Anna Grayson and The Order of Merlin
Elfishness

As Anna burst through the thickclouds and into a bright blue sky, the sun stretched across a beautiful morningocean hundreds of feet below her. The deep water shimmered beneath them whilegusting winds blew each cap over onto itself, creating foamy white paint acrossan emerald surface. She could smell the late-summer flowers on the distantshore and recognized many of their wonderful fragrances. She was tempted toclose her eyes and try to match each smell to the flower it belonged, but shedidn’t want to miss anything right now. She wanted to take it all in — to seeall there was around her. She dare not close her eyes now, not even to blink.

“Let’s turn toward the beach,”she said, and her flying steed immediately banked right and plummeted straightdown several hundred feet before Anna realized what was happening. The waterwas rushing toward them so fast she had to lean forward over the horse’s hugeback and grab a handful of his mane to remain saddled. She flattened herself againsthis spine and stretched her legs behind to grasp as much of his muscled midriffas she could manage.

Here he goes, shethought excitedly. He’s doing it again, but this time I’m going to win.

She leaned to the side to seewhere he was looking and wasn’t surprised to see his head turned slightlytoward her, a single eye peering back, testing her resolve. The green of thewater was reflected in that eye as he began to squint from the rush of the windnow hitting them hard. As the water’s surface rushed toward them, the deepocean smell was pushing into Anna’s nose and her eyes could feel the saltyspray. Panic was setting in.

“Okay…” she said, in a hopefulvoice. But there was no change as they continued to plunge toward the water.

“I said — all right!” sheyelled out, this time with more urgency. She moved her head to the right tolook down and her eyes, still focused on the expected distant view of theocean’s surface, penetrated the water straight through to its rocky bottom. Itwas too late; they were going to crash.

“AHHHHHHH!!!!! YOU WIN! YOUWIN!” she screamed, burying her face into his black mane.

At the last possible moment,the mighty stallion pulled up, banked left, and slid the tops of his hoovesacross the surface of the water. Wet, salty, and warm, the ocean shot up behindthem as he gouged a huge, arcing plume in their wake. Anna raised her head justas he flipped to his right and into a turn so tight she could feel her insidesgathering in her legs and against the side of his ribs.

“I’M LOSING IT!” she screamed,feeling herself slowly slipping over his right shoulder as he leaned furtherand further toward the water. The ocean was just inches from her now, the whitepaint slapping at her knee. They flew in a large slowing circle, which musthave ended where it started; she could feel the warm water they had disturbedfalling like rain on their backs. The horse straightened and, with a purposefulflick, tossed Anna back to center on his wide back.

“You’re so bad….” she told himcondescendingly. His response was immediate. He jerked his head down and with avulgar grunt started veering abruptly left and right, tossing her back andforth. Anna was slipping and sliding over his wet back and off center again.

“All right – I take it back,”she screamed. “You’re absolutely fabulous!” She leaned forward to grab himaround his huge neck again to stabilize herself. “You really are beautiful,”she said, this time in a soft whisper next to his ear.

With a sharp jerk, the mightysteed raised up over the water in standing jubilation. He bellowed in triumph,kicking his front feet wildly into the air around them.

“Showoff…” she saidindignantly. “Can we go home now?”

With a gruff snort, thejet-black horse suddenly leapt forward and started running across the top ofthe water, and with every stride, he slowly began to rise again. Higher andhigher, his splashing hooves lifted into the air.

Anna could see the white cliffsof the shore coming into view now; the water’s edge and beach below werepassing a mere ten feet under them as they headed straight toward the cliff’swall.

Here it comes, shethought with an eager smile curling on her face, my favorite part.

The horse started arcing up thecliff’s face, finally touching his hooves and running against its rough andweathered surface. Rising vertically, only the gravity pulling at Anna’s backreminded her they were now racing up the cliff’s front. Anna looked up andsmiled. She could see the edge coming into view above them, her sense of thespeed heightened now by the boulders and outcroppings flying past them in acontinuous blur.

“Faster!” she hollered,twisting herself expectantly into her saddle. They finally reached the edge ofthe cliff and the stallion gave a mighty heave. As if jumping across a greatchasm, he leapt into the sun and Anna could feel them soaring into the morningblue, turning over and over as they somersaulted backwards. She could see theblue sky, the ocean below, the beach and cliffs, as they wheeled completelyaround - rising still higher. They shot over the tops of the trees anchored forcenturies at the cliff’s crowning summit and there, finally, rising before themwas her manor home, Grayson.

