//------------------------------// // Interlude 1:Those Left Behind // Story: Magic School Days // by Dogger807 //------------------------------// It was a large and impressive muggle kitchen; black granite graced the counters and the appliances were the stainless steel variety. In the Altar to Morning, the center counter, a pot of coffee barely finished filling when Emma Granger reached for the nectar. Early mornings did not really agree with her; as a matter of fact, Emma had a history of arguing with them, arguments she was prone to lose. Just as she was pouring herself a ration of liquid wakefulness, there came the sound of clicking on the kitchen window, as if someone were tapping on it with their fingernails. Pulling herself away from coffee, Emma glanced at the window and saw a snowy white owl pecking lightly at the pane. When the bird saw that it had her attention, it gave three more quick raps on the glass. Emma smiled to herself; she had been informed about the tendency to use owls as message bearers. It was a strange and impractical-seeming practice, but if this was how she was to stay in contact with her daughter, she’d get used to it. Crossing the length of the kitchen, she opened the window and let her morning visitor in. “Aren’t you just a beautiful thing?” she cooed as the owl took roost on the kitchen island. “I was told that having owl treats on hand would be a good idea, but I must admit I forgot to purchase them. I was about to make breakfast, though, and there will be some sausage, if you’d like. Emma was just talking to talk; she wasn’t awaiting an answer, but the bird bobbed its head and barked at her. There were no words, but Emma got the distinct impression that even though they weren’t bacon, sausages would be fine. After blinking at the bird owlishly for a few seconds, she went to the stove and started a fry-up. Only then did she approach the owl and remove the letter it bore. Emma had been very wary of the idea of sending her daughter away for schooling. The thought that she wouldn’t be seeing her offspring for months on end was very disturbing, yet it was offset by the knowledge that she could not help Hermione learn magic. She and her husband had been aware of that shortcoming for a period well prior to her daughter receiving that letter from the school. Flying stuffed teddies were rather hard to miss, after all. It had come as no small relief that there was a community of magic users, albeit a hidden one. Her daughter would be taught how to use her gifts and not be a danger to herself or others. Reading through the books her daughter had bought at the magic book store brought some understanding of their ways. Even though Emma had been forced to wait for her daughter to fall asleep before she could get her hands on “Hogwarts: A History”, the book had given a decent, if not obviously abridged, summary of what life would be like at the school. Predictably, once she had been made aware of the school’s existence, Emma had dialed up the internet to see what information could be obtained. What she found there was more than a little disturbing. A little research showed that the magic community was evidently obsessed with keeping itself secret and, as a result, segregated from non-magical communities. To maintain that secrecy, they would employ a spell to remove people’s memories, and they would systematically destroy or alter documents pertaining to their existence. Unfortunately for them, they had yet to comprehend the importance of video cameras, computers, and the internet. Admittedly, the people writing the newsgroup threads didn’t have all the answers, but they knew where The Leaky Cauldron was, they knew where platform 9 ¾ was, and they knew what the mages who took away memories looked like. Their veil of secrecy was well and truly ripped away, and the wizards and witches weren’t even aware of that fact yet. Her daughter would be feeling the effects of that within her lifetime, especially if technology continued to advance as fast as it had been. Trying not to imagine the worst-case scenarios of what was to come, Emma started to read the letter. It was exactly as Emma had hoped; the missive was from her daughter, detailing her first day of school. <-> She arrived early, earlier even than the building was officially open for visitors. So, she sat by the door with her tail wrapped around her legs and waited. There had been no more sleep last night; instead, she had been alone with her thoughts. The result had been the injection of determination to her conviction, and she had concluded she would put this off no longer. She had scarcely sat before the door was thrown open by a light tan mare with a foal’s bottle and rattle for a cutie mark. “You’ve come,” the tan mare beamed. “Come in! Come in! We’ve been expecting you!” Speechless at the unforeseen greeting, she entered and basked in the feeling of home that radiated from within the building. She would not have thought such a thing possible from such a place. Silently, and a little nervously, she followed the tan mare who was chattering along, “We knew it was just a matter of time before you came calling. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it is that you finally had your epiphany. We like to think it was self-evident for everypony to see, but sometimes it takes a little push.” The visitor let her ears fall, and she barely got the whisper out. “I thought I’d lost her.” Then after a deep breath, she said aloud, “I thought I’d never see her again.” The tan mare nodded, her ears also drooping as she stopped in front of the office door. “I know; we were all so worried here. It wasn’t a good week. The other children were all distraught; a few even refused to eat.” The visitor continued as if not hearing the words of the tan mare. “No, that’s wrong. I didn’t think I had lost her . . . I knew I had lost her. I kept wishing there was something I could do, something I could have done. I wished I could have told her just how much she means to me.” She lifted her head and let her pleading gaze fall fully on the tan mare. “I wished I had known just how much she meant to me.” The tan mare perceived that the one before her had gone through a drastic change. The visitor’s ego had clashed with the understanding of things too