Chapter 50! I can't believe I've written this many chapters! And 20,000 hits!
So as some people would know, a huge tropical cyclone has hit Australia on the coast of Queensland. It's caused really horrible damage in a few cities, towns and regions. Please pray for anyone whose properties have been damaged, and that the cyclone won't cause any more severe damage. Also, Brisbane. It's been flooding here, and we'll get some of the cyclone late tonight and early tomorrow, and although it will be ex-tropical by then, it could still cause severe damage and more flooding. I'm really worried about everyone here, but more so for the victims of the cyclone. Please keep them in your prayers! Right now, it's so eerie because there's no rain or wind and I checked the weather and it's on it's way... so freaked out right now.
Anyway.
xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you so much!
Williukea: XD you'd have to have a resurrection stone for them to meet :D
TheJesusFreak777: YOUR FRIEND IS SO LUCKY OMG. Oh, and if you're psychotic, I'm psychotic: I like dark stuff too... that movie is great, by the way. Oh, M rated chapters. I'd say it's a mixture of them all. Dark-ish themes, more swearing, more sexual sort of stuff... just the general M rated themes. I think. Thanks for the review XD
Guest #1: I'm only human; I can only update as fast as I humanly can!
Guest #2: By putting Maggie in Gryffindor, I'm not automatically saying that she's a good person. In this story, I have good characters that are in Slytherin. Andromeda, who is a huge part of the plotline, for instance. And although this character isn't in the plotline yet, Peter Pettigrew is an example of a Gryffindor who wasn't good. Although at the moment it may seem as though I'm enforcing the Gryffindor = good/Slytherin = bad stereotype, that's all going to change. Maggie is in Gryffindor because she has the traits of a Gryffindor – bravery, stubbornness, recklessness. Any one of those things can be either good or bad.
Chocolatecheesecakes: I love those FOB songs. I've heard most of the ones you mentioned. To be honest, I haven't listened to much of Save Rock and Roll. My favourite album is Folie a Deux; I don't get why people hate that album! I love their new album. Novocaine and Uma Thurman are the best XD. My fav songs are probably American Suitehearts, Novocaine, I Don't Care, From Now On We Are Enemies, Sugar We're Goin Down, Dance Dance, Thnks Fr Th Mmrs and Miss Missing You. I LISTENED TO THE AIRBOURNE TOXIC EVENT! Timeless and This is London are the best songs. I love the singer's voice. I'm going to listen to more of them. You're lucky you have a friend who likes FOB. At high school I've actually met heaps of people who like FOB. And other bands. Which is great! Gosh, this reply is basically band related... no regrets XD. I don't get why people don't like Bon Jovi. My teacher from last year is now my brother's teacher, and he told my brother to tell me that I'll grow out of Bon Jovi in a few months. NEVER! Pink Floyd are great as well, but I never got into them like I got into Led Zeppelin (Ramble On is one of my all time favs as well!). Thanks so much for reviewing, and no problem about it being late!
Lily: I replied on google drive AND emailed you about it but you didn't reply. REPLY! PLEASE!
Lucy Greenhill: New reviewer! Yay! Thanks so much xxx
"We're going down, down in an earlier round. And sugar we're going down, swinging." ~ Sugar We're Going Down by Fall Out Boy.
Chapter 50: It's Only The Beginning
"I'll be back soon, okay?" Charlie said, kissing my cheek. "Prefect duties finish in an hour, so see you then."
I smiled. "Seeya." Charlie's departure for Prefect duties left me alone in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Dora was saying hello to Sharla and Ellie (and, most likely, Billie), Darren was with some mates from his year, and I had no clue where Kenzie was, although I knew she was on the train; Dora had seen her earlier. Considering that I had nothing to do, I decided to go and look for her. She didn't reply to my letter, and I wanted to see if she was okay. Stretching and standing up, I walked out of the stuffy compartment. Kenzie would most likely be in the front of the train, which wasn't too far from where I was now, so I went that way. On my way, I ran into Fred and George, who were starting their first year today.
