Chapter One
It was a few days after the incident with Ms. Turner and Aspen found herself in one of the waiting rooms scrubbing the floors on her hands and knees as she did her long term “chore” she was assigned to for messing with the adoption now that Ms. Turner grew slightly afraid of the child and opted for a long-term punishment that would keep the girl away and busy whilst she herself recovered in her room for the concussion she had received that evening.
It was almost two in the afternoon and Aspen could swear she felt her stomach about to eat itself in her hunger. Then again, she supposed it was to be expected as she hadn’t eaten anything since her measly gruel that was dropped off at her door for breakfast the day prior.
Gnawing at her bottom lip, she scrubbed away and sighed as she continued trying her best to occupy her mind with the bubbles and soap turning gray when she began to hear commotion coming from the main foyer where the grand fireplace and entryway sitting area was located in the home.
She could’ve sworn she heard the hag herself amongst all the ruckus before deciding to sneak into the kitchen and grab some fruit whilst everyone was focused on whatever was going on down the hall. Swiftly standing up and scurrying over to the threshold for the kitchen was easy work as she had memorized almost all of the spots the floorboards creaked upon weight being added. Peering into the empty room and taking one last glance towards down the hall she darted in and grabbed two green apples and a banana for the moment before running off towards the stairs booking it up several flights before arriving at her room. Once she had properly stowed away her grabs and hid them in a knapsack hidden in the floorboard under her bed, she began to make her way back down the stairs.
“I don’t have the slightest idea what's going on out there but thank god for whoever decided to piss off the hag.” the young girl mumbled as she pouted slightly at the thought of having to finish scrubbing the floors to enjoy her new treats. Sighing, she stopped in the middle of the hallway on the third floor and stretched towards the ceiling, hearing her back pop in succession as she relieved her sore body of any tension.
“I’m glad my entrance and the confusion I caused brought you some joy Ms. Rosewood.” a voice said from behind her, sending Aspen in a scare as she yelped and jumped, flinching as she rushed to create space and whirled around to face the person behind the voice before realizing it was an older gentleman that spoke.
She quickly scanned his appearance, taking in the odd blue and brown cloak he wore and scarf he paired with it, odd designs running along the length of it and similar ones on the inside of his cloak. His gray hair pushed back and slightly wispy that matched his aged face. A surprisingly kind smile painting his lips as he held his hands behind his back as she stood at the top of the staircase she was just about to descend.
Similarly, Professor Fig was doing the same but in a much more concealed fashion of curiosity as he took in the young girl’s haggard appearance. Forcing his smile to remain soft and hoping he came off as trustworthy and not a threat, he could feel a small sliver of him grow angry at the obvious mistreatment the girl (and several others presumably were also receiving).
The paleness the majority of the children had indicated many of them stayed indoors and saw little sun, enhancing the dark bags many of the resident’s had with their battles with sleep. This much was evident with the orphan even beyond her already pale skin tone. Another thing he noted was how red the young girl's knees were with her pants rolled up showcasing the faint freckles that splotched her legs while showcasing her bruised knees. Scars of past cuts and burns, that spoke of punishments being dealt with, were also apparent on her arms. Sleeves to the tattered t-shirt were rolled up to avoid getting wet.
He even noted that her cheeks looked a bit hollow and noted the slight tremors that seemed to take hold of the girl's hands and made sure to keep his distance not wanting to frighten the girl further.
“I do apologize for the scare I gave you. I assumed you heard me coming up the stairs and didn’t think to announce my arrival. You are, indeed, Ms. Aspen Rosewood? I want to be sure I wasn’t just assuming so.”
Thrown off by the continued softness in the man’s voice, Aspen merely nodded and shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet. She cleared her throat and spoke, willing her voice to sound steady as she reeled in her nerves. “Yes, I am indeed her. May I ask who let you up here and why do you know me?” she questioned softly not wanting to overstep any unknown boundaries. While the likelihood is low this could be a potential adopter and her ticket out.