Always inspiring, this visionforever confirmed Anna’s feelings that her home, perched atop the cliffsoverlooking the Pacific Ocean, was the most beautiful place in the entireworld.

And then, as if coming fromsome far off point of land on a distant shore, a familiar and squeaky voice washeard.

“Miss Anna? You is going to belate for school…”

The horse looked back at Annaand she knew he would soon fade away. She was dreaming again. But she also knewif she could just kept her eyes shut, she could prolong her sense of flight,her sense of freedom… this bit of magic.

“Miss Anna is goin’ to be introuble, she is,” said the voice invading her dream once more.

“Oh Gabby, leave me alone. I’mflying again!”

She shouldn’t have replied. Forthe moment Anna began to speak, she saw the black stallion beginning to meltaway, leaving only the blurred outline of her horse fading into oblivion. Thepicture in her mind went black, and Anna realized what she was seeing now wasnothing more than the inside of her closed eyelids.

“You is not flying Miss. You issleeping in a bed,” squeaked the voice from across her room.

“Gabby… please… just a fivemore minutes. Will you please…just…?” But Anna’s pained appeal faded away asthe black stallion she was now struggling to retrieve disappeared entirely.

“Gabby ‘as chores to do, worksto be done. Miss Anna is to be getting up!”

“Ohhhhh…” Anna sighedpainfully. “You know Gabby, sometimes you can be such a pain,” she said withgreat indignation.

“I is a good house elf!” thevoice chirped.

A bright light burst throughher closed eyelids and Anna jerked the blankets up to shield her face from themorning sun now pouring into her four-poster bed. Gabby the Grayson house elfhad ripped the curtains open to reveal a very large window overlooking the samebeautiful ocean Anna had been flying over just a moment before.

“Up-up-up!” said Gabby, as shebounced about Anna’s room opening all the drawers in her dresser and flickingon the lights in the adjoining bathroom.

It always amazed Anna thatdespite the elf’s obvious age she was so nimble and quick. Gabby was tiny, nomore than two and a half feet tall. Her skin was a greenish-brown color withblotches of black on her face and arms. Although she didn’t know exactly howold Gabby was, Anna attributed the blotches to her advanced years more than to someunknown ailment. The elf’s hair was very gray and clumped in short tufts justabove her long, pointed, bat-like ears. Her flattened head was bald on top, andit seemed rather funny to Anna that Gabby looked more like a little old manthan the female elf she claimed to be. Her skin was wrinkled and weathered, buther huge, oval eyes were clear and bright as she dashed from one end of theroom to the other, scampering about like a monkey on all fours.

“What is you wearin, Miss?”asked the elf, now waist deep in the top drawer of Anna’s dresser. She wastossing various pieces of clothing into the air and onto the floor around her.

“Oh I don’t know… I’m stillwaking up,” Anna said, as she flopped back down on her back and threw a pillowover her face. “I hate Mondays!” she screamed in a muffled voice.

There was a faint popfrom across the room and then another loud pop right next to Anna’s ear.She slowly lowered the pillow to replace Gabby’s large, oval eyes peering down ather. The elf had Disapparated from her dresser drawer and reappeared again nextto her in the bed. Elves were highly magical creatures and were knownthroughout the entire wizarding world as very useful house servants. Gabby hadbeen with the Grayson family for a very long time. Exactly how long, Anna wasn’tsure, but she often heard the elf speaking of Anna’s grandmother as a youngchild.

“Is you feelwin awright, MissAnna?” the elf asked her, turning her head sideways with an animated look ofpracticed concern.

Anna quickly realized she hadpushed her luck too far, and if she didn’t start moving soon, Gabby was sure toraise an alarm throughout the entire house. In short order, she would replaceherself tied down to her bed, a thermometer in her mouth, and a hot waterbottle under her rump.

Anna looked up at Gabby’s largebrown eyes and smiled. She placed a raised hand upon the elf’s dull, grayishface and stroked it softly.

“I’m fine, Gabby,” shewhispered affectionately. “You know… Ilove you… very much. You are my dearest friend.”

Gabby’s eyes welled with tears.“You is too kind to this old house elf, Miss Anna,” the elf replied. Then sheleaned forward to whisper, “You is always been my favorite Grayson.”

