To Alice Potter, the Ravenclaw common room looked as though a war had just ended. There was a handful of new students sitting slumped or crying in corners with older ones trying to comfort them. She supposed, on a happier day, the common room might look pretty. The décor was centered around the night sky. The high domed ceiling showed a starry charm similar to the one in the Great Hall. The room was round, so the sofas and bookcases were placed higgledy-piggledy around the room. In that sense, it could've resembled her bedroom.
Over in the corner, right beside a tight spiral staircase, was a statue of a lady.
"That's Rowena Ravenclaw," Luna smiled, following Alice's gaze. "She's lovely, isn't she?"
Alice appraised the statue. She looked wrong; out of place; brand new. She was white and detailed. She looked out over the common room with a severe look of pride. She was so lifelike it was unnerving.
"She looks lost," Alice commented.
Luna sighed. "It can't be easy, navigating your way around the afterlife. Some people never grasp the concept of mortality, let alone death. Maybe she's still thinking."
Alice looked up at her companion. Luna was gazing up at the statue with nostalgia. She turned and smiled at Alice.
"Your suitcase and bird will be in your dormitory by now. Would you like me to show you?"
"No, I... think I can manage..." as Alice spoke, she noticed something stirring in the shadows of a tall bookcase near them. She heard a whimper.
"I think I'll be going to bed then," said Luna. "You can come and get me in the night if you need anything."
"Thank you... Luna."
Luna skipped away, through the groups of students that would've stared or sniggered at her, had they not been preoccupied by the terrified first years.
Alice tiptoed over to the whimpering bookcase. It was crammed with leather-bound books on divination, astronomy, stories... if Alice could give credit to anything today, it was that her new common room had an exciting collection of books.
She peered round the bookcase.
Crouched on the floor behind it was a round, podgy boy. He wore a huge pair of glasses and a bow tie. He was pouting almost comically. Big dollop tears rolled down his face.
"Excuse me..." began Alice, coming into full view. The boy looked up and sniffed. "Are you alright?"
The boy nodded.
"Why are you crying?" she tried again.
The boy wiped his nose on his sleeve. "I'm not. Leave me alone."
Alice frowned. "I was only asking. You seemed upset."
The boy looked down at his crossed legs again. Alice peered round at the rest of the common room, where the few other scared first years were surrounded by hoards of sympathetic older students. This boy had nobody.
She walked round him and sat down directly in front of him.
"I'm Alice Potter."
The boy looked up, suddenly looking in awe.
"Really? Harry Potter's sister?"
"Yes. What's your name?"
The boy frowned again. "Rudge," he mumbled. "Skippy Rudge."
"I beg your pardon?" said Alice unthinkingly.
"Skippy Rudge. Mum's a muggle animal activist. She named my sister and I after animals she'd worked with who'd been killed in inhumane ways. You know, to honour them."
Alice was not sure whether to laugh or cry. "... I see."
"And now everyone knows that I have a stupid name because that witch read out my name to the whole school!" he cried loudly. Alice looked around nervously. She noticed now that there were a few students smirking at them. Alice scowled back.
"I don't understand!" he cried, even louder. "When they read out my sister's name, people clapped!" he bowed his head again and sobbed once. "Maybe when I become a prefect, people will stop laughing at me..."
"What's your sister's name?"
"Tabby."
"...Oh."
Alice had been vaguely conscious of the prefect announcements after the Sorting. Tabby Rudge was a gryffindor prefect. She was pretty and tall. She had a group of friend who'd sat near Harry, who'd smiled sadly at her.
Alice watched Skippy cry. She was not often the person to turn to for comfort, having only eleven years of life experience to offer. So, silently, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the little bag that Dumbledore had given her.
"Pear drop?" she asked. Skippy stopped crying. He looked at the bag, looked up at her, and down at the bag again. When he didn't take one, Alice reached in and took one for herself. She popped it into her mouth. The sugar coating scratched the roof of her mouth but the sweet taste almost made her smile. They reminded her of Dumbledore's eccentric humour.
Skippy reached in with a fat hand, pulled one out and put it in his mouth. Seconds later, he smiled at her.
