Seven Years in Slytherin
XxMookinexX
Based on the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling.
First Year, Part Three
The Lonely Girl
"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity."
George Bernard Shaw
Saturday morning was overcast. Rain splattered down outside. The Slytherins had seen as much when they had breakfasted in the Great Hall, but the view from their common room was as tranquil as ever. Fish swam by the submerged windows, unaffected by the weather. Belinda Montague stood with a hand pressed against the glass, her fingers splayed. She sighed.
"Did you know, today is my birthday?"
All activity amongst the Slytherin first years stopped. Unfortunately for Jeremy, the distraction had caused Marlowe to overshoot his gobstone so that it exploded. Green goo splattered unattractively all over his robes, and dripped down his face as he gasped in surprise. When the thick liquid threatened to drip into his open mouth, he spluttered and tried to wipe it away. As their little group tittered at his misfortune a passing seventh year took pity on him and spelled the mess away. But Scorpius was not to be distracted.
"What?" he asked, dropping the book he'd been holding onto his lap. "It's your birthday?"
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Sebastian asked, sounding disproportionately alarmed. The wizard's chesspiece he'd been holding was grumbling about being dropped in a less than tactical position. Wedby, his opponent, was already capitalising on his mistake by moving her Knight into a position where both Sebastian's Rook and Queen were threatened and the Rook was cowering under the Queen's glare. "We should be celebrating!"
"Where did you say the kitchens were, Albus?" Harriet asked, turning to him eagerly, tossing her blonde hair behind her shoulders. "Do you reckon they do cake?"
"Of course they do cake, Harriet," Celia said scornfully, not looking up from the parchment she was writing on. "They're houseelves. They can do anything."
"It's on the second floor," Albus started to explain, but he wasn't certain that Harriet was still listening to him. Besides which, Marlowe immediately cut him off.
"I nominate Jeremy!" Wedby groaned and nudged him with her foot. They'd deduced that the Hufflepuff common room must be somewhere near the second floor. This was obviously some kind of Paula joke. Again. The other Slytherins were completely bored with it already, but Marlowe and Sebastian still seemed to think it was the funniest joke in the world. It just went to show how very poor their senses of humour were.
"I second that!" Sebastian agreed, far too gleefully. Jeremy glowered at them, but didn't protest. He was learning. If he didn't rise to their bait, they'd quickly lose interest in teasing him. At least, the first years hoped so. Otherwise measures were going to have to be taken.
"I'll go," Grace volunteered. It wasn't completely out of pity. She rather wanted to see the kitchens, having heard so much about them. Besides, she'd like to get Belinda a cake. Especially if it gave her an excuse to avoid the Transfiguration homework she'd been struggling to complete.
"You don't have to," Belinda protested blithely. "I was just regretting the weather being so dreadful."
"Don't be ridiculous," Celia tutted. "Of course we're going to celebrate your birthday. It's just a shame we don't have any presents." Grace smiled. Celia had been noticeably nicer to Belinda since their argument on Friday. That being said, it was obvious Celia wasn't planning to come with her. She was sitting with her feet up on Scorpius' lap, doodling artfully in the corner of her Astronomy homework. Harriet was watching the two of them interestedly.
"Where did you say the kitchens were?" Grace asked, hoping that someone else would volunteer to come with her. It wasn't that she had no sense of direction, but the castle was huge, and she hadn't been to all of it yet.
"It's easier if I just show you," Albus said, glancing around them. Grace was relieved and flashed him a grateful smile.
"I don't mind coming," Jeremy said quietly, standing to join them. He looked apologetically at Marlowe for abandoning their game. "I think I've lost enough for one day."
"I'll play!" Harriet said excitedly, moving to sit down in Jeremy's vacated place. As the three of them left, Belinda turned back to the window with a sigh. Grace wondered if Belinda was the sort of person who didn't like to be fussed over. More likely, she hated being pent up indoors.
"Jeremy," Albus asked thoughtfully as they walked along the corridors on the second floor. "How do you know Paula? From the train?" Jeremy shot Albus a look of deep betrayal.
"I'm curious as well," Grace commented, looking at Jeremy inquisitively. She hadn't really gotten to know Sebastian, Marlowe or Jeremy. The other two acted out quite a lot, and reminded her of Alex and James in a way that was not pleasing. Jeremy, however, was more of a mystery. He was quiet when he wasn't being humiliated. During the first few days he'd seemed absolutely miserable. But he seemed peaceable enough now. Despite all the grief he got from Sebastian and Marlowe, he seemed to enjoy their company well enough.
"Yeah," Jeremy agreed, but he looked a little mutinous at being forced to admit it. "We shared a compartment."
"And you're upset that she went to Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin?" Grace asked, more to clarify than anything else. "I think that's perfectly natural."
"No." Jeremy stopped dead and shook his head at the two of them. "It had nothing to do with her. I was upset because I didn't want to be a Slytherin." Albus and Grace exchanged a look. They could see why Jeremy might have hesitated to tell anyone why he was grumpy. Especially around Scorpius or Celia. "I stupidly said that I didn't mind where I went, never thinking the hat might actually put me in Slytherin. Don't misunderstand. I don't hate Slytherin. Now that I've met you all, it's really not so bad, but I… I'd asked a lot of questions about the houses, since I was raised as a Muggle." He hesitated, on the brink of some kind of emotional breakdown. He'd started shaking. Grace shot Albus a look of alarm, but Albus wasn't looking at her. His whole attention was on Jeremy, who was breathing raggedly. "I didn't realise I'd be, you know, eligible. Mum and Dad-" he chocked on the words. "They're both Muggles. I'm sure. They were very surprised when I got my letter. It wasn't acting. They wouldn't lie about it." Albus went to Jeremy's side then and gripped his arm. Jeremy reigned in his voice, and his next words were no louder than a whisper. "People told me Muggle-borns weren't allowed in Slytherin." Grace looked at Albus for advice. She had no idea what to say in this situation. She'd never thought that a student might be in this situation before. "What does that mean?" Jeremy continued, and Grace was startled as he started to cry. Openly. Apart from Alex, she'd never seen a boy cry before. "Are they really my parents?" he sobbed, and Albus hugged him, casting a panic-filled look at the corridor around them. "Am I adopted?"
"I don't know, Jeremy," Albus said. Grace swallowed and took one or two steps closer to them. She reached out and gingerly patted Jeremy on the back.
