Willowbranch

"I thought you said there wouldn't be fist-fighting," Brian said some time later. They strode down the street, at a pace faster than was necessary.

"Isabelle's gotten tough in her old age," Connie replied, nursing her face.

"You think she'll let you back in?" Judy panted.

"Oh, she'll send the Ministry after me, say I ran away, again. I wouldn't be surprised if they were waiting for me at your front door, Jude. Maybe it'd be better if I crashed at Bri's." She switched the handle of her trunk to her other hand.

"You're right. It'll be daylight well before we reach Albany. We can talk to my parental units when we get there. They know what your mother is, they'll let you stay." He stopped walking and pulled Connie closer under the street light. "Meantime, your face is still red. It's been twenty minutes. I wouldn't be surprised if you wound up with a bruise." Brian wanted to go into magical medicine.

Wouldn't be the first time, she thought, giving her cheek another rub. Several more blocks passed in silence.

"I don't get it though, didn't Isabelle used to be a mother to you? Taught you how to read music, decided to send you to Willowbranch?" Judy wondered. They stopped and rested, having dragged their trunks at least a mile, which was exhausting, even with coasters.

"Grandpa taught me music, you know that. She used to be a mother. Note the use of the imperfect tense. It's all in the past. When I was seven or eight, she just turned into that thing we saw back there."

"Why, though?"

"I don't know." They didn't talk much the rest of the way to the station.

By the time they had reached their destination, it was after five. They bought tickets and boarded. Judy was getting off in Syracuse, and Brian and Connie were going all the way to Albany. They slept most of the trip.

By the time Dr. and Mrs. Everett had pulled up to the station, it was nearly eight. Brian had explained the situation over the phone, and though they were a little miffed that they were lied to; they agreed. Connie could spend the entire summer with them. They still hadn't forgotten another time Isabelle hadn't come to get her child.

Dr. and Mrs. Everett had waited with the ten-year-old for five hours before bringing her home with them. It was for that reason that they weren't furious. Actually, they were glad that Brian had stayed with her, but they would have preferred that a parent be there. Martha Everett jumped out of the car and ran to Connie, completely ignoring her son.

"Connie, your hair," she bubbled in a motherly fashion, "It's so becoming. England has done you a world of good. Did you enjoy Hogwarts?"

"Oh, yes, Martha, very much. I have pictures in my trunk. I'll show you when we get back to the house."

"Rick? Did you see Connie's hair?"

"No, Martha, I was busy with the luggage," he responded exasperatedly. Martha often got caught up in one thing and ignored everything else. She hadn't even noticed the bruise that Brian predicted. Dr. Everett wiped his hands on his jeans before bustling over for a closer look. He noticed it right away, and sighed heavily.

"I suppose that's Isabelle's work. Ms. Connie, it's a pleasure as always. I see you've progressed past your hair-anxiety. It looks much better. Let's not regress now, shall we?" Rick Everett was a psychiatrist and had spent the past few years trying to get Connie to let her hair down, to no avail.

Connie had only been in Albany a few days when the call came. She had been swimming in the pool with Brian when Martha came out looking extremely worried. They both climbed out of the pool and pulled their towels around them.

"What's wrong, mom?"

"I just got off with Kathy Lawrence. She says the Ministry is looking to return Connie home. Isabelle pulled the old runaway call again. They know you two were together that night, they'll be coming here next. We decided to send you to the Hardones', Connie. Don't worry, we won't let you go back... Where in God's name did you get that bruise?"

"Isabelle did it. It was there when I got here, didn't you notice?"

"I've been a little preoccupied, dear, I'm sorry." Martha embraced her like Isabelle hadn't since Connie was seven years old. It was all Connie could do to keep from crying.

"You all do so much for me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"There'd always be someone looking out for you," Martha said.

"You're right. I don't know why I'm upset."

"Now hurry up and get your stuff together. We don't want a trace of you when the Ministry comes." Brian helped Connie get her things together.

"Are you worried?" he asked. Connie threw several books into her trunk before answering.

"No. Yes. I don't know, whatever. Everything's just so mixed up right now I don't know what I'm feeling."

"What do you mean? What's there to be mixed up about?" Connie closed her trunk and sat down upon it, sighing heavily.

"A lot of things happened last year, things I never mentioned to you. I'm dealing with the aftermath of that as well as right now. I can't distinguish what I'm feeling has to do with." Brian placed a comforting arm around her.

"Maybe if you talked about it. Would that help?" Connie shook her head before placing her hands over her eyes.

"I don't want to talk about that right now."

Connie spent a fortnight with Josh in New Jersey. It was early in the evening, and Connie and Josh were lying on the front lawn, watching the sky change colors, just because there wasn't anything better to do.