Chuckling softly, he pulled a sealed envelope from the inner pocket of his strange coat as he presented it towards the girl as he spoke. “While it took me a while to explain my…entrance, I managed to get it across to your staff here that I was here on important business in regard to you being a new student at the school I teach. It was enough for your caretakers to let me up. In terms of why I need you I best let you figure it out on your own and read the letter.” Fig stated, waiting for the younger to take the sealed letter from him.
“A school? Attend an actual school?” Aspen muttered to herself thoroughly confused and thrown off by the honest answer and gingerly took the letter from him. Glancing back up at him once more with a curious look she traced the shape that was pressed into the wax seal before turning it over to see the address.
To: Aspen Rosewood.
The smallest storeroom on the sixth floor.
New Haven Home for Boys and Girls.
Westminster Abbey, London.
It sent chills up her spine seeing how exact the address was. Turning it back to the side with the red wax seal and breaking the letter open, managing to keep the seal intact as she slid the letter out.
Pulling out the folded letter, she noted the name of the school on top with a grand logo embellished with a crest of some sort that appeared to be divided into fourths. It wasn’t like any family crest she gleaned at before and wondered what the significance was before skimming over the school's name before fully unfolding the letter to fully read all of its contents.
—————————˚✧₊⁎ ————————-
Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft & Wizardry
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a fifth-year student.
Term begins on 1st September.
Preliminary supplies have been collected for you and will accompany you on your journey to the castle.
As you may be aware, the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery prohibits the use of magic by those under the age of seventeen outside school. However, due to your unique circumstances, the Ministry has graciously agreed to allow Professor Eleazar Fig to help you hone your spellcasting before escorting you from London to the castle for the start-of-term feast and the Sorting Ceremony.
Yours sincerely,
Professor M.Weasley
Deputy Headmistress
—————————˚✧₊⁎ ————————-
Aspen blinked once, then twice, and continued this same pattern of shock for the next minute or so. When her brain finally felt like it caught up and wasn’t empty of thoughts, she looked back at whom she presumed was the man mentioned in the letter.
“A-are you Professor Fig then Sir?” She softly questioned, trying to steady her nerves as her brain still struggled to process what it had just learned as she watched the elderly man nod gently. “Indeed I am. Professor Eleazar Fig here at your service. I’m here to pick you up to get you started on learning the basics of the wizarding world.
Deadpanning, she tilted her head as she questioned if she had finally reached a breaking point and was finally going crazy. Perhaps she would be next to disappear towards the small building out back.
“I’m sorry Sir, but you mean to tell me I’ve managed to get enrolled in some sort of magic school somewhere away from London and that I’m a witch. I apologize but this just seems to be lunacy. Magic isn’t real. Is this some sort of strange punishment Ms. Turner is making me go through? For what happened days ago ‘cause I am sorry I really don’t know what happened…”
Aspen sighed as she felt an oncoming headache with how confused she was with this onslaught of information being dumped on her and how much of it was true. “I’m sorry Professor Fig, I’m sure this school you teach at must be wonderful, but I haven’t got the funds to go nor to one for "magic "." she sighed, seeming older than her age with the heavy sigh that slipped past her lips.
Fig himself just felt a slight tinge of pity fill him as he could see that the Aspen’s time here at this institute had not been kind to her in the slightest while also feeling amused as she logically denied magic existing whilst also kindly indulging him (whom he was sure she thought of him as crazy or delusional) and politely declined her attendance to the school.
With a bemused smile he leant down a bit and waved her negativity off before speaking. “Oh, but on the contrary magic does indeed exist. It’s just a well-kept secret between us witches and wizards from the muggles or ordinary folk.” he said as he pulled out his wand, conjuring up a small box of matches and took one out and handed it to her. “If you wouldn’t mind amusing me just once more for a quick demonstration.”
