It was Wednesday morning. The next day was Thanksgiving Day and Emaline woke up the next morning to the landscape completely covered in snow. In front of her was a snowy owl who had something in its talons but the owl seemed very familiar. "Hi, Hedwig." she said., "What do we have here?" She petted her on the head and took whatever she was carrying. It was a roll of paper, reading:
"For Ms. Emaline Goode and Ms. Tulip Karasu, Here is your homework. Bring it with you when you come back. Enjoy your holiday! Professor McGonagall"
She opened it and inside was homework from everyone at Hogwarts. "Hey Tulip!, our homework is here." She also had a letter. From Hermione. While Allison made some breakfast, Emaline went right to work on their homework, starting with a Potions assignment from Professor Snape, a Charms paper from Professor Flitwick, followed by an Astronomy quiz from Professor Sinistra and a Transfiguration paper from Professor McGonagall. Before leaving for Portland, the girls drove around the park, listening to a No-Maj band called R.E.M., and seeing the many geysers and hot springs the park had to offer.
"So where do these geysers and hot springs come from?" Tulip asked.
"We're standing in the middle of the Yellowstone Caldera, the biggest supervolcano in the world. The last time this volcano blew was about 630,000 years ago. It happened before and it will happen again." said Allie.
"It's just a matter of when," said Emaline.
"Yep."
"What about those hot springs? Can you go swimming in those?"
"Uh...I don't think you can, Tulip.," said Allie. "They're really hot. I've heard of people falling in there and have died or you could get hurt really bad."
"Merlin's Beard!" she said surprisingly.
"I wouldn't recommend it," said another woman who was with her husband and their children. "2 weeks ago, someone slipped and fell into the Grand Prismatic Spring and was badly scalded. Died of her injuries"
"Mercy Lewis!" Emaline exclaimed. She then walked to a nearby bench, put on her glasses and read Hermione's letter:
Dear Emaline,
I hope this letter gets to you fine. I might have found a book on Nicolas Flamel in the library. The only problem is it's in the Restricted Section. It's going to be very difficult. We're keeping an eye on Snape, as well. See if you could find anything on Flamel over there in your hometown. Write me back when you do. Congratulations on the win over Hufflepuff, by the way. You also made The Daily Prophet! Cut a clipping out for you. Everyone can't stop talking about the game. A lot of Gryffindors were rooting for you. Hope you enjoy your holiday and see you soon.
Sincerely,
Hermione
"Hey, Em," said Allison. "We gotta go. We're going home."
"Okay."
They got back in the bus. "Emaline, it's your shift," said Allison. "Tulip, you sit in the front and navigate." Tulip seemed confused. "Navigate?" she said.
"Yes. You get to look at the map and tell Emaline where to go. Until it's my turn."
"Okay." Tulip turned the ignition, stepped on the gas, and the car began to move. "All right, Em. Get us in the air." There was no one on the road, fortunately.
"Okay." She pulled the flying gear up and the bus began to lift up off the ground. "How's the Invisibility Booster holding up?" said Allie.
"It's at full power."
"Punch it!" She did and the bus instantly disappeared, along with the girls. The little bus entered Idaho, flying over snow-capped peaks, grassy plains, rolling hills, deserts, and beautiful rivers. They saw herds of pronghorn antelope, bison, elk, and flocks of Thunderbirds creating thunder and lightning storms as they flew. Tulip moved to the back and began working on her homework and played with her pet toad, Dennis, while Allie moved to the front and talked with her sister. The landscape changed once again when the bus finally reached Oregon, changing from mountains, plains, and rivers to the high desert and more mountains.
"Hey, Tulip," said Allie. "Emaline was telling me about your parents. What are they like?"
"You wouldn't wanna meet them. They work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and because of that, I lived a very strict lifestyle. So, I became a rebel. I had to hide it from them. Now that I go to Hogwarts, I have more freedom."
"Do you know what you wanna do when you graduate?" Allie asked. "Start turning northwest," she said to Emaline.
"I'm not sure yet. I was thinking about working in the Ministry. What do your parents do?"
"Mom and Dad work for MACUSA's Pacific Northwest Bureau." said Emaline, "We're also a pure-blood family but we're very knowledgeable of No-Maj culture and technology. We can easily blend in. Without them noticing."
After a few more uneventful hours, the landscape changed once again to vast forests and the enormous Cascades Mountain Range. The girls then made a stop at Crater Lake to rest and stretch their legs. Their little bus had driven and flown, more than two thousand miles from Illinois to Oregon and they did it without any disaster in just three days. It wasn't even winter yet and the entire rim of the lake was covered in snow, so they dressed up warmly.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" said Emaline to Tulip, who was sitting on the edge of the crystal-clear blue lake.
"It is. So how was this lake formed?"
"There was a huge volcanic eruption, like, 7,000 years ago and it blew off the top of this mountain. The hole began to fill up with each year's rainfall and snowmelt and now it's the deepest lake in the country. Because of the lack of sediment in the water, the lake is also the clearest in the world."