"I'm so sorry, Jeremy," she whispered. "I'm so sorry." Jeremy wept, crumpling into a miserable pile of limbs against the corridor wall. Albus and Grace crouched on either side of him, sympathetic onlookers to the internal trauma finally exploding into the open. "Can I get you anything?" she asked, wishing there was something she could do. Jeremy shook his head.
"I just… don't understand," he choked out, his throat tight. "Why wouldn't they tell me? Whatever the reason they've been lying to me all this time."
Grace wanted to say that the blood prejudice might not be true anymore, but the prejudice came from Salazar Slytherin himself. Even if it was true that more and more halfbloods were being accepted into the house, she'd never heard of a Muggleborn Slytherin before. Maybe Jeremy was the first? But was that likely? Could there ever be a Muggleborn Slytherin would want? She frowned and kept her silence. She doubted these thoughts would help Jeremy.
"Maybe they couldn't?" Albus suggested. "I doubt they wanted to upset you. Or maybe they saw no reason to tell you? Maybe they think of you as their son, and that's the end of it? I don't claim to know anything about your position," he said, scratching the back of his head. "But I'm sure that the best way to get the answers is to ask them about it. I mean, there are all kinds of reasons to adopt, aren't there? Just because you're adopted, doesn't mean you're any less loved."
"Maybe," Jeremy muttered, although he didn't look very convinced. He rubbed at his face. Albus nodded.
"Can you guys wait here?" he asked. "I'm going to grab something quickly. I'll be right back."
"Uh." Grace panicked as Albus got up and hurried down the corridor. "Sure," she whispered as he rounded the corner out of sight. She looked uncertainly back at Jeremy, who looked awkwardly away from her. Somehow the situation had become a lot more embarrassing without Albus' mediating presence. She bit her lip and sat cross-legged beside him, desperately searching for something to say.
"Sorry," Jeremy said. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since the sorting."
"Don't worry about it. I'd be way worse in your position," she muttered, trying to downplay it to reduce the uneasiness between them. "I mean, my nose runs when I'm upset. It's really not a good look." She was joking to make him feel better, but he didn't laugh. She sighed and turned to him. "I feel bad for not asking you what was wrong sooner. I just assumed it was because Marlowe and Sebastian kept teasing you, and I guessed the last thing you'd want was to talk about it." Jeremy leant his head back against the wall.
"No. Those two drive me crazy sometimes, but they're great. They knew I was upset about something and that's their way of cheering me up. They made it easier not to think about… about whoever my real parents might have been and why they didn't want me." Grace was startled.
"But, you know… being adopted proves that your parents really wanted to have you in their lives." Jeremy laughed slightly.
"I hadn't thought of it that way." A comfortable silence settled over them. "Where did Albus go?" Jeremy wondered suddenly.
"I really have no idea." She looked down the corridor the way Albus had disappeared. "Maybe the kitchens?" she suggested. "I can't be sure. My sense of direction still isn't very good, but didn't we come from over there?" She pointed the opposite way.
"Gra-ace," a singsong voice called loudly from behind her. She whipped around. "Gra-ace, Je-re-my, where are you?" Grace frowned.
"James?" she asked the thin air.
James Potter's face appeared from around the corner, followed by the rest of him.
"Hey kids," he greeted, strutting over to them, all smiles. "Albus asked me to fetch you." Grace was deeply sceptical.
"Where to?" she asked, archly. James feigned a wounded expression, and extended a hand to her.
"Aw, Grace. Don't you trust me?" She snorted, but she took his hand and let him help her up. "See." He grinned. "I'm not so bad." She shook her head, remembering the train ride here. He was exactly that bad, and she shouldn't forget that just because he was nice to her from time to time.
"This is Albus' brother," she told Jeremy, holding out a hand to him and helping him up in turn. "He's a horrible person beneath all the charm. If he ever offers you a sweet, don't take it."
"Grace, that was one time."
"And I was sick for an hour. Don't pretend to be someone you're not, James," she told him, very seriously. The double meaning made his eyes widen.
"Er, yeah." He had the decency to look embarrassed. "About that-" She held up a hand. She was so tired of him and Alex ruining her day for no good reason. She was going to try and take a leaf out of Jeremy's book. She wouldn't rise to the challenge.
"Save it, I don't care anymore." She wanted nothing to do with them. "If you're honestly taking us to Albus, lead on. Otherwise I'm never going to talk to you again." She blushed. It was a terrible threat. No one would be scared or intimidated by it. But she didn't mean it in a petulant way. She meant she wouldn't take his word for something ever again. James sighed.
"The kitchens are this way," he said. He looked back at Jeremy. "Are you feeling better?" When Jeremy looked confused he elaborated, "Al said you weren't feeling good." Grace smiled slightly. It wasn't a lie. Albus had phrased it very carefully. She thought back to his words comforting Jeremy and her smile softened even more. Albus really had been amazing. He'd calmly told Jeremy exactly what he needed to hear without claiming to have all the answers. More than ever, she was glad that Albus had been sorted into Slytherin. She really wanted to be his friend.
"M'fine," Jeremy muttered, blushing slightly and looking away from Grace, who extended the smile to include him. It was a difficult thing, being eleven. The embarrassment of childishness never truly left, but lingered.
"Riiiiiiight," James drawled, looking between them. "We're here." They stopped in front of a portrait of a bowl of fruit. "You have to tickle the pear." He reached out and his fingers brushed over the fruit. It giggled and writhed under his fingertips. Then the painting swung forward, allowing them to see the kitchens beyond. James gestured for Grace and Jeremy to go first. She scowled at him, still wary of deception, but went through, allowing Jeremy to trudge in after her. Four large tables occupied the right of the room in a perfect copy of the great hall. For some reason she'd always thought the food appeared through the floor, but if they were on the second floor, the food must appear through other magical means.
Albus was deep in conversation with Alex Carlsdale. They sat opposite one another at the table nearest the entrance. Grace scowled. She should have known. James and Alex were inseparable. But that didn't mean she had to like it.
"Hey," James greeted, almost skipping as he went around the bench to sit next to his brother. "You got hot chocolate!" Five steaming mugs sat on the table. Albus and Alex looked up at them. Grace froze under Alex's glare. She grabbed Jeremy's arm and manoeuvred him to sit on her right, a human shield between her and Alex.
