Chapter 1
The air was hot and sticky with no chance of reprieve as not a single cloud was in the sky. The sounds of children splashing and laughing in a pool somewhere in a neighborhood made my skin prickle with jealousy. All I had to cool myself down was a glass of lemonade and the weak oscillating fan across the room making its way towards me. My skin melted into the plastic chair beneath my bare legs. I briefly considered getting up to refill my glass but the mere thought of moving made me sweat even more. Instead, I leaned my head back against the chair and closed my eyes, thinking cold thoughts.
"Are you really just going to lie there all day?" My mother's icy voice broke my concentration. All thoughts of ice cream sundaes and frozen lemonade melted from my mind.
I opened my eyes lazily and lifted my head to see her standing above me, her arms crossed.
"You're blocking the fan," I said as the air blew against the back of her legs instead of mine.
"It's been two weeks since school let out, Heather. And I don't think I've seen you do anything other than sit in that chair," she said, ignoring my request to move.
"It's summer, mom. What else am I going to do?" I lifted my glass to my lips, forgetting that it was empty.
"You must have some summer coursework to get a head start on. Or what about your friends? What about what's her name... Hermione? What is she up to?"
I did my best to stifle the groan that threatened to escape my mouth. I mentioned Hermione Granger once to my mother and now she brings her up any chance she can get. It's my fault for bragging about her as if I was friends with the "Brightest Witch of our Age," thinking this would get my mom off my back. But now she expects me to maintain this imaginary relationship with Hermione and somehow absorb all her smarts at the same time. I would have come clean ages ago, but sometimes lying is easier than telling the truth.
"I don't know, mum. She's probably off on vacation with her family, like what normal people do."
At this, my mother's eyes tightened at the corners and her lips turned downwards. This wasn't our first time having this discussion. Every summer, I'd watch all my friends go on holiday while I was stuck at home with my mother going to work each day, like she did all year long.
"There are more things to do than lounging around, Heather. If your grades are any indication, you are seriously lacking in the subjects of hard work and dedication. You could at least clean your room for once."
I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes while she lectured me, waiting for it to be over. But she suddenly stopped and I heard her heels click across the linoleum floor and out of the kitchen. I opened one eye and I was alone.
I yawned and stretched my arms above my head, unbothered by her accusation. It was always the same. Whenever I'm home from school, she finds new ways to get onto me. It's either that I'm out too much, home too much, in my room for too long, the list goes on. Her favorite topic is my grades. Every chance she gets, she reminds me that my O.W.L.S. were abysmal and I better take my N.E.W.T exams more seriously. Her main argument is that I won't be able to get a decent job after graduation, as though I'd want to follow her footsteps and work in the Ministry of Magic.
Now that my relaxation was interrupted and my glass empty, I decided it was time to leave the chair. I peeled my legs from the plastic and walked outside, slipping on a pair of sandals before walking through my backyard onto the sidewalk.
After receiving my Hogwarts letter all those years ago, my parents debated whether we should finally make the move closer to Wizarding London or stay on the muggle side of town. Since my father's parents are muggles, my mother tolerated living in a muggle neighborhood in order for us to stay close to them. But with both of my grandparents gone, and another witch in the family, the muggle world was becoming too stifling.
For one reason or another, we ended up staying. Which meant every holiday, I returned to the muggle world, alone amongst the remnants of my childhood before I became a witch. Sometimes when I walk through my old neighborhood, I walk past the homes of my childhood friends, wondering if they ever think of me and the times we shared before I suddenly disappeared off to boarding school.
I walked to the playground at the front of the neighborhood that was usually bustling with activity. But with the sun so hot today, families opted for swimming pools and popsicles instead of burning plastic slides and scorching metal monkey bars.
I took a seat on a swing and waved my legs weakly. I leaned back and closed my eyes to the sun, feeling its heat on my face, seeing red splotches gather behind my eyelids.
The previous school year had been difficult. My mum wasn't wrong when she said my grades were abysmal. I spent most of my time in class doodling on the edges of my parchment and staring out the castle windows, losing track of time until class was over. I spent more time daydreaming than absorbing information, which meant homework was incredibly difficult.
I tried not to think about the sad state of my academic life, and decided to head to the library down the street. While I may not spend enough time in the Hogwarts Library, the local library in my hometown will always hold a special place in my heart.
After browsing the shelves for a few minutes, I settled on a book I had read a thousand times and sat down in a comfy chair near the back. It was easy, familiar, and I didn't have to think, it was perfect.
Four hours later, my grumbling stomach reminded me that I hadn't had anything other than lemonade. Begrudgingly, I put the book back on the shelf and made my way home. Seeing my father's car in the driveway gave me hope that my mother wouldn't launch another attack on me. But when I walked inside and saw both of my parents sitting on the couch side by side, their gazes fixed on me, I knew something was up.
"Dinner ready yet?" I asked, going for the casual approach and hoping it worked.
"Please sit down, Heather," my mother replied without blinking. Her hands were clasped in her lap and she sat with her back rod straight.
I gave my father a quick, questioning look, hoping he would shed some light on the situation, but all he did was shake his head slightly. I sat in the chair across the room and waited.
"Where have you been?" she asked.
"Library. I figured I'd do something worthy of my time, like you suggested," I responded flatly.
She took this in silence for a moment before she cleared her throat and began again.
"Your father and I have been talking and we both agree that your behavior lately has been completely unacceptable. I should say it is to be expected, considering we have been too easy on you. When I was your age, I already had a part-time job and was volunteering on the weekends while still completing extra coursework."
