Reaching Out

[Odette Madison]

Odette finally knew for sure now that what she had heard last school-year was true. She really was the daughter of some man with a whole family, a family that she was no part of with a dad who didn't want her. She had confronted her mother with the information the moment they had gotten home from train, and could still clearly picture how her mother had tensed up. They had talked about it, sort of. Her mother had explained but only the minimal amount, deflecting Odette's questions for details. She knew now that her father was named John, that he was some big deal in America and married. He had been married when Odette was born too, and clearly saw her entire existence as a big mistake. Her mother hadn't known anything about the boy that had approached her, this Matthew who had decided to uproot Odette's entire life so he could get rid of some misplaced sense of ... what, guilt? She didn't know.

But her mother had refused to talk about it after their initual conversation, saying that Odette now knew everything she did and even snapping at her when she had tried to figure out what her father had been like. She seemed irritated that Odette wanted to know these sorts of things, even though it seemed logical to Odette herself. Who didn't want to know where they came from? She had been curious about this since she was old enough to understand. And now she finally had some answers, her mother refused to give her any more. In the end, after only a couple of days, Odette had had enough. She told her mother she had made plans with Margo and then called the other girl, asking if she could stay for a while. She just needed to be around someone else, preferably someone friendly. She had been thinking about what Professor Pendleton had said as well, and she was thinking of taking his advice and telling Margo about this whole drama. The whole reveal had been pretty public anyway, so Margo might have heard rumors anyway.

That's why she was now standing in front of the door of Margo's family home, in a country she had never been in before. She hesitated and then rang the doorbell, hoping this wasn't a big mistake.

 

[Margo Ellis]

Margo couldn't believe it! Not only did Odette want to come and stay with her during the holidays, but her parents had said yes!! The young Ravenclaw (though she didn't feel so young any more) had practically jumped for joy when her mother agreed - and then dashed upstairs to her bedroom to make it look presentable for Odette's arrival. She scarcely had a book or dress out of place, or a speck of dust on her pretty wooden dresser, but she was eager to impress her best friend, whose house was much grander and more beautiful than her own. In comparison, Margo's furniture was modest; the carpet was thinning a little where it received most traffic; her bed was small and plain and gave permanent residence to two stuffed bears; and most of her school textbooks and equipment was stored in a heavy old trunk, rather than in a closet. On second thoughts, Margo shoved her stuffed bears into the trunk beside her pestle and mortar and closed the lid. It wasn't much, but it was home. Hopefully Odette would like it.

A few days passed, and finally Odette was due to arrive. Before she did, Margo's mother drove into the local town and picked up an inflatable mattress and some new pillows for Odette, as well as some groceries to prepare snacks and a nice meal. By the time the hour of Odette's arrival struck, the house smelled like freshly baked cookies and casserole. Margo bit her nails anxiously, suddenly worried Odette wouldn't like her house or her family. Margo's elder sisters, Cynthia and Brogan, who were both muggles, would probably keep out of the witches' way (they'd never much been interested in Margo, even less so now that she was special), but what if Odette didn't like her parents? Or the house?

The doorbell rang.

"She's here!" Margo yelled, racing into the kitchen, where her mother was transferring a sheet of cookies onto a cooling rack.

"Well, you'd better let her in, then," her mother replied.

"Oh. Yeah." Her stomach doing flips, Margo walked stiffly into the hallway and over to the front door, a smiling lighting her face as she spotted her friend through the oval-shaped glass. She pulled the door open, clinging onto the side of it. "Hi! Come in! Omigod, I'm so excited, aren't you? If you leave your trunk there, my dad'll take it upstairs for you. Are you okay? We made cookies!"

 

[Odette Madison]

The feeling of relief Odette felt when she was finally face to face with her best friend was surprising. Even more surprising was how she mentally called Margo her best friend. Was she? Odette supposed so, she had never realized how much the other girl's company meant to her, and being here now she just felt grateful. It made her feel weak, though, being so dependent on someone else, which she hated. She sighed, it wasn't time to linger on this now.

