Silence is Golden

by CJRow

Daisy Summerfield is an unusual girl, even for a witch. An accident with a Silencing Charm when she was a baby has resulted in her being completely unable to make a sound. In a world where people spend all day shouting spells, how will the silent girl adapt? Daisy will try her best to succeed, with her new best friend and classmate Ginny by her side.

Matthew Summerfield was perfectly happy to say he was not at all ordinary, but that was how he preferred it, even if he wasn't one to draw attention to himself. He kept his dark hair cut short enough to be proper, but not so short as to draw attention. His robes were neatly pressed, in plain colours.

His house was plain enough from the outside--a simple, two-story brick detached house, with a small garden. It was perfect, really. Not too large, not too small. Just the right size for him and for his daughter Daisy.

"Daisy? Daisy? Where are you?"

Matthew shouted up the stairs to his daughter. Daisy was now eleven years old, and today was September the first. It was finally the day she'd been waiting for for months, the day she thought might never come:

Today was the day that Daisy Summerfield would be starting her education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

At last, today would be the day that Daisy would be starting her education at Hogwarts if she could get out of bed in time.

"DAISY! We'll miss the train!"

Matthew gave up trying to rouse his daughter and turned away from the stairs, muttering to himself, only to jump nearly out of his skin.

Daisy was sitting right behind him on her packed trunk, already dressed in her Hogwarts robes, long blonde hair neatly brushed, smiling innocently up at him. He wasn't fooled. Daisy's eyes gleamed with mischief.

"Hi, Dad!"

Matthew tried to look stern, but couldn't quite stop the smile tugging at the side of his mouth. He'd long ago given up being surprised when Daisy wasn't where he thought she was. She had a knack for being able to move around unnoticed, and used this to her advantage to make him jump as often as possible.

"What time do you call this? How long have you been ready to go?"

Daisy looked thoughtful, then answered.

"Since about 5 o'clock."

"And you let me run around, getting everything packed by myself, because…"

"You were doing such a good job," Daisy responded, swinging her bare feet playfully. "I know I can count on you, and I didn't want to interrupt your flow."

"Better job than you, anyway," Matthew sighed theatrically. "I notice you still have bare feet, you'd better be putting something on them before we go."

"You know I don't like to do that." Daisy wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I'll be unique. The first girl to ever be sorted while barefoot."

"Oh well, if you insist on not wearing shoes," Matthew casually moved closer to the trunk his daughter was sitting on, her bare feet dangling over the side. "Then you'll just have to…suffer the consequences!"

As he growled out the last three words, Matthew lunged and grabbed both of Daisy's feet with one hand. With his free hand, he started tickling them mercilessly. Daisy was defenseless and broke into a fit of giggles.

"No! No, no! No, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Daisy managed to get out between flailing and giggling uncontrollably. "I'll put my shoes on! Stop, please!"

With a mighty squirm, Daisy managed to escape her dad's tickling fingers. Unfortunately, this had the side effect of her slipping off the trunk and landing bottom-first on the hard floor. She tried to glare at her dad, but the effect was slightly ruined by her being unable to stop giggling.

"I hope you're happy. My bum hurts now."

"It's your own fault," Matthew said. "After all these years, you should know better than to defy the Great Tickle Monster."

"I don't know, I'm not sure you can call yourself the Great Tickle Monster. If you were that great, I'd never dare go barefoot around you," Daisy smiled slyly. "Maybe you can be the Acceptable Tickle Monster. Or the It's-A-Good-Start-But-Keep-Trying-Dear Tickle Monster."

"Oh, really? Not that good, am I? Care to prove that?" Matthew raised an eyebrow. He held up his hand and flexed his fingers to demonstrate his point.

Daisy's eyes darted from his hand to her bare feet, but her smile grew wider. "You'll have to catch me first."

She jumped to her feet, ducked under Matthew's outstretched arm and scampered away before he could see where she went.

Being small and fast had its advantages. By the time Matthew had found his daughter again, he had searched every room twice and was breathing heavily, whereas Daisy was once again sitting happily on the trunk, feet now fully covered in socks and shoes.

"Keep trying, dear."

Matthew just chuckled.

xxxx

Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was packed, noisy and bustling with activity. Daisy felt more than a little intimidated by the scene, gripping on to her dad's hand slightly more tightly than she normally would have. Her father squeezed her fingers.

The Hogwarts Express' gleaming scarlet steam engine was somehow much larger than she had imagined it would be. Clouds of steam billowed out over the heads of the milling crowd. The line of carriages stretched all the way along the platform until they were lost in the clouds of steam and the heads of parents and children saying their goodbyes.

Her father turned to smile down at Daisy, no doubt noticing that she was standing closer to him than was really necessary. "Well, then. This is it. Are you ready?"

"I think so," Daisy looked up at him, hoping her nerves weren't showing on her face. "It's just bigger than I thought it would be."

"Everything seems big to you," Her dad said, smiling. "You're only titchy small."

