A/N: Just so you know, before I edited all of this, we were the HoH
Silverware Gang, but then we couldnt have hoh because students arent
the heads of houses ... but now the hohs are BACK ... with a different
meaning. 'HoH' is short for 'Halcyon of Hazard' .... just so you know
So in the first couple of stories, HoH isnt in there ... but it comes
in around chapter seven. Just keep that in mind. Also, all
4 of them are prefects. They are each from a different house.
Now, before I start, I want to explain a few things. This is a result of continual postings on a forum, between myself and three other people. I just compiled it all together, edited a little, and posted it here. I give the other three as much credit as I would give myself, if not more.
Eventually, there will be a first year, and a second and so on. But we just happened to start with the 6th, and I think it should make enough sense. The first chapter is boring, but arent all first chapters? It gets better I promise.
This is the story of the people we dont meet at Hogwarts. In the book it says there are somewhere around 1000 students, so this is a taste of them. The canon characters are intertwined, along with some origional characters. In this story you will find, tada, me! And the history behind my name, Sundari Harmony.
The basic plot belongs to JKR, but the characters you dont recognize belong to me. Especially Agito, I am copyrighting. Please ask before you use any of these characters.
Without any further ado, The HoH Silverware Gang!
"Sun! Sun get up this instant!" a voice yelled at her.
"Just five more minutes …" She mumbled, rolling over and burying her head in her pillow.
"Sundari Harmony, don't make me come in there! The train leaves in ONE HOUR! GET DOWN HERE NOW!!" the voice yelled even louder. Sun grumbled and finally threw her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm up! I'm up! Sheesh, don't blow your bottom." Sundari got up and put on a tight pair of jeans and a tight pink sweater. She walked out in to the hall over to the bathroom. She dug her hair brush out of the drawer and ran it though her long blonde hair. If she loved anything about herself, it was her hair. It shimmered in the sun, making it look golden. It was the one thing she didn't regret about her genes.
Sundari was tall. She stood about 5 foot 7. You could consider her pretty; she had nice cheekbones and beautiful blue eyes. She was pale, but not so pale that it was bad. She was average; there was nothing special about her, if you didn't count the fact that she was an empath. Sun ran the brush through her hair one more, and swept her flowing hair in to a messy bun. She surveyed herself once more before going back in to her bedroom. She packed the rest of her clothes and books in to her trunk and dragged it down the steps. She dropped it by the front door and walked in to the kitchen. Her mom had used magic to stir the eggs in the frying pan on the stove. Her mother looked up and saw Sundari standing there. "Finally. Sit down, breakfast is ready." Sun nodded and sat down at the table. A plate slid before her, and her mom piled it full of eggs and bacon. "Hurry up and eat, we only have a half hour to get to King's Cross." Sundari dug in and ate as fast as she could.
5 minutes later she and her mother were in the car, on their way to the train station. "You're just lucky that we live so close," her mother said, "otherwise you would have never made a single train." Sun just rolled her eyes. 5 minutes later they pulled in to King's Cross. They grabbed a trolley and Sun piled her trunk and cat carrier on it. They rushed to platform 9 and ¾. They walked swiftly through the barrier, making sure that nobody would notice them disappear. They came out on the other side, and in front of them was the train that would lead Sundari to her second home, and to her best friends
..
Fionna grunted as music blasted out of the small device on her night stand. She lifted her hand and swatted it, making it soar to the wall and land on the floor with a thud. Unfortunately, even busted, it still kept singing.
"Blasted charm!" She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes. With a big yawn, she stretched her limbs like a feline. "Fionna! Fi are you up and about yet?"
She growled quietly. "Yes, Mum! I'm up all right?" She rolled out of bed a bit more gracefully than others might've, and stepped to her closet. She pulled out a greenish blue pair of blue jeans with a brown light sweater to go with it. After slipping into it, she moved to her vanity and started working on the mop of red on top of her head. "Just, c'mon! Behave!" She struggled with the brush and sighed.
Fionna was of Irish decent. Her hair and eyes directly matched her to said heritage except on days when her mother's grey eye color swirled with her father's brilliant green. She had slightly pointed ears, but was slightly embarrassed of them so she consistently wore her hair in front of them. Other than that, there wasn't a whole lot of uniqueness to the girl. She finally decided to half-tame the monster, and put half her hair up in a clip. She nodded, satisfied with the result and turned to finish packing her trunk. She grabbed a robe that was drapped over her desk chair and shoved it none too neatly into the already almost filled trunk and then tossed a few haphazardly placed books in after it.
Suddenly, a scratching sound came from the window. Fionna smiled and crossed the room to open it. In flew a magnificently white owl and landed on her shoulder. "Well, good mornin' to you, Feidhlim! Glad to see your timing's still impeccable. In you go then, boyo." The owl hooted contentedly and went into the cage. She closed the door and lifted the whole cage, heading out and downthe stairs. "Oh look, the girl lives after all!" Illeana beamed at her daughter while adjusting the flames underneath a skillet which held many different kinds of meat. Thinking for a moment, she snapped and the flames winked out.
"Are you going to have a bit of breakfast before we go, dear?" She was now scooping out eggs and meats at the same time, using her wand diligently.
