Interlude: Annette
Annette watched the train leave feeling like a hole had been carved inside her chest. As much as she didn’t want to keep Taylor from living her own life, seeing her Little Owl take her first flight in the magical world left her desolate.
It wasn’t the same, she knew that, but watching Taylor disappear into a world she couldn’t follow brought back an old, familiar helplessness. It was like Danny all over again.
When they met, Annette thought he was just a quirky, fashion-impaired guy. Pretty, too, despite that, with those baby blues, angular face and devious smirk. They dated for months, and the marriage proposal had been such a surprising, but welcome twist.
Danny hadn’t been forthcoming with his past, but she knew he came from old blood and was estranged from his family because of differences in beliefs. That didn’t seem important at the time.
The ceremony had been a small, quiet celebration. Her mother didn’t approve of the union and made sure most of the family disapproved too, at least when they were near her. A few still showed up to watch the exchange of vows, but the bride’s side was mostly filled with Annette’s friends instead of family.
None of Danny’s family attended the wedding, and only a few of his friends (also fashion-impaired) showed up. The most normal of the bunch was the one with the silly name. Who named their son Sirius?
They’d been married for a month when she caught him using magic. Only after she caught him red-handed did he admit to being a wizard. Surprisingly, things got better after that. She visited so many magical places, met (even in passing) interesting characters and creatures. Annette marveled at the small rude people who wanted to grab at their gold at all costs. She laughed with Tom at the Leaky Cauldron over cups of butterbeer.
They hadn’t been together for a year when Danny just up and vanished one night. No explanation, no ‘I’m going out for cigarettes’, nothing. She woke up to find the bed empty.
Would he have left had he known she was pregnant? Annette hadn’t told him because she wanted to be sure before breaking the news.
Without her wizard husband, she was cut off entirely from that side of her life. There were no more Diagon Alley visits. She couldn’t find the Leaky Cauldron. Trying to find the Ministry was time wasted.
Annette didn’t know if she was just a conquest or if something had happened. The months passed with no news and no sign of her husband returning. She had little choice but to stop waiting for someone who might never come back.
Then Taylor was born.
Unable to work and with a baby to care for, she sold off the few things Danny had left behind — curios, collectables, gold galleons — to pick her life back up and move on.
Nearly two years later, while out shopping with her Little Owl, Annette ran into Tom again.
The story the wizard told was as absurd as it was revolting.
Danny had fled from his pure-blood family and married a muggle in a rebellious fit, then went back to fight a war against a megalomaniac determined to rule the wizarding world. He died, like many others, and almost no one was even aware he had married.
But the war had ended decades ago.
Taylor was safe and hopefully happy in that school.
The first letter arrived that same night.
Nap, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl that Taylor was sure was a barn owl hooted at her window until Annette got up from her bed to accept the letter.
“Thank you, sweetie,” she said, gently petting the bird.
With a smile on her face, she opened the envelope.
…you won’t believe it, mum! The train is amazing! There is this lady with a trolley filled with all manner of magical pastries. There’s even moving chocolate frogs, and beans that can taste like anything. You saw Luna. Yes, that girl in the cabin with me is called Luna Lovegood. Her father is an editor for a wizard magazine called The Quibbler, she is so nice, mum, I can’t believe my luck! Luna is a bit strange, too. She’s super into these conspiracy theories that I think are made up, but are so interesting to listen to. I also met Ginny (Ginevra Weasley), who is obsessed with this famous boy, Harry Potter…
The seven-page letter of rambling, over-excited writing had a few smudges, and Taylor’s later tone made clear her baby girl was feeling homesick. Annette wanted to abandon everything and run to that school, grab her baby and hug her until she felt better, but alas. She had no magic.
She penned a short letter in response, one in which she poured her heart and made sure to support her daughter, even encouraging her to explore the castle and have fun. She finished writing, handed over the correspondence to the still waiting owl, and only when Nap had left did she lay in bed, trying to go back to sleep.
“… this is a magical school, mum. Why are they trying to kill all the magic from it?”
Taylor’s following letters confirmed a fear Annette had been hoping it was just a fear.
Danny, in the brief moments he spoke about the magical world, had always been very critical of their customs, often using his own family as an example of all the discrimination. He had fond memories of the school, but also admitted he suffered a lot in early years with all the bullying.
Decades later, things seemed to have gotten worse instead of better. Now, on top of normal kids' cruelty, even professors were picking on students. She had no reason to doubt Taylor’s letter and recounting of events.
An innocent mistake, carrying her pet owl around, shouldn’t engender such disregard from what was supposed to be a teacher responsible for a whole house with hundreds of students in their formative years.
It wasn’t only this Snape professor. His whole house seemed a pit of discrimination that needed a good talking to.
She tried to help however she could, suggesting Taylor talk with the school faculty. Maybe it would help.
Annette wasn’t going to make the same mistake as last time. As someone without a hint of magic, she couldn’t access most wizarding services, but fortunately, Nap solved several of those issues.
She had the owl deliver correspondence to all wizarding magazines and newspapers she knew about. The Daily Prophet, The Quibbler, Witch Weekly, Teen Witch Weekly, and more. If there was something happening in the wizard world, she wanted to know about it and not be taken by surprise again.
Most of the content in those magazines was absurd.
The Daily Prophet was clearly a doctored newspaper that only published things the government approved, with one reporter who seemed to write solely about scandals and hit pieces. The Quibbler dealt in Illuminati-type conspiracies, while Witch Weekly and its teen counterpart were gossip rags that often had a few useful sounding spells.
Those she saved for Taylor. Her Little Owl would appreciate that.
