Alyssa was bored. And hot. And a bunch of emotions that just added to her bad mood. Why did she have to sit in the Ford? Why couldn’t she have stayed home? Perhaps if she had been sitting in the front seat, she would have been a little better, but that had not happened. Instead, the honor of the passenger seat was given to ‘Perfect’ Laurie.
It did make sense, in an odd, awfully twisted way. Laurie was thirteen and she went to a fancy school in France while Alyssa was going to some public school or whatever. Of course, she wished she could go to her sister’s school, or any school like that for that matter, but there was one little problem she had.
Magic.
Yes, actual magic. Her family was a pureblood family and she was the black sheep. She had no magic. None. Zip. Nada. And that made her wrong. It made her something called a Squib, and she was the only one in her family. Even little one year old Annie had already shown signs by levitating her teddy bear around.
But Alyssa had shown no signs of any magic and she was ten! She should have shown it by now, but she hadn’t, so she was a Squib. At least, that was what everyone had said. Alyssa, however, had decided immediately she would prove them wrong! She would become great and powerful and…stuff.
With a long, gusty sigh that made Laurie glare at her from the front seat, Alyssa tilted her head back and stared up at the ceiling of the car, “I’m bored.” She stated rather loudly.
“Well if you’re so bored than you shouldn’t have gotten grounded.” Laurie pointed out. Alyssa made a noise purposefully to annoy her older sister. And it worked. With a cry of, “Stop it!” Laurie turned around and perched on her knees on her seat. Her fierce blue eyes blazed with the anger of a thirteen year old.
“Oh just calm down!” Alyssa called back, her equally blue eyes just as fierce.
If it hadn’t been for the front seat door to be wrenched open, than Alyssa and Laurie probably would have attacked each other. Instead, the instantly stopped and stared blankly ahead as their mother got into the car.
Given both girls a sharp look, their mother drove her ten year old and thirteen year old daughters home.

While her mother went to tend to squirming baby Annie and Laurie went into her bedroom to write long, gossipy letters to her friends, Alyssa sat down on her bed and stared around her bedroom.
It wasn’t like she had much of a life. The school she went to was nice enough and, if she really tried, than she might have been able to make one friend at the very least, but the Rhoades family was not known for being welcoming to guests. In fact, their house was a dark, old, Victorian one that sat near the edge of town and, it weren’t for the occasional light that swept through their heavily curtained windows, it could have passed for being abounded…or used by witches.
That was, Alyssa had thought with a dry chuckle, a correct thing. Her mother, older sister, and younger sister was witches and her father was a wizard. She was alone, and yes, that bothered her.
Oh sure, Laurie was nice enough. Sometimes, on a rare day, the elder thirteen, it’s-so-not-far, girl would let her younger sister into her room, but on most days, Laurie and Alyssa barely spoke a word to each other.
Sighing as she felt the familiar pit of loneliness form in her stomach, Alyssa Rhoades got up from her bed and crossed the carpeted floor to look out the window. As always, their road was empty. No children came near their house, and her parents, she knew, liked that just fine.

Like all Friday nights, Alyssa stood next to Laurie, who was holding Annie, to watch as her parents went out for a date. Once they were gone, Laurie had barely acknowledged her sisters presence, choosing instead to head off to put Annie in her crib.
Feeling slightly let down at this behavior, Alyssa hurried upstairs and paused at the door to Laurie’s room. Hadn’t mother told her to give Annie a bath…she had! Starting to smile, she opened the door and slipped into the room, knowing exactly what she was going to get.
“What are you doing here?” Alyssa spun around, her eyes opened wide as she looked at her older, very angry sister. She watched her sister’s eyes as she traveled to Alyssa’s hand which held…“GIVE ME BACK MY WAND YOU LITTLE TWERP!”
Alyssa stuck out her tongue, “No! And if you come near me than I’ll…I’ll…I’ll JINKS you!” What was meant to be a horrifying threat only made Laurie Rhoades laugh loudly.
“I doubt you can. You’re a Squib.”
“Am not!”
“Fine, prove it. I’ve seen all the books that you’ve been reading. You must have learned some sort of spell by now, unless, of course, you’re stupid as well as…wrong.”
Determined not to show that what Laurie had said to her had hurt her, Alyssa pointed the wand at a book and, doing the switch and flick the book had described she called out, “Wingardium Leviosa.”
Squinting to see any sign of movement, Alyssa couldn’t help but let out a little disappointed sigh when nothing happened.
Not even bothering to look at Laurie, Alyssa threw the wand down angrily onto the floor and stomped out of the room. Briefly, she thought about leaving the house all together, but instead, Alyssa Rhoades just went into her room and glared at the magical posters, magical books, and everything that wasn’t muggle in her room.
She was wrong. She was strange, and she was a horrible thing to the family.
With a roar like an angry animal, she ripped down the posters and tossed them to the floor. Stomping on them for good measure she nearly let out a sob as she opened the books and started to rip out the pages.
She wasn’t a witch.
She was a Squib.
And she was wrong.

