"Yeah, though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil, for I am the meanest son of a bitch in the valley" –Joel Rosenberg


Chapter 9

It was fifteen minutes past midnight when it happened. I cried out quietly in surprise and gripped the edge of the bed. I sucked in a sharp breath as I tried not to breath, thinking it would lessen the pain. The cramp had manifested in my left leg, jerking me awake.

I rolled around on the bed, releasing the bed frame as I tried to find a position that would help relax the muscles. It felt as though a hand had reached inside my leg and was wrenching and twisting my calf muscles. A particularly painful spasm rocketed through my leg.

"Damn!" I hissed, lurching forward to clutch it. I could feel my muscles trembling and jumping under my fingers. I pressed on it, hoping to message the pain out of it as I worked the area. It worked to some extent.

For what seemed an eternity, I sat there, my body stiffening at every uncontrollable twitch. The muscle spasms eventually faded and I heaved a sigh of relief. I collapsed back on my bed, exhausted. Wondering what time it was I stared blearily at my watch until the numbers where clearly visible.

1:14 AM.

"Damn. That has to be the worst charlie horse…" Still not completely awake, I slowly got up.

Realizing I'd fallen asleep fully dressed, I fumbled with my boots for a moment as I kicked them off, undoing all the buckles. I shrugged out of my cloak and rested for a minute before I wriggled out of my jeans.

Stumbling groggily out of bed, I made my way to the bathroom. A feeling of vertigo seized me as I shut the door behind me. Grabbing the black marble counter I sat down heavily on the closed toilet seat, head in my hands. I sat there for a while, waiting for my head to stop spinning.

When I felt it was safe to stand, I eased back the snake engraved facet. I let the water run until the temperature was near glacial and splashed the water on my face as I attempted to shock myself out of the zombie like state I had entered.

"Damn leg." I grumbled hoarsely, checking my watch again.

1:47 AM.

I caught sight of my reflection and lethargically reached up to finger my hair. Rich dark brown and nearly black, it'd grown long enough to tickle my collarbones. For a split second I considered using a Severing Charm and chopping it all off. When I'd been younger my dad had always kept my hair boyishly short. Bridget had confided in me once that this was due to the remarkable resemblance between my mother and I. Having seen a few pictures of my mother I knew that there was little dissimilarity between us, hair length being the main factor, my height the other.

Even after he'd stopped cutting my hair I'd never let it exceed past my jaw; it had been one of the few things that I'd quietly, without question, done for my father.

"Meerrrroooowww." Prince nudged my left leg and I winced. I was going to feel that in the morning. Limping slightly, I left the bathroom and knelt down in front of my trunk.

"I know I have some of that chocolate in here somewhere." Reaching into the trunk I rummaged around until I came upon a plastic sack full of what I wanted. I took out one of the thin chocolate bars and tore off the wrapper, taking a big bite out of it. Warmth seeped into my limbs, comforting me more than anything.

After tossing the other half of the candy bar back into the bag, I rose gingerly to my feet and shuffled back into bed. Despite the fact that I'd gone to bed several hours earlier than normal, I was dead tired. I felt strained and couldn't shake a nagging feeling of despair from me. Pointedly ignoring the feeling I determinedly closed my eyes, dropping off as soon as I pulled the covers over me.


Thump, thump, thump. A fast, steady pace of thumps beat a fast tempo on the inside of my head.

"Astrid? Astrid! ASTRID!"

Frowning, I cracked open one eye and yawned. The pounding was coming from outside my room; the noise was giving me a headache.

What?

Couldn't Tonks see I was sleeping? I laid there for a few more minutes, arguing with myself. I knew I should get out of bed and answer the door butmy body protested and refused to move.

A fleeting image of a steaming, warm cup of coffee manifested before my eyes and I groaned. I was so warm, so comfortable…I knew that as soon as I was up I'd feel miserable. Why I'd be miserable I didn't really know but as soon as I got up I'd remember.

"Astrid! You've had the world's longest lie in. It's almost ten you lazy sod!" The unmistakable sound of Tonks managing to fall on her face with both feet planted reached my ears. I yawned again before groggily sitting up in bed, my body reluctantly cooperating.

"Hang on a sec!" Untangling myself from the covers, I swung my feet out of bed. Before I'd taken more than two steps towards my trunk I felt my left leg crumbled beneath me. My bottom hit the floor with a thump that fit in nicely with the incessant knocking.

"Ow!" I yelped, scowling at my leg. I touched it gingerly and wrinkled my nose at the soreness. Recalling the massive cramp last night I sighed. My leg would probably be sore all week. Resigned to my fate, I hauled myself back up and pulled on a pair of plaid boxers before letting Tonks in, limping somewhat.

"What?" I growled as a greeting, giving her a sullen look as she bounced into the room.

"Bout time. I've been waiting for you to wake up." Her hair was braided into a thousand thin, vibrant purple stands today and her attire was that of a juvenile teenage witch. I plucked at the corner of her spectacular purple quarter sleeve shirt and smiled wryly.

