Chapter 7: Another Life Truly Begins
September 1st…
Mali could not remember ever being this excited before. She was going to Hogwarts! She made sure to compose herself around the adult, they wouldn't like to see her so upbeat and open, it was very un-Slytherin, but she couldn't help herself when it was just her and the boys. Draco and Harry were just as excited.
"Look at you." Danny rolled his eyes and sneered at them. "You're acting like Hufflepuffs." He commented.
The effect was immediate, the smile were wiped from their faces. "Take that back." Harry snarled, pointing his wand at his brother.
"And what if I don't?" Danny jeered as he ran behind an armchair, Harry hot on his heals.
"Well." Harry pretended to consider his options before raising his wand again. "I could hex you into oblivion." He smiled sarcastically as he proceeded with chasing Danny around the room.
Mali smiled watching them, especially Harry. He had changed so much since they'd met. He was happier now, that much was obvious. He got their jokes now (such as the Hufflepuff reference) now that he had knowledge of the wizarding world. He also knew just how to behave like a perfect pureblood, Danny, Draco and Mali were proud, they'd taught him all they knew. His past life with the Dursleys was long forgotten and they never mentioned 'Harry James Potter'.
"Come on you two!" Mali jumped between the two of them, barely keeping them apart. She looked to where Draco was standing. "Help?"
"No thanks." He smirked at her. "You're doing just fine yourself."
Mali glared at him. Luckily she was saved from further action by her father and Draco's parents.
"Eridanus, Hadrian…" Their father spoke seriously, his voice warning them to cut it out which they did.
"Come on now children! Go fetch your trunks." Narcissa cut in swiftly to avoid conflict. "We'll be leaving soon."
Conflict forgotten, they all raced upstairs for their trunks. Of course, Danny hadn't finished packing so Harry led Mali and Draco to his room where they had all left theirs.
"Draco!" Lucius's voice echoed through Levesque Manor. He must have cast a Sonorous charm. Mali thought, very impressed. A Sonorous was very hard to master. "I have been called urgently to the Ministry, if you would like me to be able to see you off we must leave now. Eridanus, Hadrian and Amalthea," Mali knew he was only calling them by their first names because Father could hear. "Your father would like me to let you know that you will not be departing yet. Draco will see you on the platform."
Draco moaned and looked at the twins. "I guess I'll see you later."
Harry and Mali exchanged a look as Draco trudged out of the room. They both knew he hated it when his father was called away by the Ministry, they felt the same when their own father was called away.
Mali signed sympathetically. "Come on Harry, we might as well start heading down now too." With that she activated the shrinking charm on her trunk and Harry followed suit, both picking up their miniature trunks, they popped them in their pockets and headed downstairs. Draco had already left by the time they got there.
"Eridanus!" Their father called as they reached the main room. They each picked up their owl's cages as they heard their older brother rushing down the stairs.
"Sorry Father!" He wheezed, gasping for air.
Rasalas looked at him disappointedly, Levesques did not wheeze. But he didn't say anything.
"Children, the Floo is broken so I will have to side-along Apparate each of you to the Kings Cross Apparition point. Eridanus first?"
Danny picked up his owl's cage as he took his father's offered arm and with a CRACK! they were gone.
Harry blinked. He hadn't seen people Apparate before but before he could give it a second thought, Rasalas had returned with another loud CRACK!
"Take my arm Hadrian." And he did.
Mali was left till last. "Just because I'm youngest doesn't mean-" She began to grumble but her father had returned for her before she could even finish.
CRACK! Mali looked up. She had to admit, Kings Cross was a beautiful building, even if it was built by muggles. Muggles. She realised she was surrounded by them. She stared in horror at the scene around her.
Some people were reading a newspaper with still images. How odd… Some people were sitting in big things on wheels. Her eyes widened. Then she saw the streets, they were dirty and covered in rubbish! She was filled with shock and horror.
"Weird, huh?" Danny was suddenly beside her.
Mali muttered an unintelligible, "Uh huh." As she continued to stare as they walked into the station.
"As usual, packed with muggles!" They suddenly heard a loud voice exclaim. Mali and Harry exchanged a look.
Way to be inconspicuous. Mali thought.
"Platform 9 ¾ this way!" They heard her call again.
"Can this woman get any more obvious?" Danny questioned blatantly.
"Platform 9 ¾!" They heard her holler.
"Apparently she can." Mali muttered, then she gasped, having finally caught sight of the woman in question. She had red hair and was followed by an entourage of red heads in hand-me-down robes.
"Father!" She whispered urgently, pulling at his robes and pointing them out.
Her father's gaze hardened as he too spotted them.
