Title: Midway
Rating: T
Pairings: Completely OC, all of them
Disclaimer: I did not create Hogwarts or the magical world on which this story is based.
Summary: Danielle Wilson was not, by any standard, average. First and foremost, she was a witch. Not just any witch- a muggle born one. In short, that meant she was harassed both at school and at home. Second, all her friends were male. She simply did not get along with females- they were far too manipulative for her taste. Third, she was a wizarding rarity- a Metamorphmagus, as they called it. And finally, she was in love with her muggle neighbor.
She spent every summer with Ethan. They'd usually work around the barn, or take the horses out. Danielle's father was always relived when she came home- the incredible work load was finally lifted off his shoulders. His wife passed away month after Danielle was born, and he was forced to balance parenting and farming.
The problem with the summers was always keeping up the charade. Danielle had to convince everyone she was going to some far away boarding school. For this to work, she had to obtain from using magic and changing form. No matter what happened, she had to keep her emotions- and therefore her physical self- in check. But the summer Ethan started going out with Madeline, every last trace of serenity went out the door. And to add one more worry to the list, he-who-must-not-be-named is attacking… attacking muggles!
Danielle POV
I was sitting in my usual compartment, along with Alex, David, Luke and Scott. David and Scott were passionately discussing the latest Quittitch game, being the mindless Griffindors they were. Luke was trying to transfigure his luggage into a pillow, with little to no success. Alex, a pureblooded Slytherin, was determined to understand exactly what is expected of him when he meets my father. He was spending the summer with me, attempting to escape the escalating pureblood mania.
Despite his efforts, Alex was failing to comprehend the basic message of our whole muggle ways session- stay normal. Mediocrity is vital, and anything that isn't remotely mundane must be disposed of. I attempted to go through our cover story one more time.
"Alright, you go to Albert Einstein's Institute for the Academically Gifted. It's a boarding school. Your father is a veterinarian, and your mother stays at home. You live in the suburbs. You are staying the summer with me because you wanted to see the horses. Got it?" I asked desperately.
"Wait… horses are those unicorns without the horns, right? And you have a farm full of them?" He asked. I mentally groaned.
"Yes. You'll be seeing lots of them this summer. I just wish you would have taken muggle studies!" I said, frustrated.
"Well, we can't all be highly educated Ravenclaws, now can we?" He teased.
"We're ten minutes away!" Luke announced, finally giving up on transfiguring his luggage.
I nodded, and then remembered one final detail.
"One more thing…" I whispered to Alex. "You will not give away anything about Ethan!" I hissed. He chuckled diabolically.
"I mean it!" I seethed. He coughed indiscreetly. "Danielle, your hair…" he whispered.
"Oh, right…" I mumbled. I changed my hair from the bright red shade it acquired back to its usual shade of brown.
Alex turned to give his input into the raging Quittitch discussion, and I turned back to my book- 1000 Practical Potions. Scott laughed and mumbled some incoherent insults.
When we arrived, we all exchanged a few hugs and swore to write. I reminded them to only send owls my way during nighttime.
On the platform, it was rather obvious who the muggle parents were and who the "cleverly disguised" wizards were. All the prefects come out of their compartment and said their goodbyes to me, even though I refused to sit with them. I lead Alex towards my dad- the only one in a simple plaid shirt and jeans. He was painfully muggle, standing next to his old pickup truck.
"How's my little girl?" He said, hugging me tightly.
"Dad… I'm fifteen! No need to choke me to death!" I said, my face pressed up awkwardly against his chest. He laughed.
"You must be Alex!" He said, hugging him tightly. Alex, who was born to an extremely unaffectionate family, just stood there, stiff.
The rest of the drive home was full of embarrassing questions.
"So, are you going to take that appearing class next year?" Dad asked.
"Um… It's apparating, dad…" I said. Alex glared at me. I hadn't quite prepared him for my dad's low level of wizarding knowledge. My hair turned pink with shame. Alex coughed, and I regained control.
"Right..." dad mumbled. He decided to avoid school talk.
"Have you made any girl friends this year?" he asked eagerly, though he knew the answer.
Alex laughed aloud. "I believe I have more female friends than your daughter here, sir." he said.
Dad laughed "Good for you, son". However, I could tell he was disappointed. He was always a bit put off with my preference towards the opposite sex. He felt like he couldn't protect me from their "deceiving ways" at Hogwarts. If only he knew my heart was left at home, just off the property line.
"Actually," I admitted "I've been talking to a girl named Rachel. Shocking, isn't it?" I said sarcastically.
