Unlikely
“Britt!” Brittany turned around when she heard her name being called. Instantly she was tackled into tight hug. “I’m going to miss you over the holidays, are you sure you have to visit your uncle and cousin?”
Brittany held onto her friend for a second, “Janey, you know I always visit Luna during summer. I promise to write though.” With that Brittany let Janey go and turned to get into her mother’s car. “I’ll write soon.” She yelled out the window as the car drove off. Janey was left standing by the curb watching Brittany disappear. Brittany wasn’t sure if she’d ever see her again, but that was the path she had chosen and there was no point in being sad about it now.
“Did you have a nice last day of term?” Brittany’s mother asked while she drove.
“Of course mum. So when is Uncle Xeno and Luna going to pick me up?” Her mother paused, not wanting to answer the question. It was a sore topic between the two; Brittany loved her magical family as much as she loved her muggle one, but her mother had a hard time with it.
“You can talk to your father about it when we get home.” Her mother said while turning up the volume on the radio, ending the conversation.
Once the car pulled into the driveway Brittany sprinted out of it, slammed through the front door and raced into her father’s study.
“I’m home!” She cried out, “When is Uncle Xeno coming to get me.” Her father looked up from his cauldron and smiled at his daughter, never once stopping stirring.
“Close the door sweetheart.” She did as her father asked quickly and turned back around still waiting for an answer. “And he’s actually sent a portkey for you. It’s set to leave in five hours. Just enough time for you to pack and have some dinner.” Her father’s eyes then drifted back toward the recipe for the potion he was making.
Instead of heading up to her room Brittany skipped closer to him and asked, “What’re you making?” Her gaze moved quickly from the potion on her father’s desk to the many ingredients that were next to the cauldron. There were many herbs that Brittany could name, and quite a few she had never seen before, and made her wonder when her father had gone to Diagon Alley without her.
“I’m attempting to make a draft of Felix Felicis,” by the look of his weak smile it wasn’t going so well. Brittany couldn’t really remember what that potion was; but she was only 11 and hadn’t started at Hogwarts yet. Before she kept looking around the room Britt slunk back into one of her father’s chairs and stared at the smoke billowing from the cauldron.
“What’s Felix Felicis?” She asked as her gaze took in more of the study. Brittany loved being in her father’s study. It was the only place in the house her mother allowed magic. It was the only place in the house that Brittany felt at home. She loved looking at all of the moving pictures, and magical objects, and she loved spending time with her father.
He was a very odd sort of man; well all her muggle friends and family thought so at least. Her father was a pure-blood wizard, and had fallen so in love with her mother that he moved to the muggle world, and cut as many ties to magic as he could. He didn’t use magic; unless in his study. He didn’t allow owls to deliver any mail; except on Sunday. And he had allowed Brittany to grow up in muggle school, even if he did have secret study sessions with her late at night. Brittany was so proud of him. She wanted to love someone as much as her father loved her mother.
That didn’t mean everything was perfect though. Her mum and dad got into plenty of arguments, mostly about Brittany’s future. They had agreed to let her decide if she wanted to grow up as a muggle or a witch, and of course she had decided that she was a witch, she couldn’t deny that part of herself. Her father had smiled, while her mother just huffed and left the room. Brittany couldn’t understand how he could love someone so different from himself. How he could almost give up who he was for the person he loved. She had asked him once, and he replied that magic wasn’t worth it without her mum. She still didn’t quite understand, but she was sure she would someday.
“It’s also called liquid luck.” He replied snapping her out of her thoughts. “Now you better get upstairs right away, your mother will not be pleased if you miss dinner because you were still packing.” He shooed her out of his study with one hand while the other was reaching for some boomslang skin.
“Dad, when do you think I’ll get my Hogwarts letter?” Brittany asked as she was being shooed. “I was hoping it’d arrive before I left for the summer.” Brittany desperately wanted to be able to celebrate being accepted into the school with her father, even though that was looking like it wouldn’t happen.
“It’ll get to you soon Brittany, probably while you’re visiting your uncle and cousin.” He said while still looking at the potions book.
Brittany left the room then and headed upstairs to pack up her life for the summer. She wouldn’t be returning until late August and then it would be off to Hogwarts come September 1st.
Dinner passed just like the last dinner did every summer. Her mum made her favorite meal, but then completely ignored any mention of the fact that Brittany would be gone for the next two months, and her dad followed her mothers lead. Brittany on the other hand was bouncing in her seat counting down the minutes until the portkey would take her to Ottery St. Catchpole.
“Dad when does the portkey leave exactly?” She asked during desert. Her father looked at the clock and then stood from the table very quickly.
“In two minutes! Hurry and get your stuff into my study!” Brittany shot up from the table kissed her mums check as she ran past and grabbed her suitcases.
When she appeared in the door to her father’s study she saw that he had moved the cauldron off his desk and in its place was an old looking baseball bat. “Is that the portkey?” She asked.