"Yes, mum, I've just got to go fetch my trunk and I'll call for Da while I'm up there." She set down the cage by the door and was immediately informed by a hoot of displeasure, that Feidhlim did not want to stay by the door as luggage. "I know, but if you're a good boy, I might sneak you a smidge of breakfast for the road." She winked and then bounded back up the stairs. She grabbed her trunk, shut the door and struggled to the edge of the stairs. Now, out of strength entirely, she merely shoved the trunk down the stairs and it landed loudly at the bottom.
"Now did you have to be doing that so early, a gra?" Her father stood behind her smiling.
"Oh yes! You try and carry it. See if you aren't tempted to levitate it yourself!" She stepped down the stairs followed by her father.
Her mum was setting glasses of orange juice by each of the three plates as they entered. As soon as she saw him, she walked over and started fussing with his hair.
"Illy, we've been through this dozens of times. You are most certainly fighting a losing battle." She scowled at him and then adjusted his robes. "Then maybe you should cut it differently Aidan. Come now, let's eat." All three shuffled to the table and sat down.
After a few bites, Aidan looked at his daughter. "So Fi, are you excited to go back for your next to last year at Hogwarts? At least you don't have to worry about exams this year. In between year, we called it." Fionna looked up with her mouth full of meat and nodded emphatically. "Fionna! Don't fill your mouth so full." Her mother shook her head when Fi grinned sheepishly and muttered "Goo Foo Mum." She sighed and went back to eating delicately. Fionna finished her potatoes and rounded on the eggs. After devouring those, she took her plate and cleaned it. As she walked by, she swiped a piece of bacon off of her Da's plate and walked to give it to Feidhlim.
"Oy! Give that bird your own breakfast!" She giggled and bent down.
"See, I told you I'd give a bit of something." He hooted thanks and started nibbling on it.
"Mum! C'mon! We'd best be leaving. I don't wish to be late!" Illeana sauntered in after kissing her husband goodbye. "Oh all right then little one, we're going. But not until you kiss your father goodbye." Fi bounded back into the dining room and kissed her father's cheek and hugged his neck. "Bye Da!" She walked back to the open door where her mum was already heading out to the car with Feidhlim. Fionna grabbed her trunk and hoisted it, rather clumsily, to the open car door and slowly set it down. She hopped in the front seat and her mum took off. Soon they were soaring over the border of Ireland and England, making their way to London.
Once there, Illeana steered towards an empty alley. After getting below the top of the buildings, she let the invisibility fade. They drove straight for King's Crossing and parked with haste. Fi and her mum placed her luggage onto a trolley and jogged with it, making their way to the wall between platforms nine and ten.
"You know, if you'd get up better, I'd not have to charm your alarm clock and we wouldn't have to run." Fi rolled her eyes. "Well, unfortunately you didn't get a morning person for a daughter." She aimed her trolley at the bricks and walked into them, passing through onto the other side. Her mother quickly followed and started unloading the cage and trunk. There on the tracks, stood the train that would take her back to her second home, back to the place that held her memories of the last five years.
..
Tap tap tap tap. "Uuunnngh," moaned Erylin sleepily. "Leemelone."
"Erylin, you've got to get up! You can't sleep all day or you'll miss the train!" her mother called exasperatedly through the door.
Erylin sat bolt upright, then grinned from ear to ear. She had just remembered it was September first—that meant she was going to Hogwarts!
Humming contentedly, she literally fell out of bed—she had been tangled up in the sheets—but left them untidy, because they were in a hotel and figured she could leave it for the maid. She came from the United States, and so had to fly over to London a few days early in order to make it to the Hogwarts Express on time.
She popped in the shower, singing loudly and quite off-key, then pulled on her favorite pair of black jeans and a green shirt. Drying her hair, she rubbed off some of the condensation on the mirror, trying to look at herself, but it just came right back. She shrugged; I guess I'll wait until it airs out in here.
While waiting for the mirror to clear up, she cast an eye around the hotel room for anything she might have forgotten to pack in her huge wooden trunk. Spotting her comb on the dresser, she grabbed it, ran it through her hair a few times, and put it in her trunk. Then she walked back into the bathroom, since the mirror had finally uncondensed. She studied her face in the mirror intently, hoping she'd look good for her first day back.
Her large blue eyes stared back at her, roving over the slight, almost invisible freckles on her nose to the scar on her chin, to her long, light brown-blonde hair. She had a pointed ear—one, not two—that she had inherited from her father's side of the family, and slightly rounded shoulders—she'd noticed that the other day. She hated her swayback, but apparently no one ever noticed, which relieved her. She didn't think she was all that good looking or shapely, but she had no idea what guys thought—nor did she care all that much.
Suddenly her mother banged on the door again. "Erylin! Hurry up!"
She sighed. "Coming, mom." She picked up her wand from the bedside table and levitated her trunk to the door, being lazy like she normally was. Then, sighing again, she hid her wand in her back pocket (not to know about the "losing a buttock" thing) and dragged the trunk downstairs and out the door, to find her frazzled mother rushing around looking panicked.
"Get in the car, dear," Martha said distractedly. "Your sister is already in there; we're waiting for you." Without further ado, Erylin's mom picked up the heavy trunk and heaved it into the back of the car. "In!" she ordered.
