A Witch Without a Wand

That night Olivia couldn’t sleep. Part of it was because of Rose. Rose had spent hours curled up in bed next to a lamp with her book in her lap. She kept muttering spells under her breath and flicking a quill in the air, practicing for when she would be able to use a wand.

Finally, Rose fell asleep in middle of practicing a levitation charm, and Olivia was only too happy to sneak over and turn down the lamp by her bed. But even then, sleep wouldn’t come.

Olivia ended up staring out the window at the night sky where the stars twinkled brightly and the silver moon hung high above the horizon. Olivia remembered going star-gazing long ago with her Mum, and her Mum told her stories about all the stars in the sky.

“Where did you learn all of these stories, Mum?” she had asked.

“I took an astrology course at Hogwarts. One day you can take the same one.”

Olivia’s heart sank at that memory. She wasn’t going to learn those stories after all. Olivia stared off at the distant stars, trying to clear her mind, when a splash of solid black flashed across the sky.

Olivia sat upright in her bed and blinked. She hadn’t been imagining it. Something large and black had definitely flown across the sky. Owl? That was Olivia’s first guess, and she felt her heart swell to the point where she could hardly breathe. Unable to control her excitement, Olivia got to her feet and dashed down the stairs. Down and down and around she went, her feet flying out from under her, clutching onto the handrail so she didn’t go tumbling. Her heart was thumping in her chest. It’s here! It’s here! It’s finally here! I’m going to Hogwarts!

Just before Olivia turned down the final flight of steps, she stopped. There were hushed voices coming from the living room. Kneeling down, Olivia strained her ears and recognized the voices as belonging to her Mum and Dad. There was a soft tapping at the door, and Olivia heard the familiar creak as the door swung open.

“Minerva, I am so glad you were able to make it. Thank you for coming on such short notice,” her Mum said.

“Of course, Hermione. Ronald, take my cloak, will you?” The voice belonged to an older woman. It was soft, calming, but still commanded respect.

“Yes, Professor McGonagall.”

“Ronald, I haven’t been your professor for twenty years. Please, call me by my first name.”

“Alright, Professor Mc—Minerva.”

“Can I offer you some tea, Minerva? Biscuits?”

“No, I don’t think so. I’m quite alright, Hermione.”

“Right.”

A silence fell, but Olivia could sense the tension in the adjacent room, thick and heavy. Olivia’s legs were trembling from staying in a kneeling position for so long, but she didn’t dare move for fear of making the stairs creak. She was even too afraid to breathe and disturb the silence.

Who is Professor McGonagall? she wondered. The name was familiar, but she couldn’t identify where she’d heard it before. And what is she doing here?

Olivia heard the soft clearing of throats from the room below, and she listened closer.

“Minerva, the reason we asked we asked you to come here—“

“I know why you asked me here. You want to know why Olivia did not receive her Hogwarts letter.”

Olivia’s eyes widened and her ears burned. So there is a reason! Suddenly light-headed, Olivia let go of a breath she hadn’t even known she’d been holding, and listened in anticipation.

“To put it simply, Olivia did not receive a letter because she was not included in our list,” the kind old voice stated.

“Well, then just put her on the list!”

“It’s not that simple, Ron,” Olivia’s mum said. Olivia could hear the sad defeat in her mum’s voice. “There is a magic quill… Whenever a child with magical abilities is born, that quill writes that child’s name on a list for Hogwarts, and eleven years later he or she gets the letter.”

“Then why is Olivia not on the list? She’s magical! I’ve never seen a better Beater in my life. By Merlin’s beard, she’s a Weasley! There isn’t a Weasley who’s never gone to Hogwarts, so why wouldn’t she? Why can’t she?”

“Ron,” Olivia’s mum said, her voice soft and sad.

“I just don’t understand,” Olivia’s dad said, but his tone said something different: it said he was afraid to understand.

“Olivia is not on our list because she does not have any magical abilities,” McGonagall stated softly. “I’m sorry.”

Olivia heard her mum give a short, soft sob and her dad murmur something reassuring under his breath, but that was the last thing she noticed. Her ears were ringing as the words battered her down like a Bludger. She does not have any magical abilities… Does not have any magical abilities… Does not have any… I don’t have any magical abilities… I’m not a witch.

The realization was too much for Olivia and her knees gave out from under her and she sat down. The stairs creaked under her weight, but she didn’t care. I don’t have any magical abilities. I’m not a witch. I’ll never be a witch. I’ll never go to Hogwarts.

