Harry Potter and the Book of Re-telling

By: Fatma, Anike, Sarah, Balma

Chapter 1

I could start out by saying it was a normal day. My friends and I (Sarah ,Balma and Anike), were just hanging outside the lockers, ten minutes before the school day began. Anike was the tallest compared to us all. With her black, braided hair, thick arms and legs covered in a rich, dark chocolate skin tone moving up towards her curvy face, Anike was one of those girls you didn't mess around with on some occasions. Anike carried an orange book bag, stuffed to the brim with learning supplies. Suddenly, she adjusted her black, knee-length dress to a more comfortable position. Sarah on the other hand, contrasted slightly with her pale, chalky skin , shiny blue eyes, rounded face with light dimples around swerved cheekbones. A cashmere sweater that hung off her elegant shoulders draped around her curvaceous figure. Sarah was two inches taller than me , but looked down with kindness, unless you got over to her dark side. Then there was Balma. In summary, she was a person of the most highest confidence. She was frighteningly nice and if one was to meet her in an overcrowded cafeteria, the atmosphere would change, for the better or worse. Balma's oval shaped glasses had been replaced with a smart, squared shaped pair of blue specs', that were withered in to a caramel, chocolate creamed face. Her black, shoulder-length hair was pulled back with a tight band and she had a simple attire of a red blouse contrasting with her dark, blue jeans.

Our normal routine of conversing about random subjects, the occasional looks Sarah gave to her iPod and my occasional glance at the new book that I had recently acquired, all seemed well. Anike soon left to go to Science and the rest of us began shuffling our way towards the hallway/staircase split that would take us towards our classes. A few of what I liked to call "acquaintances" stood milling around and last but least Balma was now checking out the bright cover of my new book. The title read "Harry Potter and The Philosophers Stone". I had been dying to get the book for months. Books rather, I should say. The whole series had mysteriously appeared on my bedroom's doorstep as a birthday surprise from my parents. It had taken days for me to get over it and know I proudly stood holding the first one. Anyways, Sarah was just explaining to me about how adorable Tom Hiddleston was(I remained silent for Roberts sake), when I noticed a strange darkness enveloping me. The world momentarily disappeared. Suddenly breaking out gasping, I found Amrit trying to "hug" or rather squeeze me to death. Amrit. I should've known better. Then I became frantic. My pearly, shiny covered book was missing. It lay in the middle of the hall and I soon swooped it out harms way. Inspecting it I found a very little damages and the spine still held strongly. It could've been worse. Turning around I faced Amrit and yelled, "Amrit! You could've easily ruined my book! Do you want to know how long I've been waiting for this?!".

"Sorry.", she said with a roll of her eyes, "Seriously, that book is not that important", she scoffed.

"NOT important, Not IMPORTANT...", I began to mutter.

"Easy, Fatma", Balma said, "We all know Amrit would do the same thing if you pushed "Hashga" out of the way." Amrit gave us a pricing glare before storming off to meet up with her "friends". I thanked Balma and quickly began walking away. Just as I was saying good-bye to Balma and heading into Math class, I thought I saw a picture on the book wink at me and the book glowing. Quickly shaking my head I walked into the first period class. The class where boredom and doom live.

…...

The classroom had a huge blackboard and about 30 student desks which were organized by pairs. A huge window covered half of the right wall and extended all the way towards the end. Underneath it were a few book shelves containing nothing but books and the teachers lesson plans plus, the entire Math curriculum. I took my seat behind the first pair of desks right at the front of the class. Oh! And did I mention that not only was the teachers desk positioned to the corner, it also could see under all the desks to make sure we weren't texting. My friend came next and sat nervously down beside me. I shared her feelings completely. Today we had a Mastery Test. However, if we failed this one, then we would be in a bad position. This test was a "make-up" test. Suddenly, loud blearing, classical music came blowing out of the announcement speakers. I covered my ears slightly to ease the noise and looked up. The speaker was right over my head. The morning music. It gave people three minutes to get to class. The music stopped and our math teacher walked in. There was a moment of silence before a voice announced over the speakers, "We are having some technical difficulties, so there will be no playing of "Oh! Canada", Thank-you!"

"Darn it!", I muttered, "This means we have to do our mastery test earlier."

I sighed, and then saw the teacher beginning to hand out our forms.

…...

Sarah glanced around nervously. She'd just had a wonderful morning staring at a few pictures and talking to her friends. Yet things were bound to go wrong. This past week had been rough. "Stop it!", she told herself, "Don't think about it..." Making sure that no-one was around to hear her she headed towards the gym. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. A dark shadowed cloaked figure. She looked back and blinked but it was gone. Turning around and shaking her head she thought, "I must be hallucinating." With one final glance around she headed towards class.

