The Footsteps of my Father

Chapter Eight

-Lions and Legends-

The first day of school for Brianna came quickly, with a fresh bout of snow along with it. As her father drove her to her school in Lewisham, the city where he worked, she looked out the window at the passing hills and villages. Lewisham was only about a half an hour from Little Whinging, Surrey, the town in which they lived, and since her father began work about the same time she had to be at school, he drove her. She glanced down at the clothes she wore: a knee-length dark gray pleated skirt, a white long-sleeved shirt, and a dark green vest. Her school colors. Though Lewisham Secondary School didn't require a uniform, they had dress codes, and one was that they could wear anything but it had to be in their school colors. There were certain restrictions, such as the length of skirts, but it wasn't too bad.

Similar to Slytherin colors, Brianna thought with a smile. She sighed softly. I wonder what it's going to be like. My father took me to the school on Friday and it looks very nice. The teachers were all there, working on their lesson plans, and they had all been very kind. I just hope the students are the same, but I suppose I won't be that lucky.

"Are you ready?" her father asked, glancing at her, smiling.

She looked at him. "As ready as I can be, I suppose."

"You'll be fine," he said reassuringly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She smiled. "Thanks."

"After school, I'll be waiting for you in the front to take you home."

She nodded. "Alright, but how did you manage to get off of work by four?"

"Most of the things that I have to do involve administrative work, and they won't take me too long to do. Seven until four is plenty enough time."

"Did you get my permission form signed?" she asked. In two weeks, they would be going to the London Zoo for a field trip, and everyone had to have signed forms from their parents allowing them to go.

"Yes, yes, don't worry," he said with a laugh. "The London Zoo sounds fascinating, and I'm sure, with your gift with animals, you'll be in heaven."

Brianna laughed. "I suppose I will be."

Her father smiled and she pulled her school bag onto her lap. Inside were her books, paper, and pencils. She opened the flap and pulled out the letter that she had received that morning from Dominic.

She broke the wax seal and took out the letter.

Brianna,

Well, I'm back at Hogwarts and I know that the professors will be dumping another load onto us as soon as classes start, so I'm not sure how often I will be able to write, but I'll try. I spoke with my parents about how you could speak to Lora, and they said that it is not very common among the wizarding population. They suspect that you might be what, in the wizarding world, we call an Elemental. Part of that gift is that you can speak to animals, and if you have a chance to see other animals, I would suggest trying to speak with them. The other part would be your gift with fire. A lot of witches and wizards are able to do this, so you're not the only one.

There is a book in our library that I think you should look at. If you show it to my parents, they'll know where to look. It's called Legendary Wizards and there's a passage in there about Merlin that I think would greatly interest you.

Well, I hope you have a good first day, and you're welcome anytime at the estate. I'll be home for the spring holidays, so hopefully you can come by then. There's something that I want to show you. Draco's calling me, so I'd better go. We're going to dinner. Hope to talk to you soon.

Dominic

Brianna smiled, folding the letter and placing it back in her bag. Thank god for them. Dominic is so great; I'm really glad I became friends with him. And it's good that I know him, because he'll be able to introduce me to all his friends and some of the other students at Hogwarts during the World Cup. I can't wait!

The car stopped and Brianna realized that they had arrived at Lewisham Secondary School. "Have a good first day," her father said and hugged her.

"Thanks. Have fun at work."

"Always," her father said with a smile.

Brianna smiled and climbed out of the car that her father had purchased over the weekend. She closed the door and looked up at the towering school in front of her. The walls were stone and there were many arched windows. Broad stone steps led up to the large, double-door entrance way, and students milled around the snow-covered lawn, talking amongst themselves and entering the school; a bright mass of green, white, and gray. She took a deep breath and hoisted her bag over her shoulder. She began walking up the sidewalk, mingling with the other students.

When she entered the school, she looked around wide-eyed at the large entrance hall. Steps went up in either direction, leading to the upper floors. She walked across the flagged stones, her Mary Janes clicking on the stones. Once she was through the archway in the back, she saw that there were lockers lining the hall. She took her schedule out and looked at it. "Number 271. Okay." She looked around at the numbers on the lockers and walked until she found hers. Using the combination on her schedule, she opened her locker and placed her bag into it, taking out the books she would need for her classes before lunch.

"Are you new here?" a voice asked.

Brianna shut her locker and turned to see a tall red-headed girl looking at her, a look of interest on her face. Two other girls were standing on either side of her, shorter and dark-haired. She noticed that they were well-dressed, and she was glad that the clothes she wore were brand-new. "Yes, I am. I'm Brianna Olsen."

The girl nodded. "My name is Valerie Kesington." She motioned to the girls beside her. "This is Carrie Swanston and Mabel Rommsel. We're in our fourth year here. Which year are you?"

"I'm in my fourth year," Brianna replied.

The girls smiled. "Brilliant," Valerie said. "Which class do you have first?"

"Um . . ." Brianna glanced down at her schedule. "Math."

Valerie nodded. "That's what we have; you stick with us, and you'll be fine, Brianna."

Brianna smiled. "Thanks!"

As they walked, Brianna noticed the looks that the other students gave Valerie, Mabel, and Carrie. From the looks of it, they were very popular, and Brianna was grateful that she had made friends rather quickly. She just hoped it would last.

