WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU PUMPKINS , james potter

━ six. everybody hates madeline

CHAPTER SIX:
- everybody hates madeline -
1971

EVER SINCE SHE WAS A LITTLE GIRL, MADELINE had dreamt of attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She'd grown up with stories of the magical boarding school, her father seemed to be able to go on for hours about it. It was all quidditch this, and Hogsmeade that. He would often recount the adventures he'd have with his friends and the magical secrets hidden amongst the walls of the castle— yes! Hogwarts was in fact a castle. It seemed too good to be true, like something straight out of a fairytale book.

If there was anything other than music Louie was passionate about, it was magic. Which was funny considering Madeline spent most of her life oblivious to it.

You see, Madeline's mother was a muggle, and anything magical sent her in a heave of panicked gasps, and a cold sweat (a rather dramatic reaction in Madeline's opinion). It wasn't until she was five did her father confess of his magical abilities. Later on in life Madeline found she was the only reason her mother didn't pack her bags up and leave right then and there.

     Of course, the same couldn't be said about her father.

The sudden disappearance of Louie crushed any and all hopes the young witch had of going to Hogwarts. Magical boarding schools weren't cheap, you know! Not to mention, her mother could barely stand the idea of magic, let alone bare the sight of her daughter handling a wand and casting spells. The Winston's— if they could even call theirselves that anymore— were broke, dirt poor.

So, like everything in Madeline's life, she learned to deal with it. She learned to deal with the fact that her mother would disappear at ungodly hours of the night only to come back home with mysterious men, stinking of champagne and regret. She learned to deal with the new responsibilities thrusted upon her— cooking her own breakfast, getting herself to school, mowing the neighborhoods lawn for lunch money— all of it, she dealt with.

     But as it approached closer and closer to her eleventh birthday, Madeline secretly hoped her Hogwarts letter would arrive and miraculously proclaim the education there to be free. It was stupid, she knew that, but Hogwarts was a dream she was not ready to give up on just yet.

     So, who was Albus Dumbledore to deny the dreams of a little girl who simply wanted a place to call home?

An odd man with a long, grey beard in a weird looking dress (?) appeared on her doorstep one warm afternoon and Madeline immediately knew he was Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. He'd been the one that introduced her to the wonders of the Wizarding World in allowing her to attend Hogwarts on a scholarship. She'd been given school supplies and textbooks, a wand, uniforms, and a complimentary owl.

     Madeline felt like a queen receiving such gifts all at once. As a matter of fact, she'd spent hours prancing around in her new skirt and button down shirt, waving around her wand like a madman as she shouted her own made up spells. She was going to Hogwarts! Her dream had come true!

     But like most good things— that blissful feeling of happiness, that naive grin, that giddy flutter in her stomach— it was gone before she could enjoy it.

     "You're a mudblood, aren't you?"

     Madeline stared across the table with wide eyes. "Pardon?"