Author's Note: I guess I should say a few things to those of you before you begin reading. First of all, this fic is OC-centric, so if you don't like it, don't read. Second of all, the main character, my OC Chloe, has a pretty dirty mouth, so there will be foul language. Just a warning. I'm not entirely sure how people are going to feel about this plot idea, so I'd really like some feedback on that, if you guys wouldn't mind. Also, along with this fic, I have another Supernatural fic I'm writing along with school and life so I'll try to update regularly, but don't be mad at me if it takes me a bit between chapters.
Chloe and Jacob are in their sixth year with the twins whereas Derek is in his fourth year with the trio, just so you guys know what's going on. Therefore, the story will take place during Goblet of Fire. I haven't read the book in years, so I'm not going to promise to follow the story line completely. The main plot points will still be there: the triwizard tournament, etc., but I'm not going to promise all my dates and everything will be exact. Just saying.
Spoiler Alert: I'm planning on the pairing being Fred and Chloe. Might as well just ask now and get it over with: I'm beginning the story in Chloe's perspective and so far I've only written from her perspective, but would you guys maybe want some chapters from Fred's perspective later on in the story? Just wondering. Let me know. Thanks :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, though I don't really think I need to tell you guys that.
I sat on my surfboard, my legs submerged in the ocean as the water rushed around me. I sighed, knowing I would have to go home soon. I still needed to pack, and I had to leave in the morning. With one last longing look at the water, I began paddling my way to the shore.
I carried the surfboard awkwardly in my right arm as I walked back to my home. I had lived here my whole life, and tomorrow I had to leave. In no way did I regret accepting the chance to study abroad, but I was still going to miss my home and the fact that the ocean was a five minute walk from my house.
I was used to the warmth, to the sun and the beach. And where was I going tomorrow? Scotland. Cold, rainy Scotland. I'd never been out of the country, and I was eager to see the world, but I knew I was eventually going to miss the warmth of the sun on my skin. Oh well, at least I would finally get some use out of the sweaters I had collected over the years.
I opened the front door to my house and walked through the living room, making my way upstairs and to my room to drop off the surfboard before returning downstairs and entering the kitchen, searching aimlessly through the fridge and cabinets for something to fill my stomach.
"Have you packed yet?" Jacob asked as I entered the kitchen.
"No," I spoke dismissively over my shoulder as I continued to search, finally settling on an apple. Jacob and his younger brother, Derek, lived with me and my family. Their mother had died when they were young, and their father had kind of gone off the deep end after that. Since my mother was good friends with their mother, she took them in and raised them as her own. We had been a family pretty much our whole lives, so they were like brothers to me.
I'm not going to lie. I'm not exactly the most innocent person out there, or the kindest. I'm sarcastic and blunt and a lot of people shy away from me because of it, but it doesn't matter much. I'm also confident and in control and, honestly, I think that's a fair trade. Besides, I already have great friends who accept me. I don't need anymore, really.
"You know we have to leave tomorrow," Jacob goaded, smirking at me from his seat at the table as I leaned against the counter eating my apple.
"I'm aware," I replied, finishing my apple and tossing the core into the garbage can as I left the kitchen and went back to my room. I didn't know where Derek was, probably meticulously checking and rechecking his lists to make sure he hadn't forgotten to pack anything. Derek and Jacob, as well as some other kids from our school, had all been given the chance to study abroad, like I said before. I was glad the two of them were coming with me. I always put up a front of collected confidence, but this was something huge and I was glad I didn't have to face it alone, not that I would ever admit that to them.
Where were we going, you might ask? Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Everybody knew about Hogwarts, it was pretty much the best school of magic in the world. My mother had been so proud when she had learned that the three of us had all been accepted to go there. She had even tried to make a video about it, sitting us down and trying to interview us. It was rather uncomfortable.
I fell back on my bed and observed the fading rays of light cast themselves over the roof, the sunset painting a picture on my ceiling. I sighed and stood, rummaging around my room, slowly packing. I had to do it eventually and now seemed as good a time as ever. I had just finished packing when my mother rang the dinner bell. Yes, you heard correctly, a dinner bell.