"Rachel is a Ravenclaw Prefect." Alex clarified. "She shouldn't even count as a girl. She's more... Asexual." he explained.
It was a bit true, but truth was she was the only prefect girl who didn't immediately hate my guts. See, it was an everlasting cycle; I befriended boys, girls hated me more, I was forced to befriend more boys.
Normally, girls either thought I was a complete slag or a complete tom boy. They were jealous of how close I could get to guys, and resented me for it. But despite most rumors, I just didn't sleep with my friends. It wasn't my fault that I was a bit more easygoing than other girls.
Alex was a very eligible bachelor in Hogwarts, pureblood and all. He's a fine Quittitch player and- contrary to what I'd normally claim- is actually pretty attractive. Putting Ethan aside, I'd say he's my best friend. This puts me in a very bad position. I believe there's a group of Hufflepuffs dedicated merely to "bringing me down". There girls are determined that Alex must talk to them- and only them. His, er… friend with benefit (or as I call her, residential shagging mate), Shannon, hates me for knowing him so well. In fact, it's safe to say we fantasize about dueling each other. But according to Alex, she's exactly what he needs (I assume that by this he means an easy lay).
Lost in thought, I feel asleep against the window. When we finally arrived, Ethan was waiting for me.
Ethan POV
I saw the truck from about a mile away. I could always identify Mr. Wilson's car by the uneven rumbling of the engine. The car turned down the driveway and parked, and I waited patiently while sitting on the stairs. The first thing I saw was Dani's cheek smashed on the window. The second was a pale yet muscular boy.
He had snowy white hair, and pale blue eyes. He wore strange black robes- I can only assume fashion was odd over at the boarding school. But most importantly, he looked far too uppity and completely misplaced here in the farmlands.
He shook Dani, waking her up. She groggily opened her green eyes, before they widened. I waved and she immediately jumped out of the car and hugged me.
She got taller since Christmas- though I still towered over her. Her soft aura of curls bounced as she jumped with joy. Her freckles were back, after fading through the winter, giving contrast to her smooth, pale skin.
"Ethan!" she shrieked as she hugged the living hell out of me.
"Hey, Dani!" I said, hugging her back tightly. She glared at me for using her least favorite nickname, her eyes darkening.
Meanwhile, the blonde boy slammed the car door. "Never calling you Danielle again." he announced. As if remembering his presence, she introduced us.
"Ethan, this is Alex- a friend from school. Alex, this is..." he cut her off saying "is this really necessary?". Her face flushed with red, spreading down to her neck.
"Yes, it is" Dani spat. "This is Ethan, my neighbor." she finished.
Alex shook my hand, smirking. "I've heard a lot about you." he said. I felt like I was missing the joke.
"Wish that I could say the same." I said, trying to prove my claim over Dani. He shrugged.
We entered the old house and walked up the wooden stairs to Dani's room. Before she went to boarding school, it was covered in picture of horses, bands, Mr. Wilson, and us- with her occasional framed drawing. Now, the walls were covered in pictures of the ancient looking school with coy smiles pasted on faces upon faces of unfamiliar boys. The boys all wore the strange black robs, some with different colored ties. Resolution wise, the pictures were very good- it almost seemed like the trees moved with the gentle breeze, and soft chuckles burst through the lips of the subjects. She had complex star maps spread and pasted over her ceiling, patterns disrupted by the occasional complex numerical chart. Her bookcase was filled to maximum capacity. I once thought of reading the covers, but whenever I tried I got oddly distracted. A few sketches were stacked on her table, collecting dusk since Christmas.
I always liked Dani's room. It was oddly homey. I loved the scent of the wooden furniture and the slight disarray of school papers combines with her artwork. Through her window you could see the entire grass filled meadow where we sometimes took the horses. A stream passed through it, adding the relaxing sound of moving water to her already calming living space.
Dani dropped her suitcase and lead Alex to the guest room. It was a smaller room, right next door to hers. They had to share a bathroom which made me a bit uncomfortable. While she was getting him sheets, I pulled him over and tried to use my most intimidating voice.
"Alex," I practically barked at him. "I think of Dani as a sister. If you try anything with her, I will go after you. Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't seem like the kind of guy who treats girls with much respect." I added.
He laughed. "No, I'm not." He said simply. "But don't worry about it. I've got a girlfriend back at Hog… school." He rushed.
I smiled at him, not wanting him to think I was the overprotective best friend. If he was Dani's friend, I should probably get along with him.
Finished with the sheets, Dani announced we should go outside and let Alex meet the horses.
"Alright." I agreed.
