Hey, guys. Are you excited as I am for this book? The Half Blood Prince is actually probably my favorite book in the series! Hope you enjoy the first chapter, and remember to leave a review!
Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own the Harry Potter series. Shocking, isn't it?
Levina Snowpetal's earsplitting scream could be heard by anyone within a mile.
She had awoken that morning like normal to the sound of her cousin's clam music box playing softly and Athena's faint hoots. She'd gotten up, tripped over several possessions and plushies on the floor, and had allowed the Spectacled Owl out of her cage, so she could fly out in the early, misty morning air. There was a mess of spell books and newspapers piled on her desk near the window, which she'd been meaning to clean up, and a copy of the Daily Prophet was open on the very top of it all, bearing the caption:
HARRY POTTER: THE CHOSEN ONE?
Levina had scanned the article once, and then ambled wearily over to her large mirror in the corner of her room to tame her messy hair. A surprise had greeted her, however, when she saw her reflection inside it:
Everything but one aspect about her was normal; she'd grown at least a tiny bit taller over the fortnight, and she was, to her delight, more womanly in her figure than before. Her chocolate-brown eyes were exactly the same as they always were, but her hair…
Levina scrambled away from the mirror, staring in utter shock at her reflection. Her usually long, light brown hair was…red. Now, for most of her life, her hair had been a very dark brown, but in the last couple of years, it had been getting progressively lighter and lighter. Just the previous day her hair had been a very light brown color, but now…Now it was a bright red-orange color worthy of the Weasley's.
"Levina? Levina!"
The door burst open and Destiny Levesque staggered into the room, her long black hair messy from sleep and her beautiful blue eyes wide. She was still in her pale blue nightgown and her feet were bare.
"What's going o—" Destiny began, but she broke off at the sight of Levina. She, too, screamed.
"What's happened to me!" Levina screamed. Hair colors didn't just change overnight, and she certainly hadn't used a spell to change it.
"I—I don't—"Destiny spluttered. "Let's—let's just calm down, and go see Dad—"
Without bothering to change out of her pajamas, Levina followed Destiny downstairs and into the kitchen, where Uncle Nicholas was pouring a fresh batch of coffee. Eric Levesque was sitting at the table, scanning the newspaper with his sharp golden eyes. When they entered the room, he looked up from the paper and his handsome features changed from casual to surprise.
"Uh, Uncle…?" said Eric, his eyes locked onto Levina.
"Yes?" said Uncle Nick. He was wearing his black reading glasses over his dark brown eyes. "What is it?"
"Levina's—hair—" Destiny stammered, pointing at Levina.
Uncle Nick adjusted his glasses, gazed over at Levina, and frowned. For a moment, he said nothing. Then he burst into laughter.
"Dad!" said Destiny, shocked. "Why are you laughing? This isn't funny!"
"I should have known this would happen," said Uncle Nick, still chuckling. "Don't worry, Destiny, she's fine."
"What's wrong with my hair?" demanded Levina, bemused. "What happened to me?"
"I swear, have you read any of the Werewolf books we bought you?" said Uncle Nick. "We filled an entire section in the library…"
"Yeah…?"
"Don't you remember?" Uncle Nick crossed the room towards her, passing by Eric, who was still gaping at her. "It's not uncommon for werewolves' hair to change color. A werewolf of your kind has a specific fur color, in your case, red. If the human with the gene has a different color hair than the werewolf gene, then, over time, the human's hair begins to alter gradually to fit the wolf's color, and, eventually, it completely changes."
Levina stared at him in shock. "So, if I were to turn into a werewolf right now, I would have red fur?"
"Exactly," said Uncle Nick.
"How do you know all this?" said Destiny, whose mouth was also hanging open. "Did you read all the books?"
"Well, if your brother is dating a Werewolf, it's kind of hard to not learn about them," said Uncle Nick. "I remember the first time your mother's hair changed color," he added to Levina, grinning. "It used to be more of a black color when she was younger, but by the time she was your age, it was a much lighter brown."
"So…it's normal?" said Levina, sighing in relief.
Uncle Nick nodded. "Anyway, shouldn't you two be packing for the Burrow? Dumbledore should be here today, you know."
"Oh, right," said Levina; she'd received a letter three days ago from Dumbledore, which had read:
Dear Levina,
If it is convenient to you, I shall call at Levesque Manor this coming Friday at twelve p.m. to escort you to the Burrow, where you have been invited to spend the remainder of your school holidays.
Kindly send your answer by return of this owl. Hoping to see you this Friday,
I am yours most sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore.
"Yeah, I should probably go pack," said Levina, still gazing at a strand of her hair in her hand. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Eric?" she added to Eric, who shook his dark head.
"Nah; you two have fun, though," he said, taking a sip of his coffee. "I might just go back to Romania with Ryuu early this year…"
Destiny suddenly giggled.
"What?" said Levina.
"Oh, nothing," said Destiny, still giggling. "It's just that…I'm sure Eric'll have a lot more fun at the dragon sanctuary than here."
A red color flushed across the bridge of Eric's nose. "Hey!" he snapped, looking fiercely at Destiny.
"What?" said Levina, but Destiny shook her head and led her from the room, back up the stairs. Once they were back inside Levina's bedroom, Destiny closed the door shut tight and said immediately, as though she could not hold it in, "Eric's got a girlfriend!"
"What?" said Levina again, shocked. Although very handsome, Eric often kept to himself and wasn't very flirtatious; he was generally fairly cold and quiet. Levina had noticed, however, that he'd been acting different and smiling more since she'd come back from school the previous year.
"They met in Romania, at the dragon sanctuary," Destiny explained, looking delighted to spread this piece of gossip. "He's, like, her mentor, and she came to our house for Easter, while you were at school. She's very nice," she added.