"Josh, no offense, but this town is so boring it's not even funny. I could fall asleep and it's eight-thirty."

"It's called Convent Station for a reason. Nuns aren't supposed to have anything beyond the necessary. This town has nothing beyond the necessary."

"Apparently fun isn't necessary. Doesn't this place have a park for the little kids?"

"What do two fourteen year olds want to do at a playground? I'm not pushing you on the swings." Josh yawned and stretched his arms upwards.

"I'm not fourteen yet. Besides, I never said I wanted to go. I just wondered what mothers of three and four year olds do to keep their sanity."

"There's a preschool run by nuns. Other than that, they're all pretty much deranged."

"Good. Let's all send our children to get beaten by nuns for sneezing without permission."

"Actually, they aren't allowed to hit children. And they are very gentile, if I may say so."

"You went to nun preschool?"

"Yep. Right up until the time I got my letter from Willowbranch." Josh was Muggle-born. At Willowbranch, any witch or wizard could go there until the age of nine. Every year all the nine year olds took a standardized test. Then, according to the results, you either went to Willowbranch and placed into the appropriate house, or sent to the other magical school, Birchwood. Judy had joined Connie, Josh and Brian from there. All four of them had scores high enough to place them in Windham house, and as a matter of fact, were all in the top ten students in their year.

At Willowbranch, there are three houses: Windham, Brookwood, and Swallowtail. Using the fifth grade tests as a guide, students are sorted according to these guidelines: ninety-seventh percentile and above in Windham, at least ninety-second percentile in Brookwood, and eighty-eighth percentile in Swallowtail. Anything below and you were sent to Birchwood.

"I bet they were sorry to see you leave. You were a cute little kid. If they could see you now, they'd give up celibacy." With the exception of school, almost everywhere Josh went he could expect at least five girls to ask for his number. He always took theirs instead, but threw them away as soon as they were out of sight. He often thought that no girls would take him seriously.

"Only one problem, I'm fourteen, they're at least sixty. It's a little something called statutory rape." At that moment, a group of girls rode by on bicycles and yelled flirty phrases at Josh, who just rolled his eyes.

"Details. Let's go inside and see if there's anything better to do. I don't think the sky's going to change colors anymore, as exciting as it was."

Before long, (gratefully for Connie) it was decided that Connie should go to the Lawrences, if only to cover her tracks. One night, Connie and Judy sat up late talking.

"You promise not to tell anyone? You can keep a secret, can't you?"

"What is it, Jude? I swear on my owl's grave not to tell anyone."

"I think I like Brian. As more than a friend."

"I figured as much. If I'm not mistaken, he's attracted to you, too. Kind of reminds me of Lil and Jay, except they've been together almost two years now."

"Who?" Connie slapped her forehead.

"Of course, how stupid of me. Lily Evans and James Potter. They're two of my friends from Hogwarts."

"You said you had pictures, but I've yet to see one. Bust those babies out." Connie rummaged through her things and pulled out an album. Judy scooted over and the two lay on their stomachs, with their heads at the foot of Judy's bed.

"Ok, that's Frank Baynes. He was my best friend there. I called him "Howie' after grandpa. We bumped into each other, well actually I bumped into him, and we just clicked."

"He's cute. Did you kiss him?"

"Eww, no. It'd be like kissing my brother, if I had one."

"That one looks like he could be your brother," Judy noted, pointing at a picture.

"That's James, a.k.a. Jay. My Transfiguration teacher kept saying the same thing. The red head next to him is Lily. Match made in heaven if there ever was one."

"And those two?"

"Ray Lupin and Petey Pettigrew. Remus was my Bri over there. He was always there for me when I was down, though he did like to make fun of me. It was because of him and Frank that I let my hair down."

"So was Petey your Josh?"

"No, Jay was my Josh. Petey wasn't anything special. He was nice and all, but he was boring. Sort of a leech, if you know what I mean. Scaredy-cat. How he ever got into Gryffindor is beyond me."

"What the hello Bob is Gryffindor?"

"One of the Houses at Hogwarts. They have this hat that they make you try on, and it tells you which house you're supposed to be in. What was it Frank said? Brave people in Gryffindor, sharp-witted in Ravenclaw, hard workers in Hufflepuff, and ambitious in Slytherin. The Slytherins are nightmares, like nearly everyone in Willowbranch."

"So basically, it was the same as here?"

"No, actually, mostly everyone was nice."

"Really?"

"Of course I'm exaggerating, but one of the Gryffindors and all the Slytherins minus one didn't think too highly of me."

"One of the Slytherins liked you? Is there a picture of him?"

"God no. I don't want to scare people. This guy was disgusting. He had a long hook nose, his skin was yellow, and his hair was always greasy. Next page is a shot of all the Marauders."

