Author's Note: None of the characters belong to me, except for Amanda and her family in later chapters. All others belong to J.K. Rowling.
Story rated M for later chapters. Slight OOC.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Amanda groaned and rubbed at her eyes as she rolled out of bed and walked towards her bedroom window. 'Whoever is contacting me at this time of night has a death wish', she thought drearily, opening her window to accept a letter from the magnificent tawny owl. She detached the parchment from the owl's leg and offered it a treat. Hooting gratefully, the owl consumed the treat and flew off into the night. Closing her window, Amanda strode back towards her bed and unfolded the letter, turning on a lamp to gain enough light to read her letter.
Miss Harris,
I have decided to accept your application for the position of Potion Master's assistant. You are required to be present at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by four pm on August twenty-second. Bring all necessary items for the school year, as you will not be returning home until next June, except for any potential emergencies. I am looking forward to seeing you soon.
Regards,
Severus Snape, Potions Master
Amanda sat in awe, rereading the letter until she finally overcame the shock. Squealing, she flung open her bedroom door and ran down the hallway to knock on her housemate's door. Moments later, the door opened and a sleepy looking blonde girl stuck her head out. "What's going on, Manda?" she questioned in a slow, half asleep voice.
"I got it! Luna, I got the job!" She did a little celebratory dance as she handed the acceptance letter over to her friend, who grinned and gave her a hug.
"I'm so happy for you! This means Ginny and I will still get to see you this year." Luna cheered with her, and then realized that it was just past midnight. "Look, as much as I love you, I've got to get back to bed. I'm meeting Neville in the morning to go shopping for our school supplies. He likes to get it done early." She smiled serenely, and then wandered back into her room. Amanda chuckled at her friend's honesty, and returned to her room, knowing that she would not be able to sleep for the rest of the night.
The next morning was incredibly slow, and felt like it dragged on forever. Amanda felt the she didn't need to start packing until late afternoon; after all, she wasn't required to be at the school until four pm the next day. She picked herself up out of bed some time around ten in the morning and dragged herself into the bathroom to take a quick shower. After she was washed and dressed in a pair of dark track pants and a loose light blue tank top, she threw her hair up into a messy bun and trailed downstairs into the kitchen to get breakfast. Luna was long gone, as she had gone out to meet Neville a couple hours previous, so Amanda knew that she was on her own for this meal.
Although they were both magically inclined, Amanda and Luna loved having muggle appliances to assist them in their daily lives. Amanda turned on their stereo system and cranked up the volume as a loud rock/alternative song came on. Singing along to the tune, she searched around for a clean bowl and a box of cereal. Eventually finding the desired items, she poured her breakfast until she heard a loud pop! in the living room. Spinning around, she held her wand at the ready in case of unwanted intruders. She breathed a sigh of relief moments later, however, when the visitor entered the room and turned out to be her recently ex-boyfriend, Draco Malfoy. The two had agreed to remain friends after their breakup, but there was still tension between them. Amanda motioned for Draco to sit down at the kitchen table, which he did. She levitated a mug of coffee to him, then grabbed her own breakfast and sat down across from him, staring him right in the eyes.
"So, I hear you got the job working with my godfather." He said to her loftily. She nodded, as her mouth was full of cereal. "You know he is a difficult man to deal with, let alone work for, don't you?"
"I am aware, Draco. I was at school with you for the past seven years." Amanda replied, rolling her eyes at the blond man. "I'm sure I can handle him, after all, look at the people I choose to be friends with. You're all stubborn, strong-willed, driven and moody at times." She took a sip of her tea, still keeping her eyes on her ex-boyfriend. She had to admit, he was still quite good-looking. Eighteen years old, hard-bodied from years of Quidditch, with well-kept white-blond hair and stormy grey eyes, he had always been the most sought-after male in Hogwarts. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she continued, "I'll be fine. Is this what brought you here, concern for how I will deal with an overgrown child?" Draco laughed and shook his head.