"Hermione'll be disappointed," said Levina, laughing as she began folding her clothes into a suitcase."What's her name?"
"Mirela," said Destiny, waving her wand so that Levina's stuff began flying about the room, cramming into her suitcase. "But don't talk to Eric about it!" she added hastily. "He'll be upset that I told you; I guess he's kind of embarrassed."
"I won't," Levina promised. She removed some old sweets, empty ink bottles, and broken quills from the suitcase bottom, making room for her clothes. Nearby, on the floor, lay a purple leaflet emblazoned with the words:
Issued on behalf of The Ministry of Magic
PROTECTING YOUR HOME AND FAMILY AGAINST DARK FORCES
The Wizarding community is currently under threat from an organization calling itself the Death Eaters. Observing the following simple security guidelines will help protect you, your family, and your home from attack.
1. You are advised not to leave the house alone.
2. Particular care should be taken during the hours of darkness. Wherever possible, arrange to complete journeys before night has fallen.
3. Review the security arrangements around your house, making sure that all family members are aware of emergency measures such as Shield and Disillusionment Charms, and, in the case of underage family members, Side-Along-Apparition.
4. Agree on security questions with close friends and family so as to detect Death Eaters masquerading as others by use of the Polyjuice Potion (see page 2).
5. Should you feel that a family member, colleague, friend, or neighbor is acting in a strange manner, contact the Magical Law Enforcement Squad at once. They may have been put under the Imperius Curse (see page 4).
6. Should the Dark Mark appear over any dwelling place or other building, DO NOT ENTER, but contact the Auror office immediately.
7. Unconfirmed sightings suggest that the Death Eaters may now be using Inferi (see page 10). Any sighting of an Inferius, or encounter with same, should be reported to the Ministry IMMEDIATELY.
"Anyway," said Destiny, breaking into Levina's thoughts, "I wonder what's up with the Malfoys?"
"What do you mean?" said Levina, picking up a brass telescope and some folded up robes.
"I dunno…Dad says they've been acting funny. He says Draco's mum, Narcissa, has been disappearing a lot, and that they all look really pale and stuff."
"Huh," said Levina, not altogether too interested; the Malfoy family was always strange. The fact that Draco's mother was leaving the house a lot and that they weren't out in the sun much wasn't a big news story for her.
"I hardly see that Draco boy, either," Destiny continued as she coaxed Athena back into her cage. "I wonder what he's—OW!"
A black streak of fur had bolted out from under the bed, tripping Destiny and knocking her off her feet; Lilypad, Levina's black cat, had apparently realized that they were preparing to go somewhere, and did not want to be left behind. In her mouth, Draco Malfoy's shoelace hung; she'd stolen it from him and had been obsessed with it since.
"There you are," said Levina, scooping her up. "Sorry," she added to Destiny.
"No problem," said Destiny, although she was rubbing her foot, irritated. "I'll be right back; I'm going to go put on some clothes..."
The pair spent the rest of the day packing up their stuff and preparing to go to the Weasley's house. Levina was especially excited, ready to see Fred Weasley again. She had a feeling she would never tire of his familiar smell, warmth, and voice.
Dumbledore arrived at exactly twelve o'clock; Uncle Nick greeted him in the doorway, with Eric lurking behind him, watching the two wizards chat.
"Good evening, Nicholas," said Dumbledore in his deep voice. "May I come in? It is unwise to linger overlong on doorsteps in these troubled times."
"Of course, of course…"
Levina and Destiny peered around the corner, where a tall, thin man with a waist-length silver hair and beard stood in the entryway. Half-moon spectacles were perched on his crooked nose, and he was wearing a long black traveling cloak and pointed hat.
"It is a long time since my last visit," said Dumbledore, shaking Uncle Nick's hand. "Excellent, excellent…Ah, hello, Eric."
It was strange seeing Eric shake Dumbledore's hand and greet him like an old friend, but Eric had in fact gone to Hogwarts. Destiny and Levina climbed out from behind the corner.
"Hello, Levina," said Dumbledore. Then he paused. "I see the Werewolf gene in you has caught up?" he added, and Levina nodded, glad that she didn't have to explain it.
"Ah, and this must be your daughter, Destiny?"
"Oui," said Destiny, and she too shook Dumbledore's hand, looking slightly shocked at the man's appearance. "It's nice to meet you, sir."
"And the same to you, my dear."
As he drew back his hand from their handshake, Levina saw that it was blackened and shriveled; it looked as though his flesh had been burned away.
"Um, Sir?" said Levina. "What happened to your han—?"
"Later, Levina," said Dumbledore. "Well then... time for us to be off," he said, standing up and straightening his long black cloak.
"Let's get our trunks," said Destiny, and the pair ran back upstairs to gather their belongings. Destiny grabbed her suitcase and Celeste's cage (her rare Pernambuco Pygmy owl) and Levina collected her own. Lilypad uttered a rumbling hiss as she reluctantly climbed into her cage, and as they headed downstairs, Stanislav, Eric's spotted eagle owl, soared over their heads, hooting loudly.
"No, Stani!" said Destiny, waving him away with one hand. "You have to stay here with Eric."
The bird fluttered down onto Eric's shoulder, looking dejected. Levina and Destiny dragged their suitcases and brooms into the hallway, where Dumbledore said, "Until we meet again," to Uncle Nick and Eric, who nodded.
Levina and Destiny hugged Eric and Uncle Nicholas goodbye hastily. "I won't see you again until the holidays," said Destiny, embracing the pair heartily.