…...

Balma ran for her life and made it to class just in the nick of time. Her first few days of being one year older and already responsibility was slipping out of her hands. She plopped herself down in to her seat and gazed around the classroom. Not many people would call Science "fun", yet Balma wasn't the average person and she enjoyed it. She spotted a few girls hanging around then looked out of the window into the dreary cold weather. Far beyond the soccer field she spotted a hooded cloaked figure. She blinked and moved closer to get a better look. The figure was moving at a rapid speed towards the building yet no-one else around her seemed to have noticed its approach. Staring at the figure absentmindedly, she was reminded of Fatma's new Harry Potter book which she could have sworn was glowing. Yet Fatma and no-one else had noticed. She sighed and muttered, "It's been a long week..." Suddenly, out of her little bubble came a sharp voice saying, "Is the teacher later than ever?" Snapping out of her reverie she noticed that the figure in the field had vanished and that she now stood face to face with a girl. She also noticed that her classmates were glancing and moving around nervously and that the teacher had not yet arrived. Balma quickly shook her head and went to sit down in her seat. Just then there was a flash of lightning and the teacher arrived.

…...

Anike was sitting in class when she felt her hands becoming sticky. She raised her hand, asked if she could go to the bathroom, then left. Down the hall, a wide opening led her into the girls bathroom. She was accustomed to the smell of perfume and the few girls milling around applying make-up or rearranging their hair. Yet she didn't hesitate or stop to look around, instead she washed her hands and left the milling beauty queens still gazing at their reflections. She was a smart African-Canadian girl who did things in a snap if need be. She began to walk back to class when she noticed someone with a stick in his hand gazing at a map on the wall. The school map that is. Yet this person was clearly worse at fashion than anyone she knew. He wore a red bright shirt underneath blue suspenders. He had blond hair and was tall with a few sunken features. Whoever he was, she had never seen him and he hadn't noticed her yet. She began to edgily move her way forward, taking caution not to make any noise, however the figure then spun around and pointed the stick at her. Anike gaped in surprise as realization of who the figure was dawned on her. It appeared to be Draco Malfoy. With a wave of his wand he yelled, "Stupify!", but Anike hastily avoided the green light that issued from his wand. Still in shock she muttered, "Oh shit! I was right. You are ugly!", then with a sharp turn of his heel, he disappeared into nothingness. Anike took a few calming breaths then hastily ran to class. She didn't look back once.

…...

I was now finished second period class on the first floor. Our teacher released us with a smile. Walking out the door, I crossed the huge atrium then went down a hall that led to a staircase leading all the way up to the third floor. Running to my locker, I opened it up, shoved my books in and grabbed a blue flowered lunchbag and shut the lock tight. Sarah soon joined me and then Anike. I took one glance at her as she leaned heavily against the locker and decided to ask what was wrong. She looked at me as if testing to see if I could be trusted then said in a low serious whisper, "I just saw Draco Malfoy." Sarah's lunch-bag dropped to the floor in a pang as she kneeled over laughing. I fought back a few giggles then said in a serious tone,

"Anike, are you serious or do you mean you just saw Tom Felton or someone who looks like him."

"I'm serious!", "Why would I lie about something like this."

I took a moment and watched as Sarah heaved huge trembling breaths, then with a wide smile stood and faced us.

"I don't think that Draco would seriously just jump out of a book, Anike." Sarah said. "I trust you completly buddy, but I think you're smoking something," she added with a laughter.

"I'm serious!" Anike insisted waving her balled up fists" "Sometimes I just wanna..."

But she was cut off short as Balma appeared and waved a gesture of salute before rapidely telling us, "We have to get downstairs now! Something major has just happened in the front foyer, you gotta come check it out!" She appeared to be breathless, so we moved down the stairs in a manner that clearly displayed impatience and began to run to the atrium. The argument was put on hold. Others who had already gathered near the steps to the auditorium were already pointing and murmuring at the large TV screen that hung from the curved wall of the auditorium. I gasped. Hanging from the screen was a book and attached to it was a large banner. Now I'm not talking about a normal "Go School!" kind of banner. I knew that banner like the back of my hand. It was the exact same banner that represented Hogwarts School of Wichcraft and Wizadry in Harry Potter, and standing directly underneath it, surrounded by adoring fans, was J. herself.