Daisy stuck out her tongue at him. Matthew bopped her nose. She was not titchy small. He was just really big.

It didn't take them long to find an empty compartment and Matthew easily loaded the trunk into the train's overhead storage. Hopping off, he turned to see his daughter through the open window. Sighing heavily, he gazed up at the mighty train.

"I remember my first train ride to Hogwarts. I was terrified."

"I'm not scared!" Daisy bit her bottom lip. "But…what if I'm terrible at magic? Professor Dumbledore said I'd be fine, but what if he's wrong? What if I can't make friends? What if nobody understands me? What if I get lost in the castle?"

The floodgates had opened now. Daisy felt like she couldn't stop all of her doubts and fears coming out now, as the time had come to take the plunge. "What if…"

Matthew reached up and grasped her hands, effectively cutting off her tirade. Slowly, Daisy raised her eyes and saw her dad looking back at her with calm confidence.

"Daisy, ever since you were a tiny baby you have always done everything exactly the way you wanted to, and been brilliant at it. You and I both know that no matter what happens at school, you will find a way to be your best," Matthew said firmly, "If people don't want to get to know you, that's their loss. They'll be missing out on the most loyal, funny and caring friend they'll ever have. I'm going to miss you so bloody much, but you're going to have the time of your life."

Daisy quickly rubbed away the tears that had started forming, and jumped halfway out of the window to hug her dad tightly. Her feet dangled off the floor of the compartment. As she gripped on tightly and felt her dad squeeze her just as tight, the conductor's whistle rang through the air.

Matthew kissed Daisy's cheek and helped her slide back fully into the carriage.

"Bye, Daisy. I love you."

Daisy smiled through a fresh eyeful of tears that threatened to fall. "Bye, Dad. Love you too. I'll write to you every day. Or week. Or hour. We'll see."

"I can't wait," said Matthew, laughing. "Now go and be brilliant."

The train started moving slowly along the platform. Daisy leaned out as far as she could, and waved at her dad until the train got too fast and she had to close the window.

Now she was alone. Leaving home for the first time. Going off to Hogwarts, going into the Great Unknown. Feeling very small all of a sudden, Daisy kicked off her shoes, peeled off her socks and curled into a ball, so she could tuck her toes into the cushion of her seat. She rested her chin on her knees. The folds of her robes tickled against her bare soles, but they weren't nearly as good at tickling as her dad. She smiled, but didn't laugh.

xxxx

As the train puffed through London, the compartment door opened and a red-haired boy stuck his head in. Daisy looked up in surprise. She hadn't realized there may still be students looking for seats.

"Hello, hello. Not saving these seats for anyone, are you? Mind if we join you?"

Daisy shook her head, shrinking back slightly into her seat. She pulled her robes over her toes.

"Wonderful!" The boy stepped inside, calling back over his shoulder. "Oi, you lot! In here! Plenty of room for all!"

The boy's friends followed him in, chatting happily amongst themselves. A tall black girl with long braided hair was swapping summer holiday stories with another girl with rather mousy brown hair. They were followed by another two boys. One was clearly the red-haired boy's twin, and was playfully ruffling his friend's dreadlocks.

The two girls gave Daisy a friendly greeting and thanks, taking the opportunity to introduce themselves.

"I'm Angelina, this is Alicia, Fred and George, and Lee," the tall girl explained, pointing out each of her friends as she named them. Daisy smiled shyly at each of her older travelling companions, who waved, nodded, or in the case of one of the twins, gave a saucy wink.

Angelina spotted this, and smacked him on the shoulder. "Behave yourself, Fred! I've warned you before about frightening the first-years."

"I only winked!"

"I know. It's scary. Stop it."

"Winking is a perfectly acceptable form of greeting."

Alicia looked amused at this, while Angelina glared. "Maybe, if you're 80 years old and need assistance to go to the toilet. Do either of those things apply to you, Frederick dear?"

"Well, now you mention it," Fred said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "There have been occasions…"

"Shut it!"

Daisy giggled softly watching the banter between the older students. Suitably chastised, Fred mimed zipping his mouth shut, and dove into an animated discussion with his brother and Lee. Angelina rolled her eyes and smiled apologetically at Daisy.

Daisy smiled and held up her hands. *Thank you. Nice to meet you.*

Everyone stopped talking and stared at Daisy. Too late, she realised that she had signed instead of speaking out loud, and, of course, they had no idea what she meant.

Daisy went brilliantly red, and quickly stared down at the floor. She'd got so used to signing everything at home with her dad, while he used a mixture of signs and speech, she'd almost forgotten that it wouldn't be understood by most people.

Wonderful, thought Daisy. I've not even got to Hogwarts and I'm already cocking it up.

The silence stretched on, until it was eventually broken by Alicia.

"What...what was that hand thing?"

Daisy's eyes darted around the compartment, seeing varying degrees of curiosity. Fortunately, nobody seemed to be looking hostile, so she hesitantly dug in her bag for a quill and parchment.