"So, Brianna, where did you transfer from?" Mabel asked.

"Oh, I used to go to school called Carson High; it was in New York City," Brianna answered.

"OOhh!" Mabel said, her eyes wide. "You lived in New York City?"

Brianna smiled. "Yep!"

"That explains the accent, then," Carrie said.

"Do I sound that odd?" Brianna asked, looking at her.

Carrie shrugged, giving her a smile. "Just different. Nothing to worry about. You'll be sounding like us in no time."

"I hope. First, though, I have to get used to the different terminology."

"Like what?" Valerie asked.

Brianna looked at her. "Well, for one thing, we say 'cool' or 'sweet', and you would say 'brilliant' or 'wicked'." The three girls nodded. "Do you have anything else that I need to know how to say right?"

"You don't say 'toilet', you say 'loo'," Mabel said.

"And we say a lot of 'rather', and instead of 'kind' we say 'sort," Valerie said.

Brianna nodded. "Right. Thanks."

"No problem," Valerie said, smiling. "Oh, here we are."

Brianna looked around as they entered the large classroom. The desks filled the left side of the room, facing the teacher's desk. Large, arched windows covered the far wall, letting in the bright sunlight, illuminating a few dust bunnies in the air. A number of the seats had already been taken, but Brianna followed Valerie to a cluster of wooden desks right by the windows. Brianna took a seat between Valerie and Mabel.

"The teacher isn't bad," Carrie said and Brianna looked at her. "His name is Professor Xavier and he's quite good."

"Brilliant," Brianna said, smiling.

At that moment, their teacher strode in, a tall, dark-haired man in a crisp black suit. He looked around the room, smiling. Maybe school won't be that bad, after all.

"Good morning," he said brightly.

"Good morning!" the class chirped.

"Well, today as you know, we'll be doing a bit of review, since I'm sure all your brains have gone to sleep during the break." There were a few chuckles at this. "Can anyone tell me about long division?"

"It's long?" a boy said, invoking laughs from the class.

Professor Xavier smiled. "Very true, but it's a little bit more complicated than just that, Brandon. Now, I am going to write some problems up on the board and I will be calling on some of you to come up and complete it." At some of the students' worried looks, he said quickly, "Don't worry; this will not count on your grade. I'm just making sure that you remember so that we can continue on." With that, he turned to the chalkboard behind him and began scribbling some problems up on the board. Turning around, he glanced around the room. "Okay . . . Brandon," he said, looking at the boy who had made the comment earlier. The boy groaned, but stood and walked up to the board, beginning to work on the first problem. "Carletta." A tall girl with long, flowing red hair stood and walked up to the board. "And . . ." His gaze landed on Brianna. "Oh, you must be new," he said. He looked down at his sheet. "Brianna Olsen?"

Brianna nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Why don't you come up and try the last problem."

She nodded and stood, walking up to the board. She bit her lip and looked over the problem. This had been what they were studying at her old school before she had left. Now it just looked like a long messy problem. She glanced over at the other students, they seemed to be having just as hard a time. She looked back at her problem and began working it out. She managed to finish before the other students, but it had still been hard.

Professor Xavier walked up beside her, examining her work. "Excellent, Brianna." He quickly scratched out another problem next to her completed one. "Why don't you try this one?" She walked over, glanced at it, and then wrote down the answer after thinking about it for a few moments. She looked at Xavier, who was nodding, smiling. He quickly wrote down a problem, this time not long division. Scanning it, she quickly wrote down the answer. Xavier pursed his lips, thinking, and then wrote down a problem consisting of 'x'. "Solve for 'x'," was all he said.

She looked at it, her eyes looking at the problem, the numbers spinning through her head. After a moment, she wrote down the answer, using the basics she had been taught. "Is that right?" she asked, looking at Xavier, whose eyebrows had risen.

"You just did Algebra," he said, looking at her. "That was very advanced."

Brianna shrugged. "The numbers just made sense. I don't know why."

"I would like to speak to you after class."

"Yes, sir," she said, nodding.

"You may return to your seat."

She walked back to her seat, sitting down. Those numbers had just made sense! But, that was really advanced, how did I manage to do it?

"How'd you do that?" Valerie asked in awe.

"I don't know," Brianna said softly, looking down at her desk.

*~~*~~*

As the next few days flew by, Brianna managed to surprise all of her teachers by surpassing the other students rather quickly. She figured it was because the students in the fourth year here, were a year behind what she had been doing. Professor Xavier had begun to teach her advanced math, a subject in which she was particularly skilled in. "Keep up at that rate, and you'll be top of our class in no time!" Carrie had commented after school one day.

"Your day went well?" her father asked as they drove home.

"Oh, yes," Brianna said, smiling. "I really love it here. And I'm doing very well in school."

"Yes, the headmaster called today, just before I left from work," her father said, smiling.

"What'd he say?"

"He told me that you are flying through all your classes and that you are a very exceptional young lady." At this, Brianna beamed with pride. "And, he also said, that he is going to move you up a grade, because this is far too easy for you."

Her eyes widened. "Wow." Then she frowned. "But what about the trip to the zoo?" she asked. She had been really looking forward to it.

"You still will be able to go."