"Nice." I'd been looking for it a couple days ago and hadn't been able to find it. I normally didn't wear it, in fact the only time I'd worn it had been the day Bridget had given it to me (I thought it was rather flamboyant.) but hey, clean was clean.

"Thanks, I thought so too." She said happily, striking a pose. I snorted and headed back towards the bed.

"Happy birthday." She said unexpectedly after I'd flopped back down on the bed. I blinked at her, my mind gradually registering what she'd just said.

"Thanks." I said finally, letting my surprise creep into my voice; I thought I hadn't told anyone besides Prince. Tonks smiled smugly, sitting on the arm of the chair.

"I took the liberty of looking it up at work." She explained as she reached into her robe pocket and pulled out a relatively battered package, wrapped up in what was unmistakably outdated Daily Prophets.

"Happy birthday, Astrid. Here. I thought you might find this useful." Smiling hesitantly at her, I took the ragged parcel.

"Sorry about that. I was in a hurry and crushed it a little. Tripped over the coat rack." She explained. I chuckled lightly, tearing off the horrified photos of the moving people as they made a run for it. A large picture of a woman was shaking her fist at me, yelling intelligible curses as I tore her in half.

When I realized what she'd given me, I smiled toothily, for once showing my teeth instead of the closed lip smile I always responded with. In my hand was a small, pink journal filled with, of all things, hair and facial spells.

"A beauty book?" I laughed, flipping through it. "Unbelievable. Trying to tell me something, Tonks?" Noticing that the handwriting was drastically different in several places, I asked her who helped her put it together.

"I—Molly and Ginny." She shifted uncertainly in the chair. I stiffened as memories from last night came rushing back and I sighed, shoving an image of an angry Molly out of my head.

That's why I didn't want to get out of bed.

"It'll be alright. Molly just needs to—cool off." Tonks said carefully. I gave her a flat look.

"Still raving then." I said, running an irritated hand through my hair. Tonks sighed and nodded, scratching the side of her nose.

"Been at it all morning. I didn't want the job but," she sighed heavily, "someone had to tell you. Now that you are seventeen they—they have the right to remove you from their place of residence…" I felt my stomach drop and my face tighten.

Tonks fiddled with the ends of her purple braids, her face scrunched up as if she was concentrating very hard. She didn't have to say it, I knew. They were kicking me out. They weren't even going to let me tell my side of the story.

ARGH! I hate Ron! I hate stupid people! I thought vehemently. I'd given Molly my trust, my respect. I'd liked her and she had abandoned me before I could…

Do what? A nasty little voice asked

Apologize? I shook my head, closing my eyes for a moment It wasn't like I hadn't done without family for the past seventeen years.

Dad, I thought with a slight pang in my chest, never been real big on the whole father-daughter idea. Bridget and Roy weren't…it just wasn't the same. Non of these people were really even related to me. What, I was like the daughter of their second cousin? But then why did it hurt so much?

Because nobody likes to be rejected, my mind answered. Because I'd become attached to them during the short time I'd spent here. I smiled ruefully. And now they didn't want me. I was alone. My parents and any close relatives were dead. My mother had passed away the day I was born and Dad…he'd been dead to me long before the accident. I lowered my head to my chest, letting my hair fall into my eyes.

I was the last living Vanderhorn. Realizing this for the first time since Dad's accident I felt…sadder and…lonelier for the thought. I was alone, truly alone.

Feeling like I'd been swallowed by a bottomless gaping hole of misery, I was silent for a long time. Prince eventually sauntered over and folded himself in my lap, his wings fluttering gently as he situated himself. He flexed one of his paws on my leg, hauling me out of my hole. I heard the armchair squeak and remembered Tonks was still around.

"When—" My voice cracked slightly and I cleared my throat. "Should I leave now?"

"When your ready."

I nodded. Now that the Weasleys were staying here, at Number 12, they had the authority to toss me out on my rear. I shook my head. I remember the threats Dad would throw at me about kicking my sorry ass to the curb when I was older.

Wishing I hadn't answered the door, I set Prince next to me and got up. "I'll only be a few minutes if you want to wait outside." When she didn't respond I turned my head and looked over at her.

"I know they'll come around, Astrid. Molly is–she can just be really over protective at times and you haven't...they've only known you for a couple months. This whole thing with You-Know-Who is getting to them, it's getting to everyone." She said quietly.

A hot surge of anger and hurt welled up inside of me at her words.

"So what, that makes it okay?" I shot back, my fists clenched.

"No, I'm just saying that they are under a lot of stress. You-Know-Who has—"

"I'M FED UP WITH ALL THIS DARK LORD SHIT! They can be stressed all they want, but hell will freeze over before I'll let them take it out on me. For these last couple of months I've been treated like absolute shit! I'm fed up with all the snide comments, the glances—the attitude they all give me for simply breathing. Where's their proof that I'm a spy, a vampire, a Death Eater? Huh? Where is it? Oh, that's right, THERE ISN'T ANY BECAUSE NONE OF IT'S TURE!" I exploded, mad as hell.

