Hey, so apparantly I'm incapable of writing a 2500 words essay on the Azores hotsot volcanoes but I can write a entire chapter in one evening. I should be updating my other storied but after seeing the new Harry Potter film, which was pretty amazing I'm kind of in a I'm-obsessed-with-Harry Potter mood. Anyways, let me know if you like it or indeed hate it but I'd prefer it if you liked it =]
I don't own Harry Potter, if I did I wouldn't have to go to uni.
Chapter 1
I was starting my seventh and final year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It had certainly been an interesting seven years; then again I was from a muggle background so almost every day was interesting well more like strange. In my younger years at school I had always been diligent and hardworking (my brother called me a know it all), something that had continued into my time at Hogwarts. Needless to say it resulted in me being awarded a prefects badge in my fifth year.
The city had long since disappeared and we were now whizzing through the countryside. Tall green hedges and fields full of crops ready for harvest now flashed past the windows instead. The compartment was a hive of activity, I was chatting with my closest friend Lauren, whilst Amelia and her boyfriend Matt were huddled together in the corner, whispering in hushed voices. Quite a contrast to Oliver who was loudly giving a play by play of Wimborne Wasps recent game against the Montrose Magpies to anyone who would listen, namely the other three boys in our year. We were all Gryffindor's through and through, hard not to be when one of your friends is Quidditch captain and another last year's gobstone champion.
"Ready for our final year?" Lauren quizzed.
I sighed, I would quite happily spend a few more years within the relative safety of Hogwarts, the big wide world wasn't big on my list of priorities at the moment, "yeah, guess so, it means less time spent around my brother." I was speaking the complete truth; he was more annoying than Oliver before a Quidditch game. Thankfully, he was three years below me so I only really saw him in the common room and occasionally at meal times.
"Your brother is sweet, a real charmer," Lauren replied, I rolled my eyes, everyone seemed to think so.
"You don't live with him," I muttered, "he hid my new potions book as I was packing so I hexed him and he grassed me up to Mum, apparently a prefect should know better."
The compartment door slid open, we all looked up, it was my brother, speak of the devil and he shall appear. "Els, can I borrow some money, I want to get something to eat," William grinned as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.
"Use your own," I snapped turning back to Lauren.
"It's in the bottom of my trunk, I'll pay you back, promise," no he wouldn't but I relented and hand him over a few sickles, "Oliver, when's practice starting?" William was a reserve keeper for the Gryffindor team. As he asked that awful question the entire compartment groaned, we didn't need another Quidditch conversation from Oliver.
"I need to confirm with McGonagall but after dinner on Monday is looking good, have you done much practising over the summer?" Oliver replied.
"As much as I could, Ellie wouldn't help," William smirked, the cheek of the little git after I'd just given him some money. I stood up, now more than annoyed my hands on my hips.
"Ellie," Oliver scolded, "Will needs the practice if he's going to improve."
"Right," I snapped, "the next mention of Quidditch anywhere within this vicinity and I will deduct points."
Oliver opened his mouth to reply but I silenced him with a glare, I would more than follow through with my threat.
"You can't do that, we aren't at school yet," William grinned.
"Five points for arguing back," I replied and sat back down, Ellie one Quidditch enthusiasts nil. William left the carriage muttering curses and Oliver was frowning at me, I shrugged it off and returned to my conversation with Lauren.
Some ten minutes later and the compartment door slid open, please be the food trolley and not my brother, "Elena, the prefects meeting starts in fifteen minutes, why aren't you there?" I'd know that voice anywhere; it was a voice I'd learnt to dread from an early age. Percy Weasley, I almost rather it was my brother.
"Because it starts in fifteen minutes," I replied causing a ripple of laughs to spread through the carriage. I like the responsibility that came with the prefects badge but at that moment in time I wanted to catch up with my friends.
Percy stood in the doorway; his hands on his hips glaring down at me, like me he also had no worried with deducting points from his own house. "Come along then Elena, you can help me round up others who are skiving," Percy turned on his heels. I glared daggers at Percy's now retreating figure.
"It's Ellie," I mumbled as I stood up and followed Percy from the carriage with one fleeting last look at my friends.
"Have fun Elena," Lauren called as I closed the door.
The prefects meeting was as usual riveting, nothing knew was said just a reinforcing of the do's and don'ts by newly appointed head boy Percy. For the next half an hour I let my attention wonder to the window desperate to be anywhere but here, even if it was discussing Quidditch with William and Oliver again.
As the meeting drew to a close I wasted no time in returning to the carriage, grabbing a chocolate frog from the food trolley as I made my way through the throng of students. "-dropped the Quaffle and," Oliver stopped and looked up as I walked into the compartment.
"Go ahead," I said with a wave of my hand now beyond caring, so much for a great start to the year. I shook myself mentally, in attempt to think more positively, things would get better. Sitting down between Oliver and Lauren, I leaned against the back of the seat and shut my eyes.
