The Footsteps of my Father

Chapter Six

-The Announcement -

On Christmas morning, Brianna awoke to Maria and Terrance jumping on her bed. "Wake up! Brianna, wake up! Come see the presents!" they cried.

Brianna rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking at them sleepily. "Okay, okay, I'm coming," she said with a smile, covering her mouth with a yawn.

"Yea!" Maria cried, running out of the bedroom, Terrance at her heels. "Mommy, Brianna's coming!" Brianna heard Maria cry.

Brianna laughed quietly as she climbed out of bed. She yawned, stretching as she made her way into the living room. A small tree had been set up next to the fireplace, decorated with the hand-made popcorn strings and bows that they had made the previous night. A cheery fire burned brightly in the fireplace, making the room glow softly.

"Merry Christmas, Brianna," her father said, walking over to her and giving her a hug.

"Merry Christmas, Dad," she said, hugging him in return.

Her mother came over and gave her a hug. "Merry Christmas, dear," she said.

"Merry Christmas, Momma," Brianna said, smiling.

"Well, I think it's time to open presents, shall we?" her father asked, looking around at them, grinning.

"Yes! Presents!" Terrance yelled, running around in a circle.

Brianna laughed as she sat down by the couch. Although there were only a few gifts around the little tree, Brianna knew that they were thought-felt and she didn't mind at all. She was just glad to be able to share this time with her family.

"Brianna, this is yours," Maria said, handing Brianna a gift.

Brianna smiled. "Thank you, Maria." Brianna tore of the wrapping paper and opened the cardboard box, pulling out a beautiful dark blue cashmere sweater. "Oh my god," Brianna gasped, tears coming to her eyes. I wonder what this cost! The only place I know that sells this is Macy's and they're so expensive! "You guys, you didn't have to do this."

Her mother and father smiled. "It's your birthday and Christmas present from us, and we wanted you to have something special."

"Thank you so much!" she said, tears pouring out of her eyes. She jumped up and ran over to her parents, hugging them fiercely.

"We're glad that you like it," her father said, smiling.

"Can I open my present now?" Maria asked, bouncing where she stood for she was so anxious to get to her present.

They looked at her and laughed. "Of course, dear," her mother said.

Maria grinned and ran over to the tree, dragging a large box over in front of the couch. Brianna sat down on the couch, pulling on the cashmere sweater. She smiled, hugging her arms around it. She watched happily as Maria tore through the wrapping paper.

"I'll help too!" Terrance cried and proceeded to rip off the paper. Underneath the paper was a box with a large Barbie doll in it.

"Ooooo, a dolly!" Maria cried. "Daddy, open it!"

"Sure," her father said and went into the kitchen. He returned with a large pair of scissors and began cutting through the plastic. After a lot of cutting and pulling, he took out the doll and handed it to Maria, who hugged it tightly.

"I love it!" she said, grinning from ear to ear.

"My turn!" Terrance said and ran to the tree. He walked back and sat down, placing his present in front of him. He tore off the wrappings, revealing a stack of three books. "Oooo, books!" He quickly picked up the first one, flipping through the picture-filled pages. "Look Brianna, it's the swan princess!" he cried, pointing to a picture.

Brianna crawled over to him and looked where he was pointing. She smiled, looking at him. "You're right."

"Did you write this?" Terrance asked, his eyes wide, looking at her.

Brianna chuckled and smiled. "No, I didn't, but I got the story from a book I read. Now you can read stories."

"So I can tell you stories now?" Terrance asked hopefully.

"Of course," Brianna said warmly. Terrance grinned and continued to flip through the pages. Brianna looked at her parents. "Thank you so much, for everything."

"You don't need to thank us," her mother said, smiling. "Seeing the enjoyment on all your faces is payment enough."

"Don't you have gifts to open?"

Her mother shook her head. "Our gifts are sitting before us, in you, Maria, and Terrance."

Brianna smiled. "You guys are really too much. I love you!" she cried, hugging both of her parents. Maria and Terrance looked up from what they were doing and ran over to their parents.

"We love you too!" they cried, hugging their parents.

*~~*~~*

As they sat down to their Christmas dinner, her father cleared his throat and said, "Children, I have an announcement to make."

They stopped eating and looked at him. "What?" Brianna asked.

"You know how the rioters have been making my job difficult."

"Yes," her mother said.

"Well, they're shutting down the factory."

"What?" her mother cried, dropping her fork into her mashed potatoes. "You mean you don't have a job anymore?"

"Just wait," her father said, holding up a hand. "There's more."

