In Moonlight's Shadow

Chapter 25: Hogwarts

A few days later I found myself yet again on an airplane. Airport security went smoother this time than when we went to New York, but the actual plane ride was worse. The plane was smaller and more cramped. We also weren't able to get seats near the window. We were in the middle of the plane this time. I was unlucky enough to be sitting next to a very large, sweaty man. Matt was on my other side and Mum was next to him. Dad was on Mum's other side, but he had an aisle seat.

The man fell asleep partway through the flight and I couldn't blame him. I probably would have fallen asleep if I wasn't so uncomfortable. The flight was scheduled to leave at seven in the morning, although it left at seven forty-five. We had gotten to the airport at four-thirty in the morning.

That itself had been an adventure. We had to Apparate to the nearest Apparition center, which was a few blocks away, and then walk to the airport. Mum wasn't speaking to Cinda, so we weren't able to have her or Richard drive us. I was kind of surprised they hadn't made up yet and was wondering if I'd still have to go to Cinda's house during the full moon.

There hadn't been any turbulence during the flight so far, which I was grateful for. Although it was only half over, so there was still plenty of time for bumpy flying. The lunch they served us was gross, so I didn't eat much of it. Too bad they didn't have any spiedies in Scotland because I was going to be starving by the time we got there.

Matt had fallen asleep pretty much as soon as we got on the plane, but he had woken up for lunch. Now he was asleep again. My parents were whispering to themselves, but I couldn't hear them over the huge bloke's snoring. His head was getting dangerously close to my shoulder and I was fully prepared to poke his mountainous stomach if he started sleeping on me. Matt was already laying his head on my arm, but I didn't mind that. I sighed and resumed reading the novel I had started at the beginning of the flight. At the rate I was going, I'd finish it by the time we landed in London.

I must have managed to fall asleep because I was soon awoken by the sound of the pilot on the loudspeaker.

"Attention, passengers," he droned in monotone, "We'll be experiencing a bit of turbulence as we pass through this thunderstorm."

Great, I rolled my eyes. Turbulence and a storm. The fat man gave a large snort and his head lolled onto my shoulder. I shrieked and jumped up, which caused Matt to wake up.

"Sorry," fat bloke muttered as I sat back down. He pointed to my pathetic excuse for a taco that was still on my tray. "You gonna eat that?"

I stared at him. "Um, no."

"Can I have it?"

"Sure..." I watched as he ate it in two bites. Wow, what kind of person eats strangers' food on an airplane? I wanted more than ever to get away from him.

The storm started shortly thereafter, but as I hadn't eaten much, I didn't get sick. We passed through it quickly and the remainder of the flight was just as boring and uncomfortable as the first part. I was very happy to leave my fat fellow passenger in my wake as I lead my family out of the plane as quickly as I could.

We made it through airport security in record timing, mostly because we were some of the first ones off the plane.

"So what now?" I asked as Dad consulted a piece of parchment.

"We've got to find the nearest Floo center," Dad explained, "Should be a couple blocks down the road."

Dad led us out of the airport and into London. It was kind of chilly, but not snowy like it had been in New York. The sun had set hours ago and it was completely dark. It didn't take long to find the Floo center and we all followed Dad inside.

Dad nodded to the witch who was manning the station and led us over to the nearest fireplace. "We're going to the Three Broomsticks."

I Flooed after Dad, making sure to speak the location clearly. I exited the Floo and stepped into a warm pub crowded with tables. A few of them were occupied by witches and wizards talking animatedly about who knows what and there were also a few people eating alone. The bar was being manned by an older witch, who was talking to one of her customers sitting at the bar.

Once Mum and Matt came through the Floo, we followed Dad over to the bar.

"Excuse me," Dad said.

"Can I help you?" the witch asked.

"Yes, I reserved a room," Dad explained.

"Name?"

"Walter Eckerton."

"Ah, here we go," the witch turned around for a moment and then produced two keys with numbers dangling from each. "You're in room five. Right up the stairs, take a right and it'll be on your left. My name's Rosmerta, if you need anything."

Dad took the keys and then gave one to Mum, "Thanks."

I followed Mum and Dad up the stairs and we quickly found room five. It was dark and cramped. Once Dad turned on the light, I saw that there were two beds, a dresser, a desk, and a bathroom that led off of the main room. I tossed my bag onto the bed near the window and threw myself down on it.

"Can we go get something to eat?" I asked.

"In a moment," Mum yawned.

"I'm hungry, too," Matt whined.

"We'll go eat in five minutes," Dad said, "Hold your hippogriffs."

I sighed and sat up. I hadn't eaten a proper meal in practically a day. Of course, with the time change it was kind of like I hadn't eaten a proper meal in ten hours or so. I was also dead tired, but I knew I couldn't sleep without eating anything.

Finally, Mum and Dad were ready to eat and we went back down into the pub. Madam Rosmerta brought us drinks and food and asked us what we were up to in Hogsmeade. Dad explained that we were thinking of moving to England and wanted to see Hogwarts. Rosmerta had only good things to say about the school and she had gone there years ago.

The fatigue really hit me after I finished my food and all I wanted to do was collapse into bed. Matt had already fallen asleep on Dad's lap and both my parents looked worn out. Dad paid Rosmerta and then we went back up to our room.

Dad laid Matt down on the bed he and I were sharing and I climbed in next to him as soon as I put my pajamas on.

******

The Headmaster of Hogwarts met us in the Three Broomsticks at ten o'clock sharp the next morning, which caused Dad to immediately take a liking to him. Unlike the Headmaster at Salem, this bloke arrived on time.

He was a tall man, with short, neat black hair atop his long face. He greeted us with a warm smile and introduced himself as Fabius Kendrick. His robes were navy blue and he looked to be a little older than Dad.

Dad introduced himself and the rest of us and we soon found ourselves following Professor Kendrick through Hogsmeade. Kendrick kept up a running commentary of what all the buildings were and bits of trivia and history about the village. It reminded me of what the headmaster in New York had done.

When we emerged onto the Hogwarts grounds, I let out a gasp. The school was an actual castle! It was a huge, kind of spooky looking, stone castle. It wasn't like any school I had ever seen in my life. There was only the castle, too. No other buildings. Everything must have been put into that castle. Dormitories, classrooms, the library, everything. I thought that was a bit strange, but kind of cool at the same time. Not that I really wanted to attend Hogwarts, but it might be fun to wander around.

Kendrick pushed open a set of wooded doors and walked inside. Once we were all inside, he turned around and smiled at us.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The school was founded centuries ago by Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. These four wizards and witches were the cleverest of their days and wished to pass along their knowledge to others. They decided to form this school, where they each took in children they thought should learn magic. This formed the four Hogwarts Houses. I will explain more about the houses later.

"We are standing in the Entrance Hall, which is quite empty right now since classes are going on. To your right is the Great Hall, where meals are served. Go have a peek if you'd like."

I followed my parents over to the Great Hall and followed them inside. There were four long tables with benches on either side of each. There was also a table perpendicular to the others, which I guessed was where the teachers sat. I glanced up at the ceiling and let out another gasp. There wasn't an actual ceiling. It looked just like the sky outside. What happened when it rained? Why wasn't there a roof above this room?

"Ah, you've noticed the ceiling," Kendrick said, "It's merely enchanted to look like the sky."

I nodded. That was amazing. I bet at night it had stars on it. I'd love to see that.

Next, Kendrick led us up a huge staircase and then down a long corridor. The corridors in this place were adorned with portraits of all different witches and wizards. They whispered amongst themselves as we passed.

The tour of the castle took a couple hours. Kendrick didn't even take us everywhere in the place. It was positively huge. Kendrick did show us the most commonly used classrooms, the library, the Hospital Wing (where we met the nurse, Madam Pomfrey, who immediately began fussing over Matt), and one of the common rooms. Then he took us back outside to show us the greenhouses, the Quidditch Pitch, and the Care of Magical Creatures' professor's hut. Apparently most of his lessons take place outside.

After we had finished the exhausting tour, Kendrick led us back to the castle and up to his study. It was concealed by a gargoyle, which revealed a revolving staircase once Kendrick muttered a password. The staircase took us up to the study, which was quite different from the other Headmasters's studies I'd seen.

It was a circular room filled with various tables that held silver instruments that I had never seen before. There were bookcases filled with all sorts of books. But the most interesting thing of all was the fact that the entire back wall was covered in various portraits. Portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses, Kendrick told us. The one directly behind Kendrick's desk was Albus Dumbledore.

Kendrick conjured chairs for us and he sat down behind his desk. I took a seat in the puffy blue armchair and my parents took the green and red ones, while Matt took the yellow one.

"How did you like the school?" Kendrick asked.

"I liked it," Dad replied and Mum nodded.

"It was nice," I said.

"I like the staircases," Matt commented, referring to the staircases that moved on their own.

Kendrick laughed, "Most people do. Although I wasn't fond of them in my first year.

"Now, first I'd like to explain about the four Houses. Do you have Houses at your school in Australia?"

"Yes," I told him.

"Well, ours are probably similar. We sort students on their first night here into one of the four houses. These houses were created by the founders and are called Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each House has a common room, I took you to the Ravenclaw one, and the dormitories are done by House as well.

"Students are sorted using The Sorting Hat," Kendrick gestured to a very old, frayed hat that was sitting on a shelf. "Godric Gryffindor put a spell on it that enabled it to sort students properly."

I nodded. "Ok."

"If your parents choose to move here, you'll be sorted either with the first years or sometime before term starts, whichever you prefer."

"All right," I said, already deciding that I'd rather be sorted before term. If I walked into the Great Hall with a bunch of first years, everyone would stare at me.

"Now, I'd like to explain the precautions we have set up for your son," Kendrick turned to my parents.

"You've already got them set up?" Dad asked.

"Oh yes," Kendrick smiled, "You see, your son wouldn't be the first werewolf to attend here."

"Really?" Mum said, "You regularly admit werewolves?"

"No, we've only had one. You are only the second family to ask if a werewolf could attend, within recent history that is. A few decades ago, while Albus Dumbledore was Headmaster, we admitted a werewolf to the school."

"And how did it work out?" Dad questioned.

"Very well," Kendrick replied and then turned to Dumbledore's portrait, "Would you agree, Albus?"

"Oh, yes," Dumbledore smiled.

"I beg to differ," the portrait next to Dumbledore muttered. He was a stern looking man with lank black hair and a hooked nose.

"Severus," Dumbledore began, "Your experience is not relevant to this."

"What experience?" Dad asked, looking questioningly at Dumbledore. "I'd like to know if it's got anything to do with my son attending here."

"It really doesn't," Dumbledore sighed, "But I'll tell you. You see, Severus was in the same year as the werewolf who previously attended. The two of them merely had a mutual dislike for each other, mainly because the werewolf's friends liked to hex Severus and Severus hexed back. Nothing relevant."

"Ah, I see," Dad visibly relaxed, "Anyway, back to the precautions you were talking about?"

"Right," Kendrick said, "Dumbledore set up precautions to ensure that no one would find out that a werewolf was going to the school. There is a decrepit looking building in Hogsmeade that was used for transformations. It had the most advanced charms and spells on it. It is accessed through a passageway that leads from the grounds. The passageway is concealed by a Whomping Willow. Every full moon, your son will go to the Hospital Wing where Madam Pomfrey will lead him down to the Whomping Willow. She will come collect him the next morning and perform any necessary healing charms."

Mum and Dad looked at each other and exchanged another one of those wordless conversations.

"Wow, you've got it well thought out," Dad said, "I think that would work. Does Madam Pomfrey know what she's getting into, though? Matt's not on Wolfsbane, so there will be quite a bit of healing that will need to be done after every full moon."

"Wolfsbane was not invented the last time a werewolf was here," Kendrick replied, "So Madam Pomfrey has plenty of experience."

"Good, good," Dad replied.

"Do you have any questions?" Kendrick asked.

"How do the other professors feel about this?" Mum asked.

"They're on board," Kendrick answered, "I've discussed it with all of them. Not all of them were enthusiastic, but they are all willing."

Dad nodded, "That should be ok."

"Now, I do have an idea to discuss with you," Kendrick began, "Back when Dumbledore let the other werewolf attend, he was hoping to use him as an example, that all werewolves could safely attend school here. It didn't work out due to the war with Voldemort. I trust you know a bit about that?"

"Yeah, I've read about it," Dad replied.

"Good. Anyway, people were just too fearful of everything at the time and Dumbledore felt it best to wait until after Voldemort was gone to suggest the idea. Unfortunately, Dumbledore was killed before Voldemort was defeated.

"I was hoping that if this works out well with your son, we could try it again."

Dad thought for a moment, "And what would that involve?"

"If things go well, then we would announce at some point after graduation that your son is a werewolf and successfully attended Hogwarts. We would then advertise the school as a place where all werewolves could get an education."

It sounded to me just like what Dad and Roberts had discussed in New York. But that had been before Lubar had told all of Australia that Matt was a werewolf. My parents probably had different feelings about the idea now.

Dad glanced at Mum with a nervous look on his face. "I think we'd have to think it over for a while," Dad replied.

"Of course," Kendrick said, "And if you don't agree, your son still has a place here. Any other questions?"

"Actually," Dad began, "Could we take a look in the library again? I'd like to have a look at the past issues of the newspaper."

Kendrick looked questioningly at Dad for a moment and then stood up. "Sure, no problem. I'll show you the way."

"Why do you want to look at their newspapers?" I asked Dad quietly as we followed Kendrick through the corridor.

"See if I can find out their Ministry's opinion on werewolves," Dad muttered, "And check for job openings."

I nodded. That made sense. It would be pointless to move here if they had laws like the Ministry was passing in Australia.

The library was practically empty when we got there, which was good since I didn't want anyone to stare at us. The few kids that were there glanced up when we entered, but they quickly returned to their work.

The librarian was behind her desk and she glared at us as we walked past. I turned away and didn't look at her. She seemed like a very strict witch. Dad walked up to her and asked where the newspapers were. After a full minute of staring at Dad, she finally pointed him in the right direction.

