Hey all! This is the re-written first chapter! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! And don't forget to review and tell me your thoughts! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter...but I definitely wish I did
I made my way quickly to the Platform, wanting to escape the cold glares and awkward silences between my parents, both still seething from their fight in the car. Once I got onto the Platform I said a quick good bye to them, and gave them each a brief uncomfortable hug with a promise to write, and then I carried my trunk onto the gleaming red train that would be my escape.
Once onto the train, I looked quickly around for my friends, and luckily I found Angelina right away. She was sitting there with her head in a Quidditch magazine, typical Angelina. Her head shot up immediately when I opened the compartment and a wide grin spread across her features.
"Talli!" she cried.
"Ang!" I yelled, even though we had just seen each other two weeks ago it had been way to long…
We gave each other a quick hug then picked up my trunk (which was blocking the hall way-sorry first years who were awkwardly staring at it, too afraid to ask me to move it) and put it up onto the luggage rack.
"So what have you been up to the past few weeks?" she asked, her brown eyes gleaming.
"Nothing really, I practiced a my dives a little more, but other than that I sat in my room counting down the hours till I got to leave for Hogwarts…"
"That bad huh?" she asked sympathetically.
"Yeah…" I said, sighing, my parents got into moods when they would fight over the stupidest things, and over just about everything; generally they only lasted about a week or two, but it is not what I wanted to deal with my last few weeks home (especially when the argument had to do with how staying at work longer wasn't going to help them catch Sirius Black anyways), "What about you, what did you do?"
"I went to the Harpies game!" she said excitedly, launching into a play-by-play of the game, which I eventually started to tune out…(hey, I love Quidditch, but I was a little bitter that I couldn't go with her).
"Guys!" Alicia said, opening the door and running in to hug us.
"Alicia!" We cried, happy to see her (seriously, you would have thought we hadn't seen each other in years).
"What were you talking about?" she asked, tucking her brown hair back behind her ears.
"The Harpies game!" Angelina said grinning.
"Oh yeah, you were going to go to that! How was it?"
"Absolutely amazing!" she said, grinning.
"What have you done these past few weeks?" I asked.
"I got highlights!" she said, and I examined her hair closer, and found that, sure enough she had gold highlights in her hair.
"They look great!" said Katie, walking into the compartment, just as the train started moving.
"Katie!" we all said excitedly, she had been on vacation all summer so we hadn't seen her (therefore we had a valid excuse to scream like a pre-teen girl at a concert).
"You got somewhat tan!" Ang said, grinning.
"I know! It's amazing," Katie said laughing before getting up, "Shit! I need to the Prefects meeting, I will be back in a few though, the unlucky fifth years are the ones who need to patrol!"
We waved to her as she exited the compartment almost as quickly as she came.
The three of us had light random conversation for about ten minutes, before the Weasly twins were walking into the compartment, sitting down on either side of me, and disrupting our peace.
"Hello ladies," they said, smirking in a scary unison that only they could pull off.
"Hey!" we replied, smiling at them.
"You two have gotten even more freckles!" I said laughing and poking their faces, "I didn't think that was possible!"
"Just like we didn't think it was possible for you to grow after third year!" said Fred, "But somehow you managed to surprise us…"
"Besides that's what we get for spending all summer in Egypt," said George.
"Yeah, congrats on winning, that's pretty sweet," Alicia said, grinning.
"Did you guys have fun?" asked Angelina.
"Best summer of our lives," they said in unison (I swear it was a scary twin thing), "The amount of pranks that could be made…"
"Anyways, you guys want to take bets on how early we start Quidditch practice?" asked Fred, changing the topic.
"About three weeks," Angelina guessed.
"I'm guessing a month!" said Alicia, trying to be optimistic.
"I give him a week," said Fred.
"I give him three days," said George.
"I bet we start tomorrow, we don't need to hold try outs this year," I guessed, plus the season started in a month and a half, which for Wood, was way to soon.
"Fred wins," says the devil himself, as he walked into the compartment.
"Pay up!" said Fred and we all groaned and passed him two galleons, while the devil just sat there laughing.
