Courtney closed the book she was reading and set it down gently on the nightstand near her bed. The book wasn't at all interesting, or at least not close to what she was used to reading about. It was only about a few evil wizards in the past, like Voldemort. He was the most interesting thing in the book, but it got boring after he was defeated by that Harry Potter boy. To be defeated by a baby? How can that be interesting if all the book is going to do is read over all the possibilities of why it happened?
Courtney sighed and got out of bed, remembering that breakfast would be ready soon. There was hopefulness in her at the moment, because her Hogwarts letter would be coming soon, as would her sisters. Her aunt and uncle had gone to Beauxbatons, so she didn't know much about it. Her sister, Tiffany, went to Hogwarts, and was in her sixth year and was Head girl of the Ravenclaw house, so she knew a little bit at least.
As she walked out of her room, it seemed unusually quiet. Normally, there was either yelling, crying, or the loudness of her sisters voices from just talking over the breakfast table. Courtney usually ate quickly and left because she hated the noise, but today seemed quiet so she went down.
Courtney nodded as she saw the letters in Amanda's and Kalayla's hands. The letters were from Hogwarts. She knew that because of the Hogwarts seal on her letter, and the fact that the three of them had got one.
"I still think it's unfair that you get to go and I don't." Haley, the youngest of the family, muttered as she gave Courtney her letter. Haley was a year and a half younger than the rest of them, so, according to Hogwarts rules, Haley had to stay at home for one more year before she could attend with Courtney and the others. "It's so boring here!"
Courtney smiled. "It shouldn't be boring near the full moon, right? You get to go to the forest alone, now. You should be proud that Aunt Cynthia let you go at all." Haley narrowed her eyes, which were a blue, at the moment, but they seemed to change depending on the lighting.
"That's not funny." Haley murmured, and then sat down on a nearby chair. Courtney ignored the glaring, figuring it was too stupid to worry about. She sat down on a cream colored armchair and opened her letter from Hogwarts.
Dear Miss Courtney Coppin
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Headmaster has confirmed your eligibility after hearing of your abnormality, and he has some requirements. Meet with the Headmaster and I after the Welcoming Feast so that we can discuss the restrictions and it's consequences.
Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Courtney looked up from the letter with a small smirk on her face. This was a more personal letter, then. Tiffany had told her that most of the letters were nearly exactly the same, so she had been expecting the same letter as her. However, this letter was different, so she felt a bit special about it.
Courtney looked over to her sisters, who were looking at her. Being a triplet was sometimes annoying, but at times like these it was brilliant. At this time, she knew that they were thinking the same thing she was. After all, they would have gotten the same letter as hers, stating to meet with the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress after the Welcoming Feast, to talk about their 'abnormality'.
"Can we send a letter back now, Aunt Cynthia?" Courtney asked, feeling the need to break the strange silence that she almost never heard. "We might as well confirm that we're coming."
Aunt Cynthia looked up from the frying pan, her blue-green eyes on Courtney. She gave a gentle smile and nodded before saying, "Yes, Courtney. I think that is a wonderful idea." Her smile faded slightly, as if she were trying look like she was not trying to hide her thoughts. "Did the Deputy Headmistress say anything other than your acceptance?"
Courtney nodded, smiling. "We are to meet her, and the Headmaster, after the Welcoming Feast." Aunt Cynthia nodded and then dropped her eyes to the frying pan.
"I think we'll go to Diagon Ally in a few weeks. One of you is definitely getting an owl. Tiffany's is getting very old, and it will be too rough on the poor bird to carry all of our letters." She paused and then looked to Amanda. "Would you like a cat? I know you've been wanting one."
Amanda's eyes lit up as she sat straighter. "Yes!" She said excitedly. "I don't care if I don't get an owl!" Aunt Cynthia chuckled as she usually did to our excitement. The elder lady was always soft to them, even when she was scolding Haley for nearly destroying the basement when one of her experimental tricks failed.
