(A/N) Hey, It took me longer to think of a title for this chapter than to write it, which is pretty bad. I actually had about three other chapters written then found that I was missing things, so now I have to write two chapters (well, one more) to go between chapters six and seven that were written before. So, now I present to you, chapter six and a half. (BTW, I've had people asking me who Autumn is based on. She is mostly based on me, with a bit of a couple of my friends thrown in for good measure.)
Disclaimers: I don't own Harry Potter... Or anyone by the name of Harry Potter. I only own Autumn and other weird people I create. Thank you. Now you all must go into a shoe store and ask for a cheeseburger (don't ask…)
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By the end of the feast, Hermione had warned Autumn to stay away from Draco five times, Ginny had asked Autumn where she came from seven times and Ron had asked Harry to pass him the chicken wings nearly fourteen times. And every one of those fourteen times, Autumn looked up and saw them talking, presumably about her. She wasn't sure what made her caution herself about Harry so much, he was just like any other wizard, except that he had survived Avada Kedavra when he was very young. As the group of them was walking back up to the Gryffindor tower, with Autumn lagging a bit behind them, studying everything on her way, they ran into Draco Malfoy and his bodyguards, muscular, but chubby and known mostly by their last names only, Crabbe and Goyle.
"Oh, look!" Draco spoke, Crabbe on his left and Goyle to his right. "It's Harry Pothead and his clan of prats. Who's here today? Welfare Weasley, oh wait, recount. Mr. and Mrs. Welfare Weasley, Mudblood Granger-…"
"Take that back!" Ron called, stepping in front of a reddening Hermione.
"Ah, yes." Purred Draco. "Oh, then there's Harry Pothead himself and his look-at-me scar and…" Just then, Autumn caught up to the group. "Who's that you're all 'protecting' from me?" Autumn boldly moved in front of Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny. "The new girl." He replied, his voice softened. He took her hand and kissed it. "Draco Malfoy. A pleasure." Autumn blushed, or so Hermione thought she did. Ginny snorted.
"Autumn Fortshamen." She replied, looking down at Draco's hand still holding hers. Suddenly, noticing what she was looking at, he dropped her hand like it was flaming. She giggled, tucking her hair behind her ears temptingly.
"Soon, you'll realize, Autumn," Draco spoke. "That certain wizard families are superior to others." He glared at Hermione and Ron. "And since you're a pureblood, maybe you'd like to join some others." He held an arm out to either side, motioning towards Crabbe, Goyle, then himself. She looked at him a bit inquisitively. Harry and the others knew that there was no way she could get herself out of this one, not without pissing Draco off and having him mad at yet another Gryff or blowing off all of Gryffindor house.
"Well, Draco." She replied, winking so that only Ginny and Hermione could see. "I'd love to take up on your remarkable offer, but I was just on my way to my common room to make sure that my things are there." Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione couldn't believe it. She'd quite possibly done the impossible. Gotten away with not being around Draco and having him not ready to set a Basilisk on her. "I will see you around, Draco." Ron and all the others turned around to walk another way to their common room. But only Draco saw the wink that Autumn gave him, and he returned it.
****
"What a bloody git." Ron said, as they entered the common room. "And he even tried to convince Autumn as he did Harry first year that he's better than everyone else." They all murmured in agreement, Autumn just staring at the common room.
"Kind of amazing, isn't it?" Ginny said, whispering. Autumn nodded. She followed her and Hermione up a flight of stairs into her dorm room. Everything was so surreal. Falling asleep that night, after talking about everything there was to talk about, teachers (they warned her about Snape), classes (how Divination and Trelawney were full of shit) and general Hogwarts things, Autumn recalled all the things that had happened since only a few days before. It was almost unrealistic.
