The familiar smells of grease, coffee and apple pie. Blue and white squared tiles covered the floors. Blue vinyl booths along the entrance wall, split in half by the entrance. With the out-of-place boy taking the last one on the right, next to the Jukebox that was currently playing an old country song from the 90s. White walls with a blue horizontal trim in the middle. The booths are separated by opaque blue glass. A few teens from the nearby high school were roughhousing in a far booth. A white-and-blue counter with blue vinyl-cushioned stools sat in front of it. A few truckers and fishermen are talking and drinking old coffee. A desert display showing a freshly baked apple pie. The cook was grilling some eggs for one of the truckers, standing behind an open window in the wall behind the counter.
The door chimed open, and a woman in a pale blue diner uniform rushed in. Messy, long brown hair, hastily being tucked into a ponytail. Her Blue Whales uniform was disheveled, with an apron thrown over her shoulder. She was in her thirties but could pass for the early twenties. She had a stack of papers tucked into her mouth. She rushed behind the counter and set them down. “Sorry, I’m late, Linda. I lost track of time. I was putting posters up around the school.” She strung the white apron around her waist.
“Still looking for that boy?” Linda said, an older, cranky woman with silver hair, and in the same uniform.
“Yeah…” Miss Ally said. The first woman and person to ever be nice to the boy hidden in the far booth. “Haven't seen him since May last year, I’m worried something happened to him.” She took a piece of paper and pinned it to the corkboard next to the counter. A white paper, with a picture of the black haired purple eyed boy from a couple of years ago, when she took his picture when he spent his 10th birthday at the Two Whales. With the words “Have you seen this boy?” above the picture, under the picture were more words. “River Grimes, age 13 been missing since May 2nd, 2010. If seen, don't hesitate to get in touch with Ally Blackwell at the Two Whales, Garabaldi, OR.”
“Maybe the boy is just gone somewhere else,” Linda said.
“I don’t think he’d leave without saying goodbye to me, at least I hope not. Plus, he was just 12, where can a 12-year-old with no money even go?”
A magical school for witches and wizards hidden on top of a mountain in Massachusetts. The boy thought to himself.
“Anyway, I’m late, I’ll take some orders,” Miss Ally said with a heavy sigh. “And you didn’t take?”
“The last booth on the right,” Linda said mindlessly, going back to her crossword puzzle.
Miss Ally lifted the counter door and walked over. Testing her pen on the order pad before reaching the last booth on the right. “What can I get you today, Hun…………….” She looked up from the pad, looking at the boy with jet-black hair and amethyst eyes. “R-River? River Grimes?”
“Some people call me that,” the boy said with a smile. “Hello, Miss Ally. It’s great to see you again—”
He didn’t finish the sentence before Ally’s arms were wrapped around his neck in a tight hug, squeezing so hard his eyes bulged. She pulled back, tears and anger in her eyes. “Where the hell have you been?” she shouted through gritted teeth.
“Well…” River said, trying to breath through the vice grip Miss Ally had on him. “Long story… but to start, I got adopted, moved to New Mexico and went to a… boarding school in Massachusetts. Now, I’m on a trip here with my mom. She has some business, while I wanted to see my favorite waitress. And have a very greasy and delicious double bacon cheeseburger with onion rings.” He smiled hopefully.
“You…got adopted?” Miss Ally said, backing away a bit, her grip on him relaxing. “By whom? What is she like? Is she nice? Does she hurt you? What’s her name? What does she do?”
“That is a lot of questions to explain to her,” River chuckled, knowing how his mother is. Just then, the door chimed open. And in walked the devil herself.
A tall, beautiful Native American woman with a slim and toned body. Sharp facial features. Black shoulder-length hair tied back loosely. Nearly gold, amber eyes with a permanent hint of sadness, hidden behind eyes of mischief. A crop top shirt of a wizard band called the Weird Sisters, showing off her toned midsection, with a few scars around her abdomen, the only blemishes on her perfectly smooth skin. Tight black jeans with a few holes around the knees and thighs, and black boots. And a black leather jacket that concealed her wand. Her eyes scanned around the entire diner before finding River. She walked over, biting a toothpick between her lips, “What’s up, jerk?”
