The Two Trios
Bel glanced around her room in the Manor one last time. Her trunk was packed and on her bed, and the newly rechristened Nightlock was safely in his new cage on her dresser. Without her things strewn everywhere, the room looked a little sad and extremely empty. The clock read only seven thirty, but Bel had already eaten breakfast. I have never been up this early in my entire life, Bel thought distantly. She dragged her trunk out through the door, snagging the dark owl's cage with her other hand as she passed him. The trunk made a third set of tracks in the carpet in the hall and on the stairs down to the foyer. The two other sets of trunks and cages were against the wall next to the great oak door, and Bel's belongings soon joined them.
As Bel crept through the sleepy house, she saw all the dozing portraits and exotic knicknacks that had defined her life. So far. She found Scorpius and Cat sitting in the roots of their ash tree, and Bel hopped up onto the low fork that was her accustomed perch. Cat was tossing dried corn to one of the peacocks, and Scorpius was staring at the low grey clouds, twirling his new wand absently. "When are we leaving?" asked Bel, suddenly feeling excitement crash over her.
"Any minute now," Cat replied, not nearly as excitedly as Bel. She threw the last of the corn at the iridescent bird and stood up. Uncle Draco and Aunt Astoria appeared at the door by the veranda. She motioned to the children and Scorpius jumped up and ran towards his mother, followed closely by Bel and then Cat. Aunt Astroia smiled at Scorpius and said, "Your Grandma Greengrass wishes you luck, Scorpius." Turning to Cat, Aunt Astoria continued, "She also said to tell Catherine to stop worrying. So stop worrying."
Aunt Astoria was extremely nice, but sometimes seemed to set Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa a bit on edge. She knew that something was a little odd about Bel, but she was certainly not privileged as to what it could be. The elder Greengrasses did not know that Bel existed at all, and Bel always had to stay upstairs on the infrequent occasions when they visited the Manor. Scorpius always got what they called "The Bel Lecture" before he went to visit his other grandparents.
Taking Scorpius' hand Aunt Astoria followed Uncle Draco back into the Manor with Cat and Bel trailing after her. "There has been a change of plans. Your parents will meet us at King's Cross," Aunt Astoria called back to Cat as she walked hurriedly along. She marched them through the hallways right to the open front door where Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa were waiting. Bel could see Snowball's cage disappearing into the magically enlarged trunk of the Mercedes. The chauffeur shut the boot and climbed into the front seat of the car. Aunt Astoria and Uncle Draco continued out to the waiting car, but Uncle Lucius opened his mouth, presumably to warn them to stick to the story one last time.
"We know. Don't draw attention to ourselves," cut in Bel before he could begin.
"We all know the story by heart. We couldn't mess it up even if we wanted to," added Scorpius.
"You made us rehearse it over a hundred times. Since yesterday!" exclaimed Cat. And with that she followed Scorpius' parents and climbed into the waiting backseat.
Scorpius and Bel waited a moment longer, and Uncle Lucius looked into Bel's eyes with concern. "I know this must all seem like an exciting game to you three, but it is not. The consequences of not following my instructions do not bear thinking of." Perhaps his words finally hit home to Bel and her friends, because the ride to King's Cross was a subdued one.
Cat's parents, Gregory and Melissa Goyle, were waiting by the entrance, and joined the party. Cat, who could barely remember living with her parents, was only distantly glad to see them. She was slightly surprised they had even bothered to come. So was everyone else, except Aunt Astoria who always had faith in everybody. None of the children had ever been to a muggle train station, or even seen a muggle up close, so the bustle of the station was bewildering to them. Seeing all of the people bustling around them—throwing only the occasional puzzled glances at Nightlock and Melik, the owls, never imagining that over a thousand witches and wizards were passing through their midst—struck Bel and her friends as amusing. They could barely control their giggles as they moved through the terminals. The adults did not find it nearly as entertaining. They all wore expressions of veiled distaste, only thinly veiled on Uncle Lucius' and Aunt Narcissa's faces. Bel and Scorpius pushed their trolleys slightly ahead of the adults—Cat was stuck talking to her parents—so they could both watch the muggles and listen surreptitiously to the adults.