"Was it that bad?" Amelia asked, now untangled from Matt.
"Is it was meeting held by Percy, what do you think?" Lauren replied, oh how I loved my best friend.
Amelia grinned, "Point well made." I munched on my chocolate frog as I listened to Amelia's story about her summer.
By late afternoon we were travelling through steep sided valleys and lush dales a sign that Hogwarts was becoming closer and closer. I stared out of the window, fighting off sleep but failing miserably. My head kept nodding and my eyes fluttering shut, a sight for sore eyes indeed. I had to fight to stop my head resting on Oliver's shoulders, instead I opted for the safer territory of Lauren's shoulder, after all what are friends for?
As the train shuddered to a halt I began to panic, we were at Hogwarts and I wasn't even in my robes, someone could have woken me. I blinked in confusion, no one was in their robes, and I doubted we'd all fallen asleep. "What do you think is wrong?" Matt asked.
"Maybe we've broken down, it happens," I answered rationally.
"This is a train bound for Hogwarts; you really think something so muggle could have happened?" Amelia replied, shuffling closer to him.
"Ellie, you're a prefect go and see what's going on," Oliver suggested. Stepping up to my responsibilities I left the compartment making my way to the prefect's carriage for answers. Two carriages on and I'd already told Fred and George to stop goofing around and a gaggle of first years to calm down and return to the compartment. As I opened the door to the first carriage a freezing cold swept over me, the carriage itself was deadly silent; no one was wondering the corridor as they had in the previous two. The lights flicked off, maybe we had broken down. Someone was moving at the end of the carriage, hopefully it would be Percy; I could do with some answers right now. I squinted trying to identify the tell-tale crop of red hair but from the looks of things the person was hooded. A twisted Slytherin joke, had to be. I marched down the corridor but stopped halfway along, no way. I froze, panicking as a feeling of dread flooded me. Rooted to the spot I couldn't do anything, I watched as it opened compartment doors, moving from one to the next closing the gap between me and it.
As it drew level with me it turned its head but I was too stunned to register what was happening, what felt like hours but could only have been a matter of seconds it moved on to the next compartment. Taking in a deep breath I steadied my nerves slightly and made for nearest compartment, not caring who was inside, "I-is everyone okay?" I asked. Pale faces nodded in response so I moved onto the next compartment, hoping I'd meet someone else with and authority position soon. In the next carriage I spied Henry Frogthorpe, a sixth year Hufflepuff prefect, "Henry!" I called.
"Ellie, are you alright? What are Dementors doing on the train? Are they allowed? Who let them in?" the questions tumbled from his mouth.
I shivered and pulled my sleeves down, "I'm fine but I can't answer any of your other questions, I was hoping Percy could answer them."
"I haven't seen him but if I were you I'd go back to your carriage and stay there, he'll come looking for us, you know what Percy's like," I thanked Henry for a having a cool head.
"Right, yes, I'll let you know if I hear anything," as I passed back into the carriage I'd left the lights flickered back on and the Dementor was nowhere in sight. as I passed through the carriages I'd just left I was bombarded with questions and met my scared faces, the first years were crying, the second years weren't faring much better, I told them all to stay inside their compartments unless they hear otherwise. I entered our carriage and made straight for my brothers compartment, four down from ours. It was uncool for me to care but I think this one time he'd take exception, "Els!" I heard him shout as I passed my compartment, I did a double take. He was there in the door way.
"William!" I flung my arms around him, now feeling warm for the first time since I'd entered that carriage, "are you alright?"
He shoved me off and crossed his arms, "I'm fine no need to fuss, I was coming to see if you were okay."
"Oh, fine, fine," I waved him off; I don't think any of us were brilliant but we were all as determined as the next person not to show it.
"Did you find out what's going on?" Oliver asked.
At the same time Lauren asked, "Why would the Dementors get on the train, Dumbledore will have a fit."
"They must think Sirius Black is on here, I told everyone to remain in their compartments unless they hear otherwise," I replied the reality of it all finally sinking in. I came within a breaths width of a Dementor. With shaky knees I collapsed back into my spot between Oliver and Lauren.
"He's not going to be on here is he?" William voiced the fear we were all thinking.
I put my head in my hands, "doubt it, someone would have seen him on the platform."
"Maybe he was on here before then," William argued back. I closed my eyes but then snapped them open, all I saw was the Dementor, its horrid decayed face, jagged twisted teeth, and I could only imagine its dark hollow eyes hidden beneath that frayed hood. I shuddered praying it went unnoticed by everyone, "Ellie you alright?" William asked eyeing me curiously.
"One passed me in the corridor, it was, I," I couldn't describe it instead I shivered. One thing was for sure, I was doing a horrible job of being a prefect.
"You said you were fine," William stated.