She smiled, relieved. "Brilliant!" she exclaimed. Then she saddened. "But what about my friends?"

Her father squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, Brianna. You'll still be able to see them."

"But it won't be the same."

"But think, Brianna, you can make a load of new friends and you might even get a bit of a challenge in school!"

"True," she admitted, but she was still feeling slightly sad. It was true that I haven't known them for that long, but . . . well, it is a new school, and even though I love my teachers here, I suppose that I ought to give it a go. "Okay, Father."

"Good," her father said, smiling. "Your mother and I are very proud of you, Brianna."

Brianna beamed with pride. "Thanks!"

*~~*~~*

"Now, today we will be working with polynomials," Professor Tetara, her Pre-Algebra teacher explained to the class. As the professor explained about polynomials, Brianna glanced around at all the older students. It was really strange, being here and being the youngest out of the entire class. Several of the students had given her odd looks, but hadn't said anything thus far. However, she could tell that they were interested.

Suddenly an alarm rang shrilly throughout the classroom, making everyone jump at least six feet into the air. "What's that?" Brianna asked, looking around.

"Alright, everyone, file out. You know the drill," Professor Tetara said calmly, herding the students out of the high school and into the courtyard. Brianna's eyes widened as she saw the flames covering half of the building.

"What happened?" she asked, staring at the flames.

"Something about a gas leak in the chem lab," an older girl said. "That's what I thought I heard the teachers talk about."

Brianna, along with the rest of the school, crept closer to the side of the school where the fire was burning brightly. Where was the fire department? As Brianna watched the flames crawl around the sides of the school, a sudden realization hit her. Fire! I can . . . no, I don't know. I only did it that once, and that weird enough! But, maybe, I can do something to keep it from spreading. Brianna closed her eyes, having absolutely no clue as to what she was doing, and just tried to think of the fire.

"Look at that!" someone cried. "The fire's not spreading!"

"How odd!" another exclaimed.

Brianna opened her eyes and smiled. How had I done that? She wondered, looking at the fire, which now seemed to have decided to stay in one place.

She stood from the distance, watching amongst the rest of the students as the firefighters took care of the fire.

*~~*~~*

Seven Privet Drive was a bustle of activity on Friday morning, due to the fact that Brianna had overslept and was now rushing to get ready to go to the zoo, and Maria and Terrance had been bouncing off the walls all morning.

"Come on! Here, here!" her mother cried as she handed Maria and Terrance their lunches and herded them out the door. Her mother walked them to the twins' preschool, since it was very nearby.

Brianna, with a piece of toast in her mouth, quickly pulled on her Mary Janes and, grabbing her bag, flew out the door after her father, jumping into the car.

*~~*~~*

After a quick goodbye at school, Brianna rushed over to where the bus was waiting to take the students to the London Zoo.

"Brianna!" she heard a familiar voice cry.

Brianna smiled as she recognized the voice, looking over to see Valerie running over to her. "Hi!" Brianna said happily.

Mabel and Carrie, who had been running after Valerie, grinned when they saw Brianna. "Hi, Brianna!" Mabel said.

"You ready for the zoo?" Carrie asked excitedly as they climbed aboard the bus and found seats in the middle. Brianna sat down next to Valerie and Mabel and Carrie sat across the aisle.

"I can't wait!" Brianna said, grinning. "I love animals."

"I heard you moved up to the next grade; is that true?" Mabel asked.

Brianna nodded. "I did."

"Blimey! You must be really smart!" Valerie said, her eyes wide.

Brianna shrugged. "I suppose."

"Smashing. Good for you, Brianna," Carrie said, smiling.

"Thanks!" Brianna said, returning the smile.

During the ride to the zoo, Brianna was filled in on all the gossip about Lewisham Secondary School. A few kids had thought that Brianna had been expelled, but those were just rumors. For the most part, the ride was uneventful, but Brianna was grateful to have her friends talking excitedly about who was going out with who, which students pulled some pranks, and other things like that.

While Valerie, Mabel, and Carrie were talking about a new boy that had just entered Secondary School, Brianna turned her attention to the passing scenery. Well, I suppose this will be quite an interesting trip. Dominic said that I should try to speak with the animals, and so I shall. I wonder if I will be able to? Hm . . . well, either way, this weekend I'm going to see Gabriel and Sarah, and hopefully they'll be able to explain what exactly is going on.

About a half an hour later, the bus pulled into Camden Lock, right at the edge of the Thames. There, a boat was awaiting their arrival. It took them across the Thames, past Little Venice, and up to a large dock in front of the main entrance of the London Zoo.

As they departed the boat, they gathered in a large group, waiting for their chaperone, who was none other than Professor Xavier, Brianna's old math professor.

Brianna looked back at the Thames and smiled. The boat ride had been interesting, for she had never been on a boat before. While nervous, Valerie, Mabel, and Carrie were there to reassure her that it was perfectly safe. Looking back at the main entrance of the zoo, she could feel her excitement rising inside. She couldn't wait to see the animals!