"I wish the Ministry had paid more attention to our petition to build our own station. This would be a much more pleasant experience if we did not have to wade through all of these muggles to get through to the Express. Diagon Alley would be a perfectly nice location…and we wouldn't have to wear these infernal clothes!" muttered Uncle Lucius. Aunt Narcissa made a noncommittal noise, and Bel stopped short a few meters away from a brick wall. She had just seen someone about her age disappear through a solid brick wall! Scorpius was blinking very hard—he obviously had seen the phenomenon and could not quite believe it either. It was a very odd thing to see magic in the middle of a muggle train station. The adults continued to talk amongst themselves and did not notice the shock on the children's faces. They only motioned them to follow as they too disappeared through the bricks. Cat was swept through along with them, and Bel caught a glimpse of her firmly closed eyes as she stepped through the wall. Only Aunt Astoria stayed behind.
"All you have to do is walk at the center of the wall. Platform Nine and Three-Quarters is on the other side. Don't worry, it's impossible for a witch or wizard to be stopped by the bricks," said Aunt Astoria as she smiled reassuringly at her son and his friend.
Scorpius looked at Bel. A silent argument occurred between the friends through their locked eyes. Scorpius lost. "Fine, I'll go first, but if I get squashed like a pixie, I'm blaming you!" He considered the wall, and took a leaf out of Cat's book. Scorpius closed his eyes before sprinting at the wall, his trolley let out a squeak of protest at the extreme velocity. Bel was absolutely certain that he was going to be crushed, but sure enough he disappeared just like the others. Aunt Astoria was still standing beside the brick column, and Bel had no choice.
If the bricks had accepted Scorpius and Cat they would let her pass. Probably. She squeezed her eyes shut, clenched her fingers around the handle of her trolley, and tilted at the bricks. As she feared, there was an awful clang of metal and she sprawled on the ground. But when she opened her eyes, it was not bricks that she saw. Scorpius had apparently stopped just on the other side of the wall, and their trolleys had collided. Nightlock and Melik's cages had been thrown from the trolleys and they were making loud screeches of displeasure. But when Bel looked up from the trolleys, she saw a scarlet steam engine with golden lettering on the front, Hogwarts Express, and white steam billowing from the engine. The ceiling of the platform was higher than in muggle King's Cross, and sunlight streamed through the glass panels. When seen as a group, the occupants of the platform could not be mistaken for ordinary by even the most closed-minded muggle. Magic seemed to be blossoming everywhere Bel looked. An enormous grin burst across Bel's face, and her fear of the wall evaporated.
It took her twice as long as it should have to restack her trunk and Nightlock back on her trolley, as there was a new distraction everywhere she looked. In a daze, she pushed her trolley to the luggage rack and a porter swung her trunk onto a vast pile of other belongings. She held on to Nightlock's cage and scanned the crowd until she found the adults at the back of the platform leaning against a wall. She pointed out their party to Cat and Scorpius, and they set off through the crowd.
When they finally reached the back wall the whistle sounded to signal five minutes before departure. As they said their hasty goodbyes, Bel noticed several hostile looks being directed their way, but the adults did not seem to notice—or perhaps they did not care. The platform was quickly emptying of students and the trio ran for the second car of the train. Only a few seconds after they scrambled aboard, a lurch ran through the train, and the scarlet train quickly picked up speed, leaving the waving adults on the platform far behind. The train seemed incredibly crowded to the first years, and as they wandered down the corridor, even a few older students could be heard complaining about the conditions. Apparently enrollment was almost back to the levels it had been before the First Wizarding War. The train had been smaller for decades, and no one had considered the overcrowding and remembered to add more cars.
