When Emaline and her teammates arrived at the celebration party, which was in full swing, in the Ravenclaw Common Room, the scene was one of bedlam. Everyone was clapping and cheering for their heroes, like those who were victorious in the field of battle. There was a barrel of Butterbeer brought up from The Three Broomsticks, loud music. The room was adorned with blue and silver banners and streamers and everyone was dancing. She was greeted with shouts of congratulations. "Hey, Emaline!" Maureen Malarkey said, "Great game today! Congratulations! You've made Ravenclaw proud!"
"Thank you, Maureen!" Emaline responded as she grabbed a glass of Butterbeer.
"I've also heard rumors," Maureen continued.
"Of what?" she said.
"That you were leaving school next week."
"What?"
"Are you leaving Hogwarts?" Maureen yelled loudly.
The music stopped suddenly. Everyone was looking right at Emaline.
Emaline snickered. "No. I am not leaving the school forever," she replied, "I'm going away for the week. I'm going back home to Oregon. For Thanksgiving. But I will be back the week after." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Terry Boot turned the radio back on. Everyone continued dancing.
"You almost gave us a heart attack there, Emaline," said Penelope Clearwater, who sat down with Emaline. "It almost sounded like you said you were leaving Hogwarts for good."
"I'm not. I love it here." Emaline reassured.
"Good," Patricia Stimpson said, "We love having you around." They both got back up to dance. The party lasted all night. When it was over, the Common Room looked like a tornado had run through with it. There was trash everywhere and people were sleeping on the couches and on the floor. Among those sleeping on the ground were Emaline and Tulip. Someone took out a wand and said:"Scourgify!" The room began to slowly, but surely, clean itself up. Emaline and her friends got up and went to the Great Hall for breakfast. A fresh layer of snow blanketed the castle from top to bottom. As she went to breakfast, she received congratulations everywhere she went for yesterday's rousing victory versus Hufflepuff. But the rumors that she was leaving the school had already spread throughout the school. People were also whispering. She knew full well that it wasn't true. "Hi, Emaline!" said Penny, "Good morning!"
"Good morning," Penny sat down in front of her. She was with her little sister.
"Brilliant game yesterday. I also heard you're leaving Hogwarts. Is that true?"
"It's just for the week. I'm going back home for Thanksgiving."
Penny breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear," she said, "Everyone here at Hogwarts already likes you too much for you to leave. Rumors around here spread around like Dragon Pox. And what's Thanksgiving? You have to tell me."
"It's held in the last week of November. We also celebrate it, like the No-Majs. It's basically a feast where the entire family gets together. Everyone just sits at the table, eats, and argues. And there's also turkey and mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, roast beef, gravy, ham, vegetables, green bean casserole, stuffing and so on. And for dessert, we have stuff like pumpkin pie, cake, apple pie, pecan pie."
"You gotta stop right there, Emaline," Penny said, "You're already making me hungry." They both chuckled.
"Good morning, Ms. Goode," said Professor McGonagall, who walked over to where the girls were sitting.
"Good morning, Professor," Emaline replied.
"I'm pleased to inform you that you have been excused for the week. I believe that this coming Thursday is Thanksgiving for you, am I correct?"
"Uh...yes, ma'am," she said. "So, what's gonna happen?"
"You will be woken up at 7 in the morning and head to the school entrance. Hagrid will be waiting for you and he will escort you to the portal at Honeyduke's Sweet Shop. Be expected to get some homework."
"I can handle that."
"And I wish to convey a message from Professor Dumbledore. He hopes that you enjoy your holiday."
"Once again, thank you. I also have a request: I want to bring Tulip Karasu with me on my vacation."
"Granted!" said McGonagall. Emaline had a surprised look on her face.
"I will inform Ms. Karasu of this." She was about to leave but then she turned around and put her arm on Emaline's shoulder. "Consider this as a reward helping defeat the Mountain Troll on Halloween."
"Once again: Thank you, Professor McGonagall!"
"I suggest you be careful around her, Ms. Goode. She's a bit of an eccentric and a good student but she can be a troublemaker." She smiled and then walked away. "Yes, ma'am."
