Note: Avalon is a fictional area, used in many myths and fables. I did not make it up, but the characteristics of it are from my imagination. So I am borrowing the name, basically. All characters are owned by J.K. Rowling except for Vivianne Cole...she's mine. Please read and review!!!
Harry Potter and the Prophesies of Avalon
The school seemed to be buzzing with news, Harry noticed the next morning, waiting by the great wooden doors of the Great Hall. Everyone was huddled in little packs, chattering and whispering. At this hour of the morning, he didn't even really care. He just wanted to find Ron and Hermione before going in for breakfast.
Finally, he saw the flash of red hair that could only be Ron, and waved him over. "Any idea what's going on?" he asked, motioning towards the other students.
Ron shrugged. "You're asking me? Of all people? Where's Herm? She would know."
"Not here yet. I thought she was with you."
He shook his head. "Nah, but here she is now."
Hermione Granger walked over, smiling. "Heard the news yet? We're getting a new student today, in our year."
"Really?" Ron said, surprised. That's strange...usually they don't let students transfer from school to school, because the schools teach so differently. If he's in our house, I hope he's good at Quidditch."
"She," Hermione corrected. "From what I've heard, the new student is a girl from...actually I've never heard of the place! Avalon?"
"Avalon?!" both Ron and Harry said at the same time. Harry said it in confusion, but Ron had said it in shock. Harry and Hermione turned to look at him.
"What's wrong with Avalon?" Hermione asked. "Well, actually, where IS Avalon?"
"Well I know about it because of my dad. It's an island hidden off the coast of Britain, hidden from even the wizard world. That was where they sent all the criminals before Azkaban was built."
Harry shuddered. He still hated to think about Azkaban. He let Ron continue.
"It's a beautiful island from what I've heard, but the wizards who live there are...well...weird. My dad told me they do a lot of sacrificial spells, and other stuff right out of the Dark Arts. They're great Seers, but they're not to be trusted at all. I wouldn't want an Avalon witch here!"
"So they're not to be trusted just because they're culture is different then ours? Honestly, this is why the wizarding world is so divided---everyone stereotypes one another!" Hermione sighed.
Ron shrugged. "Not saying that's my opinion. It's just what I've been told!"
"When is she coming?" Harry asked.
"Dumbledore is supposed to introduce her to all of us during breakfast--so lets go."
The three of them walked into the Great Hall, and sat themselves down at the Gryffindor table, a bit closer to the staff table then usual. Harry saw immediately that the Sorting Hat had been placed near Dumbledore's seat. So there definitely was someone new coming.
Fred and George approached them sleepily. "Why you sitting here today?" Fred asked, sitting with them just the same.
"Wanna see the new student from Avalon" Ron answered.
George's tired eyes opened wide in surprise. "Avalon?! Wow, Dumbledore's gonna get quite a few Howlers for that!"
"I still don't see what the big deal is!" Hermione interjected. "They're still witches and wizards just like us!"
"No they're not," Fred answered. "Avalon is...different."
Hermione opened her mouth to say something else, but was silenced by Dumbledore tapping a spoon against his glass.
The room fell dead silent within a matter of seconds. Everyone stared at the Headmaster intently, waiting to hear what he would say.
"As I'm sure you've all heard, we have a new student joining us," Dumbledore began. "I know this is quite unusual, but certain times call for special circumstances. I expect you to give Miss Cole the same respect you would give any other Hogwarts student."
He motioned to Professor Snape, who was sitting closest to the side chamber. "Severus, would you mind?"
With readable annoyance on his face Snape rose from his seat and opened the door to the side chamber. A tiny girl, probably a head shorter then Harry, walked in, met by the eyes of hundreds of students.
As she got closer to the Gyrffindor table Harry saw that she was quite pretty, and the nudge in his side from Ron told him that Ron agreed with him. She had jet-black hair that fell past her shoulders, and steel gray eyes. She smiled shyly at the crowd. She had arrived in Muggle jeans and a green sweater, sneakers on her feet.