"I got you hot chocolate," Albus explained needlessly, pushing the mugs towards them. "How are you feeling?" Jeremy shrugged.
"Did you ask if they had cake?" Grace asked, not to be distracted from their initial goal. With Alex and James here, she was a lot less interested in watching the houseelves bustle around and a lot more invested in leaving as soon as possible.
"Yeah, Kreacher'll bring it along in a minute," Albus said, and pushed the mugs of hot chocolate towards them. "Drink up. Dad says chocolate's the best thing to make you feel better." Grace was careful to let Jeremy sit between her and Alex so that she had a human shield. He'd been glaring at her from the moment he'd spotted her, and it made her skin prickle uncomfortably.
"How nice," James said, looking nostalgic and talking to no one in particular. "We haven't had a birthday in ages!"
"It was your birthday last month, James," Alex grumbled. James grinned. A proper smile, Grace thought as James extended the grin to include everyone else.
"But we weren't at Hogwarts then, were we?" James shook his head as if Alex had said something completely thoughtless and turned his attention to Albus' friends. "How's Slytherin?" he asked Grace, leaning forward so that they could converse properly even though they were at the most extreme diagonal from one another. "I don't think I got a chance to ask you the other day." Well of course not, he'd been too busy making up for being an idiot. But she wished James hadn't brought the subject up because she'd caught Alex's expression darkening even more out of the corner of her eye and winced pre-emptively. James shot Alex a look, prompting Alex to roll his eyes and slump moodily down in his seat. Grace pursed her lips. Honestly, Alex was such a piece of work! But she wasn't going to rise to the bait.
"I'm enjoying it so far, thanks. Sorry I didn't take your advice." James looked lost.
"Advice?" he echoed, clearly not remembering giving her any.
"About giving Gryffindor a chance," she repeated, very deliberately not putting the same inflection on the words that he had originally. James' eyes widened, and he glanced so quickly in Alex's direction that Grace thought he was panicked. For a second, she dared to believe that James had been hinting that Alex wanted her to be a Gryffindor so they could be friends, but she quickly saw from Alex's expression that this wasn't the case. Alex was giving James the kind of look that clearly said he thought his best friend was mad. Grace was irritated with herself. Clearly Alex hated her as much now as he ever had, if not more so. But in that case she was once again completely clueless about what James had been trying to say. Maybe he hadn't meant to imply anything. Maybe he planned to confuse her to death.
"Right," James said, regaining his composure. "Well. Sure. No worries." He glanced at Jeremy. "This is Alex by the way. Alex, meet Jeremy."
As Alex stiffly said hello, Grace turned to Albus and whispered behind her hand: "How come you sent James to get us?"
Albus shook his head and replied in a similar manner: "I didn't. James ran out to get you on his own."
Grace shook her head. That was just like James.
"Why're you eating cookies when Lunch is so soon?" Jeremy asked the two Gryffindors, and Grace finally noticed the half-empty plate of cookies beside them. After several sips of hot chocolate Jeremy's face had reverted back to its usual bored expression.
"We've got tryouts, so we need extra energy," James explained and grinned at Albus, who rolled his eyes and sipped at his hot chocolate. Grace followed suit and licked her lips greedily at the taste. There were marshmallows! "Pity you guys don't get to play Quidditch until next year." Albus pulled a face, and James cackled.
"What positions do you play?" Jeremy asked, curiously. He'd picked up enough of the rules from Marlowe to know what questions to ask. Grace sat forward, also intrigued. Raz had said there were three spots opening up on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She wondered if both James and Alex hoped to get in.
"We're both tying for chaser," James said.
"Isn't it kind of awkward going for the same position like that?" Jeremy asked. Grace was about to explain that there were three chaser positions, when James' reply cut her off and she realised that the other two chaser spots must already be occupied.
"But there doesn't seem to be anyone who wants to take on the Keeper position, so hopefully the other one will be able to take that position as well as flying as a reserve chaser." He spoke so confidently that there could be little doubt he expected to be the one assigned to the chaser position. Grace very carefully didn't look in Alex's direction, in case that was all the ammunition he needed to explode. "If Roxy manages to get the Beater position, our team is going to be awesome."
"Raz said Roxy's got a problem with the other Gryffindor beater," Albus commented. James pulled a face.
"It's weird," he muttered.
"She gets angry with Finegan for no reason," Alex explained. "But then she gets furious if anyone else agrees with her about it."
"Yes," James said, struggling to keep a straight face. "I can't think who that reminds me of." They all stared at him. No one else seemed to know either. James sighed. "You see, this is why we should have brought Beth along. She would have got that."
"Cathy wouldn't?" Alex asked, completely at a loss.
"Well of course, Cathy would have laughed, but she laughs at everything! I don't feel nearly as funny."
"You have a complex," Alex stated dryly.
"There's nothing wrong with being the funniest person in the room," James said very seriously.
"Even if it's only wishful thinking," Alex agreed. James threw a cookie at him and turned back to Albus.
"What do you think?"
"About what?" Albus double-checked, struggling to work out where the conversation had gotten to.
"About my trying out for the team!" James bellowed, completely exasperated.
"Oh," Albus said. "Good luck."
"Pah," James snorted and bit into another cookie. As he spoke crumbs flew across the table. "I don't need luck. I'm awesome." But he seemed happy that Albus had said something, in spite of his words.
"Are you going to try out next year?" Jeremy asked Albus. "I know Marlowe and Scorpius want to."
"Wedby too," Grace reminded them.
"Ah, I don't know." Albus shrugged.
"Don't be a coward, Albus," James berated him. "Just because you'll be family enemy number one is no reason not to compete!" Grace glowered at James. Surely it was too soon for that kind of joke, considering his recent behaviour.
"It could also be seen as cowardly to try out just because your family is obsessed with the sport," she pointed out, and James laughed.
"You're right, I'm sorry," he said and punched Albus good-naturedly on the shoulder. "And what about you, Grace? Interested in Quidditch at all?" Alex snorted.
"What?" Grace asked, immediately rounding on him, but he ignored her and turned to James instead.
"You do realise her dad's the one who runs Quality Quidditch Supplies," he explained. Albus and James goggled at her.
"I've never been so jealous," James moaned. Grace thought this an odd thing to say considering who his father was. "You must get to see all the newest brooms as soon as they come out! Do you get to try them before they go on sale?" Grace shook her head.
"No," she said shortly.
