The Montez Manor

[Susan Montez]

From outside it looked like a normal,yet grand,muggle manor house but one visit inside the house would prove one wrong.The Montez Manor,situated in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee was easily the grandest house in the small town on the outskirts of which it was situated.

This house was surrounded by a forest of orchards which blocked it from view of the nearby road.Even if some ordinary muggle tried to map it,it was impossible to find where it was.The house was seldom seen by muggles and it was only when they were personally brought there by the owner of this manor.

But even the owner of this house was seldom seen in the town.She was a sweet young woman by the name of Susan Montez in her early thirties with a foster daughter called Hannah who was adopted from the orphanage in town.Both mother and daughter were very friendly and good natured.

Susan Montez was very rich,but not vain, and she was a widow.She constantly donated money to the muggle organizations in the town and she was 100% financer of the orphanage and hospital in town.Some thought she was extravagant because she never asked the reason for any donating.

Hannah Montez was believed to go to some foreign school because she was only sighted in summer months and for christmas holidays.She was also very polite and humble.She had a few muggle friends in the town whom she sometimes visited when she was on holidays.Most of the children in the orphanage where she lived thought that she was odd because she ended up in trouble many times because of her magical abilities which they didn't know of.

As it was winter,Hannah was expected to give an appearance to her friends as she was supposedly home.But this winter they were going to go camping.The Montez family were the outdoors type and loved camping,hiking,mountain climbing,swimming and fishing.They usually had these trips with their realtives who came to visit once in about four years.The last time they had come Hannah had been nine and this year they were going to come for another camping trip.

Susan Montez was getting ready to go out and pick up his nephew Jacob and his school friend from the main bus station in town.They were going to arrive at 10.30 which was exactly half an hour later according to the wall clock on her bed room wall.She was going to use her minibus to get to the town and back.It was extremely spacious without any charms.

She had put on normal muggle clothing,a brown long sleeved dress under a khakhi overcoat and a light gold scarf hung loosely arround her neck.She liked to dress like a muggle and had good skills in doing it.Her red hair was tied in a french braid and her face,which was free of makeup,glowed with happiness as she exited her room.

She walked down the hallway and decended the stairs to the main hall.The hall way was wide lit with a delicate crystal chandlier on the ceiling.It was sparsly furnished with small tables holding busts and a few uniquely designed statues that seemed to be made of copper. There were three mahogany double doors leading off this hall.One led to the dining hall the other to the drawing room and the third which was on the farside led out of the house and onto the lawns.

She walked straight to the farside of the hall and pulled out her wand from her sleeve.She flicked it at the huge double doors and the parted inwards.She walked through them out into the grey light.The green grass of the lawns was covered in dew.The sky above was grey and Susan knew that it was not long before the snow would cover the grounds.She was very motherly about the flowers and plants in her garden and was sure to cast a few enchantments on the grounds so that her flowers would not shrivel up.

She summoned her car magically and climbed into the driver's seat.She turned it on and pressed a red button.It made her dissapear with a pop! and she appeared on the highway.She drove her car down to the town's bus station which took about twenty minutes and waited for the bus in which her nephew and his friend were arriving.

 

[Hannah Montez]

Standing infront of the mirror was Hannah Montez's best passtime these days.She loved the full size mirror that was streched accross her bed droom wall.She stood there for hours dressing up for going somewhere as minor as the market.

She hadn't always been like that.When she had been young she was a complete tomboy.Even the memory of how she dressed at those times made her feel embarased.She only wore baggy t-shirts and old frayed jeans at those times.She had thrown away every cloth that and picture reminded her of the time.

The only thing which she couldnt affect was people's memories which still remebered her as the Tomboy Witch.She got pissed every time someone told her how much she had changed.But she couldn't stop them.

She sighed and sat down on her round bed which bounced lightly.She knew that she couldn't change people's comments but surely they would realise that she had changed.She was no longer the tomboy who had more guy friends and very few girl friends.

That day she was very distressed.She was also happy but it was nothing matched to the level of nerveousness.Her cousin was coming to her home for the christmas holidays and he had been one of the many people who remembered her as a tomboy.She had last seen him four years ago when she had not transformed herself.

She had recognized herself as a girl when she had started attending Hogwarts Scotland.Two years ago.She had been teased about her fashion sense so much that she had tried to change herself and it had worked so well that she had been asked out by boys who had teased her that itwas hard to realise that she was a girl.Since then she had kept up with her change and one of her best friends had helped her very much.

