The Light in Me: The Emergence

Chapter 10: Cannot Wait

   The bliss of sleep is incomparable to anything else in life and needs to be enjoyed to the fullest extent. Only a few things can take one on a mental vacation, swimming through worlds of the imagination or even just a tweaked reality. Unfortunately, Anastasia did not get to dive into either, because she was shaken awake after what felt like just a mere blink. "Anna, wake up," exclaimed a voice next to her. "Breakfast is ready, and we are going to Diagon Alley after," grinned Ginny as the sleeping girl finally opened her eyes. With a wide stretch of her arms, she sat forward and watched the young redhead hurriedly exit the sitting room. She had me at breakfast, Anna smiled to herself as she made her way to the dining room. Once in the room, she realized everyone was already there and had begun eating. Not wasting any time, she took the empty seat beside Ron and began filling her plate. As usual, the food tasted amazing, and her body powered up faster, preparing to start the day. Anna did not really listen to any of the surrounding conversations, as she just wanted to eat quickly and get going. "The food is not going anywhere, Anastasia, so slow down before you choke," drawled Percy from down the table. He had brought a book today and had barely looked up from it the entire meal, even when addressing her. "Yeah, Anastasia, slow down before you choke," started Fred, his face scrunching up in disgust. "I'd be disappointed if you died before going to Hogwarts. It'd look bad on my Prefect record," finished George with the same face in disgust as his twin. Both mocking their older brothers' tone and facial expressions to a tee, earning a slight glare from said brother. Anna had to slap a hand over her mouth as a laugh almost passed her lips, but the two brothers could see the amusement dancing in her blue eyes and a huge grin hidden behind her hand. She quickly resumed eating when she remembered that time was dwindling, and their departure was steadily approaching. There were many conversations going on around the table, but Anastasia was not really interested in any of them at the moment. The twins were theatrically recounting a quidditch story using varies utensils and food items as props for a captivated Ginny. Hilariously, Ron was stuck on the receiving end of Aunt Molly's little chiding about acceptable and expected behavior when he goes to school. Just as before, Percy had his glasses glued to the book in silence, but was this time joined by his father. Her uncle was reading 'The Daily Prophet' and had not said a word the whole time, the newspaper covering his entire face. Anna scarfed down the last of her food, excused herself from the table, and placed the dirty dishes in the sink. Practically running, Anna entered the loo and removed the rag from the previous night, throwing the dirty cloth in the hamper. Her hand was caked in half-hardened honey and looked almost like a glazed Easter ham. I'm half tempted to just eat this off instead of washing it. If only my hand wasn't marinating in it all night, I could go for a honey pop right about now, she mused to herself as she started scrubbing the sap-like substance from her burn. It took a bit of work and chipping, but she managed to free her hand from the odd glove. Anna took the bigger pieces out of the sink and threw the rubbish away, trying to clean up as much as she could. Once everything was tidy, she made her way to her room and shut the door. Now, what to wear?? Do I wear just a casual shirt or a jumper?? It's just Diagon Alley, why is this so difficult?? Anastasia asked herself as she approached her chest of drawers. After a bit of deliberation, she decided to go with a casual lavender shirt and light blue trousers. Anna grabbed the comb right in front of her and made her way to the mirror, now dreading to untangle her rat's nest of hair. Once she stood in front of the mirror, she wasted no time and started the painful process of combing her hair. I need to invest in a brush with the way that I sleep, winced Anastasia as the comb got caught in a big knot. Knock Knock. Came a sound at the door and before she could even respond, it slowly opened to reveal her aunt. "Dear, we are leaving soon," smiled Molly as they made eye contact through the mirror. Her aunts' eyes then shifted to the stuck comb, and she asked, "Do you need help?" "Yes, please. It keeps getting stuck and tangling even more," revealed Anna. The plump women hurried across the room, gingerly took the comb from her niece and began working on the knots. A comfortable silence hung between them, and Anastasia took a bit of time to study her aunt. Red hair tossed into a bun, little busy body flyways in all directions, and a few baby hairs lining her forehead. Her face, while looking tired at the moment, had kind and welcoming features that made someone feel accepted. Out of everything, her eyes stuck out the most, but it's not for the color. Aunt Mollys eyes are a beautiful brown and, while they are nice to look at, it is what is behind them that makes her eyes so special. You can see everything she's thinking and feeling through them. Her love, understanding and scariest of all, her anger. "Everything alright, Anastasia," a voice asked from behind her. Anna jumped a bit, looked at her aunt through the mirror and responded, "I just have a lot of my mind".  