Anna smiled tenderly at thelittle creature and then leaned up to touch their noses together.

“You know, Gabby, I won’t beable to make the bus if you don’t get off my chest.”

“Eeeeeekkkk!” Gabby yelped witha short chirp. She quickly jumped to the floor and scampered back to thedrawers. “I is terrible holding up my mistress. What is you said you waswearin’, Miss?”

Anna threw back the blanket,jumped to her feet, and noticed two pink bunny slippers starting to hop acrossthe room toward her. She slid her left foot into the right slipper and thendashed into the bathroom as the left slipper hopped frantically behind to catchup.

“I dunno Gabs. Just picksomething for me.”

As soon as Anna let those wordsslip through her lips, she knew it was a mistake. For Gabby had already provenlong ago she had absolutely no sense of style. Anna clearly remembered the lasttime Gabby set out her clothes. She had laid out a pair of bright green pantsand a shockingly pink sweater that Anna had received from one of her sisters.Gabby topped off this ensemble with two different socks, one ankle-high redsock and one knee-high blue sock with black tassels. Anna was also expected towear her bunny slippers with the socks.

No, Gabby’s sense of style wasdefinitely lacking. Maybe it was because she didn’t have or wear much ofanything herself. The elf was always dressed in an old dishtowel, wrappedaround her like a toga. House elves, it would seem, show their servitude to afamily by wearing a minimum of garments. Anna had once tried giving Gabby anice dress with matching socks to wear, and although her efforts were met withtears of overwhelming joy, the little elf always refused these articles ofgenerosity.

“Only the Master is able togive the house elves real clothes, Miss Anna,” she said with a sad face,looking at the dress she longed to accept. “And only when he wishes to set usfree.”

When Anna’s father found outabout her gifts, he flew into a rage. “Don’t you realize how such a mistakecould unwittingly release an elf from our family’s service? If you had been themistress of this house, we could have lost Gabby for good,” he stormed. “I wantit understood — you are not to give clothing to the elves!”

Mister Grayson had made hispoint, but went a step further still. Despite the fact the incident didn’t makeany difference to the freedom of an elf, he let it be known to all his childrenthey were never to give anything to the servants.

Anna opened the bathroom doorand ran back into the bedroom.

“Wait — stop — I know what Iwant to wear!”

Gabby popped up out of thebottom drawer as a pair of Anna’s underwear fell upon her head; one of herpointed ears was now sticking out of a leg hole. She had undoubtedly begun theprocess of choosing Anna’s attire.

“Is you sure, Miss?” Gabby saidin a slow, disappointed voice. “I… I is good at clothes,” she saidencouragingly.

“Of course you are, Gabs, but Ihave to wear something very specific today,” Anna explained, as she searchedthe back of her mind for her best excuse. “Ahhh, yeah, I have to wear what Iwore… on Friday. You see, a girl from school liked what I wore on Friday somuch that, ahhhh,” Anna began to stammer, “that she wanted me to wear it againtoday.” She looked at Gabby with a hopeful gaze. “Okay?”

“Ohhhhhh, I’s cleaned thosewears on Friday! I is a good house elf,” Gabby repeated, now hopping across thefloor to Anna’s bed.

“Sorry I’s did not put theMiss’s clothes back in the drawers. I is going to do that after I’s cleanedyour room,” she said happily, disappearing under the bed.

“HurryGabs — I’ve got to go,” Anna pleaded, looking down at her feet. The other bunnyslipper had finally caught up with her and was hopping up and down on its twin.It was obviously upset about the other slipper being on the wrong foot. Witheach blow, the slipper was giving off little plastic squeaks, and little pinkpuffs of fuzz were jetting sideways as the left slipper squashed the other.

“Let off!” Anna saidindignantly, tossing both slippers across the room with a flick.

Before she could regain herbalance, a heavy lidded box slid out from under the bed and knocked her to thefloor.

“Ouch!” she yelped, rubbing abanged ankle. She tossed open the lid, grabbed her freshly laundered clothes,and headed for the bathroom again.

Two minutes later she emergedlooking for her shoes. She was surprised to see her bed made, clothes neatlyfolded and put back into the drawers, curtains tied back, and toast with jamsitting on the corner of her end table. Gabby was standing before her, holdingup a shoe in each of her tiny hands.

“Gabby, have you seen…? Oh…thanks,” she said, taking the shoes from the elf.

“Was Widwick here?” Anna asked,spying the toast and jam.

