Entry for "Transfigurations" at "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments)"

For this lesson, your task is to write about someone being born, or alternately, about something that is short-lived; like a relationship (friendship or otherwise)

Word count: 750-900 words OR 900-1500 words

Entry for the "Hogwarts Fair 2014" - Herbology Class: Word Prompt Scream

Hours of pain lay behind Fay Weasley, it felt like she had already been in labour for a eternity and she just hoped that it would finally be over. Her baby seemed to be unwilling to see the light of the world and it was as if it was teasing her with a few kicks against her rips.

"One last push, Fay, and then your baby is there! Come on!" Healer Janger exclaimed and Fred Weasley squeezed his wife's hand a little bit more, murmuring encouraging words into her ear. He could hardly imagine the pain she had to be in, but the stifled scream she released gave him a brief impression – along with the grip she suddenly developed on his hand. It was as if she wanted to crush his bones and he squeaked, just as the baby came onto the world. He was hoping just as much as her that it the baby would be coming soon, he knew that everyone was getting tired.

Only seconds later they heard the baby cry and Healer Janger smiled as she wrapped the baby into a blanket.

"This was it, your daughter is there."

After cleaning the baby a little bit and doing the first check-up, Fay and Fred Weasley finally were handed their baby and Fred could not hold back his tears.

"She is perfect," Fay whispered, sounding extremely exhausted, but she smiled nonetheless and kissed her husband. She had never been so happy before, not even when she had learned that Fred had survived the Battle of Hogwarts.

"Haley," Fred smiled, running his fingers over the red fluff on his daughters head. "Haley Molly Weasley. The name you suggested."

Haley opened her blue eyes and giggled at her dad who immediately recognised the mischievous twinkle in them, the one he knew best from his twin brother.

Only a few days after her parents had taken her home with them, Haley had enchanted the hearts of her parents, grandparents, her uncles and aunts and everyone else who had seen her. She only needed to smile and everyone was falling for the cute little baby girl, but somehow she also showed that she was definitely her fathers daughter.

Haley would start to scream and cry in the middle in the night, but as soon as Fay or Fred entered the room she would stop and smile innocently if she had not really been in the need of care.

"She only wants us to be around, that is cute," Fred had commented on his wife's complains, but after the fourth night they had not slept a single minute in, he realised that the girl was doing this on purpose.

Her accidental magic was just as mischievous – her toys would not only fly around the room, but sometimes even chase after persons or poke them again and again until the annoyance became unbearable.

As a toddler, Haley would keep her parents in suspense, being very active as she ran around the house on her short legs, giggling loudly when she had caused any mischief.

Sometimes Fay would complain that this was all Fred's fault. He had been the one who had told Haley, when she had still been swimming around in her mothers belly, about the pranks he and his brother George had committed and how she would surely enjoy their prank shop. Of course he had been hoping that his child would like Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, but obviously Haley was far to interested.

Whenever Fred was taking her with him to one of the shops, she would rejoice and play pranks on her uncle, on her father or even some costumers, demonstrating that the products were working really well.

But the real action did not start until Haley Weasley stepped onto the Hogwarts Express for her first school year. Nearly every week Fay and Fred would receive a letter from Headmistress McGonagall or Neville Longbottom, who had become the Head of Gryffindor, informing them about just another prank. And even though Fred tried to convince his wife that he disapproved their daughters behaviour just as much as she did, she would only smile at him in this knowing way. Of course he was proud that Haley was stepping up to her fathers old reputation as the school prankster, together with her cousin Roxanne.

Haley was the light in her parent's life and they loved her dearly, but it was not deniable that her birth had already brought them a lot of chaos.