"Platform 9 ¾!" She shouted again.
"What is this woman's problem?" Harry muttered to his sister, who silently agreed.
Then as they began to approach the barrier they heard her again, however she was saying something entirely different this time.
"How hard can it be to find a scrawny, dark haired boy with glasses?" She asked rhetorically straining her neck to look around. Mali felt Harr tense beside her, he too began to form an idea of whom this was. "Dumbledore said he'd be alone and wouldn't know how to get onto the platform… PLATFORM-" The woman began to shout again but was swiftly cut off by Rasalas.
"Mrs Weasley." He approached the obnoxious woman. "Do you really think it wise to be shouting such information in a place 'packed with muggles'?" His voice remained calm, however, Mali did not miss the dangerous glint in his eyes.
"Lord Levesque!" The weasel woman looked flustered to see him. "You see…" She began to fidget under his intense gaze. "Dumbledore asked me to look for Harry Potter… He's coming alone… I-"
"I do not care for your excuses!" Rasalas held up his hand. "But I do not think it would be wise for you to continue shouting, there are muggles here, you know."
"Yes of course I-" Rasalas did not allow her to finish.
"Come children." He called over his shoulder as he walked through the barrier. Mali yanked Harry's arm sending him a warning look that clearly said 'Don't give yourself away!' Harry let himself be dragged away with an unreadable expression on his face, leaving a flabberghasted Molly Weasley behind.
"That woman-" Harry began his rant but did not get far as Mali shoved her hand over his mouth and hissed in his ear. "Is not worth our time!" She finished for him. Harry began to struggle. "I will only remove my hand if you promise not to mention the weasels!" Harry's eyes went wide for a second then narrowed to glare at her. He nodded, grudgingly. "Good boy." Mali teased ruffling his hair.
Their father stopped walking as he reached the middle of the platform, Mali recognised Pansy and Tracy's parents and guessed that the two were already somewhere on the train.
"Have a good term." He hugged all three of them. "I will see you all for Christmas."
Danny quickly ran of to where his friends were waiting for him and Mali and Harry looked for the nearest entrance to the train.
"I love you both!" Rasalas called to the twins as they clambered aboard the train.
"We love you too Father!" They chorused.
"Good bye, Mali, Harry." Their heads whipped back at the use of their nicknames by their father. He looked sad.
He's going to be all alone. Mali realised. For the first time since Mother died.
"Good bye Father." She waved, putting on a brave smile.
The train began to move, pulling away from the platform. Harry and Mali waved to Rasalas until he was completely out of sight.
"Well there you are!" The two spun around to see Draco's head poking out of a compartment. "Well come on then." He gestured for them to come as he returned into the compartment.
Mali smiled to Harry and lead him inside.
Within the compartment were two boys and two girls. One boy was Draco. The other had dark brown hair, slicked back on his head in a similar way as Draco's was, and as he looked up from the book he was reading, they saw he had very pale, yet startling, turquoise eyes. The two girls were complete opposites. One hair pale blonde hair, almost as light as Draco's, which was fashionably wavy. Her eyes were also startling colour. They were deep green, even darker than Harry's had been, though they seemed bright, despite their darkness. This girl was wearing a denim skirt and a pretty purple top with a soft grey cardigan. The second girl had black hair, which was messily pulled back into a high ponytail, she had interesting eyes, a mix like Harry's were now. They were pale blue around the pupil but suddenly became a bright brown. She was dressed in faded jeans and an overlarge checked shirt over a pale blue t-shirt that matched the colour in her eyes. From his summer studying of wizards, Harry could guess that they were all purebloods (by their incredible eye colours) and he also knew that the fabrics they were wearing were not the muggle ones he had compared them too, they were most likely Acromantula-woven silk or dragon hide charmed to look like muggle clothes.
"Mali!" The dark haired girl grinned widely as she jumped up to hug her.
"Hey Tracy!" Mali was so happy to see her. She and Tracy had been best friends since they were four years of age and had bonded over planning a prank at one of Tracy's parents' informal dinner parties. The prank was aimed at Danny and Tracy's older sister, Flora.
"How do we have here?" Tracy stepped back and looked over Harry.
"Erm… Hi. I'm Hadrian, Mali's twin."
Suddenly, it felt as if the compartment was extremely quiet. Draco and the other boy had cut off their conversation and the boy was now staring at Harry. The blonde girl by the window looked as if she was about to start laughing, but Tracy beat her to it.
"So you're a joker?" She managed between gasps. "I've known Mali since I was four, she's never had a twin." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "So again, who are you?"