“Hurry child.” Her father motioned her toward it. Brittany stepped up and touched the bat just as it started to glow, then she felt a pull somewhere in her navel, and her father’s study disappeared.
When she could see anything again, she was standing in a giant field with her uncle and older cousin looking at her with huge smiles on their faces.
“Come give your Uncle Xenophilius a hug.” He said with his arms outstretched to greet her. Brittany jumped into his arms. “And how’s my favorite niece?” Brittany just clung to him tighter. He chuckled and tried another question, “How’s my favorite Brother-in-law?”
“He’s fine Uncle Xeno.” Brittany finally released him and went to hug Luna. She was so happy to see them she didn’t stop smiling until later that night when she finally fell asleep.
Days spent with Uncle Xeno and Luna were filled with everything she was missing at home. Magic was a huge part of life at the Lovegoods, and it was one of the many reasons she loved being there.
“I’m going down to river Uncle Xeno!” Brittany yelled as she ran down the spiral staircase to the main floor.
Xenophilius and Luna were sitting at the table drinking tea, “Hold up there little one.” He said with a smirk while reaching for something on the table. “I’ve got something for you.” He held up an envelope with green writing on it.
Miss B. Pierce
Her cousin’s spare bed
Lovegood residence
Otter St. Catchpole
Devon
Brittany snatched the letter away and ripped it open…
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall
(Order of Merlin, First Class)
Dear Miss Pierce,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…..
Brittany didn’t read the rest. The rest didn’t matter; all that mattered was that she was accepted! She could go! Her life as a witch could officially start!
Brittany forgot about all about the river, and started asking her uncle when they were going to get her school supplies. “Can we go to Diagon Alley right now!” She asked excitedly. Xenophilius chuckled a bit.
“How about you go down to the lake and I send an owl to your father. I’m sure he’ll want to come with us.” He replied as he pushed her out the door despite her protests that it wasn’t Sunday and the owl wouldn’t get through.
Brittany decided she was going to spend the rest of the day down by the river, she didn’t want to have to go back inside and face her uncle telling her he hadn’t heard back from her father yet.
“What’re you doing?” She heard a voice ask while she was laying down staring at the river. Brittany turned around a saw a girl looking down at her.
“Watching the river.” She replied simply turning back to it.
“That seems boring.” Was the reply she heard, “Don’t you have anyone to play with?” Brittany looked up at the girl again.
“My cousin usually plays with me, but she’s very busy today. I think she said she had a meeting with someone about researching the crumple-horned snorkack” The other girl’s face scrunched up in confusion and Brittany hoped the girl wasn’t a muggle. She didn’t usually talk about magic at home, and so when she was at her uncle’s the words just couldn’t stop themselves from leaving her mouth.
“What’s a crumple-horned snorkack?” The girl asked. Before Brittany could answer the brunette turned away and mumbled, “Must be some stupid muggle thing.” As she was going to walk away Brittany stopped her.
“You know about muggles.” She started with a smile gracing her lips.
The Latina nodded her head, “Of course.”
“So you’re a witch!” Brittany said with a lot of enthusiasm and just a bit too loud.
“Hey! Shhh now.” The girl said quickly looking around to see if anyone was near them. When she saw no one she replied with, “Of course I’m a witch.” She straightened up, to introduce herself, and stuck her hand out for Brittany, “My name’s Santana Lopez. I’m visiting some relatives on the other side of the river.”
Brittany took her hand, “Brittany Pierce and I’m visiting my uncle and cousin; they live just over there.” She gestured toward the tree line. “Just past those trees.”
“So what house are you in?” Santana asked.
“I don’t know yet. I start Hogwarts this year. What house are you in?” Brittany replied. She didn’t know much about the Hogwarts houses; her father had told her that she would learn if she got there. She did know that her uncle and cousin had been in Ravenclaw, and her father had been a Hufflepuff, but she didn’t know where she might end up.
“I start this year too, although most of my family has been in Slytherin. So that’s probably where I'll be.” She said with a smirk. Brittany hadn’t learned anything about Slytherin house so she just nodded.
They continued to talk until Brittany saw Luna walking toward them. “Time for dinner Brittany.”
“Ok!” Brittany stood and turned back to her new friend. “I have to go, will you be around tomorrow?”
“My family and I are going to get my school supplies tomorrow.” Santana said as she stood also.
“Hi I’m Brittany’s cousin Luna.” Luna stretched her hand out to the smaller girl. Santana reluctantly reached out and shook Luna’s hand quickly.
“I should probably get going also.” and she took off down the riverbank.
Brittany stared at the retreating form of the latina and for no apparent reason her heart started racing. She took off after her. “Santana!” Santana turned around just in time to see the blonde running into her arms. “I didn’t want you to leave without saying goodbye.” She hugged the shorter girl tightly and then just as quickly released her. “See you soon?”
“Uh….yea of course Britt-Britt.” Santana said in a small voice, not even realizing she had given Brittany a nickname. “I’ve really got to get going though.”
Brittany smiled the whole way back home.