“And speak of the devil,” River said. “Miss Ally, this is my mom. Pan Palmer.”
“Oh well, hello,” Miss Ally looked Pan over with eyes of scrutiny. “You adopted River?
“Yeah, I did,” Pan said. “He’s my little crap stain.” She threw her arm around River’s shoulders and gave his black hair a noogie. “Definitely going to give me gray hair for sure.”
“And what do you do for work?” Miss Ally said.
“I’m a Professor at a prestigious school in Massachusetts. I teach History.”
“I thought River said you lived in New Mexico?” Miss Ally said.
“We do, during the summer. But in terms of where we live at the school,” Pan said.
“So you fly from Massachusetts to New Mexico after every term? Isn't that expensive?” Miss Ally said.
“Not with what they pay me,” Pan smirked.
Seeing the tension between the two women, River decided to act quickly. “Mom, are you hungry? Do you want to order? I’ll take a double bacon burger and onion rings, please.”
“No, I’m not hungry, I had a burrito from the gas station,” Pan said, sliding into the booth.
“Come up,” Miss Ally said, walking off. River sighed and slid into the booth opposite.
“What the hell was that?” he said.
Pan shrugged, “She was totally grilling me.”
“Well, you look like a delinquent,” River said.
“Says the one who threatened the President,” Pan said, slapping her hands on the table.
“Well, she deserved it,” shrugged River. “Anyway, did you get what you came for?”
“Yes,” she said, leaning back.
“I still wish you’d let me help,” he said.
“I’m not taking you to a meeting with a dark wizard,” she rolled her eyes, hearing this many times from River. “Besides, don’t you have your cute date tonight? With the Graves girl?”
“I told you! It’s not a date!” River growled.
“Relax, dog breath, I’m teasing you,” she leaned forward, pulling her toothpick from her mouth and laying it flat on the table. She hovered her palm over the tiny sliver of wood before slowly waving it over. A manila folder appeared from the tiny toothpick. She opened it, showing some pictures taken from hidden locations. The pictures were of the wizard kind, where the contents moved for a few seconds at a time. It still blew River’s mind.
In the first picture, a group of men is shown in black pin-up jackets and half-face masks. River could tell they were the dark wizard group, called Death’s Hand. A group that was responsible for nearly killing him last year, and murdering his favorite teacher, Belladona Rook infront of his eyes. They were exchanging a briefcase before disapparating.
Another picture showed two men talking, one of whom he did recognize. The girl's father was going on a date… To see a movie later tonight. Cyrus Graves. The man responsible for the killing of Pam’s husband, V. He was talking with another man, dressed in a black cloak, who was facing away from the camera the entire time, with no clear indication of who he was.
“That it?” he said. “That shows nothing we don’t already know.”
“Not true, boy,” she pointed at the picture with Cyrus. “Who is the hooded man?”
“I don’t know,” River said.
“Exactly. That’s a figure we don’t know, and that means that could be the Death’s Head.”
“Death’s Head?”
“It’s the name we got from… some unwilling source. That is what the leader of the Death’s Hand calls himself. Egotistical, but from the reactions of other sources. It’s real. So this figure here is the reason why you were almost killed.”
“Oh…” he said.
“Anyway, enough of that,” she waved her hand over the folder, and it turned back into the small toothpick. “Anyway, new year, are you excited?”
“I am,” River said, thankful for the change of subject. “I just want a long, boring school year. I want to learn, play quidditch and be with my friends. No bad guys, no stress, no near deaths. And no…deaths…” his voice caught on the last bit. Pan reached out and put her hand on top of his.
“I know, bub,” she said softly. Her eyes soften as her gaze hits his sad face. She bit her lip, guilt eating her insides.
“Here’s your double bacon burger and onion rings, River,” Miss Ally came in, putting the plate down. Pan pulled her hand back and stole a ring.
“Hey, you said you weren't hungry!” River scoffed.
