Author's note: This is my first fanfic ever so please be patient while I figure this out. I've lived in the States for a couple of years, so I learned "American English" but now I have to type "British English." If you notice any words spelled the american way, please tell me. Anyways, in this chapter I'm introducing Chloe, a 'normal muggle'. I will try to make most information compatible with real life facts, or info from Harry Potter, but sometimes I might decide to change it so it'll fit in with the story better. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise from the Harry Potter books!
Chapter 1:
A Normal Muggle
Chloe McDonalds sat staring out the window, in her own little world. It was the last day of school before summer vacation, and she had been looking forwards to it a long time. Mr. Stott, her teacher, was letting them 'visit' for the last 15 minutes of school as long as it was quiet. Which, of course, it wasn't.
Against Chloe's protests, Sarah DcDonalds, Chloe's mother, had enrolled her at St. James, a catholic primary school. She had to wear a uniform, usually consisting of black trousers or a grey skirt with a light blue polo shirt (or, if both her polo shirts were in the wash, she had to wear a shirt with a tie!) and a royal blue school sweatshirt. The school colors were blue and gold, so the tie was checkered with those colors. It was ugly!
But Chloe was a big girl now, almost done with her first year of school. After the summer she would start Class Two, and she was worried and excited already.
"Chloe!" An urgent whisper jolted her out of her thoughts. The voice belonged to Jessica Martins who had been her friend since before they started school.
"What?" she whispered back, half annoyed at Jessica for stopping her thought train.
"School ends in ten minutes, aren't you excited?" Jessica's dark brown eyes shone with excitement. Her short dark chocolate colored hair cupped her heart-shaped face, flushed with happiness. "You know how much I hate school, right?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Um, do you really expect me to remember that when you've only told me about ten times . . . in the last half hour?" They both started giggling, earning themselves a sharp look from Mr. Stott.
"Girls!" he reprimanded, though his heart wasn't in it. How could he be mad on the last day of school?
Riiing! The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.
"'Bye kids," Mr. Stott said. "Have a great summer!"
"We will!" they yelled in unison before bolting out the door.
Mr. Stott looked at the door that the children had disappeared through. "Manners these days," he muttered, shaking his head. But no one was around to hear him.
-:-
"Mom, I'm home!" Chloe shouted, sprinting into their little, so called house. It was more like an apartment that was its own building. She stuffed her book bag into the closet, not even wanting to see it during the summer.
"Chloe, let me see your report card," Mrs. McDonalds called. Chloe jumped up and ran into the kitchen.
"Here you go, Mom." She looked over it again herself.
Subject.,.,.,.1st sem,.,.2nd sem.,.,.Exam.,.,.,.,.,.eoy
Math.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+
English.,.,.,.,.,.A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+
Literature.,.,.,.A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+
Science,.,.,.,.,.A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+
P.E,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,A+.,.,.,.,.,.,.,ex.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.A+
Key: A+ - very high; A – well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; F – well below average; ex – exempt.
"Not bad, Chloe, not bad," Mrs. McDonalds said drily, a small smile playing at her lips and shaking her head in disbelief. "What shall we do to challenge you, Chloe?"
"Nothing, Mom," she replied smugly. "It's summer vacation now, and there are many things I'd rather do than challenge myself."
"So true, so true," Mrs. McDonalds muttered, still shaking her head, still amazed. "Well, I don't see why I'm so surprised, seeing as you do this well every year."
"Not every year," Chloe corrected. "In my third year, in the first semester Science, my A wasn't starred!" Chloe kept a straight face, her mouth open in mock horror. Then she burst out laughing along with her mom. "I'm going to enjoy myself with a good book. I'll see you later Mom!" Chloe pranced back to her room, grabbed her favourite book, and curled up in a big, soft armchair.
-:-
...and they lived happily ever after. Chloe snorted in disgust. 'I hate that ending! Why do books end like that? Why do authors think that just because they finish writing the story the characters have to live happily? Well, I'm glad that I'm not just some character out of a book where the author can control my mind! At least I have one thing to be thankful for!' Chloe stopped her train of though, pausing. 'Fine, I have more than one thing to be thankful for. Still, I have many to be nonthankful for also. Wait, is nonthankful even a word?' she asked herself before finding her dictionary. 'Aha!' she though, looking down at the page:
unthankful
adjective
not feeling or showing pleasure,
relief or graditude
'So it's unthankful, not nonthankful. I should have known but at least now I'll remember after looking it up,' Chloe mused. 'I still hate the ending of that book, though. How could the author know that the characters didn't get in a fight over whether they wanted chocolate chips in their waffles or not. Oh yeah, the author controls them! I forgot. NOT! Maybe I'll write a book one day where Icontrol the characters!' She laughed at herself, putting the dictionary back on her desk, and her eyes caught sight of a picture of a golden horse.
Sunny, a palomino Quarter Horse, posed beautifully in the picture. Soft green grass underneath polished hooves, muzzle turned towards the wind, mane blowing out behind him, he stood regally proud. The picture captured his spirit, never to be broken. Still, close up he was more, much more. His soft chocolaty eyes shone with love and trust when he saw her. They sparkled with a teasing glint on the trail or while playing catch-me-if-you-can when he was in high spirits. They widened with fear and anger when something unknown got too close. She knew him, understood him, to the point where every twitch held a meaning. His delicate cupped ears laying back in fear, pointing forwards interested, turned to the sides relaxed, or picked up alertly. She read the swish of his tail, the gentle nicker. Chloe knew her horse.
There was just one problem: he wasn't hers. She trusted, loved, and took care of him, but legally he belonged to her neighbors. They were kind people, the Nelsons, and they let her ride almost every day. In return, she mucked out his box (they only had one box, horse so he was a little lonely), groomed him, played with him, put him in his pasture at 5:30 every morning, and any other stable chores. She enjoyed them all, being a horsecrazy horselover.
Chloe sighed happily, thinking about her best friend who happened to be a horse, and got into bed. A smile crossed her face as sleep overcame her.
-:-
This chapter is dedicated to Chloe McDonalds, my first ever fictional character. Please review and tell me what you think.