I walked into the kitchen, after reading my potions book for the upcoming school year. I believed that reading the textbooks before school started would do me good, and so far, it was. I was top of my class, and sorely wondered by many why I wasn't put in Ravenclaw. Gryffindor was my choice, which has greatly influenced the Sorting Hat, and he worked into my favor. I knew I wasn't the first "brainy" kid put into Gryffindor, Dumbledore and many more wonderful wizards and witches have been put in the same house I was.
As off topic as that little thing was, the whole reason why I took the trek to my kitchen wasn't to get food, it was to find my mother. She spent most of her time in the kitchen (sexist I know, with the banter of "Women belong in the kitchen" thing going amongst teenage boys lately). There was a single potion I was rather curious about, and her being a Ravenclaw during her years at Hogwarts, I was sure she knew about this particular potion.
I stood in front of her, nervously rubbing my potions book. I waited for her to lower her book before asking her a question though.
"Mumma?" I asked timidly. She smiled at me while sitting up.
"Yes, dear?" She said with warmth. My mom was always bringing comfort everywhere she went. If she wasn't here, it felt as if the mansion was as cold as ice. Blame my father for that. He's as slithery as a Slytherin can get. A Pure-Blood maniac, and hierarchy obsessed. Money and position meant everything to him; how my mother fell in love with him is beyond me. I guess his charm and good looks got to her.
"What's so special about Amortentia?" My mother turned a light pink, and laughed.
"Honey, it's the most powerful love potion in the world! Why in the world do you have any interest in it?"
"It's in my book. It says if someone was conceived under it, and it says they don't have the ability to love. Is that true?" She eyed my book, and then back to me.
"If the book says it is, then it is." She said. She was always one to go straight by the book. I nodded, and turned away. "Wait- dear."
I turned around again. "Yeah, mum?" She stood up and set her book down on the chair she was sitting in. She straightened herself- brushing her hand through her hair, and waving dust away from her clothes. If it weren't for my brother asking for food, my dad cracking jokes and dancing with her, or me asking questions which require her showing, I'd bet she could sit in that chair of hers for an eternity, and collect dust while reading books.
"Do you know that it gives three scents that only you can distinct?"
"Well, it does say it here in the book." I pointed at the section. I tilted my head. "Why? What did you smell?" My mother gave a small, modest smile.
"I smelled the forest, new ink, and… your father's clothes' scent." She chuckled. "Did you know he was the best looking of his year? It was a complete shock to me when he said he liked me, when I was a fifth year. Of course, he was a seventh year…" She started walking to a cupboard. "Did you want to see what you'd smell?"
I smiled, and nodded. "Sure. But how do you even have the potion?"
"Well, a while ago, a friend of mine was kidding with me. Said that I need a love potion to keep your father in love with me. I think you know her, she wrote your first year's potion book! Miranda Goshawk." My mother laughed quietly to herself. "She sent me this, as a joke, but I've never used it. Maybe planned to give it to your brother, if he couldn't find a girl to date. Your father's given up on trying to find a pure-blood girl to marry him. All of his focus is on you." She and I rolled our eyes at the same time.
"Of course, I'm kidding about giving it to your brother, but here, you can smell it, let's see what your three scents are." My mother took out a slim red vile, and popped the lid open. Baby pink mist spiraled out of the bottle.
"I-I smell… the library?" My mother nodded for me to go on. "And the scent of a nice warm, sunny day on the country side, and-"
"Verity! Wake up! Hurry, wake up!" George shook me awake. I rubbed my eyes, a little bit upset from being shaken from my dream.
"What?" I growled, looking at him, Fred, and Oliver. A look of pure terror had been etched on their faces. The compartment began getting colder, and colder by the second. I looked out the window; the train had stopped moving.
"Are we there?" I still got no response from any of them. A cracking sound started, and I looked at the door. It began to get covered in a thin sheet of ice. I began to feel sad, despair, as if I'll never be happy again. I gasped and cowered into George.
Dementors were on this train. I looked frantically around for my wand. I thought I would never feel this feeling again. I couldn't relive these moments the Dementors were going to leave me with if they stayed on this train.
"Oliver! Oliver!" I hissed. He looked at me, confused and terrified. His eyes were wide opened, and it looked as if all the cheerful life was sucked out of him. He was far ahead of me with spells, surely he could produce a Patronus. I can't produce one if I try only once.
"Oliver, make a Patronus!" I whispered hastily. He continued to stare at me. "Oliver! Make a Patronus, now!" It seemed that Oliver finally snapped out of his daze as the memory I so desperately wanted to forget began flooding into my mind.