"It's called British Sign Language. I'm mute, I can't talk at all. I'm really sorry, I just forgot that not everyone knows it, it's all I use at home with my dad."

The other five gathered their heads together to read the hastily written note, and quickly started shouting down her apology.

"Blimey!" said Lee. "That's nothing to say you're sorry for!"

His sentiments were echoed by the rest of the compartment, and Daisy gave an unsure smile. An awkward silence descended on the group, before Daisy motioned for them to carry on, and made a great show of digging in her bag for one of her schoolbooks. Taking the hint, Angelina and her friends engaged each other in conversation once more.

Finally withdrawing One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi from her bag, Daisy buried herself behind it, feeling her cheeks still tinged with red. She tried to ignore the occasional glances still being sent her way by her curious travelling companions.

I really wish they wouldn't.

Daisy sat, looking at her book without reading a word, trying not to draw any more attention to herself. She scrunched up smaller, pressing her legs to her chest. Maybe it was her imagination, but it felt stuffy in the compartment now. But then, it might not be her imagination after all--Alicia went to open the window up again. Warm sunbeams poured into the compartment, along with a breeze. Daisy tugged up the hem of her robes so the sunbeams would warm her toes.

Daisy turned a page, to make a show that she was actually reading. It'd be too obvious if she just held the book in place. Not that the others would have noticed, really. The older students were talking about who they thought the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor might be.

"I reckon it's a witch," Fred said. "Who else would want all of Lockhart's books?"

Daisy didn't say anything. Gilderoy Lockhart had written most of the coursebooks, and was famously dishy, so it wouldn't surprise her if the professor turned out to be a witch. She turned another page.

"Whoever it is, I hope they're better than Quirrell," Angelina said.

"Yeah, can't be much worse. The man with literal eyes in the back of his head," said George, shuddering. "Good riddance to him."

The compartment door opened again and Daisy peeked out from over One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. There was a girl who was much closer to her own age. She had the same red hair and freckles as Fred and George.

"Fred, have you seen Ron or Harry?" The girl asked. "I can't find them anywhere."

"Nope, sorry Ginny," Fred said, shrugging. "Didn't know you were so eager to sit with Ronniekins." A grin started to form on his face. "...or was it someone else you were after?"

The girl named Ginny flushed red at the implication and aimed a kick at Fred's shin. "I can't find them! What if something's happened?"

Fred rubbed his shin, grimacing. "All right, no need to get shirty. Have you found their friend Hermione? They'll be with her."

"How am I supposed to know what she looks like, you prat?"

"Good point, Gin," said George. "Lovely girl, speaks like a textbook, lots of bushy brown hair. You can't miss her."

Ginny turned to go, then noticed Daisy looking over the top of her book.

"Who's this?"

"Of course, where are my manners?" said Fred. "Ginny, this is, er…" Fred trailed off as he realised he didn't know Daisy's name. Daisy quickly retrieved her parchment and quill and wrote her name, showing it to the compartment.

"Daisy! Wonderful! New friend for you, Gin-gin," Fred exclaimed. "And I'm sure you remember Lee, Alicia and Angelina."

Ginny smiled and waved slightly at her brothers' friends, then turned questioningly to Daisy.

"Why the writing?" She suddenly frowned. "Oh God, please tell me you haven't eaten anything from them. A Silencing Sweetie, or a Gab-less Gobstopper, or a…"

Fred held up his hands in a peaceful gesture. "No, no no no, not our fault this time, dear sister. Daisy's a mute, apparently. Can't say a word."

"Perfect friend for you, Gin!" George snapped his fingers. "The Girl Who Never Speaks, and The Girl Who Never Shuts Up!"

Ginny gave George a shin bruise to match his brother. She turned to Daisy, who had giggled at the yelp George had made.

"Sorry about these two, Daisy. If you want to escape, do you want some better company? I could do with some help finding my other brother."

Smiling shyly, Daisy nodded, put her parchment and quill into her robe pocket and got up to follow Ginny. As she left, she turned and waved to the older students, noticing that Fred and George were still holding their lower legs. Ginny clearly hadn't held back with her kicks.

Ginny closed the compartment door just as Daisy passed through the doorway. It was then that Daisy realized she had forgotten to put her shoes back on. The movement of the train was much more apparent with her feet touching the floor instead of being pressed against a seat cushion.

"Is it true that you really can't talk?" Ginny said. "You never know with Fred and George…"

Daisy pulled the parchment and quill out of her pocket and scribbled down a quick note confirming it.

"Yep, afraid so. I've never been able to talk. Not important right now though. You've got another brother who's missing?"

"Yeah, I was looking for Ron," Ginny said, biting her lip nervously. "He's only a year ahead of us. Now that I think about it, I'm not even sure I saw him come through the barrier with us. Should we try to find his friend Hermione?"

Not wanting to waste parchment unnecessarily, Daisy simply nodded and followed Ginny down the coaches. There were students in every single compartment, though they passed a couple of prefects in the vestibule itself. The girl had curly brown hair, while the boy was tall and red-headed, with horn-rimmed glasses. Ginny made a beeline towards him.

