(A/N: OK, this is my first HP fic, and I'm sure you've read this a million times, but please don't judge it too harshly! I mean, if it really sucks so much that it is in dire need of a flame, then go on right ahead. Just try and work some constructive critiscism into it as well, so I'm not completely heart broken... . -.-' Aren't I weird? Ah, yes, and before I forget... Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated object... I just own my character, Nadine Jackley. And... probably any other character's you don't recognize.)
"Remus! Could you do me a favor and carry the box by the stairs up to the attic?" Nymphadora Tonks called out to her new husband. They had just been married a little over a week ago, and as a wedding present the Order had given them the house of a member that had recently... 'passed away.' That's what they called it, but it was really murder. By a Death Eater. Tonks and Remus had been a little reluctant at first, but the Order had assured them that Mrs. Kassia, a widow around the last remaining marauder's age, would have wanted it. Besides, in these dark time's what with Dumbledore dead, the world needed more happiness. And they had to admit, having their own old two-story Victorian house, well, that made them really happy.
"Of course, dear!" Remus yelled back, stooping by the lofty stair case with a highly polished banister that he had been about to walk right by, to pick up the said box. It was, apparently, some of the old owner's items. While the Order had tried to move all the old stuff up to the attic, it had been difficult considering how incredibly huge the house was and the fact that they had only had a day to clear stuff out. Remus sighed as he picked up the box, being thrown a little off-balance by how heavy it was. He had to struggle a second to keep from falling over, but once he got his balance back he began his journey up to the attic. A few minutes later the doorway to the attic loomed before him, and he had only had to lug the stupid box up two flights of stairs and through six hallways. He was actually a bit curious, because he hadn't gotten to explore all of the house yet, and one of those places he had avoided so far was the attic. Setting down the box for a second, he turned the glass door knob and pulled out his wand to light the few oil lamps that ran up, yet another, staircase. Had Remus been any other person, he would have been extremely exasperated by now. But he wasn't just any other person.
He had just finally given up and levitated the box up the last set of stairs, as he realized he should have been doing from the start- What kind of a wizard am I? - and plopped it down on a top of dusty, mildewing boxes. Remus was about to walk back downstairs and join Tonk's for lunch, when he noticed a dusty picture lying on top of a stack of boxes labeled 'Nadine- 7th year ' very carefully in long, slender looping cursive. The picture's frame was very antique looking, made of something that must have been gold with tiny intricate carvings of angel's carved into it. Remus's eyes widened. He knew that picture frame! He quickly picked up the picture and wiped the grime from the cracked glass off with his robes so he could see more clearly the faint outline of the two people in it.
Staring back at him was a picture- a muggle picture. The people were completely stationary. One person was Remus himself, back in seventh year. He had ear-length sandy colored hair at that time, and was still incredibly tired looking, with deep circles under his sad brown eyes. But he was smiling, genuinely. He had his arm draped around a girls' delicate waist. She had dark brown hair that fell to the middle of her back in it's tight ponytail, large drooping bangs that fell over her hazel eyes, and was looking up adoringly at Remus the moment the picture was taken.They were standing outside a muggle movie theatre, both in muggle clothes. Nadine's were a bit better arranged then his were. Remus hurriedly lay the picture face down on a rotting red velvet couch and was about to walk away quickly, trying to forget what he had seen- when suddenly he stopped in his tracks. He turned around slowly and walked back to the boxes, opening the lid of the top one. It's only contents were a large silvery-blue book, with a gold raven cawing out at you from the center. He was about to forget the whole thing again... but something told him he should open that book. If only just for a minute. So he reached inside, pulled the book out, and plopped down on the red couch. Tentively, he flipped open the first page... and it had a pensive effect. Except... it was a tad different.
