s8ndusky19

[s8ndusky19]

Chapter 1

Ruth Bishop couldn’t believe how long she had been in the car. After 2 hours, the rolling fields of her new home, Texas, were starting to get old. 

“Are we there yet?!”, she moaned. Her father, Lorenzo, glanced at her through the rearview mirror and smiled. 

“We’re almost there, Old Bird. It takes a lot longer to get around than back home.” At the mention of home, Ruth’s heart dropped to a place where the usual warmth that came when her dad used her nickname couldn’t reach. Boscastle was the place she was born. The small town by the river was where Ruth took her first steps, said her first words, “Dada” to the delight of her father, and made her first friends. She lightly touched the gold-chained necklace around her neck where three small pendants hung. One had the letter “R” for Ruth, one “S” for Stacy and one “M” for Monica. The universe had led the three to meet after a similar circumstance. 

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Ruth always felt a little different from the other kids in town. On top of her occultist parents, the strangest things always seemed to occur around her. Boscastle was known for its magical place and even had a witch museum. She went on a school trip there once in primary school and learned about the terrible people who would burn others at the stake because they were different. There was one painting that caught her eye depicting angry people with torches and a scared woman tied to a pole. She couldn’t help but feel anger towards the ones with torches. How would they feel if they got set on fire? Before she moved on, something suddenly caught her eye. Was that mist suddenly coming from behind the painting? No, it couldn’t be smoke, she thought. But to her amazement, one of the angry people started to glow orange and was soon melted by a flame. The fire alarm went off and her group had to leave the building. 

Both Lorenzo and Mary, Ruth’s mother, were ecstatic when her Hogwarts letter arrived. Rose was always interested in the occult which led her to Charles, who turned out to be an actual wizard. Ruth, however, was never interested in her mother’s colorful crystals, herbs that stunk the whole cupboard or books in languages she thought were long dead. But when her parents explained on her 11th birthday that she was actually a witch, Ruth had to admit there were some exciting possibilities here. 

Going to the Leaky Cauldron was Ruth’s first time in a pub. But the family wasn’t there to grab a drink. She watched in confusion as her father pulled out a long stick from his backpack, the one she thought was just a souvenir from the museum gift shop, and tapped it against a few bricks in the wall. To her amazement, the wall magically opened up and they entered another world. The world of magic folk. There she got all the supplies she needed. Her wand, made of Black Walnut, some parchment, ink, and a few feather pens. Her parents also surprised her by letting her pick out a pet. Ruth chose an eastern grass owl due to his pretty brown and white spots. She called him Ichabod. 

A few days passed and her parents took her to King’s Cross station. When her father said they needed to get to platform 9 ¾, she thought he was teasing her. Ruth certainly didn’t find it funny when her father, without saying a word, grabbed her hand and started running toward the wall. She tried to stop them both, but her father’s grip was just too strong. But instead of smacking into concrete, they were transported into an entirely different train station. That was the first time she ever saw the Hogwarts express. 

It was that first ride on the train that she met Stacy and Monica. She was at the window trying to be more excited than homesick. It was the first time she had ever left home for so long, so Ruth was a little nervous. Then came a knock at the cabin door. It slid open to reveal the two girls who asked if they could sit there, since there wasn’t room anywhere else. The girls got to talking and as more time passed, Ruth felt more at ease. 

At first, she found Hogwarts a bit intimidating. The grand castle overlooking the lake gave a sense of tradition and expectation, were there expectations that she needed to fill? On the boat ride to the school she learned that Stacy was the first witch in her family. 

“At first we had no idea what the letter was talking about. Luckily, the owner of the pub my dad always goes to has some magic folk in the family. After he explained everything, I was thrilled! I hated my classmates back home. So, an opportunity to start over? Yes please!” Monica, on the other hand, came from a long line of wizards. Though, both only learned this after much prodding and poking. 

“It’s nice that we don’t have to worry about any financial stuff, but I’d like to use some of that money and help other people," she said. During the ceremony the three were placed into their houses. Monica was placed in Slytherin, Stacy was in Gryffindor and Ruth was placed in Ravenclaw. The next year became one of the greatest of her life. She learned about potions, charms and how to fly on a broom. Her circle of friends expanded more and by the time she went home for the summer holiday, Ruth felt like she was leaving home all over again. At first, it was fine. She knew she would be back in the fall and would send letters to Stacy and Monica. Then, one day, at dinner, she noticed her parents acting weird. 

Looking back, they had been acting strange for months, but it felt like, during that dinner, it was almost impossible to ignore. 

“Sweetie, we have something to tell you.”, started her mother. They told her that Charles had gotten a new job and that they were moving….to America. The news seemed to mentally knock Ruth into the back of her seat. Move? To America? 

“But what about Hogwarts?!”, she asked. 

“Yes, well, unfortunately you can’t go back there. But there are some wizarding schools in America. Once I figure out exactly where we’re living, we’ll send you to the closest one.”, said Charles. Both parents tried to sound hopeful, but all Ruth could feel was dread. She was the happiest she had ever been in her life and now they were taking it all away from her. It took her the whole of the next week to even talk to either of them again. Then, even longer to write the bad news to her friends. 