Mum and Dad immediately settled down to rifle through the archived newspapers while Matt and I sat down and waited for them to be finished.

"I want to go to this school," Matt announced.

"That's nice," I replied.

"Because Dumbledore used to teach here. And he's the most brilliant wizard ever."

"Yeah, I suppose he is."

"Do you want to go here?"

"Not really," I muttered, "If we have to move, I'd rather go to New York because Uncle Jack lives there."

"Yeah, but this place is a castle!" Matt said.

"Quiet!" the librarian shouted, "This is a library!"

"Sorry," Matt and I muttered.

"Julie," Dad whispered, "Look at this."

I turned to where Mum and Dad were sitting. Dad had his nose in a newspaper and Mum leaned over to read what he was reading. I looked at them curiously and then got up to read over Dad's shoulder.

PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR WOLFSBANE STUDY

Healer Morris Sterling, of the Dai Lewellyn
Ward in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical
Maladies and Injuries, is currently looking
for participants for his Wolfsbane Study.

Sterling wishes to investigate why the
Wolfsbane Potion, used by werewolves to
render them harmless during full moons, does
not work for all werewolves. Sterling is in
need of werewolves who the potion does and
does not work for to participate in a
lengthy study of the potion.

Interested parties should inquire at St.
Mungo's, located in London.

Dad set down the newspaper and looked at Mum. The two of them stared at each other for a few minutes, no doubt thinking about the article.

"We need to talk about this," Dad said quietly, "Let's go back to the Three Broomsticks."

"Good idea," Mum agreed and stood up, "C'mon, Matt, we're going."

Dad drew his wand and quickly performed a charm to copy the article onto a new piece of parchment and then put the newspapers away.

Mum and Dad rushed back to Hogsmeade faster than I'd ever seen them walk before. Neither of them said a word as we went, but they kept looking at each other. They immediately headed back to our room and shut the door behind us.

"Amy," Mum began, "Take your brother down to the pub and get a butterbeer or something. We'll come get you once we're done talking about this." Mum handed me a couple Galleons. "Don't mention that article to him," she whispered.

I had been hoping to listen in on what Mum and Dad said about the article, but I guess that wasn't going to happen. I motioned for Matt to follow me and the two of us went back down into the nearly empty pub.

There were only two people there besides Rosmerta. An old wizard was sitting at the bar, talking with Rosmerta. Then there was a young witch eating alone at one of the tables.

I got two butterbeers from the bar and then sat down with Matt at one of the deserted tables.

"What was that article about?" Matt asked as soon as I sat down and handed him his butterbeer.

"I dunno," I shrugged.

"You read it," Matt reminded me.

"Er, well, they don't want me to tell you about it."

Matt sighed, "They never tell me anything."

"They don't tell me anything either. That's why they made us come down here."

"They tell you more than they tell me."

I shrugged. That was probably true. "Well, I'm older."

"Come on, Amy, just tell me what it was about. Please?" Matt pouted. He gave me the most pathetic look ever. It was the one that always worked on Mum and Dad.

"Nope, sorry," I said. Mum and Dad would kill me if I told him. "Trust me, if the article matters at all, then you'll find out."

"And what if it doesn't?"

"Then it doesn't matter if you know or not," I said, "But trust me, you'll probably find out." I couldn't think of any reason why my parents wouldn't have Matt participate in that study. If he did, someone might actually create some Wolfsbane that would work for him.

"Then why can't you just tell me?"

"Because Mum and Dad want to talk about it first," I explained, "Why else?"

"Is it about me?"

"Sort of."

"Is it about the Ministry here hating people like me?" Matt asked quietly after a few moments silence.

I guess Matt knew more about what was going on at the Australian Ministry than Mum thought.

"No, nothing like that," I assured him.

Matt nodded, "Good. Because I really want to move here."

"Just because of the castle?"

"Pretty much," Matt grinned, "It would be so cool to go to school in a castle."

"How did you kids like Hogwarts?" Rosmerta asked once the old man she was talking to left.

"It's brilliant!" Matt exclaimed, "I've never seen a school that's in a castle before."

"That's what I liked about it as well," Rosmerta smiled. "What about you, Amy? Like it?"

I shrugged, "It's all right. I just like my school better."

"Ah, I understand," Rosmerta nodded, "Where are you parents?"

"Upstairs," I replied, "They wanted to talk about something alone."

"I always hated it when my parents did that," Rosmerta commented.

"They're talking about some newspaper article," Matt announced, "Amy read the article, but she won't tell me what it's about."

Rosmerta laughed, "My older sister did the same thing. Whenever she knew what our parents were talking about in secret, she'd never tell me."

"Well, I'd tell you if Mum and Dad hadn't told me not to," I sighed.

"Well, I'd better get back to work," Rosmerta said after an old witch entered the pub, "Talk to you two later."

"Bye," I said.

Mum and Dad came down a few minutes later and they were both smiling, which was different. They motioned for us to follow them upstairs.

"I think they're going to tell you what the article's about," I whispered to Matt as we climbed the stairs.

Dad told us to sit down on the bed after he shut the door. He and Mum sat on their bed across from us.

"Matt," Dad began, "Remember how you used to take that potion and it was supposed to make the full moons easier?"

Matt nodded, "But it didn't."

"I know, and we don't know why. But the hospital here is going to run a study that will try and figure out why. They may even find a new potion that will work for you. We're going to go to the hospital tomorrow and see if you can participate."

"Is that what the article was about?" Matt asked.

"Yes," Dad smiled. "Is this ok with you?"

"Yeah," Matt grinned, "I want a potion that will work."

"Then it's settled," Dad said, "Tomorrow we'll go to the hospital and ask about it."

Chapter 26: The Study

My parents had planned on going to look at houses the next day, but they wanted to go to St. Mungo's first. Dad had decided that if we moved to England, it would be easier to just buy a house rather than build one. There wasn't anyone we knew in England to supervise the building of a house, so it would be easier to buy one. I hoped there were better houses in England than in New York.

As soon as we finished brekkie, we Flooed to St. Mungo's. I stepped out of the fireplace into a waiting room. There were quite a few people sitting in the plastic chairs and even more queued up before a desk at the front. I followed Mum and Dad and we joined queue.

The bloke in front of us looked to be in his twenties and he appeared to have a broomstick stuck in between his legs. He looked rather uncomfortable, but I thought he should consider himself lucky he was able to land the broomstick. In front of him was a witch with a flower growing from her head. There were a number of people ahead of them, but I couldn't quite tell what was wrong with them.

I turned around and took a glance at the waiting area. One wizard had pink pustules all over his body. A small child was hissing and sticking out his tongue, which was forked. There were also a number of people who appeared normal, looking through the various magazines laid out on the tables.

The queue moved slowly and I wished I had brought a book. After a few more minutes, we could finally see who was sitting behind the desk. There was a very bored looking witch sitting there, directing people where to go. Next to the desk was a large sign, also instructing people where to go.

"Next," the witch said.

The lady with the plant on her head walked up and before she could utter a word, the witch behind the desk pointed to the sign and announced, "Fourth Floor."

I glanced at the sign and saw that the fourth floor was for spell damage.

"I can't get off this broom!" the bloke in front of us exclaimed once the plant witch left, "I don't know why! I was just flying and now I'm stuck and I can't get off it!"

"Fourth floor," the witch pointed her wand at the sign and it emitted green sparks. "Next!" she shouted as broom boy waddled off to the lift.

"Hello," Dad greeted the witch and produced the parchment with the article on it, "We're looking for Healer Morris Sterling."

The witch raised her eyebrows at us as she scanned the article. "The Dai Lewellyn Ward is on the first floor. You'll find Healer Sterling there."

"Thank you," Dad said and we followed him over to the lift.

We emerged from the lift onto a long corridor. It was very quiet and looked like the hospital in Australia. A few wizards and witches in lime green robes passed us as we started down the corridor, but they didn't look up from their clipboards. I presumed that they were the Healers. Mum and Dad peeked at every door, reading the signs affixed to them.

Eventually, Dad stopped in front of a door that said 'Dai Lewellyn Ward'. Next to it was another door that said 'Healer Morris Sterling: Head Healer of the Dai Lewellyn Ward'.

The door was open, so we followed Dad inside. A witch sitting at a desk was tying a letter to an owl. There were a few chairs in the room, along with a lot of filing cabinets. There was a sign on her messy desk that said 'Natalie Caberny'.

"Excuse me," Dad said.

"Yes?" Natalie Caberny replied, "Can I help you?"

"We'd like to see Healer Sterling, please," Dad said and showed her the article, "About the study."

"All right," Natalie said as she opened a large book, "Well, let's see, Healer Sterling is busy seeing patients until eleven, but he is available for a half hour then, if that will work."

"That would be fine," Dad told her.

"Name?" Natalie asked as she wrote something in the book.

"Walter Eckerton," Dad told her.

"And you're inquiring about the Wolfsbane Study?" Natalie asked.

"Yes," Dad said.

"Ok, you're all set. See you at eleven."

"Thank you," Dad said and we left the room.

I glanced at my watch once we were back in the corridor. It was a little after ten. An hour to kill until the appointment. I definitely wished I'd brought a book.

We wound up spending the hour in the tea room that was on the top floor. Mum and Dad had some coffee while Matt and I had biscuits. They were all right, but nothing extraordinary. I flipped through a few mediocre magazines, but was basically bored the entire hour. I wished Mum and Dad would have let me stay at the Three Broomsticks.

The first floor was a bit busier when we went back down. A few Healers were running around shouting things to each other and carrying various potions into a few rooms.

Natalie Caberny was sitting at her desk when we entered. She was hurriedly writing something onto a piece of parchment. Dad waited until she had folded the parchment and charmed it to fly out of the room before he spoke.

"We're back for the eleven o'clock appointment," Dad said.

"Right," Natalie replied, "I'll just see if he's ready for you."

Natalie got up and knocked on a door that led off of her study. "Walter Eckerton's here to see you. Should I send him in?"

"Yes, send him in," a man replied.

Natalie opened the door and motioned us in. Dad thanked her and she shut the door behind us.

A balding man was sitting behind a large oak desk. His spectacles were perched on the tip of his nose and he wore the same lime green robes all the other Healers I'd seen wore. He stood up and shook Dad's hand. He was quite tall and a bit on the chubby side.

"Morris Sterling," the man said.

"Walter Eckerton," Dad replied, "My wife, Julie, and our kids, Amy and Matt."

"Nice to meet you," Sterling gestured to the chairs in front of his desk, "Please have a seat."

Mum and Dad sat down in the chairs in front of Sterling's desk and Matt and I sat in the ones that were alongside the wall. I looked at a nearby book shelf and noticed there were a lot of books about potions.

"Now, you're here to inquire about the Wolfsbane Study?" Sterling asked.

"Yes. I saw the article in the paper."

"Ah. Excellent," Sterling replied, "And you're interested in participating?"

"Well, not me, my son," Dad gestured to Matt. "Will you allow underage participants?"

"Hmm," Sterling leaned back and rubbed his chin, "I don't have any yet, but with the right release forms I don't see why not."

"I'll sign them," Dad said, "But do you have a detailed outline of this study?"

"Yes," Sterling replied and opened his desk drawer. He pulled out a thick binder and handed it to Dad. "All the details are in there."

"Thanks," Dad said.

"Does Wolfsbane work for your son?" Sterling asked.

"No, that's why we'd like him in the study," Dad explained.

"I figured, but I had to ask."

"Of course."

"I understand that you'll want to read that thoroughly before you finalize your decision, but I do have a preliminary questionnaire for you to fill out just to be sure your son is eligible," Sterling handed Dad a clipboard.

Dad took the clipboard and pulled a quill out of his robes. He and Mum spent the next few minutes filling out whatever questions Sterling wanted to know. Dad handed him back the clipboard once they were done.

Sterling leaned back in his chair and looked over the questionnaire. "Well, everything seems to be in order. I see no reason why your son can't participate. The only problem is that I see you live in Australia. I will need to perform routine examinations, which might be difficult if you're not in the country."

"We are actually planning on moving," Dad told him, "That was our reason for visiting. We were touring Hogwarts. We're either going to move here or New York. And if I like the sounds of this study, we'll be moving here. Things have gotten a bit, er, difficult in Australia lately."

Sterling nodded, "You know, your name sounds a bit familiar, but I can't quite place it...." Sterling looked at Dad for a moment, "You're the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in Australia, aren't you?"

Dad sighed, "Not anymore. Just got fired."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Sterling said quietly.

"It was bound to happen eventually. There aren't many who share my views about werewolves down there. Most of the Ministry are quite unsympathetic. Part of the reason why we're moving. Have you heard about the new laws that are being passed?"

"Only bits and pieces, but what I have heard disgusts me."

"I quite agree," Dad replied, "And there was only so much I could do when nobody shared my opinion."

"Well, we could use someone like you here in England. You'll find that more people are sympathetic here. Pop into the Ministry sometime. I think there might be a few openings in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures here."

"Thank you," Dad said.

"You're welcome," Sterling replied, "I hate to cut this short, but I've got an eleven thirty appointment. Send me an owl if you decide to have your son in the study. There will be some preliminary tests that will need to be done, so perhaps we could schedule them to be done before you return to Australia. When were you planning on flying back?"

"Saturday, but I can always change the tickets."

"Excellent," Sterling said as he stood up, "I'll look forward to your owl."

"I'll send it shortly," Dad stood up, "And thank you for meeting with us."

"Not a problem," Sterling shook Dad's hand.

"Thank you," Mum smiled, "For starting this study. You have no idea how difficult it's been."

"I can only imagine," Sterling replied, "I see so many sad things here. I'd like to have some happy endings for once."

"I certainly hope this study brings one," Mum said.

"Me, too," Sterling agreed.

"We'll be in contact soon," Dad said and we all left the room.

Mum and Dad wanted to go right back to the Three Broomsticks after we left St. Mungo's so they could read about the study. Of course, they wanted to discuss it in private, so Matt and I were banished to the pub once again.