Harry looked sideways at Mali who smirked at him. She'd known he'd have to tell people they knew yet hadn't bothered to tell him, for the fun of it all of course. But Harry didn't tell them the truth.
"Fine, you got me." Harry threw his hands in the air, a mocking smile on his face. "Mali's father was afraid she'd be lonely since she can't make friends, so he hired me to keep her company." He smiled smugly at Mali's shocked face. The others in the compartment were cracking up, tears streaming down their faces.
"Hadrian James Aries," Mali began to growl, feeling slightly embarrassed. "If you don't tell them, then I will."
Mali thought she saw a shocked look cross Harry's face, but as soon as she'd seen it, it was gone. He turned back to his audience. "I guess the secret's coming out." He sighed dramatically. "My name is Hadrian James Aries Potter-Levesque," all except Mali and Draco gasped, hearing the name Potter. "I am Mali's twin," Tracy tried to interrupt but Harry held up his hand and continued. "By Blood Adoption." Again they all gasped, Blood Adoption was a big deal and such a ritual was not done lightly. "If you must know, until a month ago, my name was Harry James Potter."
Harry surveyed their reactions. The boy had dropped his book and appeared to be stuttering, the blonde girl's jaw had almost hit the floor and her eyes were growing wider by the second and the last girl, Tracy, was just looking at him, she actually looked impressed.
Harry, himself, was shocked when these expressions were suddenly wiped away, as if by some invisible force, as they all composed themselves. Slytherins… He thought.
"Harry Potter? Well you certainly must've changed through the ritual." The boy said observantly.
"Well of course he would, you flobberworm." The blonde girl snapped at him. "It is the Blood Adoption after all." She leaned back, rolling her eyes.
"Who asked your opinion, you blonde billiwig?" He sneered at her. "Just jump off the train already." He settled back to his book, as if nothing had happened.
"Careful what you say, puffskein, or I might just let Asta," She gestured to a black cat sleeping beside her, "Rip your eyeballs out." She retorted calmly.
The boy narrowed his eyes at her over his book. "Eat slugs."
"Rather that than staring at your ugly face for the rest of the journey." Came her reply.
"Guys!" Draco stepped between them. "Give it a rest already! Give Harry here a good impression."
"You knew?" The girl narrowed her eyes, at Draco this time. "What have we said about keeping secrets?"
"Come on." Draco smiled charmingly. "Can't a guy surprise his friends?"
"Not like this you can't! This is Harry Potter we're talking about!"
"Actually." Harry cut in smoothly. "It's Harry Levesque. Not Potter."
"Harry Potter is gone, guys." Mali spelled it out for them slowly. "You can't tell a soul."
"That's right." Draco chimed in. "The old Harry is a secret."
The other three nodded, clearly understanding.
"So, Harry Levesque." Mali smiled at her brother. "Time for introductions. This is Tracy Davis." Tracy waved and smiled as she sat down again, next to the other girl whom Mali gestured to and introduced as, "Pansy Parkinson." Pansy smiled sweetly at Harry before resuming her staring contest, or glaring contest, with the boy across from her, whom Draco introduced as, "Theo Nott."
Seeing Harry's curious expression at the sight of Pansy and Theo, Mali was quick to explain. "Don't mind those two, they've been at each other's throats since the day they met."
"And they've been bickering ever since." Tracy added. "Don't let what they say to each other put you off, they're not too bad really." She looked back a them and shook her head, then she resorted to shaking Pansy. "Pansy, snap out of it!"
"Oh whatever." Pansy drawled, looking away from Theo. "He's not worth my time."
"Keep saying that, Princess." Theo piped up.
"What was that?" Pansy questioned dangerously, while everyone else groaned, everyone except Harry, who smiled.
Though he hadn't understood all the words they'd used earlier, he found their ridiculous insults quite amusing.
Suddenly there was a knock on the compartment door.
"Anything off the trolley dears?" Harry turned around to see an old woman with a cart full of things, Harry had no clue what any of it was, until Mali whispered, "Sweets!" In his ear excitedly.
Harry saw everyone around him rummaging in their pockets for money but Harry had a better idea. He pulled out his pouch of money and mentally praised himself for taking out so much from his vault the previous day. The others' eyes widened and mouths hung low as he pulled it out, presented it to the woman and announced, "We'll take the lot!"
Yay new chapter! Here we have some new characters, all will be quite big roles through out…
Please let me know what you think!
Larkspur : of course! Think Fred and George, and multiply that by the biggest number you can think of ;) trust me when I say itll be a very eventful year!
clovexoxocato : this is for you! Keep studying ;) xx
Don't forget: I love to know your opinions!
XXX
