"Get up you good for nothing girl!" a woman shrieked, tapping the floorboard with a broomstick.

Stirring, Tansy slipped from off of her cot, neatly folding the itchy wool blanket before heading downstairs. The apartment was dingy and dirty, a thin coat of grime over the old discolored tiles. Even when she scrubbed them, they remained the same grody yellow hue. Downstairs, Miss Medlar, was waiting impatiently for her.

She was a plump woman with a smock just as discolored as the old tiles and peeling linoleum flooring. She had that blasted wooden spoon in her hand, resting it on her hip. Her beady eyes were set on a swollen, plump face, her lips like worms as she breathed heavily out of her pig nose.

"For all the good I do for you Tansy and you can't even get your skinny butt out of bed in time," Miss Medlar complained loudly.

"I'm sorry-" Tansy began. Miss Medlar was among the worst foster mother she'd had thus yet. Bouncing from house to house, Tansy had ended up with Miss Medlar for the past three years. Just when things had seemed to be looking up at the other homes, mysterious things would happen, and her foster parents would refuse to keep her anymore.

Miss Medlar had two other foster children and two biological children. She claimed to have whipped all of them into shape, Tansy included. Miss Medlar only got the 'troubled' children and once they were shaped up, they could be placed in better houses. Tansy had been there the longest. Part of her believed that Miss Medlar just liked having someone to wait her hand and foot.

"Well get over here and finish up making breakfast," she demanded, moving away from the stove so that Tansy could fit.

Tansy was short for her age and barely tall enough to properly use a stove. She gave a small squeak when Miss Medlar rapped her on the rear with the dreaded spoon and headed over to the table to prepare it. The table was certainly on its last leg, having been repaired numerous times. Perhaps it had once been a handsome antique, but with so many children coming in and out of the house, it had been badly scratched up and wobbled uncontrollably.

The amount of lard that Miss Medlar had put in the pan made a mess of the poor quality bacon, coating it in even more oil. Tansy tried not to wrinkled her nose, but the oil was splashing up and speckling her hands and arms.

With a slam, several feet pattered into the hallway and then in through the kitchen, tracking mud and debris. The four boys had been playing out in the nearby field, some of the only vegetation all of Burnley had.

"Mum is breakfast ready?" the eldest of the group asked, one of Miss Medlar's children. His name was Hobson and he considered himself the most handsome of them all, though Tansy would have thought the whole lot of them were shrewish in appearance. He had short dark hair, a smattering of freckles, and a pug face much like his own mother.

"Go ahead and take yer seats boys. We're finishing up now," Miss Medlar chirped cheerfully, her demeanor shifting entirely in the company of the boys.

It was always like this, Miss Medlar preferred the boys to girls. Tansy had only seen one other girl while she was here and she'd been treated just as badly. But the boys were angels and never had to do much more than be boys. Ironically, they were the most troubled of them all.

Sitting down, the boys purposely began to teetered the table, causing it to groan. The plates and silverware chattered as they were also set off balance. While the noise continued, Tansy stood on the tips of her toes to remove the hot pan from the stove. She brought it over to the counter and placed it on a plate with some paper towels to pat off some of the grease. By that time the rest of the food had been placed on the table and the boys were chanting for the bacon to be added.

Tansy hurried over and slid it on to the table where it was greedily swept up by the boys. There wouldn't be any for her to have by the time she sat down, not that she minded, it had smelled gross anyways. All that was left was the bottom of a corn muffin, which Tansy decided was lucky enough. Sometimes she didn't even get that much.

"Now, now, we've got some things to do today. Only a month until school begins and we're hoping to see all of your acceptance letters come in," Miss Medlar piped as she sat down at the head of the table finally, unrolling a paper and dropping another sugar cube into her tea. The floral cup was chipped, but probably the nicest thing Miss Medlar owned; it had lovely painted flowers and a golden rim. Every morning Miss Medlar would drink out of it, facing the chip outward so she wouldn't cut her lip.

