8

"Master Russo…" Albus Dumbledore sat at the table of the Great Hall of Hogwarts looking over the youth. With the famous wizard was Justin's other mentor, Professor Victorious Crumbs from Wiz-Tech, and Professor Minerva McGonagall, one of the teachers of Hogwarts. "Professor Danvers is correct that you are a very gifted young man, and one who will go very far, but as yet, I sense other things about you which you have not seen yourself. For one, you have excessive pride in all that you do, and yet, you are often blinded by the emotions of others. You have great knowledge, but little awareness. Hogwarts could make you a great wizard if you choose."

"Yes sir…"

"Justin," Crumbs spoke up. "You could be the greatest student to come out of Wiz-Tech. I love you as if you were my son, but I cannot bear to stand in your way as you strive to improve yourself. Hogwarts would definitely challenge you more than I could, but it would be a far harder path. Are you sure you are up to this?"

Justin had cleared his throat nervously. "Yes, sir…"

"You'd have to start out as a first-year wizard." McGonagall revealed. "You'd have to take the full courses starting from the beginning alongside much younger wizards. You'd have to study very hard before the new semester starts. You'd have to watch as the friends you have already made progress further and faster than yourself. Can you live through that?" She paused a moment. "Nothing you have learned at Wiz-Tech will help you here." Justin stood before them and lowered his head thinking about it.

"I hear Hogwarts calling to me." Justin replied before the three wizards. "And I am heeding to its call. However…" He paused again. "I am hearing another call. I hear my sister's voice, and she needs me. I almost lost my sister because I was not there for her." His eyes filled with tears. "I would do anything to be at your school, but… I cannot leave my sister alone. She needs someone to look after her when our parents are not there. As much as I would rather attend Hogwarts…" He responded emotionally. "I'm giving it up to be by my sister's side."

"It takes a strong heart to do what one knows is right…" Albus responded. "Justin Russo, you have made a very wise decision." He looked to Hagrid sitting at a chair at the bottom of the stairs beneath the teacher's table. The seven-foot giant reared himself up from the Gryffindor seats and gestured to Justin to follow him back out to the outside hall where his sister and Professor Danvers were waiting. Along the way, Justin looked up to the clouds and sunlight coming through the enchanted ceiling then gazed upon the flags representing the four houses on campus. Had he accepted this decision to come here, what house might he had been placed? In his mind's eye, he could just picture the Sorting Hat choke out "Griffindor!"

"Justin…" Danvers turned round to him out in the hall. "Well?" Sitting in the bench with her broken arm in a sling, Alex reared herself up to hear the news. Was she getting an extra room or not? She was hoping on the extra room, but she was also hoping Harper got her wish.

"I decided to stay at Wiz-Tech with Alex and Max." Justin revealed his choice but not his reasons. Alex cursed a bit under breath. At least Harper would enjoy the news.

"All, crud!" Alex was upset as she stood in her Wiz-Tech robes. "I was going to knock down the wall of my room and use your room as a closet!" She revealed her selfish materialistic side.

"Mrs. Russo…" Hagrid appeared in the door to the Great Hall and approached. "The committee has one question for you before they proceed with your evaluation. Do you even want to attend Hogwarts?"

"Not especially…" Alex flipped her hair over her shoulder with her left hand.

"Thank god!!! Oh, I mean…" Hagrid recomposed himself. "It's a shame. A real shame…." He started disappearing into the Great Hall to pass along her reply as his voice drew quiet. "For a second, I thought we'd have another Dracus Malfoy in Slitherin…" He was comparing her to one of their more obnoxious current students.

"Justin," Professor Danvers turned to his young ward. "Are you sure this is what you want? I mean, Hogwarts would serve your proud."

"I am very interested in Hogwarts…" Justin confessed. "But… I can't leave Alex behind. She's needs someone around who knows what they're doing."

"Oh, please!!!" Alex scoffed at that notion. "I so totally could have defeated Samantha if she hadn't broke my wand!"

"Oh, that reminds me…" Danvers stirred around in his satchel to produce a wand. "Here you go, Mrs. Russo…" Professor Danvers presented her with her wand back. "The goblins here do wonderful work!"

"It's my wand back together!!!" She grinned ear-to-ear waving it. "Thank you so much!" She gave him a light hug. At the far end of the hall, Severus Snape was leading Dracus Malfoy, but once Malfoy saw Alex, his face alighted and his cold little heart started pumping. Realizing his protégé was in love, Snape swatted at the boy to keep him focused.

"It's the least I could do considering the scuffle my daughter put you through." Danvers looked to her as if she were another of his daughters. "Well, let's get to Hogsmeade…" Danvers checked his pocket watch. "There is a wonderful little eatery in the village I think you two will like before I take you home. Plus, your father gave me enough money for whatever you two wanted at Honeydukes."

"What's Honeydukes?"

"What's Honeydukes?!!" Danvers was incredulous at Justin's query. "Why just the very best candy shop in the British Isles!! It's enough to have old Willie Wonka blowing steam out his ears!" He guided them along down the exterior steps to make the boat across to Hogsmeade on the other side of the loch.

"Um, uh, Professor…" Alex played a bit with her hair as she walked along. Ron Weasley crossed her path and had an immediate crush on her as well, but Harry just tugged him along with a light chuckle. Alex failed to notice him either. "What happened to Samantha? What'd she say when you changed her back?"

"Oh, I didn't change her back." Danvers confessed. "Both her mother and I have decided to leave her a mannequin for a while. We shipped her to her sister Sabrina in Las Vegas. She's using her to hold her clothes." Professor Danvers beamed to her. Sabrina was the one who looked like Britney Spears and played superhero while befuddling the Las Vegas CSIs.

"Okay, but why does Samantha look like Ashley Tisdale?" Alex asked about Samantha.

"Why do you look like Michayla?" Justin mumbled under breath on his way down the dock.

"Take that back!" Alex whipped her restored wand out from her sling. "You better take that back!!!"

END