"Listen up, everyone!" Brianna turned her attention to where Professor Xavier was standing in front of their group. He beckoned them closer. Brianna pulled her scarf tight, rubbing her gloved hands. While it wasn't too chilly, there was a slight bite in the wind. "Okay, now what we're going to do is visit as many of the different Houses as we can, but unfortunately, we cannot see the Birds of Prey Show, for they normally do it outside, and it is too cold." Several of the students groaned at this. "But -" Professor Xavier said, holding up his hands, "there are plenty of things to see, so you won't be disappointed. Follow me." He turned and the students began filing after him, walking up towards the main entrance.

Towering stone pillars framed the large arched entrance way and Brianna looked up at them in wonder as they passed through, heading over to where Professor Xavier would show their tickets.

"I can't wait to see the lions!" Carrie exclaimed, grinning. The entire group of students was chattering excitedly, and Brianna knew that she was going to have a brilliant time.

"I know! I heard there are penguins, too!" Mabel said.

"Alright, everyone! First stop, the Reptile House," Professor Xavier called.

Brianna followed the mass of students towards the large, greenhouse-like building off to the right. Looking around, she saw that there were many people at the zoo, some in large masses, others with families, or just a few together. As they walked through the glass doors, she was hit with a sudden blast of warmth.

"Hot, isn't it?" Valerie said, tugging off her scarf and gloves, putting them into her coat pocket. The rest of the students were quick to do the same.

"Okay, now since this isn't a very large building, we can split off into groups. Make sure there are at least five people to a group and in an hour meet back here at this very same spot. Understood?" Professor Xavier smiled as the students nodded in agreement.

Two boys, Nathan and Brandon, joined Valerie, Mabel, Carrie, and Brianna and they began walking around, looking at the glass tanks in wonder. Brianna walked over to one tank, looking at the large python lying lazily on a log. A heat lamp shone from the top of the tank, and the snake looked very content. She glanced at the plaque next to the cage which read : Amethystine Python, native to Australia, bred in captivity.

Brandon rapped the glass. "Aw, bloody hell, it doesn't even move. What kind of display is that?" he said, rolling his eyes. He walked over to where Nathan, Mabel, and Valerie were looking at a tank full of green snakes.

"What is that?" Carrie asked, looking at the python. "It's so huge!"

Brianna nodded. "They usually run pretty large. I read about them in this book. It said that they can grow up to twenty-eight feet!"

Carrie's eyes widened. "Blimey! That's huge!"

"Tell me about it!"

Carrie stepped over to another tank and Brianna smiled at the snake, gazing at its beautiful markings consisting of red and black blotches, the amethyst-like skin glittering in the light. "You're a really beautiful snake," she murmured. "First one I've ever seen, though."

"Thanksss."

Brianna leapt back, her eyes wide, looking around for the source of the voice. "What the -"

"I am here, before your eyesss," the voice said, with a slight hiss in its voice.

Brianna stared down at the snake, which had lifted its head to look at her. "Y-you're speaking to me - but - how is that possible? How can I understand you?" she asked. I don't believe this! I can talk to a snake? I know Dominic said that I probably have a gift with animals, but snakes?

"Yesss. You are a Parssselmouth."

"A what?"

"You can ssspeak to sssnakesss."

"I figured that much, but I'm a Parselmouth?"

"Yesss, and you can ssspeak Parssseltounge, sssnake-language."

"Bloody hell," Brianna murmured, her eyes still as wide as saucers. "I knew I had a gift with animals, but . . . so right now, I'm speaking in Parseltounge?"

"Yesss."

"First time for everything, I suppose. But, how can I be speaking a different language without knowing I can?"

"Do not asssk me. I do not know. I just underssstand what you are sssaying."

Brianna nodded. "Right."

"You are in ssschool?"

Brianna nodded, still not quite believing she was having a conversation with a python. "I go to Lewisham. I'm here on a field trip."

"Yesss, I see your other companionsss with you."

Brianna glanced over at where her friends were still looking around at the other tanks, and then looked back at the python. "I still can't believe this."

"Believe it. I sssenssse sssomething about you."

Brianna raised her eyebrows. "You do?"

"Yesss, sssomething unusssual, a rare gift. You have a gift with animalsss, yet sssomething elsse. There is a cloud of darknessss around you."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

But the snake didn't have a chance to answer for Brianna's friends decided to walk over at that moment. Brianna looked at them. "Have you been in this same spot the entire time?" Nathan asked.

Brianna shrugged. "It's a beautiful snake, I was just admiring it."

Nathan raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

"Well, come on. There's more to see!" Valerie said, grabbing Brianna's hand and dragging her away from the snake. Brianna glanced back and smiled. The python nodded and Brianna quickly followed Valerie around the rest of the Reptile House. Though she didn't have a chance to test out her new-found ability, she did enjoy looking at all the different sorts of reptiles, such as the iguanas and lizards.

As the day flew on, Brianna was not alone long enough to try to attempt to talk to the animals. However, later in the day, they visited the Lion House, and while the other students were scattered around, looking at the lions, lionesses, and cubs in awe, Brianna stepped closer to the iron bars that separated the large habitat from where the students stood. Other people were milling around, looking at the animals, but Brianna hardly paid attention.

Instead, she looked at the closest lion and took a deep breath. I wonder how I'm supposed to do this. Should I just try to talk to it? "Hello," she said tentatively.