"More?" Brianna asked, raising her eyebrows.

"When they told us they were shutting down the factory, they called out a few names to see the owner of the chain of factories. When I went to my meeting with him, he told me that they were going to relocate us to a different place so that we could keep our jobs. We'll be helping other factories get on their feet and get stronger, working as consultants."

"You mean we have to move?" Brianna asked.

"We're leaving?" Maria asked, looking at her parents wide-eyed.

"Yes, Maria," her father said.

"Where are we going?" her mother asked.

"England."

"What?" Brianna exclaimed, her jaw dropping open. "England?"

Her father nodded. "Yes."

"How are we expected to move to England?" her mother asked. "We can't afford the airfare."

"It's covered by the company since they're relocating us. I was talking with Dr. Nemon, as he has become a good friend of the family, and he knew of a place we could stay that was up for sale and in our price range. It will take us awhile to pay it off, but we'll manage. He also had some strings he pulled to have me placed in factory close by. We have a small house in Surrey. He convinced me that England is the place to go right now, especially with the job outlook. The school you will be attending is a Secondary School and Maria and Terrance will be attending a Junior School. Dr. Nemon is already in the process of getting us the visas we need to stay in England."

"We're going to England," Brianna said in disbelief. Wait, Gabriel and Sarah are in England! That means I'll be closer to them! I can't wait to tell them! Then I can see them and Dominic again! "When are we going?"

"Next week."

"What?" her mother exclaimed, shocked. "That soon?"

Her father nodded. "I know it is short notice, but I've already spoken with the principals of their schools and I'm going in a few days to finish all the paperwork. My company has covered the bulk of it and has taken care of enrolling them in their new schools. We just need to pack up our things and be at LaGaurdia Airport on Thursday by two o'clock."

"This is just so . . . so sudden," her mother said, shaking her head. "England."

"Are the schools in England like the ones here?" Brianna asked.

Her father shrugged. "I would think so, for these are the schools for the general public. They have private schools but those are for the richer families and then on top are the boarding schools."

Brianna nodded. "May I be excused? I need to think about this."

Her father nodded. "Of course."

"Ooooh, we're flying?" Terrance asked as Brianna left the table.

"On a plane?" Maria asked.

"Yes," her father said, laughing. "Let's hope we're on a plane!"

Brianna made herself a cup of hot cocoa, sipping it. Then she walked into her bedroom, took a blanket, and climbed the rickety ladder up to the Tower. She crawled over to the window and looked out at the window-lit skyscrapers, hugging her blanket around her. England. Wow. I just can't believe it! I'm going to England! I wonder what it's going to be like? Brianna chuckled softly. Well, I'll only have to put up with it for one year if it's horrible, because then I'll be at Hogwarts!

Brianna looked over at her pile of books and pulled the top book over, setting it on her lap. The book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was one of the books that the Conners had let her borrow.

She flipped through the pages and stopped, looking at a paragraph about phoenixes.

PHOENIX

M.O.M. Classification: XXXX¹¹

The phoenix is a magnificent, swan-sized, scarlet bird with a long golden tail, beak, and talons. It nests on mountain peaks and is found in Egypt, India, and China. The phoenix lives to an immense age as it can regenerate, bursting into flames when its body begins to fail and rising again from the ashes as a chick. The phoenix is a gentle creature that has never been known to kill and eats only herbs. Like the Diricrawl, it can disappear and reappear at will. Phoenix song is magical; it is reputed to increase the courage of the pure of heart and to strike fear into the hearts of the impure. Phoenix tears have powerful healing properties.

The phoenix gains a XXXX rating not because it is aggressive, but because very few wizards have ever succeeded in domesticating it.

Brianna sat back. Wow, they sound so cool! I wonder if I'll ever be able to see one? I guess it's possible. She flipped through the pages again and spotted a name of interest. Merpeople? They actually exist? Brianna began reading.

MERPEOPLE

M.O.M. Classification: XXXX¹⁰

Merpeople exist throughout the world, though they vary in appearance almost as much as humans. Their habits and customs remain as mysterious as those of the centaur, though those wizards who have mastered the language of Mermish speak of highly organized communities varying in size according to habitat, and some have elaborately constructed dwellings. Like the centaurs, the merpeople have declined "being" status if favour of a "beast" classification. The oldest recorded merpeople were known as sirens (Greece) and it is in warmer waters that we find the beautiful mermaids so frequently depicted in Muggle literature and painting. The selkies of Scotland and the Merrows of Ireland are less beautiful, but they share that love of music which is common to all merpeople.

