Chương 4: Chapter 4: In Special Cases an Owl Won’t Do
The portraits on the walls of Edward McMahon's study were whispering to one another. The clock on the carved marble mantel surrounding the empty fireplace showed ten o'clock. The Duke was seated behind his mahogany desk, his fingers tapping nervously on its polished surface. The sounds of the upcoming warm July night were wafted through the window. Across from him, Marquis Carsilion Egbert reclined comfortably in a sumptuous burgundy armchair. He was wearing a lightweight linen shirt with an open collar. His trousers, impeccably tailored, tapered towards his ankles, granting his form an effortlessly statuesque elegance. He cradled a crystal glass filled with amber liquid, the ice cubes inside, reflecting the dim candlelight.
"While I do appreciate the romantic mood, Edward, wouldn't it be more comfortable if we get some light into the room?" – the Marquis chuckled.
The Duke looked at his friend with annoyance and took out his wand conjuring a few luminescent crystal globes which filled the study with bright light.
"Happy?" – the Duke grumpily asked.
"Well," – Carsilion smiled lazily – "I am not unhappy. I finally managed to get my hands on your Phoenix Reserve Scotch. I am starting a new job and would not need to deal with Adrian Borealis in the foreseeable future. Life is pretty good right now."
"I was very surprised that you decided to take this position." – said Edward – "But I am truly grateful to you. I am going to feel much more at ease knowing you are at Hogwarts too. Although what's with that name?"
"Huh?" – answered the Marquis, taking a large sip from his glass – "I couldn't just go there with my title and real name. We don't want to attract any more attention. Greg being admitted to Hogwarts last year raised enough questions but thankfully since it was your family, they mostly took it as going back to your roots so to say."
"True indeed, but I do feel anxious about all this. We have been planning it for so many years and I am terrified that something is going to go wrong. Especially now that Catherine refuses to go there. Both Louisa and I are at our wits' end." – sighed the Duke.
"Hence we asked Dumbledore to come and persuade her." – concluded Carsilion.
At this moment a bright flame erupted in the middle of the room and a tall, dignified wizard wearing purple velvet robes appeared. Albus Dumbledore glanced above his half-moon spectacles at the nearest portrait of the kindly smiling Helga Hufflepuff who winked at him and then beamed radiantly at the two younger wizards.
"Ah, Duke Edward McMahon and Marquis Carsilion Egbert, good evening to both of you. It is a true pleasure to see you."
"No need for formalities, Dumbledore!" – Carsilion waved his hand – "Can I offer you a drink? Edward possesses a truly magnificent Cerulean Crown Brandy which he stubbornly refuses to disclose the source of."
"What is life without our little secrets?" – said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes – "Regretfully I would need to reject your kind offer since there are many things that need to be sorted out before the beginning of the school year and I am pressed by the time."
"Of course, Headmaster!" – said Edward McMahon politely – "We do appreciate that you found some time for our special case."
"It is my pleasure." – nodded Dumbledore – "As a matter of fact I have been looking forward to meeting the young Lady McMahon for quite some time."
"I do hope you can help us persuade her to go to Hogwarts. After last year's incident with her brother, she has been adamant." – sighed the Duke.
"I see." – said Dumbledore contemplatively – "Did you have any other issues after the said incident?"
"No!" – firmly responded Edward – "She was trying even harder to control herself. The truth is that we haven't had any major problems in general, Headmaster, besides some rare outbursts like the one last year. She may look distant and sarcastic on the surface, and she almost never smiles, but she does have a very kind heart. She deserves to get out of here."
"I wonder if this is not what she is afraid of." – smiled Dumbledore gently.
***
Catherine McMahon was sitting on the sofa in one of the living rooms located on the first floor of the castle. Her book called 'Enchantments Elixir: A Journey Through Potions and Magic' was forgotten on the coffee table. The ten-year-old girl was lost in her thoughts when the door opened. She looked up and saw an unfamiliar wizard who she recognised as Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had seen Dumbledore often on pictures in the Daily Prophet, but they were not able to reflect his overwhelming presence. The change in the magic when he entered the room was significant. While Catherine knew the reason for the headmaster's visit tonight and she had decided to firmly stand her ground, she couldn't help but look at him with curiosity.
Dumbledore smiled at the young witch who was staring at him with a mixture of interest, suspicion, and stubbornness. "Good evening, Lady McMahon." – the wizard greeted her – "It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"I know." – answered Catherine sharply.
Dumbledore smiled again. "As expected, you seem to know a lot of things for such a young witch. Do you also know why I am here tonight?"
"To persuade me to come and study at Hogwarts?" – Catherine said with a scowl.