"Percy! Percy!"

Another brother? thought Daisy. How many has she got?

"Hello, Ginny," Percy said formally, puffing out his chest while glancing curiously at Daisy. "Is something wrong?"

"Have you seen Ron? I can't find him anywhere. I'm getting worried."

"No, I haven't," Percy said, frowning. "Are you sure you've looked through the whole train? Maybe you missed a few compartments."

Ginny shook her head. "I'm sure. Did you see them come through the barrier?"

"Actually…" Percy looked concerned. "No, we were all in such a rush I got on the train as quickly as I could. I didn't think to look back, I just assumed…

"No," He shook his head decisively. "I'm sure he and Harry are fine, Ginny. Mum and Dad wouldn't let them get left behind. They'll make it one way or another, don't worry."

Ginny didn't look convinced, but didn't argue.

"Ahem," Percy cleared his throat, casting a sideways glance to the girl with him. "Now then, you two shouldn't be wandering around alone. Perhaps it would be best if you stayed with us for the rest of the trip?"

Ginny quickly straightened up, not entirely managing to hide the look of horror that came upon her face.

"No, that's okay Percy, it's fine! We've got a compartment of our own that we really should be getting back to, just let us know if you see Ron, okay, see you later! Come on, Daisy!"

With that, she practically dragged Daisy down the corridor, muttering very rude words. Percy and the girl prefect didn't notice, although Daisy noticed that Percy looked slightly relieved that Ginny had beat a hasty retreat.

Daisy looked curiously at Ginny, trying to ask where they were going. Ginny noticed her questioning look.

"I know we haven't got a compartment, but there's no chance I'm sitting next to Percy the Prefect for the rest of the journey! He'd bore the pants off us."

Daisy smiled and followed Ginny along the train corridor, noticing that Ginny was still peering into every compartment door they passed.

They walked further down the train, eventually reaching a coach with several booths instead of compartments and a large counter where an elderly witch was stocking up a trolley with sweets.

"Hello, dears," the witch said. "You're very eager. Looking to get in before everyone else, are you?"

"No, thanks," said Ginny politely. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two wrapped sandwiches. "I've got my own."

Daisy, however, immediately felt in her pockets for some coins. Glancing at Ginny's sandwiches, she spontaneously decided to get a bit more than she usually would.

Forgoing her parchment, Daisy instead elected to point at the food she wanted. The trolley lady smiled sympathetically.

"A bit shy, are we, dear?"

Ginny cleared her throat a little awkwardly. "Um, actually, she can't talk, she's mute…" she mumbled, glancing sideways at Daisy, unsure how her new friend would react to the misunderstanding.

"Oh! That's no problem at all, dear," she said. To Daisy's surprise and delight, she instead started signing to the girl.

I do apologise, we don't get very many students using sign language on the train. It's ever so interesting though, my sister and I learned together when her hearing started to go and the healers couldn't do anything to help...anyway, what can I get you?*

Smiling brilliantly up at the jolly witch, Daisy quickly asked for an array of snacks and treats, and rounded it off with a couple of flasks of ice-cold pumpkin juice. As she handed over a small stack of coins, she caught sight of Ginny. Her companion's head was moving from side to side trying to keep track of the hand shapes, her mouth slightly agape. Giggling slightly, Daisy signed her thanks to the trolley witch and led Ginny by the hand to the nearest table. They sat side by side.

"That…that was brilliant! How did you learn that?" Ginny exclaimed. "Watching you both...it's amazing!"

Daisy smiled and reached for her parchment. "It's called sign language. My dad taught me, he learned when he found out that I'm going to be silent forever."

"It's bloody impressive," Ginny commented as she read Daisy's parchment. She began twisting her hands together on the table nervously. "Ugh, I'm so worried about Ron. What if he didn't get on the train in time?"

"I'm sure he'll be okay. Even if he's not on the train, they'll get a portkey or something to get them to Hogwarts. Were your mum and dad at the station to see you off?"

"Yeah, they were there. If Ron and Harry missed the train, Mum will explode…" Ginny said. She looked over at Daisy. "What about you? Were your parents there to see you off?"

"Just my dad. Mum's been gone since I was a baby."

"Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't realize," Ginny looked sympathetic as she read the note. Unwrapping her sandwiches, she looked at Daisy a little awkwardly. "Do you mind if I ask...what happened? Why are you silent?"

Daisy looked down at the food for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Absently, she pushed some of the stash towards her new friend. "Help yourself, I can't eat all this on my own."

"Are you sure?"

Daisy smiled and nodded, picking up her quill as she chewed slowly on a pasty. "My dad told me that it was an accident. There was a time when I wouldn't stop crying, and the person looking after me slightly lost it, and cast a Silencing Charm on me, but it was much more powerful than they meant it to be. They accidentally made it permanent."