“Oh yes, mum,” said the elf,her eyes bright. “He saws you is runnin’ late, and wanted to help wif you’sbreakfast. He is a good old elf, he is,” Gabby said, in a low voice, “but…uhh…”

“But what?” Anna sat to put onher shoes.

“Well…” Gabby stammered, comingcloser to Anna as if hoping for a more private conversation. “Widwick is sadabout losing his…” she paused briefly to look around again, “his elfishness,”she said, in a whispered voice.

“His what?”

“His elfishness… hismagicalness,” Gabby repeated with wide eyes, hoping not to explain more.

“Ohhhhh… well… I think he’sokay… isn’t he?” said Anna, silently admitting to herself she hadn’t noticedany real differences in Widwick’s abilities.

“Oh yes, mum. Widwick is old —but very elfish. He is just sensitive, he is. It happens to us all, it does…eventually… but old Widwick is golden,” she finished happily, and thenscampered off to finish cleaning the room.

It seemed remarkable to Annathat Gabby would call Widwick old. Widwick was the other house elf in servicein the Grayson mansion. He was shorter than Gabby, but just as agile. He didn’tlook nearly as old as Gabby, but Anna could tell by the things they said toeach other, and especially when they were fighting, that Widwick was indeedquite a bit older than Gabby.

“Where is he?” asked Anna,trying her shoes.

“Is standing outside the doorwif yer lunch ’n books,” Gabby replied, sliding the now empty box back underthe bed. “He knows you is late!”

“Thank you Widwick — the toastis wonderful!” Anna sang to the door through a mouth full of crust.

“You is very welcome, Miss,”twittered a tiny, boyish voice from the other side of her bedroom door.

Anna grabbed up a brush andstarted combing her hair frantically. “I saw his eyes this time, Gabs,” shesaid, looking at the little elf dashing about the room behind her in themirror.

“Whose eyes?” said the elf, notstopping to listen.

“The black stallion’s eyes,silly. I saw them this time in my dream — they were blue,” Anna said, stillbrushing her long, red hair.

She saw movement all over herdressing table as various pins and hairclips dashed about, trying to gather herattention. Anna picked up a pretty red one, stopped suddenly, and then lookedat it again. She raised the clip under a watchful eye.

“Once seated — no moving aroundthis time, right?” The little-red clip popped open by itself as if agreeing tothe deal. Anna had some difficulty with this little hairclip moving about herhead in public. Apparently, it was trying to change her hairstyle on its ownseveral times over the course of the day. This wouldn’t necessarily be a badthing most of the time, but there were Muggles around who might have seen whatit was doing.

Anna slid the clip into herhair and snapped it closed. Then she leaned into the mirror, turning her headslightly to get a closer look at the adornment.

“I mean it,” she said, with apitch of warning in her voice. The clip didn’t move. “Good — stay that way,”she said, picking up her brush again.

“’Is eyes were blue?” repeatedGabby, this time standing motionless behind Anna.

“Huh? What? Oh… yeah… big blueeyes; beautiful — like sapphires. Ahhh, if only I could meet a boy with eyeslike that,” she said, pushing her red hair up next to her ears, contemplating abun. She looked at Gabby standing behind her. She was very still now, a look offright moving over her face.

“What’s the matter, Gabs? Noboy could ever replace you,” Anna said, jokingly.

“Is not that, Miss,” said thelittle elf in a lowered voice.

“What then?” Anna gave up onthe bun and moved to the hanging necklaces beside her mirror.

“Is saying you is flying… on ablack horse… wif blue eyes?” asked Gabby, now looking very serious, her earsbeginning to droop.

“Yeah, that’s right… so?” Sheturned around to look at Gabby while trying to work the clasp of her necklacebehind her head.

“Is bad luck, it is. Dreadanything so black,” said the elf under her breath.

“What are you talking about?”Anna laughed as she began pulling the tiny pieces of lint off of her shirtbefore looking up to realize… Gabby was serious. She bent down on one knee tolook into the elf’s eyes.

“What’s the matter Gabby?What’s troubling my best friend?”

Gabby’s ears began to riseagain.

“Ohhhh — finkle-fackle. Isancient legends from the old country,” Gabby said, trying to shrug off herfears.

“What did you mean… ‘Dreadanything so black’?”

Gabby’s ears started to loweragain before looking around cautiously to ensure nobody else could hear them.