My family has always been large, compared to most families, at least. In addition to my mother, Jacob, Derek, and myself were my brother, Chris; his wife, Rose; their infant daughter, Faith; and my nephew, William. My mother had adopted Will after my other brother, Charles, had been deemed unfit to raise him. I descended the stairs to find the kitchen packed with people filling plates with food. Chris was balancing two plates on his arms, one for himself and one to take to Rose, as she hadn't been feeling well lately. The two lived in the guest house with Faith, and it suited their purposes well. Will was loading up his plate to maximum capacity, and I walked over before flicking him on the back of the head.
"Put some of that back, kiddo, you don't need all of that," I chastised. He whined, but I glared at him and he reluctantly put some food back, though not as much as he should have. Will had always driven me insane. He was a sweet kid, but he was stubborn and lazy and refused to listen to anything anybody had to say. He was unappreciative and most of the time I just wanted to smack the hell out of him. I can't really blame the kid, he is only ten, after all, but it still got on my nerves.
"Chloe, hey," Chris greeted, setting his two plates down and pulling me into a rushed hug. "I have to work graveyard tonight, so I won't be here to say goodbye in the morning. Be good, and have fun. Make the most of it, kay?" He smiled at me as he released me and I smiled weakly back at him. Chris and I had always been close; he was only three years older than me and we had grown up together. We had a tradition of playing video games together every Thursday night and, I had to admit, I was going to miss that, too.
I made a plate for myself and sat at the table with Jacob, Derek, Will, and my mother. Will was getting reprimanded for not doing his homework (again) and I kind of tuned out the conversation. Derek had finally made an appearance, but he looked anxious and fidgety, mostly pushing his food around on the plate instead of eating it. I finished my plate and stood, walking to the sink and washing my plate. As I passed Derek on my way back to my room, I leaned placed my hand on his shoulder and leaned toward his ear.
"Stop freaking yourself out, Der. Everything is going to be okay. I promise," I squeezed his shoulder encouragingly and he smiled gratefully at me before I left the kitchen and trudged up the stairs to my bedroom, showering before crawling into bed and falling asleep.
Morning came too quickly and before I knew it, we were all gathered around the fireplace with our luggage. We were all to floo to London, where we would catch a train that would take us to Hogwarts. When we arrived, a professor was supposed to meet us and lead us to wherever we were supposed to go after that.
My mother gathered us all into hugs before we left, saying her goodbyes to each of us.
"Be good," she warned after she had released all of us. She pointed to all of us as she said it, but I knew she meant it mostly for Jacob and me. Jacob and I had a bit of a reputation for starting trouble. We were bad enough on our own, but when we teamed up, we were a force to be reckoned with. Derek almost never got into trouble unless Jacob and I had dragged him into something with us. He was a smart kid, and put a lot of effort into his education. He dreamed of big things, and it always made me smile because I knew he was entirely capable of accomplishing those great things. "I love you all, have fun," my mother finished after fixing us with a pointed stare.
"Love you too, Mum," I mumbled, appearing nonchalant, but really, I was quite sad. My mother and I were very close, and this was the first time I would be leaving her for an extended period of time. I would be lying if I said I was completely okay with it.
We all stepped into the fireplace and yelled out our destination, throwing the powder at our feet as we did. I had always hated the floo network; it was a truly awful way to travel, but with the huge prices for airline tickets and my mother's very finite funds, we really had no other choice.
We all made it to onto the train fine, only stopping to ask a family how to get onto the platform. The fact that it was hidden within a muggle train station impressed me, and I couldn't help but laugh as the muggles continued on with their lives, completely oblivious, as we disappeared through a wall as if it were a completely normal thing to do. The platform was full of parents bidding their children goodbyes as they all clambered onto the train. The three of us found an empty compartment and seated ourselves, awaiting the trip to our new school.
