July had passed, and August. In just a couple of weeks, he’d be back in Ilvermorny, back with his friends, and back with quidditch team. After Rook’s Will reading, he hasn’t been feeling the same. River doesn’t understand what he feels. He just feels… off. He feels like owning everything Rook owns is wrong. Yes, he loved her, and yes, he feels honored. But she trusted him with her entire life possessions.

  Hundreds of pounds of position ingredients, rare and common. Boxes of baubles and trinkets. Half of which, he didn’t know what it did, or if it did anything at all. There’s a box he refuses to touch. Every time he gets near it, it whispers to him and makes his arm hair stand up. He got Pan to put it in the attic. And worst of all. A giant portrait of Rook. Every time he enters his room, the giant, beautiful face of Belladona Rook looks at him with the giant purple eyes that match his and haunt him. She smiles, waves at him and watches him as he reads or changes. He had to start changing in his closet.

  Then he started to avoid his room. River focused solely on his training. He’d go out into the yard from morning to night. Pan had put targets up around the front yard for him to practice with. He’d practice so hard, and so long, his hand often grew blisters, and bled onto his wand. Today was no different.

  It was roughly 105 degrees out. River was shirtless, panting, lying on his back under V’s tree. It was late afternoon, and the front yard looked like a massive battle had been played out there. Craters blown up around the yard, some grass burning slightly. The River-shaped statues, a joke from Pan, lie scattered around the front yard in a million pieces.

  His hand trembling, fresh blisters on his thumb and palm lay popped open, his blood staining his wand, that lays loosely in his palm. His arm was trembling and weak from hours of blasting powerful magic.

  His pale rose skin red from the heat, his chest rising and falling fast, his heart pounding in his ears. His breath not catching, the sun rays shine through the green leaves down onto him.

  “You dying?” Pan said.

  “Yeah…” River panted.

  “Good, you destroyed my yard…again,” she said. “You should die.”

  “Funny…” he said.

  “Do you need Trudy’s help, Master River?” Trudy asked in a high-pitched voice.

  “No…” he panted. “Stop calling me master…” he turned his head, his jet black hair wet and sticking to his forehead. He saw Pan and Trudy in matching red bikinis and large straw sunhats, with large red sunglasses, sipping iced tea through long straws. He blinked, “What is…happening?”

  “Trud and I are having a girls' day, we need a strong, handsome boy to fill the pool. It’s too hot and hard to do for a couple of hot babes like us.” Pan said.

  “Hot babes?” River panted. “Let me… know when they show up…” he chuckled to himself.

  A sudden splash of ice water was dumped over River’s bare chest. He screamed, and then relaxed. “Pan and Trudy are hot babes!” Trudy squeaked, holding a large jug now empty.

  “Come on,” Pan said. “Fix the yard first, you know the spell.”

  River sat up, picking the loose grass off his wet skin. Feeling itchy all over his back. He struggled to get to his feet, his legs shaking, his bare feet gripping the grass under him. His wand hand pressed to the tree to keep him up.

  “River,” Pan said. “You go way too hard. You need to settle down. Or you’ll end up dead. Trust me, kid, I know how you feel.”

  “You know how I feel? How?”

  She stepped closer, grabbing his sweaty chin. She took off her sunglasses, her amber eyes staring right into his. “V,” she said. And that was it. He knew what it meant to her. “V died, and I still live in the same house we built together. Sometimes I still wake up expecting him to be lying next to me. You've got to sell your burden away, I can’t. I’m stuck here no matter how hard I try. I may drink a little too much. But what you do is not better. This is your booze, River. Training is your booze. You throw yourself into it headfirst, with very little care for your own health. Overtraining can have the opposite effect. What happens when you are fighting for your life, and you know it will happen? What happens when your wand arm suddenly gives out?” She shook his chin firmly. “I need you, moron. When you go to the Sweet’s, don’t think about Death’s Hand, don’t think about Rook, just be a kid. Fly your broom, eat your weight in candy, and cause trouble. Ok?”

  He nodded, tears stinging his eyes, the words stuck in his throat. She kissed his forehead, “Now, clean up my yard and fill my pool before I kill you myself.”

  “Ok mom,” he said.

  “Good,” she pushed his face back firmly with a smirk. Then walked off to the side of the house with Trudy.

  “Can I have one of those?” he asked.