"So, how were your summers?" Wood asked, and I started tuning out what they were saying, because I really couldn't have cared less about what Wood did this summer, it was probably just Quidditch anyways.
Unwillingly my thoughts started wonder, and of course they couldn't just go somewhere pleasant...Nope, they had to go to places that I was desperately trying to block out…
I stood nervously in line while the sorting hat started it's song. I was so nervous that I was barely listening. I knew that one way or another I was going to upset one of my parents. My dad wanted me to be put into Slytherin like he was, and my mother wanted Ravenclaw.
The song was over before I knew it and I watched as my peers were sorted into houses. When Professor McGonagall was in the Os I thought I was going to puke, and when she reached the Ps I decided I didn't really care which house I was in anymore, I just wanted it over with. I wanted to find a place that I could call my home away from home…just as my parents promised I would.
"Prince, Tallison," the strict looking Professor called; I winced when she said my full name that I despised with a passion (I mean, wouldn't you?).
I walked up cautiously and the Professor put the battered old hat onto my head.
"Hmmmm, you are very cunning and have ambition would do well in Slytherin, but I see you are very brave and have a very fierce loyalty…so where to put you...it better be GRYFFINDOR!"
The table on the far left erupted into cheers as I made my way over grinning. I took a seat next to Angelina the tall dark skinned girl I met on the train.
"Hey!" she said, smiling brightly, and then pointing to a girl with shorter brown hair and freckles adding, "This is Katie! She's really nice!"
"Hi!" I said grinning, and she waved shyly back at me.
We watched in silence as the sorting continued. Soon a girl named Alicia joined us. She had blonde hair and teal blue eyes. She was grinning widely as she came and sat next to the brown haired boy in the seat across from me.
"I knew you'd make Gryffindor Ali!" he said, grinning at her.
"Of course Ollie, where else would I go?" she asked laughing, they clearly had known each other for a long time, then she addressed us three girls, "Hello, I'm Alicia Spinnet."
"I'm Angelina," Angelina said, grinning happily.
"I'm Talli," I said, with a shy smile.
"Isn't your real name Tallison?" the boy named 'Ollie' asked.
"Yes but I absolutely detest that name, so please call me Talli," I said, then smirking I added, "You're Ollie right?"
"It's Oliver."
"Okay, Ollie."
Alicia was laughing, and Angelina was trying to hold her laughter in.
"I'm Katie," she said, stopping our arguing from going any farther.
"Hello!" Alicia said, and we all grinned resuming our attention back to the sorting.
"Weasly, Fred!" Professor McGonagall called, and I watched nervously as one of the redhead twins made their way forward.
The sorting hat lasted hardly a few seconds before crying out, "GRYFFINDOR!"
I clapped, grinning, as he came and sat next to me, grinning widely, "I told you I'd be in Gryffindor Tal."
I stuck my tongue out at him, and we turned just in time to see the hat cry "GRYFFINDOR!" for his brother.
I was happy that the twins were in the same house as me. I had known them growing up because our mothers had grown up living next to each other, so naturally they became friends. I had grown up close with all of the Weasly family, I basically considered them my brothers, and in Ginny's case my sister. I was so grateful to have familiar faces in my house.
"So Tallison, do you play Quidditch?" dear old Ollie asked.
"I do Ollie; I'm seeker, what about you?"
"I do, I'm keeper, and don't call me Ollie," he said, his Scottish accent evident.
"Then don't call me Tallison," I said.
Needless to say, we did not get along for the rest of the year; we would always call each other Tallison or Ollie, simply to get on the others nerves. Apparently the only people allowed to call him Ollie were Alicia and his mother, but I hadn't really cared. That really is what started are immense dislike for each other. Over the years it only seemed to escalate.
Second year wasn't much better, I had to deal him at Quidditch practice, and he was always cocky and yelling at the team. I of course would yell back, I mean who died and made him captain? No one, so he had no right to boss us around (at least I didn't think so).