"Is that the name of the clique?" Judy asked as she turned the page. Her eyes bulged. "Who is that gorgeous guy?" Connie glanced at the page and made a sound of disgust.

"That, is Sirius Black, absolutely without a doubt in my mind the biggest jerk in that whole school." Judy inhaled deeply.

"Since you don't like him, can I have him then?"

"You've already forgotten Bri? Anyway, he's got a girlfriend."

"Is that who you were talking about at the airport?" Connie nodded bitterly. "Did you kiss him?" Connie sighed and rolled onto her back.

"Nearly. He asked me to go for a walk with him on the grounds. There was snow everywhere. I smashed a snowball on his head, and he chased me over to the frozen lake. I slipped on the ice and fell, and he fell on me. Then he helped me up, we looked into each other's eyes and then he leaned in."

"Then what happened?" Judy breathed.

"This girl Debbie and her friends threw water balloons at us and ruined the moment."

"Why'd they do that?"

"Debbie Davis hated me, so she stole him from me. Wasted no time, in fact. Next day, I came down from the dorm and there she was, sitting in his lap. Then he did something I don't think I can ever forgive him for."

"What? What was it?"

"He hit me. Not just a slap mind you, but a full out beating. He gave me a black eye. Knock me unconscious, he did."

"I can't believe it." Judy's eyes moved to a different shot. "He does like you, or did at any rate. I can tell by the way he keeps staring at you."

"It doesn't matter now, it's all over." Connie rolled back over and twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

"Oh my God," Judy whispered.

"What?"

"You still like him."

"I do not."

"You do."

"You want me to tell Bri you like him."

"I do not."

"I don't like Sirius, then.

"Deal." Judy took a deep breath. "Connie, do you think Brian likes me?"

"I already told you I'm pretty sure he does. If you want, I can find out for certain. I may end up back there before the end of the summer."

"Just don't mention anything about me liking him."

"You got it. Hey, did you see the ones of me at the Three Broomsticks?"

"No, oh, here they are. What're you, a part time lounge singer over there?"

"I wasn't paid, and I only did it twice. But you've gotta start your career somewhere."

"Damn, this one, your hair's all over you face. Kind of like right now, except it's all wild, unkempt."

"That was the day Sirius hit me."

"Did he get expelled?"

"No."

"Suspended?"

"No."

"Detention?"

"No."

"He got off scott-free?" Judy exclaimed incredulously.

"Well, none of The Marauders talked to him for the rest of the year," Connie responded lamely.

"That's it?" Judy was outraged. "No punishment from the administration?"

"I didn't exactly tell the administration who did it. The only reason anyone knew was because James figured it out. I didn't want to tell anyone."

"Why the hello Bob not?"

"I didn't think they'd believe me. They'd known me for a few months and Sirius for five years. Who'd you rather believe? Besides, I didn't want to start feuds in the Marauders."

"That and you wanted to protect him."

"I can't keep anything a secret, no matter which side of the ocean I'm on," Connie said exasperatedly. She went on to tell Judy more about Hogwarts than she would ever tell anyone at the time. The only thing she kept quiet was Remus's secret. She had sworn to him that she would bring the fact that he was a werewolf to the grave, and Connie never went back on her word.

The end of July brought Connie back to Albany. After a little snooping, she found a piece of parchment with I love JL, Brian and Judy Everett, and other things of the sort. She didn't mention the paper, but sent her owl Bucky over to Judy, stating that it was a certainty that Brian shared her feelings. Judy's reply gave Connie permission to be a little less discreet. Connie took the lack of specifications as a go ahead to tell Brian the truth. However, she knew perfectly well that wasn't what Judy meant. Connie went right over to Brian, sat him down and looked him straight in the eye.

"Jude likes you." Brian blinked his eyes.

"Well, we are friends and all, so that's kind of a given," he replied evasively.

"No, no, no. You know perfectly well I mean really likes you."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes I'm serious. Now, what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know. I like her too, but..."

"Of course you do, I knew that as well. But what?"

"I don't want to seem like a chicken, but I don't think I can do anything. I'm getting nervous just thinking about it."

"Of course you are. Just give it some time, it'll work out, trust me. But if you hurt her, I'll zap you into the fourth dimension."

"Time? You're going to zap me into time?"

"Whatever."

"Well, what if she hurts me?"

"She'll be in the fifth dimension."

"What the hello Bob is that?"

"Oh, look at Mr. Science Buff now, wants to be a doctor, but doesn't even know what the fifth dimension is."

"Well, if your so smart, then what is it?"

"Why should I have to tell you?"

"You don't know either, do you?" Brian asked simply.

"No idea."

"So tell me, who are you in love with? Just don't tell me it's Josh." Connie shook her head.

"I left my heart, in King's Cross Station," she sang.

"So who is he?"