  “There’s a glass waiting for you,” she said, lounging back on a lounge chair that wasn’t there this morning.

  He took his wand, his grip weak, the handle stick with blood. Luckily, his wand was black, hiding the blood. Or it would be completely red by now. He closed his fist around the handle. The pain was burning his palm and thumb. He faced the ruined yard.

  With a big swish, “Reparo!” he shouted.

  All at once, the yard came alive. Grass and dirt reformed back into the flat ground, each blade of grass sticking in the dirt one by one until it was back to perfect. The fire went out, rocks molded back together. The three white statues Pan made for him to train with, rebuilt themselves, one by one, piece by piece. All the statues of him, as a joke by Pan. One statue had him cowering with a small water fountain running down his legs. Another is of him crying, and the third is of him making a stupid face. He enjoyed blowing them up immensely.

  His knees shaking, River walked over to Pan and Trudy. He looked to the pool, which was not there. There was a large rectangular box with a picture of a pool on it. He sighed.

  “Build it,” she smirked.

  He took his tall glass of iced tea and chugged it all in one go. Trudy quickly refilled it. “What’s the spell?” he asked.

  “Erecto,” she said. “Point at target, cast spell.”

  River pointed his wand at the box, “Erecto.” The box suddenly opened, and the pool’s pieces crawled out of the box one by one. They formed a circle and started pairing up. In a few seconds, an entire pool stood there, empty. “Now what?”

  Pan rolled her eyes; even behind her glasses, he could tell she did. “Don’t be stupid, stupid.”

  He rolled his eyes, “Auguamenti Maxima,” he lazily flicked his wand. A jet stream of clear water poured out into the pool.

  “There you go,” she smirked.

  About five minutes later, the pool filled up, he flicked his wand, and the stream stopped. “There happy?”

  “Yes, thank you, love,” Pan smiled. “Now, as a reward, you can be the first in. You stink, and I know you're burning hot.”

  “Fine,” River smiled sarcastically. He took off his jeans, not wanting to swim in them, and went down to his boxer briefs. He slowly began to climb the ladder, secretly thankful for the impending splash of cold water.

  “Just think, baby, in a week, you’ll be hanging with your best pal, and being a boy. An actual 13-year-old boy with no worries. And not my problem anymore,” she chuckled at the last part. “I saw how you and that Moon girl look at each other, sparks.”

  “Shut up,” River said, trying to hide his smile. He thought about the Sweet’s; he was going to spend the last week of summer with them. Pan had business somewhere that River didn’t yet know about. He was excited to see them; everyone in the Sweet’s was so nice and amazing to him. Archie, his best friend, the best Potioneer of their year. Together, they broke a lot of rules and laws, becoming Animagi in their first year. His older sister, Brittle Sweet, was like his rival in Quidditch, a great Seeker for Horned Serpent. And their parents, Taffy Sweet, the best candy maker in America, even gave River his own line of candy, the profits of which are filling his vault right as he thought. And Rose Sweet was like a mother. A really nice mother, unlike Pan, who only cared if River didn’t die. Rose was like a mother who actually treated him like a son. He was so excited to spend the week there that he felt a tugging in his stomach. He jumped, ready for the splash of cold.

  But it never came.

  He suddenly felt like he was being compressed and squeezed tightly from every direction. His eyes bulge from his head, his eardrums being pushed on by the pressure as if he were deep underwater. Suddenly. With a loud, Crack! There was no water to fall in; instead, he landed on a dinner table. It snapped in the middle under his weight, dumping the contents of the table all over him. Hot food and cold drinks drench him. High-pitched screaming, squawked-out and loud gasps. Then it went silent.

  “Ow…” he groaned.

  “R-River?” a familiar voice spoke, it definitely wasn’t Trudy or Pan.

  “Yeah?” he tried to move.

  “Don’t move! There’s glass!” a motherly sweet voice said. He felt soft hands brush glass off him and help him stand up. He was standing in the middle of a dining room, and he only recognized from some pictures Archie sent River of his house and family. He was standing in the middle of the dining room, right in the middle, through the table. The Sweet family stood up, some still in chairs, all looking at him with shocked expressions.

  “Uh… hi,” he smiled weakly.

  Lemon and Cheery Sweet, mischievous twins, started laughing so hard they had to wipe tears from their eyes. They were a year older than Archie, entering their third year. The Sweet’s signature chocolate brown hair and brown eyes all pointed at River.