"I could strip naked and put my memories in a pensive and I'd still be suspect. And you know what? I don't care anymore. You're right they don't know me, so where in the hell do they get off saying I'm a servant of the Dark Lord? Do they have ANY idea what it's like to be raised by a man who blames you for his wife's death? I have taken care of myself my whole life! And now, I'm stuck with a bunch of trigger-happy fanatics who point fingers at everyone but themselves." I said, swallowing hard.

The smell of charred wood made me pause. I'd grabbed the bed post sometime during my rant. Starring at it, I pried my fingers from the wood, leaving behind a charred, black imprint of my hand. Ilet out a low laugh that sounded more like a sob. It looked like I'd seized it and tried to crush the life out of it.

Sniffing loudly, I wiped my hand on my shirt and sighed raggedly. Glancing over at Tonks, I brushed my hair back before turning away from her.

"At least Potter has friends. Hell, he might as well change his name to Weasley. " I said listlessly, feeling worn out.

"I know. All's I'm saying is that you should be patient. Don't shut them out of your life just yet. Give them a chance to calm down—"

"Stop. I don't want to talk about this anymore." I said, messaging my temples.

After another moment of silent suffering, I sighed.

"Tonks?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blow up on you like that."

"No problem. That's what friends are for."

A ghost of a smile lifted the corner of my mouth when I she put a light stress of friends.

"Oh—here," she said, abruptly changing the subject, "these came for you yesterday after you went to bed. I know they're a little late, but the new Minister of Magic only just agreed to help fund them." I took the envelope from her silently, not looking at her as I tore it open carelessly.

The letter consisted of three separate pieces of parchment, one a list of subjects and the necessary books and equipment. It was from Hogwarts.

"What? I already told…damn. I only owled them my N.E.W.T prep classes which means I still need four more classes." I told her, my voice still subdued. I scanned the introductory letter and read parts of it out loud to myself.

"Our paper work shows that you have yet to turn in your completed list of classes. Please hand in the completed list of the classes you have chosen to your Head of House upon your arrival. Yours Truly, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress. Perfect." The last two pages were the materials list and the forecast sheet I'd turn into my Head of House.

I scanned the class list carefully, mentally crossing off subjects like Care of Magical Creatures and Divination.

"Construction?" I read still scanning the list, "I've never heard of that class. Do they say anything about it in the intro?" I re-read the introductory letter again.

I was trying to immerse myself in something else besides…this was a welcome distraction.

"New programs, blah, blah, blah. Must be at least sixteen years of age to participate. These programs use an integrated approach to learning, designed to allow every student opportunities to be active participants in their educational plans…identify career interests…performance standards may be met through knowledge and skills tests or through work samples. Sure they are." I returned my attention to the list as Prince reclaimed his spot on my lap.

Most of these were extra defense classes. The school was going to help its students prepare themselves for Voldemort's Death Eaters. They had a healing class, a construction class, and two very different aspects of defense. One of these was physical and the other the equivalent of a dueling course group.

There was a regular course schedule available for kids who weren't interested in the newer programs.

"Interesting. I believe I will be taking all of those." I removed a disgruntled Prince off my lap and retrieved a quill and inkwell from my trunk. I prepared my quill then quickly checked off the little boxes next to the classes I wanted. Near the bottom they had a space for a parent signature. With a grim smile on my face I signed my own name of the line.

Understanding that I wanted to forget my problems with Molly for the moment, Tonks smiled.

"The perks of being seventeen. Just wait until we get to the Ministry, you'll never want to sign another piece of parchment again."

"You're taking me to the Ministry?"

Tonks rolled her eyes heavenward. "Yes! Unless you don't want to take your Apparation Test…?"

"Oh! Yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Thanks." I said seriously. I knew she was trying to help me forget my current "family" problems and was grateful.

"No problem."

"Just give me a few minutes to gather up my stuff and we can leave." Knowing that I'd be not just be leaving for the afternoon, I began to gather up my bathroom stuff, shoving it all into a worn black carry-on bag. I was trying to remember what I'd read about Apparation when I came out of the bathroom.

"I packed for you." Knowing that Tonks had minimal housekeeping skills I grimaced.

"I think I'm getting better." She said brightly.

Glancing over at my trunk, I highly doubted it. Articles of clothing were sticking out of the sides, suggesting the contents were a jumbled heap. Prince peaked out from under the bed, his fur ruffled as he hissed contemptuously at Tonks.

"Uh-huh. Just give me a minute to get dressed." She bounced out the door and shut it behind her. An exclamation followed by a series of rapid thumps and a resounding crash assured me that Tonks would meet me at the bottom of the stairs.

"I swear, that girl must have broken more bones…" Chuckling, I spent the next twenty minutes re-packing my suitcase. By the time I'd peeled off my shirt and boxers it was nearly ten thirty. I jumped in the shower, taking my bathroom bag with me.


When I stepped out of the bathroom my stomach growled loudly, urging me to hurry my ass up. I ran my fingers through my hair, slapped on some lip and eyeliner and confronted the contents of my trunk.