I glanced at my father again, hoping he would step in and give some insight on where this was going. He avoided eye contact.
"It's about time you learn how to be more self-reliant. While I cannot force you to get a job, I was able to set you up with a colleague of mine with an internship. She was very gracious to let you work with her, since you don't exactly meet the grade requirements for this position, so I expect you to be on your best behavior and not squander this opportunity."
I opened then closed my mouth, unable to articulate the thoughts that were swimming through my head. Did I hear her correctly?
"You can't be serious," I finally said, my eyes bulging.
"Completely serious, Heather. And I hope you will take this seriously as well, since this is something that many witches your age work very hard to achieve."
:What-- how is this even allowed? I didn't ask for an internship! Give it to one of those other, more deserving, witches! What made you think that I would want this?' I stammered, unable to control the panic that was rising inside me.
"The department of International Magical Cooperation had an opening. It's a wonderful department where I'm hoping you will learn to be a bit more cooperative."
I stuttered again, balking at the fact that she thought this was a good fit for me. I know nothing about international magical relations and I hate the government. Was she insane?
"And you agreed to this?" I asked, directing my question to my father who remained silent the entire time.
He took a deep breath then nodded his head slowly. "I know this doesn't seem like it's the right thing for you right now, honey, but your mother knows what's best here. This will be a great opportunity for you."
I watched his lips move, his mustache bounced up and down on his top lip with each word, but I couldn't understand what he was saying.
"This is bullshit!" I shouted. "You two don't know what's best for me! You don't even know me!" I felt the air ripple around me. If I wasn't careful, I would accidentally cast something, a slight side effect of my uncontrollable anger. Even if I was of-age, my mother still didn't like me practicing magic at home, accidental or otherwise.
"Heather," my mother started, her voice irritatingly calm, "please sit back down and let us discuss this like adults."
"That's the thing, mother, I'm barely an adult. I'm just a teenager who wants to enjoy her final summer vacation and not go to work in some stuffy old government building. But you don't care what I want!"
My mother's eyes hardened and her mouth set into a straight line.
"That's enough. You will be completing this internship, whether you like it or not. You will not embarrass me in front of my coworkers and you will learn some respect."
Before I could retort, she waved her hand at me, shutting my mouth with wandless magic.
"Go to your room, Heather. And do not test me further."
I raised my arms in defiance and began to shout before she cast a silencing charm on me next. With one last wave of her hand, an invisible thread pulled me through the living room and to the stairs. I stomped upstairs all the way to my room and slammed my door. Once the door was closed, the silencing charm was lifted, and I let loose all of the curses and insults I had been holding in.
After a good five minutes, I finally ran out of steam. I fell onto my bed with a huff and stared at the ceiling. All the plans I had for this summer, or lack thereof, were now ruined. I've heard of this before, the Ministry of Magic Young Witches and Wizards Internship Program, through Lavender Brown, who was hoping to secure one for herself. Despite having an aunt who already worked there, she poured over thick application packets for weeks, filling out dozens of questions and writing countless essays. Not only did my mother cut through the red tape of applications, she blazed through them, and somehow got me a spot when not even Lavender's aunt could guarantee her one.
I stared at the ceiling for an hour, thinking of all the ways my life was ruined, when I heard a knock on my door. I knew from the cadence that it was my father. He was always the one sent to calm me down after a fight. I usually let him in, but this time, I didn't even want to look at him.
"Occupied, try again later," I called out, turning my back to the door.
He didn't listen and opened the door anyway. I heard it click behind him before he walked to my desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down.
We sat in silence for a few minutes before he finally spoke.
"Why does it smell like pizza in here?"
I was so caught off guard, he almost made me laugh. But I stayed silent and stared at the wall.
"That explains it," he said as I heard him touching my trash can. "If you're going to sneak food in here, the least you could do is hide the evidence."
"Did you just come in here to dig through my garbage, or are you here to tell me to apologize? Because I refuse," I said without turning around.
He sighed and shifted in the chair. He always tried to be so diplomatic when we had these talks. He wanted to be on my side, but he didn't want to throw mom under the bus. While he went through all this effort, not once did my mother ever make the amends herself.
"You know that your mother means well," he began.
I grunted in response.
"She worked really hard to get you this internship. Pulled a lot of strings."
"I never asked her to do that for me."
He sighed again. "I understand that. But I still think it's worth giving a chance. You never know, you might like it."
"Ha! Good one, Dad."
"Heather, look at me," he said.
I slowly turned around in bed until I was facing him. He leaned forwards in the chair, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together.
"It's just one summer. The internship ends a week before school starts, so you'll still get some vacation time before going back."
"I don't have any summers left, you know," I said.
"You'll have plenty of summers. They just won't be summers spent laying around all day drinking lemonade."
I rolled my eyes and laid flat on my back.
"How about this... if you absolutely hate it, then you don't have to go back."
I whipped my head around and looked at him, my mouth open in shock.
"Seriously?"
He nodded his head.
"But," I said, feeling deflated, "mom would never go for that. Not in a million years."
"I'll talk to her. But you have to promise me that you will give it a true, proper chance," he said, his face serious.
I nodded my head vigorously, but I was barely listening. I was already thinking of all the ways I could get myself out of this internship by being the worst intern they've ever seen.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it dad. I'll give it a shot." I said, smiling wide.
He groaned and rubbed his eyes with one hand. I could see the regret on his face, but it was too late.