Erylin plopped down next to her younger sister Red. Red was a fourth year Gryffindor, the second in Erylin's family to be accepted at Hogwarts. They were sort of close, about as close as two rival sisters get. But she grinned at Red as she sat down.
They were really very different. Red, predictably, had mahogany-red hair that fell to her shoulders in a stylish cut. She had deep brown eyes, and unlike Erylin, she knew she was attractive. She hated the Dark Arts like a true Gryffindor, and was brave and big-hearted though quarrelsome and moody.
Erylin, being in Slytherin, felt distanced from her sister. She had always been rather immune to pain, especially that of the Cruciatus Curse. There was something kind of odd about her, because she showed extraordinary resistance to the Dark Arts, though she was up to her neck in it. She could easily throw off the Imperius Curse, was a very skilled Legilimens and Occlumens, and had very fast reflexes, especially when facing a deadly curse. Thankfully, she hadn't yet faced the Killing Curse.
But the reason that Red and Erylin were so distant was because of evildoers being attracted to Erylin's talent of resisting curses. She had been confronted by many Slytherins, Draco Malfoy included, who tried to get her to spill her secrets. To no avail--she was basically despised within her House. That's why she was extremely happy to have three very close friends, one from each of the other Houses: Blair, Sundari, and Fionna. She was dearly looking forward to seeing them when they reached the Hogwarts Express.
"Thank goodness we're close to the train station," Martha muttered distractedly, already pulling into the parking lot. "Out you two go… here, there's a trolley right here. Put your trunks on it—now let's go!"
They hurried to the hidden Platform 9 ¾ and surreptitiously leaned on the barrier, then slipped through and jumped on the train with their luggage.
"We barely made it," Red grinned at Erylin. "Look at the time."
"Whoo… close," Erylin said. "Well, see you back at Hogwarts, Red." She wandered away from her sister, looking for her three closest friends in all the compartments as the train sped on to the place she considered herself to be home at.
..
"Blair! Get up, breakfast's ready!" a distant voice shouted. The girl in question rolled over onto her stomach and groaned. She firmly grabbed the ends of her pillow and clamped it down over her head. She was most definitely not a morning person. "Blair! I mean it. You can't miss the train, and besides. I'm making scrambled eggs and blueberry muffins- your favorite." Blair sighed. Oh dear Mother. If only you knew that my favorite breakfast can't tempt me out of bed. Especially on the first day of school, when my stomach's tied in knots, and I couldn't eat a bite. But she decided not to prolong the inevitable.
Blair sat up in bed a rubbed her eyes and looked at the old clock on the right wall. It showed her it was 6:47 am, partly sunny with a 20% chance of rain, and that she desperately needed to brush her hair. Okay, so the clock wasn't that smart, but its face was a mirror, and Blair could see her reflection. She grabbed a brush off her vanity, thanking herself that she took a shower last night. She combed out the snarls of her long, strawberry-blonde hair and quickly braided it. Now for the clothes, Blair smiled to herself. She quickly stripped off her green silk pajamas and put on the clothes she picked out last night, everything else being packed in her trunk. When she finished, she twirled around in front of her three-paneled mirror and grinned. She didn't look half bad, really. Blair was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a gauzy, layered black halter, paired with a pair of silver earrings that personally reminded her of waterfalls, and red kitten heels.
Blair tiptoed down to stairs to breakfast so as not to wake her sister. Her mom was waiting for her, with a place at the table set specially for her in a red and gold placemat. "Oh Mum, you shouldn't have," Blair rolled her eyes. "I'm getting too old for this ritual."
"I insist," replied Mrs. Collins. "Now sit down and we can begin." Blair obediently sat next to her father who smiled lovingly at her. Her mother served her and she attempted to eat the delicious-smelling breakfast.
"Morning Dad," Blair finally greeted him, after only being able to swallow two bites of her muffin and none of her scrambled egg.
"Good morning Blairbear," he answered, using his ancient pet name for her. Blair groaned and rolled her eyes in response, but smiled all the same. It wasn't as interesting as Spork or anything, but it reminded her of her childhood. She felt her mind drifting back to memories of her first day at Hogwarts. She'd been intimidated by the size of the school, but quickly made new friends. A lone tear slipped out of her left eye, but she swiftly brushed it away. "You haven't eaten very much. First-day nerves again?" her father asked knowingly.
"No," Blair said quickly. "Okay, well yes. I'm not sure why I'm so nervous. I've done this for five years! It's all old hat. I don't know, I guess I'm worried that everyone's gone and had life changing summers, leaving me who didn't do anything."
Mrs. Collins looked at her daughter. "Don't worry, they're your friends. Your best friends. They wouldn't do that to you." She paused for a moment. "Are you sure you don't want the rest of your breakfast?" Blair nodded. "Okay, well you'd better go get your trunk. See if Sabbi's awake too please."
Blair trudged up the stairs, a bit depressed by her talk with her dad. Come on you. Hogwarts! Quidditch! Magic! Why are you so glum? Put on a happy face. Remembering her mum's request, she knocked on her little sister's door.