Ruth wanted to pretend it wasn’t happening. That her parents would still live in Boscastle and that she was still going back to Hogwarts. But as the moving day grew nearer and nearer, it was harder to lie to herself. On the day of, she ignored her father’s anxiety over his first plane ride and his mother in the seat next to him trying her best to calm him and looked out the window. As the plane took off, she mentally said goodbye to the United Kingdom, which held both of her homes and now her heart. 

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As her father drove their new Nissan SUV into the town of Brady, Ruth did not get the first impression that wizards and witches were going to school here. Mesquite trees placed between small shops on the main road made the place feel charming. 

“38 celsius and there’s still people milling about town!”, said her father. 

“Who’d want to go out on a day where I can fry an egg on the sidewalk?”, asked Ruth. 

“Well, these people are probably used to it. Though, those men can’t be very comfortable in those pants.” Ruth glazed her eyes over the town and went back to reading her book. Her mother had gotten it for her at the gift shop in the airport. It contained many Texas ghost stories and urban myths. 

“There’s nothing in here about hippogriffs or elves.”, she said. 

“Oh?”, asked her mother, “What is in there?”

“Skinwalkers, ghosts, the Chupacabra?”

“What’s a Chupa…Chupacobra? Chopacaba?” Ruth laughed at her father’s confusion. 

“A Chupacabra is a demon dog that goes around at night sucking the blood from goats. According to the book, lots of farmers find their livestock dead and blame it on the…Chupacabra…instead of the more likely reason: wolves and dingos.” 

“Hmm, don’t remember learning about it when I took “Magical Creatures” class. After the battle, Hagrid kept pushing all his energy mostly into studying thestrals. A lot more people could see them, so we got to study them closer and learn more about them.” She shook her head. Her new letter that she got before they left Boscastle said to go by the creek and wait there. As her father parked the SUV in an empty parking lot overlooking the water, Ruth hopped out and looked around. No sign of anything magical here. But she had learned by now that a lot of the things from the world of witches and wizards hid in plain sight. Ruth and her parents slowly walked up and down the lakeshore, noticing that it wasn’t near as deep as the one that ran through Boscastle. The family walked until they almost couldn’t see the car anymore. Then they turned around and came back. Ruth was beginning to worry that maybe they had done something wrong, when she noticed something surprising. 

“Was that fisherman always there, Dad?” Her father followed her gaze and also seemed surprised to see the old man in the baggy black coat. 

“No, I don’t think so.”, he replied. Her father surged forward while her mother placed a gentle but sure hand on her right shoulder, drawing her nearer to herself. “Excuse me?” The old man slowly turned his attention from the line that was making ripples in the lake toward Charles.  “We’re the Bishops? We were told to wait here?” The old man got up, nodded, and dusted himself, placing two rocks between the line so that any fish that took a bite would hopefully stay on the hook. 

“Been waitin’ for you. Supposed to be here an hour ago.”

“Yes, well, we got lost.” Ruth noticed the almost salt and pepper look of his beard that stretched all the way to his chest. 

“Yeah, folks from out the country tend to be. I’m Bertram, by the way. Bertram Baker.”

“Are you one of the faculty members here, Mr. Baker?”, asked Rose. 

“Oh, not me Ma’am. I tend the grounds, watch the magical creatures, and keep the place safe when it needs it.” Bertram caught the parents’ worried looks to each other. Don’t worry! I’m not the only thing here protecting…?”

“Ruth, Ruth Bishop.”

“Castillo de Maya is the safest place for magic folks this side of the country. Now don’t get me wrong, Ilvermony’s pretty safe too, but I like to think we’re a little bit more relaxed. Oh, Ms. Bishop, what house were you in Hogwarts?”

“Ravenclaw.”

“Ah, a fine house. Most Ravenclaws who transfer over here end up in Mockingbird.”

“Mockingbird?” Mr. Baker looked like he was about to explain, then seemed to be against it. 

“Ah, I’ll let Professor Aguilar explain everything to you. My place is to get you through the door.” He turned his attention back to her parents. 

“I’ll let you say your goodbyes, get her stuff and then we’ll be off.” And that’s what they did. Her parents led her on another short walk on the riverside, reminded her about manners, about the consequences for getting into trouble, and to use Ichabod to send them letters. When they walked back to the car, both Charles and Rose hugged her goodbye and wished her well. It was not the first time she was sent off to school, so their parting was not as sad. After unloading all her things, they got into the car and headed to their new home back in Austin. She waved to her mother until they were just another dot on the landscape. 

“Well, shall we be off then, Ms. Bishop?” Ruth nodded and grabbed her navy blue messenger bag and the cage that contained a rather annoyed Ichabod after being locked up in the car for so long. Of course, this was nothing compared to how angry he was when he came out of the airplane. It took a whole day for him to let her give him his favorite treat, a piece of raw chicken leftover from dinner. 

He led her across the small wooden bridge that looked like it would fall apart at any moment. 

“Trick for the muggles.”, said Bertram, “Nobody in their right mind would cross this thing.” She was having doubts herself but slowly walked till she was halfway across the lake. He walked ahead of her and she was surprised to suddenly see him disappear. Realizing this was like the platform at King’s Cross, she took a deep breath, and walked through the veil. 

“Welcome to Castillo de Maya , Ruth Bishop!”, said Bertram.