"How come?" Albus asked, watching her curiously. She looked at Alex for advice, but he avoided her eyes. She should know better than to drag him into it, but she couldn't think what else to say than the truth. She could only hope he wouldn't become even more insufferable than usual. After all, it wasn't like she was blaming him. She'd been the terrible one.
"Okay, you know how they don't let under-tens use full sized broomsticks? I used to be the first child in London to play with the new child broomsticks, and I loved it. I showed off a lot. Especially to Alex because Timothy's never been that interested in flying, and this was before we started fighting all the time." She waved Alex away when he rolled his eyes. "I was rather evil to him," she confessed, blushing and quickly looking from face to face. She found it hard to maintain eye contact with any of them.
"How were you evil to him?" James crooned, completely thrilled by the idea. Grace squirmed.
"I lorded it over him," she explained awkwardly because it had been worse than that. She'd delighted in making Alex extra jealous by promising to let him try her broom and then refusing to let him. Claiming she'd never promised him in the first place. "It was mean." She glanced briefly at Alex, and saw him staring at her stonily. She looked down at the table. It occurred to her that she might never have apologised for her behaviour. "I am sorry about that now," she whispered. Alex looked dubious and she cringed a little.
"What happened?" Jeremy asked.
"Well, Mum found out and was very disappointed," Grace concluded, remembering how awful she'd felt after her mum had finished talking to her. She'd explained very patiently why Grace's childishness had upset Alex. "She forbid dad from ever letting me have that privilege again, child broomstick or otherwise."
"No!" James looked horrified. "Even now? Talk about strict! I thought we had it bad," he said to Albus, who nodded. Alex stiffened.
"Oh no, it's not like that," Grace said quickly. "She wasn't strict with me. She never shouted. It was a punishment we decided on together so I wouldn't hurt someone that way again. I mean there are lots of people less fortunate than us. It's bad to take pleasure from that." She paused. "Mum didn't get to teach me as much as I would have liked, there are a million things I wish we could have done and there will always be times when I wish she was here, but I've really tried to learn from what she did tell me. I try to be kind. More than comes naturally at any rate, which is rather difficult. I find." Grace stopped, suddenly aware of how quiet the boys had become. She blushed. Had she been too whimsical? Did they think she was crazy? But Alex, for once, was smiling at her. For all their antagonism and for all the strangeness of it she had to take that as a good sign.
"Is she…?" Jeremy started a little hesitantly. "Do you mean to say…?"
"I'm really sorry, Grace," Albus whispered, and the other two echoed his sentiments. Grace blinked at them.
"Oh, no, don't be. It's not your fault. I'm sorry for making you feel awkward. I like talking about her. I forget that people don't know."
"How did she die?" Jeremy whispered.
"There was a fire," Alex said very quietly, knowing Grace didn't like talking about it. "Almost four years ago now." Grace blanked out slightly. Four years? Soon she'd have more memories without her mum than with her. The thought was very saddening.
"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked, touching her arm. She started.
"Yeah," she said and smiled. She meant it. Timothy had been in his second year. He'd come home just for the funeral. "It's not something I want to go into detail about, sorry."
"No, no." Albus shook his head wildly. "Please don't force yourself." She grinned at him. She'd had no intention of doing so, but she liked that he was naturally such a reassuring person. Jeremy started next to her. She was just about to ask him what was wrong when she saw the houseelf approaching them with a chocolate cake. He had a long pointed nose.
"I have your cake, Master Potter," Kreacher said, walking up to them.
"Wow, thanks, Kreatcher!" Albus said, carefully inspecting the cake. "It smells amazing." Kreacher nodded, self-satisfied at the notion of a job well done. Jeremy lowered his voice and turned to Grace with wide eyes.
"What is he?"
"A houseelf," she replied with a small smile. Was this the first magical creature Jeremy had come across?
"Do they all look like that?"
"Well, more or less. The ones with clothes are free, the others have devoted themselves to servitude."
"You mean they're slaves?"
"Well, sort of. It's a bit tricky. See, most houseelves are free now, thanks in a large part to Hermione Weasley – that's Rose Weasley's mum, have you met Rose? Albus' cousin? – anyway most houseelves get paid now. The problem is there are still a few who don't want to be paid. They get a bit set in their ways. I mean, you can imagine it, can't you? Some wizarding families go back generations upon generations and houseelves live for a very long time, so there are some who have served particular families all their lives and find the idea of suddenly being paid for it a radical and unnecessary idea. They can get quite insulted. You can't force someone to be paid for their work."
"Let me introduce you," Albus cut across their whispered conversation. "Grace, Jeremy, this is Kreacher. He used to belong to Dad's godfather before he died. Now he works for Hogwarts." The use of the word 'belong' was very telling.
"Nice to meet you," Grace said.
"Um." Jeremy swallowed. "Hi."
"A friend of the Potters is a friend of mine," Kreacher said, bowing low. "But I must get back to work now. It will be lunch soon. Please excuse me."
"Oh, of course. Sorry for troubling you," Albus apologised and Kreacher turned and left them for the bustle on the other side of the room. "Well, we've got what we came for," Albus said. He stood up and looked at James and Alex. "Good luck with the try outs. I'm sure you'll do well. You can tell us about it later."
"Oh." James looked disappointed. "Fine. I suppose we need to get going anyway." He stood up as well and all five of them tramped towards the exit, Albus carrying the cake. "See ya kids," James said as he and Alex parted from them on the second floor stairway. Alex waved airily.
"Bye," Albus and Jeremy chorused.
"Good luck," Grace called very quietly. James grinned at her and elbowed Alex in the ribs.
"It's as if she likes us," he exclaimed mockingly. Grace flushed. She hadn't been that horrid to Alex when they were younger. Nowhere near as horrid as he was to her now. Well, usually. Not in this particular instance, perhaps.
"Oh, go fall off your brooms," she muttered and walked down the stairs after Albus and Jeremy.
"You hear that?" James' voice floated after her gleefully. "That is kindness." Grace's blush worsened. Honestly, how was one ever meant to win against them?
Two weeks passed by very quickly. Professor Viridian had them duelling with sparks, awarding points for good timing rather than accuracy. Professor Flitwick had taught them the mending charm, reparo, which Grace could see the use in, but Professor Longbottom was trying to interest them in devil's snare, a horrible plant that tried to throttle you unless you warded it off with fire. Rose and Albus had been giggling about it, but Grace couldn't understand why anyone would want to know how to look after that kind of plant.