The merpeople are given an XXXX classification not because they are unduly aggressive, but because they should be treated with great respect.

Brianna smiled in amazement. This book is amazing! Who would have thought that these creatures actually exist? I've read about mermaids in so many stories and for them to be real, it's just mind boggling! She set aside the book and picked up another, which was Quidditch Throughout the Ages. Brianna smiled. I'd better make sure I know all about Quidditch so that I'm ready for the match this summer!

Brianna leaned against the wall and began reading the book cover to cover.

*~~*~~*

Brianna had finished reading when she heard a screech and looked out the window to see an owl hovering outside. She quickly pushed open the window and Gabriel's owl, Lora, flew through.

It's so cold out there I nearly froze!

Brianna froze, staring at Lora, her eyes wide. "D - Di -Did you just speak?" she stammered, swallowing.

Lora looked at her and blinked her round eyes.

Oh, so you can understand me? Curious, well, no matter, you have anything warm? I'm freezing!

"O-Oh, of course," Brianna managed. I'm talking to an owl! She realized in amazement. She glanced around the Tower and spotted her mug of hot chocolate. "I'm afraid all I have is this," she said, holding up the mug.

No matter, if it's warm, that's all that counts.

Brianna placed the mug before Lora, who dipped her beak into it.

Good, good. Here are your letters. Lora stuck out her talon and Brianna quickly untied the letters. I do hope you're not going to make me fly back immediately. You should try flying over the Atlantic during a storm! It's exhausting!

"Well, you can stay over there," Brianna said, pointing to a cage that sat in the corner by the base of her feet. "I'm sorry that it's not very warm up here, but I can get you a blanket or something."

That would be wonderful.

Brianna climbed down into her room and came back up a few minutes later, a small blanket in her hand.

Lora flew into the cage, perching on the rod. She dipped her beak into the dish of water and gave a hoot of satisfaction. Water. Yes, I needed that.

She wrapped Lora in the blanket.

Thank you. I'm going to catch a little sleep at the moment.

"Okay. Do you need anything else? Something to eat?"

No, I'm alright. I ate just before I arrive here. Just some sleep.

"Well, you won't have to fly very far anymore," Brianna said with a smile. "We're moving to England."

England? Really, well Gabriel and Sarah will be pleased. And I'm very glad because now I won't have to make those horrible trips across all that water!

Brianna smiled. "Yes, that's one thing you won't have to do anymore. I'll be back."

Lora hooted again.

Brianna smiled, shaking her head as she climbed down the ladder. I just spoke to an owl! My God, this is all happening so fast! Can all witches and wizards speak to owls and understand them? That's something I'll have to ask Gabriel about. Funny, I've never heard any other animal speaking. Maybe it's because my powers have just recently awakened. Brianna shrugged. I guess I'll see when I get Gabriel's response. Still, talking to an owl?! What could be stranger?

She walked into the living room, where her parents sat, talking. Maria and Terrance were busy on the floor with their presents. Her parents looked up at her when she entered, smiling.

"I just got letters from Gabriel, Sarah, and Dominic!" Brianna said happily, holding up the letters.

"That's wonderful, dear," her mother said.

"I suppose you'll be wanting our answer for this summer, then?" her father asked, a twinkle in his eye.

Brianna smiled. "If you have an answer."

Her father nodded. "We do. We were just talking about that, actually, because we'll be in England and if we have to get you back here for the game, I don't know how we're going to do that."

"Gabriel said that he would take care of getting me to the match," Brianna said, slightly nervous inside. I can't tell them about Quidditch or that Gabriel and Sarah live in England. Not yet, anyway. I wish I could tell them though; I feel so guilty about not telling the entire truth.

"If you're sure . . ." her mother said slowly.

Brianna nodded. "I'm sure."

"I don't see why not, then," her father said, glancing at her mother. "As long as they can take care of transportation and they'll be with you the entire time, I think you should go."

Brianna grinned. "Thanks!" she cried and ran to her parents, hugging them.

"Now that that's covered, we'll need to discuss the moving," her father said.

Brianna nodded. "Okay." She sat down at the end of the couch.

"Your mother is going to need a lot of help getting everything packed and ready to ship," her father said. "We need to take everything to the post office on Wednesday except for the things you want on the plane and clothes for about a week." Brianna nodded. "I know this is going to be quite a change, but it's for the better."

"I know," Brianna said.

"Good," her father said, smiling. "See if you can't talk to your grandfather and get some of the empty boxes to bring home."

"I will," Brianna said, nodding.

