Something in Books
Summer, 1989
It was a humid day in Taunton when a tall, stern-looking woman knocked on the front door of All Saints Children's Home.
Anna had been laying on the floor of her bedroom, along with several other girls who shared the large room with her, all pressing their cheeks to the cool wooden floor. The windows were flung open in the hope of catching a breeze, though none came.
Everything and everyone in the children's home was still. Just the thought of unnecessary movement was appalling in the heat of mid-August.
Two sharp knocks on the front door had the girls lifting their heads and glancing around at one another. Miss Frethey had not notified them about any expected visitors. She wanted the house and the kids to be pristine for guests so she always gave two days warning.
"Who could that be?" Jenny mumbled, her cheek still pressed to the floor.
"Dunno. Think it might be adopters?"
"Doubt it. They have to schedule with Miss Frethey and she didn't tell us nothing—"
"Didn't tell us anything," Beth, one of the older girls, corrected.
"Whatever."
"Might be one of those magazine pushers."
"Let's go see," said Anna.
She pushed up from the floor and on bare feet rushed out of the bedroom. Some of the girls followed, though they weren't very good at being stealthy. Anna heard them shuffling in line behind her. She led them through the hall, down the third floor stairs and behind the second floor banister, where they all squatted down to peek between the railings.
A tall woman dressed in a long, seaweed-green dress and square-shaped glasses stood in the doorway talking with Miss Frethey. The heat and sun didn't seem to affect her because she looked perfectly cool and not at all sweaty or rumpled like she'd been travelling.
"Hey, what's—"
"Shush!"
“Get down!”
"Quiet!"
Several of the girls hissed as David, a boy around Anna’s age, came up behind them to investigate as well.
"Why—"
Anna reached back and yanked David down by his collar so he knelt on the floor behind her. He peeked over Anna's shoulder, his breath fanning her hair.
"Who's that?" He whispered.
"If we knew we wouldn't be squatting here," a girl on the other side of him snapped.
The woman's sharp eyes were focused on Miss Frethey and Anna strained her ears to hear what she was saying. Anna caught the word "school" and not much else. The girls were all whispering around her and she couldn't focus past their chatter. Down on the first floor, Miss Frethey seemed to pause, considering the woman's words, then gave a stiff nod and ushered her inside.
The echoed click of the door sent a hush over the girls, all still squatting behind the banister. Miss Frethey was pointing to the lounge, where guests were normally received, but the woman scanned the room around her before her eyes snapped to the second floor banister and locked on the kids crouched there.
Amusement twinkled briefly in her eye before she looked away and followed Miss Frethey into the lounge. The kids sat breathless and waited.
A moment later Miss Frethey came scuttling out of the lounge, her hands nervously smoothing down the front of her dress.
"Anna," she called up the stairs. "Stop hiding there and come down to meet Professor McGonagall."
The kids around Anna broke out in murmurs.
"Who?"
"A professor?"
"But it's still summer!"
"I see you all up there,” Miss Frethey called. “Now don't dawdle."
Miss Frethey stood at the foot of the stairs with her hands on her hips, looking impatient.
Anna straightened out of her crouched position and stepped past David and the girls. She tried to walk down the stairs as quickly as she could without falling, but her nerves suddenly spiked and she could only move so quickly with shaky knees.
When she reached the first floor, Miss Frethey immediately began fussing with Anna's clothes.
"Now, the professor wants to talk to you about going to her school this year." She straightened Anna's wrinkly shirt, brushed lint off her shorts, and ‘tsk’d at the tangles in her hair. "I'll be there with you so don't be nervous," Miss Frethey began ushering Anna towards the lounge. "And behave nicely, no shenanigans."
They walked into the lounge and Anna couldn't help but feel that the professor looked out of place sitting on the flower-printed couch. Anna was suddenly very aware of her bare feet and the sunburn on her nose.
The professor stood and held out a hand. "Hello Miss Alsaint, I'm Professor McGonagall. I teach at Hogwarts. Have you heard of it?"
Anna shook the woman's hand and then shook her head. Miss Frethey prodded her in the side. "No, professor, I haven't."
The professor sat back down and Anna sat beside Miss Frethey on the little couch across from Professor McGonagall.
"That's quite alright. At Hogwarts we keep an eye on many children and when we see potential in a particular student we invite them to join us. I understand this must feel sudden. I can answer any questions you have."
"Yes," Miss Frethey began, "where is this school?"
"It's a boarding school, a few hours from London by train."
Anna's heart sank. There was no way Miss Frethey would agree to send her that far away for a whole school year.
Surely enough, Miss Frethey let out an unenthusiastic ‘humph’ and clasped her hands in her lap. "And what will the tuition cost? Surely a boarding school must be expensive."
