Reflecting On the Past solo finished

Becca stared out of the train window and watched her father. He stood there in the sea of people alone looking at the train with a sad expression. All her childhood, well all of it she could remember, it was just the two of them. Instead of crumbling when his wife disappeared, Hugh Cross stepped up and was the best father any child could ask for. Because of him she had a childhood full of love, patience, knowledge, and adventure. He encouraged her in everything she tried to do.

And now, his child was leaving for a new adventure he would never be able to understand. He was a muggle, a label for non-magical people, while his former wife and daughter were witches. When Becca done her first bit of magic, he hadn’t faltered in front of her at all. She remembered the instance and her emotions all too well.

Her and her father were discussing the book Jane Eyre as they each drank a cup of tea in his study. Next to her cup was her father’s first edition of the book, an antique passed down to him by his great-aunt who encouraged his love of literature and collection of books. Becca remembered that her father tried to gently tell her that she had misunderstood the subtle themes in the story, while Becca remained confident in her interpretation.

Becca gestured with widely with her hand and accidentally knocked her cup over, spilling it all over the book. She was horrified and instantly began apologizing. Her father hurried to pass her something to clean up the mess and told her to pick up the book. When she did, the book was dry. She looked at it, confused and slightly apprehensive. Becca had saw the tea spill directly onto the book. It should have been soaked.

She looked at her father who swallowed before slowly taking his glasses off. He rubbed the bridge of his nose for a small moment before sending her to the kitchen to boil some more water for another glass of tea for each of them while he cleaned up the mess. While she waited, anxiety, confusion, and excitement bubbled up inside of her. All she could think about was what just happened. After a few minutes, he came into the kitchen with her and spoke with her for the first time in her memory about her mother.

Becca had so many questions after, but her father did not have any answers. It frustrated both of them, especially since her father had always been the one with the answers growing up. She did not blame him for keeping her mother’s magical status from her. He didn’t do it out of fear or anger, but out of caution. If Becca proved not to inherit the magic, then knowing about her mother could have hurt her. However, it did upset her to know her father kept this from her and would have kept it from her. She pushed the hurt down as much as she could, though.

Since her father didn’t have many answers, and her mother did not leave much to teach her daughter about the magical world, Becca scoured every inch of the library for something over the last two years. She never found any book to help her. She was about to give up on ever knowing anything about magic when the professor showed up at her and her father’s flat this summer.

Becca was ecstatic to learn of Hogwarts, and hoped she would finally learn everything she wanted to know about magic. After their trip to Diagon Alley, Becca spent the following months closed off in her room pouring over her textbooks. Her father tried luring her out of her room, as he had frequently these last couple years, but Becca could not be kept away from her books.
Suddenly, it was August 31^st and she was about to leave for her first semester away from her father. She knew he was upset over the fact they didn’t really do anything together this last summer. They hadn’t gone on any holiday, or even really a day trip. He never said anything to her, but she could tell.

To try and atone for her absence these last few months, Becca spent the entire day yesterday with her father. It wasn’t enough, and both knew it. Still, her father had not let his feelings show. Only now that she was on the train and he thought she couldn’t see him did he let his face droop. Only now did she see the sadness shine through.

For a moment, Becca wanted to rush off the train and back to her father. To go home, attend a secondary school in Cambridge with her best friend, Danica, and forget all about her status as a witch. Her and her father could go to Greece like they always dreamed of to see Athens, or maybe go to Rome.

But she couldn’t. She needed to find answers of this entire unknown world that existed adjacent to the one she grew up with. She had a burning desire to find answers to the mystery of magic. Several times over the last two years, she had tried to ignore the desire and focus on her life she was living. But she couldn’t forget her questions. She had to leave and learn.

She would still see her father at Christmas.

She raised her hand and waved to her father who still couldn’t see her. Then she turned her back to the window and watched the train occupants move past her. She hoped to see some magic on the trip, or that somebody who grew up in this world would sit with her. Maybe they could answer some of her questions now, or point her to a few good books that could clear some of the confusion.