It never really took long for me to dress, having a tendency to purchase black shirts and jeans. I hated formal wizard wear, however, and made a point of tailoring every single robe I bought. I refused to let my robes drag on the ground and trip me up during lessons. Long robes hampered movement and became hazardous when working with potions.

A personal pet peeve, every last one of them was hemmed and tailored into a peculiar style I'd begun to favor in my fourth year. It was a swank punk look that assured every one that despite my austere attire I was female and a fashionably tall, athletic female at that.

Nevertheless, few in the magical community approved of my sense of style, or lack there of. I eyed my Hogwarts robes and grimaced. Perhaps I could get away with just wearing my own robes, which were all black anyway.

"I hate dress codes."

I reached into my trunk and snatched up a pair of leather pants I'd permanently borrowed from a muggle friend who'd owed me money. I stuck my head through one of my older robes, belting up my boots. I locked up my trunk after managing to shrink the other bags using unaided magic so they fit into one of the larger compartments.

Straightening my clothes in the bathroom mirror, I took a minute to assess my appearance. I knew I was stalling, but I didn't care. A small knot in my stomach prevented me from heading directly down stairs.

"I need a skin toner charm. I look pasty." I said, wrinkling my nose.

Instead of lying out in the sun like a normal student I'd often found myself helping the Potions Mistress. In my third year someone tipped her off on the identity of the student responsible for mislabeling all her potion ingredients for her fifth year class. As a result I was eternally enslaved as her personal drudge, labeling, sorting and mixing potions for the rest of my natural life.

That woman had been a ruthless, heartless bitch with a sallow complexion, and short oily hair. And the boys thought Professor Snape was bad. I snorted. That man had nothing on Professor Varner. I remembered having to test a healing potion and shivered. Before you could test a healing potion you had to be injured, Varner had been quite adamant about that.

Remembering that Tonks was waiting I pointed my wand at my trunk.

"Locomotor trunk." It did an odd wriggle but stayed stationary. Impatient, I tried it again.

"Locomotor trunk." It rose a few inches into the air before falling back onto the floor with a resounding boom. I stood there for a moment, puzzled. I knew weight was a large part of the spell, but I'd moved furniture heavier than this at school.

A thought occurred to me: maybe I'd outgrown it. My transfiguration teacher, Professor Grackle, had mentioned something of the like. It was neither common nor that unusual to purchase another wand when you became older. I gave it one more try before I pocketed my wand and made the same gesture with my hand.

"Locomotor trunk." It rose steadily into the air before settling at a desirable height.

"Hmm." I stared at my useless wand and decided it would be best if I used it as a prop.

"No one else has to know that I'm not using you." Holding said expired wand aloft I took one last look around the room. The dead, vacant feeling I'd once associated with it had returned. It was as though I'd never lived in it, like no one had for years.

I had to get that Hogsmeade job, I realized as I stood there. If I didn't I wasn't going to have a place to stay over the summer and holidays. I did a quick mental tally of how much money I'd had before coming to England, roughly nine galleons, to what I'd spent that day at Diagon Alley.

"I have three Galleons and four Sickles." I said disbelievingly. It wasn't like I'd had lots of money left over from Dad's funeral to begin with, yet I was shocked. I'd just never thought about it before now. Any thoughts concerning my financial state had been shoved into the back of my mind. I wasn't used to relying completely on my own money for everything. Now that I was older and had to I felt my other problems pale in comparison to reality. There were more important things than being mad at my cousins. My financial state for example.

"A job, a flat, and the rest of my school supplies. Maybe I can trade in my wand instead of paying..." I headed down the stairs, my trunk keys jingling from its ring on my belt.

I passed the girls' rooms, then the twins', and the boys' room all the while thinking about how much I hated drunk drivers. If I'd been born into a normal family I wouldn't have to worry about finding a place to stay, getting another job, coming up with the money to buy a new wand; signing up with a new school, an evil mass murderer, or watching out for violent flora and fauna that seemed to hate me instinctively…

No one came out of their respective rooms or opened their doors to watch me go. I was relieved. I never wanted to see them on familiar terms again. I didn't want to see Molly face to face. I just wanted this all to fade into the background, become another memory that I could store away and forget. I didn't need the drama of family life added to my already impressively long list of problems.

Tonks wasn't waiting for me near the steps. Shrugging, I headed down the hallway towards the door. The first stop on my list was the Leaky Caldron, then the Ministry of Magic, and finally Diagon Alley. I tried to remember if there had been a wand shop there.

"Oy! Wait up. Oof!" Tonks exclaimed as she fell into the hall behind me, hard. Amused, I turned around trying not to smile.

"Alright?"

"Yeah. Blast, I've torn my robes." She sighed irritably, picking herself off the floor.

"Waiting in the kitchen?" I asked. She grinned and held up a large paper sack as she jogged towards me. She swore loudly as her robes caught on a hideous coat rack, promptly knocking it over and somehow managing to create a rather large hole in the wall.

"A one man demolition crew." I muttered walking outside. Prince sneezed in agreement.


"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day." Said the serene, disembodied voice of a woman. I stepped out of the telephone booth and out into a fantastic, peacock blue and polished wooden hallway filled with sour faced employees. I didn't blame them. If I had to work with morons like the ministry worker who'd sent me here, I'd be pissed.

