Year Six: The Prophecy
Author's Note: We realize that the word mud bloods has a space in it in our story thus far. Unfortunately, for some reason, the computer we are currently using makes that correction, and we have yet to find a way to stop it!
Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter (sadly…)
"Dear Aunt Colleen,"
Jade began a long a overdue letter to aunt as she sat on the Hogwarts Express. She was alone in a compartment, half-wishing for some company, when she decided to begin the letter. And yet, now, with her quill in hand and parchment in front of her, she found no words. And really, there wasn't a lot to say.
Jade's parents, Irish muggles, had perished in a terrible car accident that summer. Her aunt had let her come and stay with her, which wasn't that big of a deal, considering that she had spent the majority of her childhood living with her aunt, while her parents attempted to sort out their rocky relationship. She was transferring to Hogwarts. Her aunt, the only other witch in the family, had gone there.
Just as Jade stuffed her quill and parchment back into her small knapsack, deciding to write to her aunt later, she heard a knock at the door.
"Yeah, come on in," she called, looking up to greet whoever was about to appear.
The door opens. A girl with blondish brown hair (with shocking lime green highlights, and the tips dyed blue) walks in. She wears a football (English soccer) jersey and khaki shorts. And she sat down across Jade her numerous necklaces jingled together, making a light clinking sound.
"It's okay if I sit here, right?" the girl asks, even though she was already situated in the seat across from Jade. She props her sandal wearing feet up next to Jade.
"Um, yeah. Whatever," Jade says, shrugging in an attempt to display indifference.
"Good! Everywhere else I went was jammed full!" She grins, bouncing a little in her seat. "My name's Dusk Hammons…you?"
Jade eyes the girl for a moment. She has tan skin and a thick English accent. Her white teeth set out brightly against her tan skin as she smiles.
"I'm Jade McGillan," Jade answers. "Um, nice to meet you." Her voice trails off slightly. Jade had always been somewhat at a loss for words when meeting new people. Dusk however, who seemed terribly talkative, made up for any lack of socialism on Jade's part.
"I'm from Hawaii," Dusk announces proudly. "My dad's English, so there's the accent…"
"And the tan skin is from your mum," Jade observes.
Dusk nods. Jade quickly realizes that Dusk is a very animated person.
After talking about Hawaii and her parents and pretty much all aspects of her life for a half hour or so, Dusk becomes quieter. Her interests stray from her own life, and instead she begins asking Jade questions about her life.
"Well," Jade begins, not sure how to explain her family situation. "My parents are…well, were…well…" She feels her face flushing slightly as she searches for the words to explain her parent's deaths to this strange girl.
"Are you okay?" asks Dusk, sensing Jade's distress at the subject.
"Yeah, yeah," Jade reassures both Dusk and herself. "It's just, you see, my parents died this past summer, so I'm living with my aunt." There. She had said it.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Dusk replies, a look of sincere empathy in her eyes.
"Thanks," says Jade, trying to act like it's no big deal. "Anyway, my parents were Irish, like me. Muggles, actually. Dad was a banker, and Mum was a dentist. Rather boring on that front, really," she chuckles a little in an attempt to lighten the mood, and Dusk joins her.
Just then, as they are laughing, an old woman pushing along the trolley opens the door to their compartment.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?" she asks, as is her custom.
Jade pulls a sickle from the depths of her pocket and purchases a chocolate frog. Dusk gets some of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, which the two split.
"Ugh!" Jade cries, chewing on a bean about half an hour later. "This is absolutely horrid!"
Jade and Dusk had made their way through the beans, and were each on their last one when the door to their compartment opened once again. A round, stout boy walks in. He has dark hair and a shy, confused way about him.
"Hi," he mumbles. "I'm Neville." Both girls notice that his voice has a nasally quality to it. "I'm supposed to tell everyone that we'll be there soon, and to change into their robes. So…you know…yeah."
"Okay," says Dusk, stifling a giggle. "Thank you."
He nods and leaves the compartment, shutting the door behind him.
"Wow…I sure hope all the guys around here aren't like him," Jade says, snickering.
"You can say that again," agrees Dusk.
They turn away from one another and quickly change into their robes.
After they finish changing, Jade asks a question that has been lingering in her mind for some time. "I still have to be sorted into a house. What house are you in?"
