𝐀𝐈𝐌 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘┊ᴴᵃʳʳʸ ᴾᵒᵗᵗᵉʳ

14 ✦ 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝐺𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Not for the first time, an argument had broke out over breakfast at number fifteen, Plumery Drive.

Mr. Jared Hudson had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise from his niece, Crystal's room.

"Third time this week!" he roared across the table. "If you can't control that owl, it'll have to go!"

Crystal tried, yet again, to explain.

"He's bored," she said. "He's used to flying around outside. If I could just let him out at night-- "

"Do I look stupid?" snarled Uncle Jared, a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy mustache. "I know what'll happen if that owl's let out."

He exchanged dark looks with his wife, Jasmine.

Crystal tried to argue back but her words were drowned by a long, loud belch from the Hudson' daughter, Jeanette.

"I want more bacon."

"Me too!" Jeremy banged on table. "More!"

"There's more in the frying pan, my sweetums," said Aunt Jasmine, turning misty eyes on her massive son and daughter. "We must build you up while we've got the chance, Jerry.... I don't like the sound of that school food...."

"Nonsense, Jasmine, I never went hungry when I was at Smeltings," said Uncle Jared heartily. "Jerry gets enough, don't you, son?"

Jeremy, who was so large his bottom drooped over either side of the kitchen chair, grinned and turned to Crystal.

"Pass the frying pan."

"You've forgotten the magic word," said Crystal cooly.

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU," thundered his uncle, spraying spit over the table, "ABOUT SAYING THE 'M' WORD IN OUR HOUSE?"

"But I-- "

"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN MY JERRY!" roared Uncle Jared, pounding the table with his fist.

"I just-- "

"I WARNED YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF!"

Crystal stared from her purple-faced uncle to her pale aunt, who was trying to heave Jeanette to her feet, after their abnormal reaction to the word Magic.

Ever since Crystal had come home for the summer holidays, Uncle Jared had been treating her like a ticking time bomb that might go off at any moment, as Crystal Calisto wasn't a normal girl.

Crystal though, was happy with their exaggerated reactions. She turned this into an opportunity to go out for long hours and they didn't ask her anything about her whereabouts. They kept their distance and to themselves.

For last one and half months Crystal had been very busy. According to her mother's Will, all assets of the Calisto were officially transferred to Crystal. The day before they took Hogwarts Express for the ride home, Dumbledore called her to his office and she officially claimed her position as the heiress.

It had been a hot topic in the Wizard World ever since and Crystal emerged as the public figure of the Calistos since that day. The officials from the Ministry including Minister of Magic himself came to Dumbledore's office as a witness.

This made the content of the front pages of all the wizards and witches newspaper and magazines for days. Crystal had particularly made sure none of her pictures would be printed on the newspaper, she didn't want attention anywhere she went.