Forty Shades of Bewilderment

Chapter 1

Kelsey violently shook her head. "Derek, no way! You MUST be lying. I mean, I can't be a wizard! Are you? Besides, why would I go to a school in England that I've never even applied to?"

Derek Cuttlebrink sighed. He hadn't realised when his mother told him right before she died, four years ago, to not tell Kelsey (whose last name was Potter) about her family until she got that confounded letter, exactly how hard it was going to be. She just didn't want to believe the truth! Not that he could blame her, not exactly. If he had been raised for ten years to believe he was part of one family, then suddenly told on his eleventh birthday he was actually an orphan being raised by his god-family, he wouldn't want to believe it either, especially if he was told he was a wizard. Still, he had to try one more time.

He took a deep breath. "Kelsey, listen. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. I'm not your brother. I'm your god-brother. And you are not a wizard--"

"Ha! I knew it! This is all just a cruel joke! Well, it's not-" began Kelsey.

"--you're a witch."

The silence was deafening. Kelsey was stunned. A witch? Her first thought was to hit Derek for calling her something so mean. Her second thought was to scream. Her third thought was to faint. She went with the third.

When she woke up, Derek handed her the letter. "Do you want to read the letter or hear the story of your family?"

"Both," said Kelsey, "but I'll start with the story."

Derek took a deep breath. "Okay. You are one of four children. They all survived. Your older brother Cedric is fourteen. You have a twin brother named Harry- I believe he lives with your aunt and uncle. Your younger sister Jessica is only ten. Now-understand this, Kelsey, because you won't know anything if you don't-not all wizards are good. About forty-six years ago, one wizard went as bad as you can go. His name was V- well, I think when he was at school it was Tom Marvelo- something. When he went bad he changed it to- Okay, I'll tell you, but don't make me say it again- Voldemort." He shuddered. "Anyway, one Halloween, when you were a year old, he came to your parent's house. Your sister was at a Mommy-'n'-Me thing at her day-care with her godmother, and your older brother had a friend over. Your parents fought him, but no one lived once he decided to kill them. No one except your twin brother. When You-Know-Who failed to kill Harry, the curse rebounded on himself and-well, I think he was separated from his body. There wasn't enough human left to die--and enough of the curse went past him that he couldn't. The house blew up."

Kelsey's eyes widened. "What happened to Harry and Cedric?"

Derek searched his memory. "Well, I'm pretty sure--in fact, I'm positive--that Cedric lives with his godparents, the Diggorys. Amos--his godfather--works for the Ministry of Magic. Harry, like I said, lives with your aunt and uncle."

"But why doesn't he live with his god-family if the rest of us do?"

"Albus Dumbledore--the headmaster of your new school--said something about how since this curse can only affect one person at a time, You-Know-Who tried to curse Harry first. Since Harry caused You-Know-Who's downfall, Harry is going to be in more danger than you or Cedric or Percy--Cedric's friend--and there's some kind of spell on your aunt and uncle's house. I think that if You-Know-Who ever came near their house and touched any part of the house, he would become separated from his body. In that state he would be of no danger to Harry. Plus, I think his godfather got arrested for betraying your parents, although I don't believe he did it."

Kelsey read through her letter. She was instructed to catch the train on September first. She read the school list. She looked up at Derek. "Where can we buy all this?" she asked.

"Diagon Alley," Derek replied.