"I still have to be sorted also," Dusk says. "I'm transferring from an American school." She gazes out the window. "Oh my," she says. "Do you mind if I open this?"
Jade shakes her head, turning to the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever is interesting Dusk.
Dusk pries the window open and a large silvery eagle owl flies in, causing Jade to jump back.
"Don't worry," Dusk says, letting the bird perch on her arm. "This is my owl, Kala."
"Oh, okay," Jade says. "You had me confused for a second there."
Dusk grins. Just then, the door opens once again. A squealing girl with a rather squashed looking face, somewhat resembling that of a pug faced dog, enters the compartment, with a blonde boy trailing behind her.
"Oh my," says Dusk, trying to keep her cool. "No offense, but have people around here ever heard of knocking?"
The sqealing girl stops her sqealing and throws a dirty look at Dusk.
"Look what we have here, Draco," she says, sneering. "We've encountered a couple filthy mud bloods."
"Can we help you?" snarls Jade.
"Yeah, get out of here," answers the girl. "We don't want any mud bloods in our school!"
"Apparently you're not big on manners either," counters Dusk.
"Whatever," says the girl, apparently out of snide remarks for the moment.
"Just forget it, Pansy," chimes in the blonde boy.
"Leave it to you to take their side!" screams the girl, Pansy. Then she turns and stomps out of the compartment.
"Sorry 'bout her," the boy says, shrugging. "Bit off her wig sometimes, you know?"
"Sure," says Jade, even though she doesn't know what he means. "Just keep her away from me! Nobody has any business insulting me just because of who my parents are!"
"You mean your parents really are muggles?" he asks, a smirk forming on his lips.
"Yeah," Jade says, standing. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
The boy looks as though he is about to make a nasty comment, and Jade is fully prepared to counter it and defend both herself and the memory of her parents. But then Dusk stands up, and the boy seems to notice her for the first time.
"I'm Dusk Hammons," she introduces herself, trying to avoid the brewing conflict. She eyes the boy and is pleased with what she sees: piercing blue eyes, a tall frame, white blonde hair. "I'm transferring from Salem Academy of Witchcraft, in America. It's an all girls school. Boring as hell, actually." She giggles flirtatiously. Her owl screeches. "Oh, this is Kala, by the way."
"I'm Draco Malfoy," the boy introduces himself, flashing a bright smile at Dusk.
"Jade McGillan," Jade says. "The mud blood, apparently. I'm transferring from Dublin Witchcraft Academy."
Draco nods, but keeps his awe-stuck gaze on Dusk's smiling face.
"Cool," he says. "I'm from here, England. I'm in Slytherin House." He gestures to the Slytherin House coat of arms on his robes.
"You're so lucky to be sorted. I am not looking forward to going up and getting sorted with all the first years!" Dusk says.
"Yeah," Jade says more to Dusk than to Draco, who she still doesn't completely trust. "It's bad enough when you are a first year."
"Don't worry," Draco reassures them. "There's always a couple of transfers. What year are you guys in?"
"I'm a sixth year, and Jade a….what year are you, Jade?" Dusk answers.
"I'm sixth, too," Jade says.
"Me too," Draco says, nodding at the girls. He grins. "Must have been a good year or something."
Dusk's heart flutters at his joke. Wow, this guy is awesome! I hope isn't after him, because I sure am!
She turns to Jade, who is gazing out the window indifferently. Okay, guess I'm safe there.
"Well, you guys had better get your stuff around and ready to go. We should be arriving any minute now."
Jade nods. God, this guy really is a piece of work. First he calls me a mud blood, totally dissing my heritage, then he tells me what to do! She looks at Dusk, who obviously is adoring Draco. Oh well, guess Dusk likes him.
She goes back to organizing her knapsack.
"I guess I'd better go get my own stuff around, too," Draco says, heading for the door.
"Okay," says Dusk, looking somewhat deflated. "See you around?"
"Yeah, definitely."
Dusk grins as Draco leaves the compartment. She turns her smiling face to Jade.
"This is going to be the best year ever!" she gushes.
Suddenly, the door bursts open, once again.
"Oh my God, could you people knock, please!?!?" Jade says, exasperated.
"Um, sorry," says the boy standing in the door frame. He has messy black hair and striking green eyes framed by glasses. "Are you the transfers?"
"Yeah," Jade says. "Sorry for snapping like that, but you have no idea how many people have just burst in here in the last half hour!" She laughs a bit, hoping to show him that she isn't really mad.