Third year was hell, he actually became Quidditch captain and practice became harder and more often. It was also the year we ended up calling each other by our last names (since the whole first name thing had stopped becoming annoying, it was just something we were used to). Luckily for me though, the other two chaser spots opened and Angelina and Alicia joined the team. Basically, Wood and I could not be in the same room as each other, and the only time we could be somewhat civil to each other was at Quidditch, and that was only because we wanted to win too much.
Nothing really changed until last year (except for maybe more arguments and better comebacks and insults). We decided that we should try and be civil, we had similar friend groups, and there really was no avoiding each other (yeah, it took us awhile to reach this conclusion…but at least we got there…). That worked well for us until after the last Quidditch game.
I landed and ran towards him, giving him a huge hug! I could not believe we just won, we really did it! He picked me up and swung me around, laughing in celebration, before we walked towards the changing rooms hand in hand.
I honestly could not believe that we had hated each other for four years, especially now that he was one of my best friends! After changing quickly out of our robes and back into normal clothes we walked back to the common room where we parted ways to get ready for the party that Fred and George had planned for it we going to won the Quidditch cup (again).
I got ready fairly quickly, picking out a cute summer dress to wear to the party before straightening my curly blonde hair. I quickly put up some make up on before I made my way down to the common room to look for Oliver. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach, excited for the night ahead, and the dance. My eyes scanned the room for him; and ohhh did I find him. Of course, when I spotted him, he had some seventh year blonde bimbo on his lap who was sucking his face like it was the last thing she was ever going to do. I blinked back the tears and went over to the refreshments table where grabbed a fire whiskey bottle and took a huge swig of it, before walking over to Wood and dumping my drink 'accidentally' all over them.
Oliver looked up and glared at me and I just smiled my sweet little smile.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there," I said, feigning innocence.
"Really Prince?" he said, glaring at me, the bimbo just sat there grinning happily.
"Really Wood, why on earth would I dump a perfectly good fire whisky on you? It would be a complete waste," I asked, cocking my eyebrow at him.
"Because you're jealous," he state, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Definitely not. What is there to be jealous of?"
"Yes you are, don't even deny it. You're jealous of Marianna here because it's her who I'm making out with; not you."
"Where the hell did you get that assumption?"
"Because you thought that we were dating, but honestly I was just making the team better. You couldn't catch the snitch while you were sulking over that loser Chris. I couldn't let that effect the team, so I decided to cheer you up. There really was no better way to do it, then to be 'in a relationship' with you."
I just pretended to laugh, but inside it hurt like a bitch, "Really though, where'd you pull that assumption out of? Your ass? You were really just a 'friend' with benefits to me."
So that might have been a lie, but really, he never had to know that. I turned and walked away before he could respond.
"Tal," Angelina whispered poking me with her foot, "You're glaring at your magazine again."
I just chuckled, "I still can't believe that the French won the cup, I never saw that coming! I really wish it had been Bulgaria. I mean have you seen Viktor Krum?"
"I know!" Angelina gushed, "I could just eat him up!"
We both giggled.
"What are you two giggling about?" asked George, turning to face me.
"How unbelievably sexy you are," Ang said, chuckling and winking at him.
"I know, I am absolutely ravishing," he said, winking back at her.
"Oh my gosh, your brother is absolutely terrible!" Katie said walking into the compartment looking extremely irritated, "The Prefects meeting went like a half an hour longer than I thought it would!"
"We know we could hear him practicing his speech all summer…we could probably have just told you it ourselves and saved you the trouble," said Fred, laughing.
"Hey guys," Lee said, walking in with his girlfriend of a year.
"Hey Lee, Joy," Alicia says, smiling, but something about her smile is fake.
"So what were you guys talking about?" asked Joy.
"Viktor Krum's bum," I said grinning devilishly.
"I think that he has got to have the best bum in all of Quidditch!" Alicia said, and we girls laughed, while the four guys just rolled their eyes.
"Oh..." Joy said, not looking very interested in the topic of our conversation, "Are you guys excited for Quidditch practice to start?"
"Yes!" answered Wood, excitedly (you would think he was a little kid on Christmas).
"I am too, I think that we might be pretty good this year," she said, she was seeker on the Ravenclaw team, "Though you guys have the advantage of not needing any new players…"
"Yeah that is true, but that doesn't mean that I won't work them any less," he said, sending a pointed look around the compartment.