Alex POV
Danielle was not doing well, as far as being inconspicuous. First, it was her emotions. Her hair had changed colors about a dozen times while Ethan was looking away. It was just a matter of time before he caught her green-haired. Second was her room. Pictures of Hogwarts flooded the walls- she had charmed them not to move, but occasionally Scott's shaggy hair would rustle with the wind or Luke would suddenly make a pig face. She had Astronomy notes all over the place, with the occasional Arithmancy charts. Her bookcase was filled with her favorites- Hogwarts: A History, her "pet" The Monster Book of Monsters, and a few "checked out" forbidden books. Apparently, this was charmed as well, seeing as no eyebrows were raised.
As we entered the barn, I smelled the scent of manure. "Get used to it," Danielle called. "You'll be getting very familiar with it for the next two month". I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
"This," She said, pointing at a medium sized, reddish-brown colored horse with huge, chocolate colored eyes, "is Autumn. He's a sweet old guy. Goofy, but extremely lovable. I'll be riding him." She announced.
"That," she said, now pointing to a midnight-black horse "is Blaze. He is our mustang and still in training. Don't go anywhere near him."
We continued walking along the fence until we reached the next horse. It was rather large, covered in dark brown fur and had an intimidating look set on his eyes. Or, as I later discovered, her. "Kayla." Danielle mentioned, "She's Ethan's specialty. Complete bitch, she is. Bossy, but not downright vicious. He's the only one who really loves her. Great horse, horribly moody." Danielle said.
Ethan tried to defend her, offended. "Don't listen to the big, mean girl." he comforted the horse. "She's just jealous of my mad skills. She can't train as well as I can." He teased. Danielle slapped the back of his head. "You know my horsemanship kicksass."
Moving on, Danielle reached a small, gray haired horse. It seemed kind of old and tired, simply grazing around. "That's her." Danielle motioned. "Mandy. She's an old horse of ours. Middle-aged, I'd say. She doesn't spook, so we put beginners on her. She kind of dominates her riders, but beginners need that." She said. "You'll be riding her." She added casually.
"Um.. I don't think…" While Ethan's back was turned, Danielle turned red and grew a single horn out of each side of her temple. I tried to hold in my laugh. "You will do as I say" she said. We both held back giggles.
In a moment of weakness, I said yes. And so it started- We sattled up Autumn, Kayla and Mandy and Danielle lead her way to the stream. But we weren't alone.
On three white, perfectly groomed horses say three blonde, perfectly groomed blondes.
"Hey. Ethan." Called out one. We all got off our horses, allowing them to drink. Ethan waved. Danielle turned orange. I coughed.
"Oh, right.. You guys all know Danielle. That's Alex, a friend from her school." He motioned. I awkwardly waved.
"Another friend." One of the blondes emphasized. The tips of Danielle's hair were starting to turn reddish, but she caught herself.
"So, Ethan," said the first blonde, who happened to be the tallest. "Can you come over and help me with some yard work? I sure could use some muscle." She said, fluttering her eyelids. It was disgusting, her weak, shameless façade.
"Actually, Madeline," Danielle cut in firmly. "He's helping me paint the fence. If you want, you can join." Danielle added in what I knew to be her false sweet voice. Suddenly, I understood.
Madeline has been a subject of Danielle's concern since first year. I've heard her drown on and on about her annoying perfection. Madeline was essentially the polar opposite of Danielle. She had perfect blond hair, and sparkling hazel eyes. She was as girl as farmgirls get. She was an insanely talented singer. She was a complete flirt, a tease, a "hormonal hurricane", as Danielle said. And the biggest problem? She was nice. She had her little drones- Rebecca and Katie- do all the dirty work for her, without her ever asking. Boys fall for her left and right. She was like the residential Glinda- making Danielle the Wicked Witch.
"Oh, that's alright." Madeline said. "But feel free to drop by." She said, winking at Ethan.
Ethan seemed oblivious to the loaded exchange- he was far more focused on Madeline's breasts as she cantered away on her horse, followed by who I now knew to be Rebecca and Katie. Danielle smacked him.
"Let's go." She said.
That night was the first night she had cried over a boy. I could hear her sobs over in the guest room, even though she muffled them with her pillow. When I couldn't take it anymore, I came into her room. She pointed her want at the unexpected intrusion, about to hex me. I then noticed her body was a dark blue.
"Why him?" She wailed. "Why did she have to fall for him?"
I think by this point, Danielle already knew what would happen. She knew Madeline was one of those girls who always get their way, magic or no magic. Yet knowing so didn't prevent the heartbreak that followed.