She's alive! Sorry this was so long coming, it's been a busy few weeks. I'm hoping to be a bit more regular with my updates, but I'm not promising anything. And don't lose heart, updates for my Four Brothers fan fic are on the way.
And who else sobbed like a baby during Deathly Hallows? I was in tears for the last half of it I think.
"I cannot believe I'm actually doing this," Falcon muttered, taking a long drag of her cigarette. She pulled her scarf tighter and glared up at the cloudy sky.
Lupin waved smoke out of his face and frowned down at his goddaughter. "Is it really going to be that bad?" he asked. "You know more magic than most of the teachers so coursework is going to be a toss for you and you'll have the chance to make friends with people your own age."
Falcon snickered and stubbed out her cigarette on the building behind her. "Wow, that makes it all better, doesn't it?" she said sarcastically.
Lupin shook his head, but before he could reply, someone called, "Remus!" and he turned around.
A short, plump woman was hurrying up the sidewalk trailed by four teenagers all around Falcon's age. "Hello Molly," Lupin said, smiling and taking the lady's hand. "This is Falcon," he said. "I believe I told you about her."
"Oh yes of course," Molly said, smiling widely and shaking Falcon's hand. "I'm Molly Weasley. This is my son Ron and my daughter Ginny. And these are Ron's friends Hermione and Harry."
Falcon nodded coolly to all of them and checked her watch. "What time does the train leave?" she asked Lupin.
"It leaves at eleven," he replied. Falcon nodded. "We've got about fifteen minutes," she told Lupin. "Go ahead and head for the platform, I'll be along in a bit."
Turning away from them, Falcon dropped down onto her trunk and lit another cigarette. Lupin gave her a disgusted look and then led Mrs. Weasley and the others inside King's Cross. When they'd gone, Falcon rubbed a hand across her face.
"Wotcher Falcon." The girl looked up and smiled at Tonks. "Alright Tonks?" she asked.
Tonks smirked. Her hair was bright green and stood out in three-inch high spikes all over her head. "Remus already inside?" she asked.
Falcon nodded, handing her cigarette to Tonks so that she could take a pull. "So's Harry and the rest." Falcon laughed suddenly. "The redhead's quite handsome," she said with a wink.
Tonks chuckled. "His older brother's more to your liking I believe."
"Who's his older brother?"
"Fred."
Falcon looked started. "That doll who runs the joke shop with his twin?" she gasped. "They're Ron's brothers?"
"Yep," Tonks replied, checking her watch and stepping on the cigarette. "Two of the five older ones he's got."
"Blimey," Falcon muttered, getting to her feet and grabbing her trunk. "They sure know how to grow boys in the Weasley house."
Tonks nodded. "Oh, watch that 'blimey' and such. You're supposed to be an American, remember?"
"Oh thrills, how could I forget?" Falcon muttered under her breath as she followed Tonks into the station.
- - - - -
Harry sat with Luna, Ginny and Neville in one of the compartments watching as the new girl, Falcon, talked with Lupin, Tonks and Mrs. Weasley. The train was due to leave in about a minute, but Falcon sure wasn't hurrying up her conversation. Only when the whistle sounded did she hug Lupin and Tonks and shake Mrs. Weasley's hand again before jumping quickly onto the train into the carriage where Harry sat. Through their open compartment door, Harry heard people whispering as Falcon moved down the car. When she reached the door, she gave a small smile. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" she asked.
"No, go ahead," Ginny said, moving over to sit by Harry so that Falcon could sit by the window. Harry stood up and hoisted her trunk into the luggage rack. When she turned and smiled at him, he felt like a shock had run through his body, but as soon as he noticed it, the girl had turned away and the feeling was gone.
Falcon pulled her coat and scarf off and lobbed them up on top of her trunk before dropping into a seat. "I'm Falcon," she said, grinning round at the other people in the compartment.
"I'm Harry, like Lupin told you," Harry said. "And Ginny of course. And this is Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom."
"Nice to meet you," Falcon said as the others murmured hello. Knowing that she had to keep up the act, Falcon cleared her throat. "So are all of you in sixth year?" she asked.