"Why did we have to go through the old telephone booth?" I nodded over to the fancy fireplaces embedded in the walls of the hall. I'd felt like I'd needed to slip into a superman outfit back there.

"Because those are used specifically for ministry officials and you're a visitor." Tonks stated simply. I followed her through the crowed of people and over to a desk labeled SECURITY. There was an enormous line winding clear over to a rather tacky statue of a witch, a wizard, a centaur, and a house elf.

"This might take awhile. Security's been real tight lately incase any Death Eaters try to get in." I made a noncommittal sound while groaning internally.

This was going to take for-EVER! I sighed and distracted myself by unobtrusively observing the comings and goings of the visitors. That everyone wearing a silvery button with their name and purpose for coming here.

After forty-five minutes of observing I shifted slightly on my feet, covering a yawn.

This is worse than the DMV. Turning around, I saw a disgustingly cheerful witch with short, brassy hair wave energetically at Tonks.

"Oh, Merlin. Here she comes." Tonks murmured out of the side of her mouth, a forced smile on her face.

I couldn't help but snicker as the witch ran over to give Tonks a hug in all her garish glory.

Wow, I thought, taking note of the construction zone orange pants under the flowing, sparkly blue robe.

"TONKS! Oh, I am so glad you're here. How are you? It feels like I haven't seen you in ages." My lip curled in disgust at the brightly dressed girl. She must be at least twenty, though she sounded no older than thirteen. I grimaced as her high voice screeched every other word.

"How are things in the field?" I gritted my teeth as she drew out field. Tonks opened her mouth to answer but was cut off.

"Oh, I can't wait till I graduate!" She jumped in place, her bright pink heels making an annoying tap-tappa-tap on the hardwood floor.

"Only one month left! Thank Merlin. Stanton is driving me absolutely mad, you know?"

With some amusement I watched Tonks flinch every time the girl stressed a word by raising her voice into a high-pitched squeal. The only damper was that I had to listen to the bubble-gum chewer too (she wasn't chewing but it would fit the look). Bubbles widened her eyes as if remembering something dreadfully important.

"Did you hear about Georgia? Oh, this is absolutely priceless!"

"Like your shoes." I muttered so only Tonks could hear. Tonks choked on a laugh she fought to keep down. Bubblehead didn't even pause for breath.

"She was caught, get this, snogging Kyle Weatherbeater! In his office no less! I mean really, where does the girl get off doing things like that? You should have heard the things–"

"Wand please. Ah-hem, wand please!" A harried looking man in peacock blue robes called. Bubbles pouted slightly while Tonks bid her a relieved good-bye.

"Sorry," Tonks breathed as we saddled up to the desk, "Miss Vanderhorn is here to register as a legal adult and take care of some apparation business." I pointed significantly at my button, which read:

Astrid Vanderhorn. Apparation Test and Adult Certification

I handed the weary, pinched looking man my wand. He set it down on a queer balance scale that began to shake before a piece of parchment popped out of an opening at the base. Before giving me back my wand he had me roll up both of my sleeves. Seeing nothing was there he ran what must be the equivalent of a metal detector over me.

I stepped on the indicated mark on the floor as he did so, dryly advising him not to get too friendly. To my surprise he turned slightly pink, clearing his throat. Bemused, I put down my arms as he returned to his spot behind the desk. He visibly collected himself and picked up the strip of parchment from earlier. He did not make eye contact with me.

"Ten and a half inches, yew wood, with a unicorn hair core. Been using it for five years, correct?"

"Yeah." I glanced over at Tonks, wondering if I should have traded in my wand first before coming here. He handed me my wand while he filed away the slip of parchment.

"Just head on up to level six for now. Next!"

I strolled along behind Tonks, who I noticed was cutting her way through the throng of people entering tall golden gates at the end of the hall as fast as possible. I glanced behind me and decided to pick up the pace. The brassy haired bubble-gum chewer was heading our way. Tonks panicked as a particularly large crowed of people halted our progress.

"Alright, move over." I said. She was presently trying to squeeze past two extremely large visitors. I tore off my silver button and tossed my hair scornfully as I squared my shoulders.

Put on the Bitch Face!

"Excuse me! Coming through, make way please!" I said, raising my voice so it could be heard clearly over the rumble of conversations in the hall.

I stalked purposely towards the very heart of the assemblage, a doomsday expression plastered on my face. The confidence and unquestionable command I put in my step and voice helped matters immensely. I held up an authoritative hand to stop angry protests as I stormed through the golden gates.

I was only mildly surprised that the surrounding mass cleared a small path for us as they squished together. I was used to the belligerent muggle mobs that flooded the malls and supermarkets in America; nasty places to be after Thanksgiving. Trying to get anywhere after Thanksgiving was pure hell. You needed a helmet, some pepper-spray, and an extra five feet of attitude to survive Black Friday.

So saying, I was more than qualified to handle this mob.