“Black with wings as bats, andeyes of bluish-white is bad, is unlucky, is dread,” she said, fearfully.“Cannot be ridden…. nobody is knowing how. Take you’s up and drops you’s down.Dread the black ones that fly — they is killers,” the elf warned, in a shrewdbut experienced voice. “Best my mistress stay on the ground,” she finished,hopefully.

“Well,” Anna said in a soberedvoice, “would it help to say my horse doesn’t have wings?”

“But you’s said it flies,”Gabby replied, raising one of her hairless eyebrows.

“Oh Gabs… it’s just a dream,”Anna said smiling, straightening to stand again. “Tell you what; I promise — ifI ever have a chance to fly on a black-winged horse, I’ll say, ‘No thank you —because my friend Gabby says it’s not safe’, all right?” Gabby smiledtriumphantly. “Good. Well, I’d better get going. See you Gabs!”

Anna grabbed her book bag andran for the bedroom door. She opened the door with a quick glance back at thesmiling elf behind her, took two steps on the other side, and promptly trippedand fell with a heavy THUMP.

“Ooooooweeeee,” hollered a tinyvoice beneath her. Anna rolled over to replace poor Widwick flattened in thehallway under her bag.

“Oh… I’m sorry, Widwick. Iforgot you were standing there. Are you okay?”

“Of course he’s okay; he’s justa stupid house elf,” said a malevolent voice above her. Anna looked up and sawher older half-brother Damon standing over them. “They bounce up and downaround here all the time. What’s the matter with you, Anna? Just give him akick. They’ll move quickly enough,” he said, with a smirk. Then he reached outand kicked Widwick in the side.

“Oooooowwwweee,” Widwickyelped, again.

“Stop that!” screamed Anna.“What’s the matter with you?” She tried helping the elf to his feet.

“Pay me no mind, Miss Anna,”said Widwick. “The young master is quite right. Is all Widwick’s fault, mum. Iis awlright. I is off to my chores now,” he said, wobbling to stand straight,only to fall down on his backside with a bump.

“Oh look. There you go again,Anna. It’s so embarrassing… you and your little creatures. Maybe you shouldadopt him to add to your little collection. But you might as well put this oneout of his misery, or haven’t you noticed… he’s loosing his magical steam. We mightas well hire a Muggle slave to replace this useless vermin,” Damon finishedwith an ugly sneer.

Anna’s eyes quickly glanceddown at Widwick and she saw his head drooping in personal disgrace. Anna leaptto her feet. Although two years younger than Damon, she was every bit hisphysical match. Her brother was skinny, gaunt in the face, and sickly looking.His eyes and hair were as black as coal, and his chin nearly invisible. If hewere any other person in the world, Anna would replace compassion for somebody wholooked like her brother, but Damon’s cruelty and arrogance were almostlegendary in Anna’s mind.

“What the hell is wrong withyou?” she yelled, getting face to face with her brother. “The only vermin I seein this house is you!” she said,touching noses with him.

She always enjoyed doing thisto Damon, because it was standing here like this that made it most obvious Annawas a little bit bigger than her older brother. Anna could see Damon’s eyesmoving slightly upward to match her gaze.

“Careful there, little sister,”he said slowly. “Remember… in the real world, size doesn’t matter nearly asmuch as the gifts we possess.” He broke their locked gaze with the wood of hiswand. “Be very careful.”

“How would you like that wandstuffed up your…”

“I think… I is off to my choresnow,” said the little elf at their feet.

“Then go!” Damon demandedcurtly.

“Yes, Master Damon,” said theelf, taking a step to move away.

“No, stay!” ordered Anna,defiantly.

“Yes, mum,” said the elf,freezing where he stood.

There was another long pause asbrother and sister stared at each other before Damon stepped back and turned towalk away. Hands in his robes and walking toward his bedroom, he sang out,“Take care in school today, little squib.” He turned to look back at her withan evil grin as he slowly closed his bedroom door.

“Someday that arrogant littlejerk is gonna replace himself in a dark alley without that wand, and that’ll bethe day he learns the truest lessons in life,” Anna said, smacking her closedfist into her other cupped hand. “Wham!” she snapped angrily, “right in thatskinny, bony little nose. Says everything about him to see he has to carry thatwand around his family — even in his pajamas.

“Are you okay, Widwick?” sheasked, looking down at the elf again with a note of returning sympathy.