Daisy took an extra large bite of pasty as Ginny looked over her note. She hoped Ginny wouldn't ask too many more questions.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ginny said. "It must be very strange to not be able to talk."

"I don't know, I suppose I'm just used to it," Daisy wrote. "It's not so bad really. I can sneak up on my dad and make him scream. Or steal anything I want from the kitchen in the middle of the night. Biscuits always taste better when you're not supposed to have them."

"What's that...oh," Ginny grinned. "With Fred and George, I can see how that could be useful. Those two are always up to something. Trouble is, they're too good at knowing when you're trying something on them, too."

"Should we save some of this for your brother?" Daisy wrote down...oops, she was running out of space on the piece of parchment.

"You paid for it, it's up to you, but trust me, Ron doesn't need any more sweets," Ginny shrugged. As Daisy tucked her feet underneath herself, to sit on her heels, Ginny noticed her barefoot state. "Where'd your shoes go?"

Daisy retrieved a fresh piece of parchment. "Probably still with your brothers. I like being barefoot, it's more fun this way."

"Suit yourself," Ginny said. "You can be the barefoot adventurer. My feet get cold."

Having exhausted answering questions about her for the moment, Daisy took the chance to write down a question about Ginny's family. While the conversation turned to Ginny explaining about her plethora of brothers, Daisy emptied a bag of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans on the table, and absently began sorting them by colour, as she usually did.

"...and the oldest, Bill, works in Egypt raiding tombs. It sounds like a cool job from what he tells me, but Mum worries a lot about him, and I miss having him around. I think that bean's a bit closer to yellow than this one," she added, helping Daisy sort out the brightly-coloured sweets. "What about you? What does your dad do?"

"He runs a business from home, Matthew's Muggle Makeovers. Basically he helps people who don't know how to disguise themselves as Muggles properly, teaches them how to dress, how to disguise their house, that sort of thing."

Ginny snorted in amusement. "My dad could do with some of that. You should see him when he tries to dress Muggle. I've got a bet going with Fred and George to see how long he can go before he realises how stupid he looks."

Daisy chuckled. Looking down at the array of beans, she picked up the quill again. "I think it's done. It looks like a rainbow."

Ginny admired their handiwork. "Beautiful. You know what we have to do now though."

Daisy nodded. "Yep. You go first. If you can't finish a bean, you lose."

"You're on," Ginny grinned at the challenge. Looking carefully, she examined a dark purple bean before popping it into her mouth and chewing tentatively. "Blackcurrant. Easy. Your turn. So, has your dad ever taken you to St. Mungo's or anything about the Silencing Charm? I thought they could fix anything there."

Daisy shrugged and put a yellow bean in her mouth. Wincing slightly, she wrote "Lemon. That could have gone either way. Yeah, he tried all kinds of Healers and spell-damage experts and all sorts, but nothing worked. Your turn."

Ginny examined the beans carefully. "That sounds like it wasn't fun," she said, finally choosing a pink bean. "Pork. Bit of a strange one."

"That is strange, I've never had a pork-flavoured one before. All of the Healers weren't fun, really. I knew they were just trying to help, but I felt like they forgot I was a person sometimes, and felt a bit more like something they were experimenting on." Daisy picked up a green bean and chewed thoroughly, grimacing at the strong taste. "Eurgh. Green pepper."

"Poor you," said Ginny, looking at Daisy sympathetically. "Dealing with the Healers, I mean. Not the green pepper. You brought that on yourself."

Daisy smiled. "It's okay. We gave up eventually, it was making both of us miserable. Me and Dad talk fine at home, I barely notice the difference when he talks or signs." Her smile turned mischievous. "But it's your turn, not chickening out are you?"

"I don't chicken out of anything," Ginny grinned back. Not breaking eye contact, she grabbed a bean at random. Chewing it, she said "Fish."

Daisy followed her example, picking up an orange bean that nearly matched Ginny's hair. "Carrot."

Another bean. "Mince pie."

"Apple."

"Eurgh, coal."

"How do you know what coal tastes like?"

"It's a long story. Next bean."

"Potato."

"Custard."

Daisy grimaced while chewing a bright red bean. She gagged slightly, then managed to swallow. "That's horrible. I think that one was blood."

"Eurgh, well done for finishing it," Ginny said. She chewed a cream-colored one slowly. "This one is cheese."

Daisy hesitated over her next bean. It was a rich brown, with no spots or specks to distinguish it.

"Ooh, the classic Bertie Bott's gamble. Could be chocolate, could be cowpat. Do you dare?" Ginny watched her, leaning forward in anticipation.

Daisy moved her hand towards the bean, fingers trembling, then withdrew. She picked up her parchment.

"I can't do it. You win."

Ginny cheered, giggling in triumph. Daisy bowed her head slightly and applauded, but no sound came from her hands. Ginny looked taken aback, then resumed grinning.

"That's going to take some getting used to. It's kind of cool, though," Ginny said. "Good thing I rescued you from my dear brothers."