  Then there was Archie, his best friend. He was still sitting in his chair, his large, chocolate-brown eyes wide open in shock behind his round glasses. A few stains from splashes from the crash on his shirt. Archie was taller than River now, by a few feet; he must be cracking near six feet already at 12.

  Moon and Brittle Sweet were next to Archie. Moon’s face was bright pink, and staring at River in shock. She had cut her hair to a chocolate pixie cut, which was cute. Brittle had her hair tied back, an old Quidditch shirt on and shorts. She was holding a salad bowl, still frozen in the middle, with some salad between the tongs.

  Bon Sweet, the oldest boy, was holding the youngest girl, Sugar Sweet, away from the smashed table. He was entering his sixth year, and Sugar, her first. His hair was short and neat; he was the Horned Serpent’s Prefect last year. Sugar was a shy girl who only blushed and hid behind her mother when she saw River. She was small and had a bob hairstyle.

  And lastly, Teddy Tonks, a cousin to the Sweet’s on the mom's side. They took him in when his grandmother got ill. His Godfather, Harry Potter, thought it would be a great idea. And Teddy thinks so too. He was a metamorphosis, the same as Murphy. Today, he had bright pink spiky hair and a sharp face.

  Rose Sweet was frantically cleaning River’s body of glass and food. Taffy was holding a plate of barbecue, looking shocked.

  “Uh…hi…” River said.

  Moon was bright red, covering her eyes. Archie started to laugh. “Did you forget something?” he laughed. River looked down and realized he was still in his boxers. He went bright pink.

  “Oh my gosh, River!” Brittle said. “How did you get here? It looked like you Apparated.”

  “I think I did…” River said.

  “Bon, quickly get some clothes for River,” Taffy said. Bon nodded and ran out of the room.

  Archie stood up, “No way, you just apparated? How! Teach me!”

  “Absolutely not!” Rose said, still frantically wiping River’s skin.

  “This isn’t how I thought I’d see you again, River,” Teddy laughed. “But nice seeing you again,” he smiled.

  “Yeah, River,” Brittle chuckled. “I’m seeing a lot more of you than I thought I would.”

  “Enough,” Rose said. Bon ran back in with some sweats.

  “They might be big,” Bon said, helping River step away from the glass and handing him clothes. River quickly put on the pants and sweater.

  “You look good, River,” Brittle said. “Fuller, more built.”

  “Crazy what happens when you get regular food and exercise,” River said. There was a swift crack from outside, and a few seconds later, a knocking on the door. Bon went to open the door, and Pan rushed in, looking worried, quickly dressed in a shirt and pants with mismatched shoes.

  “River!” Pan said, rushing to him and quickly checking him, before whacking him upside the head.

  “Ow.” He said.

  “Moron! Idiot! Dummy!” she said rapidly. “What kind of idiot accidentally apparates when trying to jump into a pool?”

  The room burst into laughter, “That’s what happened?” Archie said through laughs.

  “Yeah,” River smirked.

  “Here’s your wand, moron,” Pan slapped it to his chest. “And if you ever scare me again, I will kill you myself! Got it?”

  “Yeah mom,” River said, rolling his eyes. She whacked him again.

  “Weird seeing the scary Professor Palmer care for someone and worry,” Brittle said. Pan snapped her gaze to Brittle. “Sorry, Professor.” She quickly said.

  Pan grabbed River’s shoulders. “Moron,” she said.

  “I see motherhood suited you well, Pan,” Taffy said with a smile.

  “It does,” she said. “Can I speak with you and Rose?”

  “Sure thing, anything for a friend?” Taffy smiled warmly. They went to another room.

  “River, what happened?” Moon said, seemingly over her blushing fit.

  “I was training, and Pan had me fill a pool. She let me go in first, but I started to think about how excited I was to come here for the last week of summer. Then I jumped into the pool, but I landed on your table instead,” River shrugged.

  Bon nodded, “Sounds like you accidentally apparated. It happens, but it’s very rare. You’re lucky you didn’t splinch yourself.”

  “What’s that?” River asked.

  “It’s when you fail to Apparate, you leave a piece of you behind, or it ends up somewhere else. When I was getting my license, I accidentally splinched my belly button in Colorado,” Bon laughed. “It can range from severity. From losing some hair to losing limbs and your life. It’s dangerous, and only licensed Wizards should do it. Speaking of which, how did you even do this without killing yourself?”

