A/N: Hey guys, Haunted Veela here! It's currently June 2019 and I have decided to rewrite Third Year Secrets, keeping most of the content and storyline intact but adding more to embellish it! This was officially started in August 2014 and finished on the 16th of February 2018. I hope you enjoy my favourite and main fanfiction, please leave a review if you like it!
Clementine Aldermaston looks like Michelle Keegan from 2012 (check out my Polyvore 'Haunted Veela' and my YouTube channel hauntedveela99 for more!)
I
"Where are the hopes, where are the dreams? My Cinderella story scene," Clementine Aldermaston sang. She was pretending that she was in an angst-filled music video, with a slightly more cool and exciting backdrop than her bedroom. "When do you think they'll finally see-eeeeee?" Singing was something that she loved to do, even if it was off-key and a little out of tune.
"Clementine, are you packing up there?" Andrea called up for the third time that afternoon, as Clementine started dancing quite energetically to the chorus. She sounded quite exasperated – Avril Lavigne wasn't her favourite singer.
"Yes!" Clementine shouted back, turning up the music a tiny bit and looking at her open, empty trunk. In less than one day, she would be staying in the Leaky Cauldron with a few of her friends; Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Fred and George.
Clementine was a thirteen year old witch preparing to go back to Hogwarts for her third year. She wasn't overly good at being a witch and performing magic; in fact sometimes she could be downright dangerous and often had no clue what she was doing. However, she was a Half-blood nonetheless. She lived with her Muggle mother Andrea, who was very much like Mrs Weasley both in exterior and in personality.
Clementine didn't know her Pure-blood, Ministry-working father at all. She'd never met him, didn't remember him and didn't care to, either. She liked things just the way they were, just her and her mum. They had a small two-bedroom house situated in a nice, quiet street on the outskirts of Manchester, where Clementine was born.
The now tatty equipment list for the following year lay downstairs on the kitchen table, but Clementine had it memorised, having been through it so many times. The only new books she needed were for Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes (her two new elective courses) and History of Magic, a subject she and the rest of her schoolfriends detested. Her wand lay in her cupboard, in its special purple box to keep it safe. Her cauldron was in the laundry room; she was looking forward to Potions class again, even if no one else was. She knew poor Neville in particular was probably dreading it. Clementine always got good marks in this subject; she couldn't remember scraping anything less than an E, even in her first year when she was even more clueless than she was now. Potions was the only this she was any good at.
Two hours later, Clementine was exhausted but done with her packing. Somehow she had misplaced her cauldron, which she could have sworn was in the laundry room, but was actually in the living room behind the comfy chair… She wasn't sure how it had got there. After closing the lid and feeling quite satisfied for a moment, she went to join her mum downstairs.
"I'm here!" Clementine announced brightly, going to enter the kitchen but instead doubling back to use the bathroom under the stairs. As she closed the door, she called, "Did you know Harry used to sleep under the stairs in the cupboard?"
In the kitchen, Andrea tried to smile. Ever since Clementine had met Harry Potter at school, she had recited this 'fun fact' every time she used the bathroom under the stairs.
"I think you might have told me. Once or twice," Andrea said with a slightly sarcastic tone. She could never sound mean though, not with her voice. Clementine often thought privately that she sounded a bit like Minnie Mouse. It was strange therefore that Clementine's voice was the exact opposite: low and gravelly. She despised it.
"Are you done packing now?"
"Yes!" Clementine yelled. A few moments later, she emerged, still grinning. "What's for dinner?"
"Cheese and tomato pizza, with some garlic bread at the side," Andrea said, bustling about the kitchen with slightly reddened cheeks. "Since it's your last evening here until Christmas, I thought I'd do your favourite."
"Yay!" Clementine said loudly, hugging her mother before running through to the living room and taking a running leap at the sofa, landing in a mass of blankets and fluffy cushions. Andrea just smiled. She was very much used to her daughter's bubbly and over-excited manner.
In the living room, Clementine had retrieved the remote and was flicking through the channels. Nothing much was on: Eastenders (boring), Antiques Roadshow (even worse)… Eventually she settled on the Kardashians, and couldn't resist messing around with her face to make herself look like Kim, who she thought was simply stunning.
