Leaving their parents for the first time. I bet everyone feels homesick in some way. So, you’re not alone.”
“Very Hufflepuff of you to say.”
“The hat did say it was either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.”
They laughed.
“Let’s head to bed. We have class tomorrow morning.”
…
It was near midnight when Elizabeth woke up. Her heart was pounding and she was sweating.
When she was called to the Headmaster’s office, she didn’t think it was anything serious. When she walked in, there was the headmaster speaking with a stranger. They stopped speaking and Headmaster Dumbledore addressed her.
“I’m sorry to pull you out of your classes, but something serious has come up. I’m afraid that your uncle has been in a serious automobile accident. He died on impact. Your parents have been advised and they are trying to make their way here, but certain issues are preventing them.”
No. No. he can’t be dead. Dead meant gone. No more Nothing Days.
“I have asked that you finish your year here, but they would prefer to send you to Ilvermorny as it is much closer.”
Leaving. Leaving Hogwarts. No no nonononono…..
The nightmare still swirled in her mind. She tried to convince herself it was just a dream. Not real, but something was gnawing at her. He hadn’t answered her letter yet. He said if ever she sent a letter, he would answer it right away. Why hadn’t he answered yet. Maybe, he is dead. Oh mon dieu. Non non non non.
Her beathing was getting harsher. She was working herself into a panic. It felt like a ball was lodged in her throat and pain struck through her chest like a knife to the heart.
She got up and walked out of the room, trying to get fresh air, everything feeling stuffy. Her head was pounding and her vision started to blur. It was a miracle she got down the stairs.
She got to the common room and sat down near the wall under a window. Uncle Todd would tell her to breathe.
“Count your breaths, Elizabeth. Like we practiced.”
One. She took a staggering breath in, held it for three seconds and let it out.
Two. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out.
As she went, breathing got easier. She got to 15 breaths before she felt okay again. It was a dream and nothing more.
The grumble of her stomach was extremely loud in the empty room. Elizabeth was a bit hungry. She really didn’t eat enough at supper and she was out of granola bars having eaten them all yesterday.
She could go to the kitchens, but what if she got caught? No, that won’t do. Her stomach grumbled again.
She would go and if she got caught, she would explain she was going to the Hospital Wing. Yes, she had a raging headache and it was preventing her from sleeping and she got lost. Yes, that would work.
She went back and grabbed her map and wand. She left the tower and headed down to the kitchens. In the dark, the castle no longer looked warm and inviting, but somber and lonely. With her wand lighting the way, she was able to see where she was going and luckily, never encountered anyone.
She got to the painting with the bowl of fruit. Olivia told her to tickle the pear. She felt a little stupid bringing her hand to the painting, but she tried it anyway.
There was giggle and then a green handle appeared. She pulled and a door opened. She walked through the doorway and met a couple of little elves walking about. “The house elves,” she thought.
She scanned the place and what she didn’t expect to see was another student with family platinum blond hair, disheveled rather than its classic slick back.
“Can’t you just make it for me you stupid elf! It’s not that hard.”
“But, Sir, we are not permitted to cook for students outside curfew.”
“Then just break the bloody rules. Or I’ll get you fired. Do you know who my father is?”
“No, Mipsy doesn’t know.”
“Well, he’s a powerful man who works in the Ministry. So just make me the mille-feuille and I won’t get you sacked.”
Elizabeth giggled. He really was putting this much of a fight over a pastry.
Malfoy looked straight at her. “What are you doing here?!”
Elizabeth looked like a deer in the headlights. What should she say? But before she could think of something logical, she just laughed and said, “Why are you fighting with a house elf about food?”
“Don’t turn this on me. House elves are incredibly stupid and clearly can’t follow simple instructions.”
“So, let me get this straight. They’re stupid because they don’t want to make you an extremely complicated French dessert on their free time?”
“Yes, see you get it now. For a Ravenclaw, I thought you would be a bit smarter.” He turned back to the elf, but she had already left. “Franchement, look what you did?” He stormed out, brushing past Elizabeth as he went.
“He’s in a bad mood,” Liz thought.
“Can I help Miss with something. The kitchens are closed for the night.” The elf, Mipsy, appeared in front of her.
“I was actually hoping I could make something myself, if it’s not a bother that is. You don’t have to do anything or at least just point me in the right direction of things. Is that okay?”
“No one has ever asked to cook here before. Mipsy doesn’t really know if that’s allowed.”
“Can it be allowed? At least for now. You could watch me to make sure I don’t do something wrong.”
“What does Miss want to make?”
“Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.”
“Mipsy loves chocolate, but Mipsy has never heard of oatmeal cookies. Does Miss have a recipe?”
“Right here.”
Mipsy grabbed the book and started to show Elizabeth where everything was.
“Also, Mipsy. You can call me Liz.”
“Yess Miss Liz.”
Elizabeth shook her head in laughter and started putting the ingredients together. It was a little different since the appliances she was used to weren’t present, but Mipsy knew how to make basic cookies and showed her how to use the cast iron skillet over the fire.
The cookies ended up being more cooked than supposed to, but they were still good. She tried to offer them to Mipsy, but she kept refusing.
In the end, she left a couple on the counter and took the other with her back to the tower. It was still dark when she left, but she could see whispers of light trying to break through over the horizon.
She got back to her room and stuffed the cookies into her bag. She felt better after making them. Felt a bit more like home and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last time she went down there to bake with Mipsy.