  River shrugged, “Guess I’m all powerful.”

  They laughed. Only River and Archie knew the truth. That River had an ancient power so strong that bad people wanted to seize it as a weapon to take over the world. His magic is more powerful than anyone has ever seen. So, accidentally Apparating is entirely possible for him.

  “Wow, ego much,” Brittle said.

  Pan, Rose and Taffy came back in. “River, come here,” Pan said. He walked over to her, she put her hands on his arms and pulled him closer, her eyes scanning his body. “Was this your magic?” she whispered.

  “Probably,” River said.

  “What did you do?” she asked.

  “Just thought about here, and how excited I was, and suddenly I was here,” he said.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  She sighed, “Well… this is concerning. Do me a favor, stop wanting to go places, or at least tell me where you are thinking about, just in case I have to chase your stupid butt again.” She said firmly. He nodded. “Anyway, I talked to Rose and Taffy, and they are willing to take you in today if you want to stay another full week. Is that something you want? I know you’ve been down lately, and I just want you to be happy. I know I’m not much for company.”

  “Really?” River said with a smile. “Yeah, I’d like that, and you aren’t too bad for a grouchy drunk.” She smirked and flicked his head.

  “I’ll send your truck and stuff, I’ll see if I can see you off at the station,” she smiled softly, and kissed his forehead, then hugged him.

  “Promise me you won't drink too much,” River said.

  “I promise I’ll try,” she smiled, and hugged him tighter. She looked at the Sweats, who were using magic to clean the room. “Love you, stupid.” She ruffled his hair and backed away. “Bye, Sweet’s, take care of my moron. He has a habit of vanishing suddenly.” They laughed. Pan turned around and walked out of the room, the front door closing behind her.

  After Rose flicked her wand, the table built back together, all the plates and cups clicking together all at once. The carpet was scrubbed with my sponges that appeared out of the air, and the food was picked up and thrown out.

  “Sorry about crashing your dinner,” River said.

  “It’s no biggie, love bug,” Rose said sweetly. “That’s why I always have more.” She smirked and vanished to the kitchen.

  “River, sit here,” Archie said, patting a seat between him and Moon. River sat, feeling his stomach flutter near Moon. “How was your summer, bro?”

  “Pretty boring,” River said. “Went back to Oregon for a bit, it was cool. But I spent the rest of the summer practicing my magic. How was yours?”

  “I spent the summer reading some potion books and brewing like always,” he smirked. “I got something brewing right now.”

  “You better not be brewing anything illegal again,” Bon said. “Mom’s still peeved about you brewing the Animagus potion. We could have been stuck with half freak, half fox,” he smirked.

  “Funny, but who here has special powers, huh?” Archie raised his hand, Teddy raised his, and River did too. “Ok, that was a bad example.” They laughed. Rose came in with a large tray of more barbecue.

  As his plate was getting filled, River finally saw the dining room. It was a fairly large room, a long wooden table with about 12 chairs. A nice chandelier hung above the center of the table, with a brown tablecloth over the wooden surface. Laden with barbecue, drinks, and sides.

  The walls were covered with family pictures, some older, including young Bon. And gradually getting older and older and adding more and more kids. They even have some of Teddy now. A few pictures of him with his grandma, one with a man with black hair and round glasses smiling. And one of the entire family. To River’s astonishment. He even saw a few of them. A newspaper clipping of River catching the Golden Snitch to win the Quidditch Cup, and one of Pan and River standing in front of Pan’s house, the same picture he sent to Archie at the beginning of summer.

  “You are family, River,” Bon said. “We figured we’d add you to the wall too.”

  “Before school starts, we should all take a family photo,” Rose said with a smile.

  After dinner, there was a loud crack out front. “River, your trunk and bird are here!” Brittle called.

  He came down with Archie and saw his school trunk with Sorona, his black raven with purple eyes, in her cage, sleeping on top. He opened the cage and reached for her, but she nipped his finger with her sharp black beak. “Ouch.” He said. “Sorry, beautiful,” he said, and then Sorona let him pull her out.

  Sorona did not like to be touched until complimented. River and his fingers learned the hard way. She perched on his shoulder, nibbling for bugs in his hair. Archie helped River pull the trunk up the stairs to Archie’s room.

  A somewhat small room, a bit smaller than River’s room. The walls were covered with posters of Quidditch players and teams. A few posters of the US national team. And some of the girls' team called the Holyhead Harpies.