The three friends walked down the length of the train, but any empty seats were quickly claimed by the older students walking with them. They reached the last car, and were beginning to lose hope, when they found one of the last compartments was only half full, and appeared to contain only younger students. Bel heaved open the sliding door, and Scorpius and Cat piled into the compartment after her. The three students already occupying the compartment made room with only token grumbling. One of the boys was obviously a first year with his all black robes, and had messy black hair and blue eyes. He smiled tentatively at Bel, but his companions were not quite as pleased to see them. The other girl and boy looked only slightly older, and were both in Gryffindor scarlet. The girl had long blonde hair, almost as light as Scorpius's, and an etherial face. The boy currently had purple hair and brown eyes, but Bel would have sworn that it had been blue before she had opened the door.
The boy with the technicolor hair was eyeing Scorpius, and he did not seem overly pleased. "My name is Teddy Lupin. Who are you?" His stare did not intimidate Scorpius in the least, and he plopped down beside Bel opposite the Gryffindors and the first-year. Cat finally sat nearest the door across from the blonde girl. "I am Scorpius Malfoy, these are my friends Bel Black and Cat Goyle. Everywhere else is full." The last was said as both a statement of fact and a justification for their presence that had so obviously offended Teddy. It was obvious to everyone in the compartment that neither trio was going anywhere.
At the mention of her name, the black-haired first year across from Bel leaned forward eagerly. "Are you related to Sirius Black? My father talks about him all the time. I'm James Potter, by the way." James had not been paying much attention to the new arrivals before he heard the smaller girl's name. He hadn't registered the appearance or name of the boy that had introduced them or his other friend.
Bel had never heard of anyone named Sirius Black, but James' last name was certainly familiar to her. Harry Potter was one of the names heard at the Manor often enough, but only from behind closed doors that she wasn't supposed to be listening at. They had never managed to find out exactly who he was, but on one of his excursions to his grandparents' house Scorpius had heard from his cousins that Harry Potter had been somehow involved in the fall of the Death Eaters. Whoever he was, Bel was fairly sure that Uncle Lucius would not approve of her being anywhere near his son. It might even count as drawing attention to themselves. But all she said was, "No, I don't think so. Never heard of him."
This disappointed James. If Bel was not related to Sirius—if she had never even heard of him—then she must be one of the other Blacks. His father had told him all about them, too. Turning his attention away from Bel, James finally took the time to notice her companions. When his eyes fell on the boy with the white-blond hair his eyes narrowed, "Hey—what did you say your name was again?" Now that he was looking at the boy, his appearance rang a few bells somewhere in the back of his mind. His father had always been very stingy with stories from when he was young, usually focusing on his current work as one of the Ministry's Aurors. One of the few stories he did tell centered upon a Slytherin he used to know at school. A white-blonde boy, a boy named Draco Malfoy.
Scorpius had finished taking in his fellow travelers, and had been watching the countryside roll past outside the train windows. He had not caught the black-haired boy's name, or heard his conversation with Bel. He also failed to catch Bel's wide-eyed look of warning that she was currently sending his way. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy, not that it's any business of yours. I didn't catch your name either," he shot back, annoyed by the other boy's tone.
James felt an almost instinctive dislike for Scorpius, his imperious attitude, and the way he had commandeered their compartment. "I am James Potter, and I suppose you're hoping for Slytherin," hissed James.
Scorpius recognized the name just as Bel had, but by this time he was so incensed that he did not care what his grandfather would say. "Of course I'm going into Slytherin, it's the best house. ]What are you hoping for, Hufflepuff? No, wait, don't tell me, you want to be a Gryffindor?" James's glare was all the answer he needed. The compartment descended into stony silence for the next three hours.