Some visitors traded worried looks and wondered what all the fuss was about. Tonks had picked up at once and had started to bully the more hardheaded persons out of our way, declaring it was urgent Auror business.

We made it to the smaller hall behind the golden gates and took over one of the lifts that stood behind the wrought golden grilles.

"Bloody hell." Tonks leaned against the back wall and sighed loudly. The golden grille clanked shut and began to slowly rise.

"Who was that?" I asked as the lift began to rise steadily upward.

"Darlene Sarlow. She's an Apprentice Auror, if you can believe it. She's quiet an actress and dead on with her wand."

"Huh. Your regular stalker?" Tonks snorted.

"That's putting it lightly. She's a vicious little monster, won't take a hint. I can't seem to shake her; I feel like I have a living shadow every time I come into the office. I don't know what she's doing out of the training room or how she gets past Stanton." She shook her head, her tone grudgingly impressed.

"She color blind?" I asked. Tonks chuckled and shook her head no.

"The girl's slicker than a kelpie. Her brother's a real looker though. Met him when Dumbledore interviewed him." There were several loud clicks as the lift doors opened and the grille slid back.

"Level six, Department of Magical Transport, Incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office, and Apparation Test Center." The same serene female voice from the telephone booth announced.

Twelve purple paper airplanes zoomed past us and into the lift, the words MINISTRY OF MAGIC stamped on their wings.

"Cool. Much better than using owls to deliver messages back and forth." I said, stepping out of the lift.

"I heard they used to use owls, but this was more effective and leaves less of a mess." Three rather frazzled witches were bickering back and forth as they helped a rather green appearing girl into the vacated lift. I caught the tail end of the conversation and winced sympathetically. The girl had nearly splinched herself during her Apparation Test.

Tonks must have misinterpreted the look on my face because she gave me an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine. Come on, it's this way." She led me through a maze of hallways with stiff carpeted floor and white walls flashing notices and important dates.

"How long will this take?" I asked, jumping out of the way of a stack of walking books.

"Pardon me, ladies." The small man holding up the towering mass said before disappearing around the corner. Paper airplanes were everywhere it seemed as they swooped and dodged around people. Everyone was going somewhere or doing something as they came in and out of nearby doors. I heard a lady wearing a large yellow robe bellowing at some poor old man about her fireplace connection and a wedding.

"Here we are." Tonks pulled open a large oak door with APPARATION TEST CENTER stamped across it in gold.

She quickly ushered me through. The doors snapped shut behind us and I sighed in relief as the raucous faded. In front of me was a lobby of sorts with several comfortable cushioned chairs stationed all around the room. The floor was a patchwork of blue and gold tiles. Sunlight steamed through five evenly spaced windows along the far wall, casting a warm glow on a long wooden desk where several wizards and witches were wearing the now familiar peacock blue uniforms of ministry officials.

I was strongly reminded of a muggle DMV as people were called up to hand in their papers before being directed through a set of double doors to be tested. Every time someone opened that door it sounded as though a giant bag of popcorn was being microwaved back there. It was going to be a long wait.


Three hours, five paper cuts, and a bruised backside later Tonks and I apparated to my room at the Leaky Caldron.

"Holy shit! I never want to sign another bloody piece of paper." I declared vehemently, slumping on to my bed. Prince yawned from his place among the covers.

"I don't blame you. Just watching you sign all those documents gave me a headache. I don't remember there being so many when I registered as an adult. Must be because you're foreign." Tonks decided from her place near the door.

I swallowed a sarcastic retort and sighed, fingering my newly healed wounds. Having had no learning in that particular area, let alone a wand to do it with, Tonks had taken care of the stinging paper cuts.

"What time is it?" Tonks asked, opening the door. I glanced down at my watch.

"Almost four, why?"

"I have somewhere I haveta be." Order business then. I nodded, tapping my fingers on the tops of my knees.

"Later then. Thanks for…everything." I said sincerely. She gave me a smile of understanding and gave my shoulder a quick squeeze.

"I'll be here if you ever need to talk to someone. Don't ever think you're alone, Astrid. I'll be there for you should you need me. Be careful. Make your teachers miserable. And nice job on your Apparation Test. I knew you could do it." A warm, pleased feeling settled into my stomach and I told her I would. She left with a cheerful smile and a crack.

Feeling better than I had all day I scratched Prince's head.

"Be good. I still have to pick up my wand." He purred softly, his blue eyes glazed with sleep.

"Lazy cat. I'll leave the window open for you." The first thing I'd done when I'd left the house was rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron, making sure it was one located on the ground floor. The window allowed Prince to jump outside and relieve himself should the need arise.

I shut the door behind me and made my way down the hall, following some other people out the back door and into Diagon Alley. As the bricks rearranged themselves into the large stone archway I fiddled with my wand.

What if I couldn't afford a new one? I shook my head slightly. I wouldn't think about that. I would get a wand and that was that. I tromped down the street, my eyes flicking from store to store. I passed Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and my stomach growled. I'd been hours since I'd ate the sandwiches Tonks had stashed into the brown paper bag she'd taken with her when we left the house.