"How about that?" said Penny, "That's probably the nicest thing that McGonagall has done for you all year, right?"
"Yeah, she's great. She's pretty smart for a Gryffindor. How did she end up there?"
"At Hogwarts, we sometimes have what are called Hatstalls. Professor McGonagall is one herself", an older Gryffindor student said, "They're students who take more than five minutes to sort. It was going to choose Ravenclaw for her but it ultimately went with Gryffindor."
"Wow!" Emaline said, "I guess you learn new stuff every day at Hogwarts."
"It's true," said Penny. "You're a Hatstall, too. It took the Sorting Hat was going to pick Gryffindor for you, but chose Ravenclaw. Plus you're very smart and wise, so I guess Ravenclaw is the best choice for you."
"Hey, Emaline!" said Tulip. "Is it true? I get to go to America with you?"
"Yep. There's no one else I'd rather spend Thanksgiving with than my best friend."
"I'm your best friend?"
"Yeah," Emaline said, "You're cool."
Tulip smiled. and gave her a big hug. "Thank you.," she said.
"You're welcome."
Tuesday morning
The next morning dawned overcast and bitterly cold. And there was snow. While everyone went to class, Emaline and Tulip packed up their suitcases and headed down to the entrance hall of the castle, where Hagrid was waiting for them. He was completely bundled up in his long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskin boots. "Good morning. ya two.", he said in a warm, friendly manner. "You ready?"
"We are." said Tulip, "I'm excited! I finally get to go to America!"
"We're just going to Portland, Oregon, Tulip." said Emaline, "I think you'll love it!"
Hagrid looked at his pocket watch, "We're a bit behind schedule. We'd best be off." Hagrid opened the giant doors and off they went. The snow kept on blowing constantly in their faces. Along the way, Emaline saw what appeared to be a rickety old house in the distance on the edge of the forest.
Feeling curious, she asked: "Hey, Hagrid? What's that house over there?"
"That's the Shrieking Shack." he said, "It's supposedly the most haunted building in Britain. You wouldn't wanna go in there. It's spooky and very dangerous."
"Be careful what you say around her, Hagrid." Tulip joked. "She's a Thunderbird and she has an adventurous soul."
"Yes I do.," said Emaline.
"Well, here we are," They stopped at a shop which was labeled "Honeyduke's" with pink all over. Inside was lots of candy. "I suggest ya grab some stuff while you're inside. The Yanks are very picky over what comes into the USA. Just tell the owner that ya wanna enter the portal in the cellar."
"Thank you, Hagrid. So much," Emaline said kindly. "I'll think of a way to repay you."
"No need to," he said, "You just enjoy your holiday. I'll be here when you come back. Bye." Hagrid smiled as he turned around and trudged away into the knee-deep snow. They both waved back to him.
"Let's go," said Emaline as they walked inside. The shop had a pleasant aroma of cotton candy mixed with ice cream. There were shelves upon shelves of delicious sweets, none of which were available in America. Creamy chunks of nougat, pink shimmering squares of coconut ice, honey-colored toffees, lots of different types of chocolate lined up neatly in a row, two enormous barrels of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans (both British and American), Fizzing Whizzbees, Drooble's Best-Blowing Gum, Toothflossing Stringmints, Black Pepper Imps, Ice Mice, Peppermint Toads, exploding bonbons, and sugar-spun quills, which were fragile. But most intriguing to Emaline was the tray of blood-flavored lollipops.
"Uh...You wouldn't want those, miss," said the owner. "Those are for vampires. How can I help you both today?"
"Good morning, sir. My name is Emaline Goode and I'm an American transfer student from Ilvermorny School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry. I'm off for the Thanksgiving holiday and my friend and I would like to get into the portal. She took her Gordian Knot necklace off from around her neck and showed it to him. "Well, that's all I need to see.", said the owner, "Just give me a minute to open the portal. Until then, feel free to look around the shop. I just need to tell Pat that you girls are coming. Enjoy."
"Thank you." said Tulip., "So...should we start looking around?"