"I'm bored," Matt sighed after we'd finished our Butterbeers.

"Me, too," I agreed. Why hadn't I thought to grab a book? "Hey, want to go explore the village?"

"But Mum and Dad said to stay here," Matt said.

"I know," I grinned mischievously, "But if we're back before they finish discussing that study, then they'll never know. C'mon, there were a few shops I wanted to investigate."

"Amy, what if we get caught?" Matt asked nervously.

"We won't get caught. Plus, if we do, Mum and Dad will blame me. You won't get in trouble at all," I assured him.

"Fine," Matt sighed and got up, "But only for a little while."

"Excellent," I grinned and jumped up. "It'll be fun. Trust me."

The air was crisp outside and the ground muddy. The last bits of snow were melting. It seemed almost completely deserted, which didn't bother me in the least. I led Matt down the street, looking in every shop as we went.

"Where are we going?" Matt asked.

"I dunno," I shrugged, "We'll find out when we get there. Hey, didn't Kendrick say the shack you're going to transform in is somewhere around here?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go find it," I took off running.

"Amy, wait!" Matt shouted, "I don't really want to see it!"

"Aw, come on, it'll be cool," I shouted back. "Hurry up!"

I slowed down and waited for my brother to catch up. He looked a bit nervous, but reluctantly followed me. We wandered all the way down the road, looking for anything that resembled the shack Kendrick mentioned.

"How will we know what house it is anyway?" Matt asked quietly.

"I think we'll just know," I told him. How many decrepit buildings could there be in this village anyway?

As we walked farther and farther away from the Three Broomsticks, the houses and buildings got farther and farther apart. There were mountains up ahead as well.

"Hey, I'll bet that's it!" I pointed to an old house that was a few meters off the main road. There was a broken down fence around it. "Let's get closer."

"I don't want to," Matt whined.

"Oh don't be such a baby," I said as I ran up to the house.

It was certainly run down looking. The windows were all boarded up and it didn't look like anyone had lived in it for decades.

"Spooky," I grinned and turned around. Matt was still down by the road. "Oh, get up here!"

Matt reluctantly walked up to the house and looked at it for a few moments. "It's big."

"Not really," I laughed, "It's a shack."

"I meant that it's big compared to the room in the basement."

"Oh."

"It looks haunted," Matt whispered.

"That be because it is haunted, kiddies."

I shrieked and jumped as I turned around. Matt screamed even louder than I did and hid behind me, grabbing my arm. There was a hunched old witch standing a few feet in front of us, wearing a patched old robe. She had a hood over her face, but her lank white hair was sticking out.

"Wh-who are y-you?" I stammered.

"Not important," she cackled, "You kiddies been enjoying the Shrieking Shack?"

"The what?" I asked.

"The Shrieking Shack," the witch repeated, "Yous not heard of the Shrieking Shack? Kiddies not from around here?"

"N-no," I told her.

"Aye, well, Shrieking Shack is haunted," the witch laughed, "I heard the shrieking meself, years ago. Once in a while, loud screeching heard from the place. Ghosts, some said. Dumbledore himself say the shack be inhabited by band of ghosts!

"Must've moved. Not a sound been heard from the place in years. Best stay away. Some say it's still haunted."

"A-all right," I whispered. "I th-think we'll be going now."

"You go, kiddies! And watch out for them ghosts! Might come back, you know."

I nodded and ran back to the road, not looking back at the witch. Matt followed me, not letting go of my arm. My heart was still hammering when we got down to the road. I glanced back at the shack, but the old witch was gone.

"S-see why we sh-shouldn't have go-gone?" Matt stammered.

"It was worth it."

"Let's j-just go b-back."

"No, I saw a shop I wanted to go to," I said, leading Matt back to the village.

We walked down the road until we got to the most colorful display window in the entire village. There was a large display of fireworks in the window, along with various other objects. The sign above the shop said 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes'.

"C'mon," I said and pushed open the door.

We stepped into what must have been the best joke shop I had ever seen in my life. There was so much stuff crammed into the small shop that I didn't even know what to look at first.

There was a red-haired man behind the counter wearing magenta colored robes talking to a boy with turquoise blue hair. The pair of them looked like they could belong to a Muggle circus. I had to suppress a gasp when the man turned and I noticed that one of his ears was missing.

"Anything else besides the Deluxe Whizbang Box?" the man asked the boy.

"Nope, that's it for now," the boy replied.

Both of them looked over at Matt and I as we reached the display near the counter. The man grinned when he saw us and the boy looked at us quizzically.

"Skip out of school?" the man asked, "Ah, how I enjoy seeing those who continue that noble tradition."

"Er, no, actually I don't go to school here," I muttered.

"That's why I don't recognize you," the boy said. "I'm Ted Lupin."

"Amy Eckerton," I said. "And that's my brother Matt," I pointed to Matt, who was perusing a display of sweets.

"Nice to meet you," Ted replied.

"You, too."

"And I am George Weasley, at your service," the man grinned. "I own the shop."

"It's brilliant," I told him, "Best joke shop I've seen."

"You don't sound like you're from around here," Ted mentioned.

"We're actually from Australia," I explained.

"Wow," Ted looked at me in awe, "What are you doing here?"

"My family's moving," I sighed, "So we're visiting Hogwarts. My parents haven't decided if we're moving here or New York."

"Move here," Ted said. "And if you do, hope for Gryffindor, it's the best House."

I grinned. Ted was nice. "I'll keep that in mind."

"It really is the best house," George Weasley added.

"Blimey," Ted glanced at his watch, "I'd better get back if I want to make it back for Transfiguration, not that I really want to...."

"Go back, Ted," George laughed, "Your grandmother will have my head if you miss class because you're here."

"Bye, Uncle George," Ted picked up his package and turned to leave, "See you around, Amy."

"Bye," I said as he left the shop.

"Anything I can help you with?" George Weasley asked.

"I'm just looking around," I replied.

"Give a shout if you have any questions."

I nodded and started wandering around the shop. The first thing I noticed was that there was a whole variety of sweets that made you sick. Matt was looking at them with disgust.

"Why would you want to make yourself sick?" he asked.

I picked up one of the boxes and read the back. "So you can miss class," I grinned, "That's brilliant. You eat one half of it to make you sick, get excused from class, and then eat the other half to get better after you leave. Of course, you'll be able to do that perfectly fine on your own."

"Very funny," Matt said flatly.

"Oh, I'm just joking," I said as I moved to another display.

"Hey, Amy, look at these!" Matt shouted.

I turned back to where he was looking. "What?"

Matt held up a box that had a picture of a long flesh-colored thing on it. "Read this."

I took the box and read the label. It said 'Extendable Ears'. A grin appeared on my face as I read that they were for eavesdropping on other people's conversations.

"You know, we could use these to listen to what Mum and Dad are talking about right now," I said excitedly. These things were probably my favorite item in the shop. If only they sold them in Australia! I'd never have wondered what Mum and Dad talked about when they holed themselves up in Dad's study.

"That's what I was thinking," Matt replied.

"Let's get them," I grinned, "C'mon."

We ran up to the desk, where George Weasley was smiling at us. I placed the box on the counter.

"Extendable Ears," he said, "Excellent choice. Nine Sickles and five Knuts."

I pulled out a few Sickles and Knuts that were leftover from the Butterbeer. Luckily I had enough.

"Enjoy," George Weasley said as I picked up the box.

"Thanks," I grinned and we left the shop.

"Aren't you happy we went exploring now?" I asked once we left.

"Yeah, yeah," Matt muttered.

We ran all the way back to the Three Broomsticks. Madam Rosmerta smiled and shook her head as we breezed past the bar. I took that to mean that Mum and Dad hadn't come out and noticed we were missing.

I ripped open the package as we ascended the stairs. I unwrapped the fleshy tubes and handed one to Matt. We sat down outside our door and shoved an end of the Extendables into our ears and the other end near the crack in the bottom of the door.

"It does seem safe," I heard Dad saying. I turned to Matt and we grinned at each other. They worked!

"Nothing's perfectly safe," Mum replied.

"Yes, but I think it may be worth the risk," Dad said.

"I suppose you're right," Mum sighed, "I just worry. Look at all those possible complications."

"They have to put those in so nobody can sue them," Dad explained, "There will always be risk. There was risk with the other treatments we tried."

"I know."

"This is different, Julie. It's not just one treatment. We may actually find out why the Wolfsbane doesn't work if we go through with this. It could drastically change his life for the better."

"So you want to do it?" Mum asked.

"Yes," Dad replied, "I really think it's be a good idea."

"Well, then I suppose we'd better send Healer Sterling an owl."

"I'll go see if Madam Rosmerta has one we can borrow." I heard Dad get up from the bed.

I pulled the Extendable Ear out of my ear and grabbed Matt's arm. We hurried back down to the bar and sat down in the first table we got to. I stuffed all the Extendables into my pocket and tried to act natural.

Dad appeared a few seconds later. "Hi, kids."

"Hey, Dad," I replied.

"Hi," Matt said.

Dad smiled at us and went over to the bar. He talked with Madam Rosmerta and she left for a few moments and then came back with an owl. Dad took the owl and went back up the stairs.

After he left, the conversation I had just heard started to sink in. Mum and Dad were going to enroll Matt in that study. That meant that it was official. We were moving to England. We wouldn't move to New York and live near Uncle Jack. We would move here, to a place where I knew no one and had never been to before this visit. A place I was totally unfamiliar with. Any lingering hope of staying in Australia was gone. Once Matt was in that study, there would be no going back. We'd sell our house in Australia and look for one in England. Australia would no longer be my home and I would not get to call New York my home. My home would be England, a place that was totally and completely foreign. I swallowed hard and bit my lip to keep the tears from falling.

Chapter 27: Fish and Chips

Dad returned a short while later and told Matt and I to come back to to the room. I stood up and rubbed my eyes, trying to wipe away any evidence that I had been crying. Dad shut the door after we got into the room and motioned for us to sit down on the bed. I tried to feign ignorance, since Dad had no idea Matt and I had listened in on his conversation with Mum.

"Matt," Dad began, "Remember yesterday when we went to the hospital and got some more information about that study?"

Matt nodded, "Yeah."

"Well, your mother and I have decided to enroll you in it. So I'd like to tell you both about what's going to happen," Dad said.

We were going to move to England. That's what was going to happen, I thought.

"So, the general point of this study is to find out why the Wolfsbane potion doesn't work for all werewolves," Dad explained, "But it's also going to be used to test variations of the Wolfsbane as they come available. Hopefully, one of these will work, but there's no guarantee.

"The study will last at least four years. For the first two years, you're not given any potion. The next two years you're given regular Wolfsbane. Then, hopefully, there will be a new variety of it and you'll try that for two years. It will keep going as long as there are new varieties of the potion, or until one is found that will work. Does that sound all right?"

"I guess," Matt shrugged, "But what if one of them makes it worse?"

Dad sighed, "There is a possibility of that, but if that happens, you won't take that particular potion again."

"Ok."

"When does this study begin?" I asked. I wanted to know how much longer I had in Australia. If this study started next month, I had no doubt we would move next week.

"Not until January," Dad told me. "But we'll be moving here in time for you to start school in September."

"So it's official?" I asked, "We're moving here, to England?"

"Yes," Dad confirmed.

"But I don't want to move here," I groaned, "Why can't we just move to New York? At least Uncle Jack is there. Plus, their school has such a good Astronomy department."

"Amy, we want your brother in this study," Mum said, "Therefore, we're moving here. I'm sorry you're not happy, but there's nothing you can do to change it."

"Why can't we move to New York and have him be in the study?"

"It would be too difficult," Dad replied, "Seeing as how we're looking for some place to move to anyway, we might as well move to the country that the study is taking place in."

"It's still not fair," I turned away from them, "When are we going back home? I need to send an owl to Olivia."

"Not for another couple days," Dad said, "We're most likely going back to St. Mungo's tomorrow so Healer Sterling can perform the necessary tests for Matt to be in the study. And so your mother and I can sign the paperwork. Then the next day we'll have to start looking at houses."

Houses, wonderful. Probably another aspect of this move my parents wouldn't consider my opinion on. I only hoped that we'd have better luck looking at houses in England than in New York.

******

I didn't sleep much that night. I tossed and turned thinking about the fact that within a few months, I'd be living in England. It was so final now, so official. My parents had decided where we were moving. Things had been so up in the air for the past few months, but now my parents had decided everything. The only thing left to do was find a house.

Healer Sterling had sent an owl late the previous night telling my dad to bring Matt in at nine o'clock the next morning. Both Mum and Dad wanted to go and they refused to let me stay at the Three Broomsticks by myself. At least this time I thought to bring a book.

The waiting room was much emptier than it had been the day before. There were a few witches and wizards lazily flipping through the magazines and an old wizard who was sleeping. A smiling nurse woke him up a minute after we walked in the door and informed him that he had a granddaughter. He immediately got up and followed the nurse to the lifts.

Dad didn't bother to talk to the witch behind the desk this time. Instead he led us directly to the lifts. We followed the old wizard and the nurse into one of them.

"I've got a granddaughter!" the wizard announced as the doors shut.

"Congratulations," Mum smiled at him, "Do you know her name yet?"

"No idea," the wizard laughed, "Last I knew, my son and his wife still hadn't decided on names."

Mum and Dad nodded to the wizard as we got off on the first floor. The place was even more deserted than the waiting room had been. The only person wandering around was a nurse who headed into one of the rooms a few seconds after we got off the lift.

We walked down the corridor and found Healer Sterling's study. Natalie, the secretary, wasn't there when we walked in. The door leading to the healer's study was open and Dad stuck his head in.

"Healer Sterling?" Dad asked, "You told us to come at nine? Your secretary's not here, so I just thought I'd tell you we were here."

"Oh, yes!" I heard the healer respond, "Natalie doesn't come in until ten. Just come on in.

"Thanks," Dad said.

