The Secret of the Stones

Ch. 1 Tricked Stones

I sit in the darkness hidden in the shadows. He was my shadow, my best friend. He was always there for me, always one step behind if I needed any help. But just like shadows, when the darkness comes and you really need them they disappear without a trace.

The first time I met him. It wasn't love at first sight or anything else that muggle movies like to tell tales of. The first thing he said to me wasn't anything romantic or a swoon inducing catch line.

I stood at completely foreign place and it was a complete chaos around me. Parents were rushing around like maniacs making sure their kids had everything packed, owls were hooting and the enormous red train engine before me had captured all of my interest.

Everything was new for me and I had only been able to enter the busy trainstation by copying an old couple and their granddaughter by walking into a brick wall. Walking into a brick wall. I didn't dare walk into it first in fear of looking dumb. I thought it was best to check with the train conductor but when I asked him he just gave me a face that gave clear indications that he thought I was stupid. I had been dropped off or rather said dumped earlier by my so called parents. They were just happy to get rid of their weird daughter who only brought shame upon the family name. I didn't think of myself as so unusual. I had black hair that was neatly curled into a 40's hairdo, green eyes and a dab of freckles.

I was woken up from my daze by

"Why do you have a mini traintrack on your teeth?"

The boy before me was just a bit taller than me, had messy black hair and hazel eyes that seemed to have a mischievous glint to them.

"Have you never heard of braces?" I asked.

He looked completely dumbfounded and I had to cover my mouth with my hands to not let out a chuckle.

"It's a thing you have to make your teeth straight."

"Ahh.. It must be one of those muggle inventions that dent.. dentots.." He mumbled trying to find the word.

"You mean dentists?" I supplied.

He looked a bit embarrassed but covered it up by putting on a charming smile and putting forward his hand.

"The names James, James Potter. And who may you be lovely maiden?"

Colour rose to my cheeks and I put out my hand tentatively.

"Olive Stone." I said trying to sound sure of myself.

"So where do you..." James started but he was interrupted by two boys pushing their way through the large crowd.

"Oi James! Over here!" A very handsome looking boy with dark ringlets and eyes that bore the same glint of mischief as James shouted. He was followed by a tall sandy haired boy who was looking down in embarrassment from the dark haired boys shouting.

"The trains gonna leave in 30 seconds!" He yelled.

To mark his words a sharp whistle echoed in the filled station and the activity increased even more with students rushing into the train and goodbyes being said.

"Well it was a pleasure to meet you!" My new acquaintance said before he rushed off with his friends.

I followed suit dragging my suitcase behind me into the brick coloured train.

I was giving up hope of finding an available compartment. I had already tried several and all of them were full except for one where there was a black greasy haired boy who made no attempt to be social so I left him in peace.

I tiredly pulled open a compartment door and to my relief I found it only half full. I took a seat and when I looked up I found hazel eyes staring at me.

"Olive?"

"James!"

He gave me a smile and turned to his friends.

"This is the lovely Olive, I met earlier." he said pointing to me.

"This is Sirius" James said pointing to the dark haired youth.

"Remus" Intellectual eyes met mine as he shook my hand.

"So do you like quidditch?" James asked me.

"Whaaat?" Quidditch? I was thoroughly confused.

"Have you never heard of quidditch!?" Sirius nearly screamed looking apalled.

"Not even beaters, snitches or seekers!?" I shook my head. The poor boy he looked like he was going to faint.

"You must not be from a wizarding family then." Sirius said

"Yes. I come from a non-magic family."

I was met with silence.

"Is there something wrong with that?" I asked.

"No, not at all." James reassured me.

We were all quiet for a moment before Remus broke the a silence.

"Sirius kinda likes quidditch." he explained.

Kind of. More like is obsessed I thought.

"Well you've got much to learn." James said as Sirius started babbling about brooms and whatnot. After a while we bought candy and the trio explained everything there was to know about Berties Botts many flavoured beans and the wizarding world.

That afternoon in the train compartment sharing stories and experiences was the first time I had really felt that someone was being kind to me and treating me like a friend.

It was at the sorting ceremony everything started going wrong. That the first cracks in our newly found friendship appeared.

"Smith, Judy"

After the long train ride we entered a large room with four long tables covered in different colours. We were in the middle of what James had explained as the sorting ceremony where you would be sorted into a house judged by your qualities.

"Hufflepuff"

The yellow clad table burst into applause.

"Stone, Olive"

I walked up to a stool situated in the middle of the room feeling nauseous from all the eyes staring at me.

An old tattered hat was put on my head and I had to fight back a little scream as it started talking to me.

"Interesting, very interesting indeed." It said thoughtfully.

"What's interesting? I said sending up a thought to the hat. Sending up a thought to a hat. What has my life come to.

"A muggleborn in a house made up from purebloods."

Muggleborn? Purebloods? What did he mean by that? But I fought back my questions and let the hat do its work.

He was quiet for a long time but at last said "Well you posses these qualities so..."

"Slytherin!"

I was met with a dead silence.

I heard distressed mumbles from the green table and I found angry faces staring at me.

I tried to find James face to get some support but his face was also covered in astonishment.

Remus was the first one who was waken up from the daze and started clapping and he was soon joined by others. But no one from the table and house where I was supposed to find friends and find a new home made any attempt to clap.

I hopped down from the stool and made my way to the forest green table. When I made a move to sit down everyone scooted away from me as if I was some kind of vermin.

Oh well, I thought. It wasn't anything I wasn't used to at home.

It was tough but I always had a friendly smile coming my way from a certain hazel-eyed gryffindor.

He always had a joke or a trick up his sleeve to brighten my day.

I was often the mastermind behind some of the marauders most remembered tricks. Tricks. James played the biggest trick on me. He tricked me into believing that I was the one. How could I have been so naive and have not made the connection.

The candles were sparking uproariously and I quenched the flame with a big blow of cold air. It was my sixteenth birthday and my friends were crowded around me as I made a start on the pile of goodies before me. I picked one up which seemed to be very hastily wrapped with a clashing orange bow that looked like it had been chewed and then spit out and run over by a truck. I saw James looking at me with those eyes full of mirth as I carefully opened the parcel. You never know what you could expect from a troublemaker. It could be a bomb or a jinxed hairbrush that made your hair blue. I had had the wonderful luck to experience both. What was inside caught me completely off guard. It was a gold heart with small diamonds surrounding it. He looked at me expectantly and I gave him a smile to confirm that I liked it. He took it up and placed it around my neck.

"It's beautiful" I said as I gave him a warm hug.

Later the same day as I was digging into a meal of potatoes and steak I was rudely interrupted by chaos from the Gryffindor table. People were crowding around two people. I could see a sorrowful James and an agitated red haired girl that I remembered having seen in class. After a while the crowd dissipated and I was able to move forward. I reached James side and was met with the most unexpected question.

"Do you want to go out with me?"

I remained standing awkwardly for a few minutes before I let out an unsure yes.

The remaining crowd cheered and James neared me and gave me a heated kiss and when we pulled away I felt a blush forming on my cheeks.

It was only months later that I found out what really happened that day. James had been turned down by Lily and to make her jealous asked me out.

I should have taken notice to everything and made the connection with James sudden kisses or presents always in the presence of that red haired girl. But I was too caught up in my own love to see the jealous flash in her eyes and the satisfied grin on James face when he saw it. James love for me was just a way to get the girl of his dreams. The biggest trick of all time. Make me fall for him. Make Lily jealous. Leave me heartbroken to pick up the shards of our broken love by myself.