Dumbledore's mouth opened to say something but he was interrupted by the sound of the door flinging open and then slamming shut. Before Florence could turn around the visitor had regained his composure and started to walk, his black robes billowing...
Florence was a fair skinned, 5'10", slim, yet muscular from her occupation, 25 year old. She had long dark brown hair and green-ish eyes. Ever since the woman had gotten her first real job as a paramedic, she was able to start paying for her own stuff instead of relying on her neighbor, Valeri. Florence had been living with her neighbor since she returned from running away after her parents passing. Only recently had she gotten her license, but from that very moment she enjoyed her freedom. Being a paramedic or Emergency Medical Technician/EMT was incredibly stressful but so rewarding. Her coworkers and herself had saved multiple lives from little kids to elderly people. The people Florence worked with were so generous and intelligent. One of them in particular was Damon Marlin, a man of 29 with dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, but most important to Florence, he was giving. He was the first man Florence ever felt attracted to in that way. After months of awkward winks and enchanting smiles he asked her out. To his surprise she said yes. Damon was gentle and he never rushed her!
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••• Florence woke up at 3:30 in the morning for her shift at 5am, peed, pulled back her hair, and put in her contacts. After getting dressed in scrubs, she tiptoed from her room/the couch in the living area to the kitchen. When Florence moved into Valeri's house it was a hard adjustment because it was a mobile tiny house that you could hook up to a truck and move it. Meaning there was a loft and a couch as the sleeping options and no matter how much Valeri insisted Florence to take the loft she refused and excepted the couch. After Florence had heated the pre-made coffee she ate a small bowl of cereal and packed her salad for lunch. Just as she was about to sneak out the door a woman mumbled behind her,
"Flo..re..nce..."
Florence spun around to see Valeri sitting in the loft with her feet dangling in all her glory, A.K.A, tangled hair, cracked lips, and a revealing night gown.
"Damnit Valeri, you're such a light sleeper!"
"Sorry," she croaked with a smile playing out on her lips.
"It's ok I just didn't want to disrupt your precious sleep," Florence said politely.
"How many times have we been over this, I don't mind getting up a bit early."
"OK, OK goodbye I'll be back tonight at 10."
"Soooo long...."
"Remember how I told you I have a double shift, see ya later Valeri!" Florence practically spelled out. She shut the door gently and hopped in her junk of a car. ••• Florence walked through the glass doors with her lunch in one arm and coffee in the other hand.
"FLORENCE!"
Florence practically jumped out of her skin before facing the noise.
"I should've known it was you, Damon. How was your weekend?" Florence smiled and giving him a peck on the cheek.
"Uh, I've been cheated," Damon said scooping her up in his arms and kissing her on the lips.
Florence playfully wiggled out of his grasp and ran towards the office attempting to put on her professional face. They were short staff, like they usually were on Monday for some reason. So Florence got called to drive the ambulance with a chatty woman twice her age. They brought an 8 year old girl with a stroke in and then they got a call from a woman who was having trouble breathing and she was pale beyond belief. Before the women knew it their shift was over. They talked on the way back to the hospital about the day and then they went their separate ways. Florence arrived home at 10:15 that night to Valerie singing, more like yelling at the top of her lungs to Annie Lennox. You'd think for a 62 year old she'd of matured a bit, NO not for Valeri!
"Hello!?" Florence projected as she unlocked the door and stepped in.
Valeri looked at her and returned to screaming. Florence rolled her eyes and unpacked her stuff. After the song ended Valeri turned to her and casually said,
"Hey hun."
"Good song choice," the girl joked.
"Ha thanks, by the way do we have any paper left in the house?"
Florence thought for a while before answering, "no but maybe in the other house, I wouldn't mind going to get it."
"Thanks see ya when you get back!"
"Yup!"
••• Florence carefully searched through her late parents file drawers for some blank paper. So far the outcome was negative. However, she was determined and then she saw what she needed.............only it wasn't what she needed. Florence carefully pulled the folder from the drawer and sat down to snoop. Besides it's not like her parents would be there to yell at her. She opened the bleached yellow file and pulled its contents to read. There were two things. Florence read the fancier parchment first. After she had read it over many times she was beyond confused. What was this "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" and who was " Albus Dumbledore" and why was the letter addressed to her and inviting her to enroll? No matter how much she read it she had no idea what it was about so she moved onto the lined parchment. It was to her from...no way ....her parents? Florence was now alert as ever as she read it. ••• "Florence?" Valeri called almost cautiously. The older women stepped into the front entry and walked through the dining room, which smelled strongly of dust with a hint of mold. She progressed into the living room only to find the girl crying in the middle of the floor. She was trembling and her breathing was heavy. Curiously a letter was lying next to her with tear stains on it.
"Florence, sweetie..."
The girl slightly jumped and regained as much composure as she could possibly muster. Her face was blotchy and streaked with tears while her hair looked like it survived a hurricane.
"Hey what happened, Florence?" Valeri said tenderly.
All Florence could do was look up at her and cry more. Valeri knelt down to her level, just like she had done years ago. Valeri just hugged her letting her rest on her shoulder as if she was the little girl she used to be. She knew better than to ask questions at this point. After some time the girl spoke up.
"My parents death was not an accident, it was a...a...a. murder," Florence said stumbling on the last few words. She continued, "they knew they were in danger and they protected me but they never t-told me! Someone is after me! It was my fault they got killed!"
"Florence, hun, what are you talking about?"
"Someone is after my blood and my healing powers? And I am a witch!? Mom and Dad wrote a letter to me explaining everything. Here you can read it cus' I don't want to talk anymore," the girl explained passing the letter to Valeri who took it and helped her stand up.
Valeri put her arm around Florence and together they walked through the grass back to her tiny house. She tucked the girl in like a small child and kissed her on the forehead. Then she sat down in the arm chair next to the couch where Florence was now sleeping. To say that Valeri was clueless as to what she'd heard today would be an utter lie. Valeri was a witch herself, in fact a rather skilled one too. She definitely knew of the girl's magical past and had an idea that Florence was in danger but no clue why or just how serious it was. The hardest part of everything was knowing she couldn't tell the poor girl.