"And that water is cold, too," said Allie. "Em, and I have been swimming in that lake loads of times."
When they left Crater Lake and flew back beneath the clouds a little while later, they had to squint through the darkness for the city Emaline and her sister called home. "There!" Emaline shouted, making Allie and Tulip jump. "Straight ahead!" Silhouetted on the dark horizon, stood the twinkling lights of Portland, Oregon standing on the Willamette River with Mount Hood in the backdrop. "Welcome home," said Allie. Emaline smiled. They flew by the White Stag sign
"Where do you guys live?" Tulip asked.
"Near downtown," said Emaline. "On NW Irving St. You'll love it. It's a beautiful house."
"There it is! Em, bring us down."
Emaline nodded and brought the car lower, and Tulip saw an old Victorian-style home, painted green.
"We're a little way outside the city," said Allie. "This is the Alphabet District. The largest magic-friendly neighborhood in Portland. You might wanna put on something on warm, it's quite cold outside."
Lower and lower went the flying Volkswagen bus, which immediately reappeared after being. "We have a touchdown!" said Emaline as, with a slight bump, they hit the ground. They had landed on the street, and Tulip looked out for the first time at Emaline's house.
"So, does the whole family live here?" Tulip asked.
"No. It's just me, Allie, and my parents. My brother lives downtown. The rest of the family lives down in San Francisco. Over in California. Another part of my family lives over in Seattle."
She walked up to the front porch to see if anyone was home.
"Anyone home?" said Allie.
Looking inside, she said: "Looks like they're having dinner."
"Mom!" said a boy from inside, "Emaline and Allie are home."
"Then get the door, Tommy!" said Emaline's mother.
Just Emaline was about to knock on the door, it opened. A young man who looked just his sisters was wearing a Portland Lumberjacks sweatshirt.
"Welcome home, little sister." He gave Emaline a big hug. The entire family came out to greet them. More hugs greeted Emaline and Allie as they walked inside their home. She saw her parents and gave them a hug. "Welcome home, Em. We missed you." said her father. "Happy Thanksgiving."
"Hi, Daddy," she said softly.
"Everyone, this is my friend and my fellow Ravenclaw, Tulip Karasu. She will be joining us for dinner tomorrow," she announced. All of a sudden, all of Emaline's relatives started shaking hands with her.
"I guess we're in time for dinner? We just came in from Crater Lake," said Allie.
"You are." said Mrs. Goode, "Come on in. You must be hungry. You must tell us everything about Hogwarts and about your Quidditch match."
"We listened to the match on the radio," said Dad. "When's your next match?"
"In February. Against Slytherin."
After dinner, Emaline returned to her room, which she hadn't seen since July, adorned in purple and silver banners and posters and a Thunderbird pennant. And immediately went to bed. Allie shared her room, in the attic, with Tulip and their little cousins.
Thanksgiving morning dawned overcast. It was cold and rainy. Everyone was in the living room watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and having coffee. Mom and the aunts and Grandma was in the kitchen getting things ready for dinner tonight. This presented Tulip with an excellent opportunity to learn about the No-Maj world. She has never seen a TV before, sitting in front of it.
"What's wrong with your friend, Emaline?" said one of her aunts.
"She's a bit of an eccentric, Aunt Carrie. I think this is the first time she's ever been exposed to No-Maj culture."
"Honey," said Mom to her. "Don't sit too close to the TV. You'll hurt your eyes."
"Sorry," said Tulip. She scooted away from the TV. Mom brought her a cup of hot cocoa, "So, when's dinner?"
"Not until later tonight."
"You'll love it. There's turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a lot more.", said Dad.
"And there's four types pie for dessert, too. We also have Butterbeer, Pumpkin Juice, and Maple Cream Soda to drink."
"Oh boy!" Tulip exclaimed.
"I'm also baking an apple pie tonight." said her grandma.
"Yes!" Emaline said excitedly.
"Grandma's apple pie is famous!" she said to Tulip, "It's practically a food group."
While everyone was waiting for dinner and talking to each other, Tulip got up and walked around the house, which gave her an excellent opportunity to, not only learn more about her best friend and her family but to also learn more about the No-Maj World.
"Who are these people?" Tulip asked.
Emaline got up and walked with her, pointing at different pictures. "Oh! Those are my parents. This photo was taken around the time they got married." She pointed to a picture of herself in a purple and silver Quidditch robe.
"That's me at my first Ilvermorny Quidditch game. These are my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, my brother and sister, my cousins. That's my brother in his debut for the Portland Lumberjacks." He had on a yellow and dark green Quidditch robe. She pointed at a picture of a man in a U.S. Marine Corps uniform. "And this is my Uncle Brian. Handsome isn't he?"
Tulip nodded.
"What happened to him?"
"He was one of the few wizards who volunteered to go fight in Vietnam. He was killed in action."
"I'm sorry," Tulip said comfortingly.
"Oh, it's okay."
Emaline then pointed at a picture of a little girl holding a fishing pole with two other kids.
"And who is this?" Tulip asked.
