Never Again!

Chapter 4

"Wake up Lizz!" I called as I entered her room. Looking around at her pink walls and stuffed animals strewn about, I couldn't help but think about how much my life had changed. I felt so much more alive. Grace and Lizz both had become dear to me; it was wonderful to have someone to care about again.

Lizz groaned. "Five more minutes, Mummy," she said, her voice muffled by her bedclothes. She started calling me "Mum" soon after I adopted her, and I had to admit, I really liked it.

"Oh no, it's time to get up. It's a beautiful day and I made pancakes!" I said cheerfully. I knew that would get her out of bed. In less than ten minutes, she was showered, dressed and waiting at the kitchen table. As we were eating, an owl flew up and tapped on the window.

"That's odd," I thought. Grace occasionally owled me, but this wasn't her regular owl. "Maybe she got a new one."

The owl stood expectantly with its leg out. I grabbed the letter, it read:

Elizabeth Weasley,

Since you will soon celebrate your eleventh birthday, you are hereby invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The new term will begin on September 1. Enclosed is a list of supplies you will need.

The letter dropped from my hands. Hogwarts! Of course, I knew that Lizz could go there, but I had assumed that she would go to Liarix, a school nearby our home. Apparently, her parents already had her name down at Hogwarts.

"What is it, Mum?" Lizz asked anxiously. I turned to look at her. Her eyebrows raised in question, she was watching me with apprehension. I glanced down at the letter, trying to think quickly. I realized though there was no thinking to be done. I loved Lizz, so I would have to let her decide what she wanted to do.

"It's a letter," I said as I picked it up from the floor.

"Yeah Mum, I was with you that far," she said jokingly.

Holding the letter in my hands, I sat down on my couch. Lizz realized from the look on my face that this was a serious situation and sat down next to me. I handed her the letter and watched as she read it. Her face remained impassive as she read the entire letter. She looked up at when she finished.

"Do you want me to go, Mum?"

With my hand, I tucked an errant strand of strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear.

"It's your choice to make, sweetie."

Lizz threw her arms around me, nearly crying with joy.

"Oh Mum, I want to go!" she said, giggling and I laughed with her. I was glad that she was excited about going to Hogwarts, but...

This meant I would have to return to England. There was no way I was going to let Lizz be that far away from me, so if she was going to England, then I was too. This, of course, would have consequences. Lizz's last name was now Weasley, and that name would attract some attention. People would ask her about her name. She would eventually find out about my past; someone would surely tell her. The story of my family's murder was widely known. I knew then I would have to tell her everything. I wanted her to hear it from me. I pulled back to look her, my face serious.

"Lizz, there's something I have to tell you," I said.

I saw a flicker of curiosity in her eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. She nodded, letting me know she was ready to listen. Suddenly, I felt dizzy, almost as if I was standing on the edge of a cliff. How was I going to do this?

"Do you remember what I've told you about Voldemort?" I asked.

She nodded. I took a deep breath and jumped.

"My real name is Ginevra Molly Weasley, but my family would always call me Ginny. Before I came here, I lived with my mum and dad and six brothers in England. I loved each and every one of them dearly."

I proceeded to tell her everything about my "other" life, from my own first year at Hogwarts up until that fateful day when Tom attacked my family and me. When I finished, we were both in tears.

"Oh Mum! How horrible that must have been for you," Lizz cried. "I don't have to go to Hogwarts; I don't want to make you go back to England if it would be too painful."

I knew she was being sincere, but I could also see in her eyes that she really wanted to go to Hogwarts. I shook my head. "I want you to go to a good school and Hogwarts is the best. I'm sure you'll love it there. And don't worry about me, I'll be just fine." Lizz leaned over and gave me a hug, and then she ran to her room. Puzzled, I followed her and found her packing her things even though September 1^st was still a week away. The next day, August 24^th, was Lizz's eleventh birthday. I decided to get her an owl so she could send me letters from school. She was thrilled with the gift. She decided to call him Mister Wiggles. I had to suppress a laugh; it brought back memories of when I had named Ron's owl, Pigwidgeon, and how he had despised that name. I promised Lizz I would take her to Wizard's Lane, which was similar to Diagon Alley, to get all of her school things. I had already introduced Lizz to some aspects of the wizarding world, so we had been to Wizard's Lane before. This time was especially fun for Lizz as she ran excitedly from shop to shop, buying all of her supplies. We got all the items on her list and headed for home. When we got there, Grace was waiting for us inside. We had exchanged keys to each other's apartments a while ago, so she had let herself in.

"Grace! Good to see you," I said.

Grace scowled, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Do you two have something to tell me?" she asked, eyeing the different bags Lizz had scattered around the apartment. "Going somewhere?" she asked again irritably.

"I'm sorry Grace, but Lizz just received her Hogwarts acceptance letter yesterday and with all the excitement, I just forgot to tell you about it," I explained lamely. Grace's face lit up when she heard me mention Hogwarts.

"You're going to Hogwarts, Lizz?" she shrieked. Lizz cracked a smile as Grace rushed toward her, enveloping her in a bear hug.

I knew after that Grace had no hard feelings about my forgetting to tell her about our move. Grace could use the Floo network anytime she wanted to visit us. There was just one small problem. There was nowhere to floo to. I hadn't even thought about finding a place to live. Apparently, Grace was thinking the same thing I was.

"Molly, have you found an apartment yet?" she asked.

I shook my head, blushing at my own forgetfulness.

"Molly! You get your ass...ahem...I mean, you get your butt to London straightaway and find one! I am not going to visit you at hotels when I come see you, understood?" Grace lectured sternly. Lizz giggled as I nodded sheepishly. I grabbed some floopowder from the mantle and stood before my fireplace. My hands began to shake. This would be the first time I had been back to London since the death of my family. I knew I had to go though; I had to find a place for Lizz and myself. Grace watched me, frowning.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked.

I couldn't do it. I just couldn't go back. Everyone would recognize me...I was sure of it. Suddenly, an owl flew in through an open window.

"Saved by the owl!" I thought as I took the letter from the scrawny owl. It was addressed to "Ms. Weasley". "It must be something from Hogwarts," I thought to myself. I opened it.

Dear Ms. Weasley,

Acceptance letters from Hogwarts are automatically sent to everyone who is eligible to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, I noticed on our registry there was a new student listed with the last name of Weasley. Of course, I was a bit perplexed when I came across this name. The entire Weasley family was killed a few months ago, except for Ginny Weasley, who is still missing to this day and presumed dead. Upon further investigation, I have discovered you are registered as Molly Weasley, 18 years old and you have been residing in America for only a few months. This would correspond to the period when Ginny Weasley disappeared. I am asking that you contact me as soon as possible.

Albus Dumbledore,
Headmaster of Hogwarts school for Witchcraft and Wizardry