"Behave while you're at the Weasleys'," said Uncle Nick, kissing Destiny on the forehead. "Do well in school, and be respectful towards your professors—"
"Of course, Daddy. Au revoir!" she added, and she and Levina exited out through the front door, stepping into cool, misty darkness.
They made their way down the street, in the opposite direction of Malfoy Manor, which did indeed look darker and more empty than usual, Levina noted. They continued walking past Levesque Manor's long gates until they reached the end of the sidewalk. Once there, Dumbledore came to a halt and turned around to look at them.
"You two have not, of course, passed your Apparition Test," he said.
"Er—no?" said Levina. "Don't you have to be seventeen?"
"You do," said Dumbledore. "So you will need to hold on to my arm very tightly. My left, if you don't mind—as you have noticed, my wand arm is a little fragile at the moment."
Levina and Destiny tentatively gripped Dumbledore's proffered forearm.
"Very good," said Dumbledore. "Well, here we go."
Levina felt Dumbledore's arm twist away from her and redoubled her grip; the next thing she knew, everything went black; she was being pressed very hard from all directions; she could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around her chest; his eyeballs were being forced back into her head; her eardrums were being pushed deeper into her skull and then—
She gulped great lungfulls of cold night air and opened her streaming eyes. She felt as though she had just been forced through a very tight rubber tube. It was a few seconds before she realized that Levesque Manor had vanished. She and Dumbledore were now standing near the back door of the Borrow, which was surrounded by the familiar litter of old Wellington boots and rusty cauldrons; she could hear the soft clucking of sleepy chickens coming from a distant shed. Levina realized, just then…She had Apparated.
"Are you all right?" asked Dumbledore, looking down at her solicitously. "The sensation does take some getting used to."
"Er…fine," said Levina, although she felt queasy and she was pretty sure she'd singed off a small strand of hair. "Not so sure about Destiny, though…"
Destiny was kneeling on the ground, holding her stomach and retching. She wasn't actually puking anything, but she looked close to it.
"All right?" Dumbledore asked her, and she nodded vaguely, looking green in the face.
"I'm…" She coughed one last time and staggered to her feet, "…okay."
Dumbledore smiled, drew his traveling cloak a little more lightly around his neck, and said, "This way."
They headed up to the back door of the Burrow, where Dumbledore knocked three times and Levina saw sudden movement behind the kitchen window.
"Who's there?" said a nervous voice she recognized as Mrs. Weasley's. "Declare yourself!"
"It is I, Dumbledore, bringing Levina and her cousin, Destiny."
The door opened at once. There stood Mrs. Weasley, short, plump, and wearing an old green dressing gown.
"Levina, dear! Gracious, Albus, two more? I wasn't expecting them until morning!"
"We were lucky, remember?" said Dumbledore, ushering Levin and Destiny over the threshold. "Slughorn proved much more persuadable than I had expected, but you already know that…I figured, since it went so well, I may as well bring these two early as well."
Levina and Destiny dropped their stuff off in a corner of the room, placing all their belongings in a pile. She noticed that Destiny kept glancing around her, gazing at everything with wonder. Levina wondered whether she was either shocked at how odd the place was, or how poor it was compared to her manor. Whichever the case, she seemed fixated on the enchanted clock on the wall.
"Well, I shall see you at Hogwarts, Levina," said Dumbledore. "Take care of yourself. Nice meeting you, Destiny," he added, and Destiny nodded.
He made Mrs. Weasley a bow and vanished. Mrs. Weasley closed the door on the empty yard and then steered Levina by the shoulders into the full glow of the lantern on the table to examine her appearance.
"Good heavens, dear!" she gasped, apparently only now noticing her hair in the bright light. "What's happened to your hair?"
"Er…Werewolf thing," said Levina, fighting the urge to run to the nearest mirror and examine her new hair color.
"Oh," said Mrs. Weasley, although she still appeared to be confused. "Well, you still look lovely, my dear. Nothing wrong with red hair," she added with a laugh, considering how all the Weasleys were redheads. "I swear, you look prettier every time I see you. Oh, hello, Destiny!" she added.
"Hello," said Destiny, grinning. "Nice to see you again, Mrs. Weasley."
"Yes, well, I do hope you two forgive the mess," she said, gazing around at the cluttered room.
"I think it's lovely," said Destiny. "Strangely enough, our house doesn't have a whole lot of magical objects…"
"Oh, well, thank you," said Mrs. Weasley, looking slightly flattered. "Are you two hungry?"
"Yeah, actually," said Levina; she and Destiny hadn't eaten much.
"Er…sure," said Destiny; she still looked slightly ill from the Apparition.
"Sit down, dears, I'll knock something up."
As Levina and Destiny sat down, a furry ginger cat with a squashed face lumped onto their knees and settled there, purring. Levina flicked her wand once and Lilypad's cage was unlocked; she leapt across the room to greet the other cat.
"Crookshanks, eh?" said Levina, grinning as she tickled Crookshanks behind the ears. "Hermione's here, too, then?"
"Oh yes, she arrived the day before yesterday," said Mrs. Weasley, rapping a large iron pot with her wand. It bounced onto the stove with a loud clang and began to bubble at once. "Everyone's in bed, of course, we didn't expect you two for hours. Harry just arrived about an hour before you two. Here you are..."
She tapped the pot again; it rose into the air, flew towards them, and tipped over; Mrs. Weasley slid two bowls nearly beneath it just in time to catch the stream of thick, steaming onion soup.
"Bread, dear?"
"Yes, please," said Levina.
"Oui," Destiny chimed in. "Thank you; this looks delicious."
She waved her wand over her shoulder; a loaf of bread and a knife soared gracefully onto the table; as the loaf sliced itself and the soup pot dropped back onto the stove, Mrs. Weasley sat down opposite them.