"Hey!" I said, grinning at them. Being around the twins would make even Snape grin. That is, if he knew how to. Noting the mischievous grins on their faces, I raised an eyebrow. "What have you two done?"
"Well," Fred began, sounding conversational. "It was a complete accident, you see. George and I had just borrowed a green paint bomb from our new friend, Lee, and we were looking for a candidate to be our testing target. Preferably a Slytherin."
I grinned, as George continued Fred's spiel. "We found a worthy candidate: Marcus Flint from fourth year. He's the one who looks like a troll. But just as we were about to throw it at him, a girl got in the way."
"Who?" I asked curiously.
"She had red hair and was wearing a shirt that had a gun and a rose on it," Fred said. "Do you know her?"
A shirt with a gun and a rose? I know exactly who that would be. "That was my friend Kenzie, I think. Where is she?"
"Back there," George replied, pointing to behind him. "She wasn't very happy with us, so we ran away."
I frowned. Kenzie can take a joke, and it isn't as though cleaning herself up would be hard, not with magic.
"Can you say sorry for us?" George asked, looking a little guilty. Fred rolled his eyes and muttered something about George being a goody-goody. I guess in a way, Fred is like Dora and George is like me. I smiled and nodded.
"I'm looking for her now, so I will. You two have fun," I said, winking at them before they ran off. I remember my first trip on the Hogwarts Express. I remember my first day. I hope the twins have as good of a time as I have had. I've been looking forward to the twins coming to Hogwarts for ages now. Don't get me wrong, Percy being here is cool as well, but the twins are going to make things a whole lot more interesting, for the students and teachers alike. In half an hour, they've already pranked someone. So if that's anything to go by, this year will be hectic.
Finding Kenzie was pretty easy; I just followed the green footprints into the front compartment of the train. She was sitting down on a seat, reading a book and humming the tune to a song. I cleared my throat to grab her attention. She jumped a little and looked startled, startled look changing into a guilty one upon seeing who it was; I reckoned she ignored the letter I sent her.
"Hey," she said, giving me a small smile. It was obviously a fake smile. "Come sit down."
Without hesitation, I took a seat next to her. She put her book down and faced me. There was an awkward silence, which I chose to break.
"Why didn't you reply to my letter?"
I tried to be gentle about it, but my voice sounded harsher than I intended it to. If she noticed this, she ignored it.
"I don't know," she shrugged. I frowned as she didn't elaborate; Kenzie is one of the most talkative people I know.
"Can you tell me what happened with Darren?"
She rolled her eyes at the name, which disconcerted me. How can she dismiss him like that, without an ounce of pain in her eyes?
"Well, I thought that he was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and it turns out he wasn't."
It's been two months since I've spoken to her, and she couldn't have changed more. It wasn't just her words or tone of voice; it was her whole demeanour. She looked cold and detached; incredibly strong yet broken at the same time. It would seem amazing that she could get through something like this, until you remember that she's made this up in her head. Darren wasn't using her. She has just convinced herself of it. To be honest, she's always had that part of her personality, but I didn't think it would extend to this level.
I didn't know what to say, so I said something stupid. "He told me what happened, and he says he wasn't using you."
Kenzie snorted. I semi-predicted it; it seemed like something the new Kenzie would do.
"Oh, of course he said that. He wants to paint himself as innocent. But don't listen to a word of it. Guys don't think with their brains, Maggie, and they're all the same." She suddenly seemed really riled up and angry. She stood up, eyes glistening slightly with tears. She furiously blinked them away and walked out of the room, taking me by surprise. Is she ashamed of being upset or something? Her change in attitude was dramatic, unhealthy. So even though I knew she wouldn't initially appreciate it, I went after her. She walked at a swift pace, and I followed, close enough to see where she would go but far enough away for her to not hear my footsteps. I was about to call out her name, when a sandy-haired guy walked out of his compartment, bringing her swift walk to a sudden halt. I stopped too, ducking into a nearby compartment but poking my head out to see what would happen. Because I knew exactly who that sandy-haired guy was.
