It was late at night, Hailey was laying in the bed that Andi had told her was hers now. She knew that she should be asleep, but she was too buzzed after the absolutely amazing day that she’d had. Yawning, Hailey tossed and turned until she got comfortable. Even though the bed was soft and warm, she’d gotten used to the much harder, springy mattress with the single thin blanket that had been her bed for years. 

Hailey smiled as events of the last two days flickered through her mind. The latest of them being her getting taught how to fly a broomstick. 

Everyone had broken up to do their own separate thing, Molly and Arthur Weasley went into the kitchen to cook dinner with Andi and Ted following to keep them company. 

Percy went back upstairs, as the twins, Dora and Ron went outside, talking about something called ‘Quidditch,’ whatever that was. Hailey looked at Ginny awkwardly, who kept looking down at her feet, after glancing at her and blushing. She thought maybe the hug had been too much, it was the first time that Hailey had hugged someone on her initiative, after all. 

“So… um, hey,” Hailey began to say before Dora came back inside. 

“Hey, Hailey, did you want to learn how to fly a broomstick? It’ll be fun, you’ll love it! I promise.”

Hailey stared at Dora in surprise for a moment. “Broom… sticks? Like witches in the old stories? That’s a thing?”

Dora cackled at Hailey’s expression, Ginny giggling along with her a moment later. “Yes, that’s a thing,” Dora smiled, gesturing for her to follow. “Come on, I’ve no doubt that you’ll love it. From what I’ve heard, your dear, old dad was a seeker for Gryffindor. Quite a good one too. Who knows, maybe you’ll follow in his footsteps.”

Hailey stumbled when she heard the name Gryffindor, wincing from a sudden headache as emotions as well as knowledge came to her. 

She felt arms catch her before she fell, Dora thankfully holding her up, concern clear in her expression, before Hailey closed her eyes briefly. “You ‘kay there?” Dora asked concernedly. 

With a gasp, Hailey opened her eyes, looking into Dora’s, and noticed that they were bright blue for the moment. “I’m… okay… now. It was just a lot to take in. That name… it’s important, isn’t it?”

Dora replied slowly, staring at Hailey as if she would faint at any moment. “Yes. It’s the name of one of the four houses of Hogwarts.”

“It bears a lot of weight in history. Both the house, and the person it’s named after.” Hailey stood up straight, smiling at Dora and Ginny, who had moved closer, hovering nearby, with a worried look on her face. “I’m good now, let’s go learn how to fly.”

Dora held Hailey’s eyes for a moment, before she nodded slowly, smiling. “Okay, let’s go. Ginny, you coming?”

Ginny blushed at suddenly being addressed as both Dora and Hailey looked at her. “Ye-yes, it’d be nice to fly without having to break into the storage room and nick one of my brother’s brooms without them knowing about it.” Ginny glanced fearfully at Hailey, obviously worried that she’d judge her for it. She was honestly more impressed than anything else. 

Shaking her head, Dora scowled. “They’re still not letting you fly with them unless guests are around, huh? Well… we’ll just see about that.”

Hailey and Ginny trailed behind Dora as the metamorphmagus stormed outside, towards the sounds of the boys arguing about something. Hailey noticed that her hair had turned a dark, angry red. “Right, you lot! What’s this about you lot not letting Ginny fly with you?”

Fred and George stood up from where they’d been leaning over a ratty and well worn looking broomstick. “It’s just… she’s our little sister, you know?” Fred answered, attempting to make it a joke. 

Catching up to Dora, Hailey was just in time to see her eyes flash dangerously at the twins. “And why does it matter that she’s your sister? Do you have an issue with girls that I should be aware of?”

All three boys paled at Dora’s tone of voice. George unwisely took a small step forward. “Well you see… it’s not that she’s a girl, it’s that Ginny is our little sister. You see?”

“Don’t you let your little brother fly with you?”

“Err, yes?” George responded, suddenly looking a lot less sure of himself. 

Dora had her hands on her hips as she glared at George, who had started to sweat a little from being her sole focus. “So what’s the difference, besides that Ginny is a girl? You oughta be ashamed of yourselves. I taught you everything you know about tricks and pranks, and this is how you repay that?”

Hailey stepped forward to stand next to Dora. She was nervous, but she knew Dora would have her back. “George, there’s a reason that I called you mean but well-meaning. This is you being mean.”

Dora flashed Hailey the briefest of smiles, before turning back to the three boys looking at least a little bit ashamed of themselves. The twins glanced at each other grimacing, while Ron was looking at his feet, scuffing his shoes in the dirt. Dora sighed, her shoulders loosening a little as she looked disappointingly at the Weasley brothers. “Maybe now you’ll think a little more about how you treat people, hmm? Right, now that’s out of the way. Let’s teach Hailey how to fly. It’s her first time.”