Groaning softly as the smell of freshly baked brownies and other sweets that were mixed into ice cream, I forced myself to walk away. Trying not to breath in the alluring aroma I hurried past the parlor and almost died a horrendous, and ultimately embarrassing death.

"WATCH OUT!" Someone grabbed me around the waist and hauled me bodily out of the way of as a flying toilet crashed into the cobble stones where I'd stood not seconds before. The impact was impressive and made my ears ring. Screams from bystanders and curses from the people who had thrown themselves sideways filled the air. A cloud of gray dust, stirred up from the collision, muffled the yells of terror as people began to cough.

I heard a man with a thick Scottish brogue bellow, "SORRY!" as he leaned out of the upper story window. I heard what must be twenty Ministry officials apparate on the scene to investigate.

Coughing, I allowed myself to be led away by my rescuer. My vision was distorted slightly from the dust as I stumbled into a tattered little shop on the right side of the street, a strong arm holding me close to prevent me from falling.

A bell chimed deep within the shop as we entered. There was almost nowhere to stand, the floor being covered with hundreds of thin tiny boxes, all of them piled neatly up to the ceiling. Once I had stopped coughing and had regained my senses I pointedly stepped away from the muscled body I was being crushed against.

"Thank you." I said tersely, detangling myself from the arm. Turning around, I saw that my rescuer was a young man perhaps four years my senior. His clothing belonged to that of a ministry Auror. Dust smudged his face and arms and had settled in his hair, making him look older.

"All right there?" His voice was kind and concerned like his bright hazel eyes. He was a tall, powerfully built man of about twenty with fine auburn hair and long sideburns.

Cute, but undoubtedly simple. Too bad.

"Yeah, thanks." I gave him a nod of dismissal and concentrated on brushing the dust off my clothes. It came off in gray puffs, making me cough.

"Sorry about grabbing you earlier. I'm Mike Sarlow by the way." The image of a brassy haired witch flashed before me and I made a face.

"Sarlow as in Darlene Sarlow?" His eyebrows shot up in surprise, then amusement.

"Yes, I take it you've met my sister." He smiled at me, straight white teeth flashing in his tanned face.

I remembered what Tonks had said about him and rolled my eyes. She would like him. I ran a hand through my hair and caught him staring. And not at my face.

"Excuse you." I said pointedly. His eyes snapped up to mine instantly and I gave him a look that could peel the paint off a house. He ducked his head, a little red around the ears.

Pervert.

"Hmm. I haven't seen you in here for quite some time, Miss Sweetblood." Startled, I swung around at the softly spoken statement. An old man with wispy white hair and silvery eyes was peering at me intently. His eyes widened for a split second as he examined me more closely.

"My apologies, Miss…?"

"Vanderhorn." He nodded, silver eyes still fixed on my face. Goosebumps were prickling my arms and I shifted uneasily. Mike sneezed and the penetrating silver eyes landed on him.

"Ah, Mr. Sarlow. Oak and phoenix feather. Eleven and a half inches."

"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Ollivander. I'm sorry for disturbing you. Someone lost control of their toilet and Miss Vanderhorn here was nearly crushed by it."

"Luckily for her you were on duty this evening then. Are you off now?" My lips twitched, catching the underlying tone of reprimand.

"No, unfortunately. I should get going. Farris is probably wondering what the bloo—ahem. What happened to me."

I snorted inwardly. Like I care if you curse or not.

"I hope I'll see you around sometime, Miss Vanderhorn. I'm afraid today is my last day patrolling Diagon Alley, however. Perhaps I can reach you by owl?" He asked casually, catching me off guard.

It wasn't that I had''t ever been hit on, it just always surprised me. I normally avoided boys. Or scared them shitless. A woman with a mind of her own is a terrifying thing. Especially when said woman has a sure-fire mouth, a competitive streak wider that the English Channel, and an instinctive hatred for stupidity among other things.

I glanced over at Mr. Ollivander and bit the inside of my cheek. It wouldn't do me any good if I made a bad impression on him before I even asked him if I could possibly trade in my wand.

"Perhaps."

"Excellent. Have a wonderful evening Miss Vanderhorn, Mr. Ollivander." Sarlow gave me a smile before briskly heading out the door. Annoyed, I returned my attention back to Mr. Ollivander.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Miss Vanderhorn?" He asked, giving me a searching look.

"Yes, actually. I was in fact on my way here before the flying toilet crashed." I said dryly. I pulled out my wand and handed it to him. Wrinkle creased hands gently took the wand as he turned a calculating eye on it.

"Grown out of it have we? Hmm. Yew wood with a unicorn hair core." He handed it back and pulled out a long tape measure with silver markings on it out of his pocket and measured it.

"Ten and a half inches. Stellare!" What appeared to be a small shooting stare burst from the end of my wand in a shower of white sparks.

"Good. Which arm is your wand arm?"

"My right." Mr. Ollivander measured around my head, from my shoulder to the tips of my fingers, elbow to wrist, and from head to toe.

The measuring tape began to measure the width between my eyes as Mr. Ollivander turned to consult the shelves and stacked columns of boxes. He extracted a rather long box from the shelf and brought it over to me.