"Harry and I are," Neville said. "But Ginny and Luna are in fifth year. Luna's in Ravenclaw, but the rest of us are in Gryffindor. Oh," he said suddenly. "You're a transfer, you might not have the slightest idea what I'm on about."
Falcon smiled. "No, I know the houses. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Huffle-something, and Slithering, right?" she asked, putting on a very convincing show of innocent stupidity.
Ginny laughed. "The others are Hufflepuff and Slytherin," she told Falcon.
Blushing slightly, Falcon giggled. "I'm always making mistakes like that."
"So, where'd you transfer from?" Ginny asked. "I mean, it's obvious you're from America, but where exactly?"
"The Benjamin Franklin Academy of Magic," Falcon replied. "It's in Philadelphia."
"You must miss your friends," Neville said sympathetically, petting a large toad that sat in his lap.
Falcon shrugged. "I didn't have many," she said. "I was always more into learning instead of trying to make friends. Besides, it's not a boarding school like Hogwarts. We go home every day, so I never really had to live with the others."
Ginny was watching Falcon and for a moment the older girl wondered if maybe she'd been rumbled already. "Why're you still wearing a glove?" Ginny asked.
Falcon's fingers closed over her left wrist. "I just am," she said quietly. Pulling a book out of her pocket, Falcon opened it and held up to cover her face.
Harry looked Falcon over as she read. The girl looked like she belonged in Camden Town with the weird clothes she had on. Harry had only been there once when Aunt Petunia had taken a wrong turn through London. It was a place filled with the sort of clothes vampires would wear and in evil fashion, Falcon would be a queen. Skin-tight black jeans crossed with silver chains hung low on her waist and her shirt was black with little white daggers patterned across it. Even the black glove that covered her left hand was decorated with safety pins. About the only thing that didn't fit with her ensemble was her vivid red hair. It wasn't quite as fiery as Ginny's, but it came close.
As if she could sense his eyes, Falcon looked up. "What?" she asked.
"Nothing," Harry replied. Ignoring Falcon as she went back to her book, Harry pulled a pack of cards from his jeans pocket. "Exploding Snap anyone?"
- - - - -
They passed the train ride with relative ease. Falcon spent the whole time reading and after about an hour, none of the others had said anything to her. Harry, Ron, and Neville ended up in a debate about Quidditch while Hermione, Ginny, and Luna discussed a new Transfiguration spell that McGonagall had added to the syllabus (Luna's father had tipped her off). When Hogwarts came into view in the distance, they all stood to pull on their robes, except for Falcon who seemed utterly oblivious to what was happening around her.
"Er- are you going to change?" Ginny asked finally as the train started to slow down.
Falcon looked up at them, seeming startled to see that they had changed. She shrugged. "No," she said simply before returning to her book. Hermione and Harry looked quizzically at each other, but shrugged and let it pass. As the train clattered to a stop in Hogsmead Station, Harry grabbed up his things and followed Ginny out of the compartment, Falcon disappearing from his mind in his excitement to get back to Hogwarts. Hermione and Ron hurried off to do their prefect duties and Harry led the others to the last empty carriage and waited for the Prefects.
Only after the other two had joined them and the carriage started to trundle up toward the school did Harry speak. "So, what do you lot reckon about Falcon?"
Ron and Neville both gave vague shrugs, but Hermione frowned. "She's odd for sure," she said. "I mean, she seems to be very withdrawn."
"Forget about that," Ginny said, a wicked smirk on her face. "Did you see what she was wearing? Bill dresses like that, but he's mental."
"I think she seems quite intelligent," added Luna with a vague little smile. "I wouldn't be surprised if she turned up in Ravenclaw."
"You reckon she'll be Sorted with the first years?" Ron asked.
"I'm not really sure," Hermione replied. "It's been ages since a student transferred."
"If I was a sixth year, I sure wouldn't want to be Sorted with them," Harry said. "Can you imagine how she'll look standing with them?"
This amusing visual carried the six of them into the Great Hall where they parted with Luna and took up seats at the Gryffindor table. Hermione took a long look around the Great Hall and frowned. "She must be with the first years, because I don't see Falcon anywhere."