Ron opened his mouth to speak, looking excited, before he glanced at Dora, grimacing and looked down at his feet again. 

“Okay, Hailey, just step over to the broomstick lying in the grass, hold your wand hand – your dominant hand,” she answered to Hailey’s quizzical glance at her, “over it, and say, ‘up!’

“Umm… what if I’m dominant in both hands?”

Dora hesitated for a moment. “Then use whichever feels more comfortable. We’ll just play it by ear, okay? Flying a broom isn’t like making a potion, so don’t worry.” She moved back to give Hailey some room. “Oh… also, don’t forget to be careful, when you touch it, okay?”

Hailey nodded her head, understanding the warning, but the comment about potions made no sense to her, she’d never made a potion either! She pushed her glasses back up her nose to try and cover up her nervousness. 

She stepped close to the broomstick, took a deep breath and almost stammered, “Up!” Instantly the broom shot up and slapped into her palm, the slapping sound of wood hitting flesh echoing around the yard. Hailey was so startled that she nearly dropped the broom in shock. 

“I did it!” she squealed in excitement, bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

The Weasley kids, plus Dora, all laughed at her. Hailey ignored them though, she was much too excited and delighted in examining the wooden broom in her palm. Besides, she’d been laughed at many times by Dudley and his friends, and their laughter didn’t feel anything like her cousin’s did. 

She felt the magic of the broom waver, and after a moment to concentrate on those sensations, was able to stop her own magic from consuming the magic of the broom. 

“Great job! Not many people are able to get their broom to lift up like that on their first go,” Dora congratulated her, “now, just lift your leg up and over the broom, so you’re sitting comfortably, roughly in the middle. Don’t worry about it hurting. They’re charmed to feel comfortable for their rider.”

Hailey quickly sat on the broom, surprised at how comfortable it felt. 

Dora stepped up next to her, now that she was sitting comfortably. “Okay, now, a couple of quick pointers. When you’re taking off, just think ‘up’ or ‘fly’ and the opposite for when you want to land. I’ll be here with my wand ready, just in case.” She squeezed Hailey’s shoulder encouragingly. “You won’t have any problems though, this is an old broom and it knows what to do.”

“What do you mean, ‘it knows what to do’?” Hailey asked, confused. 

“Magical items will often develop a bit of a personality. Especially old and thoroughly used ones like family broomsticks.” Dora patted the broom handle fondly. “Don’t worry. She’ll take good care of you.”

Gripping the broomstick tightly, Hailey nodded nervously. Dora smiled at her, before stepping back several steps to give her room. “Now, remember to hold on tight, but most importantly, have fun!” 

No sooner had Hailey thought, ‘up’ the broom flew up several feet, accompanied by her shriek of surprised excitement. 

She hovered there for several moments, getting used to the sensations of being up high, before she tried moving forward slowly. Flying felt almost like second nature to Hailey, easier than even walking. 

Hailey heard Dora yell happily at her. “That’s it, Hailey, great job!”

Instinctively turning the broom around, Hailey’s cheeks ached from her almost too big smile as she increased her speed and height. Things had been moving incredibly quickly for Hailey, after all, it had only been two days since she had found out about magic. While she had no doubt that there would be many challenges ahead of her, for the first time in her life, flying high above the ground on a magical broomstick, Hailey felt at peace. 

It was with these thoughts that she fell asleep many hours later in her new home. More hopeful now that she could survive in this new world. 

⚡️

Hailey flinched at the knock on her door the following morning, she had been sitting through some of the clothes that Dora had given her, trying to find what she’d like to wear for the day. “Coming!” she shouted, panicking slightly, hoping she didn’t get in trouble for making them wait. 

Dora’s bright smile and multicoloured hair was the first thing that Hailey noticed when she opened the door. “Mornin’ Hailey! Breakfast is nearly sorted. Mum asked me to let you know. She also suggested I give you a hug, if we’re both okay with it. Something about helping you recover from magical deprivation?” she had a quizzical look on her face at that, before understanding lit up her rainbow eyes. “Oh, oh. Is that what happened to me yesterday? That’s amazing! You could defeat any wizard just by hugging them.” She grinned. “Is that what you did to You-Know-Who?”

Hailey stood there frozen in surprise, attempting to parse what Dora was talking about. “Umm… good morning?” she mumbled as she yawned. “I’m okay with a hug, if you are?” she asked, shyly as a blush crept up her cheeks. She wasn’t used to people hugging her, or even wanting to. 

“N’aww, you’re just too cute!” Dora squealed, stepping forward and hugging Hailey tightly. 

Hailey squeaked from the sudden contact, burying her glowing face into Dora’s neck to hide it. The familiar warmth and feeling of a gentle electric shock starting almost immediately. Far too quickly for Hailey, Dora broke the hug, panting slightly, her face a little pale. To Hailey it felt like she’d been offered a single bite of food while starving then the rest was taken away. 