At last the scarlet train ground to a halt at Hogsmeade's station. The weather had turned sour as they had ridden across the countryside, and sheets of rain were pelting down on the cobbles of the station outside the window. The six unwilling traveling companions gratefully split back into two trios as they joined the swirling crowd of students making their way back to Hogwarts for the start of term. James followed closely behind Victoire and Teddy. He knew perfectly well that first years were supposed to ride in the boats, but he also knew that every year a few of them managed to get lost and followed the older students to the castle in the carriages. In this weather, James was determined to be one of them, until he heard a voice booming out over the station, "Firs' years over here, all firs' years line up here for the boats! Oy James, that means you too. Firs' years gather roun'." Hagrid had seen him attempting to ride the carriages with his best friends. After a slightly dejected goodbye, James fought through the crowd of students back to where Hagrid was standing like a mountain surrounded by a few hundred shivering students.
Bel, Scorpius, and Cat had followed a slightly less circuitous route into the mass of shivering first years. After exiting the train and hearing the enormous man's call, they had sought shelter under the overhang of the station. The giant of a man did not seem to mind the downpour, and was standing just on the other side of a curtain of rain falling from the roof. He was already soaking wet, and his bushy black beard streaked with grey appeared to have soaked up several gallons of water all on its own. It took nearly a half an hour to gather all of the confused first years, and after the final few stragglers joined the cluster the man began booming out over the crowd, "I am Hagrid, an' I teach Care o' Magical Creatures up at th' castle. All of yeh follow close in this weather, and mind none o' yeh fall out this year!"
With that, the man—Hagrid—started walking along a narrow forested path at a pace that had most of them half-running along behind him. Bel hurried along behind Hagrid, as he left a hole in the rain in his wake, and she started as she felt a hand grab onto the back of her cloak. With a start, she glanced behind her and saw Scorpius and then Cat strung out behind her, trying to keep together in the rush to get out of the rain. Turning back to face the front of the line, Bel saw to her astonishment that the professor was actually talking to a student. Upon closer inspection, she saw with a sinking sensation, the student was none other than James Potter.
James had by this time forgotten his plan to hitch a ride with his friends to school. There are worst places to be in the world, he reflected, than with Hagrid. His parents' friend was, as usual, keeping up a running commentary on the new mad beasts he had caught since Christmas.
"Foun' a new unicorn in the forest las' week. He was hurt, an' I brought 'im up to th' cabin. Yeh, can see 'im soon James, I 'ave 'im in a paddock." Hagrid had kept this up for almost ten minutes already, when James glanced behind him in line and saw the three from the train. Hagrid followed his eyes, and didn't look too happy to see them either.
"I 'eard tha' we were gettin a new Malfoy this year. But…" Hagrid stopped short when his eyes lit on Bel, and he looked slightly puzzled. "Do I know yeh from somewhere? Who are yeh parents?"
James saw a flicker of fear quickly replaced by defiance on her face, and realized that he would like to know the answer to that as well. She had not answered that question on the train. In fact, she had avoided telling him anything about herself.
Bel had an answer ready for this, of course, but she had not expected to be interrogated by a mountain. Perhaps all that memorization had been useful after all, "I'm Bel Black, and I don't think you know my parents. My guardian is my uncle Argyre."
Hagrid seemed to be satisfied with this response, as he turned back to the lake just becoming visible through the trees, but James certainly wasn't. First she showed up with a Malfoy, and then she dodged a simple question. Twice! "Just who are your parents then," queried James. Something was just too odd about the whole thing.
Despite James' directness, his questions did not faze Bel in the least. She might not have been prepared for living mountains, but she had certainly expected pushy students. "My parents died just after I was born, and I don't remember them. They were Abraxos and Miranda Black. They died in the war." Bel felt proud of herself. She had survived the first round of questions with a minimum amount of details.