Darren grabbed her hand. I couldn't see what her expression was, and upon seeing this new Kenzie, I wasn't sure what it could be.
But I could see Darren's expression. It was pained and desperate.
"Please listen to me," he said in a hushed voice. "I'm sorry for everything, okay? I never meant to make you feel like I was only in it for-"
Kenzie yanked her hand out of his grasp. "I don't want to hear your excuses." She ran off then, whilst Darren groaned and walked back into his compartment. I bit my lip. Can't she see that she's being an idiot? And that she's making Darren feel horrible? I was about to walk out of the compartment, when I felt someone grab my hand. I whipped my head around, startled. I thought I was alone in here.
My eyes narrowed automatically at the sight of him, stomach erupting into nervous butterflies. Our last encounter wasn't good. So as you can tell, I wasn't particularly comfortable with being in the same compartment as Neeson.
"Hey there," he said, giving me a wink that made me want to gag. I didn't say anything. I wasn't going to linger. The door was open, and I was going to get out. Charlie warned me that Neeson was the sort of guy that would do anything to hurt a member of Gryffindor. I wasn't going to be a victim, like I almost was last time.
I had taken one step out of the door, when he said something that made me stop in my tracks. "My mother told me something interesting about you."
I turned around. I should have kept walking, I know, but it was a queer thing to say. If he wanted to grab my attention, he would have just said that he heard something about me. But bringing his mother into it was weird, strange. Off.
I raised an eyebrow, and he grinned. It was an evil looking grin. It made me feel uncomfortable. "Oh, never you mind. But let me ask: how's things with the Weasley? Are you two looking for a future together?"
I was starting to get a little annoyed. What the hell was he on about? Does he think he has a chance with me or something? Well he's wrong about that.
"Yes," I said, tone rude and sharp. He smirked and lounged back in his seat, looking satisfied.
"Good luck with that." His tone sounded sincere but his expression was sarcastic and goading. Neeson's smile was giving me bad vibes, but his tone and words made me feel weirder. What was he going on about?
Neeson likes to bait people, so that they're under his control. Don't fall for that.
That was something Charlie told me one day. Neeson was just lying. So I shot him a filthy look and walked out, heading straight to Darren's compartment.
Seriously, I haven't even been on the express for an hour and a lot has happened. If that's any indicator of what this year will be like...
Once I was at Darren's compartment, I knocked on the door. It slid open immediately; Darren's mate Bob being the one to open the door.
"You must be looking for Darren," he said, and he moved aside so that I could see him. Darren was leaning his elbow on his knee, his head rested in his hand, miserable expression plastered onto his face.
"Er, Darren," Bob said pointedly, nudging his foot. He slowly looked up, appearing to be uninterested. When he made eye contact with me, he straightened up, but his expression remained the same.
"Hey," I said, giving him a small smile. "Do you wanna come with me?"
He nodded, remaining silent but standing up and following me out of the compartment. This was weird. Darren was usually talkative. But I guess the break up has changed Darren as much as it has Kenzie. Once we were back at my compartment, he finally spoke.
"Where's Charlie?"
"Prefect duties," I replied, sitting down.
"So are you two are going well?"
"Yeah," I replied, trying not to sound as enthusiastic as I felt. I didn't want to make him feel bad. Darren smiled wryly.
"That's great," he said, wry smile changing into a fake-sincere smile. I mentally winced. I should have just changed the subject. But the truth is, I'm way out of my depth here. I mean, Kenzie's given me great advice when it comes to anything along the lines of dating. Darren has also given me great tips; he's the reason I realised I liked Charlie. So I wish I could help them both more. Especially when Kenzie, one of the most positive and bubbly people I know has changed into a cold-hearted, pessimistic person. And don't get me started on Darren. It's as though his personality has been replaced by that of Moaning Myrtle.
I have no experience with any of this. And I can't help.
"Are you alright?" It's the stupidest question in history, and I knew I would get an answer I wouldn't be happy with, but I asked it anyway.