It was quiet for a moment before her aunt spoke again, "I know there is a lot of things that you do not understand right now, but please understand that you are too young to know everything. We will tell you when you are old enough and more mature to handle it. For now, just focus on school and your studies. There will be no further discussion on the matter". Even though her voice was soft, there was an underlying firm and warning tone. The discussion with you may be closed, but that doesn't mean that I am going to stop searching, Anastasia smiled lightly to herself. Suddenly, a sharp tug jerked her head backward a bit and she hissed in response, holding her ill tongue. "All done. It is about time for us to leave," Molly smoothed Anna's black tresses lightly. Then she placed the comb back in place, made her way to the door and stopped in the threshold. "Make sure you bring your wand and school list before coming downstairs," she reminded. With that being said, she closed the door, and her footsteps were heard descending the stairs. Anastasia took her aunts advice and went to find her school list. The last time I saw the list was when I got my letter. Maybe I left it in the dining room, she asked herself as she walked towards her bed. Anna had to do a double take when she glanced at her bedside table. Her list was nicely folded and looked like it had barely been disturbed. Must've been Percy, she concluded as she picked it up. How am I supposed to carry both my wand and list? My trouser pockets definitely aren't safe, Anna debated for a bit. Finally, she decided to throw on a white checkered​​​​​​​ flannel that had larger pockets, that way both items would have enough room and would have less of a risk of getting lost. With the flannel now on, she put the list in her left pocket and approached the wand box. Like last night, she could feel an energy about this wand, but she didn't know if the draw to it should scare or intrigue her. "Anna, hurry up," a muffled voice yelled from the bottom landing. I'm definitely not going to fit this case in my pocket without it weighing me down, analyzed the girl. An idea popped and she quickly reached under her bed, looking for a something to hold the wand. Eventually, she found what she was looking for and pulled it out. Anastasia quickly started taking the tools from her vintage violin polishing kit, a birthday gift from Davor, and left only the leather casing in hand. As carefully as she could, she took the wand from its case and placed it in the leather. Then she rolled it up and, gently, placed it in her right pocket.  Anna quickly spritzes on a bit of jasmine fragrance before she raced out the door and down the stairs. The rhythmic thumping of her feet reaching the bottom landing earning different responses from the waiting family. "Finally," grumbled Ron as he had been, impatiently, waiting for her. Anna walked to the fireplace and stopped next to George, giving him a slight glance. "You have everything? We wouldn't want you forgetting your Hogwarts list," he mocked. She stuck her tongue out at him and her eyes went wide in surprise when he caught it, pinching it between his thumb and index finger. "Sticking your tongue at people isn't very nice, Little Fox," chided George as he batted her hands away from his new prisoner. Anna glared at him and struggled out, "err a white wit". George cackled and she saw a flash of mischief appear in his eyes. Before he could open his mouth, a voice spoke up from across the room and got their attention. "Release her tongue, George. It is disgusting and unhygienic to have one's hands in another's mouth," drawled Percy as he got up from the couch. George rolled his eyes, but he still releases Anastasia's tongue and wiped his fingers on his jumper. With a quick stretch of her tongue, Anna put it back in her mouth and felt relieved. "Alright children, it's time," Uncle Arthur said as he entered the sitting room and grabbed the floo powder from the mantle. He held it out to Percy, and everyone watched as their brother stepped in the fireplace, then said, "Diagon Alley". He disappeared in green flames and then the powder was held out toward George. Anna watched the same thing repeat and was amazed, like always, by the emerald flames of the floo network. Surprisingly, the floo pot was held towards her next and she only hesitated a second before taking a small handful. Then she stepped into the fireplace, took a deep breath and collected herself. After a moment, Anna said, "Diagon Alley," and darkness rushed in once more.