To her surprise, the lion shook its beautiful mane and looked at her. If the lion could have smiled, Brianna swore he would have. "Hello," he said, his voice as strong and powerful as he looked.

"I - I've never done this before," she said softly, hoping that the other students wouldn't overhear her talking to a lion. They would think she was crazy for sure. Glancing around, making sure no one was in the near vicinity, she looked at the lion. "You're very beautiful. Is that your family?" she asked, pointing to a lioness with several cubs.

"Yes, they are mine." As the lion stepped towards her, she took a small step back, instinctive fear leaping into her chest. "Do not be afraid. I will not hurt you." I'm talking to a lion! Brianna thought and smiled. She stepped carefully up to the bars, where the lion now stood. Looking around again, she slowly put her hand a few inches past the bars, stroking the lion's soft mane.

"This is brilliant!" Brianna commented, smiling. "I can't believe that I'm actually touching a lion."

"You have a gift; do not be afraid to use it," the lion said.

"I won't!" This is amazing!

"BRIANNA!" a voice screeched and Brianna's hand flew back. "WHAT are you DOING?!" Brianna looked to see Valerie staring at her wildly. At the high-pitched screech, everyone was now looking at Brianna.

"I - I -" Brianna stammered. "I was petting the lion," she said lamely.

"What's going on here?" Professor Xavier asked, pushing his way through the crowd of people. He stopped, looking at Brianna and then at the lion that stood right behind the bars.

"Sir, Brianna was petting the lion!" Valerie said, her eyes wide.

Professor Xavier looked at Brianna sharply. "You were what?"

"I - I was petting it, sir," Brianna said. She groaned inwardly. I sound completely insane and stupid! But I can't very well tell them that I can speak to animals!

"There are bars there for a reason, Brianna," Professor Xavier said sternly. "Lions are very dangerous. You do not try to pet a lion."

"Yes, sir," Brianna said, bowing her head.

"You'll stay with me from now on," Professor Xavier said, and Brianna nodded, following him though the rest of that house and back outside.

The rest of the day, they visited the Penguin Pool, the Gorilla House, the Snowdon Aviary and the Sobell Pavilion for Monkeys and Apes. Though Brianna enjoyed seeing all the various animals, she really wished that Valerie hadn't seen her petting the lion, for she didn't have another chance to test out her ability.

*~~*~~*

Though the students had watched her warily for the first few hours after the lion incident, they still spoke to her and she managed to have a good time at the zoo.

As her father was driving her home, he asked about her day and she proceeded to tell him about all the amazing sights she had seen and all the different Houses. Of course, she didn't mention that she had spoken to a snake and petted a lion. She knew her father loved her, but if he didn't think she was crazy before, he would have if she had told him that.

That night, she received a letter from Gabriel and Sarah, telling her that they would pick her up in the morning so that she could visit them. All her parents knew was that Gabriel and Sarah had a house in England as well as the States, even though that was only partially true.

The next morning, Brianna waited anxiously for the Conners to arrive. "When do you think you'll be back?" her mother asked as Brianna stood in the parlor, looking out the window.

Letting go of the curtain, Brianna looked at her mother, who was standing by the base of the stairs. "I'm just staying for the afternoon and then they'll bring me home after dinner."

Her mother nodded. "Alright. You have fun, okay?" she said, smiling.

Brianna nodded, grinning. "You bet." At the sound of a 'honk' outside, Brianna cried, "They're here!"

After a hug from her mother, Brianna ran outside, clutching the books that she had borrowed. A sleek black car sat in the driveway and Gabriel stepped out, smiling as Brianna rushed towards him. She hugged him. "Hi, there," he said, laughing.

"Hi, again," Brianna said, grinning.

"Ready to go?" Gabriel asked.

Brianna nodded vigorously. "You bet."

"Good," Gabriel said, smiling. He motioned to the back door and Brianna climbed into the car.

"Hello, Brianna," Sarah said warmly.

"Hi," Brianna said, smiling.

"How have you been?"

"Brilliant!"

"That's good. Ready for a fun day?"

"Definitely!" Brianna said, grinning.

"Well, Brianna, what we were talking about as we drove to pick you up was that we have a few extra brooms that Dominic uses for Quidditch practice and since there are a few kids nearby that have not reached the age to go to Hogwarts yet, we thought that you would like to fly a little," Gabriel said, glancing into the rearview mirror.

"Really?" Brianna said, her eyes wide.

"Of course," Sarah said.

"Wicked!"

"We though that you would like that," Sarah said, smiling.

"Like it? I love it!"

"Brilliant," Gabriel said.

The car stopped and Brianna looked around at the old abandoned train station that they were now sitting at. We couldn't have been driving that long. "Where are we?" Brianna asked, peering out the window.

"You'll see," Gabriel said with a smile.

And, much to Brianna's shock and astonishment, Gabriel proceeded to drive the car towards a large brick wall. Brianna shut her eyes, waiting for an impact, but it never came. When she opened her eyes, she looked outside in shock. They were now driving up a curving driveway lined with huge trees that led up to the familiar manor.

"H - what just happened?" Brianna asked, her eyes wide.

"We drove through the barrier," Sarah explained. "This manor, as Gabriel must have told you, is unplottable to all Muggles, non-magic folk, and therefore we have a special barrier that enables us to come from the Muggle world into the wizarding world. There is a similar barrier at King's Cross Station, where you will pass through to get to the Hogwarts Express."