"In case you need to guard something," Albus had tried to explain, but Grace was sure there must be better ways to guard your property than by planting great clumps of Devil's Snare everywhere. Meanwhile, Professor Saxelby had finally let them attempt to change their matches into needles, but she'd slowed the process down far too much by trying to get them to change one property at a time, which was much harder than transfiguring the object as a whole.
Potions was rapidly becoming Grace's favourite subject. Professor Moors had been teaching them to brew an Antidote to Common Poisons. Unlike Professor Viridian, who scared Grace, Professor Moors threw them into the deep end without the added pressure of expecting them to perform brilliantly straight off the bat. She carefully pointed out what good potioneers would do at each stage of the procedure, offering helpful tips to try to get them to succeed with minimal interference.
Time flew by and soon it was 25th September. Grace sat in the Owlery that afternoon writing a letter to her dad to commemorate the fateful day four years ago when her mum had passed away. Not that she didn't have a lot of other things to update him on. She'd deliberately sent her last letter home halfway through last week so as to have lots of news for him.
Dear Dad,
I've spent all morning covered in snot. Maybe you'll think I'm joking, or that I have a cold. No. Today in Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor Viridian decided we'd be learning the Curse of the Bogies. Yes, it's exactly as awful as it sounds. And I'm rapidly becoming his worst Slytherin student, except for maybe Sebastian and Marlowe, but they get into stupid competitions with one another so I feel like they have an excuse. I'm simply terrible at casting the spell. On the whole Professor Viridian doesn't mark you on your casting ability. He marks you on common sense, and I think I'm great at timing my attacks. Or I'm very good at dodging. Against Scorpius, you have to be. But you can't dodge forever, and when I do try and attack, I either miss or the spell doesn't seem very effective… I'm afraid I ended up disgustingly sticky. Celia reckons that for our end of year exam he's going to dump us all in an arena and make us fight it out. I'd laugh, but she's probably not far off. Viridian's far from conventional.
Anyway, everything is well here. Even Alex hasn't been too much of a pain recently. I'm sure I told you that he and James Potter made the Gryffindor Quidditch team. They don't half brag about it. Which is stupid because I'm sure Alex doesn't actually like being a keeper. I bet there are a lot of other students who want to play that position more than him, but Albus said Alex had to be a remarkable player to make the team and that even if it isn't his favourite position Alex's probably happy to be taking part. But that's Albus for you. He's so reasonable. The Quidditch season starts in just over a month. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Of course, I only really know one member of our Quidditch Team – Erazimus Zabini (that's Celia's older brother) – but I still hope we win! I promise I'm not just saying that to spite Alex. It's house pride and all that.
Actually I'm looking forward to it all the more because as I mentioned in my last letter we had our first flying lesson on Thursday! The Gryffindors in our year are an odd bunch, Dad. Coraline Moon and Marinette Corner are part of James Potter's fan club. Goodness knows why. But they're unsettling Albus. Every time they see him they go all giggly. I don't understand it. I mean sure there's a family resemblance but they're very different people. I wonder if they're ever going to stop doing that and just say hello or strike up a normal conversation with him? As for Claire Meadows… she's awful. She's the bossiest, most snide person I've ever met, and that includes Rose Weasley. At least Rose is vaguely apologetic when she goes too far. Claire is simply rude. If it weren't for Linn Ackerly being so sweet she'd probably be left without a partner all the time. I have to admit I was rather satisfied that she completely failed to get her broomstick to obey her in the slightest. She was the only one in the class to completely fail. I know that's mean of me. I didn't say anything, but I did silently agree with Celia when she said the broomstick could sense how horrible she was. What broomstick would want to fly a witch like her? Sorry, Dad. You probably don't want to know this. Especially because you and I both know broomsticks can only sense whether you want to fly or not. Personality has nothing to do with it. It's just she's been awful to Ola – that's Oliver Wood's daughter. Even Maxwell, who most of the time appears to be bored beyond belief, had a lot to say to her on the subject. I haven't really talked to any of the Gryffindor boys. Todd Turpin and Phillip Thomas spent the lesson zooming in figures of eights – no one was surprised when Todd ended up in the Hospital Wing. That boy has the worst luck of anyone I've ever met. Roger Stoke, that's the Welsh boy, is completely lovely. He helped Harriet, Linn and Jeremy while Professor Knocks tried to get Claire's broom to cooperate. I must admit the rest of us more experienced fliers dashed off to have races and acrobatic fun. But that was nice of Roger considering that Gryffindor and Slytherin don't usually get along. People like Francis Boot make it difficult. They take house pride too far. Celia and Wedby seem to be scheming something to get back at him for it, even though Scorpius and I told them it would only make things worse. I wondered if James might be persuaded to get involved, since he's actually quite good at sorting out house issues (when Albus isn't concerned). Say, Dad, did Mum like flying? I can't remember. What were her favourite subjects when she was at school? She was a Hufflepuff too, right?
I haven't seen much of Timothy lately. It's not his fault though. If our Prefects are anything to go by, he's probably kept pretty busy patrolling the corridors in the evenings. I think I just expected to see him today. You know, because he's written me letters the last three years just to check up on me… I'm sorry I couldn't go with you today. I hope Mum's grave is looking nice. Did you manage to find any Orchids in the end? What else did you do today? Are you going to the Carlsdale's later?
I love you lots and lots. Stay safe,
Love Grace xoxox
She hesitated, then sealed the letter and let Errata jump onto her arm.
"You're to take this to my dad, okay?" Errata nipped at her fingers affectionately, and let Grace attach the letter with fumbling fingers. Errata flew off into the distance, and Grace stood there wondering what to do. She felt listless. She didn't want to do anything, she couldn't concentrate on anything, but at the same time, she wanted to do something. She sighed and left the Owlery. The grounds seemed bigger than ever in the afternoon. The short winter days made the shadows stretch impossibly over the ground. She sat down halfway down the Owlery steps, unable to find the energy to walk any further. A Ravenclaw second year raised an eyebrow as she marched smartly past. The girl's superior attitude annoyed Grace momentarily, but she made a point of not moving. She would hate for the girl to think she'd gotten to her. Grace wondered if that was petty of her. Why should she put herself in competition with strangers? But that obstinate part of her personality was hard to ignore. It was precisely what was responsible for all her arguments with Alex and James. Alex more so than James, because James was unflappable. She wondered if she'd ever win an argument against him.