"Then your sisters will get owls, and then Haley can choose when the time comes." Cynthia decided, ignoring Kalayla's sudden confusion.
"What do you mean?" Kalayla asked. "I didn't know that we would both get owls."
"Well of course you're both getting owls. If Courtney and Amanda get pets, why don't you? I would assume you'd want an owl, because you were never into cats like Amanda, and you never liked toads." Their Aunt explained.
"Ohhhh!" Kalayla said, her eyes showing that she'd understood. "I guess it's fair." Courtney smiled at her sisters, happy that they were both as excited as she was. They hadn't learned a spell so far, though Courtney knew most of how to make them work and how to use her wand, even though she didn't own one yet, so they didn't know what to expect. Tiffany had kept the actual classes and magic part of the school out of her conversations.
Haley was still sulking near the dining table, though she couldn't hide her excitement all too well. Courtney felt bad for her. After all, she had the worst transformation of the four of them, and she was younger and still had to wait. All of them had learned how to control themselves together, and now they had to depart. All of them thought it was unfair, but it was the rules. Also, Aunt Cynthia had a friend who was an Animagus, and the potions master, Professor Snape, had finally agreed to give her the Wolfsbane potion, which was new to the world. That would at least calm her down, and she'd have someone to run through the forest with, no matter how strange the person was.
"I wonder what House I'll be in." Kalayla said absently, as if she'd accidentally said the words aloud. Courtney blinked back to reality and shrugged.
"From the song that the Hat sang at Tiffany's sorting, I'd say you'd go to Hufflepuff. However, Gryffindor is a good choice as well." Courtney explained, thinking it was the best answer she could come up with.
"I think I want to be in Slytherin," said Amanda proudly. "They're 'the Snake House' after all." Courtney burst out laughing, as did Amanda. Kalayla giggled and did a barking sound, and Haley tried her hardest not to look amused. That inside joke was similar to the ones that they had daily, simply because it was natural to them.
"Yeah, just keep thinkin' that." Courtney said, realizing the look in Amanda's eyes. "There is the Forbidden Forest, remember? We won't be able to do anything besides acting normal at Hogwarts, from what the letter said. Don't get your hopes up." Amanda frowned at this, but then went and read the enclosed letter of equipment and supplies.
"At least you got accepted," Haley said softly. "I might not have a chance."
"Now, Haley," Aunt Cynthia interrupted. "The Headmaster said that you would get accepted as long as you took the Wolfsbane potion and your sisters were there, alright? You have a very good chance of getting accepted at Hogwarts."
Haley listened, and then dropped the subject.
"Have any of you seen that book I bought last year? The one about Animagi?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Tiffany, who was standing near the stair case. Courtney, deciding to play around again because she was in such a mood, shrugged.
"Why don't you just ask one of us for the information?" She asked. "We're basically Animagi ourselves." Tiffany narrowed her eyes, but then just shook her head.
"Yes, but you're not the real thing. They actually have to work to become one, and it takes years for them to gain the transformation." Tiffany explained as she continued looking.
"It's not our fault that our transformation is genetic," Amanda cut in. "And besides, if you already know this much, why are you looking for the book?" Tiffany turned around and glared at her.
"I might not know enough," Tiffany put simply. "And I need to know everything so I can to pass my N.E.W.T's next year." As Tiffany continued looking, Amanda started talking to Kalayla.
It was now a normal morning, aside from the fact that Courtney was in the middle of a yelling—or barking—contest between Kalayla and Haley. Courtney never knew what they were about, though when they started howling it was most likely about what they were going to do the next full moon. They always howled when they were happy, or excited.
And soon we'll be able to run through a forest full of creatures that will hopefully welcome us.
Courtney found herself more excited than ever. It had been a week since she'd gotten her Hogwarts letter, and the full moon was above her head. In another week she and her sisters would go to Diagon Ally and meet the Weasley's. They hadn't done so sooner because of this full moon, and Courtney figured it was okay.