Margo's excitement was nice, it was good to know she wanted her around. She gave her a smile, hoping it looked less tired than she feared it did. "Hi! Thank you so much for letting me stay on short notice. Cookies sound great." She followed Margo inside, looking around. It seemed very cozy, so different from the sterile white interior of her mother's house. For a fleeting moment she wondered what her dad's house was like, the house where Matthew and his unnamed other sister had grown up. She had a feeling it was as far away from Margo's house as it could be. Then she sniffed the air and smiled a genuine smile. "It smells delicious." She told her friend. She left her trunk where Margo said, a little nervous now. Would her parents hate her? Odette wasn't sure how act in this situation.

 

[Margo Ellis]

"Are you kidding? Thank you for coming. Brogan's been saying you're my imaginary friend for years." Margo's parents, too, were surely relieved that their daughter had actually made a real friend. Odette didn't have a lot in common with Margo, but their bond was strong and determined; Margo couldn't imagine a single thing that could drive them apart. Watching Odette sniff the air and smile, Margo grinned back, her shoulders gradually losing their tension. She hadn't realised quite how afraid she was of failing to meet her friend's expectations until now, but fortunately Odette didn't seem discomfited by her surroundings at all. If she didn't like Margo's house, she was doing a great job concealing it.

Margo opened her mouth to suggest they grab some cookies, but was interrupted by the appearance of her mother in the doorway. "Hello, Odette," she said, extending her hand for the girl to shake. "Lovely to put a face to the name at last; Margo talks about you endlessly. Help yourselves to cookies - but don't spoil your appetite! Dinner will be ready at six. Oh, I'll get Graham to take that suitcase upstairs. GRAY!" Margo's mother started across the hall, and then stopped and turned to Odette. "Oh, if you need anything, just let me know," she said, with a smile. Then she disappeared into the living room.

Margo was blushing. "Yeah, sooo... that's my mum. She's nice. My dad's the worst, though. Nobody should have to suffer through his jokes."

"They're not that bad," said Graham, pouting a little as he came into the hallway and picked up Odette's suitcase. "Lovely to meet you, Odette. Don't mind Margo. Sweet girl, terrible sense of humour." He raised his eyebrows before mounting the stairs, dragging the suitcase up dramatically behind him and puffing like it weighed a thousand tons.

"You are the worst, dad."

"Where would you like this trunk, Margo? Your bedroom, or the garage?"

"Daddd."

"You see?" Graham said to Odette, picking the trunk up properly. "So unappreciative!"

By this point, Margo's cheeks had turned a vivid shade of red. "I'm so sorry," she said. "He's awful. Do you want a cookie? We've got loads of juice, too. Or lemonade. Or I could give you a tour of the house! Or we could hang out in my room. Totally up to you. You're the guest, so you get to decide."

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette raised her eyebrow slightly. "Is that your sister?" She asked, feeling a bit annoyed with whoever Brogan was for implying Odette was imaginary, along with the implied thought that Margo couldn't possibly have made a friend. Odette hoped that the sight of her would at least convince her sister otherwise, or she might have to have a talk with her. But before she could say anything about it, Margo's mother appeared and Odette felt herself grow nervous. She didn't think parents tended to like her very much. "Uh, thanks." She said, reaching for a cookie. She already knew she wasn't going to ask her anything even if she did need something, she'd just ask Margo.

Then her father appeared and Odette watched the exchange between them in wonder. Was that what having a dad was like? Did they make jokes like that? Somehow she didn't think her own dad would be like that, but she didn't know for sure. It made her sad, and she suddenly wondered if this had been a good idea at all. "Juice sounds fine." She watched as Margo got them drinks and then followed her to her room, looking around all the while. She tried to catch a glimpse of Margo's sisters as they walked through the house, but they didn't seem as curious about Odette as she was about them. When she entered Margo's room she had to pause, it suited her so well, and it looked so comfortable and nice. "Your room is nice." She said, looking around awkwardly. "Can I sit somewhere?" Even though everyone here so far had been very nice, she didn't feel quite comfortable yet.