This will be my first ever fan fiction! Please feel free to review and give constructive criticism only please. I'm always open to improving.
"Run!" yelled the red-headed boy sprinting ahead of me.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" I yelled back at him, huffing and puffing trying to keep up.
"Well, run faster!" He suddenly took a sharp left around a large pine tree and I followed suit, trailing as fast as I could behind him. My long, light-brown hair stuck messily to my face with sweat and dirt, which had been stirred up from running in the middle of the woods. I could hear the crunching of dead leaves beneath my feet as we ran and whipped past a mixture of green trees. It was August 30, which meant it was still blazing hot in Northeast Louisiana. Thankfully, it was around seven in the morning so it hadn't quite reached 90 degrees yet and the trees also provided some shade from the sun.
"Not….everyone…..is as athletic…as you…..Devin," I shouted, barely getting my words out between breathes. I should really fit more cardio in my schedule.
"Just follow me," he shouted back, glancing over his shoulder to make sure I was still behind him. I kept as close as I could as he took another sharp turn to the right and made a beeline for a large oak tree. I really hope he doesn't expect me to climb that. Using his momentum he sprinted about five feet up the tree, grabbed onto a branch, and hoisted himself up straddling it. Yep, He expects me to climb it.
I've never climbed a tree in my life. Most people would find this strange, seeing as we live in the South and climbing trees is one of the things children living out in the country are supposed to know. Almost like a rite of passage. Nope, not me. On top of being athletically challenged, I am also scared to death of heights and Devin knew this. I began to wonder if he did this on purpose. He probably did.
I reached the tree, put my hands on my knees attempting to catch my breath, and looked up at him. "Couldn't you find a cave or something?" I questioned, already knowing the answer. He rolled his eyes and reached down, extending his hand towards me.
"Have you ever heard of caves being around here?" he said. "Plus, how are we supposed to successfully hide from a panther on the ground?"
"Well they climb trees too, Mr. Know-it-all," I said with a bit of spite.
"You know, we wouldn't even be in this mess right now, if it weren't for you getting us lost." He said back.
"I told you, I thought it was a shortcut!"
"Yeah, right into a sleeping panther! I can't believe you actually stepped on its tail!"
"Well, maybe it should find somewhere else to sleep."
"Maybe, you should've listened to Brooke and stayed on the right path."
Both of us halted our movements, however, at the wailing of, what sounded like, a woman screaming. We both looked at each other and I panicked, all fear of heights forgotten.
"Pull me up! Pull me up! PULL ME UP!" I yelled quickly grasping a hold of his rough hand. I placed my right foot onto the bark of the tree and launched my weight upward into him. He grabbed the back of my shirt and guided me to the opposite branch, which I straddled. Amazing how fast you can learn to climb a tree in a life threatening situation. Although, now as the initial panic wore off I remembered I was about ten feet up in a tree. Not high at all for most people, but for someone who doesn't even like standing on a kitchen chair to get something out of a cabinet, it's terrifying.
"Thanks," I said looking over at him. He simply nodded and looked in the direction that the wailing came from.
"Did you see which direction Brooke and Jeremiah ran?" I whispered.
He quickly shushed me and turned his head to left, looking past me. I turned my head as well and listened closely. I heard the frantic sound of rustling leaves, and the panic that had recently dissipated returned. Both of us sat alert, still, and holding our breath, in hopes that a giant, black cat didn't emerge from the foliage.
Bursting through the spaces between the trees, running at full speed, were Brooke and Jeremiah. Brooke was running ahead of Jeremiah, her shoulder-length brown hair whipping behind her and her hands flailing around in the air. The definition of grace. Jeremiah was trailing behind her, the wind brushing his brown hair against his head and a mixture of fear and laughter on his face. One of the oddest expressions of ever seen. The sight would've been hilarious if they weren't running for their lives. Who am I kidding? It was absolutely hilarious!
"Hey!" I shouted, attempting to get their attention and simultaneously holding back laughter. They both skidded to a stop and looked around trying to figure out the source of the noise. Devin cocked his head and looked at me like I was a moron for shouting when there was a large, wild cat looking for us.
"Look!" Jeremiah said pointing to Devin and I in the tree. They jogged over toward us and stopped at the base of the tree looking upwards, squinting their eyes a bit from the sun.