"Sabbi! Are you awake?" she called softly. A very faint 'mmhmm' was the reply. Blair opened the door to find her sister playing with dolls on her carpet and couldn't help but smile. At four years old, Sabine was the spitting image of Blair when she was her age, only with dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders in soft waves. She hated to remind her sister that she was leaving today. Her parents had told Sabbi that Blair was leaving at the end of summer before, but she always said, "Bear's still here today, right?" Only today would be the day when Bear wasn't there anymore. Blair sat down next to her sister, who handed her a doll in return.
"Sorry Sabbi, I can't play with you this morning. I'm going to Hogwarts again. But I promise to send you lots of letters and pictures. Will you send me some pictures too?" Blair asked. Sabine nodded violently, her hair falling in her face. She brushed it back, put down her dolls, and held her arms out. Blair reached out and hugged her sister. She picked her up and smiled. "Do you want to come to the train station?"
"I want to come too! " she shouted. Blair laughed and gave her an Eskimo kiss.
"Well you'd better get dressed Sabbi," Blair said, putting her squirming sister down. She left her to her own devices and went to get her trunk. She lugged it downstairs so her dad could put it in the car (a rental) and ran upstairs to get her messenger bag, carrying a book for the car ride, a packet of parchment, three quills, a bottle of Ursula's Unspillable Ink, some mints, and her wand. She brought that downstairs and put it in the waiting pile. Blair mentally crossed those two items off her list. Okay, trunk and bag. Check. What else besides animals? Nothing, okay, those then, she thought. She went to the unofficial owlry of her house- the living room- only to find that Bradhadair wasn't in her cage.
"Mum!!! Did you let Bradhadair out of her cage?" Blair yelled. No answer. Lovely. She then thanked whatever gods or goddesses were listening at that point that she lived in a wizarding neighborhood and screamed out the window for her. She hoped it was loud enough, since Bradhadair liked to roam. But sure enough, within 15 seconds a brown feathery mass came flying through the open window and alighted on her arm. "There you are!" Blair exclaimed. However much she believed she was an owl and associated with others of that kind, Bradhadair was most certainly a hawk. Blair's father found her a couple years ago in the woods behind their house, and she'd kept her every since. She even got along with the many other animals of the Collins household.
Blair popped Bradhadair into her cage and turned around to look for her kitten. She spied him camouflaging under a gray pillow. "Okay Dagda. Time to go. Bag or shoulder?" she asked him. He mewed loudly. "Fine, but if you run away, you're staying in my dorm the entire year," Blair threatened. He rubbed his pink nose on her arm and jumped up to her shoulder. It's a good thing he's still small, otherwise he'd fall off. Or maybe he could sort of drape himself around my neck… Blair pondered as she picked up Bradhadair's cage and walked out to the front hall. Her father was coming back in from taking her trunk out to the car. He traded her messenger bag for the cage.
"I think your mother's getting Sabbi; they'll be down in a minute. I'm going to go wait in the car if you'd like to come," he said.
"Actually, I think I'll take one last look around the house," Blair said. Upon saying that, she started wandering through the Collins's house, touching everything she would miss as if her fingers could keep the memory for when her brain was overloaded with magical history and dragon dung. She stopped her in room and flopped down on her bed. Dagda meowed in protest, but lay down on her stomach. Blair closed her eyes, just for a minute she told herself, and tried to remember everything about her house. But her reverie was interrupted by a call from her mother.
"Blair! You're going to miss the train if you don't get down here!" Blair hmphed but set off down the stairs carrying Dagda in her arms. The rest of her family was waiting in the car for her. She walked out the front door, picking up her messenger bag on the way, and took one last look at the house. Then she turned and ran to the car, thankful she'd have the farthest backseat to herself. Blair climbed back there, settled Dagda by her side and opened her book.
A little while later, Blair realized she had fallen asleep, since she woke up when the car stopped. She waited for her mum to take Sabbi out of her car seat and then climbed out of the back. Her dad had already gotten a trolley for her and was beginning to pile her trunk and cage on top.
"I'll push it to the barrier, okay? We can say goodbye there," her father said. The family walked along in comfortable silence until they reached the brick wall.
"Well Blair, we'd better hurry," her mum said, giving her a hug and a kiss. "We'll miss you dear. I'll write, and maybe we'll see you at Christmas?"
"We'll see Mum. I love you too," Blair replied, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She gave her father a hug and was surprised to find he could still pick her up.
"Have fun Blairbear, and don't get into too much trouble," he said affectionately. Sabine, who had been hanging to her mother's leg came forward to say goodbye. Blair picked her up and hugged her.
"I'll miss you Sabbi," Blair hugged her and gave her a traditional Eskimo kiss.
"I made this for you Bear," Sabbi said, handing Blair a large brown package.
"Shall I open this on the train?" Blair asked, and Sabbi nodded in reply. "I have something for you too." Blair took her wand out of her bag. She whispered a spell under her breath and a ball of blue fire spurted out the end. It hissed and crackled, but when Blair picked it up, it felt cool to the touch. "Here you go Sabbi, don't worry, it won't burn." Sabbi picked it up and tossed it into the air. It shot little fireworks out of the top and she giggled.
Blair turned to her parents to give them one last hug before she left. Then she took her trolley and ran through the barrier.