  “They are my favorite English team,” Archie said.

  But mostly, the walls were covered with one main team. The Maine Wolfmen. A team of bright orange and black, like the high-visibility orange construction workers wear.

  “The Maine Wolfmen,” Archie smiled. “The worst team in the MLQ, my absolute favorite team if you couldn’t tell.” He chuckled.

  “So obsessed with Quidditch but can’t fly?” River smirked.

  “Shut up,” Archie said. “I am more than happy watching people fly. I was made to keep my feet on the ground. That’s why I got two of them.”

  There were bunkbeds against the left wall, with Maine Wolfmen sheets. Only the top bunk looked used; the bottom one had potion ingredients scattered on it. In the middle of the room, right smack dab in the center of the floor, was a black cauldron, with a small fire underneath, and a golden liquid boiling inside.

  “What’s cooking?” River asked.

  Archie smirked, sitting down cross-legged next to the cauldron. River followed. “Felix Felicis, or liquid luck.”

  “What’s that?” River asked, sticking his head over the cauldron, smelling it. It smelled like citrus. Little gold droplets jump out of the golden liquid, like fish in a pond.

  “It’s a very dangerous potion to make, one little mistake and it could be fatal. But when perfect, like mine will be. It will grant the drinker incredible luck. Like, imagine the luckiest day ever, and times it by 100.”

  “Wow,” River said.

  “But don’t get it twisted, it is highly illegal in sports. Like, if someone uses it, it’s like a life ban. Some players in England used it for a championship match and got banned for 60 years,” Archie said, dropping something into the potion and stirring it.

  60 years? Keep that stuff away from me,” River said, backing up.

  “Relax, it only lasts about a day, and that’s with the strong stuff. Drinking it is fine, as long as you don’t do so a few days before a match. Mine is perfect, but only good for like a few hours. I might sling it at school for some extra cash.”

  “Your mom is gonna kill you,” River chuckled, and stood up. He looked around the room. “Hey, what’s this?”

  “That is the Quidditch game,” Archie said, standing up. “It’s fun!”

  They stood in front of a desk with a miniature version of a Quidditch stadium. 7 players on each side, floating in place. With golden hoops that could fit two fingers inside.

  “You can change the colors of the players to whatever you want. And to play, you have to use your wand to control the players. It’s hard at first, but super awesome! Here I’ll show you.”

  A week later, River was outback with the Sweet’s. They had their own Quidditch field. It was just in an open grass field with six wooden hoops about ten feet off the ground. They had training Bludgers made of rubber instead of metal, like the real ones. A couple of old bats, an old leather Quaffle, and even had a training snitch. Pan had even sent River’s Spark.

  Every day they were out there playing. Teddy was a great Beater. He was thinking about trying out for his house team, Horned Serpent, with all the other Sweet’s besides Archie, who was the only one ever to get Thunderbird.

  Since Brittle and River were way too good at Seeker, the matches would end in minutes. The rest of them decided to let them just chase each other around while the others played.

  At night, River and Archie would change into their Animagus forms and run around the woods and fields. Archie’s form was a red fox with white markings around his eyes to match his glasses. River’s a large black wolf with purple eyes. Murphy was an Animagus with them. But she hasn’t been returning any letters at all, all summer.

  His time with the Sweet’s was going by in the blink of an eye. During breakfast, the Ilvermorny letters came in. Brittle was named Prefect for Horned Serpent. Sugar got her letter in as well. Even Rose and Taffy got letters, but they wouldn’t say what they were about. That night, River had to try on his robes. None of them didn’t fit. His pants were above his ankles by a couple of inches. His school shoes were now two sizes too small. And his robes looked like they fit a child. River had no clue how much he changed since last year. Taller, more built, and heavier. No longer the skin-and-bones orphan, but a growing teenager. And the letters mentioned needing something called Dress Robes.

  “What are Dress Robes?” River asked.

  Rose smiled gleefully, but for some reason, it didn’t fill River with joy. “Dress Robes are used for special events like parties or Balls.” She said the last part dreamily. Leading River to think something with a Ball was happening this year.

  And Moon and River became closer. Often sneaking out after dinner to walk around the large pond they have on their property. After a couple of days, walking around turned into hand-holding. And their walks seemed to linger longer and longer. It was the second-to-last night of summer. Tomorrow they were going to Good’s Town to shop for school supplies, then the day after, they’d be on the train to Ilvermorny. But tonight, River and Moon were sitting at the edge of the pond watching the fireflies float around the water.

