March 2012
Eden waited by Mia's dorm, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. She was taking too long!
"She's coming out," someone from the group of third years who came out together said. It was kind of odd how accepting everyone in Mia's house was of Eden hanging around. She felt more accepted by the Thunderbirds than she did by the Serpents.
The only reason any third years in the Serpents knew who she was was because of the points she got them. Mia was known because of sportiness. She wanted to play quidditch next year, and most on their house's quidditch team liked her. And didn't particularly care for their current Keeper's abilities. Thus most on the team liking Mia. Mia had chosen Keeper to try for based on the Thunderbirds games this year so far. She thought that was where they were weakest, and she would most likely get placed. Assuming she practice.
Eden assumed she would practice tons.
"Thanks," she said.
About five minutes later, Mia came out.
Eden tugged on her wrist, dragging her into a nearby alcove. She didn't want anyone else to hear her. She'd come up with an idea. The idea came to her when she was dozing off to sleep the other night. She'd blown it off as being ridiculous. And, yet, every waking moment since that night, when she wasn't studying, the idea would make an appearance in her mind. She came to the conclusion she had to at least present it to her sister.
If she said it was crazy then she'd forget about it.
"I've come up with an idea," she said.
"An idea?" Mia sounded both excited and curious, not at all disappointed or suspicious.
"Easter holidays. Let's switch."
Mia's eyes widened.
Okay, that hadn't come out as gracefully or thought provoking as she meant it to. Eden saw when her sister realized she meant what she'd just said. She wasn't a rule breaker by nature. She really wasn't. Her dad had taught her from a young age that their name came with weight behind it. Good and bad. That there were still people who did not believe he had truly changed sides and was a spy. So people would judge her because she was his daughter.
Because of her name.
"You're serious?"
"I am."
"We won't get away with it. I don't know anything about living in Canada!"
"I don't know anything about living in Minnesota, but we'll have three weeks to get to know how to be each other. Besides, we don't live in Canada. Not really."
"Our hair. My nails," Mia said.
Eden's lips thinned. She'd thought of exactly those things, and wasn't exactly thrilled with where her mind took her to solve those problems. She'd do it, though, for a chance to meet her mum.
"I can cut mine so Mum Mom won't suspect. Make up a reason why I did to Dad. It's not as if he makes me keep them long. I just like the way they look."
"I don't know, Eden. Our parents aren't stupid. In fact, they're both reputed to be far from that."
"No, but they'd have to suspect something. Don't you see? As long as we don't give them anything to suspect, why would they? I don't think either of them knew we were both going to be here. Dad certainly didn't, so I doubt he looked to see whether or not you were enrolled here. Come on, Mia. It's two weeks. We can do it! And better this year with first year classes than as we get further into school and it's more of a distraction. I don't think we could pull off an entire summer. So Easter break is a compromise."
Eden smiled, realizing she was convincing her. Her original idea had been switching for the summer, but she realized last night as she was lying in bed thinking about it. Again. Well, it wouldn't work. Two months was entirely too long. Two weeks though, especially with neither of them going home for Christmas. Well, their parents would likely be so thrilled to see them as to not even really notice any differences. And if they did it right, they'd just assume the differences were from being away at school.
Two weeks could work. They'd have to work hard to learn how they did their hair, get familiar with their hobbies, and other things they'd need to know to get away with living as the other. It could be done.
They were twins! How difficult could it be?
*****
Mia sighed, shaking her head. It was a crazy idea. And yet. It was a good idea, if they could learn everything about how the other one acted and behaved in front of their mom or dad. Well, she'd meet her dad! In less than a month.
"All right, but if the Thursday before Easter gets here and either of us thinks it won't work we have to call it off. I mean, I don't really want my dad to hex me the first time I meet him!"
"He wouldn't hex you, Mia. I'm sure he wouldn't."
"Assuming he remembers I exist, you mean," she said, knowing she sounded petulant. She couldn't help it!