On the other side, the Hogwarts Express was calling for final boarders. Suddenly, a thought came to her from Sun. She followed it to a car halfway down the train and stepped on board. Her friends were there smiling at her. What could possibly be bad in the world?
Now, before I start, I want to explain a few things. This is a result of continual postings on a forum, between myself and three other people. I just compiled it all together, edited a little, and posted it here. I give the other three as much credit as I would give myself, if not more.
Eventually, there will be a first year, and a second and so on. But we just happened to start with the 6th, and I think it should make enough sense. The first chapter is boring, but arent all first chapters? It gets better I promise.
This is the story of the people we dont meet at Hogwarts. In the book it says there are somewhere around 1000 students, so this is a taste of them. The canon characters are intertwined, along with some origional characters. In this story you will find, tada, me! And the history behind my name, Sundari Harmony.
The basic plot belongs to JKR, but the characters you dont recognize belong to me. Especially Agito, I am copyrighting. Please ask before you use any of these characters.
Without any further ado, The HoH Silverware Gang!
Chapter One: Introductions
"Sun! Sun get up this instant!" a voice yelled at her.
"Just five more minutes …" She mumbled, rolling over and burying her head in her pillow.
"Sundari Harmony, don't make me come in there! The train leaves in ONE HOUR! GET DOWN HERE NOW!!" the voice yelled even louder. Sun grumbled and finally threw her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm up! I'm up! Sheesh, don't blow your bottom." Sundari got up and put on a tight pair of jeans and a tight pink sweater. She walked out in to the hall over to the bathroom. She dug her hair brush out of the drawer and ran it though her long blonde hair. If she loved anything about herself, it was her hair. It shimmered in the sun, making it look golden. It was the one thing she didn't regret about her genes.
Sundari was tall. She stood about 5 foot 7. You could consider her pretty; she had nice cheekbones and beautiful blue eyes. She was pale, but not so pale that it was bad. She was average; there was nothing special about her, if you didn't count the fact that she was an empath. Sun ran the brush through her hair one more, and swept her flowing hair in to a messy bun. She surveyed herself once more before going back in to her bedroom. She packed the rest of her clothes and books in to her trunk and dragged it down the steps. She dropped it by the front door and walked in to the kitchen. Her mom had used magic to stir the eggs in the frying pan on the stove. Her mother looked up and saw Sundari standing there. "Finally. Sit down, breakfast is ready." Sun nodded and sat down at the table. A plate slid before her, and her mom piled it full of eggs and bacon. "Hurry up and eat, we only have a half hour to get to King's Cross." Sundari dug in and ate as fast as she could.
5 minutes later she and her mother were in the car, on their way to the train station. "You're just lucky that we live so close," her mother said, "otherwise you would have never made a single train." Sun just rolled her eyes. 5 minutes later they pulled in to King's Cross. They grabbed a trolley and Sun piled her trunk and cat carrier on it. They rushed to platform 9 and ¾. They walked swiftly through the barrier, making sure that nobody would notice them disappear. They came out on the other side, and in front of them was the train that would lead Sundari to her second home, and to her best friends
..
Fionna grunted as music blasted out of the small device on her night stand. She lifted her hand and swatted it, making it soar to the wall and land on the floor with a thud. Unfortunately, even busted, it still kept singing.
"Blasted charm!" She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes. With a big yawn, she stretched her limbs like a feline. "Fionna! Fi are you up and about yet?"
She growled quietly. "Yes, Mum! I'm up all right?" She rolled out of bed a bit more gracefully than others might've, and stepped to her closet. She pulled out a greenish blue pair of blue jeans with a brown light sweater to go with it. After slipping into it, she moved to her vanity and started working on the mop of red on top of her head. "Just, c'mon! Behave!" She struggled with the brush and sighed.
Fionna was of Irish decent. Her hair and eyes directly matched her to said heritage except on days when her mother's grey eye color swirled with her father's brilliant green. She had slightly pointed ears, but was slightly embarrassed of them so she consistently wore her hair in front of them. Other than that, there wasn't a whole lot of uniqueness to the girl. She finally decided to half-tame the monster, and put half her hair up in a clip. She nodded, satisfied with the result and turned to finish packing her trunk. She grabbed a robe that was drapped over her desk chair and shoved it none too neatly into the already almost filled trunk and then tossed a few haphazardly placed books in after it.
Suddenly, a scratching sound came from the window. Fionna smiled and crossed the room to open it. In flew a magnificently white owl and landed on her shoulder. "Well, good mornin' to you, Feidhlim! Glad to see your timing's still impeccable. In you go then, boyo." The owl hooted contentedly and went into the cage. She closed the door and lifted the whole cage, heading out and downthe stairs. "Oh look, the girl lives after all!" Illeana beamed at her daughter while adjusting the flames underneath a skillet which held many different kinds of meat. Thinking for a moment, she snapped and the flames winked out.
"Are you going to have a bit of breakfast before we go, dear?" She was now scooping out eggs and meats at the same time, using her wand diligently.
