Never Again!

Chapter 3

When I woke up the next morning, I immediately noticed something was different. I could feel a weight next to me; I opened my eyes and saw Lizz snuggled up next to me. Memories of the night before came flooding back. I smiled at the sleeping girl, thinking to myself how good this felt.

Gently, I shook Lizz's arm. "Wake up Lizz, it's time for breakfast!" Her eyes flew open and she sat up abruptly. Alarmed, she looked around the room, eyes wide with fear. She reminded me of a deer caught in the headlights. Her face relaxed quickly as she too remembered the events of the previous night. She turned to look at me.

"Hi," she said timidly.

"Good morning!" I said with a grin. "Would you like some breakfast? How about pancakes, does that sound good?"

She screwed up her face in confusion. "What are pancakes?" she asked.

I frowned, could there be a child alive that didn't know what pancakes were? Apparently, there was at least one....

"Well, they're really quite good! I'll just make you some but I think you'll like them!"

"Thank you," she said.

I went into the kitchen and started making the pancakes. Lizz followed, but watched me from the doorway. "Come on over here," I urged gently. "You can watch, but don't touch the stove or you'll burn yourself," I warned. She slowly came toward me and watched as I made our breakfast.

Within no time, I had a stack of pancakes piled on a plate, so I quickly set the table. Lizz looked at her food suspiciously. She acted as though anything and everything could be dangerous. It was obvious that her parents hadn't taken very good care of her. She was skinny, careworn, and she seemed wary of everyone. Finally, she took a small bite of her food and her little face lit up. "This is really good!" she said happily. It was the first time I saw her with a big smile and it melted my heart.

I grinned at her. "I do make the best pancakes!"

While we ate, I started thinking about what I should do now. I didn't know anything about raising a child, but I was determined that Lizz would never go back to her parents. Should I report finding her to the Ministry? I just didn't know what to do. I decided that I would ask someone at work for advice.

"Oh my gosh- work!" I thought. "What will I do with Lizz? I can't take her with me!"

Lizz saw the look on my face and panic swept over her own. "Did I do something wrong?" she stammered.

"Of course not. I'm just going to call into work and tell them that I won't be able to make it in today," I explained. She visibly relaxed. I stood up as Lizz finished what was on her plate. She was staring at the large pile of pancakes still left on the table.

"Would you like some more to eat?" I asked. She looked up, her eyes wide.

"Can I?" she asked.

"Of course, take as many as you want." I smiled as I walked to the phone and dialed my office.

"Daily Prophet, Grace Watson speaking," said the voice on the line.

"Hi Grace, it's Molly," I said.

"Molly? Oh, hi...what's going on?" she asked. She was probably wondering why I had called her.

"I'm just calling to say that I won't be able to make it in to work today."

"Oh...are you sick?" she asked.

"Um...not really, but I have a question that I want to ask you."

"What is it?" she asked. I could hear the curiosity in her voice now. This was probably the longest non-work related talk I had ever had with her.

"Well..." I hesitated before answering. "I was wondering if you could come over. I can ask my question then."

There was silence on the line; I knew she was considering whether to come. I hoped that she would though; Grace was really the only person who could help me. She was often lurking at the Ministry, looking for stories. She knew a lot about what was going on around there.

"I'll be right over," she said after a minute.

"Wait! Don't you need to know where I live?" I asked her.

"Honey, as a reporter, I have access to even the most secret information. And of course, I have a phonebook," she said. I laughed. "I'll be there in five minutes," she said and hung up. I had definitely shocked her; not only did I ask for her help, but I had also laughed. I turned back to Lizz; she had finished her second pancake but she was now watching me with suspicion.

"Lizz, somebody I work with is coming over in a few minutes, but she won't hurt you," I assured her. She seemed slightly relieved, but she still sat stiffly in her chair.

The doorbell rang and Lizz jumped. I opened the door and there stood Grace. I invited her in.

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?" she said, cutting right to the chase. You could definitely tell she was a reporter.

"Why don't we go into the living room," I said. When we walked in, I noticed Lizz nearly hiding behind my couch, peering at Grace apprehensively, watching her every move.