"Okay," Brianna said, still amazed at the entire experience.

Arriving in front of the manor, they stepped out and walked into the familiar entrance way. Brianna beamed. It's wonderful to be back, she thought. "Oh, Gabriel," she said and Gabriel turned to her. "Here are your books I borrowed." She handed the books that she had been carrying to Gabriel.

"Thank you, Brianna," he said, smiling, taking them. "Since we have a few hours until Malcolm, Graham, Natalie, Liriel, and Alex come, why don't we go to the library and you can pick out any books that you would like to take back."

"That would be brilliant," Brianna said, grinning.

"Very well," Gabriel said, smiling. She followed him to the library and there he left her to look around.

Okay, Dominic said I should find that book called Legendary Wizards and show it to Gabriel and Sarah. I suppose I'll find that one first and then read over some of these other books. It would be good to know some spells before I actually arrive at Hogwarts, since I am Muggle-born and I want to try to fit in as much as I can.

After a half an hour of searching, Brianna finally found the book that Dominic had said she should find. Setting it on the table, she began looking over the titles of the other books, selecting ones of interest.

Sitting in a comfortable chair, she drew herself into the books and read them, cover to cover, memorizing the content.

There, Gabriel found her an hour later. "I see you have been reading quite a bit," Gabriel said with a laugh, looking at the tall tower of books that sat on the floor by Brianna.

"Oh," she said, smiling, looking at the books, "I suppose I have."

"Find anything of interest?"

"Oh yes," she said, nodding vigorously. "There was something I was going to ask you, though."

"Yes?"

"Well, you know that I can speak to animals, right?"

Gabriel nodded. "Dominic mentioned that you can speak to birds. You can speak to other animals as well?"

"Yes," Brianna said, nodding. "And Dominic said that I should read about Merlin and that you would know what he was talking about."

Gabriel nodded. "I do. Let me see," he said, picking up the Legendary Wizards book and rifling through the pages. He stopped and pointed. "Here."

He handed the book to Brianna and she began reading aloud. " 'The wizard Merlin was known as one of the greatest wizards of his time. Among his unusual talents, one of the most unique traits about him was that he was a natural Animagus. While Animagi usually go through extensive training to accomplish this difficult transformation, Merlin was able to do it without any training at all. It was a spontaneous occurrence and the animal that he became was a falcon. He was also able to accomplish the most complex spells without the use of a wand and, in fact, during his later years, he was rarely seen with a wand. One of his unique characteristics was his ability to converse with animals, especially the magical creatures. He was able to calm the wildest of creatures and could even sleep in a den of lions as a brother. He had a deep understanding of magical creatures and animals alike.' That's just like me," Brianna said, looking up at Gabriel.

"Indeed," Gabriel said, nodding. "You have a rare gift with animals."

"Does that include snakes?"

Gabriel seemed taken back by this question, but he quickly recovered. "Well . . . no. The ability to speak with snakes is a very different and extremely rare gift."

Brianna's eyebrows raised. "Really? Well, now, that's quite odd."

"What do you mean?"

"I - I can speak to snakes," she managed, unsure as to how Gabriel was going to react, even if he was a wizard.

At this comment, however, his eyes widened tremendously and he even took a step back. What'd I say? Is it really that rare? "You can . . . speak to snakes?" Gabriel asked, swallowing.

Brianna nodded. "Yes. What's wrong with it?"

"Oh - oh, nothing," Gabriel stammered, the first time she had ever seen him flustered. "It is just a rare talent. Not many witches or wizards can speak Parseltounge."

"There's something bad about it, isn't there?" Brianna said, sensing his fear.

"Well, I . . ."

"Just tell me, Gabriel."

He sighed, taking a deep breath. "The ability to speak Parseltounge is the mark of a Dark witch or wizard." Brianna's eyes widened and he held up his hand. "That does not necessarily mean that every Parselmouth was dark, but all the recorded Parselmouths were. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was a Parselmouth."

"Oh, my God," Brianna said in shock. "Am I a Dark witch?"

"No, no, of course not!" Gabriel said hurriedly. "You have a gift with animals; this could just be an extended part of that gift."

"But you said it was a different ability."

"Well, yes, but perhaps you are just extremely talented. Now, has anything else odd happened?" he asked, desperate to switch off the subject of Parselmouths.

"Well, I have a thing with fire. You know that I was played with that fire in our living room back in New York City, but recently, at school, there was a fire and I - I, well, I don't know how exactly to explain it, but it was as if I stopped the fire, preventing it from spreading."

Gabriel nodded. He was quiet for a few moments and then took a deep breath. "Brianna, you are what we call an Elemental. It's not too rare of an occurrence in the wizarding world, but it's still unique. With this, you have the ability to converse with animals and you have control over fire."

Brianna nodded, as it made sense. "Alright, that's understandable, but it doesn't explain why I'm a Parselmouth."

Gabriel winced and Brianna wished she hadn't brought that subject up again. "I would advise you not to be saying anything about your ability to speak with snakes. Many look upon that trait as a sign of the Dark Arts, and while I know you are not even remotely affiliated with the Dark Arts, other witches and wizards that do not know you as I do, would think otherwise."