“I wasn’t hungry for my own food,” she smirked, biting into the onion ring.
“Pan right?” Miss Ally said. “Can I speak with you for a second?”
“Sure thing, be right back, bub,” Pan said and stood up and walked off to the counter with Ally. They talked, but thanks to the new country song being played, River couldn’t eavesdrop. He tried to use his Legilimency on Pan. But she was notoriously hard to read. This time, all he got from her head was continuous fart sounds. He stopped his power and saw the smirk in Pan's side eye.
He had trained in his Legilimency during the summer, hours of Pan drilling him on how to use his natural, built-in skill in Legilimency and enter people's minds. When she didn’t have her guard up, he could barely get into her mind. But Pan was a trained spy for MACUSA. Her guard was always up, drunk and sleeping. She had blocks on her mind like titanium hex-proof locks.
He looked away and focused on his burger. He took a big bite of the juicy bacon burger and moaned. He closed his eyes to enjoy his favorite food at his favorite diner. But when he did close his eyes, the eyes he sees every single time they close, flashed in his mind again. The purple, dim eyes burned into the back of his eyelids. Suddenly, he was back in the room.
Dark cold stone, the evil cold laughing of Professor Hatch, the limp warm body of Belladona Rook lying on him. Her lifeless eyes stared up, looking right into his as if it was the last thing she ever saw, the last thing he sees every time he closes his eyes and looks in the mirror. The identical pair of amethyst eyes, they both shared.
The burger in his mouth suddenly turned sour, and it pulled him back to the Two Whales diner. He spat the food onto his plate and started panting. The walls were closing in around him, pounding in the back of his eyes, and his vision was starting to tunnel.
Suddenly, a warm sensation washed through his body, like someone poured warm butterbeer into his bloodstream. He blinked, eyes burning with tears threatening to stream out again. He looked up and saw Pan looking down at him, her hand on his shoulder.
“Let’s go home,” she said in a soft, warm voice. He nodded gently. “Can we get a to-go box?” she asked Miss Ally, who was watching from the counter.
She came with a paper bag, and Pan quickly put the burger and rings into it, then rolled it up. She helped him up, his legs feeling numb and shaky.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“River, please call me once in a while to check up,” Miss Ally quickly stapled her phone number to the paper bag. He nodded quickly. Pan led him out of the diner and into the alley next to it.
“Ready? Hold on,” she said quickly. River nodded. And suddenly, they vanished with a loud pop!
Ally was left watching from the window with a wide-open mouth. Not understanding what just happened, and why they were suddenly just…gone.
Pan and River landed with a sudden jolt to their knees. Landing on a circle of gravel in front of their home. The Palmer House. A long gravel path leads from the Apparition landing zone through the rounded U shape dirt driveway. Through a metal gate, through a perfectly kept green grass yard, up to a two-story blue house with a wrap-around porch. A large weeping willow tree on the right side of the yard, called V’s tree. And to the left was a pond surrounded by flowers, with a mean Merperson living inside.
The sun was starting to set, and River’s date was going to start soon. He was feeling better; the sickening feeling of apparition was enough to sober anyone up. He let go of Pan’s hand.
“Feeling better?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Was it… that again?”
“Yeah…” he sighed.
“I’m sorry, River. I wish I could say it gets better. But I don’t know if it does. It hurts a bit less over time. But just one simple thing reminds you of them, and it plays all over again,” she looked to the weeping willow.
Pan too knew death. Her husband, the only person she ever loved, and who loved her, until River came. He was a Pureblood whose family killed him for marrying a Mudblood. A derogatory term for wizards, born of non-magical parents. Such as Pan and River were.
“Come on, boy, you stink. Go take a shower before your date,” she said, walking off down the white gravel path.
“It’s not a date!” he complained.
“Uh-huh,” Pan said, turning around with a smirk, before heading to the porch. He caught up to her. He looked up to the beautiful Mermaid swimming around in the decorative glass above the front door. She waved to River with a friendly smile, and he waved back. “Quit flirting,” she chuckled, and opened the door.