She stopped in front of Dumbledore and shook his hand. "Hello, Headmaster," she said. Harry recognized a faint, but distinct accent in her voice.
"Hello, Miss Cole," he smiled at her, then turned again to the students. "And now, Vivianne, if you will have a seat, we can sort you."
Harry could see the nervousness in her eyes as she sat on the wooden stool, and Harry remembered when he had been the one sitting there---it had definitely not been a pleasant feeling. Dumbledore placed the tattered hat upon her head. After deliberating for a few seconds the hat shouted out "RAVENCLAW!"
But where the students would have cheered at the real Sorting, there was now only scattered applause, mostly from the teachers. Vivianne gave another small smile before tapping Dumbledore on the shoulder. "I really have to go to my dormitory and get my things settled," she said in a near whisper.
Dumbledore nodded and called out to the Ravenclaw prefect, asking her to escort the new girl to the common room. The prefect obliged, but Harry could see she kept her distance from the new student. So it's not just the Weasleys, Harry thought to himself. Avalon witches seem to be right up there with giants!
Once the great wooden doors had slammed behind them, everyone went into a frenzy of chatter, mostly about the new student, Vivianne. Harry could hear bits and pieces from all over the table:
"Anyone who lives on a hidden island has got be strange--"
"I'm sending a letter tonight, Mum will definitely not like this!"
"How you heard about Avalon's involvement in the Dark Arts??"
Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't see what the big fuss is. She seems alright."
Fred shook his head. "Are you kidding? Avalon is a twisted place! They celebrate the birthday of You-Know-Who there!"
Harry's mouth dropped open in shock. "Are you serious?!"
"That's what I've heard, yeah," Fred nodded. "Like it was a regular holiday, up there with Christmas. They have a lot of rituals, too---things involving sacrifices and blood and stuff. Dad's traveled to most of the surrounding wizard countries, but he refuses to go to Avalon!"
Now Harry didn't know what to believe. His experiences being friends with half-giants like Hagrid, and Muggles like Hermione have made him realize that the opinions of the wizard world weren't always to be taken seriously. But Mr. Weasley was always so open-minded...
"Well she's not in Gryffindor," Ron added. "So we won't have to worry about her. I think Dumbledore's cracked! Special circumstances my ass! She'll try to start killing us off, I bet!"
But Harry tuned the conversation out, as he had just sighted Cho, talking with her Ravenclaw friends. She was laughing at something, and Harry's eyes locked on the beautiful smile. Yeah, Vivianne was pretty...but Cho...Cho was absolutly beautiful.
He had only spoken to Cho once since Cedric's death last year, but she had been pretty torn up about it. Harry still felt a bit jealous that she had chosen Cedric over him, but a lot less now then when Cedric had been alive. But she wasn't with anyone now, so there was still hope...
"Harry, you there?"
Hermione's voice snapped him back to reality. "Wha?" he answered, confused.
"What in the world were you---oh for Heaven's sake, Harry!" she exclaimed when she saw what, or rather, who, he had been staring at. "Just go talk to her, she won't bite!"
Harry felt his face go red. "I know that, Hermione! It's just---"
"You're afraid you'll look like a fool, right?" Ron smiled at him.
Harry smiled back. "Something along the lines of that."
Fred laughed. "Well what exactly is wrong with being a fool? Hey, Cho!" he called out to her.
She looked over at Fred and waved. "What do you want, Weasley?"
"Come over here a sec!"
Harry's pulse picked up when he saw her get up from her table and walk over towards them. "What do you think you're doing, Fred?" he whispered.
Fred shrugged. "Talking to one of my many friends, what else?"
Cho had just arrived. "So what was so urgent it had to make me leave my table?" she grinned.
Fred fished in his pocket and pulled out a few Sickles. "Here's that money you lent me in Hogsmeade."