"Okay," Brianna said, nodding.

"Harry Potter has the ability to speak Parseltounge, and he is a very good wizard; however, he was not born with this ability; he only received it when You-Know-Who tried to kill him."

Brianna nodded. "Right." Brianna thought about what she had read. "Do you think it's possible I could be an Animagus? I mean, with my ability to speak to animals and all."

Gabriel looked thoughtful and didn't speak for a few minutes. Finally, he said, "It is a very far-fetched thought, but possible."

"How do I know for sure?"

Gabriel shrugged. "I am sorry that I cannot answer that question," he said helplessly. "I wish that I could. Once you go to Hogwarts, however, you can speak with the Transfiguration professor, Professor McGonagall, who is an Animagus herself, and she may be able to help you in that department."

Brianna nodded. "Okay, thank you."

*~~*~~*

After lunch, Gabriel took her outside.

"Alright. I am going to show you the basics, so that it will be a little easier when you meet the other kids later," Gabriel said, smiling. He handed Brianna a Firebolt. "Now, first thing, is to be able to mount your broom."

Gabriel took his broom and showed her how to mount it.

"Like this?" she asked as she mimicked his movements.

He smiled. "Yes. Now, to rise, you simple push off, like this." He pushed with his feet and hovered just above the ground.

Brianna gripped her broom tightly and pushed off. Immediately, she hugged the broom tightly with her arms and legs as she was off the ground and scared to death that she was going to fall. "How do I not fall?"

Gabriel smiled, moving over next to her. "Trust me." She looked at him wide-eyed, but allowed him to take her and move her to a sitting position. "Try to balance over your broom and see if you can move forward."

Brianna nodded and inched the broom forward. "Look! I'm doing it!" Suddenly she lost her balance and fell off the broom, landing face-first onto the pitch. "Or not," she said, rubbing her face as she sat up.

Gabriel landed and hurried over to her, helping her to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." Brianna wiped the dirt from her face and chuckled. "First crash-landing off a broom. Let's keep going." She smiled and mounted her broom again.

Gabriel laughed. "At least you keep trying, that is good." He mounted his broom as well and, after a few more times of falling and hovering, Brianna finally got the hang of staying on her broom. She wasn't very steady, but at least she wasn't falling quite as often.

"Now, to rise, you simple pull up on the broom, to descend, push down."

Brianna nodded and tried this but as soon as her broom rose a bit; she hugged it tightly once again, shutting her eyes. Gabriel waited patiently as she took a few deep breaths and slowly began to sit up. She was grateful Gabriel had charmed the broom so that it would only rise a few feet. That way, it didn't hurt as bad when she fell.

Hours later, Brianna walked back to the manor with Gabriel, thoroughly sore and feeling bow-legged from riding on the broom.

"I think you will be fine, Brianna," Gabriel said as they walked, smiling down at her. "You managed to stay on your broom a lot longer and since you've read Quidditch Throughout the Ages, you should know enough to be able to keep up with the others."

Brianna smiled. "I hope so. Thanks a lot, for teaching me, Gabriel."

"It was my pleasure." He smiled, leading her inside.

*~~*~~*

Later that day, Brianna stood out on the field, a Firebolt clutched in her grasp. She looked around at Malcolm, Graham, Natalie, Liriel, and Alex, who were chatting amongst themselves. All these kids knew was that she was visiting the Conners and assumed she was a cousin or something. She wasn't going to mention that she was actually a Muggle-born, for Gabriel and Sarah had both advised against it, saying that it would create trouble, especially since most Muggle-borns were looked down upon by the wizarding community.

She took a deep breath. Come on, Brianna, you can do this. Don't be nervous. Walking over to the group, she said, a smile on her face, "Hi, my name is Brianna."

The group of kids looked at her. The tallest girl, a brunette with matching eyes, smiled. "Hi, my name is Liriel Vantura; I'll be going to Hogwarts in two years."

"So will I!" Brianna exclaimed, her nervousness ebbing.

"Brilliant! Then we'll already know each other!" Liriel said warmly.

"That's always good."

"I'm Natalie McDonald," the shorter, dark-haired girl said, smiling.

"Hello."

"I'm Malcolm Maddock," the tall boy with jet-black hair introduced and then pointed to the other two boys, both with dusty blond hair. The one with darker eyes didn't smile but the one with blue eyes flashed Brianna a grin and the last of her nervousness disappeared. "This is Graham Pritchard and Alex Nott."

"Hello," Brianna said, looking at the boys.

Graham merely nodded while Alex gave her a smile and a "Hi," back.

"Graham, Natalie, and I are going to Hogwarts this fall," Malcolm said and Brianna nodded. "Alex will be going next year along with you and Liriel."

"Well, that's good that I know a few people before I start. That'll certainly help," Brianna said, feeling a bit more at ease as they talked.

"Just as long as you aren't in Gryffindor," Malcolm said with a slight sneer.

"What do you mean?" Brianna asked, confused.

"Oh, Malcolm and Graham's families have all been in Slytherin so that's the house that they probably will be Sorted into," Natalie said, rolling her eyes. "Don't mind them."

"What's so bad about Gryffindor?"

"Slytherin and Gryffindor have always been rivals," Liriel explained.