The trip was long, and it was night by the time we arrived. The three of us gathered our belongings and exited the train. As we stepped onto the platform, I spotted a huge man beckoning first year students to follow him. I momentarily wondered if we were supposed to follow him before a witch dressed in robes began calling out for us, her glasses slipping down her nose.
"All Breakwick Academy students this way. Follow me, please," she beckoned, and I noticed as people from my old school gathered around her. Jacob, Derek, and I joined them, and she led us all to a row of carriages, telling us to leave our luggage and holding us to the side as all the other students headed to the castle before us. When they were gone, she loaded us into carriages and we set off for the school.
I couldn't help but gawk as we exited the carriages. This was no school, this was a damn castle. Hogwarts was a castle and I got to live and learn here.
"Chloe, hurry up," Jacob called to me and I snapped out of my daze to realize the group was proceeding into the castle without me. I ran to catch up, following the group as she led us through the castle to a large room where several chairs and couches were arranged. We all sat and looked up at the witch as she stood, looking at us.
"Now, here is how this is going to work," she began, calling the attention of the students upon her. "I assume you all were separated into houses at your prior school, yes?" she asked, and we all nodded in confirmation. We had been separated, but it didn't really matter much because Breakwick wasn't a boarding school, so you never really had to spend time with the people in your house. "Well, here at Hogwarts, we also have houses. The first years are being led to the castle now, and they will be sorted first. After that, the Headmaster will make an announcement that you will be joining us this year, and then we will get you all sorted. I must leave now, to attend to the first years, but I will be back when we are finished with that to lead you all to the Great Hall. Do not leave before I return," her voice was stern and her gaze swept over the crowd before she turned and left the room.
"So we are going to be resorted," Derek spoke from my right. "I was wondering about that."
"Of course we're being resorted, the houses here are probably nothing like the houses back home," Jacob spoke from my left. I rolled my eyes.
"Can we put a stop to this now, before you two begin arguing over me? Again? Thanks," I chimed in, looking back and forth between the two boys. Jacob rolled his eyes, but Derek looked a bit embarrassed.
"Sorry, Chloe," he apologized and I smiled.
"It's okay, Der Bear," I teased, throwing my arm over his shoulder.
"Don't call me that here!" he hissed, shrugging my arm off his shoulder.
"Aww, does Der Bear not like Chloe's affection?" Jacob teased, leaning forward to look at his brother. "I like Miss Chloe's affection."
"Yeah," I agreed, throwing my arm over Jacob's shoulders and pulling him closer to me, though it was a bit awkward since he was a bit taller than me. "Jakey Wakey likes my affection, Der Bear, why don't you?"
Derek scowled at us and crossed his arms, averting his gaze and pouting as Jacob and I laughed. It was quite funny seeing him like this; Derek was very tall, taller than Jacob, actually, and people always mistook him for older than he actually was. But, the fact was, he was young, and seeing a boy who looked like a full grown man pout was ridiculously funny.
"Aw, come on, Derek," I pushed his shoulder playfully. "We're only teasing."
His shoulders relaxed slightly and he turned back toward me. "I know. But still, don't call me that here."
"How about we compromise and I promise not to call you that in front of any cute girls?" I smirked.
"Fine," Derek huffed his agreement, probably because he knew that was the best offer he was going to get.
It took a while for the older witch to return. When she did, she gave us a quick explanation of what each house represented before beckoning us to follow her. She led us to a large room, where all the students were seated at four long tables. I smiled as Derek began to inform me about the enchanted ceiling and how he had read all about it before we had arrived, only turning my attention back to the front of the room when an old man with a long, white beard spoke from the podium.
"Ah, that must be my cue," he spoke with a smile, bowing his head to the witch in front of us. "Thank you, Minerva." She nodded before stepping up to a stool that had an old, ratty hat on it. I winced, hoping we didn't have to wear that thing. Who knows what the hell was on it if it was truly as old as it looked. "Welcome, young students," the old man greeted us. "My name is Albus Dumbledore and I am Headmaster of Hogwarts." He then turned to the rest of the students, all of whom were whispering animatedly or looking on with expressions of confusion. "Young Hogwarts students, it is time I announce a new addition to Hogwarts this year. These students in front of me are from Breakwick Academy of Magic in America and they have all been accepted to a study abroad program that we have offered them. They will all be attending Hogwarts along with you this year."
