I took down my old HP fanfic, and replaced it with this one, if you're wondering where my story went.
Any recognizable characters, creatures, terms or figures from the Harry Potter series belong to J.K. Rowling.
I'm not going to waste time anymore.
The girl closed the book she was reading. It was a beautiful summer day: the sunlight streamed through the glass windows, the kids across the street played quidditch in the backyard, and everything was quiet in the De Ford estate.
The girl, Felix, stood up from her seat in the private library. She replaced the book on its shelf. "Felix!" Her mother called. She decided to ignore her mother, since it didn't seem that important anyway. The library was specially designed with her using it in mind.
The chaise longue she'd been sitting in was soft. Sometimes if she had a headache or something like that, she'd go lie down on it instead of her bed. Or if she slept after reading a book in here, which was more likely.
"Felicia!" Her mother called again. She didn't like being called Felicia. It just seemed so… girly. She ignored her mother once more, and proceeded to wander around the private library. Her mother had a full shelf of her books; some so old and battered she had to restore them back to their original state. Her brother had a level in the general collection of books Father had shared with them, all filled with information about Quidditch. Her shelf was the largest, filled with all of her favorite books and all the books she ever owned in her whole lifetime.
"Felicia Xavierre Vaughn-De Ford! Get over here!" She scowled. Her mother was always this dramatic when she wanted Felix out on the estate. She opened the door, and slammed it behind her. It made a large, thundering sound that rung out through the house. Felix trudged over to the parlor, where her mother was currently having her morning tea. She knocked.
"In," her mother replied primly. "Yes, mother?" She asked, peering in. "Felix, dear, get in," her mother pulled her by the arm. Her mother was a tall, willowy woman; whose cornflower blue eyes she inherited, along with her hair and her long neck. She went by the name of Fern Wilhelmina Vaughn in her youth, then after getting married, took the surname De Ford.
Fern De Ford had an oval-shaped face, high, proud cheekbones, a nose that went downward like an arrow, a long, swanlike neck, and to top off all her beauty, had a crowning glory of straight, chocolate brown tresses. She looked like her daughter, yes, but her daughter had chosen to cut off her own long locks for a boyish haircut that left long bangs to fall in her eyes if she shook her head violently. Her daughter had inherited her father's aristocratic jaw, and had a heart-shaped face. Felix De Ford was tall and lean, reaching a height of five-foot-eleven inches at 17, though she was growing taller. She had been on the Slytherin Quidditch team for six straight years, the outcome of which was her willowy form.
"Felix, you shouldn't be holed up in the library all summer," Fern began, stroking her daughter's arm affectionately. "Why don't you go out into the grounds? Ride Midnight?"
Midnight was her brother's black stallion, but since her brother was away in Greece, she cared for her, and Midnight had gotten close to her.
"I haven't ridden Midnight in a while, Mother," she replied, averting her gaze to the window. The grass was as green as ever, and in the horses could be heard from the stables. "I don't think Midnight'll forgive me for ignoring her for about seven summers."
She turned to her mother, waiting for her reaction. She smiled serenely, the one that quieted Felix when she had nightmares in her childhood. "Midnight loves you, Felix. She'll remember her rider."
Felix in turn smiled. "Alright, Mother. I'll try riding again. I hope I haven't forgotten how… but Mother, after taking Midnight around the estate, can I come back and ride my broom?"
Fern nodded. "Wear your equestrienne clothes, Felix; your father wouldn't forgive himself if you even got a scratch on you."
"I will, Mother, don't worry. I'll see you later, Mum," she said, kissing her mother on the cheek. "Be careful, Felicia."
Felix exited, and went into her room at the end of the hall. It was a regular room with white wallpaper, but her mother had insisted that it was embroidered with rose designs. There beside her bed was her cherry wood desk, its things neatly in place. Over by her closet, a dresser of cherry wood as well stood, strewn with all sorts of things gracefully across its shiny surface.
She changed into a comfy black t-shirt, some cream colored riding pants, and tucked her pants into her black leather riding boots. She hadn't worn her riding attire in a long while, but her mother seemed to be prepared, should she want to ride again.
She smiled, thinking of how nice it was to have a mother that anticipated things that really did happen.
Felix walked out of her bedroom, down the hall, almost went out the door… but stopped when she saw her brother's aviator shades. She'd been wearing them when she did go out, liking the sort of presence and power her brother's sunglasses held.
She slipped them on. Her haircut flapped a little around her ears as she walked to the stables, sunglasses covering her clear cornflower blue eyes. The breeze messed her hair up, but she couldn't care less. As she arrived at the stables, all the other horses neighed to her arrival.
There were seven horses: Knave belonged to her father, Crown to her mother, Midnight to her brother, Ivory to her Aunt Finola, Arrow to her Uncle David, Druid to her cousin Faith, and finally Helmut to her other cousin Fabian. Midnight was hardly used anymore, but she still was given exercise and food by the stable boys.
Felix walked over to the stable marked 'Midnight' and slid her sunglasses up to the top of her head. Midnight's eyes glinted, like she was smiling. Felix chuckled, and opened the door to her stable. Midnight happily went out of the stables, delighted that his adoptive owner wanted to ride him again.
As soon as Felix made the horse go faster and faster, feeling the wind rush through her short brown hair, she felt the exhilaration she once always had from riding horses, not unicorns or any magical creature.
She rode and rode, not realizing where she was on the sprawling De Ford estate. She stopped suddenly, realizing after a while where she was.
There was a large green maze in front of her. There was an arch, probably to mark the entrance. The walls and bushes inside the maze bloomed with blue hydrangeas, her mother's favorite flowers. Her eyes strayed over to the ground itself. There were flower petals.
But not just any flower petals.
Blood red rose petals.
She jumped off her horse, then calmed it down and tied its reins to a nearby tree. She followed the path of petals, curious at who could possibly want to come to this maze, much less what could they be doing.
Mum, please don't kill me for following a trail of rose petals in a maze, Felix thought.
She followed it deeper into the maze, and broke into a run when she saw that the petals started to increase in numbers, forming a cloud of red. She ran faster and faster, faster still, until…
"Oof."
She fell on herself, glaring at whoever was in her way. It was a startlingly tall, blond boy in a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt. He turned, clutching a rose. A red rose.
He stared at her intently, trying to read her expression. "I know you," he smirked. "De Ford. Slytherin keeper. Your relative Vaughn is a beater."
She stood up, wiping away the invisible dirt on her pants. "And I know you. You're Malfoy, captain of the quidditch team. Slytherin."
His smirk grew wider. "Yeah. Nice outfit you've got there. Went riding?" She nodded unconsciously, making her brother's shades fall over her eyes. "Cool shades," he remarked, gesturing to the aviators.
"Uh, thanks," she replied, "what are you doing in my maze?"
"I don't have the slightest idea."
Next chapter will be up soon.
R&R, no flames.