James was not sure what war she meant, but he was going to find out. Abraxos and Miranda Black, that was an answer, but it still seemed a little odd. And Hagrid was not the first adult he had seen look at Bel strangely. James racked his memory for the other odd look. Mother—that was it—she had spotted Bel and her friend's crash on the platform, and spent too long looking at her. Especially as it was obvious who Scorpius was. His first year at Hogwarts seemed to be getting more interesting by the second.
The black lake finally broke through the edge of the forest, and they found themselves on a gravel shore, with perhaps a hundred boats tied up to pilings anchored in the ground. In the prow of each boat a lantern was hung on poles that rose a few feet above the sides of the craft. The lanterns were flickering weakly in the downpour. They did not help to illuminate much more than a few feet into the gloom. In fact the only thing truly visible was a huge castle that twinkled with lights from a thousand windows. It rose high above the lake on a cliff that jutted out over the waves crashing at its base hundreds of feet below. Hagrid busied himself preparing to launch the boats, but all of the first years were stuck dumb. Most had never seen such a sight before, and it was more than enough to take anyone's breath away if they were not used to it. Even in the rain, the sight was so compelling that Hagrid had to remind them of the feast waiting in the Great Hall. This set off a mad scramble to get into the boats. "No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called over the ensuing rush.
The crowd behind him pushed James into the first boat on the shore, and to his dismay Bel, Cat and Scorpius were forced to pile in after him. The boats were not very pleasant, as they had accumulated a few inches of water in the bottoms—despite the best efforts of a water-repelling charm. It took only a minute or two for hungry students to shove their way into the line of boats, and soon the first few untied themselves and began streaming across the lake, with James' in the lead.
At this point, Bel would not have cared if she was sharing the boat with a Troll—she only had eyes for the castle. She had never quite imagined a building larger than Malfoy Manor, and the castle could have eaten her home for breakfast. In fact, it looked as if it could fit inside the room behind the great stained glass windows, probably the Great Hall the giant mentioned. Cat shared her fascination, and was attempting to count the windows, she kept getting to about one hundred before they seemed to magically shift before her eyes. Even Scorpius only spared one glare for the other boy before returning to ogling Hogwarts. James was trying to decide which of the spiraling turrets was Gryffindor tower, and was stymied by the fact that he had eight to choose from. Hogwarts was so much bigger than even his wildest daydreams.
They entered a tunnel whose entrance was disguised behind hanging tendrils of ivy. Too soon the bottom of their boat was scraping onto a pebbly beach. They piled out of the boats, more students coming behind them all the time, and climbed up a long set of stairs that eventually disgorged them on a swath of soft grass that led up to a set of enormous oak doors that led into the castle. Hagrid appeared from the back of the crowd of students, and made his way through to the great doors. He knocked three times and they swung open to reveal a man dwarfed by Hagrid and the doors. It was not clear until they drew closer that the silver-haired man was actually quite small, some of the first years overshadowed him. Hagrid left them outside the doors with the little man and quickly disappeared into the entrance hall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor Flitwick, deputy Headmaster and head of Ravenclaw House. Before the Welcome Feast, you will be sorted into one of four houses; Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. You will remain in your house all seven years, and it will be your family here at Hogwarts. You will eat with your house, sleep with your house, and compete for the Quiddich and House Cups with your house. Breaking the rules will effect not only you, but your entire house, so think carefully before you do so. Come along." With that Professor Flitwick led them through the entrance hall, which was decorated with suits of armor in hundreds of niches in the walls, and to a set of intricately carved doors. He disappeared through the door on the right, and it closed behind him before any of the students could even get a glimpse of the other side.
A murmur of conversation started up in a few seconds, but it was soon punctuated by screams echoing from the back of the hall. Everyone turned to look, and soon laughter could be heard among the screams. A troupe of ghosts had passed through a wall and were drifting along towards the students. Someone at the back must be muggle-born, thought James, they saw the ghosts and panicked. Wonder who it was. He turned back towards the carved oak doors, and began studying a lion carved just at eye level.