"Yeah. He said 'Enjoy'." said Emaline. "Just get some goodies together and we'll meet up here later." They split up and grabbed as much stuff as they could get their hands on. Visiting the "Unique Tastes" section, Emaline found what appeared to be a large number of jelly skulls mounded into skulls. They were realistically moving, which she found interesting but unsettling. "Mercy Lewis!" she said quietly.
"Oh, by the way!" said a woman, who appeared the owner's wife, "You'll be happy to hear we also have sweets from your home country if you're interested." she pointed at the shelf next to her. "They're on that shelf right next to you."
"Thank you, miss!" said Emaline excitedly, "I've been out of American Wizarding sweets since I got to Hogwarts."
"You're welcome, love. There will be plenty when you get back." She hurried over to the next shelf and grabbed a few things like Snickering Snickerdoodles, Bertram's Balloon Gum, Ocean Water Taffy, Juicy Jackalope Jumpers, Popping Rocks, Boom Boom Balls, Jelly Snakes, Chocolate Dragon Eggs, Memorlings, Rainbow Pops, Lucky Clovers and more and one of those Jelly Skulls she saw. She hurried over to the counter, paying 25 Galleons for her candy. She saw Tulip come by with an armful of candy. "I'm done," said Tulip.
"Ms. Goode, Ms. Karasu," said the owner, "The portal is ready. Right this way, girls."
They walked down to the cellar, which was full of wooden crates and boxes. "The portal's right down there, at the end of that tunnel." He pointed his wand at a dark passageway. "I'll need to see your Gordian Knot pendant again, Ms. Goode." She pulled out her necklace and showed it to him. "That'll work. Goodbye, Ms. Goode. I hope you enjoy your holiday. See you in a week."
"Bye!" said Emaline. They both walked through a dark passageway. "I can't see a thing in here.", said Tulip. "No problem," said Tulip, "Wands out." They both took out their wands and said "Lumos!" A small ball of light appeared from the end of their wand and walked all the way to the end of the tunnel. It seemed like it took ages but they finally reached the portal and entered it. On the other side was the familiar skyline of Chicago. It was cold, windy, and dark. The sun hasn't risen yet.
"Tulip Karasu," said Emaline, "Welcome to The United States Of America!"
"Is this where you live?"
"No, this is Chicago. I live in Portland, Oregon. It's that way." She pointed west.
"Hey, Emaline!", said another female voice.
"Who was that?"
"That's my older sister, Allison. We'll be right down!" They walked into the station and saw Pat, the same house-elf who runs the portal to Hogwarts. "Welcome home, Ms. Goode, and Happy Thanksgiving!"
"Thank you."
"So what does your sister do?" said Tulip.
"She's a student at Ilvermorny, sorted into Thunderbird. In her 7th year. She wants to be an Auror. I have an older brother named Thomas. He's a professional Quidditch player. Plays for the Portland Lumberjacks. There she is."
Allison was waiting for them. She looked just like Emaline with red hair but had green eyes. "Hey there, Little sister!" she said as she gave Emaline a big hug. "Hi, Allison. I missed you."
"This is my friend from Hogwarts, Tulip Karasu. And she's in Ravenclaw with me."
"Nice to meet you, Tulip." said Allison., "Welcome to America. Well ladies, let's go home. It's a long drive back to Portland. You have to tell me all about Hogwarts on the way." She put their luggage in the trunk of a Volkswagen Bus from 1975.
"We're taking the Bus home?" Emaline said in disbelief, "There are No-Majs everywhere!"
"That should not be a problem," said Allison. "Let's go." She pressed a silver button on the dashboard. The car started moving and immediately vanished, so did they. The car took a running start and then began to lift off from the ground. It and the buildings on either side fell away, dropping out of sight as the car rose; in seconds, the skyline of Chicago lay, with Lake Michigan in the background. "How long does it take to get to Portland?" Tulip asked.
"At the rate, we're flying? Maybe 2 days. We'll have to stop in Colorado, or maybe Wyoming, for the night." said Allison, "But, we do have to make some stops on the way. And we're gonna have to rotate between shifts. You're next after me, Tulip. So get some sleep."