As if in answer to Hermione's curiosity, the doors to the Great Hall opened and the first years filed inside, following Professor McGonagall. One glance at the long column of new students was enough to prove that Falcon wasn't among them, but before any of them could mention it, McGonagall had set the three-legged stool down at the head of the hall and unrolled a long scroll of parchment.
"Andrios, Grace," she called out. Harry looked up and watched a little girl with dark black hair hurry up to the stool. His eyes slid past the girl to the high table and his eyes crossed the long table, searching for familiar faces. He saw Hagrid sitting at the end like always and a bit farther down, Flitwick was watching the little girl being Sorted with interest. When Harry's eyes reached the Headmaster's chair, he was surprised to see that it was empty. Dumbledore had never missed a Sorting in Harry's years at Hogwarts, but Harry reasoned that he probably had something important to do. Harry looked along the table as "Cagey, Laurance" became a Hufflepuff. A large, grossly obese man was sitting a few chairs down from the head seat, Harry figured that he was the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Harry looked away from the High Table, but almost as soon as he did, he looked back. Snape wasn't there either, the sallow-hook-nosed face he despised was nowhere to be found. Before Harry could wonder much about it, a movement to the left of the hall caught his eyes. A side door had opened and Dumbledore walked out, followed by Snape and Falcon, who were talking to each other. Dumbledore sat quietly and smiled out at the students who were watching him, but Falcon and Snape walked over to the latter's chair without ever pausing in their conversation. As he sat, Falcon leaned down and continued to speak into his ear. Only when "Zachary, Ivan," had been Sorted into Gryffindor, did Falcon close her mouth and stand straight.
Dumbledore stood up and smiled around the hall. "Before we begin with this lovely feast," he said. "We have a final Sorting to complete. Would all please welcome our new transfer student from America, Falcon Potter."
Whispered erupted throughout the hall as Falcon walked smoothly around the teachers' table to stand by McGonagall and Harry noticed that she still hadn't donned her robes. She surveyed the hall coolly and then gave a little grin. Falcon snapped her fingers and suddenly she was standing before them in dark Hogwarts robes instead of the black outfit she'd been wearing. Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes and Harry was shocked to see a genuine, unguarded smile on Snape's sallow face. Snatching up the Sorting Hat, Falcon dropped it on her head with a flourish. The hat was barely on her head for two minutes before it shouted, "Gryffindor". Falcon handed the Hat back to McGonagall with a bow and walked to the Gryffindor table, giving the other students a cheery wave before dropping to the chair on the other side of Neville from Ginny.
Harry watched her, barely paying attention as Dumbledore introduced the new professor. He probably wouldn't have even realised that something was going on if Ron hadn't punched him in the shoulder. "What?" he hissed.
"That fat bloke isn't teaching Defence," Ron muttered back. "Dumbledore's just said that he's teaching Potions!"
"Then what's Snape going to-" but before Harry could finish his question, Dumbledore answered it. "And I am please to announce that Professor Snape will be taking over Defence Against the Dark Arts."
Falcon was the only person at the Gryffindor table that did more than give a polite few claps. She grinned up at Snape and clapped just as hard as the Slytherins. Ron noticed this too and he was frowning as Dumbledore sat down and waved his hand.
"Know what?" Ron said as he helped himself to the mushroom soup that had appeared before him. "I don't think I'm going to like that Falcon girl much at all."
"She does seem a little full of herself," Harry agreed, dumping some steak and kidney pie on his plate.
Hermione was frowning at Falcon. "She looks so pleased with herself," she snarled suddenly. "As if she's so wonderful because of how much magic she knows." Turning away from the new girl, Hermione jabbed her fork down into her chicken with unnecessary venom.
"Probably jealous because she doesn't know how Falcon did that," Ron muttered to Harry with a grin. Harry smiled back, but as conversation turned to other things, Falcon was still in his mind. There was something about her that Harry couldn't quite grasp, something very familiar.
Review because you love me and because I can tell you what the subplot about Dean Thomas was before JK Rowling had to cut it out. I'm dead serious, she told me in a letter.
So review and I'll tell you.