"Yes, mum, I've just got to go fetch my trunk and I'll call for Da while I'm up there." She set down the cage by the door and was immediately informed by a hoot of displeasure, that Feidhlim did not want to stay by the door as luggage. "I know, but if you're a good boy, I might sneak you a smidge of breakfast for the road." She winked and then bounded back up the stairs. She grabbed her trunk, shut the door and struggled to the edge of the stairs. Now, out of strength entirely, she merely shoved the trunk down the stairs and it landed loudly at the bottom.
"Now did you have to be doing that so early, a gra?" Her father stood behind her smiling.
"Oh yes! You try and carry it. See if you aren't tempted to levitate it yourself!" She stepped down the stairs followed by her father.
Her mum was setting glasses of orange juice by each of the three plates as they entered. As soon as she saw him, she walked over and started fussing with his hair.
"Illy, we've been through this dozens of times. You are most certainly fighting a losing battle." She scowled at him and then adjusted his robes. "Then maybe you should cut it differently Aidan. Come now, let's eat." All three shuffled to the table and sat down.
After a few bites, Aidan looked at his daughter. "So Fi, are you excited to go back for your next to last year at Hogwarts? At least you don't have to worry about exams this year. In between year, we called it." Fionna looked up with her mouth full of meat and nodded emphatically. "Fionna! Don't fill your mouth so full." Her mother shook her head when Fi grinned sheepishly and muttered "Goo Foo Mum." She sighed and went back to eating delicately. Fionna finished her potatoes and rounded on the eggs. After devouring those, she took her plate and cleaned it. As she walked by, she swiped a piece of bacon off of her Da's plate and walked to give it to Feidhlim.
"Oy! Give that bird your own breakfast!" She giggled and bent down.
"See, I told you I'd give a bit of something." He hooted thanks and started nibbling on it.
"Mum! C'mon! We'd best be leaving. I don't wish to be late!" Illeana sauntered in after kissing her husband goodbye. "Oh all right then little one, we're going. But not until you kiss your father goodbye." Fi bounded back into the dining room and kissed her father's cheek and hugged his neck. "Bye Da!" She walked back to the open door where her mum was already heading out to the car with Feidhlim. Fionna grabbed her trunk and hoisted it, rather clumsily, to the open car door and slowly set it down. She hopped in the front seat and her mum took off. Soon they were soaring over the border of Ireland and England, making their way to London.
Once there, Illeana steered towards an empty alley. After getting below the top of the buildings, she let the invisibility fade. They drove straight for King's Crossing and parked with haste. Fi and her mum placed her luggage onto a trolley and jogged with it, making their way to the wall between platforms nine and ten.
"You know, if you'd get up better, I'd not have to charm your alarm clock and we wouldn't have to run." Fi rolled her eyes. "Well, unfortunately you didn't get a morning person for a daughter." She aimed her trolley at the bricks and walked into them, passing through onto the other side. Her mother quickly followed and started unloading the cage and trunk. There on the tracks, stood the train that would take her back to her second home, back to the place that held her memories of the last five years.
..
Tap tap tap tap. "Uuunnngh," moaned Erylin sleepily. "Leemelone."
"Erylin, you've got to get up! You can't sleep all day or you'll miss the train!" her mother called exasperatedly through the door.
Erylin sat bolt upright, then grinned from ear to ear. She had just remembered it was September first—that meant she was going to Hogwarts!
Humming contentedly, she literally fell out of bed—she had been tangled up in the sheets—but left them untidy, because they were in a hotel and figured she could leave it for the maid. She came from the United States, and so had to fly over to London a few days early in order to make it to the Hogwarts Express on time.
She popped in the shower, singing loudly and quite off-key, then pulled on her favorite pair of black jeans and a green shirt. Drying her hair, she rubbed off some of the condensation on the mirror, trying to look at herself, but it just came right back. She shrugged; I guess I'll wait until it airs out in here.
While waiting for the mirror to clear up, she cast an eye around the hotel room for anything she might have forgotten to pack in her huge wooden trunk. Spotting her comb on the dresser, she grabbed it, ran it through her hair a few times, and put it in her trunk. Then she walked back into the bathroom, since the mirror had finally uncondensed. She studied her face in the mirror intently, hoping she'd look good for her first day back.
Her large blue eyes stared back at her, roving over the slight, almost invisible freckles on her nose to the scar on her chin, to her long, light brown-blonde hair. She had a pointed ear—one, not two—that she had inherited from her father's side of the family, and slightly rounded shoulders—she'd noticed that the other day. She hated her swayback, but apparently no one ever noticed, which relieved her. She didn't think she was all that good looking or shapely, but she had no idea what guys thought—nor did she care all that much.
Suddenly her mother banged on the door again. "Erylin! Hurry up!"
She sighed. "Coming, mom." She picked up her wand from the bedside table and levitated her trunk to the door, being lazy like she normally was. Then, sighing again, she hid her wand in her back pocket (not to know about the "losing a buttock" thing) and dragged the trunk downstairs and out the door, to find her frazzled mother rushing around looking panicked.
"Get in the car, dear," Martha said distractedly. "Your sister is already in there; we're waiting for you." Without further ado, Erylin's mom picked up the heavy trunk and heaved it into the back of the car. "In!" she ordered.
Erylin plopped down next to her younger sister Red. Red was a fourth year Gryffindor, the second in Erylin's family to be accepted at Hogwarts. They were sort of close, about as close as two rival sisters get. But she grinned at Red as she sat down.