"Is it gone?" asked Devin.
"Yeah," said Jeremiah, "I think we lost it back there. Brooke tried using her wand on it, of course all it did was just spit out a bit of smoke."
"The smoke confused it enough to where we could get away, at least," Brooke said grinning, a little proud of herself. Jeremiah just shook his head in disbelief that we had made it out of there alive.
"Ok, if you're done trying to get us killed, Kristin, I think we need to head to the Portkey." Said Jeremiah. "No detours this time!"
"Heh, can't make any promises," I said winking at him.
Devin swung his leg over the tree, climbed down a ways, and then jumped down the rest of the way. Everyone else looked at me, expecting me to do the same. Nope. Not going to happen. They better figure out a way to get me out of this tree.
"I guess we'll just leave her here then," said Devin beginning to walk off.
"NO!" I shouted. I stood up quickly on the branch and lost my mind for a split second. I jumped. I may be afraid of heights, but I'm even more afraid of a panther climbing up this tree and nomming on my leg.
Devin had a split second to look back, and with a face full of absolute horror at my majestic body flying towards him and had no time to react. I landed right on top of him with an "oomph." Brooke and Jeremiah busted out laughing, as I sat up on top of his back, rubbing my stomach where I had landed. I heard Devin groan and look back at me glaring daggers. I gave him a goofy grin and both of us joined Brooke and Jeremiah in there laughing fit.
"I can't believe we actually got chased by a panther," Brooke said through tears of laughter. "Seriously, Kristin, only you would get us into this mess!"
"Hey, I'm not the only one who gets us into messes! What about that time you thought that skunk was a cat and wanted to play with it? We stunk for days!"
"Details, details," she said waving her hand.
"You know, it'd be really great if you got off my back," said Devin.
"I'm surprised she didn't break it, with her big butt," teased Jeremiah. He extended his hand out and helped me up.
"Oh no," I said just remembering something.
"What now?" asked Devin, dusting himself off.
"Well, when we were running we dropped all of our luggage…..including the animals."
"Oh no…"Said Brooke.
Mr. Bobbles, my barn owl, was going to be absolutely furious with me for abandoning him, in his cage, in the middle of the woods. Thankfully the panther didn't pay any attention to the animals when we dropped everything and ran. After all a few small animals, compared to four 11 year olds, I'm sure we looked much more appetizing. Sighing at the inevitable pecking that awaited me when I eventually opened his cage, I dusted myself off and we headed back towards the spot where we had met the panther.
When we arrived our brown trunks laid strewed about on the ground, with the animals near them. When Mr. Bobbles spotted me, he flapped his wings and screeched his disdain. I knelt down to his eye level and attempted to give him a sad puppy dog face. He wasn't falling for it. In fact, I think I made it worse. He stopped flapping his wings and actually turned away from me. My pet owl, was ignoring me.
"Sorry Mr. Bobbles, I know I shouldn't have dropped you like that and ran off," I said sadly. "On the bright side you could think of me as being bait and leading the panther away from you." At that he turned around and screeched at me again. "OK, OK, I get it," I said.
"Well, are we ready to go," asked Brooke.
I looked up and fell over laughing. She had claw marks all over her face. If there was one thing about her cat Megie, it's that she has a temper. One reason I don't like cats, also the fact that I'm allergic, so that's fun too. However, I've been around Megie for several years, and I've developed a kind of immunity towards her.
"I actually think that's an improvement," snickered Jeremiah, picking up his trunk and Speckled Owl, Bilbo.
"ANYWAYS," Brooke said loudly, interrupting mine and Jeremiah's laughter, "We need to get going. It's already 7 AM, Mrs. Wesley was expecting us by now."
"You're right," I said picking up my own trunk and Mr. Bobbles, "she's probably worried sick."
"So, who exactly are we staying with again?" asked Devin.
"Molly and Arthur Weasley," I answered. "My family's ancestry lies in England, just like yours lies in Ireland, Jeremiah's in Wales, and Brooke's also in England. That's the main reason we were given the choice to attend either Ilvermorny or Hogwarts. However, even though my older sister and I are half-blood's now, because my mother married a muggle, we shared a pureblood ancestry most closely linked with the Weasley family. So not only are our families close friends, they're distantly related as well. To be honest all purebloods are related in some form or fashion."