Amanda and Kalayla were at Courtney's side as they watched their young sister, both looking as excited as she was. Haley looked as nervous as always, her dark blue-green eyes looking out to the forest. Courtney's heart was beating quickly, and she was ready to transform.
The forest around them was a private one that no one went to, so Courtney knew it was safe. It was dark and gloomy, but the tall redwood trees gave some beauty to the abandoned forest. Creatures lurked in the nearby shadows, waiting for what was soon about to happen. Courtney let her senses go far, searching through the familiar territory. Her senses weren't as good as Haley's, but they were better than a humans. Her sister's senses were as well.
A little cry of pain told Courtney that Haley's transformation was starting. She looked up to her sister and watched silently as she changed into a wolf, yelping only three times while she shifted bodies. Haley had grown used to the pain it took for the transformation, and she'd learned to ignore it and show it as little as possible. Just like her, Courtney thought, hiding her weaknesses.
When Courtney could see that Haley was in full wolf form, she transformed herself. The thick five-inch silver fur came back to her and warmed her, and her hands and feet changed into large paws. Courtney felt her tail behind her, and her round ears on her head. Her eyes grew more sensitive and now she could see much better than when she was human. She flexed her claws and shook her fur, ready to jump and run. Climbing, if necessary, would suit her just well tonight. After all, a snow leopard's body was meant for it.
Courtney looked to her left and saw Kalayla in her large canine body. The white fur was nearly blinding in this light, but it was normal. The dog was a German Shepard, but pure white with a little longer fur than a normal dog. With a long snout and fangs, Courtney wished anything than to get her sister mad at the moment. Kalayla's tail wagged as she panted, obviously ready to go.
To Courtney's right was Amanda in her serpent body, hissing slightly as she realized Courtney was staring. Her scales were a silver-blue color, and then she had black triangular stripes that zig-zagged over the black spots that were also on her scales. She hissed again and Courtney saw the long, yellow fangs that proved she had poison. A poison that, no matter how many times Courtney tried to guess it, always changed. Amanda chose her venom, and she chose it wisely.
Haley howled, telling them to get a move on. Her brown fur was already ruffled and untidy, as it always was, and her blue eyes were blinking at her siblings. Courtney nodded and sprinted forward, listening as the others followed her. As always, Haley took the lead because she was the fastest, and Amanda slithered in second in a duel for first. Despite her serpent body, Amanda was fast and she always showed it when the full moon came.
Kalayla barked happily as she ran behind Amanda, her tail wagging as if it were a fan. Courtney ran steadily beside her sister, her eyes narrowed at some tree up ahead. She always looked forward, trying her best to ignore her siblings. Tonight she could run without anyone noticing. Tonight she could hunt happily, without anybody looking at her oddly. Tonight she could be free.
Time passed by quickly as it always did, and soon the four broke apart. Haley happily kept running, hunting down a bird which somehow caught her attention. Amanda slithered up a tree and hung there, waiting for prey that would come easily. Kalayla reluctantly broke apart from her "pack" and began chasing a stubborn squirrel, barking as she did so. Courtney slowed down and found at stream that she normally stopped at before climbing up a near by wall of boulders.
The first time they did this they were all scared to break up and go their own ways and do their own things. One reason was because Haley was younger and some wizard or witch would recognize her as a werewolf and kill her. Of course, after some arguments they decided that all she needed to do was howl two times in a row and that would let the others know that she was in trouble.
Another was that Courtney was a rare animal in Britain. Asia was where the snow leopard was normally spotted, if spotted at all, so it would be abnormal for one to be seen here. Add another fact that she would probably be caught because she was rare, and it made these outings all the more worse. They fixed this by making Courtney read up on how to use the normal defense spells, and they all thought she was smart enough to stay away from danger.