0o0o Nadine: 7th year, Kings Cross Station Platform 9 and 3/4 0o0o
Nadine walked down the main aisle of the Hogwart's Express, lugging her trunk behind her. Finally, exasperated, she threw it down and whipped her wand out from the back pocket of her raggedy muggle jeans. Just as a near-by compartment door opened.
"Fuck this! Wingardium Leviosa!" the blue and silver painted hand-me-down trunk instantly levitated. She nodded smugly, smiling. At that point four boys had stepped out of the compartment, one of them with a prefects badge pinned to their chest, another with a Head Boy badge spello-o-taped to his forehead. The latter was the infamous James Potter, fellow chaser on Nadine's Quiditch team. He just grinned broadly at her little fiasco.
"Erm... hi?" she said nervously to the other surrounding boys. She knew James, an arrogant little bugger but halfway decent. Their aquaintince-ship came with having Quiditch practice at least three times a week for two whole years. The other boys she knew only by previous observations, mainly by their public 'Snivvy Torture Fests,' and two of them hanging around the Quiditch pitch all the time. One was Potter's other half, Hogwart's pretty boy Sirius Black. He was as tall as Jame's, with black hair that draped casually over his eyes and a classic face. The other's name... well, it escaped her right at that moment. He was by far the shortest of their little group, and had a pimply face and front teeth that strongly resembled those of a rat's. But the last... he was the quiet one. He was the one that never joined in with the Snivellus torture, which in her opinion was a noble task, and never joined in at the Quiditch pitch. He frowned at her.
"Are you aware you just commited a serious breach of 'Code: Six four four seven,' which clearly states 'that no magic shall be conducted in the halls of a moving public transportation vehicle.'" He stopped and looked at her before continueing, as if waiting for it to sink in. "And did you also know that it could get you suspended for a minimum of two days?" Nadine raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, glaring up at him. He was at least a head taller than her, and seemed on the verge of stretching out his lecture if she didn't say anything.
"Are you done yet?" she asked, her eyebrows raising even higher and disappearing behind her bangs. He cocked his head at her and Sirius burst out laughing.
"Man, this year's gonna be real interesting," James commented, smirking. Peter seemed to pick up on the look in his eyes and perked up a little. "... And as a kick-off, I'll just give you two detention together tommorriw night, for wasting two whole minutes of my life." And with that, James and Sirius stalked off, laughing uncontrollably. Remus and Nadine stood there for a second in an awkward silence, before Remus shook non-existant dirt from his robes and cleared his throat.
"Well- I'll be off then." And off he went. Nadine stared after him a second, wondering why on Earth he'd think she'd care if he was there or not. Down near the end of the hall, another compartment door slipped open, and a girl with carmel colored skin and dark hair in short, choppy braids stuck her head out and looked both ways. When she spotted Nadine, she quickly beckoned to another girl who was sitting back in the compartment. The two quickly walked over to Nadine. The first girl who had poked her head out was wearing a set of Ravenclaw robes that had had the sleeves modified. They were floor length and had a blue velvet lining that showed quite clearly.
"Want some help with that?" she said as she reached Nadine, who was, once again, struggling with her trunk. Nadine nodded and wiped her brow with Madrid's sleeve.
"Hey!" She yelled, pretending to be upset and yanking away her sleeve. Nadine and the other girl, Persephone, smirked. Persephone was a very pretty girl with shoulder length, bouncy, dark brown hair. She had green eyes and was wearing Slytherin robes, but the one thing she was sensitive about... was how incredibly short she was. She was actually a few inches shorter than Nadine, who was just barely average height. Madrid, on the other hand, was almost six feet tall, in a stunning comparison.
"Hay is for horses!" Persephone said cheerily, walking around the trunk and biting Nadine on her shoulder in greeting. Both Nadine and Madrid rolled their eyes at their friend's short attention span.
"Well I'm now assuming I won't get an answer to that question," Madrid deduced, and she picked up one end of the trunk and waited for Nadine to pick up the other before moving it to their compartment.
(A/N: So, whad'ya think?)