"So, I don't know whether Ron's told you in any of his letters," said Mrs. Weasley as Levina hungrily ate a spoonful of hot soup, "it's only just happened...but Arthur's been promoted!"
"That's brilliant!" said Levina through a mouthful of bread.
"Oh, that's wonderful!" said Destiny.
"You are sweet," beamed Mrs. Weasley. "Yes, Rufus Scrimgeour has set up several new offices in response to the present situation, and Arthur's heading the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. It's a big job; he's got ten people reporting to him now!"
"So what exactly—" Destiny began.
"Well, you see, in all the panic about You-Know-Who, odd things have been cropping up for sale everywhere, things that are supposed to guard against You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. You can imagine the kind of thing... so-called protective potions that are really gravy with a bit of Bubotuber pus added, or instructions for defensive jinxes that actually make your ears fall off... Well, in the main the perpetrators are just people like Mundungus Hotelier, who've never done an honest day's work in their lives and are taking advantage of how frightened everybody is, but every now and then something really nasty turns up. The other day Arthur confiscated a box of cursed Sneakoscopes that were almost certainly planted by a Death Eater. So you see, it's a very important job, and I tell him it's just silly to miss dealing with spark plugs and toasters and all the rest of that Muggle rubbish."
"So then, is Mr. Weasley still at work?" asked Levina.
"Oh, no; he arrived home a little while ago, after Harry got here."
"So, Harry's also here, then?" said Levina excitedly; it had not registered the first time she'd mentioned him.
"Yes, he's already in bed; just as you probably should be," she added, as Levina yawned. "Have you had enough soup?"
"Yes, thank you," said Levina, and Destiny nodded quietly.
"I've got Fred and George's room all ready for you; although you'll have to share it with Harry, if you're all right with that."
"No, that's fine," said Levina, but the only words that had really registered were "Fred" and "George." "So, where are they, then?" she added.
"Oh, they're in Diagon Alley, sleeping in the little flat over their joke shop as they're so busy," said Mrs. Weasley. "I must say, I didn't approve at first, but they do seem to have a bit of a flair for business! Come on, dears—do you need any help with your trunks?"
"No, it's fine," said Levina. "'Night, Mrs. Weasley."
Fred and George's bedroom was on the second floor. Levina pointed her wand at a lamp on the bedside table and it ignited at once, bathing the room in a pleasant golden glow. Though a large vase of flowers had been placed on a desk in front of the small window, their perfume could not disguise the lingering smell of what Levina thought was gunpowder. A considerable amount of floor space was devoted to a vast number of unmarked, sealed cardboard boxes, where Levina and Destiny dumped their luggage. The room looked as though it was being used as a temporary warehouse.
What struck Levina's attention, however, was something lying asleep in one of the beds: Harry Potter.
"Harry!" said Destiny, but Levina put a hand over her mouth and hissed, "Shh! Don't wake him up."
Levina changed into her pajamas in the bathroom and climbed into the second bed, while Destiny offered to take the sleeping bag on the floor. They were just about to turn off the light when someone said, "Ginny?"
Harry was sitting upright, looking very tired and in a daze. He was staring directly at Levina, but his glasses were off, so he must have just seen her hair and assumed it was Ron's sister.
"No, no, it's Levina," said Levina, and Harry looked puzzled. He put on his glasses, blinked, and frowned.
"Levina? What…what did you do to your hair?" he demanded, bewildered.
"I'll explain to you in the morning," said Levina, yawning.
"Hi, Harry," whispered Destiny, and Harry blinked wearily.
"Oh…hi, Destiny," he mumbled, then, without removing his glasses, he sank back into sleep.
That morning, Levina awoke abruptly to what sounded like cannon fire as the door burst open. Sitting bolt upright, she heard the rasp of the curtains being pulled back: The dazzling sunlight seemed to poke her hard in both eyes. Shielding them with one hand, she pulled the covers over her head, groaning sleepily.
"Wuzzgoinon?" said Harry's voice nearby.
"We didn't know you were here already!" said a loud and excited voice, and there was a loud WHAP noise.
"Ron, don't hit him!" said a girl's voice reproachfully.
Levina pulled the covers off of her face to see Ron Weasley, who was beaming down at her.
"All right, Harry? Levina—? He broke off, frowning. Then he jumped back, startled, as though sokething had only just registered in his mind. "What the bloody hell have you done to your hair?" he yelped.
"Ron!" said Hermione, although she was also gawking open-mouthed at Levina. "Levina, what…?"
Levina sighed. "The type of Werewolf gene that I have causes my hair to change color to match my Werewolf form's color, but it only just now finally officially kicked in…"
"Oh, I've read about that before!" said Hermione, astonished. "But I've never seen it actually…" she trailed off. "Is that why it kept getting lighter?"
"Yup," said Levina.
"Well…at least it's not a bad color," said Ron, gesturing to his own hair. "But it'll take some getting used to…Anyway, how have you two been?"
"Never been better," said Harry, rubbing the top of his head and slumping back onto his pillows. "You?"
"Not bad," said Ron, pulling over a cardboard box and sitting on it. "When did you get here? Mum's only just told us!"
"About maybe one o'clock this morning."
"Were the Muggles all right? Did they treat you okay?"
"Same as usual," said Harry, as Hermione perched herself on the edge of his bed, "they didn't talk to me much, but I like it better that way."
"Good morning," said Destiny, who stirred sleepily and glanced around at everyone.
"Destiny!" said Ron quickly, surprised to see Destiny in the room as well. His ears flushed red. "Hi—why are you—what are you—?"
Levina stifled a laugh. "She's staying here too, remember?"