"This is so confusing. I'm just not used to all of this blood status stuff," he said sighing walking off.
"Well, since your No-Maj born, it's going to take some getting used to," said Jeremiah, trailing after him.
"You might as well, get used to calling them muggles now, Jeremiah," I said. "We're going to be living in England and Scotland, for about 7 years. Minus our summers of course."
"True," he said in reply. "That'll take some getting used to as well."
"Seriously though, finding out you're a wizard when you've never even considered the possibility that magic actually existed, is pretty confusing in itself," said Brooke.
"It's been very overwhelming," said Devin, continuing on the correct path towards the portkey. "It does explain why nothing electronic, worked in our house very well. I feel sorry for my mom though, all those times she spent trying to get the T.V. to work properly."
I laughed and said, "Yeah, that's the whole reason we needed to take a Portkey, instead of an airplane. Four underage wizards would definitely screw up the navigation system. That wouldn't be good when you're in the middle of an ocean."
"So how exactly does this portkey work?" asked Devin.
"Basically, you take an object that a No-Maj wouldn't easily pick up, like an old shoe or tin can, place it where a No-Maj can't easily find, like in the middle of the woods, and when everyone grabs onto it it transports you to a predetermined place. Our portkey will take us directly to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's house. To travel internationally by a portkey, both Ministries of Magic of each country have to approve it. Unfortunately it's not the most pleasant way to travel, but it gets the job done," answered Brooke.
"I'm so proud of you," I sniffed dramatically, "sounding all smart and what-not."
"This coming from the girl that, not only got us lost, but almost got us killed by a wild panther!" she fired back.
"Y'all should really have some signs up or something. I mean this is y'all's land an all"
"You should really grow a brain."
"….This hurts me deeply, Brookie Cookie. Like, I feel this in my soul," I said clutching my heart dramatically.
"Hey, is this the portkey?" Jeremiah asked. We looked down at what he and Devin had come to a stop in front of and saw he was pointing at an old umbrella. It was black, tattered and at the end of its pole was a brown, wooden, hook-shaped handle. I'm thankful they decided to use something that all four of us had room to hold on too.
"I HATE traveling by portkey," said Brooke groaning.
"Why?" inquired Jeremiah.
"I giggle for about ten minutes afterwards. It always makes my cheeks and sides hurt after all of the giggling," she said. She had her eyes closed, most likely mentally preparing herself for the fit of laughter about to befall her.
"Um….why do you laugh?" asked Devin with a confused look.
"It's one of the side effects of traveling by portkey," answered Jeremiah. "Along with nausea, giddiness is also a side effect. Very rarely is does anything worse happen."
"Wait. Hold up," Devin said, put his hands up in front of him. "What do mean, 'worse?'"
"Weeelll, every once in a while you might end up with a limb attached somewhere else on your body where it's not supposed to be," I answered. A mixture of confusion and fear plagued Devin's face. Oh no. He was not happy about this at all.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine!" I tried to reassure him, patting him on the back, "…Maybe." Before he could open his mouth to protest I interrupted him, "Ok, let's get going!"
We rearranged our luggage in a way that we could carry them in one hand. The handle or our trunks were leather, so it gave us enough leeway to where we could slip our wrists under them comfortably and the hold on the cages of our animals with our hands.
I was rather thankful that the trunks were made of a soft, durable leather, like the handle, so if they fell on top of us when we landed it wouldn't hurt as badly. The trunks were maroon with golden ridges for decoration and they also had each person's initials on them. What was really amazing about them though, was the Extension Charms. They make the interior of the trunks much larger, to be able to fit clothes, books, cauldrons, etc., but they don't change the outer appearance of the trunk. The charm also makes them very light, so they aren't difficult to carry. Pretty useful if your traipsing through the woods looking for a portkey.
After everyone had finally gotten their luggage comfortably settled, we each latched onto the portkey. This portkey was triggered by touch instead of being set at a predetermined time like others. MACUSA (The Magical Congress of the United States of America) as well as The Ministry of Magic were cautious enough to charm it by touch because we're children. Children are not known for their punctuality, so if by any chance we were late, which we were thanks to me, we wouldn't miss our portkey.