  “Are you excited for the new year?” Moon asked softly, her hand intertwined with his.

  “I am,” he nodded. “After last year, I just want a normal year.”

  “I understand,” she said. “But, I think something is happening. I keep hearing Mom and Dad talking about the letters they got. Talking in codes and stuff. Mom looks worried; she always looks worried. But something is up,” she sighed. “I want you to have a normal year, Riv. I do, but I don’t think you will.” River sighed, nodding.

  “I figured,” he said. Moon’s head, lying on his shoulder.

  “Are you worried?” she asked softly.

  “Yeah…” River sighed. “People are out to get me, cause of something I didn’t choose. I got this… power, no one even knows what it does, or what it can do. And yet Death’s Hand is trying to get me, Bell died protecting me, I killed Hatch…” he sighed.

  “What power?” she asked.

  River sighed, knowing he shouldn’t tell, but he didn’t care. All his life, he had been told what he could and could not do, even in his Wizarding life. He wanted control. “I have a rare and ancient power.” He said softly. “They call it Ancient Magic. No one knows what it can do; all I know is that if I don’t control it, I could easily kill someone, like my duel with Hatch. I lost control; the entire school shook, and he turned to… dust. And these bad dark Wizards, The Death’s Hand, are trying to capture me, and either kill me or brainwash me into being a weapon for them to take over the world… and I just know whatever is going on this year, I will be apart of it… at this point I just expect everything bad happening is going to be about me.”

  “River…” Moon said softly. She lifted her head and looked at him with her chocolate-misty eyes. “I’m so sorry. That sounds… stressful. I don’t even know what to say.”

  He shrugged, “No one does. They say I’m the first wizard in like over a hundred years to have this power. And I can’t figure out who to trust, who’s trying to use me, or who just cares about me.”

  “Well, we care about you, River. Everyone here at Sweet’s Landing. Archie, Mom, Dad, Teddy, and even Brittle. I care about you, River, more than I should.” She said softly, their eyes meeting. They didn’t know who moved first, but the result led them both to lean in, and their lips met in a gentle kiss. How long it lasted, they didn’t know. But it was interrupted by Rose Sweet, loudly clearing her throat. Moon panicked and pushed River away. He slid down the bank into the pond with a splash.

  “Oh! Merlin’s stockings, I’m sorry, River!” Moon said muffled, through her hands clasped against her mouth.

  “Moon Raven Sweet!” Rose said sternly. “Inside now!”

  “Sorry, River!” Moon ran off, her face bright pink.

  “River love are you ok?” Rose said sweetly. She helped him out of the pond, took the frog out of his shirt and dried him off with her wand.

  “Sorry, Mom,” River said softly, his cheeks burning hot.

  “About tomorrow, you have your own vault, right? Do you need my help getting to it?” She asked.

  “No, Mom, I mean, yeah, I do have a vault, I don’t need help getting it,” River said.

  “You know what you need to get?” she asked.

  “Yes, Mom,” River nodded, as Rose was now messing with his hair with her fingers. “I know what to get and how to get to my vault.”

  That night, River had barely any sleep. He was too excited to get back to Ilvermorny and to play for his house in Quidditch again. But he had to survive one more day in Good’s Town.

  In the morning, Rose came in and woke up River and Archie. River was first up. He threw on an old Salem Witchtrials shirt and ripped jeans. He checked his reflection in the mirror, suddenly feeling self-conscious about how he looked. He wanted to look good for Moon.

  His black hair was messy, freshly cut, thanks to Rose’s nagging. His eyes were a bright shade of amethyst, and his face looked older now. Not sunken in from lack of food or bruised from fights, his mouth always seemed to start. His right eyebrow is still split in two from the scar he got from last year. A red stain on his pale skin. He had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it makes him look badass. On the other hand, he got it when Rook died. So not only do his eyes remind him of her every time he looks in a mirror, but he also has the scar to give him another reason.

  He lifted his shirt, no longer skin and bone. But he had muscle now. And gained weight. His arms were toned, thanks to all of the hours of magic training. His stomach had the workings of abs, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He noticed that handling hard turns on his broom always burned in his stomach muscles. Pan suggested doing crunches to build them up. And he’s done 50 crunches a day since. The tight turns barely affected him now. He smiled and lowered his shirt. Finally accepting what he looked like now, and no longer avoiding mirrors.