"Just someone who broke my heart. It doesn't matter anymore, don't have a conniption." That was all Connie would say on the matter, and Brian knew her too well to think she would tell more than she already had.

Soon enough, it was time to return to school, amid much grumbling. Though having Connie back would make things easier, it still would not be fun. They couldn't wait until they were finished in four years.

It was the first day of classes that Connie received a letter during breakfast. She ripped it open excitedly.

"It's from Jay." She read it quickly, then began summarizing it. "You all heard about that dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, right? Well, seems lately that he's been getting a stronger hold over there. Everyone's getting real nervous. The Ministry's trying to keep it from the Muggles, and they're getting slaughtered as well. No one knows who to trust anymore. It's real bad. There's some good news. Dumbledore started a league against him, called the Order of the Phoenix. The Marauders are all involved."

"But they're still in school. Is that Dumbledore guy insane or what? He seems totally bonkers." Connie looked up and slowly diverted her gaze in Brian's direction.

"Brian Louis Everett, I will not tolerate anyone talking about Professor Dumbledore in that manner. He knows what he's doing. As a matter of fact, with the exception of Petey, the Marauders are extraordinarily magical. If they went here, they'd be in Windham, with us."

"Even Petey," Josh asked teasingly.

"Well, if he managed to get in, he'd be a Swallowtail. Then they'd kick him out before the end of first term," Connie had to admit. She read the rest of the letter. "Oh crap, more bad news. 'Unfortunately, we've lost track of him, but doubt that he's really gone. He's out there somewhere, but who knows where he could be? Keep your eyes open and look for anything suspicious. Be careful, Voldemort is extremely dangerous. Think five 'x' rating from Magical Beasts.' We'll all be in touch soon, James."

"What's he going on about that for? Vladimir isn't here."

"You know something, Brian," Josh said jadedly, "For an intelligent guy, you have absolutely no common sense. It's a warning. Voldemort could be here right now, disguised as Professor Onderwater." Judy snorted.

"Onderwater isn't a likely target. He's too powerful, almost as powerful as Dumbledore is. Voldemort would need more than a few curses to put him out of action."

"I bet Professor Whipple could take him on," Josh said jokingly.

Judy glanced at their elderly Charms teacher. She had never spoken above a whisper in all the years they'd had her. She wouldn't kill a rampaging Acromantula that was about to kill her, much less a fellow human. The matter was beyond laughable.

"Speaking of which, that's our first class. If we don't go now, we'll be late, and we don't want to give the old lady a stroke," Judy said, wiping her mouth and grabbing her bag.

Professor Whipple took attendance. All her students had long ago taken to just saying 'here' in alphabetical order. They never heard her, so they never knew if she knew their names or not. Yet, somehow, she seemed different.

"Welcome back, everyone. I hope you enjoyed your summer, because this year is going to be quite taxing. You've had more than enough coddling. Do I have to remind you that your TEBOs are this year?"

"No, Professor," the class replied monotonously. Connie narrowed her eyes. Something wasn't right with Professor Whipple. She was normally an optimistic, quiet, cookie jar, grand-motherly type. She had a feeling that Whipple hadn't turned into a loud, cynical, cold old bat over the summer.

Whipple was in the middle of her brutal lecture on metal charming techniques, the class furiously scribbling notes, when she suddenly erupted into a coughing fit. Hacking violently, she reached for an opaque bottle on her desk, unscrewed the lid, and sipped it. The coughing subsided immediately, which seemed odd to Connie. The others didn't seem to notice.

Connie plopped her bag next to her seat in Willow Hall. She wasted no time in skirting around the issue.

"Something's not right. Whipple's acting weird."

"She's a million years old, she's probably gone senile," Josh said skeptically.

"No, senility wouldn't cause such a dramatic change in personality," Brian said knowingly.

"I wonder what she drank that made her stop coughing?"

"Here's one for a try, Connie, how about a cough suppressing potion?" Josh responded sarcastically.

"Would you like to take that one, Dr. Bri? I think he's been hanging around you too much, he's not using his common sense."

"Josh, even the most powerful cough suppressant wouldn't work instantly. Not the way she was hacking. I'm surprised her lung wasn't launched across the room."

"And she's gotten louder. I just realized. We didn't have to strain to hear her. Something's definitely up. What do you think, Connie?" Judy asked.

"The coughing was faked," she said assertively, "And I think this needs more investigation." At that moment, Connie was interrupted by a group of other students that were having hysterics from mocking her. "Why must they insist on annoying me?" she said exasperatedly, using sleight of hand to give them huge rips in their robes, and exposing all their undergarments. "You'd think by now they'd figure it out, we go to gifted school, but no. You know, for smart people, they are extremely simple minded." Judy, Josh and Brian laughed appreciatively.