Aspen had let out a small noise of confusion as she watched this man pull out a small matchbox out of thin air and felt her brain kick into overdrive as she tried to come up with how he had managed to do so and dumbly nodded as she held the match in between her index finger and thumb.
Chuckling at her expression, he took a step back till he was a good couple of feet away from her and waved his wand with a soft swish movement before sending a very small and controlled flame to the match in her hand causing the girl to gasp and drop the now lit match in shock.
Aspen realized what she had done and was about to start stepping on the small flame that fell to snuff it before it became a full-fledged flame when it was doused in a small stream of water. Following the direction, the water came from, she saw it had come yet again from the strange stick Professor Fig was waving about.
“Oh fates, is this real? Magic is actually real?” she muttered to herself as she stayed staring at the now damp match that laid at her feet before hearing Fig walk back to her putting his wand away back inside his cloak before getting her attention. “If you wouldn’t mind Ms. Rosewood, I would like to talk about this in private. There are just some things that shouldn’t be mentioned in front of muggles when it comes to magic.” he said, implying something that she didn’t grasp before she heard the sound of footsteps coming up stairs to them.
Wanting to know more about magic and how it relates to her, she nodded and made up her mind. Gesturing for the man to follow her, she swiftly went back up the stairs hoping this wouldn’t be too much for the older professor and glanced back to make sure he was keeping up with her and saw him right behind her. Giving a weary smile she continued on up before reaching her floor and made a beeline straight towards her room. Hesitating as she grabbed the doorknob she looked down at her feet, blonde flyways and strands of her hair covering her face as she blushed, about to open the door and show off her lackluster room.
“I’m sorry for the state of my room. Things have been…tight here to say the least.” she muttered before feeling a gentle hand on her shoulder giving a soft squeeze of reassurance.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of dear. Now let's head in. I’m sure you have many questions. I'll hopefully have the answer too.” Fig said, eyes kind as he gave a small smile, genuine enough that Aspen mimicked one back. It was quick as a whip and gone by the next blink but enough to have high hopes that the girl was not far lost to the poor hand life had dealt her up till this point.
With the reassurance and a warmth she hadn’t felt in a long while, Aspen opened her door and stepped in while letting the man in before shutting the door behind him, offering him the measly seat she had. It was a mid-sized crate covered in a tarp, up against the wall to offer a backrest as she sat on her bed. Happily taking the seat, the man sat and laced his hands together as he waited for the young girl to gather her thoughts.
Aspen on the other hand was still in shock as she tried to think of anything before dumbly questioning the man. “So, I’m a witch then? How?”
“To put it plainly, yes. You are most definitely a witch. A late bloomer if you would. You see, you actually should have already been attending Hogwarts and received your school letter the day you turned eleven or close to it afterwards. For whatever the reason is, we’ve only just been made aware of your existence and decided to immediately rectify that by coming straightaway. Speaking of many happy returns Ms. Rosewood. I do apologize for the lateness. It took me a while to locate you once I arrived here.”
Fig said before wishing Aspen well wishes for her belated birthday. As it dawned on her the fact that she should have been attending this so-called school for magic since her eleventh birthday, the realization struck her in the pit of her stomach like a hot iron, effectively killing any flutter of warmth there may have been from someone wishing her warm and well wishes.
It hurt knowing that she had basically lost three almost four years of her life as a witch being stuck at the Home but in an attempt to keep her chin up, she forced a tired out smile on her face and nodded. “While I wish I could’ve seen and known about magic earlier, I’m glad I can still enjoy it and learn now. I do have one thing I’m curious about though. Does this mean my parents were also a witch and wizard? Why wouldn’t they tell me though before they passed?” She asked, beginning to feel hurt before it was cut short by the Fig.