"Wes, I don't think going into the woods is such a good idea." My oldest brother smiled at me. His brown hair flipped over his eyes as his teeth gleamed white.
"Don't worry, Verity. There's nothing in here." He said reassuringly. We walked deeper into the woods. A full moon beamed brightly through the trees…
"OLIVER! Make one! Now!" I saw a ghastly hand reach for the handle. Fred and George stared at us, sorrow brimming their faces.
"I-I can't! I never learned!" I looked at him in disbelief. No, no, this can't be happening. Even if we had completely sucky DADA teachers for the past few years, I'd have thought he learned how to make a Patronus anyway. He's far old enough anyway. The memory began to invade my mind.
I grabbed Wesley's hand as we ventured further into the enchanted forest behind our backyard. A rustling in the leaves echoed all around us. I tightened my grip.
"What was that?" I asked him.
"Nothing. There's no reason to be scared." There was a long, distant howl right after he spoke.
"How about that? That was something!" I said. I saw that Wes had gotten scared too.
"I-I don't know." I felt shivers run down my spine as another howl sounded. It was closer, the leaves crunched under weight. It wasn't mine or Wesley's, we were standing still. The leaves rustled again, and a dark animal ran across us, leaving a cold breeze.
"Wesley! What are we going to do? That isn't anything ordinary!" I tugged at his arm. He was frozen to the spot. I heard the animal's breathing and a snarl; it was circling us. I could smell it… it smelled, almost human.
I shook myself out of it, and stood up with a thick grip on my wand. The dementor must be looking for something, it was now opening the door. I held in my breath as a cold, icy mist developed the compartment.
"Expecto Patronum!" I said strongly, remembering my family - whole, alive, and normal. We were all happy and youthful, laughing as we were gathered around the dining table. The happiness I longed for again.
A silvery wolf emitted from my wand, and fended the dementor away from the opening of the compartment. Finally the dementor cleared, and my wolf wisped away. All the energy had been sucked out of me, and I slumped down next to Oliver. This is the worst I've felt all year, but on the inside, I was giddy with pride. I finally made a real Patronus, not some feeble little shield. Who knew it would be a wolf? Well, I guess that has some relevance, concerning my family…
"Verity, you didn't tell us you could produce a Patronus? Who taught you?" Fred asked, amazed. I gave him a tired smile.
"My dad did, after he took me with him to… Azkaban." I shuddered. "It was some 'Ministry' business. But even before that, he had been trying to teach my siblings and I for a while, but eventually he gave up."
"Wow. I wonder what ours will be, eh, Fred?" George cracked a smile. It seemed a bit out of place, after all of what the dementor made us feel. But if anyone could bring back the joke-y, happy, and fun aura back, even after something so grim, it would be the twins. That's what they were best at.
"I don't know… Maybe a weasel? Eh? Get it, George? A weasel?" I laughed at Fred's sarcastic enthusiasm. Oliver rolled his eyes with a chuckle. George hit his twin for such a lame joke.
I stood up as I saw the familiar landscape that meant we were getting closer and closer to Hogsmeade. "C'mon you guys, let's change into our robes. We're nearly there." I said, and grabbed my trunk. As I was getting my robes and uniform out, I saw that all three of them were wearing a smirk with their eyebrows raised.
"Oh, really? No. All of you guys are going out, while I change!" I began pushing them out of the compartment.
"Verity! C'mon! We've know you for nearly four years! You should be comfortable with us already!" Oliver whined.
"Yeah, we practically know your all of your underwear drawer!" The twins both said.
"What?" I held the twins tightly by their shirt collars. I glared at them. They did not invade that much of my privacy!
"I particularly like that lacy, black one." Fred licked in my ear. My eyes slipped wide out. Those were for certain eyes only! My hair turned a thick red.
"Alright! Everyone, OUT!" I yelled, and threw them all out of the compartment. I snapped the blinds closed.
The nerve they had to look in my private clothes! There's a reason why they're called underwear! They aren't supposed to be seen! They go under the clothes you wear. Completely concealed. Unless, well, you're like that muggle actress… Lindsay Lohan, is it? She's got absolutely no sense at all! Flaunting those things as if they were supposed to be seen! Absolutely revolting!
"Aw, Verity, really? Do you have to stay in here while we change?" Oliver asked, embarrassed after taking off his shirt. I folded my arms, staying planted were I was with a smirk.
"Oliver, c'mon. We've known each other for nearly four years! You should be comfortable with me already." I mocked the words he said earlier. I saw him mentally curse himself. Served him right.