"So, how're you, Hermione?" said Harry.
"Oh, I'm fine," said Hermione.
"What's the time? Have we missed breakfast?" said Harry.
"Don't worry about that, Mum's bringing you three up a few trays; she reckons you look underfed," said Ron to Harry, rolling his eyes.
"I don't miss those days," said Levina, thinking of when she had lived with what she liked to call her "fake family."
"So, what's been going on?" said Ron.
"Nothing much, I've just been stuck at my aunt and uncle's, haven't I?"
"Come off it!" said Ron. "You've been off with Dumbledore!"
"It wasn't that exciting. He just wanted me to help him persuade this old teacher to come out of retirement. His name's Horace Slughorn."
"Yeah, and he just came to pick up Destiny and I at our house," said Levina, shrugging.
"Oh," said Ron, looking disappointed. "We thought—"
Hermione flashed a warning look at Ron, and Ron changed tack at top speed.
"—we thought it'd be something like that."
"Oh, really?" said Levina, amused.
"Yeah...yeah, now Umbridge has left, obviously we need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, don't we? So, er, what's he like?"
"He looks a bit like a walrus, and he used to be Head of Slytherin," said Harry, and Levina smirked.
"A walrus?" she demanded. "That's a new one."
"My History teacher looks a bit walrus-like," Destiny interjected.
"Something wrong, Hermione?" said Harry, and Levina glanced over at Hermione, who was smiling in a very fake way.
"No, of course not! So, um, did Slughorn seem like he'll be a good teacher?"
"Dunno," said Harry. "He can't be worse than Umbridge, can he?"
"No one's worse than Umbridge," said Levina darkly.
"I know someone who's worse than Umbridge," said a voice from the doorway. Ron's younger sister slouched into the room, looking irritable. "Hi, Harry, Levina, Destiny."
"What's up with you?" Ron asked.
"It's her," said Ginny, plonking herself down on Harry's bed. "She's driving me mad."
"What's she done now?" asked Hermione sympathetically.
"It's the way she talks to me...you'd think I was about three!"
"I know," said Hermione, dropping her voice. "She's so full of herself."
"Who?" said Levina, frowning. Surely they didn't mean Mrs. Weasley…?
Ginny glanced over at Levina, blinked several times, and stared at her in wonder. "I like your new hair," she commented. "You look like you could be my sister."
"Thanks," said Levina; she was glad Ginny wasn't questioning her more.
"Can't you two lay off her for five seconds?" said Ron.
"Oh, that's right, defend her," snapped Ginny. "We all know you can't get enough of her. Or her, for that matter," she added in an undertone, gesturing to Destiny, who looked slightly confused. "But the difference is, I like you, Destiny."
"Who are you...?" said Harry.
But his question was answered before he could finish it. The bedroom door flew open again, and Harry instinctively yanked the bedcovers up to his chin so hard that Hermione and Ginny slid off the bed onto the floor.
A young woman was standing in the doorway, a woman of such breathtaking beauty that the room seemed to have become strangely airless. She was tall and willowy with long blonde hair and appeared to emanate a faint, silvery glow. To complete this vision of perfection, she was carrying three heavily laden breakfast trays.
"'Arry," she said in a throaty voice. "Lehvina. Eet 'as been too long!"
As she swept over the threshold toward him, Mrs. Weasley was revealed, bobbing along in her wake, looking rather cross.
"There was no need to bring up the tray; I was just about to do it myself!"
"Eet was no trouble," said Fleur Delacour, setting the tray across Harry's knees and then swooping to kiss him on each cheek. Harry flushed red. "I 'ave been longing to see 'im. You remember my seester, Gabrielle? She never stops talking about 'Arry Potter. She will be delighted to see you again."
"Oh... is she here too?" Harry croaked.
"No, no, silly boy," said Fleur with a tinkling laugh, "I mean next summer, when we...but do you not know?"
Her great blue eyes widened and she looked reproachfully at Mrs. Weasley, who said, "We hadn't got around to telling him yet."
"Telling him what?" said Levina.
Fleur turned back to Harry, swinging her silvery sheet of hair so that it whipped Mrs. Weasley across the face.
"Bill and I are going to be married!"
"Oh," said Harry blankly, and Levina could not help noticing how Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Ginny were all determinedly avoiding one another's gaze. "Wow. Er… congratulations!"
She swooped down upon him and kissed him again.
"Bill is very busy at ze moment, working very 'ard, and I only work part-time at Gringotts for my Eenglish, so he brought me 'ere for a few days to get to know 'is family properly. I was so pleased to 'ear you would be coming... zere isn't much to do 'ere, unless you like cooking and chickens! Oh, Desteeny!" she added, seeming to have only just now noticed the other girl's presence in the room. She ran forward to greet her. "What are you doing 'ere?"
"I'm here with my cousin," said Destiny, beaming and getting up to hug Fleur. "How are you? I've missed seeing you in our dance class!"
"As 'ave I!" said Fleur, delighted. She placed Destiny's tray on her lap, then handed Levina hers. "Well... enjoy your breakfast, 'Arry, Levinah, Desteeny!"
With these words she turned gracefully and seemed to float out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
Mrs. Weasley made a noise that sounded like, "tchah!"
"Mum hates her," said Ginny quietly.
"I do not hate her!" said Mrs. Weasley in a cross whisper. "I just think they've hurried into this engagement, that's all!"
"They've known each other a year," said Ron, who looked oddly groggy and was staring at the closed door.
"Well, that's not very long! I know why it's happened, of course. It's all this uncertainty with You-Know-Who coming back, people think they might be dead tomorrow, so they're rushing all sorts of decisions they'd normally take time over. It was the same last time he was powerful, people eloping left, right, and center..."