Amanda was a snake, and a venomous one. However, if someone realized her rare scales she would probably also be captured, just like Courtney. They fixed this with making Amanda stay in the trees where she was most likely going to blend in the best she could. Amanda never objected to this, stating that she'd rather wait for her prey in a clean place up in a tree rather than get dirty trying to keep up with Haley.
Kalayla was a dog, so why on earth would she be in the forest? If any muggle saw her, she'd be captured quickly. This is why they stayed deep into the forest, and Aunt Cynthia always stayed behind and put the protection spells around the part of the forest in which they usually stayed. They had small problems after this, but they always fixed them.
After taking a long drink from the stream, Courtney turned and ran over to the many boulders which had been moved by Kalayla and Haley just for her. She then began climbing, twisting, and scraping her claws on the hard stone.
Dawn came a little quicker than she had liked, but she followed their rules and ran back to the small clearing that they'd split up at. Haley and Kalayla was already there, Amanda coming a short time later. They nodded at each other, and then ran—or slithered, in Amanda's case—back toward the fields that Aunt Cynthia would meet them.
When they got to the fields, Aunt Cynthia smiled warmly at them. Courtney, Amanda and Kalayla turned back into their human bodies and waited as Haley returned to hers. Courtney was happy to see the dark blond hair and the hazel eyes of her sisters. She knew what it was like to see double, because they all looked at least fairly alike. Amanda had a rounder face, Kalayla had very short hair, and Courtney's ears sticking out a little more than the other two.
Even though she hadn't been able to hunt, but she was happy regardless. Also, according to the expressions on her triplet sister's faces, they were as well.
"Did you have a good run?" Aunt Cynthia asked as Haley wobbled over to the muggle car and slipped in. She looked exhausted, but it was normal. The smile on Haley's face showed Courtney that even though she looked as if she were going to faint, she was happy.
"I had fun." Amanda said, with a smirk on her face. "I caught a small bird, and boy was it good. I can't wait to catch one again." Aunt Cynthia chuckled a bit as they got into the car.
"Yes, it does seem like you have fun." She said quietly, watching as Kalayla nodded with pure peacefulness in her eyes.
"I chased another squirrel, and it didn't run up a tree this time!" Kalayla said. "It seemed to be playing along with me, so I chose not to catch it. Chasing it was much more fun."
"I was having fun climbing the boulder wall," Courtney said before Kalayla could interrupt. "I didn't do much else, though I nearly caught a fawn." Courtney had chose not to catch it as a doe showed up, deciding that she'd rather go hungry than be kicked by a pair of hooves.
Aunt Cythina nodded and then hummed out a small tune. Courtney glanced over to Haley, and found her sister asleep in the back row of seats in the large car.
Yes, Courtney decided. This is what freedom is all about. I like it here, and to think that I am going to learn how to cast spells? My life may be horrible at times, but I need nothing more. I am happy, and, at the moment, I can only predict more happiness.
"Oh! Molly, dear!" Aunt Cynthia called over the voices of the wizards and witches that crowded the street. "We're over here!"
Mrs. Weasley turned her head quickly and then gave a welcoming smile. The six other red-heads there turned their heads as well, the youngest son looking especially excited. Aunt Cythina led the way towards the family, Mrs. Weasley doing the same to her family. The two of them hugged a bit and then began chatting.
"Oh how nice it is to see you again, Cynthia." Mrs. Weasley greeted kindly. "Has everything been well?" Aunt Cynthia nodded in response.
"Everything's fine, Molly." Aunt Cynthia replied. "It's going to be a long day, since there's four of them now, but it's not nearly as large as your group, now is it?" Molly shook her head.
"Yes it is, but three at time has broken our record." Mrs. Weasley stayed as she gestured to Courtney, Amanda and Kalayla. "Fred and George already had some of their things, anyways."
Courtney listened, but then Haley's quick movement made her switch her attention. Haley had come on request, and was now talking with the Weasley twins.