"No, not exactly." – said the headmaster and took out an envelope out of his robes. – "I came to personally deliver your Hogwarts admission letter. Regarding persuading you, I believe you are more than capable of taking the right decision by yourself."
"Doesn't Hogwarts usually use owls for delivering admission letters?" – asked Catherine dryly.
"Indeed, we do" – answered Dumbledore still smiling – "but in some special cases we prefer the personal approach. Furthermore, I wanted also to give you a little present." – he said and left a small red box on the table.
Catherine looked at it confused. On the box, among painted orange flames she read - 'Dragonfire Delights: spicy cinnamon candies that sizzle and crackle like dragonfire on the tongue'.
"Isn't an old man bribing a young girl with candies kind of a Muggle criminal movie cliche?" – she asked with an unmoved expression.
Dumbledore burst into laughter. "I see that the nickname Flame is well deserved."
Catherine suddenly felt blushing. She really had a hard time reading this man's reactions. She honestly expected him to get offended and reprimand her.
"My brother came up with this stupid nickname." – she mumbled.
"I think it suits you a lot." – said the old wizard – "But to answer your question, this is just a token of friendship for a little girl who has never had the chance to go to Hogsmeade and visit the Honeydukes." – finished the headmaster and winked at her.
Catherine jumped to her feet angrily. "I do not need your pity, Professor!" – she hissed.
However, Dumbledore once again laughed in delight. "There it is, this anger everyone is so terrified of! I was starting to think you were made of stone and ice, my dear child."
The young witch was thoroughly confused. She was no longer angry, but she felt a little dizzy from all the efforts to figure out this weird situation. Dumbledore sat on the sofa and gestured for her to also take a seat which she found herself doing without even realising it.
"Now, Catherine," – the wizard said softly – "why don't you tell me what is bothering you so much. It is hard to believe that you don't want to be free after being confined in this castle your whole life. Are you that afraid of the demon you carry?"
Catherine looked at Dumbledore's kind blue eyes and all of a sudden, she felt the need to get this off her chest.
"No, I am not afraid of the demon. But as you said I have never been out of here. I don't even know how to make friends. I can live alone just fine but I don't like being ignored. It makes me angry, and I don't want to hurt anyone." – she finished with a weak voice, a tear rolled down her cheek.
After a few minutes of silence, she lifted her head and saw that the headmaster was still looking at her, smiling gently. "Dear girl, anger is not a bad thing. I do not think that expressing your emotions and being passionate about things in life will make you release the demon. On the contrary, the more miserable and closed off you become, the greater the risk of her overpowering you."
Catherine's eyes grew wide with surprise. "But mom and dad have always been so strict about controlling my emotions." – she exclaimed.
"They do think this is the right way. They just want to protect you from everything. I am not certain on which is the right way myself, but I usually do have a pretty good understanding about such issues if you don't mind me saying it." – said Dumbledore with a chuckle.
"Dad said you would also teach me advanced magic if I came to Hogwarts." – said Catherine cautiously.
"Yes, this is part of the plan. I am going to teach you how to use elemental magic, as well as occlumency and ancient magic. I have also heard you have managed to invent many spells without even using a wand. Do you mind telling me what you use them for?" – asked Dumbledore politely.
"Oh," – said Catherine blushing again – "they are nothing special. I used them to enchant some toys for my brother and make my books sort themselves according to title and subject. I also came up with a spell to preserve fruits in a way like they have just been picked from the tree."
"How curious!" – said the headmaster softly – "I hope we can continue your work on these new spells at Hogwarts."
"So, you see me going to Hogwarts as a personal teaching project?" – asked Catherine suspiciously.
Dumbledore put his hand on the girl's shoulder and said seriously. "I see you going to Hogwarts as a way to set you free. Being born alone had put a stigma on you and deprived you the choice of how to live your life. I want to return this choice to you. I want to teach you how to channel this anger you carry into protection of yourself and those dear to you. I know you are not a bad kid, Catherine. I hope you can believe that too."
The headmaster smiled and handed her the letter again. She took it without saying a word. Dumbledore stood up and headed to the door. Before leaving the room, he turned back and looked at the young witch who was holding her Hogwarts admission letter - her eyes fixed on the floor.
"See you on 1st of September, Catherine!" – he said cheerfully and disappeared.
Catherine finally looked up, her eyes red from crying. She left the parchment envelope on the coffee table and opened the red box filled with Dragonfire Delights. Reluctantly, the girl placed one candy in her mouth and froze in shock from the sensation. Her green eyes shined with surprise. 'So yummy!' – she thought in delight.
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