Almost instantly, they were met with the big cookie brown eyes of Trudy. A small three-foot-tall pale pink House Elf, big brown eyes like large cookies, and a pink polka dot pillowcase dress. And a Beehive brow wig over her large, pink, pointy ears.
“Trudy is so happy to see both her master’s!” she squeaked in a high-pitched voice.
“Hey, Troods, how’d it go?” Pan said, kicking off her boots.
“It went well, Master Pan, Trudy cleaned the kitchen, and the bathrooms, and the bedrooms, and the living room, and the basement, and the attic—”
“I get it,” Pan cut her off. “Be a babe, and get my Goblin Whiskey, mama is drinking and watching the US beat Japan in the Quidditch World Cup Group stage. Nightingale has been on fire lately, all thanks to me,” she grinned smugly. She told everyone she could; she was responsible for finding the star prodigy Seeker, Jackson Nightingale.
“I’m going to shower and leave. I got a long way to walk,” River sighed.
“Actually,” Pan said with a smirk. “You think I’d let you walk all the way to town? That’s like 10 miles.” She opened the hall closet and pulled out River’s Monster Spark broomstick. The sleek black broom, with an aerodynamic seat, made it the fastest broom ever, easily rivalling the English Firebolt, reaching a blinding 180 Mph. River won the house cup with this broom and caught his first Snitch with this broom. His eyes went wide. “Just as long as you don’t get seen, and hide the broomstick very, very well. Do you remember the spell I taught you?”
“Yes,” he nodded firmly.
“Let’s see it,” she said, setting the broom down on the ground.
River pulled out his wand, a long black wand, with three rings down the shaft shrinking in size, and ending in a fine point. Each ring had runes carved into it. He aimed it at the broom and took a breath. Then he flicked it, “Umbrellaflecto,” with a flash of blue light, his Spark transformed into a closed black umbrella.
“Good job,” Pan said. “Now hurry with your shower, you’re going to be late.”
River ran upstairs and into the bathroom, and was in the shower before Pan could start the match. He put on the clothes Trudy left out for him. Hand-me-downs from her late husband V. Retrofitted by Trudy to fit River’s smaller body. The clothes were still slightly baggy, but he’s been filling out, mainly because he's been eating every day, unlike when he was in the orphanage.
He put on his shirt, a faded black tee, and jeans that were slightly baggy on him. He put his wand holster around his right forearm, hidden by consoling enchantments. Then he went downstairs. Pan was sitting on the couch, her feet up on the coffee table, watching the match. “Come on, Beater, hit him!” she shouted, pointing with her whiskey bottle.
Pan did have a drinking problem before River moved in. But she promised to cut back, and she has been doing really well most of the time. But sometimes things get too much, and she drinks a lot. But on Fridays, they agreed to let her drink, and today was one of them.
River transfigured his broom back, “See you later mom,” he called.
“Have fun,” she said.
He walked out and jumped off the porch. He landed in the gravel with a crunch and jumped on his broom. He pushed off the ground and blasted into the sunset sky. He went from his house to the nearest town, Silver City, New Mexico, roughly 20 miles away, in just 8 minutes. He found a park and landed. Making sure no one was around before transfiguring his broom into an umbrella. When he was about to walk off, he saw a little boy staring at him with wide eyes.
River put his finger to his lips, “Shush.” The kid nodded slowly. River smiled and walked off.
He got to the movie theater in a few minutes, walking through the small downtown. The sun was just about set, as the neon lights of the movie theater turned on with a buzz. He went up to the ticket booth.
“Hello, I’m here to buy two tickets, please,” River said.
“Sure thing, honey,” the older lady said inside the booth. She printed two tickets and took his money. “It starts in about 30 minutes.”
He nodded and stood back on the sidewalk, waiting for Murphy Graves. His best friend, her parents were strict Purebloods, and her father was one of the men who tried to murder River last year. This was the first time she had seen him this summer, with the help of her mother, who was less hateful to Mudbloods like River, and a couple of lies about meeting another Pureblood friend. She got permission to watch a movie.