  He threw a Chocolate Frog onto Archie’s bed. Archie freaked out until he realized what it was. He sighed and sat up, his chocolate brown hair a mess. “What man…”

  “Time to go, bro,” River chuckled.

  “Man…” Archie sighed. “Go kiss my sister or something, leave me alone.”

  “Gladly,” River smirked and walked out of the room.

  “Wait, I didn’t really mean it!” Archie called.

  He made it downstairs to see the Sweet’s getting ready for breakfast. Moon was in the living room reading a book. River banked to the living room and sat on the couch. They didn’t say a word, but both of their faces were neon red. Without a word, they inched closer and closer, until Moon was tucked to his arm. She smelled sweet, like chocolate, which River thought would have been obvious.

  Their eyes met, their lips were inches apart.

  “Nice morning aint it?”

  They both jumped and scrambled to opposite ends of the couch. Taffy was there, sipping his coffee with a smug grin.

  “I’ve always tried to capture the perfect morning in my candy, but can’t ever get it just right,” he shook his head. “Come on, food's on.”

  Moon and River both got up. Moon left the room first. River was about to pass Taffy when he felt the hand on his shoulder pull him back. Taffy was really close to River, but his sweet sunny air was gone.

  “I love you, River,” he said calmly. “But if you hurt my daughter, I will make you into a new line of candy called, “Death of a Moron.” Got it?”

  River nodded quickly.

  “Go eat,” Taffy said, his sweet, warm smile returning. River went into the dining room and sat down at the table. Moon sat next to him, her hand meeting his.

  After breakfast, they all met on the hill next to the Quidditch pitch, huddled around a large wooden bucket with a frayed rope handle. They were all standing around looking at the bucket. Archie was the last to arrive.

  “So why are we standing in a circle looking at an old bucket?” River asked.

  “This, my boy, is a Portkey,” Taffy said. “Since there is an army of us, using Floo Powder would be too much. A Portkey is easier for a group.”

  “So what, I just grab it and—”

  “Not yet!” They all said. River raised his hands in the air quickly.

  “Portkeys activate at a certain time and when touched,” Taffy checked his watch. “It’s time, everyone on 3 grab onto the boot and hold tight, River very tight, ok?” River nodded. They all swarmed the bucket, their hands inches around it. “3-2-1! Now!” They all grabbed onto the bucket. River grabbed onto the rope.

  Suddenly, as if a hook grabbed the back of his navel, he felt the sensation of being yanked back at blinding speeds. He had the feeling of falling, flying and being launched all at once. The rope he was gripping snapped, and he nearly fell. The rope stretched and strained under his weight, his hand burning as he slid down to the frayed end of the rope. Still being pulled taught. His pinky and ring finger slid off the rope. He held as tight as he could, but couldn’t hold his body weight and the force of the Portkey with just three fingers. His hand slipped from the rope, and River went flying away from the group.

  He splashed into a body of water so hard he sank right down to the bottom. His limbs were floating weightlessly upwards. River decided he hated Portkeys. He surfaced and crawled out of the pond onto the bank, sputtering water out of his mouth. He sprawled onto his back, sopping wet. “Ow…” he moaned. “What was that dry spell again?” he asked himself.

  River sat up. He was sitting in a nice park, full of grass, magical flowers, and trees. Laughter behind him, he turned and saw Good’s Town. A nice wizarding town, every family that has a child in Ilvermorny shops for the upcoming school year's supplies. He stood up, his shoes squelching under his weight.

  Good’s Town was a unique Wizard’s town. The main shopping plaza was a square, with the park at its center. The shops, wrapped around the park shaping the square. One could make a full rotation on the square and have everything you need for school by the time you see a shop you already stopped at.

  River’s first stop is the American Branch of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. A three-story white marbled building on the corner of 1st Street. Ignoring the looks he was getting, walking through town soaked to the bone. He opened the large golden doors of Gringotts. And found himself back in the main hall of Gringotts. Two rows of tall desks, with one main desk at the very end. Goblins are manning all of the desks. Measuring gold, gems, or scribbling into thick ledgers. They barely even looked up as River slopped down the aisle, a mop and bucket trailing at his heels.