"Did you find out why it exploded?" Haley asked. "I keep screwing up the potion part of it, but Aunt Cynthia is being nice and keeps letting me use the basement." Fred—or at least that's who Courtney thought he was—nodded at that.
"We got our part finished, no matter how—" Fred said.
"—hard it was." George continued. "We had to make up our own—"
"—spell to make it work, and the candy had to withstand most of our—" said Fred thoughtfully.
"—other potion experiments. Other than that, though it was—" George explained.
"Pretty easy besides those things." Both of them finished.
Courtney raised her eyebrows, now very curious. "And what might you three be planning?" The three of them looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Nothing." They all said. Courtney shook her head and then turned to look back to Aunt Cynthia. She had caught all their attention, and then they led everyone down the street. Mr. Weasley was talking with Percy about something in the Ministry of Magic, the twins and Haley were still talking about their "experiment", and Ron—who was the youngest of the male Weasley's—and his younger sister fell behind to talk to Courtney and her sisters.
"I'm going to Hogwarts this year as well," Ron was saying. "Do any of you think that you'll be in Gryffindor?" Kalayla shrugged, Amanda shook her head, her expression showing disgust, and Courtney sighed.
"We don't know, now do we?" She asked. Ron frowned, but then went on.
"Ginny here will be going next year." Ron explained. "Is Haley going next year as well?"
"Yes," Amanda replied. "Though she wished it were this year." Ginny nodded, agreeing.
"It's not fair that everyone but me gets to go." Ginny muttered. "It's only another year!" Ron shook his head, looking proud that he could say this.
"I had to wait too, Ginny," said Ron. "and I lived." Ginny stuck her tongue at him and then looked away. Good timing, too, because Aunt Cynthia and Mrs. Weasly had already stopped and were trying to decide what to do.
"From here I think we'll split up," Mrs. Weasley was saying to the others. "Ron, Courtney, Amanda and Kalayla will stay here with Cynthia and get their wands at Ollivanders while the rest of us will go ahead to Flourish and Blotts to get the books. We'll meet by Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to get new robes." Aunt Cynthia looked a little confused at the last part.
"Wouldn't Percy, Fred and George get bored there?" Aunt Cynthia asked. "Or do they need new robes?"
Mrs. Weasley frowned, and then nodded. "Fred and George were playing around in their bedroom, and caused in explosion. Everything but their Hogwarts robes were saved." She glanced at her sons, and then shook her head. "Anyways, the need their new robes and Percy had grown a bit as well."
Nobody had any objections, and so they split up. Ginny unwillingly went with her mother to Flourish and Blotts while Haley followed Aunt Cynthia and the others into Ollivanders.
The shop was old and shabby, but it did not seem unwelcoming. There were several long, but thin, boxes that Courtney supposed held wands. The counter also seemed worn out, and there were some damages that Courtney could have sworn had to have come from a wand. The shopkeeper wasn't anywhere to be seen until a small door opened from further behind to store.
Courtney watched as an elderly man walked over to them, a pleasant smile on his face. The man, obviously an Ollivander, was pale-eyed and white haired. He was very welcoming, even when he nodded to the four new customers.
"Ah," he said as he studied Courtney, Ron, Amanda and Kalayla. "A new school year brings new first years." Courtney glanced to her sisters. Amanda's hazel eyes were bright with excitement, and Kalayla was ducking her head in shyness. Ron, himself, looked nervous but tried hard not to show it.
Aunt Cynthia smiled at the shopkeeper as he noticed her. "And should I assume that these are the three sisters to that young Tiffany Coppin, then?" He said as he gestured to Courtney and her sisters. "And that this is Molly's sixth son?"
"You are right, old friend." Aunt Cynthia said softly, her eyes dreamy in thought. Ollivander nodded and then waved his hand over.
"Alright then," Ollivander said. "Who would like to go first?"