"I miss her," he said simply, tone flat and monotone but eyes anything but. "But she couldn't care less."
I would disagree, but at the moment, it's seeming like that. I was going to say something, when Charlie walked in. Thank god. I don't know how much longer I would be able to deal with a depressed Darren.
"Hey," Charlie said, giving me a small smile and frowning slightly at Darren, who hadn't acknowledged his presence.
"Hi," I said, giving him a pointed look, silently telling him that I didn't know what to do. To my greatest surprise, Charlie sat down next to Darren, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Darren, mate," he said, glancing at me and smirking at my shocked expression. "Let's go get some fresh air."
Another surprise: Darren obliged and stood up. Towards the end of last term, Charlie and Darren did become close, but I didn't expect Charlie to care about how Darren's feeling. But I suppose he really has let go of the grudge he held against him for almost five years. I wonder how long that will last.
A minute or so after they walked out, Neeson walked past my compartment and leered at me. I shivered. I have the strangest feeling that he isn't lying about knowing something about me.
"What did you and Darren talk about?" I asked whilst we waited for the sorting to begin.
"Nothing about Kenzie or anything like that," he replied, tapping his fork on his plate. "We just talked about random stuff. I asked how he went on his OWLs, and what he wanted to do when he was finished school."
"Why didn't you ask how he was or try to help?" I asked curiously. I mean, if that was what Charlie wanted to talk to him about, I could have just done it.
"I didn't want to make him feel worse. So I didn't talk about it."
That's a good point. "Did he seem happier?"
"Yeah," Charlie replied, smiling. Maybe what Charlie did was right. I think I'll stop trying to mention Kenzie to Darren, and Darren to Kenzie. I'll just pretend that one doesn't exist when I'm with the other, unless they want to talk about it. Maybe that will make things easier. "He's actually a really good guy. I don't have a problem with him at all."
"So you finally grew up," I joked, nudging his arm. He rolled his eyes and pulled me closer to him, so I was practically on his lap. I raised an eyebrow. He can go from serious to jokey in a matter of seconds.
"What? Fred and George aren't here," he pointed out.
"They will be soon," I said, spotting McGonagall leading in the nervous looking first years for the sorting. In response, Charlie placed his hand on my thigh. I was used to this; after all our escapades on the holidays, I was bound to be. But we weren't on holiday anymore, and this wasn't the sort of thing to be done in public. But if this occurred to Charlie, he didn't act on it.
McGonagall pulled out a scroll, cleared her throat and read a name off the list.
"Abercrombie, Baylee."
A short girl with a blonde ponytail walked up to the stool, and sat down. McGonagall put the battered hat on her head. It was silent for a few moments, before yelling out 'HUFFLEPUFF!'
I looked over to the Hufflepuff table at the sound of a very loud cheer, grinning when I saw Dora and Ellie standing on the table, whooping. Sharla shot me an incredulous look at their antics, grinning, whilst Billie (who wasn't dating Dora yet, but it was only a matter of time) looked up at Dora fondly. Baylee Abercrombie looked very happy about the enthusiastic greeting. Sometimes it's hard to see, but there's a reason Dora was sorted into Hufflepuff.
Whilst other students were sorted, Fred and George started waving frantically at Charlie and I. All the students near them found this very amusing. Charlie was giving the twins a 'you-had-better-stop-before-you-two-get-a-detention-before-you're-even-sorted' look, but it wasn't working. It was only when a tall girl with dark skin shot the twins a filthy look and muttered something did they stop, both looking shocked. She must have said something pretty harsh for them to stop what they were doing. Fred continued to look shocked, but George stepped forward and held his hand out for her to shake.
"That was weird," I said. Charlie nodded.
"They've stopped waving. She must have said something."
"But since when does Fred listen to what others say?"
He made a good point. I have a feeling that she threatened them somehow. The dark-skinned girl looked nice but strong and challenging at the same time. Perhaps challenging enough even for the twins.
