Chapter One
The window was open, just wide enough for the barn owl to come through. The girl sleeping upstairs had been leaving it open every year, since she was thirteen; at age twelve she'd been woken at four in the morning by the sound of a beak hitting the window, and had not wanted to repeat the incident. It was simply much easier to let the owl come in, drop off the letter, then leave again than it would be to wake up at some unreasonable hour once a year to open a window. It all made perfect sense, in spite of the potential for someone to break in; after all, her mother had placed anti- burglary charms on the house years ago.
Two envelopes of heavy, yellowed parchment landed with a soft thud on the dining table of the small house; one for the resident, another for the visitor that would arrive at nine o'clock that morning. Of course, the Gray's had no idea that their daughter's friend was going to be shopping with them; indeed, they had no idea they would be leaving their house that day. But it had already been decided between the two girls that they would travel to Diagon Alley the day their letters arrived, and that they would spend the last week of their vacation at the Morgan's home.
This information was not to be told to the parents of Kathleen Gray until the next morning, and it would be discussed while she bought her schoolbooks. However, the presence of the letters would be known in a few short hours, when the young Gryffindor came downstairs to prepare breakfast, woken by the alarm set for 6:15- alarm clocks were arguably one of the most useful muggle inventions, in her opinion.
The letter still sat in the same position it had been in an hour ago, the only difference being that it now had plates of eggs, sausage, and pancakes surrounding it- Kathleen had to soften her parents to the idea of not seeing her until Christmas somehow. She'd reached to grab it, but when she felt extra weight in it she dropped it back on the table, where it had remained. She had only fifteen more minutes if she wanted to open it in privacy- her parents possessed an uncanny ability to wake at 7:30 every day, without any sort of alarm.
A suspicion had formed in her mind when she felt the added weight of her Hogwarts letter, one that she wasn't sure that she liked. Her mother- who originated from a family of pureblooded wizards- had told her fondly of the day she had received her letter in fifth year, and the delight she had felt upon opening it. The former Slytherin had similar hopes for her daughter, but Kathleen doubted that she could follow her mother's footsteps. Surely not, she'd told herself when the silly notion had first entered her head. You can't be… Dumbledore would never choose you…
She'd compared it to her fellow Gryffindor's letter, thinking that perhaps every fifth year got extra papers- it being O.W.L. year, after all- but there had been a noticeable difference between the weights. Her palms were still sweating, half an hour later, when she strengthened her resolve and reached for the envelope. You're in Gryffindor, act like it.
She tore open the envelope, and dumped the parchment onto the dark oak. A scarlet and gold badge fell out, causing an audible gasp to emit from her mouth.
Prefect?
Kathleen grabbed the sheet of parchment on top of the stack and skimmed through. Yes, she was definitely the new Gryffindor prefect, according to the letter. She wasn't sure how to process the information, so she elected not to; she picked up the remaining sheets, and read through those instead.
This didn't do much to distract her, though; only two new books were needed, and nothing had changed about the details of arriving at the school. She read the prefect letter again, more thoroughly. She had no clue what being prefect entailed, her mother's countless stories never really explaining her duties, just a few instances when the position had been useful. Unfortunately, the letter was just as useless, only telling her that she needed to go to the prefect carriage on the Hogwarts Express, where any and all questions would be answered by the Head Girl and Boy.
Kathleen heard a tell-tale creak on the old wooden staircase, and stuffed the information and badge back into the envelope. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was her parent's usual waking time. She grabbed the two letters, and hurriedly put them into the pocket of her dressing robe; it was best they didn't see them just yet.
"'Morning Mum."
A loud yawn was the only answer, and Kathleen hurriedly began pouring her mother a cup of coffee.
The two women were often said to look alike, when in reality the younger had an even mix of features from both parents. Kathleen had inherited her mother's facial structure, dark brunette hair, and brown eyes. They shared the same skin tone, always appearing to have a light tan, but that was where the similarities ended. Her nose, eyebrows, mouth, and ears all were from her father, along with her lack of freckles. It was still unclear what her height would be, though she was a few inches above the average for her age.
After about ten minutes, both of the Gray parents were downstairs, fully awake and eating their second helping of sausage. Kathleen had limited herself to a slice of toast, and was sipping her second cup of coffee.
Helen Gray sat back in her chair and glanced at her silent daughter. Though she was accustomed to her daughter being rather reserved for a Gryffindor, Kathleen would normally have read through all of her Hogwarts paper's twice, and have begun begging to go to Diagon Alley by this point.
"Kathleen?"
Her daughter glanced up, her eyes showing she was listening.
"Is something wrong?"
This was the last thing Kathleen expected her mother to say; yes, she had been quiet, but only because she didn't want her mother to freak out before finishing her meal. She raised her eyebrow.
"Of course not."
"Has your letter arrived yet?" Helen assumed this must be the source of her daughter's lack of response this morning.
"Yes."
A quick glance around the table said otherwise.
"May I see it?" An open envelope was placed in front of her, with no response.
Kathleen returned to her coffee, counting the seconds before her mother found the prefect badge. One…Two…Three...Four…
A gasp told her that her new status had been discovered. She placed her mug on the table, and looked up. She was greeted by a delighted smile.
"You're a prefect?" The excitement was clear. She nodded. Leonard Gray glanced up from his newspaper; he'd been told the stories just as often as his daughter.
Kathleen suddenly found herself in an embrace. She stiffened, uncomfortable with the show of expression, and her mum released her.
"What do you want? A pet? A broomstick?" Helen's eager tone told the youngest Gray not to reject the offer; her mother was too excited.
"Can I look around Diagon Alley a bit, then decide?"
"Of course. When shall we leave?" The mother looked ready to leave the house right then, before even getting dressed, her excitement was so great.
Kathleen glanced at the clock. 8:45.
"Nine-fifteen?" Her suggestion was greeted with a frown.
"Why such a long wait?" Understanding dawned on her face. "Did you invite someone?"
"Patience, mum. And yes; Laurie Morgan is coming over at nine. I suggest both of you get dressed." This statement was accompanied by a pointed stare.
Helen sighed, mumbling something about never being told anything, and the Grays went upstairs.