Ron stepped forward first, holding his head high. Ollivander stepped away from the counter and looked through the many boxes of wands, picking out one after looking at it for a few moments. As he gave Ron the wand, his face was still kind and gentle, but there was a bit of uncertainty in his eyes well. Courtney only thought about this for a few moments before Ron flicked his wrist and the counter set fire. Ollivander put on the fire easily and then fixed the counter.
"Sorry." Ron murmured as he set the wand back on the counter. Ollivander shook his head as he put the wand back in it's place and grabbed another. As Ron picked up this one, his eyes lit up and bit of pride seemed to go through him. A gold light came from the tip of the wand and Ollivander nodded again.
"Yes, the wand has chosen." He said softly, making the four of them look up at him.
"What does that mean?" Amanda asked curiously. Ollivander turned his eyes to the rest of them and continued smiling.
"A Wand chooses the wizard, Miss Coppin, and this wand has chosen Mr. Weasley." His eyes turned to Ron again and looked at the wand the red-head was holding.
"Willow for the wood, unicorn hair for the core, 14 inches." Ollivander explained. As he talked to Aunt Cynthia about the money, Courtney watched as Ron played with his wand, looking at it with pride.
"I can't believe I actually get my own wand!" said Ron happily, as he looked up to Courtney and her sisters. "I was going to use my older brother Charlie's wand, but then your Aunt Cynthia volunteered to get me my own." As Aunt Cynthia turned to the sound of her name, Ron nodded and said, "Thank you!"
"You are very welcome," Aunt Cynthia said softly. It was silent for a few moments more, until Ollivander waved his hand for Amanda to come up. Amanda blushed a bit in nervousness, but then straightened up and acted like she was nervous at all.
"Ash wood, phoenix feather, ten and half inches." Ollivander said as he held another wand ready, making Amanda shift a bit uneasily as the wand was set in her hands. Nothing happened until she waved her wand forward. Boxes flew out of the shelves they were set on and flew around the room for a few seconds before falling. Ollivander looked back to Amanda and shook his head.
"No, that's not it." said the old shopkeeper softly. "Definitely not." Then he waved his own wand and the boxes returned to their places and Ollivander put the phoenix feather wand back. He grabbed another wand after a few moments and returned to the counter, holding it out to Amanda.
"Hawthorn, dragon heartstring, nine inches." Ollivander said, watching as Amanda examined it. She swished it, a little more cautiously than the last time, and a whole three shelves of wands exploded as if they were hit with that spell "Reducto." Courtney had read about the spell and what it did, and that was exactly how the books explained it.
"That's not it either, then," murmured Ollivander as he carefully took that wand away as well. The shelves and boxes of wands returned to their normal state, and Courtney was now wondering how many cleaning spells this elder man would have to know to fix all of the repairs he must for a child to get their own wand.
Ollivander took a little longer picking up the next wand. He stared at it cautiously, and then looked to Amanda, who was now shaking a bit with wonder. Ollivander walked up to the counter with a puzzled, yet curious, look in his eyes. Amanda picked it up carefully and in instants her dark blonde hair flowed as if it were windy. Her skin seemed to turn a lighter color, and, at the moment, she seemed to be the prettiest girl Courtney had ever seen. Amanda gasped as she returned to normal and Ollivander sighed.
"What you are holding is a eleven inch rose wood Veela hair wand, one that I did not make myself." He paused and then shook his head. "I have long since decided that Veela hair's make for a temperamental wand, so I quit making them. This wand must be from one of my ancestors, which is a great honor indeed." He added as Amanda held her head high with pride and wonder. "You must handle this wand with care, Miss Coppin, because, as I said, it is very temperamental."
Amanda stepped back, examining her wand with further wonder. Kalayla stepped up shyly a few seconds later, probably torn from being shy and curious. Ollivander nodded and then went to grab another wand.
When he returned, Courtney heard a little bark of excitement come from Kalayla. She made sure to keep it quiet, but Courtney knew she couldn't help it.