She eyed the silver coins curiously. "Thanks---none of these are Weasley trick coins, are they? They're not gonna...I dunno, explode or something?"
"No, but thats actually a really good idea Cho! I'll have to get to work on that before History of Magic. Or during History of Magic..."
She laughed and placed the coins in her pocket. "I'm never gonna borrow money from you again, just to be safe." She looked around the table a bit. "Oh, hello Harry. How are you?"
Harry hoped his face wasn't as red as he thought is was. "Er...I'm good, you?"
"Surviving," she answered. "You did good in that match against Hufflepuff the other day. Their replacement Seeker is no match for you..."
Harry smiled. "Thanks."
"Well if thats all you wanted, Fred, I'm gonna run. Class starts in another minute. Bye everyone!"
Harry watched her walk away. "How do you DO that?"
"What?" Fred asked.
"Be, like--friends with her and all that!"
Fred snorted. "Harry, she's a nice person. It's not like trying to be friends with Myrtle or anything..."
Just then the bell sounded. Harry gulped down the last of his pumpkin juice before grabbing his books. "I forgot something, I'll meet you in class!" he called behind him as he made a mad dash for the door.
He hadn't forgotten anything, actually. But he knew Cho had Defense Against the Dark Arts, and if he pretended he needed to go back to the common room, he could pass by the door and see her. Or if he was feeling daring--talk to her.
He peered around the last corner and sure enough, she was standing there with that same group of fifth year girls she was always with. They were all chatting and giggling about something. He was still in a state of happiness from her previous comment, and it drove him to go over and speak to her once more. So he smoothed out the sleeves of his robes, got a better grip on his textbooks, and took a step around that corner---
walking right into someone else.
Papers, ink, quills, and books flew everywhere. Harry cursed under his breath, bending down to pick up everything he dropped.
"Sorry," he heard the other voice say.
"Don't worry about it, it's--" he muttered, but then he stopped when he looked up at who he colided with. His green eyes met a pair of steel-gray ones, and when he realized who it was he was rendered speechless.
He didn't know whether to feel scared or not, as he had just collided with Vivianne, the witch of Avalon.
Harry Potter and the Prophesies of Avalon
The school seemed to be buzzing with news, Harry noticed the next morning, waiting by the great wooden doors of the Great Hall. Everyone was huddled in little packs, chattering and whispering. At this hour of the morning, he didn't even really care. He just wanted to find Ron and Hermione before going in for breakfast.
Finally, he saw the flash of red hair that could only be Ron, and waved him over. "Any idea what's going on?" he asked, motioning towards the other students.
Ron shrugged. "You're asking me? Of all people? Where's Herm? She would know."
"Not here yet. I thought she was with you."
He shook his head. "Nah, but here she is now."
Hermione Granger walked over, smiling. "Heard the news yet? We're getting a new student today, in our year."
"Really?" Ron said, surprised. That's strange...usually they don't let students transfer from school to school, because the schools teach so differently. If he's in our house, I hope he's good at Quidditch."
"She," Hermione corrected. "From what I've heard, the new student is a girl from...actually I've never heard of the place! Avalon?"
"Avalon?!" both Ron and Harry said at the same time. Harry said it in confusion, but Ron had said it in shock. Harry and Hermione turned to look at him.
"What's wrong with Avalon?" Hermione asked. "Well, actually, where IS Avalon?"
"Well I know about it because of my dad. It's an island hidden off the coast of Britain, hidden from even the wizard world. That was where they sent all the criminals before Azkaban was built."
Harry shuddered. He still hated to think about Azkaban. He let Ron continue.
"It's a beautiful island from what I've heard, but the wizards who live there are...well...weird. My dad told me they do a lot of sacrificial spells, and other stuff right out of the Dark Arts. They're great Seers, but they're not to be trusted at all. I wouldn't want an Avalon witch here!"
"So they're not to be trusted just because they're culture is different then ours? Honestly, this is why the wizarding world is so divided---everyone stereotypes one another!" Hermione sighed.