  River reached the main desk, a Goblin with thin combed back hair, pointy ears and a long nose. Long, gnarled fingers and black eyes like marbles looked up from under his bushy eyebrows.

  “River Grimes, Vault…” he hesitated, trying to remember. “17.”

  “Key?” the Goblin said in a cold voice.

  River felt around his pockets and pulled out a small golden key. He presented it with a soggy smile. The key was wet to the touch. The Goblin eyed the key, refusing to touch it.

  “Through the door, a cart is about to leave. Stop dripping on my floor,” he said.

  “Thanks,” River said, and squelched off. He went through a side door, the marble ending and changing to bare rock. Into a docking bay with a metal cart with a family of three already waiting, a Goblin is getting ready to drive it. “Hold on!” River called. “Vault 17, please.”

  “Get on,” the Goblin said in a high-pitched voice. River slopped over and sat on an open seat with a splash. Some are getting on a girl's blue dress next to him.

  “Oh, sorry,” River said. He looked up, and his eyes went wide. A girl sat next to him, with a pale blue, neat dress, tan skin, sandy, neat hair, and diamond blue eyes. “Murph…” he said breathlessly. Their eyes met, and Murphy’s eyes started to fill with tears.

  “Mildred,” a cold, snobby voice spoke. River turned his head to see Cyrus Graves and Arther Graves. Murphy’s murderous father and jerk twin brother.

  “The Mudblood is dripping wet,” Arther snickered. “You can’t make this up.”

  River was about to get off the cart when the Goblin pulled from the bay and rocketed down a straight drop. Murphy closed her eyes; she was never good at flying. River glared at Cyrus and Arther, who matched his glare.

  They reached the Graves vault first. Stopping at bay 248. They stepped off and went up to a tall vault door. Cyrus put his key in, and the door unlocked and opened. A large vault filled with piles of silver, jewels, and other precious items. Cyrus and Arther looked back smugly. Murphy stood off to the side shyly, looking down. She always looked so different when her father forced her to look like her status as a Pure-Blood. Normally, she was a messy, loud, clumsy tomboy. She hated her status, she hated her family, and her family hated her. She was a Pure-Blood and had the Pure-Blood Graves name. But she was a rare type of Witch, she was a born Metamorphmagus. She could shape-shift at will into anyone she could think of. And her family, well-known for being pro-Pure-Blood and anti-everything else. Treated her as everything else.

  Cyrus filled a small silk purse, and they all got back on the cart. They rode it further down the tracks, to one of the oldest parts of the bank to River’s vault. When they got to River’s vault, Cyrus and Arther crowded behind him, probably ready to snicker at him being poor. Murphy stood off to the side again, but she couldn’t help but look up.

  River slotted his key into the door, and each lock clicked unlocked. The door opened, and the smug looks of Cyrus and Arther faded quickly. A smug look of River’s own grew on his face. Inside River’s vault was a pile of silver and gold at least 3 times bigger than the Graves. Thanks to his candy line and Rook’s will, giving River everything in her vault. Let’s just say, she sold a lot of books and unique recipes for potions, which alone was more than the Graves had. River was rich, and for the first time, he really wanted to rub it in someone’s face. He pushed the door wide open and walked in. His feet crunching under the carpet of silver and gold. He walked deep in the vault and filled his pockets from the last pile in the vault, making sure they all had a good look. His eyes met Murphy’s, a flicker of a smirk on her face.

  The cart ride back to the bank was completely silent. River occasionally moved his pocket to clink his money. When they reached the bank, River was out of the front door first.

  “River!” Moon said, running over. “There you are, I thought you were dead! Why are you wet?”

  “The rope broke, and I landed in the park's pond,” he said.

  Bon Sweet came up behind her. “Hey, River, looking wet.” He smiled and pulled out his wand. He flicked it, and River’s favorite spell hit him. The spell that blew dry his entire body. He still needs to learn it.

  The Graves walked past, angrily.

  The rest of the day was uneventful. River got all the supplies he needed. New school uniforms and Dress Robes, the tailor made him a pair that, in certain light, turned purple like his eyes. After everything was done, all the shopping was over. New books, potion supplies, and robes. River felt tired and wanted to nap.

  Until Taffy pulled out the old bucket, River sighed and made sure to hold on with both hands. This time, River held on the entire time, but slammed into the grass, knocking the air out of him. But at least Moon held his head and played with his hair until he caught his breath.