"Oh, okay," says the boy. "People tend to think of the train as their own personal property sometimes. After six years of riding it…well, you know."
"You're a sixth year?" Dusk chimes in. "Us too!"
The boy nods. "Yeah. Anyway, I'm supposed to take you to get sorted."
"Oh. Doesn't that happen in the Great Hall?" asks Jade.
"How would you know that if you're a transfer?" asks the boy, surprised.
"When I found out I was transferring here, I picked up a copy of Hogwarts: A History."
"Well, anyway, yeah, the first years get sorted in there. But transfers go up to Dumbledore's office and get sorted."
"But…" Jade protests. "As headmaster, doesn't he kind of have to be there for the sorting ceremony. Not to mention the hat!"
He laughs. "You really did do your research. He sticks around for the sorting ceremony, makes announcements and all, and then he sneaks off to sort the transfers, if there are any. Then you can go down and join your house."
"Oh…" Dusk says, nodding. "Why not just sort us with the first years then?"
"I don't really know," the boy says, shaking his head. "I guess they just like to keep it a first year thing. Oh, by the way, I'm Harry Potter."
The girls exchange looks.
"I'm Jade McGillan."
"Dusk Hammons here."
"Nice to meet you," says Harry politely. "Well, I'm supposed to take you up to the headmaster's office once we arrive."
"Yes, we gathered that," says Dusk impatiently. "When will we get there?"
SCHREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Whoa!" exclaims Jade as the stopping of the train jolts her forward.
Dusk gets up and opens the compartment door, anxious to go get sorted and get on with her life at Hogwarts. She gathers up her things and charges out the door ahead of Harry and Jade, only to smash into Draco Malfoy.
"Oh my God, I am so sorry!" she says as both of their things clatter to the floor. She bends over and gets her bag and Kala's cage, apologizing both to Draco, and to her owl.
She stands up and sees Draco glaring somewhat maliciously into the compartment. She turns and sees that he is staring into the hard gaze of Harry Potter.
"Potter," Draco acknowledges Harry's presence.
"Malfoy," Harry says.
Dusk pokes her head in between the two. Smiling, she says, "Hammons."
Jade, getting it, chimes in, "McGillan…so, now that we all know each other…"
She and Dusk chuckle at the little joke, hoping to have relieved some of the tension between the two boys.
"Anyway, we probably should leave before the train leaves with us still on it," Dusk suggests.
Jade nods and Kala screeches in agreement from her cage. The girls head for the nearest exit and the boys follow somewhat reluctantly.
"What about our trunks?" asks Dusk once they are outside.
"Well-" both Harry and Draco begin at the same time.
Jade raises an eyebrow as the two boys glare at one another once again.
"Go ahead, Malfoy," Harry says, trying to be a gentleman.
"Yeah…" Draco says. "Well, don't worry about your trunks. They'll be taken to your dormitories once you've been sorted.
"What about Kala?" asks Dusk, giving a concerned look to her owl.
"Um…if you put her with those trunks over there," Harry says gesturing to a large and growing pile of trunks, "they should put her with your other things. Is your name on her cage anywhere?"
Dusk scans the cage, locating a small tag with her own name and Kala's name. "Yeah, it's set." She walks over to the pile of trunks and set's Kala's cage down. "Bye Kala," she mutters before walking away.
"Right well, come on," Draco says once they've all regrouped. "We have to get in a coach."
The four of them find an empty coach and board it.
"I wonder what pulls them?" asks Dusk, as the coach moves along.
"They're rather hideous, aren't they?" asks Jade, making a face.
"You can see them?" Harry says, looking at her intently.
"Of course I can see them," says Jade. "I'm not blind, you know!"
"Well, I can't see them!" complains Dusk, peering out the window at the beasts, which are invisible to her gaze. "Can you?" She turns to Draco.
"Nope," he says, shaking his head.
"That's because you've never seen anyone die," Harry says quietly.
They all look at him, and then at Jade.
"You've seen someone die?" Dusk asks.
"Yeah…um…my aunt was married once. The three of us went hiking once and he fell on a steep part…it's okay, though. We didn't really get along very well."
Dusk nods. "Oh," she says, taking this in.
They sat throughout the rest of the carriage ride in silence. Within a few moments, the carriage halts.
They were at Hogwarts.