Of all the things that Alyssa expected on August 6th, her birthday, she had not expected to unwrap a long, slender box that had the words, ‘YOUR PRACTICE WAND’ on it.
“It’s a practice wand.” Her mother explained, as if Alyssa couldn’t tell, “It magnifies any and all magic in anyone and lets you do spells and such.”
Her father nodded, “And we’ve already sorted it out with the school-“
Alyssa, who had been looking between her parents as if she was watching a tennis match, cut her father’s sentence off, “What school?”
Her father looked at her, “The Enchanted Junior High.” He said in a, ‘duh’ tone.
“But I’m a Squib! I can’t do magic.”
Her mother and father exchanged a secretive look, “Pick it up and use the lifting spell.”
Alyssa did not believe her parents. But instead of telling them that – the last time had not gone well – she slowly picked up the wand and did the same switch and flick from days earlier, “Wingardium Leviosa.”
Unlike last time, the object that she was pointing at, a book, slowly lifted into the air. With a gasp and laugh, Alyssa started to clap her hands. Her mouth, which was gaping open, struggled to make any sort of movement so she could thank her parents.
“Now see that switch on the base,” Alyssa nodded, “Just turn it off when you’re done. While it won’t stop working completely because it has magical batteries, it will not work as well.”
“But I can do magic! I can go to The Enchanted Junior High!” Clapping her hands with joy, Alyssa took the wand and ran around, levitating any and all objects she so desired.
And when she finally passed out, her hands were wrapped around her wand, not letting go of the amazing object that had given her a future in a world that had been barred from her.


When the letter from The Enchanted Junior High came the next day, Alyssa Rhoades was positively ecstatic. When she ripped it open, she delighted in the paper cut she received from the paper. To her, that was proof that it was real.
She could do magic.
Of course, it wasn’t real magic, but it was good enough.
“Now you can’t let anyone know that it isn’t a real wand.” Her mother had warned yesterday.
“Where did you get it?” Was all Alyssa had asked, the question more of a demand than a polite request of knowledge.
Her father was the one who answered, “Because of our high standing in the wizarding world, it would look very bad if we were caught with a Squib as a daughter.” He had explained.
Her mother nodded, “And with your father running for President of the Democracy of Wizards…” her voice trailed off as Alyssa just nodded at the new information and had proceeded to levitate the nearby window open.
While on the outside, she had pretended not to care, on the inside, it devastated her to know that her parents were so ashamed by her that they had gotten a fake wand to hide her.
Of course that didn’t matter to her now, it was barely unimportant on August 7th. Instead what was important were the required objects she had believed she would never get.
“Fifth Graders require:
Adventures in Magical Theory Book 1 By Alexandra Smith
Starting Potions #1 By Kayla Hark
Transformations! By Aria Jones
Charms and its Spells By Dezi
The Most Powerful Witches, Wizards, Warlocks, and Sorceress By John Smith
500 Hundred Herbs and Other Useful Plants By Sarah Jane
Protecting Yourself From the Dark Arts By Luke Jones” Alyssa had read loudly out to her parents and Laurie.
“Oh that second one I had!” Laurie had exclaimed.
Alyssa had smiled, “Now here’s the dress code! Fifth Grade females require: At least six plain white or black robes with name on tags, at least two black shoes, at least six black (preferably wool) skirts, at least six white button up long sleeved or short sleeved shirts, one black pointed hat, one winter black cloak with white clasps, casual muggle clothes for downtime, and protective gloves (preferably dragon hide).”
Alyssa’s mother and father nodded, “Sort of like Hogwarts.” Her mother noted.
“Only much more expensive.” Her father had replied.
Laurie let out a little laugh, “My school is much more expensive.” She scoffed.
Her father had nodded at that, “Way more.” He agreed.
Alyssa frowned and cleared her throat sharply, “I found the other equipment!” She had told her parents and older sister, perhaps a little louder than needed, “Fifth Graders require: One wand, one cauldron (stander size 2 preferably made out of pewter), one set of glass phials (can be crystal if so desires), one telescope, and one set of (preferably) brass scales.”
Both parents beamed at the list once Alyssa was done, “Exactly like Hogwarts!” They chorused together, happy memories of years in their beloved London playing in their mind and showing up in their eyes. When they leaned in to kiss, Alyssa and Laurie both pretended to gag in a rare show of sisterly love.

Once Laurie had also gotten her list, Alyssa had gotten another thrilling news from her parents. She too would be coming with them to the Wizard & Witch Market located in the most magical place in the US…New York City.
“Get up! Get up!” Alyssa’s mother screeched into her room. Wearily, she lifted her head to give her mother a baleful look, but she was already closing the door and probably heading to Laurie’s room. Or, judging by a loud whine from the room next door, Annie’s room.
With a groan, Alyssa flopped over in bed…the covers flew off in a non-magical way as the barely week old eleven year old jumped out of her bed and basically ran to her closet as she flung on clothes. She didn’t care what she was wearing. She was going to the Wizard & Witch Market or simply the Market as most called it.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Alyssa waited anxiously for Laurie to drag herself down the stairs and eat her breakfast that Alyssa had scarfed down.
So as she waited. And waited. And waited some more until finally, after what seemed like hours, the rest of the family, including baby Annie, was ready for the Market.
“Now,” her father said as he stood in front of the fireplace, “Since our carpet ripped last year, we’re going to use floo travel. Just stand in the fireplace and take a bit of the dust and say, ‘Hunger Café and Pub.’”
As if they couldn’t understand what he was saying, he stepped into the fireplace, took a pinch of ash, and said in a crisp voice, “Hunger Café and Pub.” A swirl of green flames came around him and soon, he was gone.
Next, her mother went, holding Annie in her arms, saying the same, “Hunger Café and Pub.”
Then her sister went in, a slightly disgusted look on her face that clearly showed that she did not like standing in the fireplace, “Hunger Café and Pub.” She said rather quickly, probably wanting to get out of the fireplace as soon as possible.
Alone in the house, Alyssa took a deep breath before she too stepped into the fireplace and said, “Hunger Café and Pub.”
She felt like she was swirling down a tube, a very tight tube.
And then…she was there. She was in Hunger Café and Pub.
And oh she loved it.