SMILE » n. longbottom

xxii

"DESCENT FROM HOGWARTS"

When the Headmistress at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry received the letter sent to her, she had not hesitated in following the orders that Mrs. Maurice Wallace had instructed on the parchment. She had known that the woman did not appreciate if her instructions were not followed.

Minerva McGonagall, herself, walked the Hufflepuff girl to the station closest to Hogwarts, where the train waited, to ensure that Alana Wallace were to board the Hogwarts Express.

Alana Wallace picked the part of the train where Prefects sat, that's part of the train were different from the usual spots where Alana Wallace sat whenever she were to travel among her fellow students. But her fellow students were not among her on the train, as far as she knew: in Mrs. McGonagall's words, she "were to return to the Muggle world." Alana Wallace did not know what her professor meant, but she knew that she would have spoken more than just one sentence.

Before she settled comfortably into the Prefects section of the train, she had changed into simple grey jeans, a black rain-resistant jacket with two white lines running across the bust, and especially boots that she had been wearing underneath her robes entirely for two years.

The train ride back to the destination she knew not of, was silent one — as she sat in the Prefect section of the train, and there were no other student aboard. Alana had fallen asleep out of boredom, but when she arrived to the destination she awoke with a jolt as a whistle was blown sharply.

The last thing she thought of as she fell asleep on the cushioned seats was that she had not spoken to Neville since her breakfast. She carried no bags, nor luggage with her. But Alana had tried to speak with Professor McGonagall about the matter, but the professor would not allow her to speak of the matter.

Her destination that she now knew of, was Platform 9 3/4. Alana Wallace how to connect the dots on her brain, and then she knew who had indeed sent her to this destination: her mother.

She exited the train doors and quietly moved towards the wall that she had remembered to move through. Once she had, she came face-to-face with someone whom she had not seen for a while, her mother.

Her mother carried a matte black umbrella by her side. She wore a dark grey overcoat that swung to her knees and revealed no other clothing beneath. The only shiny, appealing thing that she wore were one thin line of pearls that wrapped around her neck. Mrs. Wallace dressed neatly for the occasion of picking up her daughter; she hoisted the umbrella into the air and let it undo itself, "Come along dear, our existence is to be located at the estate. I have read your letter, as that is the reason as to why you have been sent here. Your suggestions have gone under my consideration — but your father has now seen to the implications that have shown themselves, and therefore overseeing the situation."

Alana Wallace quietly followed beside her mother who briskly walked down the platforms towards the exit of the train station. She then waited for her mother to continue her speech that she had most likely practiced for since arriving. "And?"

"Your father has been absent on another major business trip for the past three days. He found out eventually of your coughing-fit—"

Mrs. Wallace paused and smirked as Muggles began to watch the finely-dressed woman and the girl following step onto the street outside of the station "— you know how that is, he always knows of anything he wants to. And of course you may know of his decision process: decline, delay, and aggressively oblige." As they both waited in silence to cross the road, a couple of wizard paparazzi appeared out of nowhere and began to capture a photo of them both. Eventually all of them disappeared as passing Muggles had began to notice the commotion.

As the two Wallaces crossed the street to the other side a sleek black Maserati 3200 GT with tinted windows pulled up to the curb — both of them entered the car and set off for their destination.