I followed my parents and Matt into the healer's office. It hadn't changed in appearance since the day before. I settled myself into the same chair and cracked open my book. Previous experience with Matt's healer appointments had taught me to always bring a book. They were always incredibly long. Although we usually had to wait a long time before he actually got seen by the healer.

"First, I'll have you sign the necessary paperwork," Healer Sterling said as he handed Dad a clipboard, "It basically states that you give permission for your son to be in the study and that you won't sue us if anything goes wrong."

Dad nodded and he and Mum read over the packet of parchment. After a few minutes, I heard the sound of a quill scratching and I glanced up to see Dad signing in various places.

"All set," Dad said and handed back the clipboard.

"Excellent," Sterling leafed through the packet and then set it down on his desk. "Now we'll go to one of the exam rooms and get started. Follow me."

Sterling stood up and grabbed another clipboard off his desk. One thing I've noticed about healers is that they always have at least one clipboard with them. For all the healers I've seen in my life, I don't think I've ever seen one without a clipboard.

I closed my book and got up out of my chair to follow everyone out of the room. I wish we could've just stayed in one place so I could get absorbed into my book properly.

Sterling led us down the corridor a little ways, past a nurse's station and the main Dai Lewellyn Ward. We stopped in front of a door that was right next to the ward. A sign adorned to it stated that it was 'Dai Lewellyn Ward: Exam Room 1'. Sterling waved his wand and the word 'Vacant' appeared in bright green letters on the door. With another wave, the word changed to 'Occupied' and Sterling opened the door.

The room was tiny, just like every other exam room I've been in, and did not have enough chairs for everyone. There was a bed, a swivel chair, and a plastic chair. I always envied the fact that the healers got to sit on the swivel chairs. Those things were so much fun. Mum used to yell at me when I was little and spin on them.

We squeezed into the minuscule room and I got pushed up against one of the walls. Dad lifted Matt onto the table and then stood next to me. Mum took the plastic chair while Sterling sat down on the swivel chair. He looked up at Dad and I and then conjured two more plastic chairs.

"Thanks," Dad said as he sat down on one of them.

I took the other one and opened my book as soon as I sat down. I started reading about cauldron thickness and its affects on various potions, but half-listened to what was going on in the room as well.

"I'm going to have to start with the family and personal history first," Sterling began, "Because he's not currently one of my patients."

"That's fine," Dad said. He was probably used to this, I thought, since every healer we'd been to began the examinations like this.

"All right," Sterling continued, "Paternal grandparents?"

"Conan and Nancy Eckerton," Dad replied, "Both deceased, died in a car accident years ago. No chronic illnesses for either of them."

Sterling nodded and scratched the information down on his clipboard. "Maternal grandparents?"

"Richard and Lacinda Bailey," Dad said, "Both living. Richard has high blood pressure. No other chronic issues for either of them."

Sterling gave a small shake of his head and smiled a little. "You've got this down, haven't you? I've hardly had to ask you anything."

"We've done this dozens of times, unfortunately," Dad sighed.

"I'm hoping that this will be the last," Sterling replied, "I'll venture a guess and say that you know the next question?"

Dad nodded, "Parents, right?"

"Yes."

"Walter and Julietta Eckerton," Dad answered, "No chronic illnesses for either of us."

"Siblings?"

"Amy Eckerton," Dad said, "No chronic illnesses."

"That's it for family history," Sterling said, "Now onto personal. Full name and birthday first."

"Matthew Conan Eckerton. February 6, 2005."

"Any birth complications?"

"He was two months premature."

"Interesting," Sterling said as he wrote on the clipboard.

"Do you think that's relevant?" Mum asked.

"Anything's relevant at this point. Can you go into more detail about the birth and first few weeks?"

"He was in an incubator for a month, breathing support for a month and a half. Then he got to come home. He was fine after that, although he's always been prone to getting sick and small for his age, even before he was bitten," Mum explained.

Sterling nodded and continued writing. "Any chronic illnesses? Besides the obvious, I mean."

"No," Dad said.

"All right," Sterling replied and put his quill down, "That's it for history. I do have a questionnaire for you to fill about that asks about his lycanthropy any other remedies you've tried for it, but it's quite lengthy so I'll ask that you fill it out another time and owl it to me."

"Sure," Mum said.

"Excellent," Sterling handed Mum a stack of parchment. He picked up his wand and turned to Matt, "All right. I'm going to have to do a few tests now, but hopefully they're going to eventually make the full moons better. Can I first have you hop on that scale over there?"

Matt nodded and climbed down from the table. Sterling weighed him and measured his height, which he then recorded on the clipboard. Dad lifted Matt back up onto the examination table and Sterling turned back to him.

"Now time for the tests," Sterling said, "I'm going to listen to your heart first."

Sterling reached around to place his hand on Matt's back, but he squirmed away and looked at Mum. He looked kind of scared.

"Honey, you've got to let him do this," Mum whispered and gave him a gentle squeeze. "This might help make the full moons better."

"He's kind of shy around strangers," Dad said to Sterling, "Especially lately, in light of recent events."

"Understandable," Sterling replied and then turned back to Matt, "I promise this one isn't going to hurt a bit."

This time, Matt didn't shy away from Sterling and he was able to listen to his heart. I didn't pay much attention to the next few tests, but Matt seemed to cooperate for them as well.

"Almost done," Sterling said as he placed his wand on the counter and wrote something else on the chart, "I'm just going to have to take a blood sample."

Matt shook his head furiously. I couldn't blame him. It hurt to have blood taken. I'd only had it done once and I never wanted to go through it again. Matt had had it done a lot, but that didn't make him like it any more.

"I know it hurts," Mum got up from her chair and gave Matt a hug, "But you've got to let him do it."

"I don't want to," Matt whispered.

"It'll be over in a few seconds," Mum said as she lifted Matt up and sat down on the table. She set him down in her lap and wrapped her arms around him.

Matt nodded. "Ok."

"It'll be over before you know it," Sterling said as he lifted up Matt's sleeve and wiped an alcohol swab over one of his veins. He took his wand and pressed it to the vein.

"Ow!" Matt shrieked and started crying, "Stop!"

"All done," Sterling said and lifted his wand away. He grabbed a vial from the counter and pointed his wand at it. Blood appeared in the vial and Sterling stoppered it with a cork.

Sterling pointed his wand at Matt's arm and the cut magically healed. "Do you want a Chocolate Frog?" Sterling asked.

Matt sniffled and nodded. Sterling reached into his robes and pulled one out, handing it to Matt.

"One more thing," Sterling turned to my parents, "I am going to have to observe him right before and right after a full moon before the study actually begins. I understand that it would be difficult to do that before you move. Could you owl me after you're all settled and we'll figure out which month will work?"

"That sounds great," Dad said.

"Excellent," Sterling smiled and stood up, "Good luck with the job and house hunting. As I said yesterday, just pop into the Ministry and I'm sure you'll find something. I'll owl you if anything comes up with the study. Keep in touch."

"Thanks. We will," Dad got up and shook the healer's hand. "Bye."

"Bye," Sterling smiled.

"Thanks for everything," Mum said.

"My pleasure."

I got up and followed my parents out of the room. Dad was carrying Matt and he was opening his Chocolate Frog, looking much happier than he had two minutes ago.

"I got Dumbledore!" he broke out into a huge grin.

"Awesome," I smiled, remembering back to the days when a simple Chocolate Frog would momentarily make all your problems go away.

******

Dad decided to go to the British Ministry once we'd all returned to the Three Broomsticks. He had no idea what time he'd return, so Mum said we should wait to look for houses until the following day. Dad figured he could ask at the Ministry about a good real estate place as well.

"Mum, can we go do something?" I asked after staring at the ceiling above my bed for twenty minutes.

"Not now," Mum replied without looking up from the table, "I'd like to get this questionnaire done."

I sighed loudly. How long could that thing take? She had been working on it ever since we got back.

"Then could I go do something?"

"No," Mum said shortly, "I don't want you wandering the village by yourself."

Too late for that, I thought. It's a good thing she or Dad didn't catch us when we went to the joke shop. What I wanted to do was go to the joke shop again. That place was awesome and I hardly got to look at any of the stuff in it.

"I'm bored," I said. "Why can't you finish that later?"

"Because I want to get it back to Healer Sterling as soon as possible," Mum snapped, "Now go find something to do."

"There's nothing to do," I replied.

"Read. Do your homework," Mum said.

The last thing I wanted to do was homework. Mum had given me some 'homework' shortly before we left, but I hadn't started it. I turned my head and watched Matt play his DS on the other side of the bed. I almost wished I had one.

Eventually, I got so bored that I decided to do just the potions and astronomy stuff Mum had assigned me. The potions part was a joke, since it was all stuff I'd learned in first year. Astronomy wasn't bad, but it was mostly busy work as well.

I was about to take a peek at the Transfiguration work when I heard the door open. Dad walked inside looking happier than I'd seen him in weeks.

Mum looked up from the packet of parchment when she noticed him. "How did it go?"

"Wonderful," Dad grinned and sat down on the end of my bed.

"Well, tell me all about it!" Mum smiled.

"I spoke with their Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I've spoken with him before and he shares most of my opinions. We talked about what it's like here, regulation-wise. He explained that although it's better than Australia, most of the average witches and wizards are wary of werewolves. So, we'll be keeping it a secret again."

"That's what we expected," Mum commented.

"I know. So that's not bad. They don't have any laws up here like the ones that are currently being passed in Australia, which is good. I think it will be much easier up here."

"That's a relief," Mum said, "What about your job?"

"That's the best part," Dad smiled, "I've got an interview on Monday."

Mum grinned, "What position? Something in the Werewolf Control Unit?"

"No," Dad said, "Something a bit different. There's an opening in Werewolf Support Services."

"That's great!" Mum exclaimed.

"Yes, I think it'll be a good change. I won't be dealing with passing legislation anymore. I'll just be working to make life better for people with lycanthropy."

"Honestly, I've always thought you'd be good in a position like that," Mum commented.

"I've thought that, too," Dad mused, "But in Australia, I was the only one keeping all the awful legislation from passing. I couldn't quit."

"Of course not," Mum agreed, "But now you've got the opportunity to do what you really want."

"Exactly," Dad smiled, "I think this is going to be good for all of us."

"I completely agree," Mum got up and sat down next to Dad. Dad put his arm around Mum and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Except me, I thought. I really didn't see how I would benefit from moving to England.

"If they hire you, when would you start?" Mum asked after a few moments.

"They're going to be flexible. They said I could start whenever it's convenient."

"Let's move soon," Mum said.

"We've got to find a house first," Dad pointed out, "And sell ours. Once we get back, I'm going to owl around to find someone to run an estate sale. We'll put the house on the market once we get back. I'll owl the real estate agency."

"Sounds good to me."

"I'll owl Jack and see if he can fly down when we do the sale," Dad said.

"Uncle Jack's going to visit us?" Matt tossed his DS onto the bed and crawled over to my parents.

"Yes," Mum smiled and ruffled his hair, "Sometime after we get back."

"Yay!" Matt shouted.

"Julie," Dad said quietly.

"What is it?"

"There is one thing about this job that I've got to tell you," Dad began, "I'll be making much less money."

Mum turned and looked at him. "We'll be fine. You inherited so much from your parents. I don't think we've got to worry about money."

"You know we've spent most of that," Dad said quietly.

I've always wondered how much money my parents actually have. I know Dad inherited a lot, but for the year after Matt got bitten, he and Mum spent a lot trying to find cures. I had no idea how much they actually spent. I guess it must have been a lot.

"Yes, but after we sell the house, we'll have more," Mum pointed out. "We're buying a much smaller house. Don't worry about the money. Your happiness is what matters."

"I know," Dad sighed, "I just worry, you know, if we ever have to pay for anymore long hospital stays. You know it's possible."

"I know," Mum said, "I don't like to think about that possibility, but I know it's there. I still think you should just do what makes you happy. Matt will be going to school in three years. I can get a job once he's there."

"All right," Dad replied, "I'll try not to worry about it."

"Good," Mum smiled, "Now let's go do something fun. Amy's been complaining the whole time you were gone."

My parents decided to take us on a Muggle tour of England. It was really fun. For a few hours, I nearly forgot about moving and pretended we were just on holiday. I noticed that my parents were much happier than they had been in weeks. They laughed and smiled and even joked around. Dad pushed Mum into a fountain and she actually laughed and pulled him in, too. All the Muggles were staring, but it was fun.

"How can they just stand still?" Matt asked as we were looking at Buckingham Palace, "What if they have to go to the bathroom or something?"

"They switch off every so often," Dad told him.

"But still, it'd be hard not to move."

"It's their job," I said, "If they can't stand still, they find a new job."

"Sounds like an awfully boring job."

"But an important one," Dad said.

We stood in front of Buckingham Palace and watched as they changed guards. It was interesting, but I don't think I'd want to watch it again. Once was enough. It wasn't particularly exciting.

After they'd finished changing the guards, we walked for a few more blocks until we reached a pub. Dad decided that we should eat there as long as we were there. He said everyone who visits England ought to visit a Muggle pub.

"I think we should all order fish and chips," Dad announced after we sat down.

"Sure," Mum agreed.

"Fish and chips?" I asked.

"Classic British Muggle food," Dad explained, "Fish and chips all wrapped in newspaper."

"Newspaper?" I said skeptically. Why would anyone wrap food in newspaper?

"They don't use real newspaper anymore. Turns out the ink was poisonous. But the stuff they use now is all non-toxic," Dad assured me.

"All right, I'll try it."

A little while later, we were all served fish and chips wrapped in fake newspaper. Mum and Dad each had some kind of frothy British beer, too. I started to peel the paper away from the food and stared at it.

Mum and Dad were already digging in. "It's good, Amy," Dad said.

I shrugged and tried a very tiny piece. It wasn't bad. Certainly not the best food in the world, but better than the sushi I had with Cinda.

"Not bad," I said.

"I think it's awesome!" Matt grinned.

"Well, you eat airplane food, so...."

"It's good," Matt said.

"Whatever."