Daisy smiled and retrieved her parchment.

"Yes, this is much more fun."

xxxx

Daisy hugged herself to protect against billowing steam from the Hogwarts Express. It was colder than she expected outside, and she was glad Ginny had reminded her to retrieve her shoes from Fred and George's compartment. Nudging Ginny, she pointed at her shoes, mimed being cold and signed *thank you*.

"Told you," Ginny teased, understanding what Daisy meant, but her smile didn't quite reach her cheeks. "Still no sign of Ron...or Harry. Oh, stay close - Charlie got lost his first time here."

Charlie? Oh right, second-oldest after Bill. Likes dragons.

"Firs' years! Over 'ere!" A big, booming voice called out over the din of students walking towards the carriages. "Firs' years, over this way!"

"Oh!" Ginny grinned. "It's Hagrid!"

Daisy had heard stories of Hagrid, the Hogwarts' gamekeeper from her dad. But Matthew had neglected to mention that Hagrid was twice as tall as him, and probably four times as wide...and had more beard and hair than any other wizard Daisy had ever met, except maybe Professor Dumbledore.

Hagrid held up a very large lantern as a beacon for the rest of the first-year students. Once they had all gathered up, he led them down a narrow path. The cobblestones were rough and uneven, and several people stumbled into each other along the way. It was very dark--this had to be near the Forbidden Forest. The path eventually opened up over a very large lake, with a small fleet of boats bobbing gently at the shore.

"Firs' years, come along now, down to the boats," Hagrid called out. "No more'n four to a boat!"

Ginny grabbed Daisy's hand and led her into one of the boats. They were followed by a girl who had her wand behind her ear and a boy holding a camera. Neither of them was tall. Despite Hagrid's warning, Daisy thought they might be able to squeeze a fifth person, if they needed to.

"Can I take your picture?" The boy with the camera grinned. "Our first night at Hogwarts!"

Daisy looked at him oddly, exchanging a glance with Ginny.

Weird thing to ask two strangers.

"Erm, not right now," Ginny said, uncertainly. "We should probably listen to Hagrid."

"Oh, right," The boy said, his enthusiasm uncurbed. "This is just so brilliant. All of it! The train and the lake and the giant! And the castle! And this is all real! It's really real! I never realized I was a wizard, my Dad's a milkman, we couldn't believe it."

The boy spoke in a whisper all about everything he had seen as they rode in the boat across the lake. He stopped abruptly when they actually passed through a curtain of thick ivy. The girl sitting in the boat with them groaned when her wand was knocked askew from her hair.

It was as if they were underneath the castle itself, in a great harbor. Hagrid ushered them out of the boats, onto a mound of small rocks and pebbles. The other girl's wand had fallen to the ground - Daisy knelt down to pick it up for her.

"Thank you," The girl said dreamily. "That was very kind. What's your name?"

Daisy mimed that she couldn't speak, but the girl seemed to understand and nodded seriously.

"I see. I wouldn't want to waste words at a time like this either. You never know when you might need them."

Daisy wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, but in any case, she didn't have time to dwell on it. Hagrid was leading from the harbor across a path towards huge wooden double doors. This, Daisy thought, must finally be the entrance to Hogwarts castle. Through the dim evening light she could see beautiful lawns leading away from the entrance that gave way to wilder grounds, and eventually a huge forest bordering the grounds. Now they were level with the castle doors, Daisy could see the lake they had just sailed across, the moon reflected in the rippling waters.

Hagrid knocked three times on the door to the castle, and then they were escorted through a large hall by a tall witch, wearing emerald green robes and dark hair. Hagrid introduced her as Professor McGonagall - Daisy knew that name too. Dad had always said to never, ever, ever get on Professor McGonagall's bad side.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "You will be joining your schoolmates in the Great Hall in a few minutes for the Welcoming Feast. Before this occurs, you will have to be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting Ceremony is very important, as your House is going to be something of your family-"

She was suddenly interrupted by a steady droning noise that cut through the silence of the castle. As the noise became closer and louder, Daisy recognised the rattling sound of an engine from an old Muggle car.

A few of the first-years exchanged glances and looked around curiously. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and continued her speech.

"You will attend class with your House, sleep in your House dormitory and your free time can be spent in your House Common Room," Professor McGonagall continued, masterfully ignoring the noise that now sounded alarmingly close. "There are four Houses you might be sorted into: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each House has its merits and has produced great witches and wizards. While at Hogwarts-"

She was interrupted again, this time by the pitiful blaring sound of a car horn, beeping frantically. Daisy looked at Ginny, only to see that the girl had gone pale underneath her freckles and was standing upright, staring in the direction of the noise. She was speaking under her breath.

"Oh God, he didn't...they can't have…"

Professor McGonagall looked severely at her. "Miss Weasley, do you have something to say?"

Ginny jumped, looking straight at the teacher. "No, Professor!" she said quickly.

