School had been out for a week and Ellie was bored. It was hot and humid and when ever she tried to do something, it made it worse. She couldn't wait for her trip to New York where it was hopefully cooler. And then it was time for the yearly summer camp that Ellie was finally old enough to do! She lay in front of a fan with her sister and her cat Aries on her lap. Well her sister was not on her lap, but Aries was, and she probably was not helping with the heat. Having a fluffy cat sitting you... no. Ellie sighed, in a week, she would be off to New York, visiting Summer for the first time in forever.
"Kids!" Her mom called, "Can you come to the kitchen? Your father and I have something to share."
Ellie sighed and pulled her cat off her lap, looking at her sister, they peeled their body's from the fan and floor and walked to the kitchen. Aries, right behind.
Her sister was already there, "What is it?" she asked, not unkindly.
Her parents smiled, "While you were studying magic, we where studying our family history. On both sides." Her father said. Ellie was confused, What could this mean?
"We looked in a bunch of your now deceased great-grandparents and found a bunch of Birth certificates from America! Including theirs!" Her mom said excitedly.
Her mom was excited about this random thing they had discovered, but Ellie? She was not! She was now the weird girl from America, even if she wasn't born there. And America was such a new country, they must have moved there for a couple generations, and then moved back.
"Our ancestors have been there since the colonial times, before the revolutionary war started! They were some of the first colonists."
Revolutionary war? Colonial times? Colonists? What were her parents talking about? Seeing her confusion, her parents explained about the muggle war and what a colonist was. Ellie was only half-listening, stuck on the fact that she was part American, as in America, where Summer lived.
"So I'm... American?" Ellie asked.
"Yes, you where born there." Her dad said, "Oh, and we will be heading to the summer house for the picnic around August first for a week."
This was... a lot. Ellie excused herself and walked up the stairs to her room. She was born in America? And her parents didn't tell her? Everything seemed weird. The only thing in that conversation that left her unconfused was finding out when the family picnic was going to be. Then she could be free to hang with her (dads side of the) family. Her grandparents, cousin and aunts and uncles not to mention the amazing picnic!
Does that mean... that they are also American? Ellie thought. No, I'm only American on my moms side.
This was too confusing for Ellie. She walked over to her bookshelf to distract herself and pulled out a childhood favorite, Tales of Beedle the Bard. This hands always been her comfort book. Heck, she probably had asked her mom to read it over a hundred times as a young girl. Her sister didn't mind, they both enjoyed hearing all the stories. Ellie opened it then quickly closed it. Do American girls read this? Ellie thought carefully. Heck, why do I care! She opened the book once again, hoping to take her mind away. Breathing in the smell of paper she started reading.
Three brothers, travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight reached a deep treacherous river where anyone who attempted to swim or wade would drown. Learned in the magical arts, the brothers conjured a bridge with their wands and proceeded to cross...