“Are you alright?” Hailey asked, concerned by the way Dora looked. 

Dora leaned over, putting her hands on her knees briefly. “I’ll be fine, just feeling a little winded. I’ll eat some breakfast and have a rest, and I’ll be right as rain. It’s why Mum suggested that we do it now actually.”

Hailey stared at Dora anxiously for a moment before her friend stood up straight. “At least I know I won't lose the changes if I make them permanent first!” Dora said, smiling brightly, pointing to her colourful hair. 

Smiling happily at Dora, Hailey was just glad that she hadn’t hurt her friend. “I’ll be out in a minute, I’m just getting dressed.” A small blush reddened her cheeks, for once, she was excited about clothes. 

“Okay. We’ll see you soon then,” Dora said, before making her way back down the hall. Hailey’s heart nearly burst out of her throat as Dora suddenly tripped over seemingly nothing, barely catching herself on the wall. “Whoops!” She giggled. “That’s what I get for making myself shorter!”

Hailey giggled at Dora. “Are you sure you’re okay? I didn’t even notice that you were shorter.”

Dora gave Hailey a thumbs up, her thumb doubling in size momentarily, before shrinking back to normal. “Oh sure, changing my height always takes me a bit to get used to.” Dora waved away Hailey’s concern, walking off a bit slower than before. 

Rolling her eyes and smiling, Hailey closed her door and turned back to her selection of clothes. Ten minutes later, Hailey was wearing a dark green dress and feeling pretty. She left her room and made her way to the dining room. She could hear Dora and Andi laughing about something, the clinking of cutlery being placed on the table accompanying them. 

“Good morning, Hailey!” Andi greeted her warmly. Placing the plate of eggs, sausages and bacon on the table, she walked up to Hailey, crouched and held out her arms, wordlessly requesting a hug. 

Hailey smiled at Andi and stepped forward, squirming and burrowing into the hug. “Morning,” she mumbled into Andi’s chest, feeling the magic begin to seep into her. After a longer period of time, Andi released her from the hug, her face nearly as pale as her daughter’s. Hailey assumed that Andi being older than Dora was the reason she got more magic. While she was still hungry for more magic, something in her said that it wouldn’t be too long before her body started being more satisfied, at least for now. 

Letting out a soft sigh, Hailey smiled up at Andi. “Thank you for that. I’m already starting to feel a lot better.”

Hailey flinched slightly as Andi reached out and ruffled her messy hair affectionately. For a brief moment, she had thought that Andi was going to punish her. “Oh, Merlin, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Andi said, pulling her hand back as if she’d been bitten, looking remorseful at Hailey. 

Hailey took a deep breath, hoping to get her racing heart to settle. “No, no. It’s okay. You just startled me, that’s all.” Andi still looked sad, but Hailey could tell there was some anger in the depths of her eyes. Strangely, she didn’t think it was directed at her. 

After letting out a sigh, Andi’s smile returned. “Never forget, you can talk to me about anything, okay?” Andi took a deep breath. “Anyway, back to earlier, you’re welcome, sweetie. I wanted to talk to you about you needing magic, by the way. I believe I know why this is happening.”

Hailey’s heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t sure if she should be nervous or excited. “Oh? It’s not bad, is it?” Hailey noticed that she was biting her bottom lip hard enough to almost cause it to bleed, and stopped. 

When Andi hesitated before replying, Hailey’s heart dropped. It seemed like it was bad. Andi glanced over at Dora, who was standing there wide eyed with surprise. “Do you want to go somewhere more private, Hailey, just the two of us?”

Is that why she hesitated? Hailey’s relief was palpable as she let out the breath she hadn’t even noticed that she’d been holding. She glanced over at Dora too, at her friend's eyes that were glimmering with curiosity. Curiosity and compassion. Hailey shook her head. “No. I don’t mind if Dora knows, she’s my friend and I trust her.”

Dora squealed, rushing over to hug Hailey, and almost squeezing the life out of her as she did. Hailey felt laughter bubble up from her chest at Dora’s reaction. Dora really was precious. 

Andi stood there watching Hailey and Dora, a warm smile on her face as she watched her daughter embrace her new friend. “Right, well, let’s get breakfast sorted, then I’ll tell you my theory.”

Hailey and Dora broke off the hug, Hailey making sure that she didn’t drain any more of Dora’s magic. She didn’t want to hurt her after all. Not long after that, all three were sitting at the table, enjoying their breakfast. Hailey could only eat a few mouthfuls before her nerves and curiosity got the better of her. Putting her knife and fork down, she looked at Andi with a single eyebrow raised in question. 

The older woman put her own utensils down, and wiped her mouth with a napkin before she spoke. “Hailey… do you know what a Fae is?”