But her cousin Jacob still thought that she was a tomboy.Surely he would be very surprised and make her remember what she used to look like.It gave her creeps.She hoped that Jake hadn't told his best friend that she used to be a tomboy.

She stood up deciding to see her mother off before she left to get them.She went out of her room down the hallway down the stairs but when she reached the doors she saw her mother's car vanish with a pop!She took the double doors which led to the drawing room and decided to read a book to distract her self.She seated herself in a far corner and took up a book which she had read so many times that she had it memorized.

 

[Jacob Cooper]

Jake was bouncing up and down on his chair as he realized that they were going to reach the bus stop in five minutes.He was so excited he kept glancing out side to see if he remembered the small town.But it had changed so much he couldn't remember a thing.

Finally the bus came to a halt and Jacob stood up to remove his trunk from where he had kept it.He had used a simple charm to bewitch it to become feather light before he had left school so he had no ploblem in carrying it.

"Come on Andrew!"he said beckoning him.Most of the passengers were fast in leaving because they had no lugguage.Jake didn't want to be the last to come off the bus.He took his things and went to deposit them outside.With a leap he recognized his Aunt Susan who was there waiting for them.He waved at her to catch her attention.

 

[Andrew Bruke]

Andrew was suffocated by the amount of people in the bus. He was having jet leg from the flight from New Zealand to America and now this bus ride. Matters had started going worse as his snake, Fernin kept looking at him to know why he was not allowed to be free. Muggles, as Andrew very well knew them wouldn't take a snake for a pet. "Wait, just a bit more" he kept on urging to his Emerald tree boa that was laying in his handbag curled up like a rope.

On the other hand, as if chaos caused by one pet was not enough, his owl was making a great deal of noise in it's cage. Heads kept turning around at him throughout the bus journey. How he wished he could be going to America in Hogwarts express where he would be able to buy chilled pumpkin juice and mouth watering pastries. His throat had become soar from the cold air in the flight and he wanted to drink something but with two magical pets to handle, he didn't dare to look inside his rucksack for a sugar quill.

He wondered how long it would be? He kept glancing at his wrist watch every minute or two. To add to all the discomfort, an old lady had settled beside him. "Boy, where are you from" she asked eying his luggage. Andrew said "New Zealand" but she couldn't hear and so she kept repeating the question and kept shouting "Teenagers have no respect...No manners...avoiding someone like me..." and it went on the whole ride.

Andrew thanked Merlin like a million times when the bus braked. He fell on his face, his trunk giving him a hard knock in his chest. His owl was making a racket and luckily his snake stayed in the bag. "I'm coming" he mumbled as Jake left the bus excited to see his aunt.

Andrew had spent the past week hearing stories about Jake's relatives. Her cousin, a tomboy girl named Hannah and her aunt lived in a manor in this little town. He managed to get all his luggage, his trunk in his right hand, his rucksack on his bag, his owl cage in his left hand and his handbag hanging on his arm and got down the bus.

Breathing the cool afternoon air he looked around the little town. It was beautiful. The mountains, Smokey mountains as Jake had told him were easily seen and by the road where they stood at present was flowing a river.

Andrew luckily had learned muggle geography and knew that it would be cold in the Northern hemisphere so he had brought all his warm clothes with him. He was wearing black jeans and white t-shirt and a black knee-length overcoat yet he could feel the cold air blowing past them and felt slightly cold. He looked at the lady at who Jake had waved and smiled. She was red-haired, this reminded Andrew of his friend Pez. As he waited for the lady to come towards them, he prepared himself for a nice introduction.

 

[Susan Montez]

Susan stepped out of her car and walked across the road smiling and greeting the familiar towns people.She realized that the bus which was now coming towards the station was actually the one in which Jacob was arriving his friend.Her smile broadened as the bus halted infront of a big line of muggles who were waiting to get aboard.

The passengers got off the bus one by one and finally she saw the boy whom she was waiting for.He had grown tall by many inches in the last four years.His face had become more defined and his long hairstyle had changed.He looked very different but he still looked a lot like his mother.

She beamed at him when he looked at her and waved back.She was very excited to finally have him over at her house again.Jacob had spent four years at her house because he used to go to a preparatory school which was situated in one of the more secluded valleys.

She walked forwards and spread her arms and said, “Welcome dear!” with a wide smile her eyes twinkling with happiness.She hugged him and noticed Jacobs other friend come out of the bus landen with his lugguage. “Hello dear.Can I help you with that?”she asked sweetly.