The talking soon resumed, the screaming boy having been molified by a half-blood friend. Bel and her companions had migrated towards the back of the crowd in the rush from the boats to the hall, and unlike James, had a decent view of the screamer. Scorpius stood on his tiptoes attempting to see the boy more clearly. He suddenly grinned, dropped back to his feet, and turned to Cat and Bel. "The kid who screamed—the one with the messy brown hair—I think he's the one who posted the magic videos on YouTube last year," Scorpius whispered under his breath.
Cat whipped excitedly around to try to get a better glimpse of the screamer. "I think you're right," she said excitedly, not bothering to keep her voice down, "He levitated his cat, and the video got almost a million hits before the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office took it down. Even the Muggle-Worthy Excuses Committee got involved. He caused the biggest leak this decade, before he even started Hogwarts!"
Bel thought that Cat was entirely too excited about the whole thing, and her only comment was "I bet he ends up in Hufflepuff," even though five of the million views had been hers. Bel strongly suspected that the leak was not nearly as big as the Ministry thought it was, judging by the usernames attached to the comments (Gryffindor7 and Slytherin4theCup.)
The doors of the Entrance Hall burst open to reveal Professor Flitwick, narrowly missing James' nose. His only words were, "First Years follow me!" before Flitwick disappeared into the Great Hall. The Great Hall had nine tables, one for the staff at the very end, and two for each house running along its length. The Hall must have been magically enlarged since Mum and Dad were here, James thought, they only ever mentioned four tables. The hall was filled with warmth and noise, as hundreds of older students discussed the new crop of first years. Banners emblazoned with the crests and colors of the houses fluttered from the ceiling, suspended beneath the grey storm clouds mirrored there. The first years filled the center isle between one of the Ravenclaw tables on their left, and a Hufflepuff table. One set of eyes travelled the length of the Gryffindor table against the wall, searching for two people in the mass, and three sets of eyes swept the two tables beneath the emerald banners. When James finally reached the front hall, he stopped in the front row of waiting students just before the first step. Professor Flitwick continued to climb onto the raised dais where, before the head table, two stools had been set up. Flitwick climbed onto the empty stool, but the other was already occupied. A battered brown pointed hat was perched on the lower stool. As the Great Hall fell silent, a rip opened near the brim, and it began to sing:
The discord amongst the houses,
Has never ceased; but shifts,
Ever waxes and ever wanes.
I thought not to see a rift,
Such as the great schism when four,
Was first made into three.
When once we had all our founders,
We lived in harmony,
But clever Slytherin the sly,
Was driven from this school,
Destroying all we'd built,
Leaving only three to rule
A school built for four.
Once the wounds they rent had mended,
We looked 'cross the chasm,
Houses forever divided.
Until once more friend turned,
Again to fight and conquer friend.
One house at war with others,
And fight to the end.
Still I am forced to sort,
Into Gryffindor the valiant,
Of honor and chivalry.
Ravenclaw with depth of talent,
Of knowledge and of wit.
Slytherin the resourceful,
Of cunning and resolve.
Into Hufflepuff the cordial,
Of the loyal and staunch.
As the hat had been singing, Professor Flitwick had unrolled a long scroll that fell past his feet, onto the dais, and half way down the steps. "When I call your name, sit on the stool, and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. ABERCROMBIE, ALUDRA!" Flitwick called.
A dark-haired girl with glasses sat on the stool and was sorted into "HUFFLEPUFF!" by the hat. The sorting moved quickly for the first dozen or so names, with the longest taking perhaps twenty-seconds.