They were really very different. Red, predictably, had mahogany-red hair that fell to her shoulders in a stylish cut. She had deep brown eyes, and unlike Erylin, she knew she was attractive. She hated the Dark Arts like a true Gryffindor, and was brave and big-hearted though quarrelsome and moody.
Erylin, being in Slytherin, felt distanced from her sister. She had always been rather immune to pain, especially that of the Cruciatus Curse. There was something kind of odd about her, because she showed extraordinary resistance to the Dark Arts, though she was up to her neck in it. She could easily throw off the Imperius Curse, was a very skilled Legilimens and Occlumens, and had very fast reflexes, especially when facing a deadly curse. Thankfully, she hadn't yet faced the Killing Curse.
But the reason that Red and Erylin were so distant was because of evildoers being attracted to Erylin's talent of resisting curses. She had been confronted by many Slytherins, Draco Malfoy included, who tried to get her to spill her secrets. To no avail--she was basically despised within her House. That's why she was extremely happy to have three very close friends, one from each of the other Houses: Blair, Sundari, and Fionna. She was dearly looking forward to seeing them when they reached the Hogwarts Express.
"Thank goodness we're close to the train station," Martha muttered distractedly, already pulling into the parking lot. "Out you two go… here, there's a trolley right here. Put your trunks on it—now let's go!"
They hurried to the hidden Platform 9 ¾ and surreptitiously leaned on the barrier, then slipped through and jumped on the train with their luggage.
"We barely made it," Red grinned at Erylin. "Look at the time."
"Whoo… close," Erylin said. "Well, see you back at Hogwarts, Red." She wandered away from her sister, looking for her three closest friends in all the compartments as the train sped on to the place she considered herself to be home at.
..
"Blair! Get up, breakfast's ready!" a distant voice shouted. The girl in question rolled over onto her stomach and groaned. She firmly grabbed the ends of her pillow and clamped it down over her head. She was most definitely not a morning person. "Blair! I mean it. You can't miss the train, and besides. I'm making scrambled eggs and blueberry muffins- your favorite." Blair sighed. Oh dear Mother. If only you knew that my favorite breakfast can't tempt me out of bed. Especially on the first day of school, when my stomach's tied in knots, and I couldn't eat a bite. But she decided not to prolong the inevitable.
Blair sat up in bed a rubbed her eyes and looked at the old clock on the right wall. It showed her it was 6:47 am, partly sunny with a 20% chance of rain, and that she desperately needed to brush her hair. Okay, so the clock wasn't that smart, but its face was a mirror, and Blair could see her reflection. She grabbed a brush off her vanity, thanking herself that she took a shower last night. She combed out the snarls of her long, strawberry-blonde hair and quickly braided it. Now for the clothes, Blair smiled to herself. She quickly stripped off her green silk pajamas and put on the clothes she picked out last night, everything else being packed in her trunk. When she finished, she twirled around in front of her three-paneled mirror and grinned. She didn't look half bad, really. Blair was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a gauzy, layered black halter, paired with a pair of silver earrings that personally reminded her of waterfalls, and red kitten heels.
Blair tiptoed down to stairs to breakfast so as not to wake her sister. Her mom was waiting for her, with a place at the table set specially for her in a red and gold placemat. "Oh Mum, you shouldn't have," Blair rolled her eyes. "I'm getting too old for this ritual."
"I insist," replied Mrs. Collins. "Now sit down and we can begin." Blair obediently sat next to her father who smiled lovingly at her. Her mother served her and she attempted to eat the delicious-smelling breakfast.
"Morning Dad," Blair finally greeted him, after only being able to swallow two bites of her muffin and none of her scrambled egg.
"Good morning Blairbear," he answered, using his ancient pet name for her. Blair groaned and rolled her eyes in response, but smiled all the same. It wasn't as interesting as Spork or anything, but it reminded her of her childhood. She felt her mind drifting back to memories of her first day at Hogwarts. She'd been intimidated by the size of the school, but quickly made new friends. A lone tear slipped out of her left eye, but she swiftly brushed it away. "You haven't eaten very much. First-day nerves again?" her father asked knowingly.
"No," Blair said quickly. "Okay, well yes. I'm not sure why I'm so nervous. I've done this for five years! It's all old hat. I don't know, I guess I'm worried that everyone's gone and had life changing summers, leaving me who didn't do anything."
Mrs. Collins looked at her daughter. "Don't worry, they're your friends. Your best friends. They wouldn't do that to you." She paused for a moment. "Are you sure you don't want the rest of your breakfast?" Blair nodded. "Okay, well you'd better go get your trunk. See if Sabbi's awake too please."
Blair trudged up the stairs, a bit depressed by her talk with her dad. Come on you. Hogwarts! Quidditch! Magic! Why are you so glum? Put on a happy face. Remembering her mum's request, she knocked on her little sister's door.
"Sabbi! Are you awake?" she called softly. A very faint 'mmhmm' was the reply. Blair opened the door to find her sister playing with dolls on her carpet and couldn't help but smile. At four years old, Sabine was the spitting image of Blair when she was her age, only with dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders in soft waves. She hated to remind her sister that she was leaving today. Her parents had told Sabbi that Blair was leaving at the end of summer before, but she always said, "Bear's still here today, right?" Only today would be the day when Bear wasn't there anymore. Blair sat down next to her sister, who handed her a doll in return.