At this pointed I had really stopped listening (again), and I had pulled out my current book, and started reading (I would have continued reading Angelina's magazine, but Katie took it). Alicia seemed to have the same idea because she soon took out her Quidditch magazine and was flipping through pages.
Their conversation continued for almost the entire train ride, and by the end, I don't think anyone but Lee was listening to Joy; I mean, wow, I thought me and my friends could talk.
The only time she stopped was when the Dementors came onto the train, checking all of the compartments.
"Do you think they're looking for Black?" Katie asked, looking confused.
"That's the only thing I can think of…" George said, "But that doesn't make sense…why would Sirius Black be on the Hogwarts Express?"
"I have no idea…" I responded, "It doesn't make sense, why would he want to go to Hogwarts, it's not as though he would ever actually get into the castle."
"Just like he would never actually escape Azkaban…" Angelina pointed out.
With that thought we all sat there quietly. I was contemplating what would happen, if Black did try and break into the castle, what would happen. The thought made me sick to my stomach, I did not like the idea of a mad man running around on the loose, especially one that was such an avid follower of You-Know-Who.
Eventually the train was pulling into the station, pulling us out of our thoughts, and we pushed our way through the crowd so that we could get a carriage to ourselves. Luckily, we eventually found one.
"I am so hungry!" Ang complained.
"Aren't you always?" I asked, laughing.
"That's not the point," she said, grinning.
"Of course not…" Katie said grinning.
"So Katie how was France?" I asked, not having had the chance to talk to her on the train.
"It was so beautiful! You guys would have loved all of the gorgeous French guys!" she gushed, blushing slightly.
"Any summer lovin'" asked Angelina, waggling her eye brows.
"Well, there was one guy…" she said, blushing an even deeper shade of red.
"And you failed to mention this in any of your letters?" Alicia said, "I want details! Like now!"
We all giggled and she launched into her story about her summer romance with Anton, like eating under the Eiffel Tower and sipping champagne (Anton was a Muggle…which was something that she found very fascinating).
"So you two still together?" I asked, curiously.
"No…" she said with a sigh, "It would have been to hard…"
We all nodded, and then changed the topic back to the Harpies game Angelina had been at.
Soon enough the carriage pulled to a stop and we climbed out into the crisp air and walked quickly inside to the magnificent Great Hall, taking our seats near the middle of the table on the farthest left, and waited for the small first years to make their way into the Great Hall. Each of us looking around still stunned by the beauty of the hall, even after six years.
As the sorting ceremony started I sat dazed, staring at my plated, hungrily (I really did need to learn how to pay attention to the sorting).
"Why does this sorting seem like its lasting forever?" asked Angelina in my ear.
"Because it is…" I mumbled back, earning a few glares from the studious Ravenclaws that were actually paying attention and of course from Percy Weasly (but he had a permanent stick up his ass so I wasn't overly concerned about annoying him).
We were instantly snapped out of our thoughts when Dumbledore began talking about how the Dementors were going to be stationed around Hogwarts, just as a precaution. It really got me thinking about what they thought Sirius Black's fascination with Hogwarts was. I made a mental note to see if my father could tell me anything.
We sat there for another five minutes until finally the food appeared on platters in front of us. All of us girls helped our selves to the food closest to us, not really caring what it was.
"Wow, I thought us boys were bad…" said Fred, looking at us in amazement, and also disgust.
George just nodded, and then they shared a look and started eating.
Soon we were all stuffed, and we made our way to the common room, having gotten the password from Katie. We snagged the seats closet to the fire, and continued to talk about our summers. It was all quite peaceful until Wood decided to show up with his new flavor of the week. This would have been just fine if he did not feel the urge to suck face with her right next to me.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm afraid I might catch a disease if I sit to close to him. I am going to bed."
And with that I marched up the steps to the girls' dorm, and all the way to the top of tower where the 6th year dorms were. I changed quickly into my boy shorts and tank top before falling on my bed and falling asleep, but not before reassuring myself I was not jealous, just thoroughly disgusted.