The hall broke out into frantic whispers at his announcement and I rolled my eyes.
"Now, now, settle down," he continued, silencing the hall. "These students have to be sorted, so if you would kindly remain patient for a tad bit longer." He motioned to the witch who had led us here, Minerva, if I recalled correctly, and she pulled out a scroll.
"Carl Krick," she called out, and I chuckled as I watched him approach the stool. I knew Carl (or, Krick, because he hated his first name and insisted everyone call him by his last name, not that that was much better), and I hadn't known he had come here, as well. My chuckles ended, however, as I watched the witch raise the hat and set it back on Krick's head as he sat on the stool. So we did have to wear the damn thing. It took a moment before I noticed the hat had a face, and that the lips were moving, obviously speaking to Krick. I literally gaped.
They had a talking hat. Our futures at this school were to be decided by a talking hat. Are you fucking kidding me?
After a moment, the hat opened its big mouth and announced to the hall: "Slytherin!" A table with green and silver banners over it erupted into applause and Krick made his way toward the table. I zoned out as a few more people were sorted, only focusing back in when a certain name was called.
"Jacob Warner," the witch called out and I reached out to Jacob and grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before releasing it and watching him walk to the front of the room. I looked around and realized that there was only me, Derek, and two other people left to be sorted.
Jacob sat down on the stool and the witch placed the hat on his head. There was a moment of silence before the hat burst out: "Gryffindor!" I applauded along with the other students as Jacob stepped off the stool and walked over to a long table full of students, many of whom stood up and shook his hand as he joined them.
"Derek Warner." He gave me a worried look and I squeezed his hand the same way I had squeezed Jacob's, smiling at him as he made his way to the front of the room. There was barely any pause at all before the hat announced Derek's house: "Ravenclaw!" A huge grin broke out on Derek's face as he hopped off the stool and bounded to the Ravenclaw table.
"Chloe Masters," the witch called out my name and I strode up to the stool, a grin on my face. I wasn't worried; I was excited. I stared out at the crowd as I sat on the stool and the witch placed the hat upon my head.
"Ah, Young One," the hat spoke to me and I realized that, while I could see his lips were moving, I could only head his voice inside my head. "You are feisty; that much is obvious. You have confidence and ambition to take you far in life. I know where to put you. Slytherin!" He yelled the last word out to the hall, and the green and silver table erupted into cheers, many of the boys catcalling. I rolled my eyes, but smiled as I bounced off the stool and over to the table.
"Hi," a girl with long dirty blonde hair and nice blue eyes introduced herself as soon as I sat down at the table. "My name is Veronica Cremoir," she held her hand out to me.
"I'm Chloe Masters," I introduced myself, shaking her hand.
"Nice accent, I guess you really are from America," she chuckled.
"Born and raised," I agreed, smiling.
"Where exactly in America is Breakwick?" another girl, with long brown hair and soft brown eyes chimed in. "Oh, and I'm Bianca Villanos," she introduced, offering me her hand.
"I'm Chloe," I shook her hand. "And Breakwick is in Santa Cruz, uh, California," I finished when both her and Veronica gave me confused looks.
"California?" Veronica asked excitedly.
"No wonder you're so hot," a brunette boy who was sitting a couple people down the table announced, smirking at me.
"You know it, Stud," I agreed with a wink and a smirk of my own. He stumbled, obviously flustered, before blushing a bit and turning away. I laughed at his obvious discomfort.
"Don't mind her," Krick mumbled next to him. "She's always like that."
"Hey, Krick, don't be a killjoy," I laughed.
"No promises," he smirked at me before Veronica spoke again.
"What's California like? Is it sunny? Are there celebrities everywhere?"