The room went silent suddenly. Skippy's gaze moved to the corner of the room, where everyone else was now staring.
A tall, gangly, fair-haired boy was standing in the doorway of the common room looking slightly out of breath. He stared round at the rest of Ravenclaw in fear, who all appeared to be scowling at him. Some were mumbling unintelligable words, but Alice did not need to be able to hear them to know that they were unpleasant.
The boy gulped. He took one look at the staircase towards the boys's dormitories and sprinted across the common room towards it. He swooped up the staircase and disappeared. The room buzzed with whispers.
"Who was that?" Alice asked.
"Miles Malfoy," mumbled Skippy. "His brother's been arguing with Slughorn all afternoon, getting him to let him into Slytherin. I expect he tried Dumbledore too."
"Has he done something wrong?"
"Why d'you ask?"
"Everyone looks like they hate him."
"He's a Malfoy. Everyone hates The Malfoys."
"But has he actually done anything? Has he upset someone? Hurt someone?"
"The Malfoys hate muggle-borns."
"I know," said Alice darkly, recalling her mother's encounter with Lucius Malfoy at Flourish & Blotts. "That doesn't mean he does."
"...true..."
oOoOoOo
"Butterbeer, Molly?" asked James, smiling pleasantly. Lily rolled her eyes at him as she sat down.
"Oh, erm... no, just a small glass of mead will do for me. Thank you, James," said Molly, blushing.
James and Sirius went up to order from the bar while Molly and Lily shrugged out of their coats and sat down. The Leaky Cauldron was often fairly busy on a Saturday, with witches and wizards drowning their shopping frustrations in whisky. Lily had neglected to make any proper contact with Molly other than in the odd letter about the boys, so was compelled to invite her out. She just hoped that her insufferable husband would behave himself.
"This is ever so kind of you, Lily!" beamed Molly. "I've never been one for frequenting pubs, but this is a lovely treat!"
"Oh, don't thank me. James is paying."
Molly looked over at the bar and straightened her back. "You're a very lucky woman, Lily."
"I know," she sighed as the men returned.
"Here you are, ladies!" grinned James, placing the tray of drinks on the table. "One butterbeer, one white rat whisky, one mead and one pumpkin juice."
Lily smirked at the astonished look she received from Molly.
"Not drinking, Lily?" asked Molly weakly.
"Nope. Better not."
"I... see..."
"Do you?" Lily grinned, casting a glance at her husband who was hiding a smirk behind his glass of butterbeer.
"Of course I do... seven children..."
James' shoulders were shaking. Lily kicked her husband' leg under the table, causing him to splatter froth everywhere.
Molly cleared her throat. "Well, I daresay congratulations are in order!" she daintily picked up her mead. "Cheers, everybody!"
"Yes, cheers!" said Sirius. He grabbed his drink and stood up. "A toast" To the new Potter baby!"
"Oi, Padfoot, keep it down!" hissed James.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" roared a voice. The group pratcially leapt from their seats.
"GET OUT OF MY PUB!" Tom the barman was shouting at a tall, bald man in dark green robes. He was ushering a group of alarmed-looking people out of the pub. They all wore jeans and coats. The bald man handled them in a way that one might carry a garbage bag.
"Sir, have you read the sign at the back of the courtyard out there?" asked the bald man.
"'Course I bloody have and it's complete ruddy rubbish!"
Lily felt her face flush.
The bald man remained calm and composed. Lily noticed two oily- looking gentleman lingering in the doorway. She suspected them of being with this man...
"Then you'll know, Sir, that the Ministry of Magic issued a decree for the prohibition of muggles in public wizarding places four months ago. You've had since then to initiate the new laws."
Lily looked at her husband, whose jaw was locked in anger. Lily gulped and moved closer towards him. He flinched when she laced her fingers with his.
"Sod your bloody law," Tom growled, walking around the bar to stand inches from the bald man. "It ain't right that there's parents what can't buy their kids a broomstick. Are you a father?"
"I am, Sir."
"Then what the bloody hell are you doing banning muggles from being a part of their relatives' lives, eh?"