Ron shrugged. "Not saying that's my opinion. It's just what I've been told!"
"When is she coming?" Harry asked.
"Dumbledore is supposed to introduce her to all of us during breakfast--so lets go."
The three of them walked into the Great Hall, and sat themselves down at the Gryffindor table, a bit closer to the staff table then usual. Harry saw immediately that the Sorting Hat had been placed near Dumbledore's seat. So there definitely was someone new coming.
Fred and George approached them sleepily. "Why you sitting here today?" Fred asked, sitting with them just the same.
"Wanna see the new student from Avalon" Ron answered.
George's tired eyes opened wide in surprise. "Avalon?! Wow, Dumbledore's gonna get quite a few Howlers for that!"
"I still don't see what the big deal is!" Hermione interjected. "They're still witches and wizards just like us!"
"No they're not," Fred answered. "Avalon is...different."
Hermione opened her mouth to say something else, but was silenced by Dumbledore tapping a spoon against his glass.
The room fell dead silent within a matter of seconds. Everyone stared at the Headmaster intently, waiting to hear what he would say.
"As I'm sure you've all heard, we have a new student joining us," Dumbledore began. "I know this is quite unusual, but certain times call for special circumstances. I expect you to give Miss Cole the same respect you would give any other Hogwarts student."
He motioned to Professor Snape, who was sitting closest to the side chamber. "Severus, would you mind?"
With readable annoyance on his face Snape rose from his seat and opened the door to the side chamber. A tiny girl, probably a head shorter then Harry, walked in, met by the eyes of hundreds of students.
As she got closer to the Gyrffindor table Harry saw that she was quite pretty, and the nudge in his side from Ron told him that Ron agreed with him. She had jet-black hair that fell past her shoulders, and steel gray eyes. She smiled shyly at the crowd. She had arrived in Muggle jeans and a green sweater, sneakers on her feet.
She stopped in front of Dumbledore and shook his hand. "Hello, Headmaster," she said. Harry recognized a faint, but distinct accent in her voice.
"Hello, Miss Cole," he smiled at her, then turned again to the students. "And now, Vivianne, if you will have a seat, we can sort you."
Harry could see the nervousness in her eyes as she sat on the wooden stool, and Harry remembered when he had been the one sitting there---it had definitely not been a pleasant feeling. Dumbledore placed the tattered hat upon her head. After deliberating for a few seconds the hat shouted out "RAVENCLAW!"
But where the students would have cheered at the real Sorting, there was now only scattered applause, mostly from the teachers. Vivianne gave another small smile before tapping Dumbledore on the shoulder. "I really have to go to my dormitory and get my things settled," she said in a near whisper.
Dumbledore nodded and called out to the Ravenclaw prefect, asking her to escort the new girl to the common room. The prefect obliged, but Harry could see she kept her distance from the new student. So it's not just the Weasleys, Harry thought to himself. Avalon witches seem to be right up there with giants!
Once the great wooden doors had slammed behind them, everyone went into a frenzy of chatter, mostly about the new student, Vivianne. Harry could hear bits and pieces from all over the table:
"Anyone who lives on a hidden island has got be strange--"
"I'm sending a letter tonight, Mum will definitely not like this!"
"How you heard about Avalon's involvement in the Dark Arts??"
Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't see what the big fuss is. She seems alright."
Fred shook his head. "Are you kidding? Avalon is a twisted place! They celebrate the birthday of You-Know-Who there!"
Harry's mouth dropped open in shock. "Are you serious?!"
"That's what I've heard, yeah," Fred nodded. "Like it was a regular holiday, up there with Christmas. They have a lot of rituals, too---things involving sacrifices and blood and stuff. Dad's traveled to most of the surrounding wizard countries, but he refuses to go to Avalon!"
Now Harry didn't know what to believe. His experiences being friends with half-giants like Hagrid, and Muggles like Hermione have made him realize that the opinions of the wizard world weren't always to be taken seriously. But Mr. Weasley was always so open-minded...