I was hungry, so I did eat all of my fish and chips. It seemed to taste better as I ate it, so by the time I finished, I thought it was pretty good. Once we were all done eating, we went back out into London and walked around for a while before Apparating back to the Three Broomsticks.

Chapter 28: A New House

My parents let us sleep in the next day, which was nice since we had been getting up early every single day we'd been in England. Both of them were awake when I got up. They were sitting at the desk whispering to each other while filling out that long questionnaire Sterling gave them. I pulled out a book and decided to read until they'd finished. Matt was still asleep so we wouldn't be looking at houses for a while.

Once my parents finally finished that questionnaire, and sent it off with Madam Rosmerta's owl, they announced that we'd go get lunch and then look at houses. Matt was just waking up when Dad returned from sending the owl.

We had a quick lunch at the Three Broomsticks and then Apparated to an Apparition station in London. Dad had been able to ask around the Ministry for a good real estate agent. Someone gave him the name of an agent who sold both wizard and Muggle houses. Their office was located in a house in London.

This agent, Candace Gormon, seemed a lot nicer than Josephina Hawkings. She didn't feel the need to show my parents any huge mansions just because we lived in one in Australia. My parents told her exactly what they were looking for and she produced a handful of key shaped portkeys.

Thus began the long afternoon of house hunting in England. Unfortunately, despite the fact that Candace Gormon was a nice lady, we did not have much luck with houses. My parents found something wrong with each house we looked at. I wasn't really a fan of any of them either, but that was mostly because none of them were anything like our house in Australia.

The first house we visited was too run down, the second one cost too much money. The third one had neighbors that were too close and the fourth one didn't have enough bedrooms. The fifth one didn't have a basement, so my parents vetoed it before we even saw all the rooms. Each house we looked at after that had variations on these problems as well.

By early evening I was wondering if we'd ever find a house my parents would like. Candace Gormon only had one more house to show us and we all placed a finger on the key.

We landed in the middle of a large field. I stood up and saw an average sized house made of wooden logs and a red roof. Beyond the house was bush, which immediately made me like that house more than the others. I gazed around and didn't see any other houses.

"It's a very rural location," Candace said, "Most of the people I've showed this house to don't like how rural it is, but you've seem to have expressed a need for ruralness."

"Yes," Dad said, "I do like that there aren't any other people living nearby. How many acres is this?"

"Three," Candace replied, "It runs all the way to the forest back there and down to the road in front. There's fencing on either side that mark the end of the property. Two farms border either side."

Dad nodded, "That's good."

"Would you like to see the inside?" Candace asked.

"That would be great," Mum smiled.

I followed my parents up the sloping lawn and to the front door. It was red to match the roof and there was a straw wreath attached.

"The Muggles who own it aren't home right now," Candace said as she put the portkey key in the lock, "They actually can't move out until June 30th. I hope that won't be a problem. I can help you find temporary housing if needed."

"That won't be necessary," Dad said, "If we decide to buy this house, we'll stay in Australia until the end of June."

Candace nodded. "All right. Feel free to look around and ask if you've got any questions."

Candace opened the door and we all walked inside. I stood in the foyer and looked around. This house had a very open floor plan. To the left was the living room, which was full of various furniture and Muggle technology. Behind the living room was the dining room. Next to that was kitchen. I walked towards the kitchen and saw a small hallway that led to the right, in front of the kitchen. I walked down it, opening various doors. I found a bathroom, a study, a den, the garage, and the stairs to the basement. The stairs leading to the upstairs were right in front of the front door.

I spent a few minutes wandering around the first floor and was surprised to find that I actually liked it. It was definitely different from our house in Australia, but not necessarily in a bad way. It seemed almost rustic and kind of reminded me of a normal version of Uncle Jack's house. There was a deck off of the kitchen that led into the backyard.

After I'd finished looking around the main floor, I went upstairs. The upstairs looked a lot like the downstairs, as far as style went. There were three bedrooms and two bathrooms. One of the bathrooms was in the master bedroom. There was also a very big room that could have been considered another bedroom, but Candace called it a playroom. I doubted my parents would let Matt or I have it as our bedroom, though, since we'd probably fight over it.

My parents were talking with each other when I wandered downstairs again. Candace wasn't with them, so I figured they were talking about something private. Surely it was something I'd want to listen in on.

I quietly walked into the kitchen and pretended to be examining the refrigerator.

"Can you make part of the basement into a safe room?" Mum whispered.

"Easily," Dad replied, "I'll just have to put up a few walls and set it up like the one at home. I'll probably just finish the whole thing and make a few other rooms and storage areas. That way Amy can have her potions room down there."

I hadn't even thought about my potions room. It didn't even occur to me that our new house might not have room for it. At least this one would.

"Good," Mum said. "I really like this one, Walt."

"Me, too, Julie."

"Think we should buy it?" Mum asked.

"Let's think it over for a couple of days and then get back to her."

"That sounds like a good plan," Mum agreed.

"What do you think about the house, Amy?" Dad asked, causing me to jump.

"It's ok," I shrugged, "I mean, if we have to move, I'd like to live here."

"I'll take that as you like it," Dad smiled. "Now where's your brother?"

"Watching the Muggle television," I pointed to the living room.

Dad laughed, "All right. Let's go get him and find Candace and go back to London. I know I'm sick of looking at houses."

Mum and Dad told Candace that they were interested in the house, but wanted to think about it for a few days. They promised that they'd let Candace know one way or the other before we left Britain. Dad had his interview on Monday, so we'd be staying at least until Tuesday.

******

Both of my parents were nervous about Dad's interview when Monday rolled around. The two of them were up early whispering about it and stopped talking when they realized I was awake. Once Matt got up, we all went downstairs to eat brekkie. Mum and Dad were very quiet during the entire meal.

When we got back to the room, Dad put on a pair of dress robes and we all wished him luck. He Disapparated and the rest of us sat down to wait for him to get back.

Dad returned about an hour later. Mum jumped to her feet as soon as the door started to open.

"How did it go?" she asked immediately.

"I think it went well," Dad smiled and walked inside. "They said they'd owl me when they make a decision."

"When will that be?"

"Sometime later this week," Dad replied, "I won't have to be interviewed again, though, so we can go home as soon as we can get tickets."

Good, I thought. We had been in Britain for almost a week. I wanted to spend as much time in Australia as possible, now that we sort of knew when we'd be moving. June 30th, if we bought the log house. I hoped we did. I didn't like any of the other houses.

"I suppose we should leave soon, then," Mum sighed, "Unless you want to look at anymore houses."

"I don't. I'd like to buy that last one we looked at, if you agree," Dad said.

"I do," Mum smiled, "The more I think about it, the more I like that house."

"Perhaps we can sign the paperwork today. I'd like to get back to Australia so we can put our house on the market. Why don't we Apparate over to the office now?"

"Sounds good to me," Mum agreed, "Let's go, Amy, Matt."

I groaned. Why couldn't they just let me stay in the room? I grabbed my last unread book and followed them out of the room. At the rate I was going, I wouldn't have any books left to read on the plane.

My parents were able to sign the paperwork that day. Matt and I sat behind them while they did so, bored out of our minds. I didn't see why it should take so long to buy a house. But no, my parents had to make various offers and then the real estate agent had to call the owners of the house to see if they were available to sign other paperwork. Luckily they were, but we had to wait for them to show up. I was ready to scream by the time everything was finished and we were walking out of the office.

"So, when are we moving in?" I asked, wanting to know exactly how much longer I had in Australia.

"July first," Dad grinned, "First day we possibly can."

"That's only a little over two months away," I replied, "Can't we wait until right before I have to start school?"

"No," Dad shook his head and lowered his voice, "It would be in your brother's best interest to move as soon as possible."

"You should consider yourself lucky you've got two more months in Australia, Amy. The only reason we're not moving sooner is because the house isn't available until then," Mum pointed out.

Lucky? The last thing I considered myself was lucky.

The plane ride back to Australia was the worst one yet. I was once again sitting next to a stranger and it smelled like this one hadn't taken a shower in years. The food was just as nasty, but it seemed worse since I kept smelling 'eau de stinky man'. Then, to top it all off, we flew through a thunderstorm and I got sick, despite the fact that I'd hardly eaten anything.

******

Once we were back in Australia, I realized that Olivia was on holiday until the end of April. I had completely forgotten that the first term was already over. It had gone by extremely fast since I hadn't actually been in school. This was the last holiday Olivia would have before I moved.

"Mum!" I ran into the kitchen after I realized that.

"What is it?" Mum asked as she prepared dinner.

"Olivia's on holiday from school," I said breathlessly, "Last one before we move. Can she please come visit? Please?"

"I don't know, Amy. We've got a lot to do. Dad's organizing the estate sale and getting the house on the market. We're probably going to have the sale anytime."

"Please?" I begged, "We won't get in the way of the sale. This might be the last chance I have to see her."

"Oh, all right," Mum sighed, "Ask her when she can come. I suppose anytime this month will work, except for the 24th through the 27th. Full moon's on the 25th."

I nodded. "Thanks, Mum."

I immediately ran back upstairs and wrote Olivia a very long letter that explained about our trip to Britain, and the fact that we would be moving there in July. As I wrote, I found that I felt worse and worse about the move. I realized that I could be seeing Olivia for the last time this month.

Dad flooed into the living room shortly after I sent off the letter.

"Where's your mother?" he asked immediately.

"Dunno," I shrugged, "Kitchen, maybe?"

Dad nodded and hurried to the kitchen. I got up and followed him. Mum was still in the kitchen.

"Hi, Walt," Mum said without looking up, "How did everything go?"

"Great," Dad replied, "The house is officially on the market. I've got the estate sale organized, too. It'll be on the 27th."

"The 27th," Mum repeated, finally looking up.

"Yes, the 27th," Dad said, "Why?"

"Walter," Mum said quietly, "That is two days after the full moon."

"I know. But that was the earliest day it could be done. I want it done as soon as possible, Julie. I don't think we'll manage to sell everything in one day. I've scheduled a couple sales."

"Why couldn't you just put it off another week?"

"The three Saturdays after were all booked up," Dad explained, "And then we'd be back to the full moon anyway."

"I just don't know," Mum shook her head, "That's really not the best day to have strangers meandering through the house."

"I know," Dad sighed, "But we have to sell everything before we move. The other sale is in June and that'll be our last chance to sell the stuff.

"Listen, Julie. It'll be ok. I've owled Jack and he will most likely fly down for the sale. He said he would. Don't worry about Matt. There'll be three of us here that day. One of us will be able to be able to check on him."

"I guess," Mum sighed, "We'll just deal with it when it comes."

"Excellent idea," Dad agreed, "We've got a little over two weeks until the sale. Let's try and relax for a few days and then started organizing what we're going to sell. Someone is going to come over next Saturday to help price everything and organize the house."

"Sounds good," Mum replied, "I told Amy she could invite Olivia over for a few days this month, since it's the school holiday."

"That's fine," Dad smiled and turned to me, "You owl her yet?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Let us know when she can come."

******

"Amy, what are you doing?"

I looked up from the potion I was brewing and saw Matt standing in the doorway of the room.

"Brewing," I said, "What are you doing in here?"

"I'm bored."

"Then go find something to do. You know Mum and Dad don't let you come in here."

"Well why not?" Matt whined.

"Because they don't want you to get hurt," I said as I stirred my potion. Why wouldn't he just leave? He was getting on my nerves. I went up there to brew in order to get away from him.

"Then why do they let you brew potions?"

"Because I'm fourteen and I've taken potions class," I replied, "Now go away. What did you want anyway?"

"Oh," Matt said and pulled a piece of parchment out from behind his back, "You got a letter."

I jumped up off my stool and ran over to him, snatching the letter out of his hand. "Why didn't you just give me that first?" I shouted.

"Dunno," Matt shrugged.

"Just get out of here!" I pointed to the corridor and slammed the door once he left.

I sat back down on my stool and opened the letter. It was from Olivia. I had been waiting for her response ever since I owled her the previous day.

Dear Amy,

Wow. That's all I can say is, wow.
You're really moving. And you're
moving to England of all places.
England! That's so far away it's
not even funny.

I suppose it is kind of cool that
you'll be going to a school that's
a castle. But still, I wish you'd
just stay here.

The house sounds nice, but a lot
different than your huge mansion
house. At least you like the house
that your parents picked, though.

Now comes the hard part. I would
love to go visit you for a couple
days. But I asked my parents and
they said no. They said no! Can
you believe that? You're leaving
in two and a half months and it
could be our last chance to see
each other.

I just can't believe they said no!
I asked them why and they said it's
well, this is kind of hard to write,
but it's because they don't want me
to be near your brother. I'm sorry,
I really am. I don't agree with them,
but I don't have a choice. I really
don't. I'm seriously so mad at them.

They said you could come visit me,
though. Let me know if you can.

Your friend,
Olivia

I slowly set the letter down on the counter and stared into the depths of my cauldron. Olivia wasn't going to come visit me. She couldn't. Her parents wouldn't let her. And why? Because of Matt. Once again, it was his fault. I slammed my hands down on the counter and jumped off the stool.

I ran out of the room and downstairs, my mind intent on finding Matt. I stormed into the living room and he was sitting on the couch, playing his DS.

"You little prat!" I shouted.

He startled and looked up at me. "What?"

"This is all your fault!" I yelled, "You're seriously ruining my life!"

"What did I do?" he asked, scrambling down to the other end of the couch.

"What do you think you did?"

"I don't know!" he said as he got up off the couch and made to leave the room.

"You're not going anywhere!" I shouted and grabbed the back of his shirt, "It's your fault Olivia can't come over! Your fault we have to move to England at all!"

"No it's not!" Matt cried, "Let me go!"

"No! I want you to know that this is your fault! Who's fault is it, if it's not yours?"

"Dad said it was the headmaster's fault. Now let me go!"

Matt struggled against my grip, but I was much stronger than him. My heart was pounding and I could feel it in my head. There was no way I was letting him go. Months of anger towards him was coming out and I didn't think I could let him go if I wanted to.