“Oh yes, mum, I is fine,” saidthe elf with a gaped smile

“Oh… yes… mum… I…. is…. fine,”said a high mocking voice from behind Damon’s door.

“Shut up, stick boy!” Annaretorted.

“Poor Widwick… you work sohard. You and Gabby deserve better than what you get from SOME OF THEGRAYSONS,” she yelled at Damon’s door. There was no reply.

“Don’t worry about that lout…he just didn’t get his dog biscuit today.”

“Hee-hee… yes, mum. If you’ssay so.”

“Here is your books, mum, andyer lunch. I is putting extra jam on you’s samich this time,” Widwick said witha loving smile, “just as I knows you’s likes it,” he whispered behind a cuppedhand.

Anna smiled, straightened topick up her bag, and then stopped. “Tell you what… you keep it.” Then, lookingat the huge staircase to her left, she smiled. “Or at least, you can carry itdown the stairs for me, right?”

Widwick looked at her with apuzzled gaze, and then to the staircase. His eyes widened.

“Oh — no, mum. I…. I…I don’t think…” But it was too late.Anna had grabbed up the little elf around the middle and was dashing for thestairs.

“No… no, mum. Please… I isnot,” but he never finished the sentence before Anna flew herself onto thebanister nearest the forth spindle. Their forward momentum was so strong Annacould feel them reaching top speed by the tenth footstep.

“Yeeehaaaaa… it’s just likeflying on ol’ blue eyes!” Anna screamed in exhilaration.

“Ohh…oohhhhh…mummmm… please…weis goin’ to break our heads!” yelled the elf on her lap as they raced their wayaround the banister. Widwick was now clutching Anna’s shirt to hide his face.“We is going belly up!” said the elf, now peering over his arm and down thebanister. Anna couldn’t help closing her eyes, looking for the blue sky in hermorning dream.

“Oh… is coming, Miss Anna. Iscoming!” screamed the elf

Anna opened her eyes and lookeddown. The end of the banister was now in sight, and so was the massive sphereon the newel post at the bottom. The size of a bowling ball, the sphere waspolished to a bright shine, black, and unmovable.

“You’re right, Widwick. You’dbetter do something…” Anna yelled back, holding the elf tight in her arms.

“Ohh, I’s can’t. I is notknowing how,” screamed the elf.

“Yes you can, Widwick. Come on —we’re going to crash!”

“I is not knowing…!”

“Widwick!” Anna screamed, stillsmiling.

“AAAAAHHHHHHH!” they bothscreamed at the sphere now looming before them.

POP-POP-Poof!

Anna and Widwick suddenlysprang off the railing and sailed over the sphere. They tumbled end-over-endthrough the air and across the extensive entranceway toward a number of pillowsthat suddenly appeared piled high on the floor waiting for them.

POOF! They both landedwith a squashy thud as hundreds of feathers burst into the air around them.Anna was laughing hysterically.

“I knew you could do it,Widwick. I knew it!” she laughed, lying on her back as the feathers scatteredthroughout the hall. “I knew it.”

Widwick sat up and shook hishead, his pointed ears flapping madly. “You! You is… a nutter!” he yelled,looking around them in disbelief, astounded they were still alive. “My mistressAnna is a nutter. Is for sure!”

Anna was still howling. “Youstill have a lot of magic in you, little elf,” she said, with confidence.“Don’t let them tell you any differently.”

Widwick smiled. “I… is a goodhouse elf?” he asked her, a look of hopeful pride building on his face.

“Yes you are, Widwick. But it’snot the magic that makes you special… it’s what’s inside your heart.” Shesmiled at the little creature. “My daddy told me that; and I should know.” Shethen leaned forward to place her forehead on his and then whispered, “Allsquibs know this.”

“The Muggle bus! The Muggle bus! The Muggle bus!” squawked a blue parrot fromits cage. Anna’s father had recently placed the enchanted bird by the door atthe beginning of the school year as a warning her school bus was approaching.

“Gotta go!” Anna snapped. Shestuffed her scattered books back into her bag, grabbed her lunch, and kissedWidwick on the top of the head. She dashed out the door, down the stone steps,and into the driveway below. “See you tonight, okay?”

Widwick sat up to look aroundand smiled. “I is still magic inside,” he said, folding his arms insatisfaction. “I is still a good house elf,” he said, and then he flopped backdown into the pillows, releasing another plume of feathers into the air aroundhim.