"Molly! I didn't know that you had a daughter!" Grace said loudly. Lizz shrunk back at the sound of Grace's voice.

"She's not my daughter," I said. We sat down and I explained the story to her.

"Oh...how sad," Grace said once I had finished. Lizz sat on the floor next to my feet, listening. "And you want to know what to do with her now?"

"Well, yes. She can't - she won't go back to her parents," I said emphatically.

Grace nodded in understanding. "Well, she'll have to declare to Ministry officials that her parents abused her. She will also have to tell them what exactly they did to her."

I glanced at Lizz, worried. "I don't know if she can do that."

"Molly, you'll have to explain her that if she doesn't do this, she will have to go back to her parents."

When Lizz heard that, she spoke up for the first time. "I'll do it," she said firmly.

Grace looked surprised at Lizz's tenacity, but nodded nonetheless. "Alright, I'll arrange it for you."

"Thank you for your help, Grace," I said.

"It's no trouble," she said. "And I promise that I won't write a story about this. If people hear about this, you'll be flooded with letters from people who have read about it and ask if they can help somehow. You won't have any privacy and that would not be good for Lizz."

"Oh, thank you," Lizz said. I was glad she seemed to be able to understand how important this was.

"I don't know how to repay you, Grace," I said.

"Really, it's no problem. I'm glad to help, and to get to know you a little better too," she said.

Over the next few weeks, Lizz stayed with me at my apartment. Lizz told her story to Ministry officials; I was appalled to hear what her parents had done to her. They had yelled at her, cursed, hexed and beaten her. How anyone could have done that to a child was unfathomable to me. In the end, it was decided that Lizz would never have to go back to her parents. The ministry told me that they would contact me once they decided where Lizz would be placed permanently. In the meantime, she continued to live with me. She was still a bit shy at first, still jumping at shadows and asking permission before she did anything. Slowly, she began to act more like a normal child, laughing, playing, making friends, etc. Grace and I had also become very good friends. She stayed at my place quite a bit and helped watch Lizz when I had to work.

I had to admit, I had grown quite fond of Lizz over the months, and I had even considered adopting her. I was hesitant to ask Lizz about it because I was unsure of what she would think. Would she want to stay with me forever? I did hope that she would want to; I had come to think of Lizz as my family. I began to teach Lizz some easy spells and charms. Of course, Lizz wasn't allowed to perform any magic yet, but I wanted her to know some basic things about magic. I was grateful that Lizz didn't ask anything about my parents or my past. I didn't know if I could tell her about what had happened to my family. One day, I finally got the good news I was waiting for. I was summoned to the Ministry; they informed me that if I wanted to, I could apply to adopt Lizzie permanently. Ecstatic, I rushed home, overjoyed that Lizz could forever be a part of my life.

"Hello? Anyone home?" I called out as I entered my apartment.

"Hi Molly! You're late!" Grace said, coming into view.

"I'm sorry, but I was called to the Ministry and well...I'm going to ask Lizz if she would want me to adopt her," I said hesitantly.

"YES!" Lizz shouted as she came barreling down the hallway, throwing her arms around my neck.

I threw my head back as I laughed, feeling almost dizzy with happiness. Grace grinned and said, "I think you have your answer, Molly!"

I pulled back to look at Lizz. "Are you sure? Don't you want to think about it first?"

"Nope," she said, grinning from ear to ear. "I wanna stay with you!"

"Well, I guess that settles it, you're a family now!" Grace said, her eyes shining with tears.

That night, I magically enlarged my apartment so Lizz could have her own bedroom. She was allowed to decorate it anyway she wanted; it turned out she wanted light pink walls, a white bed and dresser, and countless stuffed animals. To top off the special night, I gave her a pure white kitten that she named Miss Lady. When I finally tucked her in to bed, she looked up at me sleepily and said, "I love you," and promptly fell asleep. I stood by her bed for a long time watching her sleep, feeling truly happy for the first time in months. "I love you too," I whispered as I walked out of her room.

The next morning, Lizz and I went to the Ministry to file the adoption paperwork and by the end of the day, Lizz had officially become Elizabeth Weasley.