We stood there and gaped. J. . She was here. At our suburban school. How could this be? Thousands of questions ran through our heads. How?... Why?...It didn't make any sense. Our school was only known by few people. Something serious must be going on. J. analysed the crowd, while the principal and VPs came rushing forth to greet her. She turned her head in a disciplined fashion and her security guards began to push the mass amounts of students away from her and created a barrier between the chaotic, screaming fans and the author herself. The principal and VPs had now reached her and were shaking her hand. They then, with the barrier of body guards moving with them, went towards the office. Time had never moved so slowly. I watched in confusion and shock as the figure of J. disappeared behind the polished, glass doors of the office into the corridors beyond. We all turned around and as one headed in the opposite direction towards the cafeteria. My thoughts had taken me towards our earlier argument with Anike about her seeing Draco Malfoy. I could see Sarah shining with excitement and I knew she was thinking the same thing. Was it possible...?

I pushed the thought of it from my head yet I didn't realize that our usual lunch table seemed fuller than ever. Our cafeteria is a large room that is usually very frosty, despite the heating in the school building. In the summer time, that was a good thing, in the winter, well lets just say the you're freezing. My mind wasn't thinking about the full table. It was still in shock, but I snapped out of my daze when I tried to sit and was pushed back gently and firmly by two massive hands. I looked up and saw our usual crowd, then I saw bodyguards and a short stout figure sitting at the table where I would normally sit. The rest of the table was filled with guards who were now studying us suspiciously. As one, our group of four began to edge along the table. He was a tall African-American man with a very serious tone and was conversing easily with some of the acquaintances. I almost tripped as we followed a line of traffic and sat down at an almost full table. An eerie silence resonated among the four of us. Anike seemed to be smirking as if daring anyone to tell her she was crazy. Sarah looked as if she was in heaven, excitement shone in her blue eyes. Balma looked like as if she couldn't stand and had a dazed expression on her face. I didn't know how I looked but suddenly Balma broke the silence by saying, "J.K. Rowling is...is..."She was flustered and I didn't know what to say either. Then all four of us began talking at once.

"Oh ,my ,goodness! Do you know what this means?!"I said

"Tom Felton could be here...! I mean the TOM FELTON. As in he is HERE" Sarah said

"I told you I saw something, I told you!" Anike announced

Suddenly Balma said, "Quit it guys! We need to discuss this."

I nodded my head in my agreement and saw the others do the same. After a while, we had calmed down in enough to talk. Well, me and Anike had. Sarah looked like someone who had just won the lottery. Balma looked ready to pass out. I told Anike to tell us everything that had happened. I listened with care and attention. Everyone else, especially Sarah, did as well. "Well that means that J. is here and maybe a couple of actors as well." Beside me Sarah did a little flip. "Besides," I continued, "You could have been a little shocked and thought that it was a wand."

"But she could be right." "I saw a strange figure coming up the lawn, and since you were too nervous, I also noticed that your book glowed as you were walking into Math class." Balma added.

"That's ridiculous!" I snapped. But I couldn't admit the feeling that she was right.

Sarah snapped awake and moved her hand so fast she hit me in the stomach. "I felt as if there was a shadow following me while I walked to gym class." "You don't think...", her eyes shining dangerously bright again. I quickly rubbed my belly, then said, "Sarah, you said that your fake wand has been.." Sarah gave me a dangerous look because no-one else knew what had happened at her house a few weeks before. "Fake wand has been what?", inquired Balma. I kept quiet then said as fast as possible, "Oh, you know it's nothing." I shrugged to show I didn't know what was going on. Anike who had been silent all this time now cleared her throat and called on us for attention.

"Listen guys, whatever is going on, it's clearly very important. But you can't disagree that I could've been right...

"Or wrong," Sarah muttered...

"...and that I did see the strange figure, with a stick or wand in their hand."

"Anike, everything seems to fit, because as we all know J. would not just appear out of thin air for nothing, but there are still parts missing and questions not answered such as why? How? Where?"

"Fatma's right yet ummm... Fatma you did say something about Sarah's wand?..."

Sarah gave me a glare then just as quickly before I could even answer she said "Remember my fake Harry Potter wand?"

Everyone nodded.

"Well...it's been acting really strange lately." She then turned to Anike and said, "I'm sorry I laughed earlier, it's just that...my wand keeps shooting out strange things and appearing at random places."

Everyone remained silenced. Now that the puzzle pieces were coming together, there seemed to be an acceptance that strange things were happening.

"It's as if we're in a movie." Balma said. "Oh, and Fatma...

I looked up.

"I was right then."

"Well the book glowing could've been a ..."

But I never got to finish my statement. Just then a teacher yelled, "Time to go to class people! Let's get moving!"

I looked up to see that the cafeteria was almost empty, then got up and followed my friends outside.