"Are you alright?"
Grace started and looked up at the Ravenclaw, her lips parting with surprise. The second year looked down at her with an air of disinterest, but Grace thought that made no sense. If she were really disinterested, why would she have bothered to speak to her? Was it some school duty that drove the girl forward? Was this a prefect in the making?
"Yes, thanks," she said, smiling slightly. "I'm not lost if that's what you're worried about."
"What are you doing?" the girl asked imperiously, descending the steps so that she was standing directly over Grace with her arms crossed. She had a pale, freckly face. Her shoulder-length, ash blonde hair fell limply about her head in curtains. Her nose was perfectly straight and angular. Grace noticed because the girl had a particular way of holding her head up high so that she appeared to be looking down her nose at whoever she was talking to at the time. Probably it had been perfected as some overcompensation for the fact that she wasn't that tall. Grace was sure she might be the taller of the two if she bothered to stand up.
"Sitting," she replied, shortly, rather delighting in not answering the question to her questioner's satisfaction.
"Evidently," the girl snapped. "But why?" Grace shrugged. She wasn't too sure herself. Maybe it was simply that she expected a reply today and wondered how long it would take for her father to get back to her. Thinking about it, that was a silly reason. Errata wasn't exactly the fastest flier. Mostly it was just that she'd felt like it.
"I'm waiting for something to happen," she decided. The girl rolled her eyes.
"Fine, be that way." She started to descend the stairs in a huff. It was as if Grace had personally offended her. She reached the bottom of the staircase and paused. It was as if there was something she couldn't let go. "What are you waiting for, exactly?" she asked, turning to Grace again. Even though she was definitely below Grace now because of the geography of the ground, she still seemed to be looking down on her. "I mean, you can't be waiting for post, that's far too tragic. Even for a first year, and it's the last thing I'd expect of a Slytherin, so what are you up to?"
"Why do I have to be up to something?" Grace asked, beginning to feel quite amused. The Ravenclaw raised a hand to her mouth and bit into the first knuckle of her left hand. Grace blinked at her. It was by far the weirdest mannerism she'd ever come across. "Are you trying to become a cannibal?" The Ravenclaw blushed angrily.
"Of course not," she sneered. "I'm just irritated."
"But I'm just sitting here," Grace protested, openly laughing now.
"That's what's so irritating! Don't you have anything better to do with your time?" Grace thought about it.
"No," she concluded. "Not today. I'm Grace by the way."
"I know who you are," the girl snapped before Grace could ask for her name in return. Grace's mouth parted in surprise. How on earth did this random Ravenclaw know her? "You're one of Albus' friends. Of course I know. James won't stop going on about the lot of you. You in particular because his idiot of a best friend seems to have a monumental crush on you and you were completely oblivious of it until I told you just now, so at least I've fixed one thing that's been bugging me."
Grace burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. How could she not laugh on being told Alex Carlsdale liked her in any way, shape or form? It was a bad move on her part, however, because it enraged the incensed Ravenclaw even more. She stamped her foot, and her furious blush became such a vibrant red that stood out prominently on her face, quite obscuring the freckles.
"Don't you believe me?" she snarled. "Why would I possibly lie about something so tedious? I obviously know what I'm talking about. James would have no reason to witter on to me about the burden that is his best friend's inability to express himself as part of some elaborate joke. I haven't got a funny bone in my body. I abhor their foolishness. Why are you still laughing?!"
"I-I'm sorry," Grace spluttered through her amusement. She was beginning to feel light headed. "It's not that… I mean, of course I don't believe you. But you're very funny to be so wound up over this. Why do you care? Who are you?"
"I'm a Weasley," the Weasley girl snapped, which would have been the worst self-introduction (including Harriet's 'I like rabbits' speech) Grace had ever heard were it not for the fact that at that moment she realised precisely who the Weasley girl was. Lucy. It had to be Molly's younger sister. The one who hated everyone and everything if Roxanne was to believed. "And I don't care. It's just that James insists on rambling on and on about his life whenever he sees me as an extra torture. If you and that idiot would kiss and make up it would be so soppy and pathetic it might just shut James up for a minute. Besides, I guess it's infuriating to me when a person fails to see the obvious. You're ruining the Slytherin name."
"So, to conclude," Grace summarised, still laughing to herself. "Aside from your family issues, which really aren't my problem, your main issue is that I'm ruining the name of a house you don't even belong to?" The other girl noticeably ground her teeth. "Lucy, you're amazing!" Grace laughed so gaily she had to wipe tears from her eyes. She couldn't remember ever enjoying herself so much on this day since her mum passed away. "I mean you're not normal!"
"Excuse me?" Lucy snarled. Honestly the girl was all prickles and spikes. She'd have made a fantastic hedgehog.
"I mean," Grace said, calming down enough to realise her compliments had been taken the wrong way. "You're one of a kind. I really admire your way of thinking." Instead of the hostile response she was expecting from Lucy, the Ravenclaw put her head to the side and frowned. "You really don't make friends easily, huh?" Grace inquired, studying the older girl.
"Why would I want to be friends with you?" Lucy asked darkly. Grace wondered at that.
"Does it have to be logical?" she asked. "Don't you find yourself talking to people on a whim? If you get on, in fact, even if you don't get on, it's the talking that counts. Isn't it?" Lucy stared at Grace.
"You're an idiot," she said straight-forwardly. Grace grinned. If someone else had said that to her she'd have been offended, but she had the feeling Lucy said that to everyone she met.
"Okay, if you like. Do you mind if I walk with you back to the castle?" Lucy took a step backwards.
"I thought you were doing something," she said, looking decidedly annoyed.
"I never said that," Grace replied good naturedly, getting to her feet. "To be honest, I was trying to be gloomy and self-indulgent." It was the truth she'd been avoiding. On this day she had the bad habit of making herself melancholy just for the sake of having a good cry about missing her mum. There was nothing wrong with missing her. But deliberately working herself up into that state was irrational and self-pitying. "But it's as I thought. It's hard to be miserable when you're not on your own." That was why she'd come to the Owlery alone, even though Albus, Scorpius and Celia had all offered to accompany her.