The bald man took a step forward so that his nose was almost touching Tom's. Out of nowhere, Lily saw Rita Skeeter slowly pop up between them and silently begin to scribble on a note pad.
"I am a pureblood, Sir. My wife is a pureblood and my daughters and purebloods."
"Slytherins?"
"No. Ravenclaws."
Tom's eyes narrowed.
"Just like myself, my wife and my father, thus not disturbing the balance of the Houses."
The bald man took a step backwards towards the door. He appraised the frozen crowd, who stared at him wide-eyed.
"It is my job to remind those of you who have forgotten the generosity of the wizarding world. We have allowed muggles to permeate the walls of our great society. We have let their children integrate with our children: pure witches and wizards..."
James was shaking. Lily's grip on his hand tightened.
"... need I remind you that they were the ones who burned and slaughtered our ancestors? They were the ones who exhiled us because of who were are and what we can do. That, my fellow wizards, is discrimination at it's worst. We have done so much for them. We have spent galleons on keeping them protected. We defeated You-know-who in order to-"
"You? YOU DEFEATED THEM?!" James roared, letting go of Lily's hand. "You and your sodding ministry took no part in Voldemort's death! It was us! A bunch of teenagers, some ministry-opposing aurors and a baby boy!"
The bald man ignored James entirely. Instead, he glared at Lily.
"Mrs Potter..." he said, slowly approaching them.
"Don't talk to her," James growled.
"James..." warned Lily.
The bald man stopped several feet away from them.
"Congratulations, Mrs Potter. Your masterpiece has been in the bestseller chart for the past six weeks. You must be pleased."
"Extremely," she said bluntly.
"It's quite famous among my colleagues at the ministry. You ought to be careful. It's made a few people rather cross."
"Is that a threat?" she demanded, stepping towards him. James moved with her. He took a quick step backwards.
"Your subject choice wasn't well chosen, Mrs Potter. At least, not for this modern age."
"How dare you..."
"I'm afraid that if anybody in here has a query about the new laws, they should contact my superior at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"Who's that then?" asked James coldly.
The bald man turned away from them and walked towards the door.
"Lucius Malfoy!" he called behind him as he and his two companions left.
Murmuring eventually picked up as people sank back into their seats. James had gone purple.
"Prongs, mate, calm down."
"Why should I?" he spat, clicking his knuckles.
"Darling..." said Lily softly, placing a hand over his. "Let's just finish our drinks."
James took a deep breath. "We have to do something..." he growled.
"We will," promised Lily. "I have an idea for a sequel..."
oOoOoO
"This is barbaric!" exclaimed Hermione, collapsing into the seat beside Ron. He, Harry, Alice and Elsie all sat in a clump on the end of the gryffindor table, slowly finishing their dinner.
"This is utterly barbaric!"
"Are you gunna tell us what you're talking about?" asked Ron, half-audible with a mouth full of chicken.
"THIS."
She slammed a copy of the Daily Prophet on the table, making the others jump. On the front was a picture of Tom, the owner of The Leaky Cauldron, looking disgruntled as he buffered his way through photographers, carrying two suitcases.
"What's happened?" asked Harry.
"Tom's been evicted from The Leaky Cauldron."
"What?" exclaimed Harry and Ron together. Alice and Elsie leaned forward to hear the commotion.
"Why?" asked Harry.
Hermione picked up the newspaper and hastily read it aloud.
"Fogget Forgot the Law: By Rita Skeeter. Tom Fogget, owner of The Leaky Cauldron in London was forced to sell his pub to Ministry Officials yesterday after he refused to comply with new wizarding laws..." Hermione practically snarled at the newspaper. "Fogget was confronted Eberneezer Bogtrot, a junior official in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, on September the third to remind Mr Fogget of the ban on muggle entrance to public Wizarding places. Eye witnesses say that Tom Fogget was uncompliant and aggressive towards the Ministry Official. The encounter took place while the Leaky Cauldron were celebrating Lily and James Potters' announcement that they're expecting..."
Hermione stared at the paper.
"... expecting what, Hermione?" asked Harry darkly.
She looked up at him.
"Their third child."
OoOoOoO
A/N: And I'll leave that for you over Christmas.
Have a good one,
Nel X