"And you don't think I wonder the same thing about Mum? Mom."
Mia reached, touching her sister's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to make this all about me. I know, it's confusing. I mean, how could they just "
"There had to have been a reason, right? I mean, if Dad still wears his wedding ring."
"You mean other than they didn't want two daughters?"
"It can't be that. I just don't see Dad doing that. Do you really see Mom just deciding she only wanted one of us?"
Mia shrugged. "No," she said.
She really didn't. That didn't mean she understood all of this.
Her mom had never done anything to make Mia think she was anything but a good mom. An overall good person. She knew she gave away tonics to the healers of the three Native American reservations in their area. Muggle ones, not magical, but she spent her own money on ingredients, and time on them instead of potions she'd earn money on. She didn't have to do that. She could have as one year turned into two turned into ten started charging, but she didn't.
For her part, Mia wouldn't say she was spoiled, but she knew they could afford things her friends couldn't. Part of that was her grandparents.
Did they know about Eden?
Had they been lying to her for nearly twelve years?
That almost hurt more than her mom not telling her about Eden.
For some reason, until this very moment, she hadn't really thought of the possibility that her grandparents knew, too.
Mia went back to Eden's question. Why they didn't live with both of their parents,
She was right.
Unless she seriously misjudged how good of a person her mom was. No, she wouldn't have just decided she only wanted one of them. "It has to be that stupid decree. I wish we could know what Mom and Dad's involvement was."
"Unless you recruit your godfather, I don't see how that's possible."
"Harry wouldn't do that. He wouldn't betray Mom's trust. And he's our godfather. He has to be, if you don't have someone else."
However, Harry might answer questions. She recalled again the conversation she overheard her mom and godfather having where - she knew now - her dad's name was mentioned. Harry wanted Mom to contact him. Had he suggested she do it before that incident? Did he still think that Mom should have?
"Will I meet him?" Eden asked.
"He usually has Easter dinner with us, so yes."
"Leo would flip."
Mia bumped her hip against Eden's. "You could ask Leo to go with you."
"Oh, Morgana, Mia, I couldn't do that."
"Why not? He likes you."
"He likes you."
"No," Mia said. "He does not get tongue tied around me. You make him do that. And blush."
"But we're "
"We are not exactly the same. And I don't know, maybe if he hadn't met me on the platform when he met his idol, he'd feel different about me. I just know we don't feel that way about one another."
"Would Mom let him come?"
"I don't see why not."
Mia smirked as Eden looked like she was thinking about it. She suspected she wouldn't ask Leo to go with, though it would be a good way to deflect their mom from noticing anything was wrong.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "Not this time. I don't want to share her."
Mia nodded, understanding that mindset.
"Well, he wouldn't have to go home with you the whole time. Nebraska isn't that far from Mom's house."
Eden rolled her eyes. "No."
Mia laughed softly. She could tell her sister really kind of wanted to ask him, but she wouldn't want to see her dad for the first time with someone else either. Mia's thought was that Leo could help offset any oddities her mom might spot.
"Do you think your dad knows I'm in America?"
"Our dad, and he must not. I didn't get the impression he didn't want me to attend Ilvermorny because he thought you'd be here. He just didn't like the more modern ways they have compared to Hogwarts."
"So, we're going to do this, right? Switch?" Mia asked.
Eden smiled cockily, and Mia rolled her eyes.
"Yes, it was a good idea," Mia said.
"Thank you. And, yes, unless one of us decides it's just not working. We can test it out on Leo."
"We have to tell him first, though."
"Mia!"
"No, not when, but we have to tell him tonight what we're planning on doing, and that we're going to test how we're doing on him."
Eden seemed to think this over, rubbing her nose in a gesture so familiar to Mia.
"Yeah, that's reasonable."
"Let's go find him."
"He's probably out by the quidditch pitch."
"Probably," Mia agreed. She didn't mind heading out that way at all. "Mom is not a quidditch fan."
"I like her already," Eden said and Mia laughed.
Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com