"Who do you think? That's me, and my brother and sister. This was the first road trip we took before we started going to Ilvermorny. My sister, Mom, and Dad were in Thunderbird. We're a mostly a one-house family but when my brother chose Horned Serpent over Thunderbird, my family went batshit crazy!"
"That's insane!" said Tulip.
"I know! I wasn't too happy about it either! But, that's the way it was." Emaline's brother, Tom came over to where they were talking. "What are you girls talking about?", said Tom.
"I was just telling Tulip about when you got sorted into Horned Serpent."
"Oh yeah! I loved being in Horned Serpent. No offense to Thunderbird, but I think they're the best House at Ilvermorny."
"I'm not so sure about that. We usually beat you guys in Quidditch every year. And in baseball, too. I might add."
"No way! Our baseball team is actually good!" said Thomas.
"What's baseball?" Tulip asked, "I've heard about it but I never understood it."
"You hit a ball and run to a base. Then run to the next base if you can. And if you get to enough bases, you score a run. It's fun. Really fun. It's definitely the most popular No-Maj sport in the American Wizarding World."
"In our version," Allison joined in. "We enchant the bats to make the ball fly a little bit farther and the ball as well, sometimes to glow in the dark or even change color. The No-Majs would think it's cheating but that's how we play."
Suddenly, a knock at the door came. "I'll get it.", said Mr. Goode. At the door was a woman who looked like Tulip, but much older. She had red hair and was dressed up in a heavy coat. "Excuse me." she said., "I hope I'm not intruding. I'm Tulip Karasu's mother. I was invited to come to dinner by Ms. Emaline Goode?"
"Mom?" said Tulip, "What are you doing here?"
"It's all right, Tulip," said Emaline, "I wanted her to come. Hi, Ms. Karasu. I'm Tulip's friend." She shook her hand, "Welcome to our home, Mrs. Karasu," said Mrs. Goode.
"Thank you, everyone, for inviting me to your home. Tulip has told me a lot about you, Emaline."
"Well, I'm glad that you could make."
She saw Tulip and gave her daughter a hug and kissed her on the cheek, "I'm happy to see you, honey."
"I missed you, Mom. Is Dad coming?"
"I'm afraid not, dear. He has work to do at the Ministry." Ms. Karasu took off her coat and put it on a hanger. "So, is dinner almost ready?"
"Almost ready." said one of the aunts, "I just took out the turkey. Grandma is taking the apple pie out of the oven." While everyone was waiting for the dinner to start, the dog show was on the TV and the guys opened up a beer or two watching the football game in the next room.
"Dinner's ready," said Grandma. Everyone gathered in the dining room while Emaline, Allison, and Tulip set up the table. A deep purple rug with a Thunderbird on it lined the floor, and scattered across it was a large table with enough seats for everyone, sparkling silverware, and goblets. "What's the deal with the Thunderbird everywhere?" Tulip asked.
"It's our family symbol," said Mrs. Goode, "Emaline is also the only known witch to ever conjure a Thunderbird Patronus, which is amazing! It's extremely powerful too." Emaline and Tulip were lucky to find the two seats next to each other that were still available and the kids began to sit at the kids' table nearby. Tulip and Emaline were able to find the two next available seats before they get relegated to the kids' table, listening in on the lively conservation going on. Thomas was talking about his most recent Quidditch match in Spokane. Emaline started talking about her match against Hufflepuff and her time at Hogwarts, and some of her new friends. Everything was brought out: an enormous turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, green bean casserole, roast beef, ham, stuffing, peas, macaroni and cheese, and candied yams.
"May I have your attention, please?" said Mom, who stood up, as if he wanted to say something, "Before we eat, I would like to say a few words. I won't be long because I'm hungry." Everyone chuckled, "Thank you for joining us to celebrate the best kind of giving, thanksgiving. It's really lovely to see you all around our table. We've had a great year. Emaline won her third straight Ilvermorny Quidditch Cup title and got transferred to Hogwarts for her sixth year of school and was sorted into Ravenclaw and she also played her first match. Thomas won his first title with his team, the Lumberjacks. When Spring finally arrived, it turned out that flowers weren't the only things blooming. Marci was expecting. We're thankful that next year, there will be another one to join us. Every year, on this day, I count my blessings and we have so much to be thankful for. I'm thankful that my youngest daughter, Emaline has come home for the holidays straight from Hogwarts and we welcome her friend Tulip and her mother, Carla, to our table. You are welcome here anytime. Even the challenges. And we've had quite a few of those. Ben was sick with Dragon Pox and made it through and Aunt Mary passed on. We miss her every day. How did we do it? We did it together. We Goodes keep up with each other, in good times as well as the ones that test us. We either find a way, or we make one. My thanksgiving begins and ends with family. You. I am grateful to each one of you for being here today, and for being in our lives. Here's to us!", he raised his goblet to give a toast. "Aut Viam Inveniam Faciam!"
"Aut Viam Inveniam Faciam!" everyone repeated.
"Now let's eat." he sat back down and everyone began eating and continued talking.