 

[Jacob Cooper]

Jacob gave Susan a wide smile when she caught his eye.He was glad that she had come to recieve them herself.That was something that she would most likely do but she was also very busy to organize their camping trip.

She looked a little bit different from the last time he had seen her.Her hair had grown longer and she had lost a little bit of her weight,not that she needed to.Her face wore the fammiliar bright smile and her blue eyes twinkled merrily.

"It feels so great to be back here!"he said as he took in a deep breath.The scent of freshness lingered in the hair.He had forgotten how much he loved this place.He hugged Susan and then turned arround to see that Andrew had already come out of the bus.

"Sue this is Andrew Bruke,fourth year,Slytherin,and my best friend and dorm mate,"he told Susan indicating to Andrew,"and Andrew this is Susan Montez my maternal aunt,and Hannah's foster mother."he told Andrew."Sorry you don't have that many titles Sue."he told Susan with a wink.

 

[Susan Montez]

“It’s really good to have you here Andrew.”she told Jacob’s friend.Then she smiled at Jacob, “No problem,I expected to be called The Greatest Most Amazingly Awesome Aunt, but Aunt Susan Montez is fine.”she said with a playful grin.She eyed their lugguage thoughtfully.

She then turned her face serious.”Okay so let’s load your things into the car and then we go off. We need to reach in time for the arrival of your parents.”she said sweeping past Jacob to where he had deposited it.She picked up his trunk and exclaimed, “Oh!” she kept it back down not because it was too heavy but because it was bewitched to be feather light.

“I guess you can manage that dear.”she said indicating to Jake’s trunk. “I can help you with that.”she told Andrew pointing at his trunk.She knew that Andrew didn’t look completely at ease holding it so it must not be charmed.

 

[Andrew Bruke]

Andrew smiled as he looked at the lady who walked towards them and hugged. "Hello Mrs.Montez" he said with a friendly smile. He laughed as the aunt and nephew joked on Andrew's titles. Andrew looked at his trunk, it sure was heavy. "Yeah, thanks" he said as he handed the old trunk to Mrs. Montez.

"It's a beautiful place here" he told them looking around at the lovely townspeople and clicked his latest version magical camera to get a few snap shots of the town. "Where's Hannah?" he asked Jake with a raised eyebrow. "I thought your cousin would be here for winter" he said wondering why the tomboy girl which Jake kept mentioned every minute wasn't around.

 

[Jacob Cooper]

"Even saying that wouldn't quite explain how great you are."he winked and flashed a smile at her.He went to pick up his trunk and asked Susan,"Where's the car?"

"You haven't even seen anything yet." he grinned.It town you could see the mountains and scenery but it was partially blocked by the houses.But when one went into the wilder side of the mountain,the scenery looked even more magnificent.

"Well you don't expect her to come to get us do you?"he said as if it was just too obvious."She must have started football practice.You know football right?"he asdded.Hannah was not the one who would stay indoors for too long.She would run off with her muggle friends as soon as she set foot in Sweetwater.

 

[Susan Montez]

Susan took the trunk from the boy.It was petty heavy but nothing that hse couldn't manage.Even if she looked thin she was very strong because of all the outdoor stuff that she liked to do.She pointed the direction of the car and headed towards it beckoning Jacob and Andrew.

She slid open the door of the mini-bus.It had a total of six seats in the back and two seats in the front, covered with rich looking brown leather covers.She put the trunk in and pushed it back.She stood back to let Jacob and Andrew enter.

 

[Andrew Bruke]

"Yep, I know and love football" he said grinning wishing to play soccer if there was free time once they got to Mrs.Montez's place. Andrew had always wished as Jake knew to be the captain of his High School Soccer Captain but then he got the Hogwrats letter. He had great skills when it came to sports.

"How far is the Manor?"he asked the pair as he got into the car and sat by the window to have a nice view on the ride. "Who lives there apart from you Mrs.Montez?"he asked Susan. Andrew was willing to get to know the Montez family as fast as possible because they seemed very friendly.

 

[Jacob Cooper]

Jake trailed behind Susan with his trunk and things.He looked up at the fammiliar car with a smile.He really liked it.It was so spacious that the whole family could fit in.He put in his trunk and climbed up himself.

"The Manor is pretty far but once we get to a deserted road we can press that red button over there and POP! We're at the manor's front porch."he said pointing to a big red button near the steering wheel.He had seen Susan use it many times.

"Sorry Sue,I'm taking all your line but I have to say,No one else apart from her and Hannah."he told Sue and then Andrew.