The next day when she awoke was a Friday, and the dorms were empty and the common room deserted. Autumn took a quick shower and got dressed, assuming all the students were in class. Pulling her hair up as usual, she was not sure of what to wear and if she was to go to class. She put on an outfit similar to the ones that Ginny and Hermione had been wearing the day before and added her school cloak over the 'just-above-kneelength' black skirt, white blouse, Gryffindor sweater and tie, and headed off to see Dumbledore, pocketing her wand on the way. It covered the floor with a pile of the disappearing red sparkles as she left. When she exited the picture frame of the Fat Lady, she nearly ran into Severus Snape, the Potions teacher.
"My girl," He said, intrigued that it was her. "Shouldn't you be in a class? Or since it's your first day here, have Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall decided that it's alright if you wander about and get yourself into trouble?"
"Well Professor, sir, that's what I'm about to find out. Which way would it be to Dumbledore's office?" Autumn replied, curtly. She had been warned of Snape's dislike of Gryffindors. He jeered at her a bit.
"Still don't know your way around here? Your lack of knowledge seems a bit of a shame. One could get in trouble not knowing where she's going." He leaned towards her and whispered. "Could walk right into trouble and you wouldn't want that now, would you?"
"I'll take 'er from 'ere, Severus." Snape jumped back. It was Hagrid. "C'mon Autumn, I'll take yer te Dumbledore." Autumn followed the burly man down the corridor as Snape watched them, the sunlight shining on his greasy hair like an oil spot.
****
As Hagrid and Autumn arrived at the door of Dumbledore's office, they saw that Lucius Malfoy was there, walking around the room, generally ranting about the Ministry. When he had his back turned, Dumbledore held one finger up, to tell them that he'd only be one minute.
"So, I guess now that she's a wizard and all, a pureblood one at that," Lucius rambled on. "I won't need to go back to visit that bloody Arthur Weasley about her spreading to the press. Besides," he leaned forward on Dumbledore's desk as he spoke. "She's a bit of a mystery herself, and if her mother's in Azkaban for using Avada Kedavra, then it shouldn't be much longer before she's there herself."
"Now, Lucius…" Dumbledore began.
"No, Dumbledore. I want to know…" he leaned off his desk a bit. "Why the bloody hell," he roared. "Isn't she in Slytherin?" Fawkes ruffled his feathers a bit, annoyed by the racket that Mr. Malfoy was making. Lucius stood straight up, and flattened his robes with one hand, while the other held his serpent cane.
"Lucius, you know well that the student go where the hat puts them. We don't question the motives of the hat." Dumbledore replied calmly, petting Fawkes' gleaming feathers.
"Well," Lucius hissed, his blonde hair, the same color as Draco's, falling about. "Maybe it's time that someone did. When a witch," he spat. "Goes into Gryffindor when her mother was working alongside Voldemort, then there's something wrong." With that, he turned on his heels and left the office, passing Hagrid and Autumn as he did. Hagrid have Autumn a half smile, put his hand on her back and let her enter Dumbledore's office before him.
"'Lo ther' Dumbledore. I brough' yer a present." Hagrid chuckled. Autumn smiled a bit, looking at them both.
"Hello, Autumn," Dumbledore said, as if nothing had happened only a few moments ago. "Suppose you wondered where everyone was this morning?" Autumn nodded. "Well, I thought that maybe you'd like to get to know your way around here a bit." Autumn thought back to her encounter with Snape and what he had said to her.
"Yes sir, I'd like that."
"Well then, I'm sure that Hagrid wouldn't mind giving you a bit of a tour of the place. Is that alright with you, Hagrid?" Hagrid nodded.
"No' a problem wi' meh, Dumbl'dore."
"Alright then, Autumn. Your classes begin Monday." He passed her a schedule. "Oh and… you never heard Lucius, okay?" He said, winking.
"O' course no', Headmaster sir. Nothin' a' all." Hagrid replied.
"Never heard anything." Autumn ended as she and Hagrid left the room.
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What's going to happen on her little 'tour' around with Hagrid? Where will they go and what will they see? And why does Autumn's wand keep emitting red sparkles? Please R/R!
