Live Another Day
Author's Note: And so it begins! This is the first fanfiction I've ever written, and I started it back in December, I think. It was originally posted at GinnyPotter, which is a superb Harry Potter fanfiction community with a lot of great stories.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, Seamus would be the protagonist and we would all move to Ireland and worship him.
The series isn't that twisted, so you know I didn't write it.
I do, however, own a Russian Dictionary. I can say "wolf" in Russian! (Along with a couple other things.)
Chapter One: The Big Feathery Visitor
The orphanage was usually quiet at this hour in the morning. If this had been a normal day, Emmy would have been curled up in her blue bedspread, her blonde hair a mess around her. Emmy's positioning this morning was completely normal, but what was going on around her clearly wasn't.
For one, the girls that Emmy shared a room with (Rosy and Violet) were up. Violet was normally up first, and she normally awoke Emmy at eight. But today was certainly not a normal day, as it was seven and Violet was already shaking Emmy awake. Violet hadn't even had time to run a brush through her curly black hair when she realized something wasn't right.
Maybe it was the fact that her six-year-old roomate, Rosy, was awake at this dratted hour. Maybe it was the fact that Emmy hadn't been snoring. Could it, perhaps, be the fact that her beaded necklace lie on the floor in pieces? But most likely of her accusations, it was the fact that there was a large bird with wide eye just sitting on her windowsill.
Emmy, on the other hand, thought that today would be perfectly normal. A regular day in the life of Emmy.
She turned her head on the pillow and her dreamy thoughts swam around in her head. Her dreams often sent her flying about, whether it be night or day. More than once she had fallen off of her bed and onto the floor. At those times, she saved Violet the trouble of going through the process of waking her up.
"Em," called a distant voice. "Emmy, you've got a visitor. A big feathery visitor."
Emmy rolled over in her sleep.
"Wake UP!" Violet bellowed. Her black curls danced about while she shook Emmy in frustration.
Emmy rolled again.
"But Em," Violet continued. "There is a big, huge bird on the windowsill. It's looking at you. It's got something tied to its leg as well."
"EM!" Rosy shrieked, "BIG, FLUFFY BIRDIE OUTSIDE ON THE WINDOW. WAKE UP YOU LAZY BEAST!"
Being an impatient six-year-old, Rosy decided on the spot to stop yelling and take action. She was bored and she wanted to know why the bird was there.
Rosy jumped on top of Emmy and shook her. It didn't work, so Rosy tried again. "EMMY!" she screamed. "BIG BIRDY ON THE WINDOW. WAKEY, WAKEY!
She then took hold of Emmy's face and slapped it.
"Uhhhh," Emmy groaned. "Geroff me!"
"SEE THE BIRDY!" Rosy shouted at her.
"No, no," Violet and Emmy said, "you'll wake—"
But it was too late. Callandra Bush stood outside the door.
"Weeeeel," she said sweetly, prolonging the vowel, "I do not think you are allowed to have pets, orphans. But then we'd have given up this little mangy thing looong ago." She was pointing to Rosy, who scowled. "I think," she continued, "that my mother should know about this."
It was bad enough that the orphanage director's daughter knew about the rule breaking (No pets or animals were allowed at the orphanage, and it had been several times that Emmy had brought furry friends into the room.), but Callandra had to make it worse. In the truth, Callandra Bush made everything worse. Her perfect golden ringlets looked worse on her, well fed and pompous. Callandra was the perfect sneak; she blended in and she was controlling. And rich. She paid some of the other orphans to snitch on rule-breakers.
"MUMMY!" Callandra bellowed. "I HAVE FOUND YOU SOME RULE BREAKERS!"
For the obese lady she was, Mrs. Bush traveled up the stairs in record time.
"Now, now, what do we have here?" Mrs. Bush said in a sickly sweet voice that was uncannily like Callandra's.
The three orphans gulped. Then the bird, which was an owl, Emmy guessed, flew to Mrs. Bush.
"Get this bloody bird off me!" she screeched.
Emmy went to help, but Mrs. Bush shooed her off.
Callandra had no intention of getting anywhere near the bird.
"Oh, god, you bloody bird," Emmy muttered, "Just get off."
And the bird did.
Emmy was amazed. The owl had listened? No, she answered herself. It had just gotten tired.
Mrs. Bush let out a long stream of blasphemous words before screaming at Emmy. Emmy had expected this; Mrs. Bush always went for her.
"YOU BROUGHT THAT BIRD IN HERE! I WILL HAVE NONE OF THAT! YOU'RE LUCKY I GAVE YOU A HOME IN THIS ORPHANAGE, YOU FILTHY LITTLE BRAT! YOU WILL BE SCRUBBING THIS PLACE SPOTLESS! DO YOU HEAR? S-P-O-T-L-E-S!" Emmy sniggered uncontrollably at Mrs. Bush's spelling mistake.
"AND THEN YOU'LL WORK IN THE KITCHEN WITH COOKIE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH! AFTER THAT, YOU'LL NEVER GET TO LEAVE AND YOU GET THE HONOR OF BEING MY SERVANT. FOREVER! AND SERVANTS SHOULDN'T GET THEIR OWN ROOMS! YOU'LL BE SLEEPING UNDER THE STAIRWELL! NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"
Emmy couldn't believe how unfair Mrs. Bush was being. Mrs. Bush simply hated Emmy. She didn't have a clue why. Mrs. Bush often overreacted when it came to punishing Emmy. But it seemed that she'd really blow her top this time. Emmy was in trouble.
Emmy obeyed quickly, shoving her blanket and clothes into her bag. She glanced at Violet and Rosy, who looked away. Crossing over the carpeted floor, she glared ferociously at Callandra. Even though Emmy had just been sentenced to near-death, Callandra recoiled at the intensity.
Emmy stalked out, stopping to kick Mrs. Bush in the shins several times before she passed through the doorframe.
Like it? It turns into more of a mystery by the end of the first couple of chapters, and now it isn't that exciting, I know. Think of this as a...sample! It gets better.
Love from,
Twiggy