Brianna nodded. "Right."

"These three aren't that bad, though," Natalie said, "once you get to know them. Just because they might be in that house, doesn't really mean a thing."

"That's a relief."

"Well, shall we begin playing?" Malcolm asked, looking at the girls. "Or are we going to stand around all day admiring the weather?"

"We weren't admiring the weather, Malcolm," Natalie said, rolling her eyes. "We were just discussing how we were going to flatten you in Quidditch."

"Oh, really?" Malcolm said, raising an eyebrow. "Is that so? We'll see about that."

"Okay, so this is what we do," Graham said. "Two of us can be Chasers, one of the Chasers can also play Keeper, and then we'll each have a Seeker."

Brianna sorted through her memory, recalling all the things that she had learned about Quidditch. I should be fine. I suppose we'll just have to see. Thank God I read that book, or I'd really be at a loss and I'd never fit in. These five seem like they've been playing Quidditch all of their life. "Girls against guys?" Brianna asked.

"Of course," Natalie said. She turned to Liriel and Brianna. "Okay, so this is what we do. Brianna, you're pretty tall, but slender, so I think you'll make a good Seeker. Liriel and I will be Chasers. You know what to do, right?" Natalie asked, looking at Brianna, who nodded.

"Catch the Snitch before the other Seeker."

"Exactly," Natalie said. She turned to the boys. "Let's go."

They mounted their brooms and Natalie released the Quaffle and the Snitch. The Snitch passed briefly in front of Brianna and Alex and the flitted out of sight. They rose into the air and Brianna held on for dear life. Oh my God, I'm flying. She could feel her insides rolling with nervousness and she prayed that she wouldn't fall off. She watched, gripping the broom in an iron-grip, as the other kids sped around the pitch, passing the Quaffle between them. How do they do that so easily? I suppose that they probably have been playing all of their lives, but still . . . I feel like a complete idiot out here.

Alex pulled up next to her. "You look nervous," he said. He smiled. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

"Thanks. I - I've never flown before."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Really? Blimey, I thought all witches and wizards learned to fly early on."

Brianna shrugged, as well as she could and still hold onto her broom. "I never had a chance to."

Alex nodded. "Well, that's alright. You know all about Quidditch, though?"

Brianna nodded. "Oh yes, everything. Are you going to the World Cup this summer?"

Alex nodded vigorously. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"It's going to be brilliant!"

"More than that," Alex said, grinning. "With Bulgaria and Ireland? It's going to be wicked! I can't wait to see Viktor Krum pull the Wronski Feint out on the pitch!"

Brianna nodded. "Krum is Bulgaria's Seeker, right?"

Alex nodded. "Right."

Suddenly a gold flash caught her eye and, after praying to whatever deity was watching over her to protect her, she sped after the Snitch, Alex hot on her trail.

As she grew closer to the flitting golden ball, she realized an awful thought. I have to take one of my hands off the broom! Please protect me! She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and reopened them, slowly taking a hand off of the Firebolt. Suddenly the Snitch flew right before her face and she swept her hand down, feeling the cool metal in her closed fist. Oh my God, I just caught the Snitch!

"I caught it!" she yelled in shock, staring at it, and the other kids stopped, looking at her.

"Congratulations!" Natalie cried. "Take that!" she said, looking at Malcolm, who just rolled his eyes.

"Best out of three, McDonald!" Malcolm yelled and the game presumed, Brianna releasing the Snitch.

As the hours flew by, Brianna became more assured of herself and found that she loved flying. It made her feel free and unobstructed. Though she didn't manage to catch the Snitch again, everyone was really friendly and even Graham gave her a smile by the end of it.

*~~*~~*

After a nice dinner with Gabriel and Sarah, they took her home, another pile of books in her arms. With a promise to write, Brianna said goodbye to the Conners and entered her home. Immediately, she was barraged by Maria and Terrance, demanding that she tell them how her day was. Her parents stood off to one side, watching the display with smiles on their faces.

"I had a great time," Brianna said. "I found some more books and I have a new story I can tell you."

"Yea!" Maria cried.

"When?" Terrance asked.

"If you go up to bed like you're supposed to, I'll tell it to you tonight."

"Okay!" they cried and ran up the stairs.

"Welcome back, Brianna," her mother said warmly, enveloping her in a hug.

"Did you have fun?" her father asked, smiling.

"Oh, yes," Brianna said, grinning. "One of the best days ever."

"That's wonderful," her mother said.

"We played this game and I did really well, but I'm quite sore, so I think I'm going to head up and take a warm bath," Brianna said.

"Oh, of course," her mother said, nodding.

"The Conners are wonderful people," her father said. "I'm glad that you were given a chance to stay with them today."

Brianna nodded. "Thanks for letting me."

"It wasn't a problem," her father said, smiling.

Brianna nodded and made her way upstairs, her muscles groaning in protest. She dumped her books on her bed and entered the bathroom.

After a long soak in the hot water, she felt immensely better and for Maria and Terrance's story that night, she told them about Merlin, obviously not mentioning the fact that he had truly existed. Even she was still amazed, after all she had found out about the wizarding world. She had read about Merlin in King Arthur books, but she had never realized that he might have actually existed. She learned new things every day.