Riley Dodds was laying on her bed listening to music and looking up at her ceiling.
Her door opened and her mother stood there. "Riley I said your name like four times," she said.
"Oh, sorry I was listening to music."
She pulled off her headphones and let them fall around her neck. "What is it?"
Her mother smiled and gave her an envelope.
"This is the Hogwarts crest... Mom, is this a joke?"
Her mother shook her head and beamed. Riley read through the same Hogwarts acceptance letter she's red every time she re read the first Harry Potter book. Except this time it had her name on it. "Well thanks mom for having this made."
"I didn't have it made. It was delivered by an owl."
Riley's eyes widened. Then she remembered Dumbledore stops by and explains things to muggleborns and their parents. Riley crossed her arms. "Well, then. I'll just wait for Dumbledore. They always come explain things to muggleborns."
There was a loud "crack!" outside the house and then a knock on the door.
Riley raced door the stairs and opened it to reveal Albus Dumbledore. "What... then who's Michael Gambon?"
"Michael who?" Dumbledore asked
"Never mind."
"Are you by chance Riley Dodds?"
Riley nodded still in astonishment.
"I am Albus -"
"Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore,"Riley finished
Dumbledore smiled. "You know a lot don't, you?"
"Yes. Um, by chance... what year is Harry Potter in right now?"
"Same as you," Dumbledore said
"Second book. Bad time for muggleborns..."
I-I
"This is Diagon Alley," Dumbledore said. "Riley, what I said before, save some lives."
"I will, Professor Dumbledore."
Dumbledore dissaparated.
Riley's father had come with them because he, too wanted to be present for this event. So did Riley's stepfather and her cousin Hannah.
"Where are you going to go first, Riley?" Hannah asked.
"We already got our money transferred into wizard money so, Madam Malkin's!"
They raced into the shop, where two boys were already getting their robes fitted.
"Don't tell me," Draco Malfoy said. "I'm going to say... First Year, only because I haven't seen you around before, mudblood (pretty obvious by your parents wandering around outside) and.. probably going to be Gryffindor."
"Correction, Draco Malfoy. I am actually a second year, I just haven't gotten my letter until now and will be starting in second year. I'm from America, I am a muggleborn, but I happen to know more about the wizarding world and everyone in it than you will ever know. For example, your fathers name is Lucius Malfoy, and you're secretly intimated because he wants you to grow up exactly like him and you're thinking 'what if I don't want to be a Death Eater?' and you know exactly what's going to go down at Hogwarts this year - don't give me that face I know you know what I'm talking about - and I know your father knows exactly what's going to go down at Hogwarts this year. In fact, he's going to slip a book in Ginny Weasley's cauldron that starts the whole thing and I, my friend, am going to glare a hole into the back of his skull but I'm not going to stop it because it would change too many things and deprive Harry Potter of some very useful information and clear the name of Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper," she finished and inhaled a deep breath. "Oh, and I'm still deciding whether to call you Draco or Malfoy because I might hate you somewhat but you have your reasons. And I'll probably be in Hufflepuff. Gryffindors show off a bit too much for my personality."
Draco Malfoy stood with wide eyes, and Madam Malkin had gone still. Draco assumed she was finished with his robes and hopped down from the platform to extend his hand towards Riley. "Call me Draco."
She shook his hand. "Call me Riley. Riley Dodds."
"You're not going to be... uh... friends with Potter are you?"
"So are you saying you're going to be friends with me because if so I'm flattered that you're over the fact I'm a 'mudblood' but I'm afraid with my knowledge your father will tell Voldemort that I'm useful and that could be very dangerous. And I can be friends with whoever I wish but I don't imagine Harry will be at the top of my list. He's got a lot of other priorities and I don't want to mess up the name the 'Golden Trio' because the 'Golden Quartet' sounds kind of odd, don't you think?"
Draco frowned. "My -"
"Father will hear about this!" she interrupted. "Ah one of my favorite lines. Right after, 'follow the spiders? Why couldn't it be follow the butterflies?' or anything ever said by Albus Dumbledore."
Draco sighed. "You're really confusing me right now."
"You are debating whether or not to be friends with me or call me a 'mudblood' and storm off. Which, by the way, I have to tell you 'mudblood' is getting a bit old. Come up with some new insults. I have a few I can recommend."
He thought for a moment. "I don't really hate you... but I'm going to have to... around other Slytherins. You must know how they'd treat me."
"I understand," she said. "Only if I can throw some insults back. I don't just take things, you know."
I-I
Riley walked into the book shop.
"I hate that guy," Fred Weasley mumbled to George, in reference to Gilderoy Lockhart posing for photos in the front of the shop.
"Don't worry, he's a fake," Riley said appearing beside them.
"Well, hello, who are you?" Fred asked.
She tilted her head to the side. "Don't get flirty with me Fred Weasley," she said.
George pressed his lips together in an attempt not to laugh.
"How do you know my name?" Fred asked.
"I know a lot of things. Like how Gilderoy Lockhart is a fake, your name is Fred Weasley, your twin's name is George Weasley, your family consists of you two, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley (he works with dragons which I think is pretty awesome), Percy Weasley - a bit snobbish and boring but hey he's smart - Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley. And that's just your immediate family. Oh, and Lucius Malfoy shall enter in. . . hold on. . . now."
Lucius Malfoy followed by Draco entered the shop.
"Wow. So what are you, psychic or something?" George asked.
"No, actually, I just know things. And I don't like the term 'psychic' because I prefer the term 'psyschotic'. You're taking away three of my letters. That's rude."
Fred and George laughed. "What house are you in?"
"I'm starting off in Second Year, because I didn't get my letter until now. And I haven't been sorted yet but I do hope it's Hufflepuff."
"Interesting."
"Interesting is a word people use in normal conversation when there's nothing else to say," she said. "It doesn't really mean what I said is actually very interesting. Because, frankly, it's just a basic background."
"Then what's your name?"
"Riley Dodds."
"And who is that?" Fred asked.
"That's my cousin Hannah. She came with me to Diagon Alley because she wanted to see the wizarding world."
They nodded.
"Hold on," she said, and walked towards where Lucius Malfoy, Arthur Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, and Harry Potter were standing.
"Red hair. . . and a hand-me-down robe. You must be a Weasley!" Draco said to Ginny.
Ginny opened her mouth to say something and closed it.
"White hair, real asshole, snobbish and out of fresh insults, you must be a Malfoy," Riley interjected.
He rolled his eyes, but discretely gave her a thumbs up. "You're just a -"
"I know, I'm a mudblood! Get over it. I don't find that insulting."
Lucius Malfoy narrowed his eyes at Riley.
"Problem, grumpy?" she asked. "Get your old-man walking stick and your attitude, and go away like a good little moron."
Malfoy gave a hair flip, picked up his cane, and stormed away.
"This isn't a Pantene commercial!" she called after him.
"Thank you for that," Mr. Weasley said.
"No problem, had a run in with Draco earlier. I'm Riley Dodds."
"I'm Arthur Weasley. I see you've already met Fred and George."
She smiled.
After she was done shopping for her school supplies, Ginny said, "See you at Hogwarts, Riley!
"See ya!"
End of chapter thoughts about Riley
Draco Malfoy: Friend with Weasley's now, too? This girl is impossible.
George Weasley: She's got a lot of sass.
Fred Weasley: Spunky.
Ginny Weasley: I like her.
Lucius Malfoy: I hate that mudblood. She insulted my hair! My hair is fabulous.
Albus Dumbledore: I expect great things.