Then Professor Flitwick called "BLACK, BELLADONNA!" Bel gulped and skipped up the steps to the little three-legged stool. I just hope it's over quickly, was Bel's last thought before the hat covered her eyes and muffled her ears. Hmmm, an interesting one, said a voice that suddenly invaded her head. The voice went on, Intelligent, but with a streak of defiance a mile wide. Bel realized that the voice was coming from the hat, and thought back, Slytherin, just put me in Slytherin. The feeling from that hat was slightly startled, Well, well, well another mark in the bravery column. Slytherin…cunning and ambition…they are here, but you would like Gryffindor, such a strong urge to protect your friends… Bel did not like where this was going, Please not Gryffindor, my Aunt and Uncle would kill me! The hat was silent for a few moments before replying, Are you sure? You strive to please your guardians true, but you also aspire to set yourself apart —it's all here in your head…hmm, ambition, perhaps you're right. If you're sure… "SLYTHERIN!"
Bel finally relaxed, and as the hat was lifted from her head she ran to her house tables on the far wall. As the cheering crowd enveloped her, she relaxed for the first time that day. This was home.
The sorting continued briskly, first Cat and then Scorpius joining Bel at the far table, and as the sorting continued, conversation began to fill the silence between the periodic cheers from one house or another. It grew louder and louder until it suddenly stopped. Bel had not been paying attention to the names being called, but she turned to see the boy from the train mounting the steps.
James had stood at the front of the hall for ages as conversation and cheers swelled around him. It had slowly been getting louder as the sorting had dragged on past the half hour mark, and then "POTTER, JAMES!" echoed from the front of the hall. As he climbed the steps it slowly dawned on him that the entire hall had fallen silent, and every pair of eyes were fixed firmly on him. He did not have time to think this through before the sorting hat came down over his head. Half-Potter and Half-Weasley, said a voice in his head. Nothing unexpected here, unless you have a special request? The hat said slightly mockingly. James remained silent, not sure what the hat wanted from him. All right then, if you have nothing to add…"GRYFFINDOR!" James was not nearly as excited as he would have imagined earlier. Now that he was sorted, all he wanted to do was get to Victorie and Teddy, away from the crowd that had shifted from silence to whispers. His walk to the Gryffindor tables passed in a blur, and to his surprise, when he found his friends, they could barely contain their laughter.
"Did you see his face?" wheezed Teddy, pounding on the oak table. Victoire could not have heard him as her face was buried in her arms on the table. Her gales of laughter were shaking her entire body. James plunked down next to them and gave them a scowl.
"Would either of you like to tell me what this is all about? You've been hinting at something for weeks now and it's not funny anymore! And now this," snapped James. He kept attracting odd looks all the way through the sorting and into the feast. Victoire and Teddy weren't helping matters, as the entire night they told anyone that tried to talk to him, "Yes, he's James Potter. Yes, that Potter. Autographs are one sickle apiece." When one girl actually tried to take them up on it in the common room, James gave up and went to bed. He climbed the spiraling stone staircase up to a series of circular rooms, and in the third first year dorm he came to, found his trunk at the foot of a rich four power bed. James fell onto the soft sheets, and gratefully fell asleep.
Full Text Chapters One through Seventeen with illustrations available online and as a PDF now at www. BelladonnaBlack .wordpress .com
The First Annual Jingle Bel's Sweepstakes!
The First Annual Jingle Bel's Sweepstakes! Every Christmas you will be able nominate and vote on a chapter-length short story in the Belladonna Black Universe to be released on Christmas Eve.
Rules:
Anyone can nominate and vote, you don't need to subscribe or leave your name.
Nomination will be open for two weeks from Wednesday November 16th to Wednesday
November 30th.
Nominations will be posted in the comments section here at www. BelladonnaBlack .wordpress jingle-bels-christmas-sweepstakes/, and three popular Nominations will be chosen.
Voting on the three Nominations will last for two weeks from Wednesday November 30th
to Wednesday December 14th.
Any scene in the Belladonna Black Universe can be nominated with these exceptions:
Ships that include characters or situations that are completely implausible such as: inscest, ridiculous age gaps, or violates sexual orientations.
Time Travel beyond that of standard Time Turners, but reasonable What Ifs are fine.