"Birch, phoenix feather, eleven and and a half inches." Ollivander explained as Kalayla took the wand. She swished it towards a small glass of water near the counter, and it broke into pieces. The glass shattered as the water ran through the floor boards. Ollivander turned to Kalayla and smiled.
"That's not it, then," Ollivander was saying, looking as if he were trying to calculate things in his head. "Ah!" He said at last. "Maybe a kinder wand, then." He vanished behind the shelves and returned quickly with a smaller, yet darker wand than the last one.
Kalayla took it quickly, yet cautiously, and gave it a swift flick. A warmness seemed to come from her sister, and it seemed to make Kalayla feel at ease and very happy. A small whine of warmth confirmed it, and then Ollivander smiled with a kindness that Courtney had not yet seen.
"Ah, yes, of course. Out of three there is always the kindest and shiest." said Ollivander. "That wand is a elder wood unicorn hair nine inch. Very small, yes, but it is pure. Very much like you, I can see." Kalayla nodded in response and stepped back.
Courtney stepped forward, her head held high, showing her courage. Ollivander didn't get a wand at that moment, though. Instead, he looked to her other sisters and then looked back to her. He examined her a bit, and then went to go get wand. Courtney did not show her confusion, but she was definitely trying to decide what the old shopkeeper had been doing.
When he returned, he had two wands in his hand. One of them was a light brown while the other was nearly black. The black one was longer, and it seemed to draw her attention more than the second one. Ollivander noticed this and gave her the black wand. Courtney picked it up but didn't flick it.
Courtney felt warmer, yet lighter. She felt as if she could fly with this wand in her hand, like she could do anything with it. Courtney opened her eyes and found that there was a small lightning-blue light coming from the tip of her wand, and it made her feel powerful.
"That is what I thought," Ollivander explained, responding to her confusion as the blue light coming from the wand vanished. "You are the mysterious one. I brought out two wands to see which one would draw your attention. The dragon heartstring would have been if you were just shy and timid. However, I saw your eyes drawn to the thestral hair core, and I found myself unsurprised." He leaned a little closer and gave a warm smile. "The Sorting Hat is going to have fun with you, I bet."
Courtney nodded boldly, and then stepped back to her sister. Aunt Cynthia began paying as she listened to her sisters.
"We have wands!" Kalayla said at once. "We can finally do magic!"
"I got a wand that wasn't made by this Ollivander," Amanda said with a smirk. "You should be jealous."
"I'm not," Ron said. "I'm happy that I got my own wand."
It went on like that until they met the Weasley's at the robes store. It was a small store, but every one of the Weasley's fit. Aunt Cynthia told the lady at the counter what they were there for, and then Courtney was on a stool getting poked by sharp pins. She ignored it, and after what felt like hours Amanda got on.
By the time the Kalayla and the Weasley's got fitted for their robes, it was late in the afternoon. People still crowded the streets, and many of the younger Weasley's—mostly Ron, though Fred was in a close second—were complaining about being hungry. Aunt Cynthia was happy to suggest that they go to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and treat them to some ice creams. Mrs. Weasley protested at first, but then she gave in.
When they got their Ice creams, Mrs. Weasley was thanking Aunt Cynthia kindly. "Thank you, Cynthia," said Mrs. Weasley, "How do you manage to buy all of this with those kids of yours?"
Aunt Cynthia chuckled. "Oh, John just sends money home," said the elder women. "He's always away and almost never home, but it keeps us going so he insists on keeping that job."
The conversation went on from there, but Courtney had a much happier time blocking out all of the talking and yelling. Courtney never liked crowded places, and rather enjoyed quiet abandoned fields.
After saying good-bye to the Weasley's, Aunt Cynthia led Courtney and the others toward Eyelops Owl Emprium where Courtney and Kalayla were going to get their owls. When they entered, Courtney was amazed of how many owls were there. There was small black ones that hooted as she walked by, and large dark brown ones that seemed to glare at her. A few white barn owls were hooting at Kalayla, and Courtney found that Kalayla was choosing of those birds. Her sister finally decided on a smaller white owl and started to whisper softly to it.