Clementine was a Metamorphmagus, which was particularly rare for a Half-blood whose father apparently wasn't one. It was by far her favourite magical ability, and in her opinion made up for her abysmal lack of other magical skills.
Andrea did a double take when she walked in a few moments later with their meals on trays, almost tipping them both over.
"I will never get used to you doing that," Andrea said wearily, as Clementine changed hastily back to herself and took her tray.
"Sorry Mum," Clementine giggled as they sat down and began eating. For a while, there was a comfortable silence as they ate. After overstuffing themselves, the two of them stretched out on the sofa, both undoing their jeans.
"Are you excited?" Andrea asked after a while, aimlessly flicking through TV channels.
"So excited," Clementine sighed, as visions of Hogwarts entered her head. "I mean, I'll miss here and everything, but I just get that special feeling when I'm back at school."
Andrea nodded in understanding. Clementine threw her arms around her, for the first time realising how lonely she must get when she was away (Clementine was an only child) even though the entire family lived in or around Manchester.
"I'll always have the best of both worlds," she said, quoting one of her favourite childhood programmes, Hannah Montana. Only Hermione ever understood that reference, being Muggleborn. She grinned at the thought of seeing her and all her friends again.
"You stay safe, okay? Are you sure you don't want to take a phone-"
"Mum," Clementine interrupted gently. "Phones don't work at Hogwarts, they go haywire. But I'll take it anyway just for your peace of mind.
"Oh yes, of course…" They had this conversation every year.
"Oh, and I don't want any owls about your hair again," Andrea said suddenly. Clementine giggled. She enjoyed messing round with the teachers, changing her hair to pink, then, when they looked round for a second glance, going back to her natural hair colour, brown. The teachers hated it; at first they couldn't figure out how she did it until word got round that she was indeed a Metamorphmagus. Then she simply got into bother because of it.
"I won't, that trick grew old ages ago," Clementine said airily, crossing her fingers behind her back. "I'm usually very well behaved."
Until I'm with Fred and George," she thought. They always had that effect on her; Hermione and the teachers hated it but they were her best friends, along with Skylar Temple.
~~~(O.O)~~~
The next morning, Clementine woke up extremely early. She'd been unable to sleep the previous night as she'd been so excited. Mr Weasley was coming to collect her in his new car; according to Ginny, he had found it on the Wizarding black market, but this was top secret information. She couldn't wait to see what kind of ridiculous car he had bought himself.
Probably some crap, run-down thing from the 50s, Clementine mused as she got out of bed, surprisingly energetic considering her lack of sleep. She tiptoed out into the hallway, grabbed her towels from the airing cupboard and had a quick shower.
She'd left herself some clothes out the previous day: a pretty pink and blue checked shirt; some black skinny jeans and peach-coloured Vans. To compliment the outfit, she wore a beautiful blue swirled pendant and matching earrings that were like piercing blue orbs. Clementine never wore much makeup, just some natural brown eyeshadow, mascara and pink lip gloss. The clock on her bedside table read nine o'clock; it would be an hour and a half before Mr Weasley arrived.
Clementine decided to put on some music, waking Andrea up earlier than she would have liked. The safest option was to stay put in her room while her mum woke herself up with a shower and then pottered downstairs to make breakfast. After an hour, Clementine went downstairs.
Andrea was stood in the kitchen in her cosy grey dressing gown, preparing breakfast without a single tear. This was usually when she began to tear up. For the last two years, there had been at least one huge crying-fest before the 1st of September.
There's still time, Clementine thought to herself, glancing at the clock.
"I bought all your favourites the other day in Lidl," Andrea beamed, bringing over a selection of pastries and fruit to the kitchen table, where Clementine was sat fidgeting with excitement.
"Thanks so much, mum," Clementine said, a wave of appreciation washing over her as she eyed her breakfast hungrily.
"You've got everything, right?"
Clementine nodded.
"Remember that money isn't a problem, your father-" Andrea inhaled sharply and dramatically; she hated talking about Clementine's dad, "-sends you a large amount of money per month. Goodness knows what he does for a living; he must have a decent job in your world to be handing over so much. He was legally obliged to do that when-"
She couldn't finish her sentence but Clementine nodded again. She was very much in the same boat as Harry; quite wealthy in the Wizarding world but felt awkward around her less fortunate friends, the Weasley's.