"Sorry Sabbi, I can't play with you this morning. I'm going to Hogwarts again. But I promise to send you lots of letters and pictures. Will you send me some pictures too?" Blair asked. Sabine nodded violently, her hair falling in her face. She brushed it back, put down her dolls, and held her arms out. Blair reached out and hugged her sister. She picked her up and smiled. "Do you want to come to the train station?"
"I want to come too! " she shouted. Blair laughed and gave her an Eskimo kiss.
"Well you'd better get dressed Sabbi," Blair said, putting her squirming sister down. She left her to her own devices and went to get her trunk. She lugged it downstairs so her dad could put it in the car (a rental) and ran upstairs to get her messenger bag, carrying a book for the car ride, a packet of parchment, three quills, a bottle of Ursula's Unspillable Ink, some mints, and her wand. She brought that downstairs and put it in the waiting pile. Blair mentally crossed those two items off her list. Okay, trunk and bag. Check. What else besides animals? Nothing, okay, those then, she thought. She went to the unofficial owlry of her house- the living room- only to find that Bradhadair wasn't in her cage.
"Mum!!! Did you let Bradhadair out of her cage?" Blair yelled. No answer. Lovely. She then thanked whatever gods or goddesses were listening at that point that she lived in a wizarding neighborhood and screamed out the window for her. She hoped it was loud enough, since Bradhadair liked to roam. But sure enough, within 15 seconds a brown feathery mass came flying through the open window and alighted on her arm. "There you are!" Blair exclaimed. However much she believed she was an owl and associated with others of that kind, Bradhadair was most certainly a hawk. Blair's father found her a couple years ago in the woods behind their house, and she'd kept her every since. She even got along with the many other animals of the Collins household.
Blair popped Bradhadair into her cage and turned around to look for her kitten. She spied him camouflaging under a gray pillow. "Okay Dagda. Time to go. Bag or shoulder?" she asked him. He mewed loudly. "Fine, but if you run away, you're staying in my dorm the entire year," Blair threatened. He rubbed his pink nose on her arm and jumped up to her shoulder. It's a good thing he's still small, otherwise he'd fall off. Or maybe he could sort of drape himself around my neck… Blair pondered as she picked up Bradhadair's cage and walked out to the front hall. Her father was coming back in from taking her trunk out to the car. He traded her messenger bag for the cage.
"I think your mother's getting Sabbi; they'll be down in a minute. I'm going to go wait in the car if you'd like to come," he said.
"Actually, I think I'll take one last look around the house," Blair said. Upon saying that, she started wandering through the Collins's house, touching everything she would miss as if her fingers could keep the memory for when her brain was overloaded with magical history and dragon dung. She stopped her in room and flopped down on her bed. Dagda meowed in protest, but lay down on her stomach. Blair closed her eyes, just for a minute she told herself, and tried to remember everything about her house. But her reverie was interrupted by a call from her mother.
"Blair! You're going to miss the train if you don't get down here!" Blair hmphed but set off down the stairs carrying Dagda in her arms. The rest of her family was waiting in the car for her. She walked out the front door, picking up her messenger bag on the way, and took one last look at the house. Then she turned and ran to the car, thankful she'd have the farthest backseat to herself. Blair climbed back there, settled Dagda by her side and opened her book.
A little while later, Blair realized she had fallen asleep, since she woke up when the car stopped. She waited for her mum to take Sabbi out of her car seat and then climbed out of the back. Her dad had already gotten a trolley for her and was beginning to pile her trunk and cage on top.
"I'll push it to the barrier, okay? We can say goodbye there," her father said. The family walked along in comfortable silence until they reached the brick wall.
"Well Blair, we'd better hurry," her mum said, giving her a hug and a kiss. "We'll miss you dear. I'll write, and maybe we'll see you at Christmas?"
"We'll see Mum. I love you too," Blair replied, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She gave her father a hug and was surprised to find he could still pick her up.
"Have fun Blairbear, and don't get into too much trouble," he said affectionately. Sabine, who had been hanging to her mother's leg came forward to say goodbye. Blair picked her up and hugged her.
"I'll miss you Sabbi," Blair hugged her and gave her a traditional Eskimo kiss.
"I made this for you Bear," Sabbi said, handing Blair a large brown package.
"Shall I open this on the train?" Blair asked, and Sabbi nodded in reply. "I have something for you too." Blair took her wand out of her bag. She whispered a spell under her breath and a ball of blue fire spurted out the end. It hissed and crackled, but when Blair picked it up, it felt cool to the touch. "Here you go Sabbi, don't worry, it won't burn." Sabbi picked it up and tossed it into the air. It shot little fireworks out of the top and she giggled.
Blair turned to her parents to give them one last hug before she left. Then she took her trolley and ran through the barrier.
On the other side, the Hogwarts Express was calling for final boarders. Suddenly, a thought came to her from Sun. She followed it to a car halfway down the train and stepped on board. Her friends were there smiling at her. What could possibly be bad in the world?