River waited for five minutes, and the line of people waiting for the doors to open grew. He waited 10 minutes. The sun was gone now, night took over the sky, and stars started to speckle in the dark space. He waited 20 minutes. The doors opened, and the line of customers walked in to get their concessions. Forty minutes, and he could hear the movie being played from inside. He sat on the curb. An hour later, thunder started to rumble, and rain began to fall. He opened his umbrella and stood up. Two hours later. The rain began to let up, the doors opened, and the customers walked out. They walked past him, some with sad faces, and others with sympathetic looks. The ticket booth woman came out, the neon lights turned off, and silence filled the street.
“Sorry, honey, but we are closed,” she said softly. “She doesn’t know what she’s missing,” she patted his hand. River held out the single rose he had for Murphy to the old lady. She smiled warmly, “You are too good.” She pecked his cheek and walked off. He sighed and started to walk.
He didn’t pay attention to where he was going and ended up on a small neighborhood street. The streets were wet from the rain, a chill in the air making his skin grow goosebumps. The house's windows glowed softly with lights from inside. River walked down the middle of the street.
A gust of wind blew from behind him, the air turning colder than most summer nights. The sound of windchimes picked up; the leaves in the trees rustled aggressively. River froze. Suddenly feeling the weight of eyes watching him. He swallowed, his blood running cold, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Suddenly, the wind was gone, the windchimes went silent, and the trees went dead still. The only sound was his racing heartbeat.
BAM!
River jumped, his wand shooting out of his holster right into his hand. He quickly spun on his heels and aimed, ready to fire.
A middle-aged man stood beside a metal trash can, wearing a blue robe tied around his waist. “Boy, don’t aim sticks at people, it’s rude.” He said firmly.
“Uh… sorry, sir,” River put his wand away quickly. However, he had special permission to perform magic outside of school. He still couldn't attack No-Majes.
“Kids these days,” he shook his head. “No respect, pointing sticks at their elders.” He clicked his tongue and closed the trash can lid with a bang. Then he went inside, the metal screen door slamming with a Bang.
River sighed, not feeling the eyes on him again.
POP!
He flinched again, looking around but not finding anything. Not wanting to risk being around here any longer. He quickly transfigured his umbrella back to his broom and blasted off.
He rocketed through the sky, feeling the cold air stinging his nose. His heart racing, unable to ride his broom all summer, finally had a chance. Despite the sadness in his heart, he was feeling joy at finally being able to fly. He did a few rolls, a couple of large loops. Even surfing his broom. And rocketing as high as he could. Before storm clouds rolled in, thousands of feet above the clouds, he could see the large, full moon. In the distance, he could see the lightning crackling around the Thunderbird. He smiled, excited to go back to Ilvermorny and rejoin his Thunderbird house. His hands started to feel numb from the cold, and he figured it was time to go home. He pulled back, flipping to his back and entering a freefall, closing his eyes. The air flapping in his ears, the wind pushing against his skin.
Free-falling to the ground like a meteor. Before opening his eyes, just in time before pulling out of the freefall, a few feet before hitting the side of a large hill. He buzzed over a cow going as fast as possible.
“Mooo!”
He flew to the area where his house was. Just an empty field of dried grass and bushes. But as he entered the boundary and passed the hundreds of protection charms, the large two-story blue house and green grass appeared before him. He landed in a trot on the gravel path and ran up the stairs and into the house.
To the left, through an open arch, was the living room. Pan was passed out, holding a half-drunk bottle of whiskey, the match still playing. The USA is losing by 60 points in a duel between Japan’s Seeker and Jasper Nightingale, bumping shoulders. The Snitch seemingly cuts hard and heads right to Jasper’s hand. River had never seen anything like it. Right when his hand moved, the snitch seemed to move right to it. But right when his fingers were about to close around it, the hand of Japan’s Seeker appeared out of nowhere, snatching it. Japan wins.
