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Chelsea Van Asten
Pre-First Year - Unsorted - Muggleborn

Chessie led Deveron up the steps and into the house she’d hurriedly escaped not very long ago. Her father was sitting on the couch with Journey, trying to talk the poor child down from some kind of traumatic experience. Chessie just felt like cringing and going away somewhere to hide, especially when Journey saw them come in. Her dark little eyes went as wide as they could go, and she dropped her jaw and pointed at the dog who she’d sworn had turned purple. As Kevan said something like, “Now you see? Frodo’s the same old normal dog,” the child looked at Chessie as though she were trying to reaffirm her sanity. The eleven-year-old just flushed and looked at Deveron. "Dad, you should probably take Journey upstairs. There’s something we gotta talk about. Deveron, this is my dad."

The younger girl was about to put up some form of protest, but Chessie gave her a death stare that clearly communicated that this was not the time. Journey huffed, and headed for the stairs looking very unhappy about the whole ordeal. Kevan seemed perplexed for a few moments, as his younger daughter was just raving about purple Frodo when his firstborn had walked in with a dwarf. This was turning out to be quite an odd day, and the man was only glad that his wife was out of their hair. She certainly wouldn’t be very graceful about it. He offered his hand to Chelsea’s escort and said “Call me Kevan.” He wondered what the fuss was all about, and beckoned them to take a seat.

Kevan Van Asten
Father - Muggle - Independent Contractor


There was a long silence in the living room as Kevan stared at the stranger in his home. He nodded lightly and squinted, looking deep in thought. Then, he took in a long breath. “You need to give me some kind of proof.” His voice was even more intense than it usually was, and his eye contact with Deveron was unshakeable. Kevan had often suspected some kind of anomaly in his daughter, but he’d chalked it up to effervescence. Sure Chelsea was unique, but magic was kid stuff. Not something he’d believed in for nigh on twenty-five years. It was all he could do not to deny the strange man any more presence, for he didn’t want whack jobs around his children.

Still, something within him held out for the truth. If by some chance Deveron wasn’t speaking total nonsense, then Kevan surely wanted to be enlightened. He was a man who believed in education and the free access to information. The child within him was giddy with excitement, but the activist was sickened. If there was such thing as magic, and people like Deveron knew about it, then there was an active effort to keep knowledge of it from reaching the rest of the world. And that was a kind of wrong Kevan could not fathom. He’d been taught that restriction from information was oppression. He likened it to communist countries like North Korea. It might have been a dramatic comparison, but it was true.

For this reason he asked Deveron to prove his claims. That, and the funny gleam in Frodo’s eyes as the dog gazed up at him from the floor, his tail twitching. “Pay attention, Chelsea,” he said to his younger daughter. “Whichever way this goes, you’re going to need to accept the answer.” His drilling eyes returned to Deveron. He raised an eyebrow as if to say, “Your move."

xxx

Chelsea Van Asten xxxxxxxxx Kevan Van Asten
Pre-First Year - Unsorted - Muggleborn xxxx Father - Muggle - Independent Contractor


Chessie was transfixed by now, her mouth ajar with a dumb look in her eyes. It had begun to occur to her that she had a gift, one that had great potential if she could only learn to use it correctly. So far, she’d seen Deveron remedy Frodo’s affliction (which she had caused herself) and levitate an envelope, but somehow she understood that these tricks were only the tip of the iceberg. There was a whole school dedicated to developing this kind of talent, and probably an entire secret world filled with people like them, with dozens of callings and careers to choose from. Not that she was dissatisfied with life so far, but she’d felt that some sort of purpose was missing, and saw this as an opportunity for self-discovery, as well as adventure and friendship. Did Deveron say she could get her own wand? She hadn’t even thought that far ahead, but that sounded so exciting! She’d already made up her mind, long before she regained her ability to speak.

Kevan, on the other hand, was not so amused. The stranger’s trick with the envelope had taken him aback, no doubt, but Kevan moved on quickly once he accepted reality. He had his proof that magic existed, and he was livid with his guest’s rather pathetic excuse for secrecy. "Right, but these are different times,” he thought. People didn’t burn each other in this day and age; and the world was growing more and more tolerant of diversity. He very nearly said as much. But if magic had been a secret for this long, there had to be great measures taken to keep it that way. Kevan knew that if he spoke his mind, they would do whatever they were capable in order to keep the cat in the bag. He had to keep quiet until he could figure out some kind of plan. In the mean time, how could he associate his daughter with these people? Would forbidding her education arise suspicion? No, he had to send her, how else would he discover the extent of the truth?

“You have to let me go, daddy.”

Kevan was brought out of the angry tirade inside his mind, and as he looked at his daughter’s face he felt guilt. The children were first. Always. No way in hell would he let his own resentment get in the way of his daughter’s happiness, especially if she could be dangerous without the right education. His expression softened and he looked tired for a moment. He looked Chelsea straight in her eyes. “I know you’re excited,” he said. “But before you decide, you need to be sure. You’d be leaving behind Journey and Frodo, and your regular school, and your mom and me. You’d be in a new place with new people, and you’d be learning things you’ll have to keep secret.” He passed the invitation to his daughter. “If you believe it’s really worth it, if this is something you still want given all the consequences, then say the word and I will let you go.” His words were heard. Chelsea seemed shaken. She looked at Frodo, and around the room, then down at the envelope, and back at Deveron. Her eyes glazed over, but her decision was made. She nodded.

Kevan turned to Deveron. “She can go. I’ll do whatever I can to support her, and I won’t tell anyone outside the family. But I need your word that my daughter will be safe. If that’s not a guarantee, this whole thing is no dice.”