Annette had penned a letter to the school to complain about the absurd situation regarding the three professors: Snape mentally torturing children; Lockhart, who should be the most qualified and important professor of that school, forcing students to praise his deeds without teaching them anything of consequence; Binns regurgitating words from a several-decades-old book.
She hadn’t expected an answer so soon, but at least, it seemed they weren’t ignoring her letter.
Dear Mrs. Hebert,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us regarding your concerns about the educational staff at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your daughter's wellbeing, and that of all our students, remains our foremost priority, and we take all correspondence from parents and guardians with the utmost seriousness.
Please be assured that the matters you have raised have been duly noted and will be brought to the attention of the appropriate members of staff for review. Hogwarts has a long and storied tradition of magical excellence, and our faculty, each highly qualified in their respective fields, are dedicated to providing the best possible education to every student in their care.
We understand that the transition to a magical education can be an adjustment, particularly for a Muggle-raised student and her family, and we want to reassure you that Hogwarts takes the welfare of all its students, regardless of background, extremely seriously. Headmaster Dumbledore himself has been made aware of your letter.
Should any further concerns arise, please do not hesitate to write again. We remain committed to open communication with our students' families.
Yours sincerely,
Griselda Marchbanks
Deputy of Student Affairs
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
She had to read the letter two times to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. Then she crumpled it and threw it against the wall in a fit of rage.
Annette had sent two more letters, echoing Taylor’s own complaints. The rampant bullying, discrimination, and blatant disrespect from the Potions Master weren’t something that any institution should tolerate. None of her letters ever solved anything. She suspected they often made things worse.
Taylor’s complaints about this Snape person often sounded worse after Annette sent her letters to the school.
She was left with one option that might be too much. These people certainly didn’t care about her daughter’s well-being, but they cared about their image. So she composed letters to several news reporters. Maybe some of them would be willing to publish a story about the school.
Her letters had garnered attention at first, but once she explained what and who she wanted to report, she was met with closed doors and terse responses from everywhere. Even her Daily Prophet subscription was canceled.
Not even the gossip rags were willing to accept the story. The only one that Annette reckoned would take the story was The Quibbler, but what would be the point? It would be dismissed like all other conspiracy theories.
Annette had been forced to go for broke.
She contacted Rita Skeeter, the scandal seeking and hit-piece reporter who worked for the Daily Prophet. Maybe the woman had more pull than others and could publish something.
Rita wanted to meet in Annette’s house. “It helps set the mood,” the letter had argued. Annette had cleared the day for that interview. She had Taylor’s letters organized by date to corroborate her tale.
The bell rang, and Annette opened the door to welcome her guest.
The woman on the other side had blonde hair set in elaborate curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face. She wore jewelled spectacles studded with rhinestones, had thick fingers ending in long nails. Her blonde curls were curiously rigid.
“Hello! Are you Annette? I’m Rita. Rita Skeeter. We corresponded via owl,” Rita said with a smile, offering her hand.
She had pencilled-on eyebrows and three gold teeth, as well as large, masculine hands. Her bright scarlet painted fingernails reminded Annette of claws or talons. She didn’t like to judge people before even meeting them, but Rita rubbed her the wrong way. Even the woman’s voice was irritating.
“Hello, yes. Please come in,” she said, inviting the reporter to enter the house.
She led the woman to the living room, where she had prepared all the information she was willing to divulge.
…
Annette blinked, looking around her house. Her head felt fuzzy and her mouth tasted bitter. She blinked again, trying to figure out what she had been doing. With a quick glance around, she noticed the house was a bit of a mess. Decorations were out of place. A few drawers weren’t properly closed. One of the shelves' glass doors was open.
Another glance and she saw it was already past eleven in the morning.
She got up. She would need to tidy the house later; she was hours late for work!
Annette stared at the letter, trying to wrap her head around it.
Taylor had started to send letters after months without sending a single one. Her baby girl hinted, and Annette didn’t miss it, that some of the professors weren’t behaving appropriately for their position. She didn’t have any concrete evidence of what happened, only Taylor’s often offhand comments.
Even so, she penned a letter to the school to make sure nothing untoward was happening.
Their response didn’t make any sense.
Dear Mrs. Hebert,
Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us again.
Please be assured that the matters you have raised in your previous letters have been duly addressed. The staff members in question have been reminded of the standards of conduct expected at this institution, and the matter is now considered closed. We appreciate your patience and persistence in this matter, and we hope this puts your concerns to rest.
As always, Hogwarts remains dedicated to the safety and wellbeing of every student in our care, and we thank you for your continued engagement with the school on your daughter's behalf.
Should any further concerns arise, please do not hesitate to write again. We remain committed to open communication with our students' families.
Yours sincerely,
Griselda Marchbanks
Deputy of Student Affairs
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
She had a mind to send another letter to see what was happening, but holidays were two weeks away. She’d have time to understand the situation once her baby girl was back. Annette needed to clean the guest room and prepare to host Luna and her father.
A smile came unbidden to her face. Her precious baby had made three friends! Only Luna was visiting this time, but she couldn’t wait to meet all of them.
Annette waited among the crowd for the train to stop. It had been a surprise when Nap showed up without any letter. At first, she thought something had happened, but a good look at the owl was enough to understand the situation.
Nap had grown a lot. The cage they got at the pet store wouldn’t be enough to transport her. Taylor probably sent the owl ahead of time, instead of trying to squeeze her into a cramped cage.
With billowing smoke and strident whistles, the train finally stopped.
She peered between the many excited parents and loud children, trying to find her baby girl.
“Mum!” she heard the voice before she saw Taylor. She turned, and just in time to catch a supersonic girl.
She hugged her daughter just as fiercely. “My Little Owl.”