"And you had the nerve to call me weird," Lucy muttered loud enough for Grace to hear. It had been deliberately so. Lucy started walking away and Grace hurried to catch her up. "Are you serious?" Lucy spat, spinning on her heel to confront Grace. "No! You can't follow me back to the castle like a lost sheep! Find someone else to bother." Grace's face was starting to hurt from smiling so much. Lucy was an impossible person, and for some reason that made Grace feel fantastically tickled about the situation.
"If I can't follow you I'll have to walk beside you instead." Lucy glowered.
"Follow me then. I have no desire to spend time with you."
"But, Lucy," Grace whined, traipsing along behind her. She was being deliberately annoying, and she felt giddy about it. "You're the one who decided to talk to me, not the other way around."
"It is an act which I thoroughly regret," Lucy snapped, speeding up her steps in an effort to leave Grace behind but Grace skipped along after her.
"So, why am I putting Slytherin to shame?" Grace asked, her eyes flashing in amusement. Lucy didn't reply. Grace wondered if she was trying to give her the silent treatment. Well, she knew what to do to combat that. Goodness knows Alex had used it on her enough times when they were growing up. "Did you want to be a Slytherin? If so why did you pick Ravenclaw? I doubt any of your millions of friends and relations would have minded. They've all been quite relaxed about Albus. Well, apart from James and his day of spite, but that was just James being an idiot." She paused for Lucy to have an input into the conversation but there was no response. "You know I'm surprised Alex wasn't nastier to me about it. I would have thought Slytherin-bashing was right up his street. But he hasn't been nearly as horrible to me since the train incident." She paused again. Still no response. "Why on earth do you think he likes me? You do realise he spends all his time glaring at me."
"Merlin," Lucy whispered very quietly and stopped so suddenly Grace ran into the back of her. She looked so furious when she turned around that Grace was momentarily concerned the Ravenclaw was about to hex her into oblivion. "What will it take to shut you up?" Lucy asked. "Let me be very clear. I don't like you. We're not friends. I want you to leave me alone and not talk to me ever again. What do you need in order for this to happen?" Grace smiled at her.
"Did that ever work on James?" she wondered, already sure that he'd laughed it off and annoyed Lucy like never before. "I could never keep the silent treatment going on Alex. He used to talk incessantly until I snapped. It's very tiring isn't it? Being annoyed all the time. I was just wondering if you were ok. I'm sorry for laughing at you earlier. I'll try to consider what you said… but honestly, you've never seen how Alex acts around me. I'm positive it's driven by childish jealousy, rather than any affection on his part. Otherwise that's… Merlin, that's really awful and I have no idea what to think about that."
"So you're pestering me because… you were wondering if I was ok?" Lucy asked, her right eye beginning to twitch.
"No." Grace sighed. "Well, yes. Are you alright? Why are you so angry?"
"And this is the part where I spill my guts about how I'm so lonely I could die? How I detest my year and have to rely on my most pathetic cousin's friend to rescue me?"
"Of course not." Grace rolled her eyes. There was no need to be spiteful. "Not really. I was just interested in what you had to say. You probably have a unique point of view." She'd never met someone so jaded. "And I guess I wanted to return the favour somewhat. If you hadn't come along I'd be wallowing in self-pity. I'll leave you alone now, I just wanted to say if for some reason you ever do want to talk about anything, no matter how serious or trivial, I promise to listen to you. I'll be a friend to you, even if you don't want me to." Lucy glowered.
"Horray," she said sarcastically and waited patiently for Grace to leave.
"Okay, I lied" Grace confessed. "I'm still going to walk back to the castle with you."
"Why? Are you afraid of the dark?" Lucy taunted her nastily. Grace smiled. When you'd spent most of your days arguing with Alex insults were rather easy to ignore.
"Terrified," she lied. "You'll have to escort me."
"Tch." Lucy started walking again and Grace happily bounced along beside her until they got closer to the entrance hall again. "Are you always this cheery?" Lucy asked, acidly. She didn't seem to be able to maintain a silence.
"No, usually I'm very dull," Grace lied again. Lucy looked at her sharply, and seemed to realise that Grace was using a normal tone of voice for her sarcastic comments.
"You're not afraid of the dark at all!" she shouted in outrage. Grace giggled.
"Oh, don't ruin what was almost a beautiful moment," she teased. Lucy stamped her foot again, and stormed into the Entrance Hall. Grace heard her shriek, and hurried through the doors after Lucy. The Ravenclaw was brandishing a fist at Alex Carlsdale. James was laughing hysterically where he stood beside the pair of them and Lucy glowered at him as she got to her feet. Alex picked himself off the floor, noticed Grace and quickly shoved a piece of parchment into his back pocket.
"Watch where you're going, idiot!" Lucy was bellowing. She turned her head and spotted Grace. "As for you. Stop following me!" Lucy Weasley stormed up the stairs, her face on fire.
"What did you do to her?" James asked, grinning. "I've never seen her so apoplectic." Grace smiled. Her good humour still hadn't worn off yet. She was aware she wasn't really acting like herself, but for the moment she didn't really care.
"Nothing, really. I was just worried she might be lonely." James considered her for a long second.
"You too, huh? Well, that's Lucy for you. She hates everyone. Even herself."
"Roxanne said as much the other day," Grace said. James frowned. "Of course, that was the day you decided Albus didn't exist all morning, so I can't blame you for the repetition." James blanched and then looked resentful for the reproach. He turned to Alex.
"Are you sure you got the date right?" he quipped. "She looks fine to me." Grace stared at Alex just as he blushed. For a crazy moment, Grace recalled Lucy's wild accusations. They couldn't possibly be true. Surely?
"Were you worried?" she asked, curiously. She had to step quickly to the side as the door to the Entrance Hall opened again and nearly hit her. The pair of Slytherin sixth years strolled on by when they realised she hadn't been hit.
"No," Alex retorted immediately. "Who'd worry about you?"
"Riiiiight," Grace drawled, looking at James who was shaking his head at Alex in despair. Grace realised that regardless of the truth James really believed that Alex felt that way. She stared at Alex, who became more and more indignant by the second. What was it that made him so defensive? She'd really believed Lucy had the wrong end of the stick, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe Lucy was right. Maybe Alex liked her. In which case his attitude still made no sense to her. Why would you pick a fight with someone you liked? He should at the very least be nice to her from time to time. Yet again she tried to work out what on earth those two had been trying to do on the train.
"What?" Alex asked, becoming unsettled because of the intent look on her face. "Why are you staring at me?" Grace frowned. She really couldn't work him out.