"Yes, I suppose so. That, and the fact that I've been missing you a lot lately." He told her sincerely, his grey eyes never leaving her blue ones. "Amanda, I think we should get back together. I need you in my life, as my girlfriend, not just my friend who is a girl."
"Draco…you cheated on me. I was gracious, and forgave you. But the terms for that forgiveness were that we just remained as friends. Why do you think that has suddenly changed?" she asked him, her voice raising a few octaves higher than usual. "I understand that you do not like this arrangement, but you have to accept it. Please, leave now and don't come back until you figure out how admit to yourself that this is all we're ever going to be now." Draco looked at her, eyes full of sadness, anger and extreme denial. Yet, moments later disapparated on the spot, leaving Amanda confused and no longer hungry.
Once Luna arrived home, Amanda told her about her strange encounter with Draco. The blonde girl hugged the dark haired girl, and then linked arms with her as they headed upstairs to begin packing up Amanda's things that she would be taking with her to Hogwarts. Luna whisked around the room, occasionally tripping over her billowing light blue dress which was slightly too long for her. Amanda was glad that she had decided to live with Luna, having been best friends in school, despite the one year age difference. When Amanda was in her second year, she had noticed the strange blonde girl in her house that always seemed to spend her time alone. One night, a group of third year Slytherin boys had been picking on Luna and Amanda stood up for her, hexing the Slytherins until Professor Flitwick caught her and gave her a detention. Ever since that night, they had been best friends and practically inseparable.
"Manda, are you taking this with you?" Luna asked her suddenly, shaking her from her memories. She glanced up from the shoes she was sorting through to look at Luna, who was holding up a small trinket box. It was midnight blue with a single silver shooting star on the lid; a graduation gift from her mother. Although the box looked like a cheap knick-knack, in reality it was a treasured and highly valuable item that contained many of her family's secrets. Luna, of course, did not know this and was standing there waiting for an answer.
"Yes, I am. Please pack that in with my personal items." She instructed, then returned to her shoe pile, wondering whether or not her six inch red stilettos would be considered practical for her job or not.
At nine o'clock the next morning, Amanda awoke with a start, having been in the middle of a nightmare before her alarm began to ring. Shutting it off, she ambled down to the bathroom to take the last hot shower she would be having in her home for next year. After standing under the hot water for at least an hour, she pulled herself out of the bathroom and back along to her room to find an outfit that would be remotely appropriate for her to wear for her first day at her new job. She finally decided on a pair of plain black dress pants and a mint green and white striped blouse, with a pair of black peep toe heels. Debating whether or not to wear her hair up or down, she magically rearranged her natural black hair until settling on a straight, high ponytail that accentuated her neck and jawline perfectly. To finish her look of professionalism, she applied two coats of mascara and a smear of light pink lipstick. Amanda gave herself the once over, and smiled. For a young woman of eighteen, she certainly knew how to pull off a professional work look.
It was some time around one in the afternoon when Luna finally dragged herself downstairs, wearing a pair of sleep shorts and what looked like one of Neville's shirts. Amanda looked up from the magazine she had been reading and grinned at her lazy friend, who was currently pouring herself a glass of orange juice in the kitchen and pulling her long dirty blonde hair up into a messy bun. Luna, like Amanda, had become quite adept at using wandless magic for everyday tasks, such as pouring drinks or cleaning up around the house. The younger woman sat down on the couch across from her friend, crossing her legs in a childlike fashion. "You know, it's going to be weird having the house to myself for a couple days." She stated, sipping her juice and looking at the dark haired girl. Amanda looked up, and sighed.
"I know. We've lived together for what, a year now? It'll be strange seeing each other at Hogwarts, but living in the same little environment." Luna nodded at Amanda's words. It was true, they would have to get used to the fact that they wouldn't be able to be as close at Hogwarts, since Luna was still a student and Amanda was now a part of the staff. The two sat and reminisced until Amanda realized that it was fifteen minutes until her expected arrival at the school. They said their goodbyes, and after gathering all of her paraphernalia together, Amanda disapparated, excited that she was about to begin a new chapter in her life.