Chapter One
The rainy May weather eased the thoughts of a newly eleven year old girl. From downstairs she could hear the bell of the bakery ringing as customers walked in and out. The smell of the baked treats were truly intoxicating.
Eloise Lexington pulled her wavy brown hair back into a loose ponytail as she worked on a new invention. Blueprints lay in front of the girl as she took a pencil from behind her ear and started to sketch out an amazing masterpiece.
Eloise wanted something with a floating illusion, a perfect addition for the fall season. Eloise was so preoccupied that she didn't hear her Aunt April quickly walk up the stairs.
April Lexington was the aunt of Eloise, her mother's sister. April raised Eloise from when she was a mere two years old. Eloise's mother mysteriously disappeared from the family home, leaving the poor girl orphaned.
"Eloise, darling," April called out sweetly, holding her daughter, Cecelia, close to her chest. Eloise perked her head up at her aunt's voice. "I don't suppose the birthday girl would be interested in lunch?"
The young girl quickly took her hair down and passed her aunt on the stairway. April hummed to herself as she walked to Cecelia's nursery.
"Ah! You're finally out of your room, Eloise." Victoria Lexington smiles as her niece bounded down the stairs.
Victoria moved in shortly after April gained guardianship of Eloise, due to their parents passing a couple months before. Victoria decided to finish her schooling before helping her sister with her bakery.
"Hello, Auntie Tori! My blueprints are almost complete!" The young girl giggled.
"Well my love, how about you tell me all about your invention after lunch? Carina made your favorite, lasagna!"
A brunette woman appeared, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk. On her hands were scarlet oven mitts and she was holding a pan of lasagna. "Did somebody say my name?"
Eloise's eyes filled with glee as she jumped up and down excitedly. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
"It's really no big deal." The 29-year-old replied. "My friends used to beg me to make it all the time. There's another pan in the oven."
Soon after that, April came back downstairs. "I just put Cece to bed." The woman kissed her girlfriend on the head. "Who's ready to dig in?"
Suddenly, a familiar sound rang throughout the bakery.
The bell.
"We're closed!" April yelled towards the front of the bakery. Yet, there is no bell ringing, indicating that the person had not left.
"I'll go tell them, Auntie." Eloise insisted, pushing past April and Carina. As Eloise reached the front of the store, she saw a peculiar-looking woman.
The woman had an emerald green dress that seemed to be old-fashioned, glasses, and grey hair pulled into a tight bun. In her hand was a piece of parchment and a book.
"You must be Eloise." The woman smiled warmly. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
As Eloise opened her mouth to reply, Carina made her way into the room to check on her. As Carina looked at the scene in front of her she froze, widening her eyes. "Professor?" Carina questioned wearily, an uneasy look appeared on her face as her jaw dropped.
"A hello to you, Miss Black." Minerva greeted in her Scottish accent. "I do hope you close your mouth, you wouldn't want a snitch to fly in there, would you?"
Carina shut her mouth quickly. "I hope you don't mind the mess, Professor McGonagall. We just renovated." Carina said as she moved a few papers from the counter. "How may we be of assistance?"
Eloise looked between the two women puzzled. Carina never talked about her life as a child, yet standing in front of her was her old teacher, who she seemed to get along with well.
"Well, for starters Miss Black, you may call me Minerva, as you are not a student anymore." Minerva directed her attention to the young girl. "I came to deliver something to a certain birthday girl."
"Love? What's going on out here?" April emerged from the back with Victoria.
"April, this is my old teacher, Professor Minerva McGonagall. She wants to talk about Eloise." Carina grinned.
"Talk about Eloise? What about Eloise?" Victoria gasped. "Is she in trouble?"
"No, she's not in trouble. Quite the opposite actually." Carina spoke gently. "You two might want to sit down for this."
"I'm still wondering about the part where your old professor is here..." April drew out. She sat down on a live seat across from Eloise.
"Of course, dear." Minerva chuckled. "It's not my first time doing this." Minerva pulled out the chair for herself. "Eloise is magic."
The room became silent as April choked on her water she was drinking. "Magic?" She laughed. "Like Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo?"
The professor stared ahead. "I'm not sure that I follow."
Carina interjected. "It's a story Muggles created about a fairy and princesses."
"You'll have to lend me it sometime, Miss Black." Minerva amused at the curious glasses. "Now, Eloise has a magical trait in her genes making her into what we call a Muggleborn witch."
"That's not a very nice thing to say." Eloise commented, crossing her arms.
Minerva chuckled. "Now dear, you are distantly related to a squib who produced offspring with a Muggle."
"What exactly is a squib and a muggle?" April questioned.
"A squib is a fully magical individual who is magical gene is not active and a muggle is a non-magical human."
"So," Victoria spoke. "One of my ancestors could have had magic?"
"Precisely." Minerva responded. "However, most squibs leave the magical world for the Muggle world.
"Why would they do that?" The young girl asked.
"Well, I suppose that they would want a more normal life." Minerva smiled.
"And how would that trait be in Eloise?" April glanced at the professor.
"Over generations the magical gene would resurface through generations who had forgotten their magical heritage becoming was known as a Muggleborn, a magical child with non-magical parents."
"And Carina is a Muggleborn too?" Eloise turned to the brunette woman.
"Actually, I am a pureblood. That means both of my parents were from a long line of fully magical people."
"And you didn't think to tell me this?" April glared at her girlfriend.
"Miss Lexington, magical people are sworn to secrecy or not to tell Muggles outside of their family that they possess magic." Minerva pointed out. "Now Hogwarts entitled any and all magically active children to an education, as well as magical schools around the world. Therefore, Muggle born children are given a place at Hogwarts."
"There's more schools?" Eloise said in disbelief.
"There are many schools around the world. Famous ones are Hogwarts, Ilvermorny, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons."
"How is it that someone like Eloise is found to have magic?" April pondered aloud.
"Once a Muggleborn's name has been described by the cool of acceptance, they are destined for an acceptance letter. Which I bring to you. That's when the Hogwarts a ministry of magic representative, such as myself, visits with the parents and/or guardians of the child."
"So, you're telling us that Eloise has had magic in her since she was a baby and now she's destined to go to this 'Hogwarts'?"
"Yes, that is correct." Minerva nodded. "Magic has existed for centuries and it's an honor for the magical gene to reappear in Eloise. I highly recommend Hogwarts for her, so she can control her magical abilities."
"And this school is a boarding school?" Victoria questioned.
"Yes, it is."
"And when does term start?"
"September first."
Victoria turned to her daughter. "Sister, I think that this is the best option for him Eloise to learn how to control her abilities."
The woman turned around to the little girl sitting in shock. "Eloise?"
"Yes?"
"Is this something you would want to do? Would you like to go to Hogwarts?"
Eloise pondered in her head, before looking around at the adults in the room. "I think this is some thing I would like to do, Auntie."
"Well, where do I sign?" April looked at Minerva.
"Your word is enough for me. I'm sure Miss Black can take her to Diagon Alley, no need for a representative to come." Minerva looked towards Carina who nodded her head with a smile. "As for you Miss Lexington, I will see you September first."
As McGonagall left, the three Lexington's looked at Carina.
"Who's ready for Lasagna?"