"Fine… But can you just-"
"Oh! Oliver look. The twins are already dressed, they have absolutely no problem with dressing in front of me." I pointed out. I had to cover my mouth to keep from bursting out in laughter. The twins started to laugh. Oliver glared at all three of us, and mumbled under his breath as he took off his pants.
"You guys are absurd." Oliver hastily threw on the rest of his clothes.
"Hm, what did you say?"
"You are absurd!"
"That's absurd!" The twins and I cried, laughing. (Sorry, starkid reference!)
I entered my dorm after a long feast with the twins. I was the only one in the room, but not the first. Most of the girls decorated their sections, and went down into the common room to catch up. I had dons all the "catching-up" I could handle. Talking enthusiastically as I was to everyone completely drained me. I was as tired as a lazy sloth. I'm such a baby, I always end up sleeping every few hours; how I manage a full day of school is way out of my knowledge.
I looked at all the girl's decorations around their beds. Alicia's and Angelina's were similar, they were mostly photos of their family and friends. Lynette's corner was tinted blue, seashells, and small wind chimes were scattered about her desk and bed.
And Caroline's, Oh Merlin! Her decorations were so vain. Pink was strewn everywhere, posters of her were hung all around her bed. Her stupid face modeling for a wizard acne treatment. Her stupid, perfect, flawless face. The only thing that was different was a poster of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I walked closer to see that it only focused on Oliver, everyone else was a blur. I squinted at Oliver, bright and smiling, and he winked back. I rolled my eyes, and went to my bed, and began to decorate it as well.
I waved my wand to envelope my bed posts in faded, white flowers. I took my books out, and set them neatly on my bed table. I put a small bunch of Baby's Breath in a glass of water I conjured up. I smiled smugly, and set out to get ready for bed.
I sat comfortably in my bed, reading my book. I kept my sweater under my pillow if it got cold, I was only wearing some flannel pants and a tank top. A rumbling came from my pile of books, and I looked over at The Monster Book of Monsters. The book was trying to get its way out of the thick leather strap I tied onto it during the summer.
"Oh shuttup." I told it. It growled at me, and I narrowed my eyes. I swear, it was giving me a stink eye. I picked the animate book, and shoved it in the small table's drawer. After I closed it, the whole table began to shave.
"That's it. I had enough of this, you little bugger!" I quickly grabbed the glass of flowers to keep it from falling, and whipped the drawer open. The book tried biting at my fingers. "No!" I pointed my wand at it.
"Immobulus!" The book stopped moving. "Now, that's more like it." I chuckled, and grabbed my reading book again. I'm so clever, I thought in my mind, amusing myself. There was a knock on the door.
"I'm not changing, you can come in!" I said. Usually nobody knocks on the door, but I figured it would be a younger year asking for help. What a surprise when it wasn't.
"Hiya Verity! Why are you already ready for bed? And reading?" Oliver trooped in with the twins following suit.
"Ew, she's reading a book? What a book worm!" The twins joked. I smiled and rolled my eyes. I sat up as they gathered around my bed.
"You guys aren't supposed to be in here!" I said crossly, putting down my book.
"Gosh, what's with your decorations! They're so girly." Fred said, toying with my flowers. I frowned. I thought they were rather regular, sweet. Not girly.
"Well, here's some to add. Orchideous." George and Oliver handed me a bouquet of flowers from their wands. I took them, and smiled. Fred rolled his eyes.
"Awh, you guys are too sweet." I said blushing. I set the flowers by my books. "So what is everyone talking about in the common room?"
"Sirius Black. He's on the loose, and all the girls are scared to death." Oliver replied. I nodded, remembering an article about his escape from Azkaban. I could only hope the Dementors made him crazy enough to loose his way around. Maybe if he was mentally scarred, he won't be killing anymore people. Or find the right path, instead of to You-Know-Who.
"It's sort of funny, really. If you pretend he's there, they all start to scream." Fred laughed. I gasped and threw my pillow at him.
"Fred! That's mean!" He caught my pillow, and threw it back at me. With my complete lack of coordination, it hit me straight in the face. I glared at him.
"You're terrible." I grumbled. He just beamed at me, and I sneered at him. The other two were looking around at the dormitory.
"Look at this! Caroline has a poster of us!" George pointed at the Quidditch poster. I laughed. Oliver was exchanging smiles and winks with himself.
"Well, more particularly Oliver. I'm guessing she has a crush on him. I remember I over heard her talking to Madeline, something about 'my beloved Oliver'." Oliver made a face, and backed away from the poster.
"Caroline?" He asked, a little revolted. None of us seemed to like her, she was conceited, and loud.
"'Beloved Oliver'?" He scoffed. " Beloved my ass."