"It's nothing. You have something on your face," she joked. He blushed and self-consciously wiped a hand over his cheek. Merlin, what if he did like her? It was an awful thought! She sighed. Honestly, what had James been hoping would happen were she ever to work it out? It wasn't as if she had a reason to be nice to him all of a sudden. The knowledge that he might like her just made her even more confused about his behaviour. Was this what boys usually did when they liked someone? If so she hoped no boy ever liked her. She could do without the fuss.
"Is it gone?" he asked. Grace blinked.
"Yeah. You're good to go," she muttered. "Were you two looking for me? Or was the date irrelevant?"
"Yes," James said very firmly just as Alex tried to protest otherwise. "Is there anything you want to do? Anything you need? Today's the anniversary, right? We wanted to check you were feeling okay and cheer you up if necessary." Grace was oddly touched. She would usually be suspicious, but even Alex wouldn't do anything to her today. They had a pact. She looked at James curiously.
"How good are you at Defence?"
"Wingaurdium Leviosa," Marlowe Bucket said, floating his feather an inch in the air and proceeding to direct it towards Sebastian's undefended neck. Celia, who had partnered up with Marlowe for this Charms lesson, had to stifle her giggles by putting a hand over her mouth. Grace looked up from the feather that sat unresponsively between her and Belinda.
"Oh," Belinda murmured. "Not Jeremy?" In this particular case Grace guessed Jeremy's longer hair was an advantage.
"I have to admit," Scorpius muttered leaning over his desk to talk to them just as the feather paused a centimetre from Sebastian's skin. "His sense of timing is masterly." The Slytherins waited with baited breath for Sebastian to attempt his own cast of the spell.
"Wing-aaaaargh!" Sebastian yelped and shifted on his seat, trying to swat at the back of his neck with his wand hand. Grace's lips became a perfect circle as the wand tip made contact with his short brown hair and promptly set it alight. Adrenaline shot through her, and as she heard Harriet start to scream, her panic had already caused her hand to seize her wand and the only spell she'd ever perfected before Hogwarts burst from her lips.
"Aguamenti!" she yelled. The jet of water that shot from the tip of her wand hit Sebastian's hair (effectively putting the flames out in the process) so hard that his head smacked forward onto the desk in front of him.
"Owch!" he screamed, more from shock than pain and then he swore as his forehead bruised considerably and relayed the pain to his brain. Belinda stared at her open mouthed.
"Grace, I had no idea you were good at spells." Grace flushed. What had been a moment of victory had been abruptly ruined.
"Ah, no… I mean, I'm getting better, but that spell is a one off." Her father had taught it to her. She'd even used his wand.
"Miss Hart!" Proffessor Flitwick squeaked as he rushed over. "Fantastic work, truly fantastic. I don't teach Aguamenti until sixth year! Fifty points to Slytherin." Grace's lips parted. She'd had no idea the spell was considered so advanced! She couldn't remember any other first year being given so many points in one go before. Celia cheered. "But," and here Flitwick turned his attention to Marlowe, "Although I am impressed at your wand work, Mr Bucket, I'm afraid you have clearly demonstrated how the misuse of magic can have dangerous consequences. It is therefore with considerable regret that although I award you five points for correctly performing the spell, I must take fifteen."
"Y-yeah," Marlowe stuttered, "Sorry Professor." For once his good humour seemed to have evaporated. As soon as Flitwick had turned away he grabbed Sebastian's arm. "Are you okay? I didn't think you'd set your hair on fire!"
"No worries, I barely felt it," Sebastian said and looked at Grace. "Uh, thanks."
"Yeah," Marlowe agreed. "Nice work." Grace didn't know what to say. If it had been any other spell that was necessary there was no way she could have reacted so fast. She was still generally average when it came to spellwork. About the only spell she had made any progress on was the curse of the bogies, and that was only because she was able to use Alex's head for target practice. Following that rather strange incident last month, James and Alex had taken it in turns to help her practice Defence Against the Dark Arts on Monday evenings. More often than not James would come up with some lame excuse that forced Grace to be with Alex instead, but she almost preferred that. James spent the whole practice time making jokes, whereas Alex took it far too seriously, probably because he still hadn't worked out how to act like a normal human being around her. He was still defensive and moody most of the time. He barely smiled around her. But on the other hand, Grace had realised that if she stopped overreacting to his stupid remarks they could almost get on from time to time and that was an improvement. She still wasn't convinced that he actually liked her, and she knew she didn't like him. But it was a nice change not to be constantly fighting. Even Timothy had remarked upon it.
"I hope this has taught you two that you're both idiots," Jeremy said, rocking back in his seat.
"Jeremy," Marlowe said very seriously. "The only thing I learnt was that you make a better target." Jeremy scowled.
"Happy Halloween," he muttered darkly.
"Halloween's always happy," Scorpius said, smiling evilly.
"You're biased," Celia interrupted.
"How's he biased?" Harriet wondered, turning to face them.
"Can't you tell from the evil expression?" Celia asked. "It's his birthday."
"We really need to make a calendar for these things," Wedby muttered dryly.
Author Notes:
The sheer amount of silliness in the chapter amuses me greatly. I may have had too much fun with Lucy. I meant to have some great event planned for Halloween, but I'm going to save it for Second year or their first year will be waaaay too eventful in the beginning. Next chapter will definitely have the Gryffindor Slytherin match. And we might get to Christmas and Albus' birthday. As I said, I'm going to slightly rush these first few years, but in my defence these are quite long chapters, so I don't think you're being short changed. Please review and let me know what you think :) Particularly with reference to the Alex Grace thing. I'm trying not to give it too much coverage. That isn't the point of this story. I simply wanted to make a point that love/hate relationships are very unrealistic.
I debated for a long time about this last scene with Grace doing Aguamenti. In my mind I thought this was a second year spell, but in doing my fact checking realised it was actually one Harry gets taught in the sixth year. I feel that it's too advanced for her to know, but please put this in context. Her mother died in a fire (and yes, at some point I will actually put that in vivid detail into the story - I've written it already). The first thing I would have done if I were her dad was teach Grace how to put out fires. If only because she's terrified of them. For good reason. Again, just wait till I paste the backstory in one day. Grace is not good at spell casting. She likes potions. It's like cooking. Easy. Everyone can cook.
Luv Ya
XxMookinexX
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