Devin finally, but cautiously wrapped his hand around the wooden handle. The immediate feeling of a hook, right behind my bellybutton, pulled me inwards. I felt the spinning, but kept my eyes closed because I knew I would see nothing but clouds and it gave me the sensation of being high in the air. The wind rushed around me, constantly throwing my hair into my face, and I griped the umbrella tightly.
After about five minutes, I felt the portkey started to get warm. To ensure that witches and wizards got off at the correct location, the portkey would become hot to the touch. If you held on for too long, it would burn your hand forcing you let go. While painful, it was incredibly useful for those who were using it for the first time and were too overtaken by the sensation to concentrate on when to let go. I was glad we had explained this to Devin beforehand so he wouldn't have his hand burned like I did the first time I used one.
The portkey grew warmer by the second and when it finally reached a temperature where I could no longer hold on, but not yet hot enough to burn me, I let go. My stomach sunk as I was sucked backwards and thrown to the ground with a thud. My left arm was resting out from my body very sore from having to hold onto both my trunk and Mr. Bobbles.
Speaking of Mr. Bobbles, he looked a little worse for wear. His feathers were ruffled and he looked a bit drunk. Abandoning him in the woods and traveling by portkey all in one day, he was not going to be happy with me for a least several days. Hopefully, letting him out of his cage would be a start. However, I figured letting him calm down for a bit would be best right now. He may try and bite me, if I wasn't too careful.
Taking in my surroundings, I found myself lying face up on soft green grass staring up at the bright blue sky. The sun had just past the middle of the sky, so I knew it was after noon. England and Louisiana had a six hour time difference. Ahead of me lay an overgrown garden as well as small blue frog pond. A low, brick, garden wall lay just beyond the pond and behind it was a medium-sized orchard filled with peach trees. The trees were green with juicy round peaches and looked like they had recently been pruned.
One of the things I loved about coming to visit the Weasley's was the orchard. The smell and sight just reminded me of home. The Weasley's often used it to practice for Quidditch during the summer, but whenever I had felt home sick that is where I went. Where we live there's actually an annual Peach Festival. The town comes alive as vendors set up downtown, the parade rides through the city waving at children and throwing candy and, not to mention, the peach flavored ice cream. Yum! The orchard was absolutely gorgeous in the spring. The trees would flower and turn pink and I loved to just lay out in the sun in the middle of a pink ocean. Beyond the orchard lay a vast sea of golden wheat mixed with channels of water and reeds. The field stretched far and wide over the rolling hills and surrounded the large property.
I let go of Mr. Bobbles' cage and unhooked my wrist from my trunks. As I stood up to brush myself off, I could hear the nearby thuds of Jeremiah, Brooke, and Devin entering the garden. I saw all of them looked rather frazzled from the journey, and I probably looked no better myself.
"Are you ok?" I asked Devin, extending my hand to help him up.
"Perfect," he answered sarcastically.
I looked over to Jeremiah helping up a giggling Brooke. Hopefully, the fits of laughter would wear off soon.
"Wow!" exclaimed Jeremiah, looking behind him at the house. "That's….wow!"
The Weasley's house, The Burrow, was several stories tall, with mismatching rooms that had been added on over the years for their growing family. Several chimneys were perched on top of the roof, and it was so crooked that it was held up by magic.
I had always loved the Weasley's home because of how uniquely built and welcoming it was. Of course what made it truly welcoming, were the family themselves. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had seven children: Charlie, Bill, Percy, Fred and George (twins), Ron, and Ginny. Ron was my age so we were always pretty close with each other. One thing that everyone noticed about the Weasley's though, was that each of them had flaming red hair. Devin would fit right in with them. Maybe he's a long lost cousin or something.
"There...haha….house is…hahaha….amazing!" Brooke said in between fits of giggling.
"You know," said Devin, "It all seemed like just a dream until now. About me begin a wizard and everything I mean."
"Your right, this is a huge step for us," I replied. "It's like the beginning of an adventure. It's like the beginning…"
"…Of the rest of our lives," continued Jeremiah in awe.
"Well, let's go!" I said excitedly!
We gathered up our luggage and headed off in the direction of The Burrow.