He walked in and saw Pan passed out, her head drooping over, the bottle spilling to the floor. River picked up the bottle, corked it and put it on the table. Thanks to his rigorous training, he was able to lift Pan right up. Cradling in his arms. She reeked of Goblin Whiskey, a cinnamon, fiery smell. He took her upstairs to her room and laid her in bed.
“V… don’t go…” she muttered, as he tucked her in.
“Sorry,” River said softly. He quietly left her room, and the door clicked shut. He went to his room and fell into bed without turning the light on or changing. His mood was so low that lying in bed was the only thing that could fill him. He fell asleep soon after.
In the morning, River’s stomach is grumbling. He smelt Trudy’s breakfast cooking. “Boy, get down here!” Pan yelled from downstairs. River got up, stretched his body and walked downstairs. His nose led him, as it followed the smell trail of greasy bacon and eggs. He pushed out his sadness and replaced it with hunger. River reached the kitchen to see Pan sitting at the table with a man he didn’t know. He was dressed in the typical Wizard clothing, who was trying to blend in with the No-Majes. A full bright orange suit with a matching bowler hat. He was a puffy man, nearly a full circle, and a puffy red face. He almost looked like an orange fruit with eyes.
River cracked a smile at the ridiculous-looking man, and Pan smirked behind her coffee. “Are you my new dad?” River asked. Pan spat her coffee out and reached for a knife. “Kidding.”
“Sit,” she growled.
River took the seat across from the man, Pan to his left. “This is Mr. Taft. He works at Macusa.”
River looked at the man, who pulled out a file. “I am here to read the will of one Belladona Rook, age 26, at the date of her untimely passing.”
River’s face fell. He still felt the emptiness inside his heart, still saw her eyes every time he closed his. Still could smell her hair that was draped over his face when she died. Feel the warmth of her body draining over him. He blinked.
“Miss Rook, never having married or had any heirs, drew up a Will just three months before her passing. Sorry it took so long. Usually, when someone passes within a short time of a Will being written, the Will is investigated for potential wrongdoing. But in our investigation, proved that her passing was not planned, and have decided to act on the Will. She has named you, River, as a beneficiary of said Will.”
“Me? Why?” River asked.
“Because she loved you, River, she considered you a younger brother. She said to me herself that she never wanted kids, but if she did, she’d hope it was you.” Pan said.
River blinked back tears. “Ok, read it.”
Mr. Taft opened the file and began reading. “I, Belladona Rook, of sound mind and body, write this Will under my own power and will. If I ever kick the bucket, I hereby leave everything in my possession to River Grimes, age 12. Including my house in Salem, Mass. Rookswood. Yes, I egoed on it, deal with it. And all my Vault contents at Gringotts Bank. And yes, my super-secret recipe for macaroni and cheese. River, I trust you, I love you, and I’m sorry. Belladonna Rook.” The man finished.
River stared at the man, frozen.
“Everything is ready to be brought to you, as soon as you sign here,” he held out a page with a tone of words on it, with a black line circled.
“A house?” Pan said. “River’s too stupid to own a house!”
“What she said,” River agreed.
“In that case, there is actually an offer on the house,” Mr. Taft said. He pulled out a sealed letter with a red wax seal with a crest River hasn’t seen before. The Coat of Arms was of a shield with four sections of four different animals, with a large H in the center. From the top left, a lion; the top right, a snake; the bottom left, a badger; and the bottom right, an eagle.
“That’s from Hogwarts,” Pan said.
River opened the letter and read the single sheet of thick parchment, written in emerald green ink.
Dear Mr. Grimes.
I am sorry to hear about your loss. Belladonna Rook was an outstanding Potioneer and person. I only had the pleasure of meeting her a couple of times, and each time was immense fun.
But to the point, when my Godfather passed, Sirius Black. He left me his house. But for me, living there was too painful, so I ended up selling it to another family. I offer 150,000 Galleons for use of the Rookswood Property during the summer months, while school is over. My family has been looking for a Summer Home. I am not asking to buy it, but to rent it during the summer with a single payment. And if you ever do want to sell, I would gladly buy it.
I look forward to meeting you, River.
- Your Friend, Harry J. Potter. Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.