Gideon Drake and the Fire Within (Harry Potter Sequel/Spinoff)

Chapter Seven: Course Correction

Mrs Maxwell managed to secure a last-minute tour at each of the schools Gideon had expressed an interest in. Actually, Taunton Preparatory School's Admissions Office had been quite insistent that the cut-off date for the new school year had passed. However, with some persuasion, in the form of the auditory suggestion Charm Mrs Maxwell cast on herself, the lady on the other end of the Magiphone was able to accommodate them, after all.

Middling Academy, on the other hand, had no problems making room in their schedule. As a matter of fact, upon hearing the family surname, they were only too happy to make the arrangements and promised that the headmaster would be available to meet with them personally.

The following Tuesday, Mrs Maxwell and Gideon were in the foyer pulling on their coats, which had been retrieved from the cloakroom by Tilly and Tolly, when Gideon's grandmother appeared on the landing. She descended the staircase, barely using her crystal-topped cane, wearing a smart, dark-grey dress coat over a long, black skirt, instead of her usual witch's garb.

Upon reaching the ground floor, she began to put on a smart pair of black suede gloves but stopped in her tracks, doing a double take upon noticing the dumbfounded expressions of her daughter-in-law and grandson. 'Yes?' she asked them irritably.

'You're coming with us, Gran?' Gideon asked in surprise.

'Of course,' she replied. 'We can't have you going to just any school, can we? Someone needs to make sure they don't try to pull the wool over your eyes.'

Gideon's mother rolled her eyes but politely said, 'You're welcome to join us, Annabeth, but just so you know, we're taking the car.'

'Oh, not that blasted contraption,' she protested. 'Why can't we Apparate or use Floo powder?'

'We will this afternoon for the second school, but first up is the Muggle school,' Mrs Maxwell explained. 'Besides, Gideon and I wanted to listen to music on the way.'

'Very well, very well,' she said impatiently, and strode out to the car, 'but I shan't be sitting in the back!'

Gideon and his mother exchanged knowing looks before smiling and following her out. 'We'll be back for a quick lunch around one o'clock, Tilly,' Mrs Maxwell called to the elf as she departed.

'Yes, Mistress,' Tilly responded with a bow before heaving the large door closed.

The journey to Taunton Preparatory School wasn't as enjoyable as Gideon had hoped. He was worried at first when his mother had trouble getting the radio to work again, but his grandmother drew her hidden wand from the end of her cane and rapped it furiously on the old radio until Moonlight MM finally kicked in.

'There we are,' she said in a self-satisfied tone while giving Gideon what seemed like a questioning glance in the mirror of the passenger seat sun visor. However, Annabeth Maxwell did not share the same taste in music as her grandson. Whenever a song he liked began to play, she would quickly change the station. When he and his mother objected, she would simply list the various woes of modern music.

They ended up listening to an awful lot of Celestina Warbeck until Mrs Maxwell finally turned the radio off and feigned wanting to talk to her mother-in-law. Gideon enjoyed the breeze from the slightly open window hitting his face while watching the sun-drenched countryside whizz by. Distracted so, he only faintly listened to their conversation.

'How do you think Marcus is doing lately, Sarah?' said Annabeth Maxwell. 'I do worry about him, he works so hard, you know.'

'Oh, I think he's fine, Annabeth,' Sarah Maxwell replied. 'It's just a difficult time with all the changes the Minister is asking for, but it's nothing Marcus can't handle.'