"Well she's not in Gryffindor," Ron added. "So we won't have to worry about her. I think Dumbledore's cracked! Special circumstances my ass! She'll try to start killing us off, I bet!"
But Harry tuned the conversation out, as he had just sighted Cho, talking with her Ravenclaw friends. She was laughing at something, and Harry's eyes locked on the beautiful smile. Yeah, Vivianne was pretty...but Cho...Cho was absolutly beautiful.
He had only spoken to Cho once since Cedric's death last year, but she had been pretty torn up about it. Harry still felt a bit jealous that she had chosen Cedric over him, but a lot less now then when Cedric had been alive. But she wasn't with anyone now, so there was still hope...
"Harry, you there?"
Hermione's voice snapped him back to reality. "Wha?" he answered, confused.
"What in the world were you---oh for Heaven's sake, Harry!" she exclaimed when she saw what, or rather, who, he had been staring at. "Just go talk to her, she won't bite!"
Harry felt his face go red. "I know that, Hermione! It's just---"
"You're afraid you'll look like a fool, right?" Ron smiled at him.
Harry smiled back. "Something along the lines of that."
Fred laughed. "Well what exactly is wrong with being a fool? Hey, Cho!" he called out to her.
She looked over at Fred and waved. "What do you want, Weasley?"
"Come over here a sec!"
Harry's pulse picked up when he saw her get up from her table and walk over towards them. "What do you think you're doing, Fred?" he whispered.
Fred shrugged. "Talking to one of my many friends, what else?"
Cho had just arrived. "So what was so urgent it had to make me leave my table?" she grinned.
Fred fished in his pocket and pulled out a few Sickles. "Here's that money you lent me in Hogsmeade."
She eyed the silver coins curiously. "Thanks---none of these are Weasley trick coins, are they? They're not gonna...I dunno, explode or something?"
"No, but thats actually a really good idea Cho! I'll have to get to work on that before History of Magic. Or during History of Magic..."
She laughed and placed the coins in her pocket. "I'm never gonna borrow money from you again, just to be safe." She looked around the table a bit. "Oh, hello Harry. How are you?"
Harry hoped his face wasn't as red as he thought is was. "Er...I'm good, you?"
"Surviving," she answered. "You did good in that match against Hufflepuff the other day. Their replacement Seeker is no match for you..."
Harry smiled. "Thanks."
"Well if thats all you wanted, Fred, I'm gonna run. Class starts in another minute. Bye everyone!"
Harry watched her walk away. "How do you DO that?"
"What?" Fred asked.
"Be, like--friends with her and all that!"
Fred snorted. "Harry, she's a nice person. It's not like trying to be friends with Myrtle or anything..."
Just then the bell sounded. Harry gulped down the last of his pumpkin juice before grabbing his books. "I forgot something, I'll meet you in class!" he called behind him as he made a mad dash for the door.
He hadn't forgotten anything, actually. But he knew Cho had Defense Against the Dark Arts, and if he pretended he needed to go back to the common room, he could pass by the door and see her. Or if he was feeling daring--talk to her.
He peered around the last corner and sure enough, she was standing there with that same group of fifth year girls she was always with. They were all chatting and giggling about something. He was still in a state of happiness from her previous comment, and it drove him to go over and speak to her once more. So he smoothed out the sleeves of his robes, got a better grip on his textbooks, and took a step around that corner---
walking right into someone else.
Papers, ink, quills, and books flew everywhere. Harry cursed under his breath, bending down to pick up everything he dropped.
"Sorry," he heard the other voice say.
"Don't worry about it, it's--" he muttered, but then he stopped when he looked up at who he colided with. His green eyes met a pair of steel-gray ones, and when he realized who it was he was rendered speechless.
He didn't know whether to feel scared or not, as he had just collided with Vivianne, the witch of Avalon.