"When is Arthur arriving?" Andrea asked in a more composed and even voice.
Clementine looked up at the kitchen clock.
"Five minutes," she said calmly, ignoring the panicked look on her mother's face. "I'm done, thanks!"
Usually she would have offered to help with the washing up, but there was no time today. She ran up the stairs to go into the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth at lightning speed, she began hoping that there would be someone else in the car with her, even if it was Percy…
Or maybe not, Clementine thought to herself.
Ginny would be great as the two girls were close, but she was privately hoping for the twins. She pictured her best male friends in her mind; tall, lanky, funny… Everyone else viewed them as being identical to the last freckle, but she was one of the only few, if not the only one, who knew better.
She would never admit it to anyone, but George was the one she was ever so slightly closer too. His whole manner was different; he was gentler, less cruel with his pranks and more concerned with how others felt. He even looked slightly different; his face was longer and thinner, his eyes were warmer, his smile was cuter...
Clementine felt horrified at this last thought, as George's face swam in her mind's eye, grinning in that familiar way. Since when did she think her friends were cute? She reprimanded herself for the completely obscene thought.
A knock on the door downstairs told her that Mr Weasley had turned up exactly on time. She darted into her room to seize her trunk; Clementine could hear her mum greeting Mr Weasley. She stifled a giggle at the top of the stairs upon seeing the delight on Mr Weasley's face as he surveyed the TV.
"It's marvellous! How exactly does it work?" he asked a bemused Andrea eagerly. Clementine was dragging her trunk down the stairs, using all her strength. It was hard work.
"Dad, stop the interrogation!" a familiar voice laughed. It was Ginny. She was the first to notice Clementine when she finally reached the bottom of the stairs, panting and wiping her forehead.
"I've missed you!" Ginny cried dramatically, hugging her tightly as if they were long-lost sisters.
"I've missed you too! It's so good to see you again!" Clementine smiled. "Hi, Mr Weasley!"
"Hello, Clementine," Mr Weasley replied jovially, finally tearing his gaze from the TV.
Clementine broke away from Ginny and approached her mum carefully. Remarkably, Andrea was not weeping openly.
"I'll see you at Christmas, Mum," Clementine said, giving her a fierce hug. Andrea clasped her back just as tightly. "I'll write every week, I promise!"
"Bye, my darling," Andrea said, with only a hint of a tear swimming in her eyes. Clementine was impressed at her mother's newfound emotional control, and grateful too – she didn't want to cry in front of her friend and her dad.
"It's okay, I'll get that, you and Ginny get in the car," Mr Weasley said kindly, as Clementine made to grab her trunk.
"Thank you!" Feeling light-hearted and happy, Clementine skipped out to the car and stopped at the sight of it. It was a hideous, square, pale yellow vehicle; it looked rather like a car that she would have drawn at the age of five.
"Don't even say anything," Ginny said with a grin. "It's a dreadful car, it barely moves and is so different to everyone else's. At least Dad's happy with it."
They got into the car, which smelt strongly of lemons for some unknown reason. One Direction were on the radio, much to Clementine's horror. Ginny seemed to be enjoying it. A few minutes passed and Mr Weasley still hadn't materialised; the music situation got even worse as Justin Bieber was featured with his new single. Ginny was having a fantastic time.
"You don't get music like this in the wizarding world," Ginny explained to Clementine, when One Direction came back on. "Are they cute?"
Clementine shrugged. "I don't really rate them, but I can show you a picture." She whipped out her phone and began tapping. Ginny looked impressed, leaning over her shoulder to watch, and looked even more so when she looked at some pictures of One Direction.
Just as Clementine was stuffing her phone back in her pocket, Mr Weasley opened the door and sat down. "Sorry about that girls. Andrea was just telling me about the TV. Fascinating things they are… Anyway, let's crack on. We'll drive to the end of the road, then when it's quiet, we'll use some of the cars added functions to fly. But not a word to Molly, girls," he added. The girls nodded vigorously. Clementine was intrigued to see what these 'added functions' were. She doubted very much that they were legal.
Mr Weasley started the car and turned up the radio.
"Let's go – Oh no, not them again…" Mr Weasley changed the radio station to country, and the girls exchanged looks. It was going to be a long ride…