important to even be given a proper name, and her ego had lost; overmatched, her ego had been ruthlessly crushed. Despite this, she had emerged more mature, and, evidently, more willing to undertake responsibility. The tan mare opened the door to her office and gestured for her guest to follow. “Unfortunately, I’ve been down that road myself. This time, we were lucky; there are second chances available.” Her guest smiled weakly and said, “That’s right. I get a second chance. I won’t let it slip through my hooves.” The tan mare reached into a drawer and pulled out a packet of papers. They had been prepared months ago with this individual in mind. They were just sitting and waiting for this day. “Sometimes, all it takes for us to commit is the realization that the heart knows what is right even though the head refuses to believe.” The guest nodded her head as the papers were placed in front of her. “It’s time to do what I should have done before.” She started signing the papers that formally began the adoption process. <-> Vernon Dursley populated his bed as he had a bit of a lie in. His loving wife had already gotten up to start breakfast a while ago. She was now forced to do the activity herself, since the boy was no longer present to mess up the meal on a regular basis. Vernon grinned to himself as he reflected how life had taken a turn for the better. True, the boy was off with his unnatural freak friends, learning unnatural freak things, but he wasn’t Vernon’s problem right now. He wouldn’t be his problem for most of the year. He could relax and be normal for once, without the worry that the boy would do something freakish. He’d still have to contend with the hassle during the summer months, but, for now, he was free. Today he planned to waste the day away watching sports on the telly, a well-earned reward for a hard week put in on the job. <-> Molly Weasley cooked, what seemed to her, a small breakfast. It was just for her husband and her; as such it didn’t need to be very much. As the bacon fried, she could feel that the house was empty, the unnatural quietness grating at her very nerves. She was unprepared for the silence. She had planned on at least one more year, with one more child to keep her company. Instead, the absence of all of her offspring was a psychological blow, a bittersweet reminder that they had a tendency to grow up, to grow apart and not need their mother anymore. They had a tendency to live their own lives. She was so proud of each and every one of them. Arthur and her may not have been able to give them everything they deserved, but they all had made do with what they had received. All of them had risen above the norm and were making marks for themselves. Her oldest had been head boy, and now her youngest was starting school a year early. Yes, she had been blessed by an assortment of exceptional children . . . if only it didn’t hurt so much letting them grow up. <-> Applejack paused to survey the hogs as she hauled the slop wagon toward the pigpen. Many of the chores had been neglected over the course of the week, but the hogs had been fed, if not otherwise cared for. Today, she’d catch up with the work that had been disregarded. Nurse Redheart had told her to take the day off, but Applejack knew that hard work was what she needed instead. It would help her get her mind off just how angry she was. Never before in her entire life had she been so angry. Never before in her entire life had she been so relieved. If Apple Bloom were to show up that very moment, Applejack wasn’t sure if she would tan her little hide or hug her and never let her go. It was a close call. Just knowing she was alright was uplifting in a way that only a parent could adequately explain. Truly, unless you were a parent yourself, you couldn’t actually understand what they were trying to convey to you with that explanation. Having somepony tell you that they would rather die than have harm come to their children sounds so cliché that it might be easily overlooked as uninspired, or even hollow. The fact of the matter is that the phrase falls short of conveying the truth behind its meaning. Many think it is an exaggeration, yet any parent will tell you that it is the unadulterated, plain and simple truth. Applejack now had a new and profound understanding of that phrase. Whistling for the pigs’ attention, Applejack began transferring the slop from the cart to the feeding trough using a bucket and her hooves. This was not a chore you’d want to use your mouth to accomplish. The hogs, whose only concern was stuffing as much food as possible as fast as possible into their stomachs, came charging at the announcement of a meal. Grimly, Applejack mechanically went through the motions of the task at hoof while her mind wandered back to the last couple days. Relief and anger warred with one another. Halfway to completion, she realized two things. The first was that she was weary, bone-tired. The second was that it was no contest at all, she would hug Apple Bloom for all she was worth if she were here right now. In the end, anger could not compete with love. <-> Rarity stared at the breakfast she had prepared for herself. She was both starving and without appetite. The humor and paradox of the situation did not escape her attention. A letter had been sent, but there was no guarantee when or if it would reach the fillies, and no pony knew when they would send another owl. They may even think that the first owl never arrived since it had failed to return with a reply. Forcing herself to eat, Rarity still had worries, worries that were easy to deal with compared to what she had experienced over the last several days. She would recover. There would be no work done today. Rarity knew that she didn’t currently have the drive, and she ached in ways she would not have thought possible, both physically and mentally. No, today was a day to recover. She would go find Fluttershy, and together they would drag the rest of their friends to the spa for a much-needed relaxation period, even if she had to drag Applejack the entire way in her telekinesis. <-> Laughter giggled. Magic hummed. Kindness loved. Loyalty planned. Honesty accepted. And Generosity healed. It wasn’t a perfect day, but it was a better day than they had dreamed possible.