I pulled him back into the room and pushed him back onto the couch. I grabbed the front of his shirt and glared at him.

"Listen to me. This IS your fault. I don't care what Dad says. You are ruining my life. Not the Ministry. Not the headmaster. YOU," I seethed.

Tears were running down his face, but I didn't care. I wanted him to experience what I was going through. This whole thing was his fault and I was the one suffering for it.

"L-let m-me go-go!" he shouted, "MUM!!!"

I heard footsteps running into the room, but I still didn't let him go.

"Amy!" Mum grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me away, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"It's his fault!" I shouted as I struggled to get away from her, "This whole thing is his fault!"

Dad ran into the room next and stared in bewilderment at what was going on. Matt ran over to him and he picked him up. Dad sat on the couch with Matt crying into his shoulder.

"What's going on in here?" Dad asked, staring from Mum to me and back again.

"That's what I want to know," Mum glared at me, "I came in here and saw your daughter forcing Matt onto the couch!"

"You don't understand!" I yelled, "It's his fault!"

"Amy," Mum sighed, "How can it be his fault that you were hurting him? You're twice his size! You can't do that!"

"Not that!" I replied, "This whole moving thing is his fault!"

"Amy, we've been through this," Dad said quietly, "It's not his fault."

"Oh, yeah? We wouldn't be moving if he wasn't a werewolf," I retorted.

"Amy, enough about the move. I thought you had gotten over it," Mum said.

"Gotten over it?" I shouted, trying not to cry, "Gotten over it? I was just getting used to it!"

"Amy, we're sorry you're not happy, but that's no excuse to take it out on your brother," Dad said.

"It's not only the move, though!" I replied, the tears finally breaking free, "Olivia's parents won't let her come visit and it's all his fault!"

Mum and Dad exchanged glances. Mum sighed and shook her head. "I know. Olivia's parents sent us a very strongly worded letter regarding the matter. I would have never thought they would be like that."

"Well they are!" I shouted, "Just like the rest of this entire country!"

"Which is why we're moving, Amy," Mum replied.

"Well it's not fair! He may be the one who turns into a werewolf every month, but I'm the one suffering from it! My whole life's changed!"

"Your whole life has changed?" Mum raised one eyebrow, "I think your brother suffers a bit more than you may think."

"Well, I wouldn't know, would I? You kick me out of the house every full moon."

"Amy, I'm not discussing that with you right now."

"Fine," I huffed, "Olivia said I can go to her house. When can I go?"

Mum and Dad exchanged another glance. "Actually, Amy, we've decided not to let you go," Dad said quietly, "We don't feel comfortable having you around her parents."

I stared at them. "That's not fair! It's not my fault her parents are like that! So I'm never going to get to see Olivia again! Thanks a lot!"

I glared at both of them through my tear filled eyes. I broke free of Mum's grasp and ran out of the room.

"Come back here and apologize to your brother!" Mum shouted after me.

I completely ignored her and ran up to my room. I buried my head in my pillow and cried. Olivia and I would never get to see each other again. I couldn't think of anyway we could, if her parents wouldn't let her come to my house and my parents wouldn't let me go to her house. I was going to lose my best friend all because of our parents and my brother. I didn't care what my parents said, I was the one whose life changed the most when Matt became a werewolf.

He wasn't having to change schools. He wasn't losing his friends. He wasn't going to have to fit into a new school in the fourth year. When he went to Hogwarts, he would be a first year. Everyone else his age would be new as well. They'd all be in the same boat; trying to make new friends. When I went to Hogwarts, everyone would already have friends. Nobody would want to befriend the new girl.

Chapter 29: Confrontations

Olivia and I sent each other more letters than usual over the next few weeks, but it was strange knowing that we probably wouldn't see each other anymore. She tried to talk her parents into letting her come to my house, but they wouldn't change their minds. I had no luck with my parents either. The two of them were very short with me and flat our refused to discuss the topic. I tried to avoid them as much as possible anyway, since I got the impression that they were still mad about me flipping out on Matt.

I hadn't really apologized to him yet. Mainly because I didn't want to. I did feel bad about scaring him and being so physical, but I wasn't sorry about what I said. It was the truth. The fact remained that if he wasn't a werewolf, we wouldn't move. It wouldn't matter what the headmaster thought if Matt wasn't a werewolf. Dad probably wouldn't have lost his job either.

The British Ministry had contacted Dad a few days after we got back and told him that he had gotten the job. Both he and Mum were ecstatic about this and we had a celebratory dinner in the fancy dining room. Mum and Ellie cooked steak, which was delicious. My parents seemed to be in even higher spirits after that.

As the full moon drew closer, I began to wonder if I would have to go to Richard and Cinda's for it. Mum still hadn't talked to Cinda since the party and I didn't think she wanted to. At the same time, I doubted my parents would actually let me stay at home.

Uncle Jack had decided to fly to Australia a few days prior to the estate sale. He wanted to pick out the stuff he wanted to keep and help Dad with the sale. He wound up arriving in Australia the day before the full moon.

Dad went to the airport to meet him and the rest of us stayed at home. We waited in the living room for them. Neither Mum or Matt were really paying much attention to me, though. I was used to it by then and just kept my nose in my book.

I looked up when I heard the sound of someone flooing. Uncle Jack stepped out of the fireplace with a large suitcase.

"Wow," he grinned and looked around the room, "Been a long time since I've been here. Kind of hard to believe it's being sold."

"Yeah," Dad said after he stepped out behind Uncle Jack, "But life changes."

"It certainly does," Uncle Jack mused, "So, how is everyone?"

"Better than I've been in months," Mum smiled, "Now that we've got an official move date."

"Tired," Matt mumbled.

Uncle Jack sat down on the couch next to him and gave him a hug. "You'll feel better in a couple days."

"I'll feel worse tomorrow," Matt muttered.

"But it'll get better after that," Uncle Jack said and then turned to me, "How about you, Amy?"

"Life sucks," I said flatly.

"Why's that?" he asked, looking at me curiously.

"Olivia's not allowed to visit me anymore, since her parents don't want her around Matt," I explained, "And Mum and Dad won't let me visit her because her parents are prejudiced gits. So we're never going to get to see each other again."

Uncle Jack let out a low whistle. "Wow. That is tough."

"Yeah, but I can't do anything about it," I muttered.

"So, Jack," Dad changed the subject, "Do you want to get started going through things or sleep?"

"Might as well just get started," Uncle Jack stood up, "I've got to adjust to Australian time anyway."

"Sounds good. Everything's been priced out already, but just take what you want. I'll tell you if it's something we're taking or not."

The two of them turned to leave the room, but as they did so, the fireplace lit up and someone stepped out of it. I jumped and turned towards it. Ralph Lubar was standing in front of the fireplace, glaring around the room.

Both Dad and Uncle Jack turned around. Dad stepped forward with a grim look on his face and Uncle Jack followed him, looking bewildered. Mum put her arm around Matt in a protective manner. I got up from my seat and went to stand farther away from Lubar.

"Lubar," Dad growled.

"Eckerton," Lubar growled back.

"Who the hell are you?" Uncle Jack asked.

"This delightful wizard is the one who now has my job," Dad said without turning away from Lubar.

"Oh," Uncle Jack stepped forward and drew his wand, "You're the one making life difficult for my nephew."

Lubar drew his wand as well. "I'm only passing the laws everyone else wants passed."

"I don't care what you call it," Uncle Jack took another step forward. The tip of his wand was almost touching Lubar's chest, "Anyone who messes with my family is going to have to answer to me."

"Is that a threat?"

"You honestly need me to clear that up for you?" Uncle Jack asked.

"Who in the name of Merlin are you anyway?"

"Jacob Eckerton."

"So you're the one from New York, eh?" Lubar sneered, "Well, I don't know how they do things over there, but here, it's frowned upon to threaten Ministry employees."

"In New York, it's frowned upon to threaten kids," Uncle Jack growled, "So I suggest you quit making things difficult for my family."

"What are you doing here anyway, Lubar?" Dad interrupted, "And put your wands down, both of you."

Neither Uncle Jack or Lubar withdrew their wands, but Dad didn't say anything else about it.

"Another inspection, Eckerton. Have you acquired a shed for your son to transform in?"

"I have not," Dad answered, "Nor do I plan on it."

"Then you'll face the consequences," Lubar smirked.

"Another fine?" Dad raised his eyebrow, "Fine me as much as you want. I won't have him transform in a shed."

"Hmph," Lubar muttered, "I guess we need more legislation. I'll be back with your fine in a few days."

"Good," Dad said, "Now get out."

Lubar slowly put his wand back in his robes, turned around, and stepped into the floo. A few seconds later, he was gone.

"He's the bloke who took your place?" Uncle Jack asked, pocketing his wand.

"Sadly, yes," Dad ran a hand through his hair.

"Blimey, the Ministry is losing it."

"Sure is," Dad agreed. He turned to leave the room and Uncle Jack followed. I heard them whispering about Lubar as they left.

"Amy," Mum said once they left, "I'm taking you to Richard and Cinda's in an hour or so."

I groaned. There wasn't anything that would get me out of going there. Even when Mum wasn't on speaking terms with Cinda, I still had to go to their house.

"Fine," I muttered and left the room to pack my bag. I just didn't feel like arguing with her anymore.

Mum was waiting for me in the living room when I came back an hour later. She didn't say a word as she motioned for me to Apparate with her. We left the room with a crack and appeared in the bush near Richard and Cinda's house.

I wondered if Mum had told Richard and Cinda that I was coming over. Lately we had been Apparating directly into their house and I thought it was odd that Mum chose to take us to the bush instead.

We walked silently down the street and to Richard and Cinda's driveway. Mum paused for a moment and then pushed the intercom button. She leaned close to it and I couldn't hear what she was saying. A few seconds later, the gates opened and I followed Mum up the driveway.

Cinda was waiting for us in the doorway, her face completely unreadable. She said nothing and walked back into the house. Mum and I followed her into the kitchen.

"Julietta," Cinda said quietly.

"I don't want to hear it, Mother," Mum replied, holding up her hand, "I'm forever grateful that you're letting Amy stay here for the full moons, but I can't talk about it now. Not until you understand why we have to move and why you shouldn't have thrown us that party. You've been putting your reputation before your family my whole life and I just can't take it anymore."

"Julietta, please-"

"No," Mum shook her head, "I'm sick of it. I've explained numerous times and you just don't get it. Either Walter or I will be back Saturday morning to pick up Amy."

"I don't want us to be angry with each other when you move," Cinda said quickly.

Mum looked Cinda in the eye. "Then apologize, Mum, that's all you've got to do. Tell me you understand why we're doing this. Tell me you'll stop putting your reputation first."

Mum turned away and left the room without waiting for Cinda to answer. Cinda sank down onto one of the stools as soon as Mum disappeared from the room. I stood awkwardly in the doorway and stared at Cinda, unsure whether to say something or not.

"Cinda?" I asked tentatively, "Are you ok?"

"Don't worry about me, Amy," she replied, "I'll be fine once your mother stops fighting with me."

I didn't bother mentioning that all Mum wanted was an apology. Instead I nodded and left the room.

The next few days were some of the most boring ones I'd ever spent at Richard and Cinda's. Kenzie's family was on holiday, so I didn't get to see her at all. I did write her a letter and stick it in her mailbox, though. Cinda was very quiet the entire time, which was odd. I guessed it was due to the fact that Mum wasn't talking to her. Richard was his usual self, but it's not like he really did much fun stuff to begin with.

Half of me was happy when Saturday arrived and I finally got to go home. The other half was dreading it. The estate sale was that day and I was not entirely sure I wanted to be home for it. Mum and Dad had let me help choose what furniture we'd be saving, but it's not like they let me save it all. They let me keep everything in my bedroom, though. In fact, my entire bedroom was off limits to anyone attending the estate sale. Potential buyers of the house, on the other hand, were a different story. A real estate agent was going to be at the sale to give people tours of the house if they were interested in buying it. They would get to go in my room. Mum even made me clean it, along with my potions room, the day before I went to Richard and Cinda's.

Mum and Dad had told me that I would get to decorate my new bedroom entirely myself. Well, I would plan it and they would do the spells. But I got to choose everything. I was very excited about this because I would finally get to paint stars on my walls and ceiling. I was planning on painting the Southern hemisphere's night sky on the ceiling so it would almost feel like I was still in Australia. Dad said he could charm them to twinkle and disappear when the sun rose.

I got up early on Saturday and packed my stuff. I was eating a bowl of cereal when Dad announced he was at the gate on the intercom. I buzzed him in and a few minutes later he was at the door.

"Can you please tell Julietta to call me, Walter?" Cinda hurried down the stairs clad in a dressing gown as Dad and I were about to leave the house.

Dad turned around and sighed. "Cinda. I agree with Julie. I'm not getting in the middle of this. But I will tell her that you want her to call you. I highly doubt she will, though. Just apologize, Cinda."

Cinda said nothing as we left and Dad shut the door after us. Dad was very quiet as we walked down the driveway, so I decided not to speak either. I was curious about the fine Lubar had said he would give him, though. Was it a bigger fine than before?

My house already seemed busier than usual when we Apparated into the kitchen. I noticed a few people from the estate sale office milling about as well as the real estate agent. I immediately went up to my room and stowed my overnight bag in my closet. I noticed that everything in the house had been polished and cleaned. The old portraits were sparkling and their occupants were whispering to each other, obviously wondering what was going on. As far as I knew, Dad was selling most of the pictures and portraits that adorned the walls. There were a select few that we would be taking with us and another couple that Uncle Jack wanted. But most would be sold.

A few hours later, people started to arrive. They gathered in bunches on the front lawn and were greeted by the salesmen. I suspected the majority of them just wanted to see the inside of the house and gossip about it. There had been a very long article in the paper the previous week detailing the estate sale as well as the sale of the house.

I had no idea what to do with myself during the sale. I spent a half hour in the living room, but felt awkward when a salesman led a group of gawking witches in, explaining about every object that was up for sale. I went up to my room after that, but left after the real estate agent brought in a couple interested in purchasing the house.