As Professor McGonagall continued explaining the virtues of the four houses, Daisy judged Ginny with her elbow and looked questioningly at her. Ginny just shook her head and stared straight ahead, mouthing the word "later".

A series of loud crashes and bangs echoed from outside the castle, before all went quiet once again. Professor McGonagall excused herself, passing through a door on the side of the corridor--though not before suggesting they all freshen up as best they could, before the Sorting began.

When she had gone, Daisy again judged Ginny and looked at her, eyebrows raised. What was all that about?

Fortunately, Ginny understood. "I think Ron must have stolen Dad's car," she whispered. "Probably dragged Harry along too."

Looking around nervously, she leaned closer to make sure she wasn't overheard. "Dad enchanted the car so it could fly. It's not exactly...legal. They're going to be in so much trouble."

A flying car? Are they mental? Daisy couldn't believe that anyone could be so reckless. As exciting as it would be to meet Harry Potter, she suddenly found herself wanting to meet Ron Weasley too. Anyone that mental has got to be fun.

A moment later, the door opened up again and Professor McGonagall reappeared to lead them into the Great Hall.

xxxx

The line of students waiting to be Sorted thinned. Daisy's stomach leapt into her throat when Professor McGonagall called out her name. Daisy walked slowly to the stool and let Professor McGonagall place the Sorting Hat onto her head.

"Oh, now this is interesting indeed," A voice in Daisy's head said. "It's not often that I see a student like you."

"I'm mute," Daisy thought. She frowned slightly. "But that doesn't mean I'm that different from other students...I met with Professor Dumbledore about this...he said it should be fine."

"I see his point, there is certainly some talent in this head of yours," The Sorting Hat responded. "A little bit of self-consciousness, a desire to succeed despite the odds... now that's interesting…"

Daisy paused and placed her hands in her lap, interlacing her fingers. She thought about how she and her dad used sign language and wrote letters to communicate.

"You have a good mind for communication and contact, I see, and you're a quick learner. But that's not quite the same thing as a thirst for knowledge...but you have loyalty. You are quite devoted to your father…"

Dad had always, always been there for Daisy. She couldn't remember a single time where he hadn't been there to scoop her up when she'd fallen.

"I do see devotion...but also a sense of justice...and a certain streak of mischief. You want to go out and see all there is to see...so I think I know where to put you. Gryffindor!"

Daisy heard the hat's voice in her head, but strangely, it didn't echo around the Great Hall, as it had for the other first-years.

"Hmm, that's never happened before. Let's try again. Gryffindor!"

Still the voice was only in Daisy's head. The students nearest the hat started to whisper to each other, the more attentive ones having noticed that the hat had tried to shout, but no sound had come out.

Oh God, I've broken the Sorting Hat, thought Daisy.

Daisy felt the hat being lifted from her head, and looked up to see Professor McGonagall holding it by the pointed tip.

"Ah, thank you, Minerva. Third time lucky, eh?" The Hat cleared its nonexistent throat. "GRYFFINDOR!"

This time, the Hat shouted louder than it had for any student thus far, as if to prove to everyone that it still could. This had the amusing side effect of causing Professor McGonagall to visibly flinch away from the noise.

As the Hat was returned to the stool, Daisy could have sworn it briefly bowed in her direction, and the rip that served as its mouth crinkled into a smile.

Some of the students were applauding, but there was a lot of whispering now. Daisy wasn't sure if her face was red with embarrassment or paper-white from nerves as she stumbled the last few steps down to the Gryffindor table. Her feet had gotten caught on her robes.

Daisy sat next to Colin Creevey, the boy with the camera, and turned her head back to the few remaining students. She hoped Ginny would be Sorted into Gryffindor too. It would be nice to start the term with a friend. She didn't have to wait long to find out. There were only a few children left to be sorted. Barely a second after the Sorting Hat touched Ginny's head, it called out Gryffindor and the table erupted in cheers. Down the table, Daisy noticed Fred and George cheered loudest for their sister. Apparently, they didn't hold grudges for bruised shins. Daisy scooted down so there would be room for Ginny.

Professor Dumbledore stood up and then introduced a young wizard with blond hair as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart. There was applause...primarily from the girls. Partway down the table, Daisy recognized Angelina and Alicia cheering loudly, while Fred and George joined in over-enthusiastically, performing hilariously over-the-top parodies of their female classmates' reactions. Fred was fanning himself with his napkin, while George held his hands over his heart theatrically and swooned.

The Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress McGonagall excused themselves a few minutes later, but right before they left, Professor Dumbledore smiled and said, "We appear to have a surplus of food. I trust you can all assist with rectifying this problem."

At once, their suppers appeared and everything looked absolutely delicious. Daisy's dad was not great in the kitchen, but here there were roasted potatoes and carrots, fat, sizzling sausages and mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, steaming hot bread rolls and butter, a beef stew... Daisy loaded a plate with food and then poured herself a goblet of pumpkin juice and drank it in small sips. It tasted even better than the pumpkin juice from the Hogwarts Express.