I laughed at the stereotypes. "Uh, I don't live in LA, so, no, there aren't celebrities everywhere. Santa Cruz is sunny a lot of the time, but it does storm pretty badly sometimes. I don't mind, though. That just makes for better surfing."
"You surf?" flustered brunette asked, turning his attention back toward me.
"Yeah, it's great. I live right down the street from the beach so it's really easy for me to just go surfing for a bit."
"Oh, my God," Bianca spoke up, glancing down the table with her mouth open.
"What?" I asked, looking at her with confusion.
"He's coming over here!" She squealed, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Who the hell is 'he' and why does that excite you so much?" I asked, looking at Veronica for clarification. She opened her mouth to talk, but quickly snapped it shut as I felt someone sit down on the other side of me. I turned to see who it was and found myself face to face with a rather handsome blonde boy. He wore a smirk on his face and stuck his hand out to me.
"I'm Draco Malfoy," he announced. I reached out and shook his hand.
"Chloe Masters. Uh, is your name really Draco?" I queried, tilting my head slightly. His smirk immediately turned into a scowl.
"Yeah, why? You think it's funny?" He demanded, his grip tightening on my hand before he released it.
"No, Jeez, calm down," I countered. "I actually think it's really cool."
"Really?" He seemed surprised for a second before quickly regaining his composure. "Good."
"Uh, yeah," I rolled my eyes, turning back to the table to find that it had filled with food while I wasn't looking. I could see why the girls were fawning over him, he was damn hot, but this kid seemed like an arrogant ass and I wasn't going to deal with it just because he was nice to look at.
"So, you come from California?" he questioned, filling his plate as he sat next to me.
"Yup," I answered shortly, slightly annoyed that he obviously wasn't going to leave.
"Look," he spoke firmly, "my intention wasn't to piss you off, it was to introduce myself. I've somehow managed to do both, but at least I achieved my original goal. It's obvious you don't want me here, but I'm going to continue talking to you because I want to get to know the new girl and I'm used to getting what I want, so it would be easier if you would just behave civilly."
I swallowed the piece of chicken I had in my mouth and mulled over his statement for a few seconds before turning to him.
"Blunt and concise; I can respect that," I admitted. "I suppose first impressions aren't everything, so I'll act civilly. Just don't continue to be an ass, because I'm not going to bow down to you just because you're hot."
I heard Bianca gasp behind me and the smirk returned to Draco's face before he nodded.
"Fine," he conceded.
"Fine," I agreed, nodding and turning back to my plate.
"Well, I must get back to my seat, but expect to see me around. Don't think I'll forget about our little agreement," he smirked, standing from his seat.
"Wouldn't dream of it," I agreed as he walked back to his friends, abandoning his full plate.
"I can't believe you spoke to him that way," Bianca exclaimed as soon as he was out of ear shot.
"He's just a person; you can't let him treat you like shit just because he's attractive. There are plenty of attractive people out there and it doesn't give them a right to be complete assholes," I remarked casually as I buttered a dinner roll.
"It's nice to see I'm not the only one who doesn't worship him," Veronica spoke beside me and Bianca shot her a glare. I smiled before looking up and across the hall, catching Jacob's eye. He smiled and waved to me, and I returned the gesture. A couple of the people around him noticed our interaction and looked over at me, and I waved at them as well, chuckling as I did so. The people next to Jacob spoke and he turned to talk to them, so I turned my attention back to my food.
"Oh, yeah. You were talking to that guy a lot. Are you two…?" Veronica asked, allowing her silence to explain her implication.
"No, no, not at all. He's just my best friend is all; we grew up together," I explained.
"Oh, sorry," she apologized.
"Don't worry about it," I reassured her. "Trust me, you're not the first person to make that assumption."
"Nobody would make that assumption if you two weren't attached at the hip," Krick chimed in from down the table, casually eating his dinner as if he hadn't said anything at all.