"That's enough." He said and the measuring tape fell to the floor in a heap. "Twelve and a quarter inches, beech wood with a phoenix feather core. Exceptionally flexible." He took it out of the box and handed it to me. I gave it an experimental flick but nothing happened. He plucked it nimbly for my fingers and began handing me wands one right after another.

"Ooh. Difficult eh? Well, we'll see about that. Willow, ten inches, its core coming from a rather temperamental female unicorn." I'd barely touched it when he snatched it back

"No, no, no. Here. Oak and dragon heartstring. No? Not to worry. Hmm…" He trailed off and went to consult his shelves again, tapping his chin with an inordinately long, white finger. Boxes of discarded wands littered the floor around me and I tried not to become frustrated. My stomach was growling continuously, putting me in a fowl mood.

It hadn't been this hard to find my first wand I couldn't help thinking. The lady had simply handed me the first wand in sight, twittering happily at me when it sent up purple sparks.

"Blackthorn wood with a phoenix feather core. " Mr. Ollivander announced, handing me a new wand. Faster than I could say 'hocus-pocus' he swiftly took it back again.

"You're quite the customer. Remind me of another young lady I had in my store years ago." He gave me a questioning look before staging a conversation with himself.

"Perhaps…it might work. Eight inches, excellent for spell casting, powerful—yes that'll do." He muttered, silver eyes shining. I eyed him warily as he shuffled off, returning from among the stacks of wands with a particularly dusty box. He opened it up and placed a fine-grained mahogany wand in my hand.

The moment I touched it I knew this the one. My skin tingled impatiently and I snapped my wrist upward sharply. Purple and silver sparks exploded from the tip of my wand immediately, coaxing a triumphant smile out of me.

"Very good! Bravo, Miss Vanderhorn, bravo. Yes. Interesting choice, I must admit. Very interesting." Mr. Ollivander said softly. I raised an eyebrow at him but chose not to comment.

I just wanted to leave and order something at the Leaky Cauldron. After he allowed me to trade in my wand I paid him two more Galleons to cover the rest of the cost. I thanked him briefly and left.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk, I noticed that the street lamps were on. The sun had sunk low behind the buildings, throwing parts of the alley in shadow. Checking my watch I realized I'd been in there for roughly little over an hour. There were less people about, most of them rushing home to be with their families.

Strolling casually across the street I glanced causally at the sidewalk in front of the ice cream parlor. The pothole left behind from the toilet had been filled and smoothed over expertly, the slight dip in the cobblestones barely noticeable.

"Miss Vanderhorn. I thought you'd be long gone by now." Mike Sarlow was smiling engagingly at me from his place at one of the parlor tables. He was still wearing his work robes but appeared to have washed the dust out of his hair.

"Yes, well I should be going. My cat is probably worried." I said coolly, nodding to him. I headed down the street, sighing as I heard him scoot back his chair and get up to join me.

"Just your cat?" He inquired, giving me a sidelong glance after he caught up with me. I turned and gave him a cold glare, pointedly brushing off his question. I was not interested. Not now, not ever.

"Ah. I see." He said carefully, having apparently gauging my animosity. He was quiet for a minute. I felt myself growing increasingly irritated as we drew closer to the archway.

"How long have you been in England, Miss Vanderhorn? I take it you're from America?"

I glanced over at him before returning my attention to the archway, ignoring him. I was within five feet of it when he placed a hand on my shoulder. I immediately slapped it off, jabbing my wand into his stomach. I couldn't help but notice that it was rock hard.

"Don't touch me." I warned him, pissed. He backed up, hands open and held out to his sides.

"I apologize, I meant no offense. I only wanted to get your attention and ask you to dinner."

I snorted. There was no way in hell I was going anywhere with him, a man I'd met in a wand shop.

"I think not." I informed him firmly, staring him dead in the eye. "I appreciate you risking your life to save mine and I thank you. Goodbye Mr. Sarlow." I left him standing there with a stupefied look on his chiseled face. Curiously tired I ran a weary hand trough my hair as I passed beneath the archway with another couple.

Before it closed behind me I heard him call out, "Rain check?"

My face must have betrayed me because he gave me a slow half smile before the archway sealed itself up.

Damn. I swore, walking towards the Leaky Cauldron. A small smile appeared on my face as I pushed open the back door. Hedoes have an incredible ass though.


(A/N):

If any of you have suggestions or catch major mistakes on this chapter let me know. I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I know it's ridiculous. I hope to commit myself more fully over the summer when I'm off work.

Also, as I may have mentioned earlier, I am going to be re-updating some chapters like this one. I'm sorry for not just leaving it but I can't help not fixing it. At first I thought it was fine but after re-reading it decided it was terrible. So, here's another version of Chapter 9.

Again, I'm sorry for fiddling with my posted work.

Eating donuts, the author

PS: American High-Fi (or whatever) came to my high school today. I don't really like their music but it was fun. I ended up being a half an hour late for my chemistry class. I also got all of their signatures on my chemistry homework. One of the guys told me that that was a first.