Charlie's attention slipped as the rest of the sorting drew on; the twins weren't until the very end. When Fred's name was finally called out, Charlie's attention sharpened.
Fred walked up to the stool, looking calm and confident, as if he was certain he would be sorted into Gryffindor. He would be, I reckoned. I couldn't imagine either of the twins being in any other house. The hat sat on his head, silent, for a few moments, before it screamed out 'GRYFFINDOR!'
"Knew it," Charlie said, grinning at Fred, who was walking towards us, looking just as happy as his older brother did. When he reached us, he casually pulled me and Charlie's hands apart, as if he did it on a regular basis, and sat in between us. Charlie raised an eyebrow, but Fred just grinned in response.
"Hey, you're lucky I didn't yell out code pink. Then what would have happened?"
"Nothing, because no one here knows what code pink is," Charlie reminded him.
"Except for George, who would run over and attack you. Hey, Ted was the one who said we could do it," he said, holding his hands up in surrender. Charlie rolled his eyes, looking at George, who was just about to be sorted. Fred's joking demeanour changed immediately upon noticing that George was about to be sorted.
"Come on, Georgie," he said quietly. I saw George smile slightly at Fred, as if he had heard him. Then his face was obscured by the old hat. It sat on his head for about five seconds, before choosing the same house as his twin brother. George yanked the hat off his head, grinned and handed it back to McGonagall. Then he walked quickly towards us.
"Congratulations, brother," Fred said, moving over so that George could sit next to him, which meant that he was next to me as well. "Now that you're here, we can make Maggie and Charlie sit even further apart from each other!"
I laughed, but Charlie just rolled his eyes. "You two have sad life goals."
"What? I just don't want to be an uncle at eleven, is that a crime?" Fred said, giving us a smile that was the epitome of innocence (not).
I put a hand over my mouth to stop laughing at Charlie's horrified expression. "Where did you get that one from?" he asked, sounding very confused and incredulous.
"I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "Ted just told us that if we left you two alone, I'd become an uncle. How does that work? How would Maggie become pregnant if I left you alone?"
Charlie's horrified look increased tenfold. Fred just looked confused. George was holding back a smile, and he exchanged a look with me. I think he knew exactly what Dad meant. It was too funny to be embarrassed about.
"George, you know!" Fred whined. "Come on, tell me!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," George said calmly. Fred was about to protest, when suddenly he gasped; the plates had filled with food. To Charlie and I, this was nothing unexpected (but even after all these years, it was cool) but to the twins, it was. They were looking at all the food as if it were a million galleons.
"I've officially decided that Hogwarts is my favourite place in the world," Fred said, grabbing a drumstick and biting it in a very dog-like manner.
"Same here," George agreed. "Everyone looks so nice... and gullible," he grinned. Of course George wouldn't just say someone looked nice. He may be the less full-on twin, but he's no shrinking violet. "Except for the guy glaring at Maggie."
I looked around at the Slytherin table, expecting it to be Neeson. But instead, George was looking at the staff table. At Snape. Yes, he was glaring at me. He's done it before. It can't just be because of the pranks, can it? I don't know. It's weird. When Snape caught me looking, he sneered and looked away. I frowned.
"That's Snape," Charlie said. George raised his eyebrows.
"The guy Maggie made herself look like when we came over for dinner?"
"Yep," I answered, grinning at the memory of that very eventful night.
"Wow, his hair really is greasy..."
"Yeah, this lighting makes it look even worse..."
I almost choked on a piece of potato as they continued to discuss Snape and why he doesn't use shampoo. Snape's going to have a hard time this year. I prank him, Darren pranks him, and now the twins are going to join in...
"Hey Maggie, what sort of pranks have you done on Snape?" Fred asked, looking curious. I grinned. I wanted this question to be asked.
"So many. The first one involved some flowers and perfume..."
It was good reliving all the fun memories of my first year with the twins that night. I made the most of it, because I still had that ominous feeling about this year.
Since it's the fiftieth chapter, can you all leave a review?