Courtney ignored Amanda's mutter about eating one of the smaller owls as they glared at her, and turned her attention to a large silver owl that stood proudly on the perch that he was on. Courtney stared at it a little longer and it looked away as if to say that she wasn't worthy for him. Courtney forced herself to look proudly as well and then looked away like the owl did to her. The owl looked back to her and hooted, and Courtney nodded.
"Have you chosen, Courtney?" Aunt Cynthia asked from the counter, where Kalayla was petting her newly bought white owl through her cage.
"Yes, I have," said Courtney, trying her hardest not to take her eyes off of the silver owl. "Can I have this one?" She didn't dare point at the owl, so she hoped Aunt Cynthia was able to follow her eyes. Courtney didn't know if Aunt Cynthia understood, but shopkeeper did.
"That one?" asked the small lady as she walked up to the silver owl. "You must be brave."
Courtney blinked and tore her eyes away from the bird as it nodded in acceptance. She then turned toward the shopkeeper and asked, "What do you mean?"
"That owl is a very proud bird," said the shopkeeper. "Prouder than most of the others, at least. He only eats when he wants to, and he gets moody sometimes." The lady paused for a bit but then shrugged. "He seems to have accepted you, though, so I see no problem if you buy him."
Courtney nodded and then watched as the shopkeeper grabbed the silver owl, gave it to her, and then took the money that Aunt Cynthia gave her with a quick and kind, "Thank you."
When they were Owl Empirum, Courtney quickly tried to name her new pet. The silver feathers of his remind Courtney of her own fur when she was in her snow leopard body, but she couldn't think of any that related to that. She kept in mind of his pride, and then decided. His name was going to be Vaylen. Vaylen was a spell often used to hide the blood that came from very nasty wounds in battle. Courtney thought it was a perfect name because the only person stupid enough to hide their blood and refuse to be healed would be someone trying to keep their precious pride.
"Do you like that name?" Courtney asked. "Is Vaylen okay?" The silver owl hooted in what Courtney took as a "yes" and nodded.
"Did you name your owl, Courtney?" Kalayla asked, Amanda beside her.
"His name is Vaylen," said Courtney simply. "For his pride." Kalayla nodded and then gestured toward her white owl.
"Her name is Kia," Kalayla said, answering Courtney's unasked question.
No more was said before they entered the Magical Menagerie. Inside, there were cages covering every inch of wall space, filled with noisy cats, rats, snails—which may or may not have been poisonous, Courtney couldn't tell—, ravens and a lots of other things. Courtney found a few owls, too, and saw Aunt Cynthia sigh as she saw them.
Amanda was instantly drawn toward a black cat that had a white line down between it's eyes that, after getting under the eyes, covered the cats muzzle and went down to make his chest and underbelly white. There were also a few white splotches, but other than that it was black.
Aunt Cynthia had already payed for the cat as Amanda asked if she could have it, and then the cat was taken out of it's cage. Th e tom cat purred in Amanda's hands and, as they walked out, Amanda had already picked out a name.
"Rio," said Amanda happily. "That's his name."
After this, the five went home. Courtney had hardly noticed Haley after Fred and George left. Probably sulking, Courtney thought. She has been complaining about being left behind for two weeks already!
A/N: I do not own Harry Potter, just my OC's
Well hello everybody! This story has been finished for a few months now, but I've finally decided to post it due to my sisters constant bugging. So, thanks for reading, and if you could drop me a review (NOT OF THE MISTAKES) of all the good things you found in this story, I would be happy. So would my sisters. As I said before, I really don't want CC on this story because I have another one that I'm getting my CC from, and this one is just for fun. =) Thanks!
Courtney - The Endless Hourglass
Tiffany - Eternal Love's Eclipse
Haley - Gymnastics Crazy
Amanda - My big sister
Kalayla - My other big sister
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! =)