Dad and Uncle Jack seemed to spend their time answering questions people had about various objects. I still hadn't even seen Mum or Matt since I returned home and suspected they were in Matt's room. My brother probably hadn't fully recovered from the full moon and Mum surely wanted to keep him away from all the curious people.

Eventually I decided to tag along on one of the tours. I was kind of curious as to what the real estate agent was telling everyone about it. Real estate agents always made houses sound better than they really were. I wondered what this one would say about our house.

The tour group I followed consisted of a middle-aged couple, two old witches, and a young wizard. The real estate agent first led them into the kitchen, where Ellie had set out a plate of fresh cookies to make it smell nice. (It makes the house feel more inviting, the real estate agent had told us earlier.)

"We'll start with the kitchen," the real estate agent said, "As you can see, it is state of the art, but still reminiscent of the age it was built in."

"When was it built?" the middle-aged man asked.

"1859," she replied, "The kitchen is also equipped with a few Muggle appliances, which were put in when Walter and Julietta moved in. A few electrical sockets were installed as well."

I stood in the doorway as everyone inspected the kitchen. It was kind of strange, knowing that possibly one of these people would soon own my house. A few minutes later, they finished with the kitchen and moved on to the living room. Next was Dad's study, then the formal dining and living rooms, and eventually, we had made our way around the entire first floor.

The real estate agent then led us up to the second floor. She pointed out various aspects of the architecture that even I hadn't really known. Everyone in the tour seemed interested, especially the middle-aged couple.

"There are ten bedrooms," the real estate agent announced, "Not all of them are on this floor, though."

I noticed that the two old ladies were hanging back and whispering together. One of them then pushed the other to the front of the group and she looked nervously at the real estate agent.

"So," the old lady began, "We were wondering...Where's the werewolf?"

The old lady immediately retreated back to her friend and the two of them waited anxiously for the real estate agent's answer.

"Uh, er," the real estate agent stuttered.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked, suddenly stepping forward into the midst of the tour group. Despite the fact that I was angry with my brother, I still felt the need to defend him.

"We're just...curious."

"How would you like it if someone went into your house and asked where you were?" I asked loudly.

"Er-"

"That's what I thought," I shouted, "So why did you ask?"

"Excuse me, miss," the middle-aged man tapped me on the arm, "She was just curious. In fact, I was wondering the same thing. You're being rather rude. Why are you on this tour anyway? I daresay you wouldn't be able to afford a house, especially one as grand as this."

I stared at him, completely bewildered. "What am I doing here? I live here!" I shouted at him, "Thanks for calling the house grand, though. I'll certainly let my parents know what you think. I'll let them know what you all think, especially what you think of my brother."

"No, no, wait!" the middle-aged man said, "I'm sorry. You're right. None of us should be asking questions like that."

"Too late," I replied, "You've already asked them."

"I wonder where he transforms," I heard the other old lady whisper.

"Shut up!" I shouted at her, "He's a kid, not an animal!"

"The Ministry disagrees," the man muttered.

"Who the hell cares about the Ministry?" I asked, "The Ministry is horrible!"

"Amy, could you please just let us continue the tour?" the real estate agent interrupted.

"Fine," I huffed, "But I'll be telling my dad about these gits. I guarantee none of them will be buying the house."

I turned and left, completely ignoring the stuttering and pleading of the middle-aged man. If he really wanted to buy the house, he shouldn't have insulted my brother.

Dad was showing a man our formal dining room table when I finally found him. I waited patiently (ok, maybe not so patiently) for him to be done and then told him about the old ladies and the couple. The next thing I knew, all four of them were being escorted off the premises by Dad. The man appeared to practically be begging to stay. I smirked and waved at them as they passed me on their way out the door.

The house was starting to empty out a bit. It was emptying of furniture and other items, that is, not of people. There were still plenty of people milling about. It was kind of odd to watch strangers paw through your stuff and buy it. I passed a few men wearing neat and pristine robes muttering amongst themselves about the quality of our family silver. I hadn't actually seen the stuff in years, but the idea of people not in our family owning it gave me a weird feeling in my stomach. We weren't selling all of it, though. Uncle Jack took about half of it and my parents took half of what was left. It's not like they'd actually do anything with it. They'd probably just pack it up and store it in some closet in our new house. But it's got sentimental value.

I still had no idea what to do with myself. Tagging along on another tour would be a bad idea. The real estate agent looked like she wanted to kill me by the end of that last one. She'd most likely hex my mouth shut if I decided to follow another tour.

I wandered into the formal living room and stood in a corner as Uncle Jack and a salesman completed the sale of one of the couches. That didn't bother me in the least. I always hated that couch. It was the ugliest thing to every cross the threshold of the house. The thing was cream colored with pink and purple flowers all over it. Then there were the gold-trimmed arms, which were tacky in my opinion. Dad told me his mother had picked it out shortly after she got married. Why my grandfather agreed to it is beyond me.

"Mum will be happy that that's gone," I whispered to Uncle Jack after he completed the sale.

"I think we're all happy that it's gone," Uncle Jack grinned. "So I hear you got a bunch of people kicked out."

I grinned, "Sure did. Dad made them leave. They weren't too happy, especially the bloke who wanted to buy the house."

"I'll bet not," Uncle Jack smirked, "Well, I'd better get back to the selling."

"Ok, see you later."

I spent a bit more time in the formal living room and then went back to the regular living room, which was thankfully empty. My parents had decided to keep all the furniture that was in that room, which I was happy about. That furniture was what made our house seem like our home, not the fancy furniture in the other rooms.

I picked up a book I had left on the coffee table and settled onto the couch to read. I had read a few pages when I noticed green light in the corner of my eye. I looked up and saw that someone was flooing into the room.

That was odd, I thought. My parents had arranged for everyone to Apparate into a selected area of the yard. They didn't want a whole bunch of people flooing in and out of the house. It would have been too chaotic and messy. But I guess whoever was flooing now didn't get the message.

The flames subsided and a man stepped into the room. Another man, much younger, stepped out behind him. I let out a gasp as I recognized them. It was my dad's cousin and his son.

"Hello, Amy," the older one said gravely, "Long time, no see."

Chapter 30: Family Feud

My family is very small. I don't have any first cousins. I don't have any cousins at all on Mum's side, but I suppose I do on Dad's side. Dad and Uncle Jack had one cousin. He was their father's brother's son. His name is Clarence and he had one son, who is my second cousin. His name is Gregory.

Dad and Uncle Jack were really close to Clarence when they were kids. Clarence was like their brother. They spent all their time together as young children and then went to school around the same time. After they all graduated, Clarence got married and had Gregory. Dad and Uncle Jack went on their search of the world for the Hallows and didn't spend as much time with Clarence as they used to. But they remained close. They remained close as Dad married Mum, Uncle Jack moved to New York, I was born, my grandparents died, and Matt was born. We used to spend every holiday with Clarence, his wife, and Gregory, as well as other times throughout the year.

Then Matt was bitten. Dad knew that Clarence had a negative view of werewolves, but thought he would change when one of his own relatives was a werewolf. He changed all right, but not in the way Dad had been hoping. Clarence would not accept the fact that Matt was a werewolf and broke off all contact with us and Uncle Jack. I still remember the fight they had about it. It was the worst fight I've ever seen. Much worse than the one Mum had with Cinda last month. None of us have seen Clarence or his wife or Gregory in over two years.

I stared at Clarence and Gregory, unsure of what to say or do. Both of them had the exact same look on their long faces. There was a hint of excitement in their eyes, but they were frowning at the same time.

"Go find your father, Amy," Clarence demanded.

I nodded and got up from the couch. I ran out of the room as fast as I could. Dad wasn't in the corridor nor was he in the kitchen when I checked. I looked throughout the entire first floor and couldn't find him.

"Dad!" I shouted as I ran up the stairs, "Dad!"

"What is it?" Dad popped his head out of one of the spare bedrooms, "Everything ok?"

"I don't know. I don't think so," I said, "Um, Dad, Clarence and Gregory are in the living room."

All the color in Dad's face drained away and he stepped out of the room. "What did you just say?" he asked quietly.

"Clarence and Gregory just flooed here," I replied, "I don't know why."

Dad nodded and stuck his head back into the room. "Jack?"

"What is it?" I heard Uncle Jack reply.

"You'd better come down to the living room with me."

I followed Dad and Uncle Jack back down the stairs and into the living room. I had no idea what was going to happen, but I didn't want to miss it.

Both Dad and Uncle Jack stopped in their tracks when they entered the room. I squeezed between them and returned to my seat on the couch.

"Walter," Clarence said, "Jacob."

"Clarence," Dad replied.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Uncle Jack asked immediately, "I distinctly remember telling you you weren't welcome here anymore."

"That was a long time ago," Clarence said.

"Really?" Uncle Jack asked, "Have you changed your opinion on anything?"

"I most certainly have not," Clarence laughed, "But that no longer matters. Times are changing. Indeed they are... Walter, I understand you are no longer employed by the Ministry."

"You understand correctly," Dad muttered.

"Why does that matter? You're still not welcome here," Uncle Jack growled.

Clarence let out a manic laugh. "Why does it matter? Why does it matter? It matters because your brother is moving out of the country."

Uncle Jack raised his eyebrow. "And that matters because...?"

"The house, Jacob, the house," Clarence began to walk around the room, looking at everything with a smile on his face, "It matters because of the house."

"You're not buying it, Clarence," Dad said darkly, "I've already kicked a few people out because of their view of werewolves. I won't hesitate to do the same with you."

Clarence stopped walking and turned to look at Dad. He stared at him for a few seconds and then burst out laughing. "Buy the house? You think I'm going to buy the house?"

"That's certainly what you're implying," Dad replied, taking a step toward Clarence.

"I daresay you're mistaken, then, cousin," Clarence sneered, "Because I have no plans on purchasing this estate."

"Then why the hell are you here?" Uncle Jack demanded.

"To inform you that you can't sell this place."

"What?!" Dad and Uncle Jack shouted at the same time.

"That's ridiculous," Dad said, "This is my house and I can do what I please with it."

"That's where you're wrong," Clarence grinned.

"Would you just explain to us what the hell is going on?" Uncle Jack shouted at the top of his lungs, "If you don't, I won't hesitate to hex you!"

"Fine," Clarence muttered.

"Get on with it, then!" Uncle Jack shouted.

Clarence opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a single word, there was a loud rap on the door. I hadn't even realized that Dad or Uncle Jack had shut it.

"Er, hang on a second," Dad said and walked over to the door. He opened it a crack and stuck his head out.

"What are you doing in there?" I heard Mum ask, "Is Jack in there with you? A couple of the salesmen are wondering where you are. And did I just hear Jack shouting?"

"We've got a bit of a situation," Dad said, "Remember my cousin, Clarence?"

"How could I not remember that arse?" Mum replied.

"Well, he's here...."

"What?!" Mum shouted and pushed open the door.

Dad jumped aside and Mum ran into the room with Matt in her arms. Mum stopped short in the doorway and glared daggers at Clarence. I hadn't seen such anger on her face since the last time Clarence was in our house. She put my brother down on the couch next to me and stood next to Dad with her arms crossed.

"What. The. Hell. Are. You. Doing. In. My. House," Mum seethed.

"Ah, Julietta," Clarence said, "I was just explaining that to Walter and Jacob."

"You'd better," Mum growled, "Before I hex you into next century."

"Let's keep wands out of this, shall we?" Clarence said nervously, seeming to realize that he was now outnumbered.

"Depends on what you're going to say," Uncle Jack said.

"I'll just get on with it," Clarence replied, "I was perusing the paper the other day when I noticed that this house was up for sale. Needless to say I was shocked. This house has been in our family ever since it was built and the idea of it not passing into the hands of an Eckerton was frankly disturbing.

"Then I vaguely remembered something in your parents' will that prevented the house from being sold, so long as there was an Eckerton who wanted to own it. A bit of quick research proved I was right," Clarence turned to his son, "Gregory?"

Gregory reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of parchment. He handed it to his father and retreated back to his previous position.

"You've got to be kidding me," Dad sighed.

"This is ridiculous!" Uncle Jack shouted, "This house belongs to Walt and he has the authority to do as he pleases with it!"

"That's where you're wrong," Clarence smiled and handed the paper to Dad.

Dad, Uncle Jack, and Mum remained silent for a few moments as they read the parchment. I stared in shock at Clarence. Was he serious? My parents wouldn't be able to sell the house?

Dad lowered the parchment and glared at Clarence. "You're right. That is indeed what the will states."

"I cannot believe this, Clarence!" Uncle Jack threw his hands in the air, "You dug up this minuscule bit of the will?"

"I most certainly did," Clarence replied, "I wanted to make sure all the rules were followed."

"And I suppose you want the house, Clarence?" Dad asked wearily.

"That's exactly what I want."

"No!" Uncle Jack shouted, "I won't stand for it! I'll take the house then! You won't get it if I want it. I'm a closer relative to Walter."

"Ah, that's where it gets tricky," Clarence grinned, "You see, it also states that the owner must live in Australia. And I believe you still reside in New York?"

"Yes," Uncle Jack muttered and turned to Dad, "And I can't move back here, Walt. Especially not with the way the Ministry is going."

"It's ok, Jack," Dad sighed, "I guess Clarence gets the house."

"Wonderful," Clarence grinned.

"You know what?" Uncle Jack took a step forward, "This is absolutely ridiculous. You seem to be taking pleasure in the fact that you're taking the house from Walt. You're only adding to the stress and misfortune that he and Julie and the kids have been through the past few years.

"Walter lost his job. They have to move to England just to get away from the anti-werewolf legislation and the general discrimination. What you're doing could be prevented. You have a perfectly good house already. You don't need this house. You're only taking it because you can. And, in my opinion, because you want him to suffer some more."

"That's what you think?" Clarence asked, "I simply want the house to remain in the family."

"That's a load of dung and you know it. You've hated us for the past two years."

"You're the ones who stopped contacting me."