Eating her muffin, Tansy stared at the cup. She felt sorry for Miss Medlar often. She had no husband to help her with the bills and survived on what the government gave her to take in foster children. They lived in one of the poorest towns and even though Miss Medlar was tough with her, Tansy couldn't help but wonder what kind of stress the plump woman was under. Everytime the mail came in, her face would pale at the bills.

"Tansy!" Miss Medlar snipped as she glanced over her paper. "It's rude to stare and keep your elbows off the table."

Tansy removed her elbows and nodded meekly. The boys sniggered at her before talking about their mischief and endeavors out in the neighborhood.

"Tansy isn't going to get into Hubble Grove. Who would accept her?" Petyr, a small copper haired boy pointed out. He was among the newest foster child, but he had slipped into the boys' crowd rather quickly. He had a habit of pinching Tansy when he got the chance, trying to see how hard he could pinch before she squealed. All of the children were of around the same age, three of them were going to start attending secondary schooling. Hobson, Medlar's eldest, was the only one who was already at his secondary school.

"Hush now Petyr, Tansy makes good enough marks," Miss Medlar defended, but did not argue that Tansy might not be accepted into the local boarding school. With her 'troubled' title, she doubted the Hubble Grove would accept her anyways. She already caused enough trouble at school.

Once, a girl who had been making fun of how dark her hair was in comparison to her pasty complexion, had flew into a nearby fountain. Tansy had insisted she hadn't pushed her in, there had been at least 6 feet in between them, however she still received detention and was suspended for a day. Tansy could recall the sting of Miss Medlar's spoon that day once she had gotten a call from the headmistress about the fight.

In truth, Tansy didn't want to go to Hubble Grove. It's where Hobson went and she was certain that the other boys would get in as well. Hubble Grove wasn't of any prestige either, perhaps for the area, but it was likely to be just as seedy and undesirable as all of Burnley was.

"Where did you apply to, Tansy?" Allie asked. He was the nicest of the boys and still, when the others prompted him, he would be just as cruel.

"All Hallows School-" she began, almost becoming jittery as she recalled the pictures she had seen in the brochure.

"You? In All Hallows? How do you think you're going to pay for it?" Hobson demanded. "Even if you do get accepted you can't afford to go! Or did you forget you're an orphan?"

Tansy's cheeks flushed, her dream of going to some prim and proper boarding school crashing around her. She had hoped that maybe they would take pity in her and offer her a scholarship. The letters she had written had been heartfelt and genuine, but now she just felt like an idiot. How would she afford a school like that?

A jingling sound sent Hobson to his feet. "The mail is here! Maybe Tansy's acceptance letter to All Hallows is here," he jabbed as he trundled to the apartment front door to retrieve the letters. Flipping through them, the smile fell of his face as he held up a heavy parchment letter. "To Miss Tansy L. Belmont, Cott in the Attic, 346 Travelers Blvd. Apartment 2, Burnley," he read, stumbling over a few words as he eyed the green cursive on the front.

"Looks fancy! Give it here! I want to hear them declining her application-" Petyr reached his grubby fingers across the table.

Miss Meldar stood abruptly, the chair screeching beneath her as she stood. She reached over and snatched it from her son, her face becoming rather pale as she turned it over to glance at the sigil on the back. "Boys, go outside and play," she said, trying to control the quivering in her voice.

"But mum-"

"OUT!" Miss Meldar boomed, sending the boys scurrying away like mice from a cat. She collapsed back down in her chair and waited until she heard the door close behind them. "Tansy, dear, can you start cleaning up?"

Tansy, startled by Miss Meldar yelling at the boys, nodded and began clearing the table. She scrapped the dishes off in the trash and used the stool at the counter to begin washing them. Miss Meldar was a strong woman and few things shook her, but an acceptance letter to a school? She was puzzled as to why it would upset her so much.

"Miss Meldar do you want another cup of tea? I can put the kettle back on," Tansy offered kindly.

"Yes please," she muttered as she opened the letter and began reading its contents.

Confused by how kind Miss Meldar was being, Tansy filled the kettle back up and dragged the stool over so she could turn the stove on and set it. She returned to the dishes to finish washing them, replacing them in the rack, before she came over with more tea for Miss Meldar.

"Tansy sit down please," Miss Meldar requested softly.

