Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 29

Boxing day was as same as usual. Just that her father trusted Isabella to be around the stove more now. She used to be banned from using the stove, or the knife or anything he considered dangerous in the kitchen. It was the same downstairs at the shop too. He wouldn't let her go anywhere near the garden scissors or the crowbars. 

Isabella pushed the tray into the oven. 

"Izzy! I've found the yellow pages," her father called from the living room. "I'll leave it here, outside on the table,"

"Thanks, Dad," Isabella called back as she turned to collect the dishes for washing.

Isabella was really thankful that she didn't have any dreams during her stay at home. It was so pleasant, not having headaches for once and having a good full rested sleep, instead of waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

Of course, she was still thinking about Wool's Orphanage, but that was it. She was only thinking. She didn't intend to do anything more. Every once in a while it would pop in her head and she would aimlessly let her thoughts run until something else came up for her to do.

If she thought about it, Isabella had no obligation to do any of this. There was no reason for her to try and figure out what Voldemort's past was, or worry about the Chamber of Secrets. She could just go on about her life as peacefully as possible.

Isabella lay awake in her bed, thinking. Creating the most ridiculous, yet elaborate plans in her head. 

Supposing that Tom Riddle was indeed abandoned in a muggle orphanage, she might be able to find something out if she visited the place . . .She could wait to go to Hogwarts, and then try to prepare a Polyjuice Potion, by stealing ingredients from Slughorn, then she could ask the Room of Requirement to show her a secret passage out of school and then she could travel to Wool's Orphanage, disguised as an adult and find out. . .But for that she'd have to master apparition first. And that was hard.

But more importantly, it had been more than forty years, she doubted she would get anything out of it.

And her plan was the most ridiculous one she had made yet. 

Polyjuice? Apparition? Secret passage? What nonsense!

As days went by, Isabella slowly let her worries about the Chamber of Secrets and Riddle drift away. She simply spent her time helping her father down at the shop and drawing to her heart's content.

She felt she had very little time at home and time seemed to fly past. 

"Quidditch?" her father asked at the table during lunch one day.

Isabella nodded. "It's a popular wizarding game. Played on broomsticks,"

"And you are playing for your team?" her father said.

Isabella nodded again. "The position I play is called the 'Seeker'. There is a small walnut side ball which I am supposed to catch before the Seeker of the other team catches it. It is rather fast and difficult to spot,"

"Wouldn't you fall off from your broom?" her father said concerned. "From that height,"

"It would be nothing for me," Isabella said. "For the magical people. It would seem that our bodies are stronger, the magic protects us. From sixty feet a fall for a normal person would be fatal, and paralysis is almost certain. But a witch or wizard would only have a maximum of a broken arm which can be mended in a day or even less,"