"And we had a good reason!" Uncle Jack exclaimed.

"Depends on your definition of good reason."

"According to my definition, it was a good reason."

"Ok," Dad interrupted, "Let's not break out into a duel here. You're right, Clarence, you get the house. We'll work out the details and then get back to our usual policy of never talking to each other again. We clear?"

"Crystal," Clarence replied, "Let us know when you're leaving."

"July first," Dad told him, "I'll have the real estate agent send you the paperwork."

"Good," Clarence smiled.

"Now get out," Uncle Jack growled and pointed to the fireplace.

"Very well," Clarence nodded. He stepped over to the fireplace, followed by Gregory. The two of them stepped into it and were gone in a flash of green light.

Dad let out a sigh and collapsed onto the couch next to Matt. Uncle Jack and Mum each took a seat on various arm chairs.

"I suppose I better go call off the sale of the house," Dad muttered.

"I still can't believe he did that," Uncle Jack shook his head.

I couldn't either. In a few short months, Clarence would be living in our house. The thought of that was worse than having strangers move in. To think that someone who hated Dad was going to get the house was unbelievable.

"It'll be ok, Walt," Mum said, "We won't be here anyway."

"I know. It's just the principle of the thing. Not to mention the fact that we need the money we were supposed to make from the house."

"We have plenty of money," Mum assured him, "We're still able to sell the furniture. Clarence is going to have an empty house when he moves in."

"It'll match his empty heart," Uncle Jack muttered.

******

After Mum and Dad talked to the real estate agent, a good amount of the people in our house left. A few were very disappointed that they wouldn't be able to buy the house, but we didn't have any say in the matter.

The sale went on another few hours, but eventually the house was empty again. Even emptier than usual, actually. Mum, Dad, and Uncle Jack had managed to sell almost half of all the furniture and other objects they planned on selling. Dad hoped the rest of it would sell at the second sale.

It was kind of depressing to walk around the house now. Many of the rooms were empty or close to it and the place felt less like home. Mum and Dad seemed more subdued than they had been, although that may have been because they were being forced to give the house to Clarence instead of selling it.

Uncle Jack was still fuming about that. He kept looking over Grandpa and Grandma's will over and over again, trying to find a loophole. Unfortunately, he didn't find one. Dad kept telling him that there was nothing they could do about it, but he didn't seem to want to believe that.

Uncle Jack stayed for a few days after the sale. He brewed a few potions with me and one night we stayed up stargazing, which was fun. The day before he left, Clarence, his wife, and Gregory came over to the house to sign the paperwork to transfer ownership of the house. Some bloke involved with real estate came over as well to facilitate the whole thing.

Mum, Dad, and Uncle Jack were ready for them even before they arrived. The three of them were standing near the fireplace with grim looks on their faces. Matt and I sat on the couch. Mum had told us we should stay upstairs, but there was no way I would miss this. I wanted to see Clarence take possession of the house, even though I was incredibly angry about it.

The floo lit up a few moments later and all three of my cousins stepped out. Clarence's wife, Jacqueline, actually came this time. I've never liked Jacqueline, even when my parents and Uncle Jack were speaking with Clarence. She reminded me of Cinda, only more stuck up and irritating.

"Walter, Jacob, Julietta," Clarence said stiffly.

"We'll do this in the kitchen," Dad muttered, "The real estate agent is already in there."

I followed them into the kitchen and sat down at one of the island stools. The adults all took seats around the table. Clarence was wearing the same smirk he had worn the other day.

"So," Clarence said, "See the article in the paper the other day?"

"I don't wish to discuss that," Dad replied.

Clarence was referring to the front page article about our house and the fact that Clarence was going to obtain it.

"Let's just get on with the paperwork, shall we?" the real estate agent suggested.

They spent the next half hour signing various forms and not saying much. It was rather boring. It wasn't until after the real estate agent bid everyone a good day and left the house that I thought things would heat up.

"Tell me, Walter," Clarence began, "Why exactly are you moving? The papers weren't clear."

Dad glanced at Mum before answering. "Well, I'm sure you're aware of the legislation that has passed through my former department recently. Julie and I don't feel comfortable raising Amy and Matt here anymore."

"Ah, so you're doing it for your werewolf kid," Clarence sneered at Matt, who hid behind Mum.

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you," Dad growled, "This is still my house."

"I'm just stating the truth," Clarence replied.

"I don't care what you're stating," Uncle Jack put in, "You need to learn when to shut your mouth."

"Jacob," Clarence addressed my uncle, "I was wondering if I could speak to you alone."

"I suppose you could," Uncle Jack replied, "Although I can't guarantee I'll listen."

Uncle Jack and Clarence left the kitchen and went into Dad's study. Jacqueline and Gregory remained in the kitchen, which was kind of awkward.

"I think I'll like this kitchen," Jacqueline commented, "The house elves will certainly put it to good use."

"Yeah," Mum muttered, "Because you certainly wouldn't ever actually help your house elves with anything."

"Why should I? House elves exist to help us."

"That is ridiculous," Mum replied.

"Just because you treat your house elf as an equal, doesn't mean the rest of the world does," Jacqueline said, "By the way, does yours come with the house?"

Mum glared at her. "Of course not! Ellie is capable of doing as she wishes! I highly doubt she'll want to live here under your command."

Jacqueline stuck her nose in the air and turned away from Mum. She was probably the most stuck up person I had ever met in my life. Her views on house elves were awful. I always felt bad for her house elves when we used to visit her house.

We stood awkwardly in the kitchen for a few more minutes. I was beginning to wonder how much longer Uncle Jack would be in Dad's study, when a loud bang made me jump.

Clarence came banging into the kitchen, sporting a bloody nose and gripping his wand. Uncle Jack followed him, looking disheveled and angry.

"Jacqueline, Gregory, we're leaving now," Clarence seethed.

"Clarence!" Jacqueline exclaimed, "What happened?"

"You'd better get out of here right now!" Uncle Jack shouted, pointing his wand at Clarence, "Or you'll have more than that broken nose."

Clarence glared at Uncle Jack and then wordlessly led his family into the living room. We followed them and watched as they flooed away.

"What happened, Jack?" Dad asked wearily as soon as the flames died down.

"Stupid. Bloody. Git," Uncle Jack growled as he sat down on the couch.

"What did he do?" Dad asked and sat down next to him.

"Told me he'd 'make it worth my while' if I severed ties with you and began speaking to him again," Uncle Jack muttered, "Told him no, of course."

"That's it?" Dad asked skeptically, "You were in there an awfully long time."

"Well, then we argued about it for a while."

"And what did he say to make you hex him?" Dad asked.

Uncle Jack sighed and glanced at Matt. Then he turned back to Dad. "He said and I quote 'Befriending half-breeds will get you nowhere in life. Your brother and nephew are not worth your time'."

"That bloody arse!" Dad shouted, "I can't believe him."

"So, he deserved it, as you can see," Uncle Jack commented.

"I'd say so," Dad agreed, "I probably would have done the same thing."

"Well," Mum sighed, "He's gone now. Hopefully we'll never have to talk to him again."

"But he's getting the house," Dad muttered, "Still can't believe he's getting the house."

Neither could I. But what was more unbelievable was what he said to Uncle Jack. Clarence used to be like another uncle to me. He doted on me when I was little. When I was a little kid, it was like I had four parents almost all to myself. Mum, Dad, Uncle Jack, and Clarence. Jacqueline was Clarence's second wife. Clarence and Gregory's mum divorced when Gregory was five or so. Gregory went to live with her for most of the time. Whenever Clarence didn't have Gregory around, he came to our house and played with me.

Then, as soon as Matt got bitten, he was gone. For some reason he just was so prejudiced against werewolves, that he refused to see any of us. Until he wanted our house, that is. I was completely used to him not being in my life anymore, but it shook me a little to have him storm back into our lives like that.

******

Uncle Jack left the next day. The Magical Movers Company came and packed up all the furniture and other items he was taking and magically shipped it to New York. The house was even emptier after he left. Life got back to normal, well as normal as it ever was. As the days wore on, Mum and Dad seemed to accept the fact that Clarence was taking the house. It seemed to me that all they cared about was getting out of Australia. Sure, they were disappointed they wouldn't make any money from the transaction, but it didn't take them long to get over the fact that Clarence would live in our house.

Olivia and I kept owling each other every few days or so. She was still interested in everything to do with the move and I kept her updated. I told her about Clarence getting the house and she thought it was horrible.

It still made me sad to write her letters, though. I couldn't imagine a time when we would actually be able to see each other. I sighed and sealed the envelope on the letter I had just written her.

The house was very quiet as I walked downstairs to Dad's study. It was still kind of early in the morning. Mum and Dad were still in their room. I heard them whispering to each other as I walked by. Matt's room was quiet, so I assumed he was still asleep.

I quietly pushed open the door to Dad's study and crept inside. Jasper was standing on his cage, ruffling his feathers. There was a dead mouse laying inside the cage and he looked immensely proud that he caught it.

"Hey, Jasper," I smiled, "Nice mouse."

He hooted loudly and nipped at my hand. I laughed and let him have the owl treat that I had brought for him. He ate it eagerly and then stuck out his leg. I tied the letter to it and patted him on the head.

"Take it to Olivia, ok?"

I opened the window and Jasper flew out. I watched him until he disappeared into the bush. I sighed and sat down on the windowsill. I wouldn't be able to send Olivia nearly as many letters after we moved. Jasper wouldn't be able to fly halfway across the world three times a week. At least I'd be able to use Muggle post to send letters to Kenzie, although I wasn't sure how long it would take a letter to get from England to Australia.

Dad's office still looked the same as it always did. There wasn't anything in it that he was willing to sell. I wondered how long it would take him to pack everything. That would definitely be interesting. Mum would surely want him to get rid of a lot of stuff, but I doubted Dad would be willing to do that.

The books alone would take forever to pack. The bookcases were overflowing and there were stacks of books on the floor, too. Most of them were related to magical creatures. An entire shelf was devoted to werewolves. There was also a stack of werewolf books on the floor.

I found it hard to believe that Dad actually read all those werewolf books. The top one must have been at least 700 pages. I picked it up and cracked it open. Just as I suspected, tiny print. I was about to place it back on the stack when the book below it caught my eye. I set the werewolf book down on the floor and glanced at the door. It was still quiet and I didn't think anyone else had gotten up yet.

I quickly picked up the book I had noticed and sat down on the floor. The book was entitled, 'Animagus Training: What You Need to Know'. Animagus training? I had learned about Animagi in school. I always thought it would be awesome to be one, but it was incredibly hard.

I looked back at the stack of books I had previously thought to be werewolf books. A quick glance at the titles told me otherwise. They were all books about becoming an Animagus. Every last one of them. Six to be exact. Why did Dad have that many books on Animagi?

There was a piece of parchment sticking out of the book I had in my hand. I pulled it out and glanced at it. It was a list of spells. About half of them had red check marks next to them. A quarter had blue check marks as well. At the top of the sheet was a title, 'Spells for Animagi Training'. At the bottom, in tiny letters were the words, 'Walt=blue, Julie=red'.

My eyes bugged out of my head and I jumped up. Were Mum and Dad trying to become Animagi? If they were, why? I went over to Dad's desk and looked at the huge pile of parchment and books on top of it. Nothing visible resembled anything Animagus related.

I closed the book and ran out of the room. This was just another thing my parents were hiding from me and I wanted to know why. If they were training to become Animagi, I wanted to do it, too. I ran all the way up to their bedroom and burst in.

Mum and Dad were laying in bed and immediately stopped whispering when I barged in. They looked at me strangely and then glanced at each other.

I held up the book. "What is this?"

Mum and Dad looked at each other again. "A book," Dad muttered.

I groaned, "I know it's a book! It's a book on becoming an Animagus! Are you two trying to become Animagi? Why? Why didn't you tell me? I want to do it too!"

Dad sighed, "Amy, first of all, you're only 14. You don't have the magical ability to become an Animagus."

"I could figure it out," I told him, "Might take a while, but I could do it."

"Fine," Dad replied, "But to answer your other questions, your mother and I were trying to become Animagi."

"Why?" I asked, "Wait, were? You've already figured it out?"

"No," Mum said quietly, "We were trying to become Animagi, but we've stopped."

"Why?" I was getting tired of their short answers that didn't completely answer my questions.

Dad sighed again. "We decided a year or so ago to try and become Animagi so we could be with Matt on the full moons."

I stared at them. Were they insane? "Seriously?"

"Yes," Dad replied, "Werewolves are only dangerous to humans on the full moon, not other animals. We thought if we became Animagi and stayed with him, he'd hurt himself less."

I suppose that made sense. But still, it was a little mad. "Why'd you stop?"

"Because of the study," Dad answered, "If we spent the full moons with him as animals, it would mess up the data. He wouldn't hurt himself as much, but we wouldn't know if that was due to us or the potions he'll take."

"Oh," I said. That made sense. "Why didn't you just do the Animagus thing and not the study?"

"We won't always be with him during full moons," Mum said quietly, "When he gets older and goes to school, we won't be there. Nor will we be there when he's an adult. It would be better for him to be able to rely on potions and not us."

I nodded. "So you're not going to keep training?"

"No," Dad said, "We'd be too tempted to go spend full moons with him."

"Is this why the two of you spend so much time in Dad's study?" I asked.

"Yes," Mum replied.

"But why didn't you just tell me what you were doing?"

"We didn't want Matt to find out," Dad said, "In case it didn't work out. We didn't want him getting his hopes up."

"Which means you can't tell him about this," Mum warned.

"I won't," I assured her.

"And go put that book back where you found it," Dad told me.

I nodded and left the room. I would never have guessed that they would try and become Animagi to be with Matt on full moons. There didn't seem to be anything they wouldn't do for him. They'd lose their jobs, fight with their families, attempt difficult spells, and even move across the world for him. He really was lucky that our parents cared so much. I learned about werewolves this past year in school and a lot of them were abandoned by their parents when they were bitten. Despite all the difficulties, my brother did have a good life.