"Sounds fine with me," said Emaline. "So, are you just coming back from Ilvermorny?"
"Yep. Everyone is missing you over there, Em. I missed you." Tulip went to sleep as Emaline talked with her sister. As they talked, the car shot up through the clouds. A minute later, they burst out into a blaze of sunlight. It was a different world. The wheels of the car skimmed the sea of fluffy clouds, the sky a bright, endless blue under the blinding white sun. "Where are we right now?" said Tulip, who was still sleeping.
"Somewhere over Iowa." Beneath them were vast fields of corn and farmland.
"We should be in Nebraska very soon. We'll have to make a stop too, I'm getting hungry." It was as though they had been plunged into a fabulous dream. This, thought Emaline, was surely the only way to travel-past swirls and turrets of snowy cloud, in a car with a fat pack of chocolate, candy, and bags of chips and a box of Oreo cookies in the glove compartment. They stopped in a little town with a diner and had a nice breakfast, leaving as fast as they arrived.
She was excited to see home again, as well as her parents and the rest of her family. They made regular checks on the road as they flew farther and farther west, each dip beneath the clouds showing them a different view. Chicago was soon far behind them, replaced by more cornfields and farmland as far as the eye can see.
"Tulip," said Allison. "Wake up. It's time for your shift, and we're gonna have to continue on the ground. The invisibility booster is almost empty." They stopped at a rest area when they entered Nebraska and Tulip took to the driver's seat and Allison went to sleep in the back. Several uneventful hours later, however, Harry had to admit that some of the fun was wearing off. The chips and cookies had made them extremely thirsty and they had nothing to drink and they were almost out of gas. They stopped at a station to fill up and grab some soda and lemonade. They got back up in the air and Tulip pressed the Invisibility Booster. The car disappeared, as did the girls. So far, they have been the road, and in the air, for 14 hours. Utah seemed not too far away.
"So, what do you think of America so far, Tulip?" said Emaline.
"It's beautiful."
"There's a lot more to see out here. Just wait 'til we reach Wyoming," said Allison. When they entered Wyoming a few hours later, the landscape changed from rolling hills and farmland to the enormous mountain range known as The Rocky Mountains. "We're coming up on the Rockies, Tulip. This is where it gets very tricky. You're gonna have to get to fly low through the mountains and then turn northwest."
"Okay." It was still right below them, winding its way past the Rockies. "Good driving, Tulip." It was much darker beneath the canopy of clouds. Tulip put her foot on the accelerator and drove them upward again, but as she did so, the engine began to whine. The three of them exchanged nervous glances. "It's probably just tired," said Allison. "It's never been this far before..." And they both pretended not to notice the whining growing louder and louder as the sky became steadily darker. Stars were blossoming in the blackness. The bus stopped in the middle of a forest, full of campers.
"Where are we?" said Emaline.
"Yellowstone National Park.," said Allison.
"How do you know that?"
"This is Lewis Lake. We've been camping since we were little kids. Remember?"
"Yeah. I'll get a fire going. We'll leave in the morning." They had dinner and went to sleep under the stars. Allie was already asleep. "It's a beautiful night.", said Tulip. Emaline was looking up at the sky and started writing down notes on everything that she saw in her notebook, using her wand for light.
"It sure is," said Emaline.
"Do you think anyone could look up at the sky this many stars in their lifetime?"
"I guess."
"I gotta be looking at about a million."
"The naked eye can see about two thousand."
"Well, I must have great eyes because I see a million."
"The closest one is Alpha Centauri and that's 4-and-a-half light-years away. That's it over there." She pointed her wand up at the star.
"That doesn't sound so bad."
"Each light-year is about 9.46 trillion miles so that's...." she started counting in her head, "...37.8 trillion miles."
"And that's the closest?"
"Yep. There are 100 billion stars in our galaxy. There are more galaxies in the universe than there are grains of sands on Earth."
"That is...big."
"And we are small. Good night, Tulip."
"Good night, Em."