Tansy put the kettle on the stove again and pulled up close to Miss Meldar. "Are you ok, Miss Meldar?"

"Well you see... I..." the plump woman looked like she was in a tiff, unable to properly explain herself. "This letter. I remember when I was waiting for my acceptance letter to Hogwarts, but it never came. My family was so upset, I'd never shown much promise anyways... A Squib they call us folk, unable to-" she let out a low sigh and picked up her cup. "Read this."

A few heavy pieces of parchment, made of the same material as the envelope. Scrawled in a brilliant emerald ink, Tansy spent a moment just admiring the beautiful handwriting.

"Dear Miss Tansy L. Belmont,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term beginning on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

M. McGonagall
Headmistress," Tansy read aloud, placing the parchment on the table as she shot a confounded look at Miss Meldar. "Witchcraft and Wizardry? Is this some kind of joke?" she asked her, not meaning to sound albeit vexed.

"No!" Miss Meldar shrieked. "This is a serious letter. You don't realize how lucky you are Tansy. I wished and wished for a letter like this. The only issue is... I don't know how we're going to afford the supplies. I'd have to turn what muggle money I have into... and I surely don't have enough to afford a wand which is usually around 10 galleons."

"Muggle? What's a muggle?" Tansy inquired.

"A non-magic folk. My whole family were wizards and witches. Disowned me once I was old enough and that's how I came to be out here. I wonder... maybe we can take out a loan at Gringotts for your supplies," she contemplated, tapping her fat lips. "Y'know, it suddenly makes sense why all those things happened at school. The girl in the fountain, you getting on top of the flagpole..."

"I told you I didn't know how those happened," Tansy grumbled.

"It was your magic," Miss Meldar insisted.

"If magic does exist," Tansy began hypothetically, "do you think that my parents were part of that? Wizards or whatever?"

"Entirely possible, but I can't say for certain. I don't have any information on your parents... However, it's possible that some wizards might."

"Can I afford to go to school? There's no tuition listed," Tansy commented, flipping the parchment over.

"Hogwarts is free. The Ministry of Magic pays for all students to go. If you have magic, you have to go to school and that's that. We'll have to go to London to get your supplies and maybe we'll glean a bit more about your family whilst there," Miss Meldar decided promptly. "I'll have to figure out who can keep an eye on the boys. We're going to have to get you cleaned up too. Let's go to town today and get you a haircut."

"Really?" Tansy was in disbelief. The strict woman she once knew was changing before her very eyes. Did having magic really make her that much different? There was an excitement in Miss Meldar's eyes that she had never seen before. Sometimes she was happy to watch her sons in sports, but this was beyond that. Miss Meldar's wish to be accepted to Hogwarts was being fulfilled by Tansy now.

"Go get washed and changed up," Miss Meldar directly as she stood up, running her index finger along the chip in the teacup.

When Tansy returned, Miss Meldar had dressed in her 'fine clothes' as she liked to call them. In truth, the brightly pink velvet dress was anything but fine. Her hair had been taken out of its rollers and framed her round face with bright blonde curls. Her thick legs were stuffed into nylons like sausages and her feet were in hot pink heels that did not match the dress in the slightest. Putting her ridiculous hat on, Miss Meldar motioned for Tansy to followed her.

Upon walking into town, they passed the boys, whom she informed that they would be out for a while. Miss Meldar took Tansy to the hair salon, a luxury that she had never been able to afford. Most often, Miss Meldar had taken her own shears to Tansy's hair, creating uneven lumps in her thick lockes. The woman in the salon lathered her hair, washed it, and then gave her an even trim.

Their second stop was at the local hand me down store. Tansy hadn't grown much over the last few years and thus rarely needed her clothes replaced. Miss Meldar picked a good amount of clothes for her to try on, some of which still had tags on from when people dropped them off at the shop.

"Now you have to look like a proper good girl and you'll be needing some skirts and shirts when you aren't wearing your uniform. Now, I expect you to be the neat young lady I've trained you to be," Miss Meldar told her as they were checking out, a hint of her strictness returning. However, when the woman looked at her, there was a jolly twinkle in her beady eyes that replaced the disdain they used to hold.