Wanting to thwart that pessimistic train of thought Aspen was beginning to have, not wanting the young girl to begin to doubt her parents, the mature man began to rectify her spiraling thoughts. “No, no, nothing of the sort Ms. Rosewood. They were actually muggles themselves through and through. You just happened to be one of the special cases where a witch or wizard is born from two muggle parents.”
Muggle, Aspen quickly realized, is the term that means ordinary human her brain supplied. Still, it made her feel better knowing her parents didn’t know anything. It would've caused her much distress if it wasn’t the case.
“Well, what does this mean for me then Sir? As much as I would love to go and learn, I haven’t got money to pay for my supplies, much less anything else.” She pouted at her situation before hearing the man chuckle once more.
“As stated in the letter, we are actually getting the supplies for you and the ministry will also be helping you figure out methods to earn wizard currency till you're ready to earn some on your own.” he said pointing to the line on her acceptance letter.
Blushing slightly at having somehow missed that, Aspen realized that there would be nothing holding her back from saying yes to attending the school.
As she was realizing this, Professor Fig could see the resolve in her eyes brighten and could feel an almost unseen tension get lifted off of the girl's shoulders. Figuring now would be the best time to ask his main question one more time he smiled and reached out his hand, palm facing upwards as he asked once more. “If that answers the majority of your questions I would like to ask. Will you want to attend school and spend a month or so with me so we can get some basics under your belt before the first day of the term?”
“I would love nothing more, Professor Fig.” Aspen said with a full cheeked smile, gently placing her hand in his as he grinned and stood up from his spot and looked around the room. With his other hand, he conjured up one of his bottomless satchels, brown leather worn and soft looking slightly aged with use and time but still kept with care. Looking around he quickly summoned things of importance in the room, a bemused expression on his face as he watched the childlike wonder on Aspen’s face.
“Is there anything I missed? You best make sure you grab everything you absolutely need. You most likely won’t be back. I dare say that Hogwarts will be able to pull some strings along to help you situate yourself better.” He asked, giving her time to gather anything he missed.
Grinning at the show of magic that just happened, Aspen began to crouch to the loose floorboard and grabbed her knapsack. Compared to Fig’s bag, hers was clearly stitched together from what appeared to be two or three different materials and was clearly on its last legs. Ignoring the slight blush that graced her cheeks and neck she quickly opened it making sure the snacks she had grabbed were still there along with a few personal items she had stored away to keep safe from wandering eyes and sticky hands.
Some of the items inside include: a picture of her parents and her as a baby being held in her father’s arms, a few ornate hairpins that once belonged to her mother (a brilliant shine still from how carefully Aspen had taken care of them), and a pocket watch that belonged to her father (initials monogrammed on one of the faces).
After confirming everything was in order, she carefully sealed it and held it against her chest securely, not trusting the straps of the bag to withstand whatever magic was about to go on. Once finished she returned her hand back in his and nodded firmly, unruly black curls bouncing with the movement.
“Ready now Professor…but what about the - I mean, um, Ms. Turner and the others? Won't they be upset that I was taken out of the Home without any notice or formal adoption?” She wondered, a brief tilt to the side with her head as she wondered what the man had in place.
“Fret not dear. Hogwarts and the Ministry were in accordance with once for this situation. Contingencies exist for a reason.” Fig said before brandishing his wand once more and gave it a swift flick. A few letters appeared laid out and a small burlap pouch tied firmly with rope appeared on her bed.
“I’m sure after reading the letters and the pouch full of galleons will be enough to satisfy greedy people like them. Regardless, you will be out of their care officially and moved under the guardianship of the school until you become an adult which is the age of seventeen in the wizarding world. Let's discuss this elsewhere with preferably something warm to fill our stomachs as I’m sure we have even more to discuss. Now, let's be off. Hold on tightly and if you feel the need to vomit, please let me know. Apparenting on an empty stomach much less a full one will upset it surely.” he stated before taking them to the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley.
“Vomit?!!” Aspen exclaimed worried at the vague and sudden warning before the two disappeared from the room.