"Including you and Dad," said Ginny slyly.
"Yes, well, your father and I were made for each other, what was the point in waiting?" said Mrs. Weasley. "Whereas Bill and Fleur... well... what have they really got in common? He's a hardworking, down-to-earth sort of person, whereas she's..."
"A cow," said Ginny, nodding.
"Uh, Ginny?" said Levina, who was looking over at Destiny. She wondered how Destiny was taking all of this bashing towards her friend.
"Oh, no, it's fine," said Destiny, seeming to understand what Levina was thinking. "She's my friend, but she's conceited as all get out."
"But Bill's not that down-to-earth. He's a Curse-Breaker, isn't he, he likes a bit of adventure, a bit of glamour... I expect that's why he's gone for Phlegm."
"Stop calling her that, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley sharply, as Harry, Levina, and Hermione laughed. "Well, I'd better get on... Eat your eggs while they're warm, you three."
Looking careworn, she left the room. Ron still seemed slightly punch-drunk; he was shaking his head experimentally like a dog trying to rid its ears of water.
"Don't you get used to her if she's staying in the same house?" Harry asked.
"Well, you do," said Ron, "but if she jumps out at you unexpectedly, like then..."
"It's pathetic," said Hermione furiously, striding away from Ron as far as she could go and turning to face him with her arms folded once she had reached the wall.
"You don't really want her around forever?" Ginny asked Ron incredulously. When he merely shrugged, she said, "Well, Mum's going to put a stop to it if she can, I bet you anything."
"How's she going to manage that?" asked Harry.
"She keeps trying to get Tonks round for dinner. I think she's hoping Bill will fall for Tonks instead. I hope he does, I'd much rather have her in the family."
"Yeah, that'll work," said Ron sarcastically.
"And why not?" said Levina, raising her eyebrows at Ron.
"Listen, no bloke in his right mind's going to fancy Tonks when Fleur's around. I mean, Tonks is okay-looking when she isn't doing stupid things to her hair and her nose, but..."
"She's a damn sight nicer than Phlegm," said Ginny, and Levina laughed.
"And she's more intelligent, she's an Auror!" said Hermione from the corner.
"Fleur's not stupid, she was good enough to enter the Triwizard Tournament," said Harry.
"Not you as well!" said Hermione bitterly.
"I suppose you like the way Phlegm says ''Arry,' do you?" asked Ginny scornfully.
"No," said Harry, looking as though he wished he hadn't spoken, "I was just saying, Phlegm... I mean, Fleur..."
"I'd much rather have Tonks in the family," said Ginny. "At least she's a laugh."
"She hasn't been much of a laugh lately," said Ron. "Every time I've seen her she's looked more like Moaning Myrtle."
"That's not fair," snapped Hermione. "She still hasn't got over what happened...you know...I mean, he was her cousin!"
Levina was about to ask "who" when she realized they were talking about Sirius…Beside her, Harry picked up his fork and began shoveling eggs into his mouth hurriedly. Levina followed suit, picking up her pumpkin juice glass and gulping it down.
"Tonks and Sirius barely knew each other!" said Ron. "Sirius was in Azkaban half her life and before that their families never met-"
"That's not the point," said Hermione. "She thinks it was her limit he died!"
"How does she work that one out?" asked Harry, in spite of himself.
"Well, she was fighting Bellatrix Lestrange, wasn't she? I think she feels that if only she had finished her off, Bellatrix couldn't have killed Sirius."
"That's stupid," said Ron.
"It's survivor's guilt," said Hermione. "I know Lupin's tried to talk her round, but she's still really down. She's actually having trouble with her Metamorphosing!"
"With her...?"
"Changing her looks," explained Levina.
"She can't alter her appearance like she used to," explained Hermione. "I think her powers must have been affected by shock, or something."
"I didn't know that could happen," said Harry.
"Nor did I," said Hermione, "but I suppose if you're really depressed..."
The door opened again and Mrs. Weasley popped her head in. "Ginny," she whispered, "come downstairs and help me with the lunch."
"I'm talking to this lot!" said Ginny, outraged.
"Now!" said Mrs. Weasley, and withdrew.
"She only wants me there so she doesn't have to be alone with Phlegm!" said Ginny crossly. She swung her long red hair around in a very good imitation of Fleur and pranced across the room with her arms held aloft like a ballerina.
"You lot had better come down quickly too," she said as she left.
Levina helped herself to more of her eggs, wondering what it would be like to see Fleur anytime she paid the Weasley's a visit…She shuddered. In the corner of the room, Hermione was peering into Fred and George's boxes, though every now and then she cast sideways looks at Harry. Ron, who was now helping himself to Harry's toast, was still gazing dreamily at the door.
"What's this?" Hermione asked eventually, holding up what looked like a small telescope.
"Dunno," said Ron, "but if Fred and George left it here, it's probably not ready for the joke shop yet, so be careful."
"Oh, right," said Destiny, sitting upright and craning her neck to look over her shoulder at Hermione. "George told me something about that telescope in a letter recently…I only wish I could remember what it was…"
Hermione shrugged and picked up the telescope, examining it curiously. Levina set aside her tray and peered over the edge of her bed to look into the box as well, scanning the contents within it. She could see several small, colorful candies and some sort of watery substance in a bottle.
"Your mum said the shop's going well," said Harry. "Said Fred and George have got a real flair for business."
"That's an understatement," said Ron. "They're raking in the Galleons! I can't wait to see the place; we haven't been to Diagon Alley yet, because Mum says Dad's got to be there for extra security and he's been really busy at work, but it sounds excellent."
"And what about Percy?" asked Harry; the third-eldest Weasley brother had fallen out with the rest of the family. "Is he talking to your mum and dad again?"
