River Dawson felt nothing more than ecstasy as a new adventure awaited for her. With the world in her hands she was itching to discover more of it and that is what she planned to do.
However, along the way a certain red headed man seemed to crop up...
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"And I realise It's a crazy world Baby how could you do it You just told me lies"
* * *
When Mr and Mrs Dawson returned home, Eros who had been eating pizza with River, hurried off into the kitchen to explain everything his sister had told him. River was left eating pizza with a whirlwind of thoughts running through her mind. Mrs Dawson entered the room first and sat beside her daughter. Mr Dawson left the house once more and Eros was using the telephone upstairs on the landing.
"Ma', who were those men and how did they get in?"
Mrs Dawson sucked a deep breath, she was trying to carefully choose her words and how she would say them. "We haven't exactly been straight with you, River. Please just listen and try to understand." River nodded and put the pizza box onto the coffee table, her appetite leaving her. "When you were little there was an evil man who wanted to remove the world of a certain type of people. He slaughtered, tortured and killed so many people who were different to him. Those men, who were here, work under him. Or at least, they did until he disappeared. River, he didn't like people like Mrs Thomas next door. Mrs Thomas is what our people call a muggle, a non-magical person."
"Magic?"
"Yes, dear, I'm a witch and your father is a wizard."
"Eros?"
"Eros too. And so is Dean, next door. There are many witches and wizards all around the world and there are different types. Your father, Eros and I are what you call a pure blood. It's where both parents are magical. Those with only one magical parent are half-bloods and those with non-magical parents are called muggleborns. When you and Eros were born we couldn't be happier, our two little magical babies. A wizard and a witch. Eros started showing signs of magic from a few weeks old, you didn't. We thought maybe you were a slow developer, but when you didn't show any, we soon realised that you aren't magical. You have magical blood but are not necessarily magic, my darling. You're what we call a squib."
River's head spun, all of this new information was not processing quick enough. First, Bill, now her own family. And worse, they hid it from her for her whole life!
"Why didn't you tell me?" River asked, her voice quiet like a mouse and soft like a child's.
"Because we didn't want you to feel left out. We covered up all of Eros' signs of magic as much as we could when you were little, we limited our use of magic around the house where you might notice. The boarding school was not scholarshiply won by Eros, it's a magical school where any British and Irish wizard or witch attend. We wanted you to feel as special as your brother and that wouldn't have happened if you felt as if you were different from your brother."
Eros entered the living room cautiously, he half-expected his sister to freak out and want to leave but when she just sat there quietly, he wasn't sure what to do. "Everything okay?" He asked, directing the question predominantly to his mother but his eyes glazed over his sister.
River didn't say a word, she simply returned to the pizza and tried to process everything. She appreciated that they thought it would be best to hide it all from her but they lied about where she came from! Her life was, in some way, a complete lie. In fact, she didn't even share the same world as her family and she had no clue about it. Instead of making things better, they caused more hurt.
Mrs Dawson's eyes welled up with tears, she knew they had hurt River, whether the young woman said so or not, it was evident. She covered her mouth and exited the living room hurrying up to her bedroom leaving the twins together.
"What's it like?"
"What?"
River sighed, "you know, being a wizard? What's it like?"
"Honestly, Spud, it's amazing! It gives you so much freedom and power, it's wicked! I really wish you had magic, I always have done." Said Eros sincerely, "it was cool for about a week knowing that I had something you didn't but then the reality set in and we couldn't enjoy it together."
The twins remained in silence for about an hour or so whilst their father was still out and their mother was upstairs. Neither knew what to say or do and Eros guessed he was probably treading on eggshells and that anything he may do might cause an obscenely big outburst from his sister; her whole life had turned upside down after all.
Their father returned and he looked a mixture of relieved and stressed, how he looked like both, nobody knew but he simply did. He scratched at the back of his head and called p to Mrs Dawson who hovered bags down the stairs. "They're expecting us on the hour." He said.
"Everyone's bags are packed, all essentials and a bunch of clothes. River, I know this is all overwhelming and you may hate us now, dear, but this is for our safety and yours. We're joining some friends and their children in order to avoid those deatheaters, okay?"
River didn't even have the chance to nod, instead, Eros took her hand and pulled her up. Mrs Dawson held her daughter tightly whilst the men took the bags. "Darling, you may feel sick but I promise you, you'll be alright."
Suddenly, she was sucked into a tight tube, pressed tightly against her mother and she very much needed to hurl up all of the pizza she had just eaten. When they landed she did so, her mother holding back her hair and rubbing her back. When she was done, Mrs Dawson instructed her to keep her mouth open and pointed a wand into her mouth, a cool sensation rippled in her mouth and her breath was now squeaky clean!
"Where are we?" River murmured as she leaned into her mother's hold as they walked across a street and stood in front of some tall terrace houses.