"Education is free to all our students," said McGonagall. "We have many generous donors who fund our school so the burden of payment never falls on a student's...caretaker."
Anna was certain the professor had been about to say "parents." Her toes scrunched in the thick rug. She wondered if there were any other parent-less kids at Hogwarts. Would the other students think that she's strange? Would she feel happy to be in a new place or would she hate being away from the familiarity of the children's home?
"Directress Frethey, could I trouble you for a cup of tea?"
"Oh, certainly." Obligated by her upbringing to be a welcoming host, Miss Frethey stood from her seat, tucked a loose strand of hair behind Anna's ear, and bustled off to the kitchen.
"Miss Alsaint," the professor said in a hushed voice, "there is something you should know about Hogwarts."
Anna scrunched her eyebrows together in question.
"You see, Hogwarts is a school for those who are magically gifted."
Anna's thoughts stalled. "Professor...I'm not sure I understand."
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry offers education to young witches and wizards—people who have the ability to perform magic." McGonagall watched Anna over the top of her square glasses, which rested low on her sharp nose.
Anna shook her head. "Magic isn’t real…it’s just something in books."
"Is that right?" Professor McGonagall pulled a beautifully carved stick from her dress pocket—a wand, Anna realised—and pointed it at the book resting on the tea table between them. The professor tapped the book three times with the end of her wand and it suddenly quivered and sprang up from the table. Its pages flapped in mid-air like the wings of a bird and it fluttered around Anna's head.
Lost entirely in the impossible display, Anna reached absentmindedly for the book. Just as the tips of Anna’s fingers brushed the fluttering pages, the Professor waved her wand again and the book fell, now still, into Anna's lap.
"That—that was magic?" Anna stuttered out, her hair askew from the book’s fluttering.
"Indeed it was. At Hogwarts you can learn this and so much more."
She could hardly believe it. In fact, she dug the sharp corner of the book into her palm just to feel the sting and make sure her mind wasn't making things up again.
Just then, Miss Frethey came shuffling back into the lounge. In her hands she held a tray with tea and assorted cookies—the fancy cookies that Anna knew were for guests only. She set the tray down on the table and handed McGonagall a tea cup and saucer. The professor nodded appreciatively and took a sip.
"Do you have any questions, Miss Alsaint?"
Anna's mouth hung open, staring at the book in her hands. Then it occurred to her—books.
"Professor, I don't have any money for books." That wasn't entirely true. She had some money saved up from her sneaking around and she could probably afford a book or two...if they weren't too expensive.
"Not to worry, I'm certain that we have spare books from past students. And we can purchase your uniforms for you, so there’s no need to worry about those." McGonagall paused and in a soft voice said, "We want you at Hogwarts, Miss Alsaint, and if you choose to accept, we will help you in every way we can."
Anna's bare toes scrunched and tapped against the rug as she considered the professor's offer. She had to admit, learning magic at a boarding school sounded incredible. And...and maybe someone there could explain to Anna some of the odd things in her life that she hadn't yet found answers for. An itch started up on the back of Anna's shoulder but she ignored it.
"I…I think I'd like to attend your school, professor,” Anna said slowly, staring at the book in her hands. "I want to learn." She glanced up at Miss Frethey, who seemed a shocked, given that Anna was never particularly fond of school. "May I go, Miss Frethey?"
Miss Frethey blinked at her, looking pale. Anna could feel the "no" coming her way so she widened her eyes and stared up at Miss Frethey with the same pleading face that always got her out of trouble.
"If...if you want to...oh, very well." Miss Frethey’s hand shook as she brushed it along Anna's hair a few times, looking at her with wet eyes. "Very well," she mumbled.
"Thank you!" Anna beamed and hugged Miss Frethey around the shoulders—not something she would ordinarily do.
"Wonderful," said Professor McGonagall. She pulled a thick yellowish envelope from her pocket. "This is your acceptance letter, a list of school supplies—only the ones the school can't provide—and your train ticket. The train will leave from Kings Cross station in London, at 11 o'clock on September 1st. I will come collect you on August 30th and take you to London. I'll help you get your school things and on the 1st I'll take you to Kings Cross and show you how to board the train.”
McGonagall set down her empty tea cup and stood from the flowered couch.
"Enjoy the rest of your summer, Miss Alsaint. I will see you on the 30th."
Miss Frethey scrambled after Professor McGonagall when she quickly began walking to the door. "Thank you for visiting, Professor," Miss Frethey followed closely on McGonagall's heels, so close that she nearly ran her over when McGonagall stopped abruptly at the door.
"One more thing," McGonagall twisted back just enough to lock eyes with Anna, "Welcome to Hogwarts, Miss Alsaint,” the professor smiled. “And happy birthday."