Hot tears stung her eyes as she imagined watching Rose, smiling and waving from a window on the Hogwarts Express as it chugged away. Olivia would run after the scarlet engine, would run after her sister, her twin, but it would all be for naught. No matter how fast her legs carried her, Olivia would never be able to catch up to Rose.

“But there is a way we can get Olivia to Hogwarts.”

Somehow, McGonagall’s soft voice penetrated Olivia’s grief, and she snapped her head open, rapidly blinking the tears from her eyes.

“And how’s that?” her dad breathlessly asked.

“Dumbledore had many progressive plans for Hogwarts which he never had time to bring to action. Many of these plans regarded fostering positive relations between magical and non-magical folk. I’m sure Harry told you that, at one point, his Muggle aunt was going to attend Hogwarts?”

Olivia listened breathlessly. She could practically hear her parents nod.

“With your permission, I would be honored to adopt Olivia into Hogwarts as our first non-magical student.”

Olivia’s heart was pumping in her ears, her soul singing with joy. She was going to Hogwarts! If only her parents would say yes! Say yes, Mum! Say yes, Dad! But as the seconds ticked by, Olivia’s glee began to dissipate. Why aren’t they saying yes? Why aren’t they allowing me to go to Hogwarts?

“I know this is not an easy decision,” McGonagall continued. “Because of Olivia’s… Unique circumstances… She might never be accepted into the wizarding world. This opportunity to attend Hogwarts will not only help her fit in, but will also allow witches and wizards of her generation get used to the idea of seeing Squibs as equals in our world.”

Squib? Olivia wrinkled her nose at the unfamiliar word. What is a Squib? Whatever it was, it sounded dirty, like the gunk you find stuck to the bottom of your shoe.

“You’re asking us to make a martyr out of our daughter,” Olivia’s mum breathed.

“I am asking you to give your daughter the chance to live in the wizarding world, which is an opportunity others in her situation never had.”

Another silence. Olivia leaned forward, listening, straining her ear.

“I don’t know what to do,” her mum sighed.

“Why don’t you ask Olivia what she wants?” McGonagall asked. And then she said, “Olivia? Why don’t you come down now?”

Surprise shot through Olivia. How long had McGonagall known she’d been there? Her surprise was replaced with awe as she realized how powerful this witch must be to be able to sense Olivia’s presence. Slowly, Olivia got to her feet and stepped down the stairs, finally arriving in the parlor.

Her mum looked up at Olivia, her face pale and eyes pink. Her dad was equally pale, the corners of his mouth drawn into a frown. But it was Professor McGonagall Olivia was interested in most. She was a most impressive witch with snowy white hair pulled into a bun at the base of her head so tightly it seemed to smooth the lines on her face. She had kind gray eyes, and a thin mouth that was neither smiling nor frowning.

“Olivia,” her mum exclaimed. “What are you doing up?”

“I couldn’t sleep. Rose was up late reading. And I… I thought I saw an owl. I thought it was my letter.” A red blush crept up on Olivia’s cheeks when she realized what she thought had been an owl must have been Professor McGonagall.

“How much did you overhear?” her dad asked.

“Everything… But I don’t care what other people think. Please, let me go to Hogwarts.” Olivia ran to her parents on the couch and fell down onto her knees, holding her hands up and pleading. “Please, please, please, please, please. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted.”

Both her mum and dad were silent. She saw them exchange glances, a non-verbal conversation passing between their eyes. Finally, after what felt a breathless eternity for Olivia, her mum said, “If it’s what you really want…”

“Really?” Olivia said, perking up. She could hardly believe her ears. When she saw her mum and dad give subtle nods, her heart practically flew out of her chest in glee. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” she cried, throwing her arms around her parents and giving them kisses on the cheek.

“Olivia,” Professor McGonagall said, and the young girl pulled herself from her parents’ embrace. The wizened witch held a yellowed envelope in her hand. “I believe this belongs to you.”

She dropped the envelope in Olivia’s hands, and she looked at it in awe, admiring the density of the parchment, and the way the emerald ink glittered in the lamplight. Miss O. Weasley, The Burrow. There was no mistaking it. This letter was addressed to her. It was her letter to Hogwarts. Olivia hugged the letter to her chest.

“I hope Hogwarts is everything you hoped for, and more,” said Professor McGonagall.

“It will be. I know it.”