"Aw, you jealous, Krick?" I teased. "Now that we're in the same house, I'm sure we'll spend lots of time together," I mock consoled, reaching across the table to pat his hand.
"You wish, Masters," he smirked, shaking my hand off.
"Oh, on the contrary, I believe it is you who is doing the wishing, Krick," I smirked at him as he just chuckled and shook his head at me.
Dinner continued on in a peaceful manner. A few more people introduced themselves to me, including a girl named Pansy Parkinson (I tried so hard not to laugh at her name, but I wasn't entirely successful), a boy named Theodore Nott, two sisters named Astoria and Daphne Greengrass, another boy named Blaise Zabini, and a quiet girl named Clarissa Abralion. After the feast was over, the head of houses lead us out of the hall and toward our common rooms.
"Psst, Chloe," I turned from my conversation with Veronica to see Jacob beckoning me over. I told Veronica I would be right back before making my way toward him, smiling.
"Hey, Jakey Wakey. What's up?"
"Just wanted to say night before we went to our separate houses. Looks like we won't be bunking together," he moped a bit and I empathized with him. This would be the first time we had been unable to see each other at night, since we weren't supposed to go into each other's house common rooms.
"Yeah, I know, Jake. I'm sorry. But, hey, if you ever need me, just come get me and I'll be there, damn the rules." I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Really?" He looked up at me, his eyes a bit brighter than before.
"Really. When have the rules ever stopped me before?"
"Very true," he chuckled. "Same to you, you know. No matter what."
"Of course," I smiled at him.
"Chloe," Veronica's voice broke into our conversation. "We gotta go or we're going to be locked out of the common room."
"Okay, gimme a sec," I called over my shoulder before turning back to Jacob. "Night, Jacob."
"Night, Chloe," he replied as I began walking away. "Hey, Chloe," he called and I turned back around to face him. "Your friend is hot."
"No," was my immediate response, and I pointed my finger at him in warning.
"Ahh, come on, Chloe. Put in a good word for me?"
"If you seduce her on your own time, like a big boy, then great for you, but I am not risking my reputation to vouch for your flimsy commitment skills," I replied before turning and beginning to walk away again.
"Worst wingman ever," I heard him mutter as I walked away.
"Love you, too, Jake," I called over my shoulder as Veronica and I rushed to catch up with the rest of our house. Our common room was in the dungeons, and we caught up to the group just as they were entering the common room. The common room was cold, but there was a fire roaring in the fireplace and the entire room was decorated in greens and silvers. I found it very relaxing. Veronica led me up some stairs to our dorm. I found it surprising that she and I were rooming together and wondered if the staff had known we would become acquainted. Passing it off as coincidence, I walked over to the bed that had my trunk at the foot and looked at the stack of supplies on my bed. I had been supplied with the necessary materials from the school. On my bed was a stack of uniforms (already in the Slytherin colors), my textbooks, some quills and inkwells, and a fair bit of parchment. I held up the parchment and quills and observed them warily.
"You guys still use quills and parchment? Damn, this school really must be ancient," I muttered, grabbing all the items on my bed and moving them over to a desk in the corner.
"Of course, Hogwarts has been around for centuries, so we still use the old methods. Why, what did you use at your old school?" Veronica asked, pulling some sleeping clothes out of her trunk and beginning to change. I followed her lead and began searching my trunk for my own pajamas, pulling out my stuffed bear and tossing it on my bed as I did so.
"Well, our school hasn't been around that long, so we used more modern methods. All our essays were typed up on computers and we were even allowed to bring laptops to class. It's completely different here. Hell, I wasn't even allowed to bring my cell phone here," I complained, climbing into bed after changing.
"Yeah, there's pretty much no modern technology allowed here, magical or muggle made, but you get used to it."
"Yeah, I suppose I probably will," I agreed, climbing into bed. "Night," I spoke softly as I rolled over and cuddled Carlton (my bear) into my chest.
"Night," Veronica replied from her bed, obviously already close to sleep. I closed my eyes, wondering exactly where Jake was in the castle and hoping that he was alright by himself.