Beside her, Ginny was picking at her food. Daisy swallowed a bite of carrot. Ginny looked a little ill.

"They're going to be in so much trouble," Ginny whispered. "They were right behind us at the platform."

Daisy frowned and placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder. She didn't have any parchment with her now--there wasn't enough room to write, anyhow, with all the dishes. Ginny bit her lip as Daisy poured her a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Thanks," Ginny mumbled. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I hope they're okay. Ron had better be, the great big prat. If Harry's hurt because of him…"

Daisy nudged Ginny with her hip and raised an eyebrow at the mention of Harry, grinning suggestively.

"Shove off."

Daisy just giggled and turned back to her plate. Everything was delicious and she tried to take second helpings of as much as she could.

Dinner eventually gave way for dessert and Daisy bit into a slice of apple pie. Ginny took a bit of treacle tart, smiling slightly. Down the table, Fred and George had piled up towers of ice cream.

Finally, Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands and dismissed them. It was bedtime, he explained and they needed to rest their bodies as well as their minds.

xxxx

Puffing out his chest, Percy the Prefect led the whole of Gryffindor up the staircases. The first-years were shepherded to the front of the line. Daisy found herself walking between Ginny and Colin Creevey. There were portraits all along the way--the paintings moved. Daisy was used to photographs moving around at home, but this was something very different--the figures in the portraits could visit one another! She heard Colin talking about how he might develop his camera film--something about getting the right potion for the job--when they came up to a very large portrait frame. The portrait was of a very fat woman in an aggressively pink, fluffy dress.

"Password?" The Fat Lady asked in a surprisingly deep voice.

Percy turned to the assembled students. "This is the Fat Lady, she guards Gryffindor Tower. She won't let you in without a password, no matter how much you plead, so pay attention." He cleared his throat and turned back to the Fat Lady. "Wattlebird."

At once, the portrait swung open and a small, dark hole was revealed. Percy led the smaller students in through the opening. It opened up in a large, spacious and perfectly circular room. There were tables and fat armchairs and couches, most of them in varying shades of red.

Daisy followed the crowd through the portrait hole, frowning. Passwords were something she had completely forgotten about and she was not sure signing would be accepted. She stole a glance at Ginny, who smiled reassuringly at her.

Percy pointed out the staircases to the boys and girls dormitories, and began what promised to be a dull and self-important speech about acceptable behaviour in the common room, but he was unfortunately drowned out by the gaggle of older students, who were swapping rumours excitedly.

"Did you hear about Harry and Ron? Flew to Hogwarts in a flying car!"

"I heard it was a giant motorbike that shot flames from the pipes! Potter was riding it, with Weasley in the sidecar!"

"I heard they flew past Snape and gave him the finger!"

"I heard they crashed into the Whomping Willow!"

"I heard they flew a banner that said 'Down With Slytherin!'"

"I heard Dumbledore refused to punish them, because he said 'it was rather rock and roll'!"

"Now, settle down," Percy called, growing paler as he spoke. "I know it's exciting to be back--or here for the first time--but really, there are rules that must be respected. Come along now, first-years…"

He was once again interrupted, this time by the arrival of two boys, whom Daisy assumed were Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. The assembled crowd exploded with applause and cheering, and Percy's face darkened with anger. Sensing danger, Ginny led Daisy up the stairs, until they came to a door that read First Years.

Their dormitory was a perfect circle, with four beds. Daisy was pleased to see that she and Ginny's trunks had been moved to beds that were next to each other. The other two girls who had been sorted into Gryffindor with them - Violet Moore and Evelyn Fitzgerald - hadn't come up yet.

"I didn't fancy seeing that. When Percy gets really wound up, he can be as bad as Mum, but nobody listens to him anyway," said Ginny. "Ron's probably loving the attention, though. Brothers, eh?"

Daisy shrugged, not bothering to sign anything. She didn't have any siblings herself, so she wasn't sure she could judge. Given that Ginny had spent a good chunk of the train ride to Hogwarts looking for Ron, Daisy thought Ginny liked him more than she let on. And Percy...well, he did seem to be a prat, but Ginny had run straight to him to ask for help, after all.

Soon enough, they were joined by their dorm-mates, Violet and Evelyn. They were chatting together, and introduced themselves to Ginny and Daisy. Daisy waved from her four-poster, where she had curled up happily under the duvet and was starting a letter to her dad. As she wrote about the train ride, and how she had already found a friend, she heard Violet and Evelyn talking to each other, not troubling to keep their voices low.

"...but did you see her with the Sorting Hat? How could she manage to make that silent too?"

"I know, it's creepy isn't it! It's really weird…"

Daisy frowned and grabbed a fresh piece of parchment. Scribbling a quick note, she balled it up and lobbed it gently at her two gossiping dorm-mates.

"What's this?" There was the sound of the parchment being opened. "I'm mute, I'm not deaf…" Evelyn's voice trailed off in embarrassment as she read the note.

Ginny snorted with laughter.