"You're a wonderful daughter, Brianna," her mother said. Brianna smiled. "Always so helpful and ready to do anything. We're very proud of you."

Her father nodded. "Yes, and we believe that you will become something great."

Brianna smiled. "Thanks." You have no idea! She thought with a smile.

*~~*~~*

Later, Brianna sat in her room, reading her letters.

Dear Brianna,

We hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and we look forward to your next visit. How have you been? We are doing well and Christmas went smoothly, although we had the Malfoys over. To lighter things, have you spoken with your parents about the Quidditch World Cup? We hope that you can attend, for this is a wonderful opportunity and we would hate to have you miss it.

Has anything else strange happened to you, lately? We know that this is all very sudden, but being a witch will pay off, for you will have many opportunities in the wizarding world that would not be available in the Muggle world.

Have you enjoyed your books? There are many interesting things, are there not?

We hope to hear from you soon,

Gabriel and Sarah Conner

Brianna smiled, placing the letter on her bed. Those two are so awesome! I'm really lucky to have them as people I can talk to. Especially now that I'm a witch. What a thought! I never thought that I would be an actual witch, it's so cool though. I can't wait until school!

She picked up Dominic's letter and opened it, unfolding the parchment.

Brianna,

How is everything in the Muggle world? Anything interesting happen? Nothing more has been heard about Sirius Black here, but a few strange things have occurred. He's tried several times to get into Hogwarts; after Harry Potter, we all think. Some of us wouldn't mind if Black did finally get him, but I don't need to go into that at the moment.

Christmas was brilliant; I had one of my better friends here and it helped pass the time. You wouldn't believe what we did! We were up in my room, bored, and decided to make a potion. Well, needless to say, Draco put in an ingredient that wasn't supposed to be in it and it exploded! My parents were up before I could say "Quidditch" ! We got in so much trouble! But it was brilliant, and I wouldn't give it up for anything.

I think that it is wicked that you are a witch! Who would've thought? I mean, when I first met you, I just thought you were a Muggle that my dad had picked up, but after they told me that you were really a witch, I have to admit, I was completely stunned! What do you think? I can't wait to show you the wizarding world! It's brilliant! And Hogwarts, wait until you get there! I love it at school and wouldn't trade it for anything. This summer, if you get to go to the World Cup with us, I'll have to introduce you to my friends. I wonder what house you'll be sorted into . . . oh well, I suppose we'll know when you get to Hogwarts!

Talk to you soon,

Dominic Conner

Brianna laughed. Dominic is a lot different! He was very tense when I was at the manor, but I guess it was because he thought I was a Muggle and he really had to watch what he said and acted like. Well, I'm glad that he's more relaxed now. He sounds really cool and I can't wait to see more of the wizarding world! Then Brianna's smile faded. What were her parents going to think when she finally told them? Hopefully they won't take it too badly.

Brianna sighed and took a piece of notebook paper and a pen. Using a book, she quickly wrote her reply.

Dear Gabriel, Sarah, and Dominic,

Good news! I can go to the World Cup! I can't wait! It sounds so awesome! Also, there's something that's just come up. As you know, we're moving to England, so that means I'll be closer to you! I'm going to need all the friends I can get and I'll take you up on your offer, Dominic. Also, something really strange just happened. When Lora came to deliver your letters, she spoke to me! Not out loud, but in my head, like I could understand her thoughts. It was really weird and I was just wondering, is it common for a witch or wizard to be able to speak to animals? The thing is, I've never been able to hear the thoughts of animals before, but maybe I can, now that my powers have awakened? I'd appreciate your thoughts, for I'm really confused.

Well, I'd better go, since I need to get some sleep and do all the packing. We'll be there next Friday. I hope to see you soon!

Brianna

Brianna folded her piece of paper and climbed the ladder to the Tower. Lora opened her eyes, looking at Brianna.

"Here are my letters."

Very well. Just tie them to my leg.

She tied her reply on Lora's leg. "Do you need anything before you head out?"

No, no, thank you very much for the blanket. Brianna nodded, taking the blanket off of Lora. She flew up to the window ledge. Once they get these letter and respond, you'll be in England, I am sure.

Brianna nodded. "Yes, probably."

Then I'll see you in England.

"You can find me without an address?"

Of course! Lora said indignantly. They don't rely on us for nothing, we're the owl post! That's what we do!

"That's amazing," Brianna said in awe.

Thank you. Lora flew out the window.

Brianna closed the window and headed back down to her bedroom. She pulled on her pajamas and climbed into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.