Dressed in some newer clothes, a plaid skirt and a white blouse, they returned home to where the boys were waiting. They sat in front of the tele trying to each get a turn on their gaming console that was split between the 4 of them. Since 2 remotes had been broken, Miss Meldar refused to replace them until Christmas, teaching them to better care for their belongings.

"Oi, mum why does Tansy look nice?" Hobson demanded, jumping to his feet. "Is there anything for me in those bags?"

"Tansy got an acceptance letter to a very prestigious school and a full scholarship. She'll be going to the boarding school in a few weeks time," Miss Meldar told him, looking down her nose at him, disappointed her own son was not going to Hogwarts.

"She got into All Hallows School?" Petyr inquired, dumping the controller carelessly onto the ground.

"No, she got into Hogwarts, it's very far up north, not something people around here would know about. They're not cultured enough," Miss Meldar sniffed, placing her meaty hand on Tansy's shoulder and giving a reassuring squeeze. "Speaking of which, I've texted Mrs. Butterhock and she's going to be babysitting you tomorrow. I have to go with Tansy to London to get her school supplies. And I swear, if I hear you give that old woman any trouble it will be a whooping for each of you."

"Hogwarts? Sounds stupid," Gordon piped up.

"Why can't we come? I want to go to London!" Hobson's face began to turn a molted red, as if he were going to explode.

"And tell me what you've done to deserve to go to London?" Miss Meldar inquired gently.

"I'm your son!"

"This is not a day on the town! I will take you lot another time, but tomorrow is to get Tansy's school supplies. I don't need you slowing us down, there is a lot to do. And that's final Hobson, I hear any more lip from you and I'll lock you in your room for the day tomorrow," Miss Meldar threatened, her own face growing red and flushed.

Hobson backed down and returned to the gaming system, shoving Allie aside so he could gain control of the remote. By the way he was acting, Tansy hoped she could find things to do for the day so that he wouldn't take out his bitterness on her before she got to leave.

Sensing her own son's tantrum coming, Miss Meldar cleared her throat. "Tansy why don't you start mopping up the floor from earlier. I have a few things I need you to do after you fold your clothes."

Tansy could only remain busy for so long and found herself sitting up in her attic room playing with a discarded action figure. The arm was bent in the wrong direction and then thrown away, but Tansy just pretended that he was double jointed. Her logic was that if she remained out of sight, perhaps she was also out of mind. Eventually, one of the boys shrieked that it was dinner time. Astounded that she hadn't been summoned previously to help make dinner, Tansy dropped the ladder and made her way down ground floor.

Before she could make it to the staircase leading to the kitchen, Hobson came round the corner and pinned her to the wall. There was little use fighting, he was twice as tall as she and thrice as heavy.

"What?" she muttered, glancing up at him. Her mind was filled with so many curiosities, but she didn't know if she could trust it until she saw what waited in London.

"I don't care if you got accepted to some prestigious school. Don't think you're going to fool me like you did my mum," he growled.

"Maybe there's more that you don't know about your mum. I know one of her secrets," Tansy quipped, daring him to make enough noise that his mother would hear.

"I know everything about my mum," he pressed harder against her collar.

"Doubt it," Tansy groaned.

Hobson released her, frowning, but allowed her to pass him. "Be careful," he warned as she stood at the top of the stairs.

A nagging feeling itched at her as she headed down the first few steps. Her foot snagged halfway down the staircase and she was sent lurching forward, head over heels. With a loud crash, she tumbled to the bottom of the stairs, Petyr and Gordon fleeing as they snickered at her. Tansy blinked, tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. Slowly, she rose, checking to make certain that she hadn't cut herself up or broken anything.

"Clutz," Hobson grunted as he shoved her into the wall, out of his way.

Sniffling, Tansy wiped her nose on her aching arm and followed them into the kitchen to have dinner.

A small author note.

This story is very slow paced and intended to reflect the pace of an actual HP book.

If you enjoyed the story, please leave a review. Questions are appreciated and I will take the time to answer any that I get as well.

Thank you!

- Fae