Lauren had her arm around me, I lifted my head up, "I am fine," I snapped back, irritated at being the weak one.
"You don't look it," Oliver was apparently on William's side.
I stood up and turned around to face Oliver, "I am perfectly fine," I lied, "and you. Back to your compartment, if I hear anything I'll let you know." William turned and left with a grin. I knew exactly what he'd done; he'd fired up my temper so I wouldn't think about the Dementor. He was clever, I'd give him that. I slammed the door shut, "he really irritates me."
"He's a brother, it's what they do," Matt explained, "I take pride in doing it to my sister."
"Hmmm," I wasn't convinced, my brother was beyond annoying, "Oliver, is he that annoying on the Quidditch pitch?"
Oliver laughed, "far from it."
"That's because you are both as Quidditch minded as each other, you're just sticking up for him because you like having a follower as obsessed with Quidditch as you are," it was true, my brother gave Oliver a run for his money when it came to Quidditch obsessions.
The train began to move again, Percy stopped by explaining that the driver had been instructed by a professor who was on board not to stop until we arrived in Hogsmead which wouldn't be much longer. Eager to get to the castle we changed into our robes and I left my friends and through myself into my prefect responsibilities. Ensuring everyone was dressed for school and no one was causing trouble. The Weasley twins had turned their school robes yellow, "change it back, it clashes with your hair."
"Awww Ellie," Fred complained, trust them to be on first name terms with every prefect.
"You're no fun," George finished his brother's sentence.
"I'm fairer than your brother, he'd have taken points," I called back, moving down the carriage.
"Touché," Fred shouted.
"Wrappers in the bin please," I instructed a bunch of second year Ravenclaw's who had sweet wrappers all over their floor.
The great hall was a welcome sight, so warm and full of life. As if on cue my stomach grumbled, all I'd had since my early breakfast was a chocolate frog. Two helping of pudding was definitely on the cards but first I had to sit through the sorting. The Dementors on the train dominated conversations across the hall, everyone seemed to have an opinion of it and already facts were being changed and stories made up. I heard one boy say a Dementor had asked him for one of his Berty Botts every flavour beans.
Hogwarts welcome feast couldn't begin soon enough, I was famished. Everyone seemed to be digging in left right and centre, anyone would think our parents hadn't fed us over the summer.
With the feast over, my two helpings of pudding (Banoffee Pie and Triple Chocolate Fudge cake) made me fit to burst. Wanting nothing but a nap I led the first years up to the common room along with the other Gryffindor prefects, explaining things as I went to those that would listen.
Before heading to bed William pulled me to one side, "you better write home and tell Mum and Dad that we're alright, they'll own worry."
"Sod off, you write," I replied.
William looked at me pointedly, "alright fine but you owe me." With that I stomped upstairs to bed where I'd sit and write the bloody letter that I'd planned to write all along.
Three steps up and I heard my name called, if I wasn't a prefect I would have continued on up those enticing stairs, "Ellie, wait up," oh it was only Oliver relief flooded me as I went back down the stairs, prefect duties bullet dodged.
"Someone is pleased to see me," he grinned, was the male species just out to annoy me today.
"No, just glad it wasn't for prefect duties," I clarified for him.
He grinned, "Maybe it is." I sighed and turned for the stairs again, "fine it isn't."
"Okay let's hear it," I replied, turning back around.
"Don't be like that," Oliver reprimanded.
"Like what?" I replied innocently, or at least what I hoped was innocent off. It was not every day I managed to annoy Oliver, it was usually the other way round.
"Hostile," he stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I frowned at him, in a minute I would head right back up those stairs, "I'm not hostile," I put emphasis on the word, "just bloody knackered."
"There's a difference?"
"Yes, now come on spit it out so I can to bed," I pushed.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have sent you to find out what was wrong earlier on the train, wasn't very chivalrous of me," Oliver said guilty.
I was shocked, what on earth did I say to that. Oliver being a gentleman wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting the Quidditch obsessed boy that I'd known since I was eleven. Deciding on my best course of action I punched Oliver on the arm, "you idiot, I was supposed to do that, I'm a prefect."
"Still," Oliver muttered, rubbing his arm. Oh come on, I didn't hit him in that hard, it certainly didn't have the force of a bludger behind it.
"Still nothing, now if that is all there's a pillow upstairs with my name on it," I turned for the stairs one last time; I wouldn't stop for anyone this time.
"Night then Ellie," He called.
"Yeah, good night," I answered him.
Sat in my bed scribbling a quick and barely legible letter to my parents I couldn't shake Oliver's strange behaviour from my mind. Honestly did he get hit on the head with one too many bludgers over the summer. I didn't dwell on it too long as I climbed into bed, my head hitting the pillow, I was pretty sure the bewitched the pillows here to be extra comfortable. At least if Lauren came to bed she'd think I was asleep, I was too tried to stay up and discuss the start of term with her.