"Nope," said Ron.
"Well, that's certainly a tragedy," said Levina sarcastically.
"But he knows your dad was right all along now about Voldemort being back..."
"Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right," said Hermione. "I heard him telling your mum, Ron."
"Sounds like the sort of mental thing Dumbledore would say," said Ron.
"It's not mental; it's wise," said Levina.
"He's going to be giving me private lessons this year," said Harry conversationally.
Ron choked on his bit of toast, Hermione gasped, and Levina swallowed a mouthful of juice. She spluttered and reached for a napkin, coughing. "What?"
"You kept that quiet!" said Ron.
"I only just remembered," said Harry. "He told me last night in your broom shed."
"In…the broom shed?" Levina repeated, smirking.
"Blimey... private lessons with Dumbledore!" said Ron, looking impressed. "I wonder why he's... ?"
His voice tailed away. Levina saw him and Hermione exchange looks. Harry laid down his knife on the tray. "I don't know exactly why he's going to be giving me lessons, but I think it must be because of the prophecy."
Neither Ron nor Hermione nor Levina spoke. Harry continued, "You know, the one they were trying to steal at the Ministry."
"Nobody knows what it said, though," said Hermione quickly. "It got smashed."
"It was destroyed, remember?" said Levina.
"Although the Prophet says..." began Ron, but Hermione said, "Shh!"
"The Prophet's got it right," said Harry, looking up at the three of them. Hermione seemed frightened and Ron amazed. "That glass ball that smashed wasn't the only record of the prophecy. I heard the whole thing in Dumbledore's office, he was the one the prophecy was made to, so he could tell me. From what it said," Harry took a deep breath, "it looks like I'm the one who's got to finish off Voldemort... At least, it said neither of us could live while the other survives."
The four of them gazed at one another in silence for a moment. Then there was a loud bang and Hermione vanished behind a puff of black smoke. Levina yelped and jumped back, startled.
"Hermione!" shouted Harry, Levina, and Ron; the breakfast tray slid to the floor with a crash.
Hermione emerged, coughing, out of the smoke, clutching the telescope and sporting a brilliantly purple black eye.
"I squeezed it and it...it punched me!" she gasped.
And sure enough, they now saw a tiny fist on a long spring protruding from the end of the telescope. Levina covered her mouth to stifle the start of a very obvious snicker.
"Oh," said Destiny, who looked slightly upset with herself. "That's what George told me in the letter."
"Don't worry," said Ron, who was plainly trying not to laugh, "Mum'll fix that, she's good at healing minor injuries..."
"Oh well, never mind that now!" said Hermione hastily. "Harry, oh, Harry..."
She sat down on the edge of his bed again.
"We wondered, after we got back from the Ministry...Obviously, we didn't want to say anything to you, but from what Lucius Malfoy said about the prophecy, how it was about you and Voldemort, well, we thought it might be something like this... Oh, Harry..." She stared at him, then whispered, "Are you scared?"
"Not as much as I was," said Harry. "When I first heard it, I was…but now, it seems as though I always knew I'd have to face him in the end..."
"When we heard Dumbledore was collecting you in person, we thought he might be telling you something or showing you something to do with the prophecy," said Ron eagerly. "And we were kind of right, weren't we? He wouldn't be giving you lessons if he thought you were a goner, wouldn't waste his time... he must think you've got a chance!"
"That's true," said Hermione. "I wonder what he'll teach you, Harry? Really advanced defensive magic, probably... powerful countercurses... anti-jinxes...But, did you two hear anything from Dumbledore?" she asked Levina and Destiny. Levina shook her head.
"Not a word; he just picked us up and accompanied us here for safety purposes." Levina couldn't help but feel disappointed. All along, she'd known somewhere in the back of her mind that Harry was, in fact, The Chosen One. And yet…After Voldemort murdered her parents, after she'd learned of her great powers and how famous she was…She'd always secretly wondered if she played a role in the defeat of Voldemort. But now? Maybe she really just was a strange girl with weird abilities… dangerous, was worth more than he could ever tell them.
"...and evasive enchantments generally," concluded Hermione; Levina looked up and realized she'd been staring at her hands, zoning out. "Well, at least you know one lesson you'll be having this year, that's one more than Ron, Levina, and me. I wonder when our O.W.L. results will come?"
"Can't be long now, it's been a month," said Ron.
"Oh yeah," said Levina, and her face lit back up once again. "I forgot about that!"
"Hang on," said Harry, as another part of last night's conversation came back to him. "I think Dumbledore said our O.W.L. results would be arriving today!"
"Today?" shrieked Hermione. "Today? But why didn't you... oh my God... you should have said..."
She leapt to her feet.
"I'm going to see whether any owls have come..."
"The system at Beauxbatons is different," said Destiny, making a face as she tried to recall something. "I think we take our exams next year, but I'm not sure…"
But when they arrived downstairs ten minutes later, fully dressed and carrying their empty breakfast trays, they found Hermione sitting at the kitchen table in great agitation, while Mrs. Weasley tried to lessen her resemblance to half a panda.
"It just won't budge," Mrs. Weasley was saying anxiously, standing over Hermione with her wand in her hand and a copy of The Healer's Helpmate open at 'Bruises, Cuts, and Abrasions'. "This has always worked before, I just can't understand it."
"It'll be Fred and George's idea of a funny joke, making sure it can't come off," said Ginny.
"But it's got to come off!" squeaked Hermione. "I can't go around looking like this forever!"
"Don't worry," said Destiny reassuringly. "I think I remember George telling me about an antidote…"
Levina couldn't help but envy Destiny right then; she and George had sent letters to each other during her entire stay at Levesque Manor, but Fred? She'd hardly received one…
"Bill told me 'ow Fred and George are very amusing!" said Fleur, smiling serenely.
"Yes, I can hardly breathe for laughing," snapped Hermione.
She jumped up and started walking round and round the kitchen, twisting her fingers together.
"Mrs. Weasley, you're quite, quite sure no owls have arrived this morning?"
"Yes, dear, I'd have noticed," said Mrs. Weasley patiently. "But it's barely nine, there's still plenty of time..."
"I know I messed up Ancient Runes," muttered Hermione feverishly, "I definitely made at least one serious mistranslation. And the Defense Against the Dark Arts practical was no good at all. I thought Transfiguration went all right at the time, but looking back-"
"Hermione, will you shut up, you're not the only one who's nervous!" barked Ron. "And when you've got your eleven 'Outstanding O.W.L.s...'"
"Don't, don't, don't!" said Hermione, flapping her hands hysterically. "I know I've failed everything!"
"Stop it!" snapped Levina; she didn't want to think about the prospect of possibly failing one of her exams….
"What happens if we fail?" Harry asked the room at large, but it was again Hermione who answered.
"We discuss our options with our Head of House, I asked Professor McGonagall at the end of last term."
Levina could feel a horrible sinking sensation in her stomach; she wished she'd eaten less breakfast.
"At Beauxbatons," said Fleur complacently, "we 'ad a different way of doing things. I think eet was better. We sat our examinations after six years of study, not five, and then..."
Fleur's words were drowned in a scream. Hermione was pointing through the kitchen window. Three black specks were clearly visible in the sky, growing larger all the time.
"They're definitely owls," said Ron hoarsely, jumping up to join Hermione at the window.
"And there are four of them," said Harry, hastening to her other side.
"One for each of us," said Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Oh no...oh no...oh no..."
She gripped Harry, Ron, and Levina tightly around the elbows.
The owls were flying directly at the Burrow, four handsome tawnies, each of which, it became clear as they flew lower over the path leading up to the house, was carrying a large square envelope.
"Oh no!" squealed Hermione, and Levina nudged her hard in the ribs.
"Will you stop it?" she pleaded. "I'm already freaking out enough!"
Mrs. Weasley squeezed past them and opened the kitchen window. One, two, three, four, the owls soared through it and landed on the table in a neat line. All four of them lifted their right legs.
Levina moved forward, heart pounding. The letter addressed to her was tied to the leg of the owl on the far right. She untied it with fumbling fingers. To her left, Hermione was trying to detach her own results; her hands were shaking so much she was making her whole owl tremble.
Nobody in the kitchen spoke. At last, Levina managed to detach the envelope. She slit it open quickly and unfolded the parchment inside, taking a deep breath as she did so.
Ordinary Wizarding Level Results
Pass Grades:
Outstanding (O)
Exceeds Expectations (E)
Acceptable (A)
Fail Grades:
Poor (P)
Dreadful (D)
Troll (T)
Levina Nadia Snowpetal has achieved:
Astronomy E
Care of Magical Creatures E
Charms E
Defense Against the Dark Arts O
Divination P
Herbology E
History of Magic A
Potions E
Transfiguration O
Levina read the parchment through several times, her breathing becoming easier with each reading. Sure, she had always known that he would fail Divination, but she had passed everything else! Feeling as though she might burst from excitement, she read that she had passed with and O in Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts! She'd received a passing grade in History of Magic (barely), and even passed Potions with an E!
She looked around. Hermione had her back to her and her head bent, but Ron was looking delighted.
"Only failed Divination and History of Magic, and who cares about them?" he said happily to Harry. "Here... swap..."
They switched papers.
"Knew you'd be top at Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Ron, punching Harry on the shoulder. "We've done all right, haven't we?"
"Well done!" said Mrs. Weasley proudly, ruffling Ron's hair. "Seven O.W.L.s, that's more than Fred and George got together!"
"Hermione?" said Ginny tentatively, for Hermione still hadn't turned around. "How did you do?"
"I—not bad," said Hermione in a small voice.
"Oh, come off it," said Ron, striding over to her and whipping her results out of her hand. "Yep... ten 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' at Defense Against the Dark Arts." He looked down at her, half-amused, half-exasperated. "You're actually disappointed, aren't you?"
Hermione shook her head, but Harry laughed.
"What about you, Levina?" said Harry, and Levina exchanged papers with him; he'd also received an Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"Excellent, Levina!" said Harry, passing her paper back to her. "Two Outstandings!"
"I know, I'm so happy!" said Levina, beaming at him.
"Brilliant job!" said Destiny, hugging Levina with a bright, perfectly white-toothed smile.
"Well, we're N.E.W.T. students now!" grinned Ron. "Mum, are there any more sausages?"
Levina grinned back down at her sheet, but one thing was bugging her: This was the end of her and Harry's ambitions to become Aurors. She had not secured the required Potions grade. She had known all along that she wouldn't, but she still felt her heart sinking in her chest as she looked again at that small black E.
I wonder what Harry's going to do now? She thought, glancing over at Harry, who was scanning his results in silence now. She never saw much of a chance with the career anyway, after what Umbridge had told her about hiring "half-breeds." Turning away from the others and pretending to look at her own parchment, Levina pulled back her sleeve and stared down at the carved scars in her arm that read "Filthy Half-Breed", knowing in the back of her mind that the words would never leave her be.
'Ello! So, how'd you lot enjoy the first chapter of the sixth book? I'm really sorry I've been bad at updating lately, so I posted this one much quicker to make up for it. Hope you enjoyed it and leave a review!
Things to come: Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Draco's detour, and more! (: