Deus Fax Machina

by lambse

Missing the day-to-day of Hogwarts? Sick of Vol...he-who-must-not-be-named appearing conveniently at the end of another school year? Then enjoy this close to cannon retelling of the OOTP from the perspective of Sophie Fax (OC) to get your HP fix. There's love, there's laughs, there's Neville Longbottom making LOTR references! Story is complete, enjoy!

1. Part 1

PART 1

01 – An Unexpected Change

An afternoon glow fell as Sophie Fax sat opposite her teacher, Camilla. They sipped tea, their saucers balanced on the weather warn surface of the table between them, lost in Camilla's jungle like garden. Dappled sunlight danced through Camilla's dark curls, across her face and the table. While Sophie was only sixteen, Camilla could have been any age from thirty to fifty. Sophie didn't think to ask. After all, its rude to ask a witch her age.

As Camilla tried to teach Sophie to read her tea leaves, Sophie couldn't help watching the long shadows playing on Camilla's white dress, contrasting her dark skin.

'Sophie. Are you listening?' Camilla replaced her teacup with a clink.

'Yes,' Sophie placed her own cup on its saucer. 'But you know I don't believe this stuff.'

Sophie leant back in her chair and closed her eyes. She tried to catch the last few rays of the winter sun, before it dipped below the lilac trees. A breeze rustled the board leaves of the tall plants around them. Camilla shook her head as she poured herself a fresh cup of tea.

'I have something for you. Some important news.'

'Did my tea leaves finally say something good?' Sophie sat up.

Camilla took a scroll from her pocket and handed it across the table. It was a letter from another witch. No one else wrote on scrolls, or with a quill.

Camilla,

Hogwarts would be delighted to accept Sophie Fax as a new student, she will be safer with us, and the current political climate in Australia may indicate that you would be safer elsewhere too.

There will be some issue with her schooling, she seems to be advanced in some areas, but your lack of wand use will hinder her to begin with; I believe placing Sophie in the school year below her age group may help with some of these problems.

I am thrilled by your ability to pass on Old Magical teachings the way you have, many congratulations on your student, her abilities are an absolute reflection of your own. We will be in contact with you both soon.

Best of luck, as I fear times ahead will be difficult, and remember, you will always have friends at Hogwarts.

Yours, most sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster, O.M. (first class)

'Hogwarts? As in the school of witchcraft and wizardry?' Sophie reread the letter; she knew the name Albus Dumbledore but did not know why.

'That's right.' Camilla's eyebrows drew together.

'You want me to go to Hogwarts?'

'I think you have the potential to be a great sorceress.'

'Camilla, we aren't allowed to use New Magic.' Sophie laughed; go to Scotland to learn magic? With a wand? Sophie had just changed schools at the beginning of the year to be closer to Camilla!

'Not here we're not, and I have a feeling it won't be long before we cannot use Old Magic either.' Camilla took a sip of her tea, then swilled the remain leave.

'What do you mean? They can't trace Old Magic.' Sophie frowned as she looked at her own tea leaves.

'I've been hearing talk that they may be able to do just that. Things are getting stricter, Sophie. We need to be careful.'

'So, your solution is to send me halfway around the world? Why can't I just practice in secret like all the other wasps?' Sophie could feel heat rise on her cheeks as her confusion became anger.

'Terrible things happen when we try to suppress our power, Sophie, and you are already more powerful than the average witch.' Camilla sat back, light danced in her eyes and her dark hair. 'And they call them muggles in the UK, not wasps.'

Sophie sat in silence, wondering when she had gone from a student to an all-powerful witch. The thought of using a wand sent a shiver down her spine, it was unnatural. She looked at Camilla, her green eyes seemed to hypnotise. Sophie knew better, Camilla was trying to hypnotise her.

'Stop that!'

'Tell me what you're thinking. Or block me out. You should be able to by now.' Camilla raised her eyebrows. For weeks Camilla had been teaching Sophie to read minds and to tamper with the subconscious, but Sophie did not feel like putting up her mental barriers.

'I'm thinking this is ridiculous,' Sophie sat back and crossed her arms. 'But I don't have a choice, do I?'

Camilla shook her head.

Above them the trees swayed, birds moved loudly in and out of the foliage, excited by the coming warmer months, or possibly their innate desire to mate at this time of year.

Sophie sat at the back of her English class the next day, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of the evening before. Although Sophie was a witch, she attended school like everyone else. The unseasonal winter sun streamed through the third-floor window, spilling over her desk, schoolbooks and a battered copy of Hamlet.

Old Mrs Crawn was reading, for a third time, her favourite scene of the play; Hamlet's father haunting the castle. Sophie had a feeling Mrs Crawn knew there were in fact ghosts in castles.

With the warm sun on her back, heating the dreary classroom around her, Sophie let the smell of lilacs fill her nose. She returned to Camilla's garden and tried to understand why she, of all people, had to be shipped off Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sophie thought of wands and traditional robes and, sadly, how cold the UK was going to be.

Australia was a strange place to be a witch, the Old Magic in the land was ancient and untouched. It was an honour to learn it. Camilla had selected Sophie at the age of thirteen to be her student. Camilla knew Sophie's mother, but neither would tell Sophie how.

Those who practiced Old Magic passed it on secretly. The ancient form of energy alteration was not easy to control, making a trace was impossible. Or Sophie had thought.

There was no tolerance of New Magic in the country, most witches learnt only to control their powers, then went on with a normal wasp life, hiding their magic.

It had never been clear to Sophie why performing magic was forbidden by the Australian Ministry, the vague answer she had always received was along the lines of controlling mass hysteria or to keep magical presence secret from the wasp population.

Brought out of her deep thoughts by a stifled sneeze, Sophie looked around her classroom.

Wands, how do they work?

How was she supposed to channel the energy that flowed all around her, inside and out? Magic was like a light prickling of the skin just before a cold chill, but the cold never came, it was the opposite; the feeling was warm and welcome.

Sophie's chest buzzed as she keyed into the energies in the room, felt them, dull and bored, but there all the same. She tapped her pen, it turned to jelly, quivered, then turned back into a pen. Sophie looked up, no one had seen. Mrs Crawn droned on, girls rustled papers pretending to take notes, or rubbed their eyes as they slipped back into daydream.

When the bell rang for lunch everyone left the classroom in a hurry, excited to get out into the sun. Sophie left alone. She was different in ways her classmates would never know, but she was also different in all the normal ways. Sophie was lonely, without many friends her own age.

While eating lunch alone, under the guise of doing homework, Sophie once again considered her situation. She thought how different it would be to go to an all wizarding school, rather than an all-girls wasp school. She would no longer have to pretend she was as ordinary as the rest of them. Her mind went round, and round while adrenalin maintained a steady state of anxiety, making it hard to eat. Sophie knew there was only one option.

After lunch Sophie had a double period of art to finish the week. She sat with her only two friends and tried to use her favourite subject to take her mind off her impending fate. Sophie pushed away old feelings of loneliness and her new feelings of doubt and allowed herself a few happy hours creating magical paintings her art teacher and fellow students could not quite get their heads around.

Cabin in The Bush

'Sophie, wake up, dear.'

Sophie was dreaming; she could hear her mums voice waking her up. Sophie groaned and rolled over.

'Mum! Why are you here?' Despite her puffy eyes and messy hair Sophie was awake. Her own mother was in her boarding house, in her room, ten hours from home. Sophie looked towards her window, the sun hadn't even risen!

'What time –'

'Early, dear, but you need to get up, we have to go.' Mrs. Fax was a near copy of Sophie, maybe a few inches shorter and her face creased with age, but their deep blue eyes, blonde hair and soft features were the same. Sophie swung her legs out of bed and looked at her mum, who was bustling around her small single dorm, finding bags, folding clothes and making all sorts of things fly around the room as she organised Sophie's belongings.

'Mum, where are we going? Answer me.' Sophie stood up, making the differences between the two more obvious. Sophie was young and athletic, somewhat shapeless, Mrs. Fax held a full hourglass figure.

Sophie made to grab at the family photo she kept by her bed as it flew past her.

'Be careful, someone could walk in.'

'It's four in the morning, dear, and we really do have to hurry –'

'Where?' Sophie stomped her foot, Mrs. Fax turned.

'Your grandmother wants to see you.'

'Grandma Irma? Why?' Sophie's belongings continued to zoom around her into a second bag Mrs. Fax had produced.

Sophie and her mother had hardly spoken since Sophie had been sent to boarding school. There had been so many fights, but one final argument had sent a large snaking crack through their relationship. But that was nothing compared to Mrs. Fax and her mother; Grandma Irma. Sophie couldn't help but wonder if they had had the same arguments when her mum was a teen, though had it gone too far and the crack sitting threateningly between Sophie and Mrs. Fax had blown apart completely a generation before. And it was not just three generations of daughters who would not speak to their mothers, but four. Sophie's great grandmother, The Crone, was still alive and did nothing but bicker with her daughter, Grandma Irma.

If Sophie was more powerful than the average witch, it had to be because of her grandmother. Grandma Irma was learned in wand-skill, and a celebrated potions master. She had taught in Germany before the Great Wizarding Wars, then was forced to come to Australia. Grandma Irma was currently in hiding. Sophie didn't know the finer details of her grandmother's escape, only that it was not entirely legal. Since Grandma Irma had once been a potions master, naturally she taught Sophie everything she knew.

'Let's go.' Mrs. Fax picked up one of Sophie's bags and motioned for Sophie to take the other. Sophie had a growing feeling of excitement mingling with serious unease. She collected the last of her things from draws and cupboards her mother had missed and with one quick look at the empty room, they left. Sophie had a feeling she would never be coming back.

As they left the boarding house the first needles of light began to show over the city. It was cold but there was a car waiting. The subtle fear Sophie had felt hearing she was going to see her grandmother peaked. Though too tired to query, Sophie sat back and at some point fell asleep.

They drove out of the city, and continued through the suburbs, past industrial areas, then through the vast farmland. The scenery changed, passing through small towns, past paddocks full of sheep, farms with the first crops of the season, bushlands then flat wetlands extending for miles. Hours passed and the road began to climb. It wove through the foothills of the larger mountain range looming ahead.

The driver turned the car sharply onto a rough dirt track, concealed by the thick mountain foliage. They wound their way up the track and as they bumped along Sophie and Mrs Fax knew they were about to arrive.

As suddenly as they turned into the bush it fell back. The car rolled to a stop at the edge of an immense clearing, the huge canopy of fire blackened gum trees fell away. In the centre of the clearing sat a neat logger's cabin with a wraparound veranda and two chimneys billowing smoke at each end. Curiously, one was billowing emerald green smoke.

A wooden fence enclosed the cabin and its garden. In the garden were close to twenty Lyre Birds, a few were on the veranda, throwing their magnificent tails over themselves, mimicking birds and other bush sounds. One sounded a lot like Sophie's grandmother calling them for dinner. The birds did not scare as the two women entered through the mossy gate in the fence.

A little old lady had come out of the front door and was hobbling down the front steps. It was Grandma Irma.

'Quickly, quickly, get inside!' She came down the path and grabbed Sophie by the arm. Grandma Irma dragged Sophie with surprising strength back into the cabin, Mrs. Fax was left to follow.

Inside they were hit by the smell of burning bay leaves and rosemary. Grandma Irma pushed Sophie into a chair by the kitchen table and turned to a cauldron bubbling above the fire. Mrs. Fax went to take the seat next to Sophie, they had barely spoken a word the whole journey.

'No, no, not there!' Granma Irma crossed the kitchen and shooed her daughter away from the table. 'Go see The Crone, she said she saw you coming.'

Mrs. Fax sighed and disappeared behind a silk draped doorway which lead to the bedroom. Sophie looked around the cabin, it consisted of only two rooms; the large kitchen-living room they were in and a small bedroom behind the silk drapes.

Every inch of wall was covered; herbs hung to dry, flowers pressed in frames, a deer skull with enormous antlers sat above the fireplace. Feathers of all kinds of bird, and bones littered most surfaces, animal hides on the floors and walls. There was a sharp scythe on one wall and two brooms propped up on another. The roof was hung with even more herbs, bunches of garlic, onions, and chillies; there was a large selection of cured meats by the back door, giving the impression of a well-stocked deli.

Bunches of native flowers and old candles sat on every table, though they were lost among piles of books, goblets and vials of various potions and framed photos; some the subjects moved around, some were still. Faded armchairs were draped in throws and blankets, some hand knitted, and others seemed to be made of the ground cover you might find out in the bush (twigs and leaves included).

There was a framed portrait of a beautiful witch hung above the card table where Grandma Irma and The Crone played bridge. Mathilde was etched across the bottom of the frame. Mathilde was the patron saint of their family and most of the German magical community. Sophie briefly wondered how The Crone played cards as she had been blind for as long as Sophie had known her. Though the Crone did have the gift of Sight, whether that helped or not. There were tarot cards scattered among playing cards on the small table, and two empty gin glasses, the only thing the two old women drank.

Sophie had also never seen the Crone leave her bed, the bed she begrudgingly shared with Grandma Irma.

'She'll want to see you, she'll want to warn you about something.' Grandma Irma rolled her eyes as she stirred her cauldron. Sophie chuckled, somethings never changed. The idea of ending up living with her own mother made Sophie shudder, especially if they had to share a bed.

'I have a gift for you. Two actually.' Grandma Irma bustled off into the bedroom and returned tugging a large trunk, shouts from The Crone to be quiet following her back into the kitchen.

'I can move that!' Sophie jumped up, surprised again by her grandmother's strength. The trunk was an old school trunk, the emblem on the top beautifully emboss in silver. Although the trunk looked rather battered, the emblem was shining as though it had been pressed a day ago. Mathilde Hexenschule was scribed below the silver coat of arms of a woman wrapped in billowing robes, holding a sword aloft. It was Grandma Irma's school trunk from the school she had attended, started by Mathilde herself.

'Open it.' Grandma Irma smiled. Sophie did so and inside was something heavy and black. She picked it up and found it was a cloak. It was hemmed with silver and there was a tiny row of stars around the hood. Sophie threw it around herself and it trailed behind her. It was thick and warm. Sophie hugged her grandmother, wrapping them both in the cloak, the reality of what was about to happen was beginning to set in.

'It's going to be a real shock for you, going to Hogwarts. The magic there will be easy to use. It's so hard to get away with using magic here, it's so hard to conjure… too sparse... there's never been enough of us... not to tame it any.' Grandma Irma threw spices in the cauldron, stirred it and tasted a spoonful. 'You're lucky to have Old Magic like you do. Wands, humph, nothing compared to that real Old Magic.' She pushed a spoonful of stew into Sophie's mouth. Sophie nodded; it was hot but it was good.

Sophie chatted with her grandmother about changing schools again, moving overseas, as Sophie was instructed which herbs to pick from where. They spoke of how different and freely magic could be used elsewhere in the world, Grandma Irma was not hiding out in the woods for fun. Australia was safe but being magic wasn't easy.

It wasn't until the sun began to set and a golden light was thrown across the room that Sophie realised her mum had been speaking with the Crone for at least an hour. She felt a sinking in her stomach; they weren't just there for Grandma Irma to wish Sophie well at yet another boarding school. If the Crone had a lot to say it usually meant there was something wicked going on.

'Gran, why didn't mum go to Mathilde?' Sophie turned back to her grandmother, she didn't want to know what was being said behind the silk drapes just yet. And she really didn't want to think about Hogwarts.

'After the war the school never quite rebuilt to all its former glory, and after she met Camilla, she decided she didn't want to go. And your mother doesn't speak German, the silly girl, so there wasn't much point.'

Mrs. Fax emerged not twenty minutes later. Eyes half closed, she pressed a finger to the point between her eyebrows and yawned. Pressure headaches, they all suffered them.

'Mum, we'll head to town tonight and come back tomorrow morning. I have a lot to think about.' Mrs. Fax stifled another yawn.

'Dinner first, and chew this.' Grandma Irma stuffed some pickled coriander seeds into her daughter's hands and started cutting bread. 'My cousin Dubheasa is in Ireland, I'll have to tell her you're going to Hogwarts.' she winked at Sophie.

The Crone

Sophie and Mrs. Fax left the cabin after a hearty meal of rabbit and mushroom stew. The car took them to check into a room at the two-star motel in the old mill town at the foot of the mountains.

How the hotel had two stars they would never know. The sign was hanging from the roof by only one of the two fastenings and the carpet was so filthy Sophie could've sworn it was patterned. When they arrived at the front desk the receptionist, a scrawny woman with bad regrowth, ashed her cigarette into the security man's coffee mug, who was asleep beside her. She gave them the keys to their room's and Sophie and her mum left the flickering florescent lights of the reception area. Mrs. Fax handed a set of keys to the driver, but he refused and drove off into the night.

'Must be sleeping in the car.' Mrs. Fax's eyes followed the taillights until they blinked out of sight. They walked past a stagnant green pool and found their room.

'What did the Crone want?' Sophie jiggled the key in the door.

Inside the carpet was as filthy as reception, the white towels were closer to grey and everything was made of plywood, including the walls. The floral bedspreads were as stained as the towels and carpet and everything smelt of ash trays and body odour.

'Sophie, there's some sage in my bag, burn it while I burn the linen.' Mrs. Fax wrinkled her nose as she looked at the bed covers. Sophie lit the sage, the batteries in the smoke detector had been removed long ago, and Mrs. Fax pulled her own linen out of a bag too small to have contained all that it did.

'Mum, does your driver just sit and wait for you while you're doing your own thing?' Sophie waved the bundle of smoking sage at arm's length.

'Well, yes, what else would he do?'

'So, you can do that –' Sophie motioned to the beds Mrs. Fax had them making themselves, 'but you can't drive a car?'

'I have no need to drive. Now whatever you do, don't use the bathroom.'

Sophie shook her head.

Sophie lay awake that night listening to her mother snore, it was light but it annoyed her all the same. There was too much to think about, so many things the Crone could want to tell her. Sophie's chest tightened and her heart raced as the possibilities chased themselves around in her mind.

The sun rose and Sophie and her mum rose with it. Careful to pack all evidence of their witchcraft Sophie and Mrs. Fax left the room to find their driver already waiting outside. In the gloom of dawn, they were driven back to the cabin in the bush.

'What did the Crone tell you?' Sophie tried again.

'Nothing for you to worry about. Not yet anyway.' Mrs. Fax had dark rings around her closed eyes.

'What does she have to tell me?'

'You'll see.' Mrs. Fax yawned, infuriating Sophie. They sat in silence for the rest of the drive, Sophie stewing over her mother's silence, Mrs. Fax in a world of her own.

'Good morning, good morning! Quickly, inside!' Grandma Irma called from the front steps. Lyre Birds strutted around her, flashing their tails, trying to get her attention. She leant down and gave one a pat. Sophie and Mrs. Fax made their way inside.

'Go see the Crone, dear.' Grandma Irma pushed Sophie in the direction of the bedroom.

Sophie made her way through the silk drapes entering the smaller of the two rooms. The fireplace of the living room was mirrored in the bedroom, it's mantlepiece packed with framed photographs, flowers, and candles, the mantle itself no longer visible. A huge hunting rifle was mounted above the fireplace, etched into the stock was a detailed battle scene, fought by witches, wizards, and other fantastic beasts.

Propped up in the wrought iron bed was the smallest, oldest woman Sophie had ever known; her great grandmother. The Crone wore a white nightgown and her long white hair was braided. Her milky eyes were set deep in a face of papery folds of skin. She was liver spotted and on the side of gaunt, but she still wore many large gold hoops in her ears, golden rings on all her fingers and a tiny gold hoop through the centre of her nose. The Crone's head turned in Sophie's direction.

'Come, child. Sit.' The Crone croaked, pointing a withered, ring laden hand at a seat beside the high bed. Sophie took the seat. 'You have a many great things ahead, and many horrible things too.'

The Crone's voice was as dry as sandpaper on wood. Sophie nodded; even though the Crone was blind Sophie knew not to interrupt a Seer.

'You be careful at that school, child, many terrible things have happened, and worse still to come. Work hard, you will be rewarded. Nice boy, yes, a very nice boy.'

Sophie frowned; she'd forgotten she was going to a co-ed school.

'Once you are learned in wand-skill it will be hard to return. When you are learned do not come back!' The Crone threw back her bed covers, next to the old lady was a side-by-side double barrel shot gun, as long as the Crone and definitely heavier. Sophie jumped up.

'Great Grandma! What's that doing in your bed!'

The Crone pulled up the bed covers, hiding the gun.

'Protection. Don't come back.' The Crone lay back against the mound of pillows supporting her and closed her milky eyes. Sophie supposed that was it. She left the room more concerned by the size of the gun the Crone was sleeping with than by her warning. Sophie hoped to Mathilde it was not loaded.

Mrs. Fax did not press Sophie for the details of her short conversation with the Crone, but she did tell Sophie she would not be accompanied by anyone to London, it was too dangerous for any of them to travel. Sophie's heart dropped at this news, not only was she going to a new school, in a new country, she had to go alone.

'What about Camilla?' Sophie looked from her mother to her grandmother, her throat tightening and she clenched her teeth for fear of tears betraying her.

'She is no longer your teacher,' Grandma Irma placed a hand on Sophie's shoulder. 'She has other things to do.'

And just like that Sophie was left to fly to London and prepare to go to a new school alone.

02 – Diagon Alley

The flight was long and Sophie was restless the entire way. The aeroplane food did nothing to settle her stomach, not even binge watching her favourite show, Venus de Vixen, helped.

At long last the plane touched down at Heathrow Airport and after collecting her bags, Sophie made her way to a car that was waiting for her. The driver was a stout man in a bowler's hat and a long magenta coat, if it wasn't so early, more the a few heads would've turned his way.

'Miss Fax, over here,' he waved and motioned to the black cab behind him. Sophie walked over and the driver took her bags. 'To the Leaky Cauldron?' he smiled as he opened the back door for her. Sophie nodded as she climbed inside.

'I don't know how they do it, air-planes, ha! I hardly know cars, so slow! Ahh muggles.' the driver chuckled to himself. The word 'muggles' circled Sophie head then slipped right out again. She yawned and they drove away from the airport.

Sophie watched the streets of London slip by, not thinking of much but a warm shower and bed. The black cab pulled to a halt outside a dingy pub with a shabby sign above the door that read 'Leaky Cauldron'. Sophie's heart sank. This dirty old pub would be where she had to stay? Sophie caught herself wishing to be back in her dorm room in Melbourne.

'It's much nicer inside, it just can't be too appealing from the outside, don't want no muggles stumbling in there do we!'

'Muggles?' That word again, Sophie couldn't place it in her foggy mind.

'Non-magic.'

'Oh; wasps.' Sophie's mind turned over slowly.

'Wasps. Don't hear them called that very often!' the driver smiled. 'All right, let's get you inside.'

Once all Sophie's belongings were inside and the driver had explained to the toothless old barkeep who she was, he returned and shook Sophie's hand.

'Good luck, lassie, not an easy thing you're doing, but if Hogwarts wants you there's a good reason!'

Sophie called thanks after the driver as he hurried out the door. Even though jetlagged and disoriented, Sophie's worst fears had been confirmed; Hogwarts was going to be no walk in the park. She was years older than anyone should be to learn to use a wand for the first time and the old coils of anxiety rose inside and took hold, squeezing Sophie's chest.

'O'er 'ere, Miss Fax,' The shrivelled-up barkeep waved, her bags already drifting ahead. 'Ye rooms down 'ere. Name's Tom, anything ye need, le' me know.' Sophie had to work twice as hard as usual to understand Tom's thick accent.

They walked down a dimly lit corridor and Tom opened the door to room number thirteen. Sophie smiled; thirteen was her number. The small room was better than Sophie had been expecting. There was a large, fourposter bed, draped in velvet of deep blue, speckled with silver, the curtains Tom was pulling closed matched. Aside from the lush velvet of the curtains and bed, the room was modest, there was a fireplace and a chest of draws. Though Sophie only had eyes for the bed. As soon as Tom had lit the fire and left, saying he'd return with some breakfast, Sophie climbed into bed, not bothering to change. The bed was as soft as it looked and support her tired body almost like…

'Magic.' Sophie muttered as she drifted into a deep sleep.

Hours later Sophie woke to a light knocking. Taking a moment to adjust to her surroundings, Sophie climbed out of bed and opened the door. Tom was standing with a tray of food, though it smelt more like dinner than the breakfast she'd been promised.

'What time is it?' Sophie asked as Tom set the tray on a side table next to an armchair which had appeared by the fire.

'Bit after six, Miss Fax, thought I'd better wake ye if this jet-lag thing is as bad as they say it is!'

With a small bow, Tom left the room, closing the door as he went.

Sophie scolded herself for sleeping for the entire day, she'd have no chance to collecting all the items on her book list today! Again, panic rose in her chest. There was no way she'd get her sleep back on track before starting classes either. In that moment Sophie felt incredibly alone. Tears welled behind her eyes, but the smell of the food Tom had brought distracted her; Sophie was hungry. Settling into the armchair and pulling the table in front of her, Sophie devoured the stew.

As she ate, Sophie thought of her brother, Max, and his long journey aboard which would no doubt bring him close in the coming months. He was three years Sophie's senior and although they shared a lot of features, Max Fax was nothing like his little sister. Sophie was stubborn and hot headed even if she was quiet, while Max went about his life in an incredibly lax manner. He made all kinds of friends and fell into the most incredible bouts of luck. Sophie could feel in her heart the distance she was from her brother in time as well as space.

After eating and a long shower (standing awkwardly in a bathtub), Sophie got into her pyjamas and back into bed with her booklist. The book list had been delivered to her the day before she left the airport hotel that Sophie had been whisked to after visiting her grandmother. Sophie scanned the list of charms and potions books, quills and robes, and was thankful for the handwritten notes next to each item telling her where she could find them. At the top of the page was scrawled;

Important: please see Mr Ollivander to be given your wand as soon as you arrive. We advise you do not use your wand until you arrive at Hogwarts as all magic is prohibited to those under the age of 17 by the Ministry of Magic. We are looking forward to meeting you.

Professor M. McGonagall

Sophie hardly slept, she lay in bed memorising the book list, excitement and nerves building. She knew the first thing she had to do, before getting her wand, was to go to the wizarding bank Gringotts, otherwise she wouldn't be able to pay Mr Ollivander.

Sophie woke after a patchy sleep still tired and still nervous. Dressing in her only witch like outfit; a long black skirt, a blouse and the cloak her grandmother had given her, Sophie went to breakfast, happy with her outfit choice. The guests of the Leaky Cauldron were scattered about tables eating their breakfast, reading newspaper and chatting to other travellers.

They were dressed in sweeping robes of deep reds and greens, embroidered with silver or fastened to the neck with gold buttons. Some had matching hats, some wore heavy travelling cloaks. There were a few people Sophie's age in wasp-like clothes; jeans and sweaters, tee shirts and skirts. They all belong to large families, laughing and chatting, passing bread and butter or offering each other tea. A pang of jealousy struck Sophie. All she wanted was a friend, or her brother, even Camilla would do. Sophie's jealously turned to anger in a heartbeat. Why wasn't Camilla with her? This was a big deal, going to a school for witches! Maybe Camilla was jealous? Sophie pushed the thoughts out of her mind, ate some toast then set out to Diagon Alley.

'Hold on!'

Sophie had stepped into a cold but sunlight courtyard behind the pub when a voice called her. It was old Tom.

'I almost forgot; you need a wand to get through.' Tom produced a well-worn, slender wand from the pocket of his filthy apron. He shuffled to the back of the courtyard, motioning for Sophie to follow. He tapped his wand three times on one of the bricks.

Sophie's mouth dropped open; the wall in front of her melted away revealing a bustling street behind it. Diagon Alley was loud and busy, the buildings were tall and leant precariously on each other. The alley wound out of sigh but Sophie's eyes already couldn't take in all there was to see. Old Tom chuckled as she stared.

'Ya'll be alright, ye' know how to get back 'ere. Once you've got yer wand just tap the brick on the other side. Enjoy yeself, Miss Fax!' Tom patted Sophie on the shoulder and returned to the pub.

Sophie blinked, straightened her cloak, and stepped onto the cobblestone lane. There were people everywhere, parents hurrying their children along past joke stores and broomsticks, into bookstores and robe fittings. There were older children calling to friends in the crowds. Store owners had set up displays inside and out of their shops to attract back-to-school shoppers, every display moving, firing sparks, calling to passers telling them they had just what they were looking for!

There was a large crowd outside one of the stores; Gambol and Japes Joke Shop. Children and teens were squealing with delight and laughing at things Sophie could not see inside. There were plumes of coloured smoke and jets of bright lights, and a loud bang that made most of the shoppers inside cry with laughter. Two boys pushed past her, hurrying to get amongst the fun, one called back an apology as the other called out to someone named Pete. Mustering all her will power, Sophie turned away from the joke shop and continued along the winding lane, knowing she must first find Gringotts and then Ollivander's.

A huge white marble building rose up ahead of Sophie. It towered above the quaint shops around it. As Sophie approached, she saw something she had never seen before. Outside the bank were two small creatures, they had big eyes and long fingers. They hardly regarded Sophie as she walked up the front steps. Sophie took a deep breath; goblins were as scary in real life as they were in stories.

Pushing through a set of silver doors and was faced with a second set of silver doors. Upon them was a plaque, warning customers it would be the height of stupidity to steal from Gringotts. Sophie took another deep breath and pushed through the doors into the cool, candlelit bank.

Although it was early the bank was busy. Sophie stepped to the first free teller. There was another goblin behind the high counter, he didn't look up as Sophie approached.

'Yes?' The goblin dragged out the word as though Sophie's business was a nuisance to him.

'I'd like to – ah – change some money.' Sophies voice shook, the goblin's teeth and nails were sharp and grimy.

'Well, do you have any money to change?' The goblin continued to weigh the green gems on his counter.

'Yes of course,' Sophie felt sweat prickle on her upper lip. 'But it's not Pounds.'

'We exchange Euro too.' The goblin looked at Sophie without raising his head.

'It's…not Euro, it's Australian, but if you can't, that's fine! I can go to another bank and change it to Pounds and come back.' Sophie spoke fast, flustered, her first transaction in the wizarding world was going so badly!

'Australian…' The goblin rolled the word in his mouth, tasting it. Sophie had his full attention, greed glimmered in his round eyes.

'How much then?' the goblin pushed the pile of gems aside and sat forward. Sophie withdrew a wad of colourful notes from her bag.

'All of this.' Sophie pushed her cash across the counter. The goblin snatched it up and counted it, then, using an abacus, calculated what Sophie's life savings were worth in the wizarding world.

Sophie was handed a hefty sack of gold and silver. At the look of utter bemusement on Sophie's face the goblin took three coins and lay them on the counter between them.

'Galleon,' he pointed to the large gold coin, 'Sickle,' he pointed to the smaller silver coin, 'and Knut.' He pointed finally to the smallest bronze coin, then scooped them out of sight. As Sophie turned to leave the bank, the goblin sat back in his chair and smile down at the money.

'Australian, ha!'

Good for him, Sophie thought.

Sophie had no trouble locating Ollivander's as she had spotted it on the way to the bank. She walked with the crowds moving in the direction and watched with a smile as witches and wizards moved about her.

Sophie felt a deep sense of belonging walking along Diagon Alley. She'd never been among so many witches and wizards in her life. The feeling was how she used to feel sitting in front of the fire listening to all her grandmothers' stories of the old country. But now Sophie was here, living it, truly a part of the world she had dreamed of for so long. Sophie had butterflies which were growing with every step closer to her wand, but she was beaming.

Ollivander's was not as busy as the rest of the alley. A small boy was being dragged from the shop as Sophie arrive, nearly in tears of joy looking at his wand as his mother told him to; 'Be careful with that thing, Timmy!'

The floorboards squeaked as Sophie entered, a small bell on the door announcing her arrival. Dust tickled Sophie's nose but she suppressed the urge to sneeze. All around her were long thin boxes, stacked to the roof. Sophie's eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim light. Wands! A few stacks had been disrupted, wands rolled across the floor, freed from their boxes. An older wizard was using his own wand to restore order. He looked around when Sophie entered.

'First years. Always a little too excited to try their first wands.' As the last of the loose wands righted themselves and returned to their place, the wizard greeted Sophie.

'Ollivander, what can I do for you?' Ollivander extended a hand. As Sophie went to take it, Ollivander cried out and threw both hands in the air.

'Sophie Fax! How could I forget!' A smile split Ollivander's creased face and he ducked away behind a curtain. Sophie was left alone in the middle of his shop, startled. Moments later he returned, holding a dustless wand box.

'I should've known! You look just like your grandmother; 10 inches, wattle and unicorn hair, a beautiful wand made specially for her! Just as this one has been for you, I only finished it last week. Now let's see how it feels.' Ollivander removed the wand from its box and presented it to Sophie, a gleaming red wand. It was stunning.

Sophie took the wand; it quivered in her hand. It was warm and as Sophie held it her grip tighten, almost as though the wand had changed to fit within her grasp. A sensation, not unlike a slow electric shock, moved up Sophie's arm. The vibrations she felt in her chest and all around her were now being channelled down her left arm, into the wand. Sophie felt as though the world was at her fingertips, or more accurately; her wand tip.

'Well, give it a wave!' Ollivander's smile had not faded, he waited for Sophie.

Sophie waved her new wand in a big arc, pointing at nothing in particular. A magnificent arc of fiery sparks flew out the end of it, re-toppling all the boxes Ollivander had just reordered. Sophie's mouth fell open.

'This is the right wand. Thirteen inched, red gum and Lyre Bird tail-feather,' Ollivander's eye were alight. 'There are very few who receive a custom wand, and fewer still who are so perfectly matched to that wand, your friend Camilla knows you well.'

Sophie looked at her new wand. River red gums, the trees where she grew up, and there was no doubt as to where they had found the Lyre Bird tail-feather.

But where was Camilla? Camilla could have been helping Sophie with all of this. Sophie payed for her wand but instead of putting it in her pocket, ready to use, she placed it back inside its box and tucked it into her bag. Ollivander sighed as Sophie left, he had known many witches and many wands, but he had never seen someone so unsure of such a perfect fit.

Sophie finished her shopping, helped by kind store owners when she got confused by the currency. She was excited by her new school robes and had splurged a little on a set of dress robes; a set of high necked, fitted robes in a blue so dark it was almost black and embroidered all over with tiny silver stars (not unlike the velvet in Room 13 at the Leaky Cauldron).

When Sophie returned to her room that afternoon, she couldn't help but smile as she looked through her new purchases and organised them to be repacked the next day. She checked her booklist and cross refenced it with the items in front of her, making sure nothing was missing. There was only one item at the bottom of the list Sophie had left until last;

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

Sophie certainly was not bringing a toad to Hogwarts, but the decision between a cat or an owl had plagued her ever since she had read the line. Of course, she was going to take a familiar, she had never had her own. Sophie also liked the idea of having some company, she had been feeling so alone this entire move having a companion, even in animal form, was better than nothing.

Sophie thought of her last school and how she had struggled to fit in, she didn't want to think what she would do if it was the same at Hogwarts. Sophie had all the hallmarks of popularity; tall, athletic, studious, but she was not mean or exclusive. She got tongue tied easily, and she was no good at standing up for herself.

Sophie's cheeks flushed as she though back to an embarrassing and badly planned retorts she'd used when the popular girls had decided it was her turn to be picked on. She couldn't help it, feeling embarrassed, even though she was thousands of miles away, possibly never to see those girls again. As powerful as Sophie was shaping up to be, she was still a sixteen-year-old girl and she felt sick as she clicked her fingers and made her name scrawled itself across the tags of her new robes.

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.

The Tough Decision

Sophie put her bag over her shoulder, collected her cloak and prepared to go down to breakfast. She was about to make one of her most important decisions yet; cat or owl?

Dressed in blue jeans and a black tee shirt, Sophie looked admittedly less witch-like than the other guests at breakfast. Sophie did not mind, her wasp clothes were comfortable and she wanted to feel most like herself to make this decision.

Cats had merit but were they as useful as an owl? Though an owl would not be able to be with her all the time, it would have to go out at night and hunt, and it would not be great to cuddle up with. But cats could not deliver mail, what would a cat do all day while she was in class? Sleep?

After much though and many cups of tea, Sophie got up and left for Diagon Alley. Standing before the backmost brick wall Sophie withdrew her wand from her bag.

Yesterday, when Sophie had retuned, a woman with fire red hair was struggling with countless school supplies, Sophie had helped her get them all to the Leaky Cauldron. Sophie had been moments from using her wand for the first time when the woman took out her own wand and tapped the wall. She had thanked Sophie and bustled off recalling her shopping list out loud. At the time Sophie had not been concerned about using her wand; she had a shiny new cauldron stacked with school supplies she was eager to inspect.

Sophie now looked at the wall, supposing this was the first time she would use her wand. The brick in question was easy to stop; it was worn after years of being tapped repeatedly in the same spot. Sophie raised her wand and felt it vibrate in her warm hand. Three touches of her wand to the wall and the bricks melted away in front of her, Sophie was no less amazed than the day before.

She walked down the alley to Eeylops Owl Emporium, receiving a few curious looks from older witches, Sophie was concerned her wasp outfit was too casual. Though the day before, the few witches or wizards in wasp clothing clearly did not understand how they worked.

This was confirmed as a man stepped out of the emporium. He was wearing a man's dress shirt, which fitted well but he had paired it with a knee length skirt, in black and white stripes, he wore work boots and striped socks to match his skirt.

'I'm telling you,' the man turned to his son. 'I like the breeze.'

He stopped walking and swung his hips indicating exactly where he liked the breeze. His son turned scarlet and slapped his hand to his forehead. Sophie giggled. The boy turned to her with a grimace.

'Don't worry, mine's the same.'

This was a lie, Sophie had never seen her father in anything but a suit or his tartan pyjamas, but the boy smiled and caught up with his dad, shaking his head as he went.

As Sophie stepped inside the emporium, she was reminded of the difficult decision she was about to make. A shop assistant stumbled through towers of animal cages to Sophie. She was not much older than Sophie, but she was dressed in traditional robes, covered in fur, and a pointed hat, which was askew and also covered in fur.

'Hi! How can I help? Sick rat? Invisible cat? Two of those already today, can you believe!' The shop assistant scanned Sophie, looking for a pet she might need bring back to the visible realm.

'No, I'm buying. But I'm not sure –'

'Ah, cat or owl? I got an owl in my final year because I missed out on making Head Girl. My parents felt bad, wanted to be able to stay in contact, you know?'

Sophie smiled as the shop assistant chatted. This young woman had pretty well solidified Sophie's choice. Sophie was getting a cat. An owl might mean she'd be obliged to stay in contact with her own mother.

They browsed animals for upwards of twenty minutes, the shop assistant explaining all the benefits of tawny owls and long-haired Scottish mountain cats, all the time Sophie wondering if this young woman had been in the running for Head Girl at all.

Although the huge, angry, long haired, resident tom cat would have been Sophie's first choice (a card near him told her he was not for sale), she was drawn to a small black cat. He was sleek and had silvery white eyes.

'Is he blind?' Sophie poked a finger through his wicker cage.

'Oh, not at all! He was born like that, only a few months old he is, like him?'

And without too much thought and a gentle swipe from the cat with the full moon eyes, Sophie had made her decision. A decision wich was surprisingly easy in the end.

As Sophie made her way back to the Leaky Cauldron, her new kitten in one arm, and all the necessities to look after him in loaded in a wicker cage in the other, Sophie smiled to herself. How ironic; a witch with a black cat.

Hogwarts Express

Sophie's last morning at the Leaky Cauldron was so warm Tom opened the courtyard so the guests could enjoy their breakfast in the morning sun.

Sophie knew her trip to Hogwarts would take her through Kings Cross Station so again she was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. A note from Professor McGonagall has stated that she must not draw muggle attention to herself. Sophie had packed her trunk the night before and a silent wish to Mathilde that she would fit in.

Sophie scooped up her black kitten, she had decided to call him Wolf for no reason other than he was not a wolf, but maybe because of his full moon eyes, and put him in his wicker cage. Sophie could not stomach breakfast and was relieved when the same stout driver from the airport came to collect her.

'Do you know how to get onto the platform?' The driver called from the front of the cab.

'I have to walk into the barrier between platforms nine and ten?' Sophie knew this but was not confident about the note scrawled at the bottom of her book list, along with several other instruction like; the train leaves at 11am sharp and try not to attract too much attention while among muggles.

'Yes, exactly!' The driver called back to her. This driver, whose name she didn't even know, and old Tom the toothless barkeep were the only people Sophie knew in the wizarding world. Something about that made her nerves bubble up into her throat. Choking back the urge to be sick, Sophie listened to what the driver was telling her about crossing to Platform 9 and ¾.

'Make sure you take it as a bit of a jog, just to keep the momentum going! And look around, make sure there are no muggles watching, they don't really notice much but better to be safe! I can come with you, if you'd like? When my boy, Sam, went for the first time, oh, he was…'

Sophie let the driver chat, it was nice and he didn't seem to mind that Sophie wasn't answering.

They parked at Kings Cross Station and after bidding farewell to her new friend, who's name Sophie now knew was Herbert, she pushed a trolley loaded with her belongings towards platforms nine and ten. There was a barricade between them and as Sophie was approaching, she stopped dead. Sophie recognised the woman about to cross her path. It was the red headed woman she had helped in Diagon Alley. She was now with a dark haired boy with glasses and an elderly woman.

They leant against the barrier and disappeared through the wall. Sophie's eyes opened wide, that was the place. Sophie looked around and since no one was watching she approached and bumped her trolley into the barrier, it didn't stop, it went straight through and took Sophie, Wolf and her trunk with it.

Sophie almost ran into the red-haired woman on the other side of the barrier. There were several other red-haired children with the group she had joined. The boy with dark hair and glasses stopped his trolly next to a girl with bushy hair, the only other non-redhead in the group of students. There was an enormous black dog with the group. She swallowed and broke eye contact with the massive dog.

Sophie found herself in complete awe as she took in the crowded platform. It was packed full of students, from first years, as nervous as her, all the way to seventh years who were strolling around, waving and hugging their friends. Parents were struggling to get in a last hug and warnings for good behaviour, and there were trunks and owls and cats and Sophie definitely saw one toad.

The entire scene unfolded under the billowing steam clouds from the scarlet stream engine sitting at the front of the train. It had Hogwarts Express emblazed in gold across the front of it.

Sophie followed the lead of the other students, she stowed her luggage and climbing aboard. She found herself an empty compartment and settled in to watch the final goodbyes down on the platform. She spotted the big black dog with its paws on the shoulders of the boy with the glasses, the red-haired woman knocked it away. Sophie smiled sadly as the red-haired woman pulled the boy into a hug, Sophie would have done anything to have someone waving her off. She rested her head against the cool glass to watch parents hugging and kissing their children and waving as the train pulled out of the station.

Before she knew it Sophie fell asleep. The excitement of getting to this point, mixed with what might still have been jetlag, had Sophie knocked out so cold that when three students entered her compartment she was not disturbed.

After a few hours Sophie stirred for the first time, causing the three boys in her compartment to look up.

'Blimey, forgot she was there.'

Two of the boys were identical twin, red-heads from the group on the platform.

'Know who she is, Lee?' One of the twins turned to the third boy in the compartment.

'No idea, not a Gryffindor.' Lee's dark hair and skin a stark contrast to his two friends.

'Reckon she's been listening? George, poke her.' The other twin nodded at Sophie. George took out his wand and after a second of hesitation, poked Sophie in the knee. Nothing happened.

'Pretending, hey?' George clicked his fingers in front of Sophie's face, Sophie didn't flinch, but her head lolled, and her mouth fell open as she issued a small snore.

'I think she's asleep, Fred, my boy.' George tucked his wand into his pocket.

Fred and Lee turned their attention back to the parchment they had been reading as George whispered threats to hex Sophie as she snored lightly. When she did not stir at the offer of one million Galleons, George turned back to Fred and Lee and they went on discussing their own business.

The three boys weren't interrupted until half an hour later when the door of their compartment slid open. It revealed another red-haired boy and the girl with bushy hair from the platform. Both already in their school robes, and both with a P pinned to their chests.

'All right, Ron?' Lee smiled at the newcomers.

'Yeah, Lee, alright?' Ron did not look alright, he looked hassled and rather sick of the girl he was with. He sat down next to Lee.

'Fred, George, what are you doing?' the girl placed her hands on her hips, still in the doorway. The twins laughed.

'Relax, Hermione, you can't –'

'Who's that?' Ron pointed at Sophie.

'Shh! You'll wake her, we've got money on how far her drool will go.' Fred pushed Ron's hand down.

Sophie did indeed have a stream of drool threatening to drip off the side of her cheek onto her shoulder.

'Ron! That's her, the new girl!' Hermione tried to remain quiet, moving into the compartment to get a better look at Sophie

'New girl? Since when are first years that old?' Fred turned to look at Sophie for the first time.

'She's not a first year. Well, not really. She's starting in our year. Professor McGonagall wrote to the prefects over summer letting us know she might be in our house. She's from Australia, but she's never used a wand,' Hermione said. The four boys were mystified by the news, including Ron, who clearly had not read the letter. 'We should wake her. You all need to change into your robes.'

With that Hermione shook Sophie into consciousness. Sophie groaned and, when she gained her bearings, was surprised to see the compartment full of people.

'Whasgooingon?' Sophie wiped drool from her cheek. Fred whispered to Lee that he'd won.

'Sophie? I'm Hermione, I'm one of the prefects of your year, you need to change into your robes, we're almost at Hogwarts.'

Sophie blinked, wanting nothing more than to drop off back to sleep, rocked by the train, but there were so many eyes on her. Sophie thanked Hermione before standing up to retrieve her robes from her trunk. Hermione made to leave and motioned for Ron to follow.

Sophie yawned and stretched, and then turned to the three boys left in the compartment.

'Are you all changing too?'

For a second none of them moved. They stared at Sophie, maybe perplexed by the idea of a new student in the fifth year. More likely it was her long hair, longer legs and the unreality of a new girl. They all regained their composure and, muttering things like 'of course' and 'plenty of time', they fumbled for their robes.

Sophie didn't speak to the boys for the rest of the trip. She gazed out the window and the boys were soon enough speaking to each other in lowered voices. Sophie picked up snippets such as 'gold', 'fanged', and 'dung bombs' as she sat wringing her clammy hands.

They departed the train together and when Sophie followed the crowd over to awaiting carriages it was George who saw her and asked if she wanted to join them in a carriage to the castle. Darkness had fallen like a curtain and Sophie was sick with nerves, nerves that were withering like snakes inside her.

Fred, George and Lee introduced themselves and listen as Sophie explained what jet lag was and that's why she was knocked out cold, and no, she hadn't heard what they were talking about and yes, that also meant she didn't realise they had bet on when the drool would run off her chin. Sophie blushed at the first impression she had given, but they reassured her it wasn't that bad which made Sophie laugh.

03 – Hogwarts

There was chaos as the carriages arrived at the main entrance of Hogwarts. Sophie looked around in awe as she moved with the crowd of students up the steps to the main entrance. The castle was huge, it had towers and turrets, buttresses and battlements, the huge arched doorway in front of her had warm light spilling from it, as did all the windows dotted up and down the castle walls.

'Miss Fax, over here.'

An old woman in tartan robes and a matching pointed hat signalled to Sophie.

'Ooh, already in trouble with McGonagall.' One of the twins nudged Sophie as she passed him on her way through the crowd. Sophie's stomach dropped but then he winked and was lost in the moving crowd.

'Welcome, Miss Fix, I'm Professor McGonagall, if you'll follow me please.' Professor McGonagall's face was stern and her hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Sophie had to try listen carefully to understand the professor's Scottish accent. After a beat Sophie understood what Professor McGonagall had asked and followed her away from the loud and excited student body. Sophie glimpsed a grand hall, four long tables running its length, covered with shining goblets, plates and cutlery, and, suspended above the tables, where thousands of blinking candles, bobbing and flickering in cheerful waves.

Sophie followed the professor up a wide marble staircase and down a long hallway, stopping outside a door just as the noise from downstairs began to fade.

'Now, if you'll wait in here just a few minutes, Madam Pomfrey will be up to see you, then I will return.'

Professor McGonagall unlocked the door and went inside. She collected a wooden stool and a battered old hat then left Sophie alone, and very lonely, in the cool office.

Though she did not have to wait long. Sophie had taken a seat in front of a neat desk when another woman hurried into the room. Dressed in a starched matron's uniform of blue and white Madam Pomfrey had in her hands a bubbling goblet which hissed and steamed.

'Here, love, down in one. It'll sort you right out!' Madam Pomfrey pushed the goblet into Sophie's hands, it was a shade of deep ocean green and smelt of peppermint.

'I'm not sick.' Sophie tried to decline.

'Oh no, love, it's for the yawns.'

Sophie was half was through another wide yawn. She stifled it.

'Professor McGonagall and I saw it a mile away, those horrible means of muggle transportation, oh, how do they do it? Drink up!'

Sophie could resist no longer; she took the goblet and drank its contents. Once the goblet was drained, she handed it back but not before the potion had started to take effect. Energy awoke inside her; Sophie was no longer breathing slow and deep and no longer was every movement exhausting. Sophie felt alive and rejuvenated and could not believe she had not been wide awake taking in all the wonderful things around her! Sophie smiled at Madam Pomfrey and sat up straight, looking around the room.

'Ah, there we go, Pepperup is not just for colds, is it!'

Sophie let Madam Pomfrey fuss about her while she took in the room around her; the grandfather clock with nothing but the planets on it, several boxes stacked behind the desk which were moving, and on closer inspection into the top most box, they contained an assortment of pin cushions and hedgehogs, and some which were both. There were several pictures on the mantle above the fire, the subjects of all of these were moving and waving at Sophie, or whispering to each other and pointing.

'Thank you, Poppy,' Professor McGonagall retuned after a quarter of an hour. Madam Pomfrey had taken a full physical assessment of Sophie by then. 'Would you like to stay for Miss Fax's sorting?'

'Of course! How were the first years, Minerva?' Madam Pomfrey smiled at Professor McGonagall.

'Nervous, but nothing out of the ordinary. Sophie please take a seat. I believe you understand how the houses work at Hogwarts?' Professor McGonagall motioned to the seat Sophie briefly sat in. Sophie nodded and sat.

'Do you know how students are sorted into those houses?' Professor McGonagall asked. Sophie shook her head.

'We use the Sorting Hat, you shall put it on, and it will tell us to which house you are to be assigned to.'

Professor McGonagall handed Sophie a shabby witches' hat. Sophie put it on. The hat slipped down over her eyes and Sophie heard a deep voice.

'So, you're the new girl. Older that those I usually sort, though just as nervous,'

Sophie recognised the voice was in her head, the hat was reading her thoughts.

'Hmm, strength of character, intelligence, compassion, you would do well in each house. This is interesting, you long for friendship above all else. And you're scared you'll be your own undoing … but very generous. Well, that makes things easy. You'll be; Gryffindor.'

The hat spoke the last word aloud and Sophie removed it, glad to be out from under its scrutiny. Sophie, having had Camilla read her thoughts many times felt this hat was different, the hat could see further than the mind, maybe into the soul. Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall clapped.

'Well done, Gryffindor, you should be proud! I better get back, Minerva.' Madam Pomfrey patted Sophie on the shoulder and left the room. Professor McGonagall took the hat from Sophie and placed it on her desk.

'Welcome to Gryffindor, Miss Fax. That streamlines everything as I am your head of house. There will be a bed ready for you in the Gryffindor tower and I will have your prefects take you upstairs after the feast.' Professor McGonagall moved around her desk and as she took a seat two plates appeared. 'As for our dinner,' The plates became laden with the most wonderful smelling roast lamb and gravy, crispy baked potatoes, and all kinds of other roast vegetables ready to fall off the plate. There were two goblets, both full, Professor McGonagall's of wine and Sophie's an orange consistency.

'Pumpkin juice.' Professor McGonagall picked up her knife and fork and beginning to eat.

'Shouldn't you be with the others, downstairs?' Although Sophie had wondered why she herself was not at the feast, she was relived to be having her first meal with only a stern teacher for company.

'I have many things to discuss with you, and I thought it may be uncomfortable for you to have to endure the great feast somewhat alone. We were definitely not going to sort you in front of the whole school, how peculiar you'd look standing up there with all the first years.' Professor McGonagall was smiling, Sophie smiled back, it would've been a sight.

They ate in a comfortable silence and once Sophie had tasted her goblet of pumpkin juice, she decided she liked it. Their empty plates vanished and were soon replaced with desert.

'Do you have any questions you'd like answered before I begin briefing you?' Professor McGonagall asked.

'Not really.' Sophie thought for a moment, she had so many questions, but she didn't know where to begin. Professor McGonagall was nodding but her lips were pursed.

'Will I be bad?' Sophie blurted out. It was all she could manage, her nerves had gotten the better of her. Sophie stuffed some chocolate pudding in her mouth before she could give herself away any further.

'Bad? At magic? I should think not. Professor Dumbledore informed me of your use of Old Magic and your talent with potions. While you may be behind in some respects, I do not expect you to be bad. I would like to see how you use magic, if you wouldn't mind giving a demonstration.'

Sophie swallowed her chocolate pudding and stared at the professor.

'I don't know how to use my wand.' Her heart was beating, the magic in the castle was damn near palpable and Sophie was struggling to remember how she had ever channelled energy in the first place.

'Then don't.' Professor McGonagall sat back in her chair as she finished her treacle tart, wiping her mouth on a napkin she produced from nowhere. Sophie looked around thinking, feeling, what could she do? What did Professor McGonagall want to see? Looking up she spotted a crystal chandelier.

'Can I stand up?' Sophie asked, getting ready to anyway. Professor McGonagall nodded. Sophie stood and faced her palms upwards, feeling the distance between the crystals and herself, feeling their weight in the air above her. Sophie allowed the crystals to remove themselves from their binds, feel their own energy and move down towards her.

Professor McGonagall watched as her crystal chandelier began to move, jingling as it came apart. The large crystal fragments slowing rotated downwards, moving in large spirals towards Sophie. They revolved and moved back up; the stones were moving as a double helix. The light in the room changed, it dimmed, and prisms of light broke through each crystal and reflected on the walls. A dazzling display of coloured lights played through the office. The room was filled with dancing colours and the crystals continue to move in their hypnotising spirals around Sophie. Small flashes of lightning crackled into the rhythm, changing the light in the room once again, jumping between each crystal piece.

The door behind Sophie opened and someone gasped. Sophie evaporated the water she had been about to add to the show, extinguished the sparks, and returned the crystals to the chandelier above with a small upward motion of her hands. She turned to see the girl who had woken her on the train, Hermione, and the other prefect, Ron.

Behind them could be none other than Albus Dumbledore.

'Don't stop our account.' He smiled down his crooked nose at Sophie, his long hair and beard were white as snow, robes a midnight blue with gold stars winking from them. Sophie was reminded of her own dress robes.

'That was beautiful.' Hermione's eyes were wide. Ron nodded looking at Sophie with raised eyebrows and an open mouth.

Professor Dumbledore stepped forward and extended a hand, Sophie took it.

'Welcome to Hogwarts, and to Gryffindor!' Professor Dumbledore swept his arm out wide. 'You have already met your house prefects, I hear?'

Sophie nodded, star stuck, she had not thought she would ever meet Albus Dumbledore. He conjured two more chairs and motioned for them all to take a seat.

Sophie sat quietly as the professors discussed her timetable, what classes she would need to attend extra sessions of, or not at all. They allowed Ron and Hermione to explain how the house worked but cut Ron off before he could bad mouth Slytherin.

'We're very happy to have you, Miss Fax. We hope to learn as much from you as you do from us.' Professor Dumbledore peered at Sophie over his half-moon spectacles. He was smiling as though he knew something Sophie did not.

'Yes, Miss Granger has kindly offered to be your mentor, she will look after you, and Mr Weasley here too.' Professor McGonagall gave both the prefects pointed looks.

After almost an hour the professors allowed Sophie to leave with her prefects, a lot was rattling around her mind, but Sophie felt somewhat calmer than before the meeting.

'So, how do you do it, you know…' Ron dropped his voice. 'Without a wand?' He whispered as though he was saying a dirty word.

'I guess I just feel it, where the energy is, and how it can be moved.' Sophie smiled as Ron's grin widened.

'You've got to teach us! Magic without a wand, that would change everything!'

'Ron, it's an incredibly ancient kind of magic, you can't just be taught it, it has to be given to you.' Hermione's tone was scathing. Sophie raised her eyebrows at Ron, he shrugged in return and they walked on, listening to Hemione explain how classes and the timetable worked, something Sophie already understood, having attended two high schools prior to Hogwarts.

They made their way along a corridor and stopped in front of a renaissance style painting of an incredibly fat woman. She was draped in pink silk and was lounging upon her chair.

'Password?' She asked without opening her eyes.

'Mimbulus mimbletonia,' Hermione said, then turned to Sophie and said, 'Remember that, it's the password.' As the portrait swung forward and revealed a human sized hole for them to climb through.

Behind the portrait and through the hole was a large circular room. The room had a crackling fireplace and old armchairs around it, there were tables and chairs scattered around, it was warm and homely. Judging by the décor being predominantly scarlet and gold Sophie safely assumed this was the Gryffindor common room. There were quite a few students around and most of them stared as Sophie followed Hermione to an ascending staircase.

'Our dorm is up there to the left, I've got a few more perfect duties to attend to, so if you're alright I'll leave you to it?'

Sophie didn't believe Hermione's duties could be overly important, having known a few prefects in her time, but Sophie was eager to get out of the common room, get away from all the eyes on her.

'No that's fine, I'll go up to bed.' Sophie was exhausted and could feel the effects of the Pepperup wearing off. She was relieved that for the first time in almost a week, she was tired at the right time of night.

'Oh, no! I didn't mean that, you can stay in the common room, I just thought –'

'It's fine, you've got things to do and I don't know anyone else.' Sophie forced a smile. The three boys from the train were in the middle of a large group of people but Sophie did not stay long enough to find out what they were doing.

At the top of the stairs, Sophie closed the door on the noise behind her and walked over to the bed her trunk had been placed at the end of. The room was also circular and consisted of four beds, the beds had scarlet curtains, and each had a trunk at the foot of it. A small window looked out onto the night.

There were two other girls in the room, chatting as they arranged photos and flowers on their nightstands. They smiled at Sophie but went back to telling each other their holiday stories.

Sophie looked down at her battered trunk and its silver coat of arms. After a closer inspection of the Hogwarts coat of arms on one of the other girl's trunks, Sophie waved a hand over her trunk. The sliver Mathilde Hexenschule emblem changed to the colourful Hogwarts one.

'How did you do that?' One of the girls crossed the room to Sophie. Both had stopped talking to watch her.

'It's just a masking spell, I haven't really changed it. Thought it was a bit rude to bring a different school trunk.' Sophie tried to smile.

'I know the spell, but you didn't use a wand. You don't use wands Mathilde?' The girl had long dark hair, light brown skin and henna on both her hands.

'Oh, I didn't go to Mathilde, it's my grandma's trunk, I don't speak enough German.' Sophie laughed, it was as forced as her smile at Hermione.

'Wait, you're from Australia, right?' The other girl was fair with caramel curls, her voice as soft as her features. 'Don't you use the Old Magic? I thought that people who knew Old Magic didn't learn the new ways, isn't it forbidden?' She scanned Sophie, as if maybe Sophie was a bad omen.

'Most don't, there isn't a huge magical community, being such a big place with so few people. Most people who can control their power just learn that and go about their lives like wasps – muggles.'

'They don't want to be magic!'

'Not really, we're not really allowed so they usually just lead a non-magic life with a few added bonuses.' Sophie looked as the ground, she could feel her palms getting sweaty. The two girl's mouths fell open.

'Well, I'm Parvati, and that's Lavender.' Parvati was the taller of the two, she motioned to her friend with caramel curls. 'We're fifth years too. Do you know what classes you're in?'

Sophie pulled her timetable from her pocket. They were in Potions together the next morning. Although that was after Sophie spent the first period learning basic charms with Professor Flitwick. The three girls changed into their pyjamas.

'Oh, Potion the first day, how awful!' Lavender climbed into her bed. Parvati and Lavender hadn't received their timetables, but they knew they'd have Professor Snape tomorrow morning.

'Try not to get on Snape's bad side on your first day!' Parvati laughed as she and Sophie followed Lavender's lead. Sophie drew the hangings around her bed and lay back exhausted. She smiled at the canopy overhead, happy to know the girls she would be living with were friendly. She curled up with Wolf, how her cat and all her belongings has gotten to her room Sophie did not know but she drifted into sleep filled with dreams of her wand setting the various parts of Hogwarts on fire, without being able to stop it.

Wands and Warlocks

The next morning Hermione hurried to breakfast, leaving Sophie in the care of Lavender and Parvati. Sophie appreciated their help, she needed all the help she could get to navigate the maze-like castle.

As they walked to breakfast Sophie stopped listening to the gossip her roommates were filling her in on; relationships, fights, secret love affairs between ghosts. Sophie was more interested in the paintings; the subjects were waving, moving between frames, calling well wishes to students as they began the first day of the new school year. There were suits of armour and delicately carved statues litters throughout the corridors. The corridors had high vaulted ceilings and large windows giving stunning panoramic views of the grounds below. There was a lake Sophie had not seen the night before, and a vast forest and towering mountain ranges stretched into the distance.

Sophie, Lavender and Parvati descended the wide marble staircase with countless other students and entered the great hall. The grand hall was the most impressive room by far; there was no ceiling, only the sky above them. Storm clouds barrelled along, bearing down upon the four long house tables. There was a raised platform at the far end of the hall where professors were seated. Teachers and students alike were chatting and laughing.

'It's just bewitched to look like the sky outside.' Lavender nudged Sophie. Sophie closed her mouth, adjusted her new school robes, they were itching her already, and followed her new friends to the Gryffindor table.

Wand. I have to use my wand. I'm going to burn the place down. They'd love that, oh yes bring the new girl in, teach her to use a wand, but instead she levels the school on her first day. In her first lesson! It can be that hard, if Lavender can do it I can. She seems a bit dim. Don't be mean, they're being nice to you, and they really didn't have to. Could've left you to the prefect, too busy to say good morning.

Sophie frowned into her scrambled eggs, chewing and thinking, thinking and chewing. She resolved to get over herself; she'd have to use her wand at some point.

'Sophie!'

Sophie looked up, surprised anyone knew her by name. It was Hermione, followed by the other prefect, Ron, and their friend with dark hair and glasses. 'You got to breakfast alright?'

'Obviously.' Ron muttered to their friend. Hermione ignored him.

'Do you know where your first class is?' Hermione asked.

Sophie nodded, filling her mouth with eggs so she didn't say something rude about being treated like a baby. Sophie knew she was older than all her new classmates, but they didn't, nor did it matter.

'We're helping her, Hermione.' Lavender squared her shoulders.

'Yeah, don't you have secret things to talk to your boyfriends about?' Parvati nodded at the two boys behind Hermione. They were having their own hushed conversation, no longer interested in Hermione's.

Hermione's cheeks coloured as she hurried off after her friends. They sat huddled together speaking in low voices. Sophie got the impression they had already forgotten her.

'Always scheming, that lot.' Parvati looked down the table.

'Why?' Sophie followed her gaze.

'There's always something going on,' Lavender roller her eyes as she reached for a piece of buttered toast. 'Something going on with Harry, at least. Harry Potter, you know about him, right?'

Sophie shook her head. His name had the same familiar ring to it that Professor Dumbledore's had had, before Camilla reprimanded her for not remembering who the most important wizard of all time was.

Lavender was more than happy to fill Sophie in about the Boy Who Lived; the infamous Harry Potter. Sophie watched the scrawny boy with dark hair and wire framed glasses as Lavender told her a story about a dark wizard who had killed Harry's parents, and then attempted to kill baby Harry. The curse backfired and killed You-Know-Who instead. Sophie did not know who. Harry was left with a scar and wizarding world fame.

'But last year, when Harry won the tri-wizard tournament, a boy, Cedric Diggory, -' Lavender took a shaky breath, Parvati took her hand '-was killed –'

'A student was killed?' Sophie froze, her hand half-way to the jug of juice. Lavender and Parvati nodded.

'Harry says You-Know-Who has returned, and it was him who killed poor Cedric.' Parvati's free hand went to her heart when she said Cedric's name.

'He's not though, he couldn't be. It's not possibly.' Lavender sat up and looked around as the fifth years were handed their timetables by Professor McGonagall. Sophie pushed the knowledge of a Hogwarts student being killed from her mind, though made a mental note to find out exactly who You-Know-Who was.

Lavender and Parvati walked Sophie to Professor Flitwick's classroom, before going to their own class. The entire way their they encouraged her to use her wand, and how easy it is. Sophie was grateful but still sick with nerves when she knocked on the classroom door. A squeaky voice called for her to enter. Sophie pushed open the door and a wizard half her height appeared from behind the teacher's desk.

'Miss Fax, welcome! Professor Flitwick, –' the wizard motioned to himself, '– come in, come in!'

Sophie did so. The door closed behind her and her stomach twisted violently.

'Don't bother siting, we'll get straight to work! There's so much to teach you, never used a wand, my, my!'

Professor Flitwick directed Sophie to the centre of the room, the desks moved themselves aside, leaving only one chair with a stack of book in the middle of the room. Sophie had a lump in her throat the size of an apple.

'Alright, we're going to start with the basics; levitation.' Professor Flitwick smiled. Sophie nodded, there was no way she could talk.

Professor Flitwick pointed his wand at the stack of books. With a gentle swish and flick, and the utterance of wingardium leviosa,the books lifted off the chair. Raising his wand and then lowering it the books followed Professor Flitwick's motions and landed neatly on the chair once again.

'Alright, you try, it's a swish and flick of the wrist.' Professor Flitwick stepped aside, giving Sophie a clear path. Sophie took out her wand.

Pointing her wand, Sophie felt vibrations travel through her, down her wand arm and shoot straight out the end of it.

'Wingardium leviosa.' Sophie choked.

The books exploded with whipcrack, scattering the room with torn pages like fresh snow. Sophie cried out. She snapped her fingers to male the pages arrange themselves, the covers rebound themselves with another snap of her finger, and with the third, the books returned to a neat stack on the chair.

'I'm so sorry!'

Professor Flitwick clapped his hands together. He looked from Sophie to the books. Then he laughed.

'Wow! A little too much vigour in your wand movement but an impressive restoration. Shall we try again? Deep breaths, only a little energy is needed for this, your wand will know what to do.'

Sophie took a deep breath, then another, and felt the energy around her. There was a lot of it. She felt that strong energy run down her arm as she attempted the swish and flick motion again. But Sophie forgot the incantation; she had been too busy trying to stop all the energy in the castle course through her wand.

The books gave a small jump but did not stay afloat long.

'Much better,' Professor Flitwick squeaked. 'Try again!'

Sophie stood waving her wand at the stack of book for the good part of an hour, slowly beginning to feel the control she needed to work a wand. It was easy to feel all the energy around her, easy to snap her fingers and feel the movements in the air and the weight of the objects she wanted to control.

Sophie knew how to read the small vibrations around her with the palms of her hands, knew how to change the frequencies of flesh into bone, or grass into stone. But a wand channelled all of those minute flickers in space into one powerful point. Her wand magnified everything Sophie felt, it worked with a mind of its own.

There was also the issue of the ancient magic pulsing through the castle at levels Sophie had never known before. Sophie felt as though she could conduct it into anything she wanted. Sophie felt she could levitate if she tried hard enough.

At the end of the hour Sophie was able to levitate the books and set them back down without removing a single cover or causing the chair to catch on fire. The one thing Sophie was most scared of and Professor Flitwick had extinguished the fire with a laugh. Apparently, it would be harder to level Hogwarts than Sophie though.

Sophie bid Professor Flitwick farewell, apologised again for the many explosions, and made her way to the dungeons.

The Potion's Master

'How did it go?'

As sophies eyes adjusted to the gloom of the dungeons she found the question had been directed at her. It was Hermione, she flashed a toothy smile. Sophie made her way to her classmates in the dim corridor.

'Good! I only caught the chair on fire once. Professor Flitwick thought it was great.' Sophie forced herself not to roll her eyes.

Ron and Harry laughed; Sophie wasn't sure if it was at her expense. The four of them stood trying not to make eye contact. Others around them chatted. Sophie looked for Lavender and Parvati.

'Do we use wands for potions?' Sophie didn't want anyone to know how nervous she was, but her nerves got the better of her.

'Not really, a bit of stirring, and for cleaning up.' It was Ron who answered.

Sophie smiled; she could stir a cauldron in her sleep. As Hermione opened her mouth to say something the classroom door creaked open. A man in sweeping black robes stood at the front of the classroom.

Professor Snape had curtains of black hair hanging around a gaunt face. He looked as though he had never grown out of a goth phase. The class shuffled into the room to take their seats.

Around the classroom were shelves stacked with jars containing all kinds of floating horrors. Sophie made to sit in the fourth seat at the table with Hermione, Ron and Harry.

'Don't sit with us, he hates us.' Harry whispered before she could put down her books. Sophie felt heat rising in her cheeks as she moved further into the classroom. She found a seat alone at the front of the class, Lavender and Parvati's bench was already full; Parvati mouthed sorry when she saw Sophie on her own.

'Welcome, to fifth year potions. I expect a lot from you this year, your OWLs are coming up and I will only...'

Sophie stopped listening to the professor, he looked and spoke as if he had been designed to be mean. Sophie set up her potion's equipment as the rest of the class had done.

'Fax.'

Sophie's head snapped up. Professor Snape has finished his start of year speech. 'Come here.' His voice drawled.

Professor Snape had taken a seat at his desk and a complex recipe for a Draught of Peace scribbled itself on the blackboard behind him. Sophie recognised the potion. Professor Snape took a textbook from one of the draws in his desk. It was a first year's beginners guide to potions.

'I have been informed you are not as advanced in your magical education as the rest of your age group, though you have still been enrolled in the fifth year?' Professor Snape closed his draw with a snap. 'You believe you're up to date if not ahead of my set curriculum, but I think you shall start with the basics.' He held out the beginners' spell book. For once Sophie's mind worker faster than her mouth.

'I'm sorry, sir, it's just that …I already know that book by heart. I know all the books you've ever set for your classes; I idolise your work and my grandmother speaks so highly of you!

'When I found out you were going to be one of my professors, I – it was the only thing I could practise before I got here – and I think I'm up to date, but I'm – I'm not sure.' Sophie did her best to look embarrassed. The class behind her was silent. She glanced at Professor Snape, hoping to Mathilde she looked nervous. Professor Snape only faulted a second.

'If that's true, why don't you prepare Draught of Peace along with the rest of the class.' Professor Snape's lips curled into a mean smile.

Sophie didn't care, her plan had worked, she knew Draught of Peace as well as any other potion. She had to contain herself.

When Sophie turned back to the class all eyes were on her. For the first time Sophie saw there were not only Gryffindor students in the class. A very pale boy in the front row was wearing a P pin, like Ron and Hermione, though his was green and silver. Slytherins. Dropping her gaze to her work bench, Sophie snapped a fire alight under her shiny new cauldron and began prepping her ingredients.

Throughout the lesson Professor Snape lurked throughout the classroom, peering into cauldrons, complimenting bad smelling Slytherin concoctions and sneering at far healthier Gryffindor mixtures. Harry had done Sophie a favour by telling her not to sit with them; Professor Snape evaporated Harry's potion after interrogating him about his method. Professor Snape sauntered away with the same cruel curling smile, the Slytherin prefect and his friends snickered. Harry's fist didn't unclench for the rest of the class and he left as soon as it was over.

Sophie scooped some of her own lilac mixture into a vile and stoppered the top. Professor Snape took it and surveyed her work.

'Full marks, Miss Fax.' He moved onto the next student without another word. Sophie uttered 'thank you' and left the class.

'You like Snape!' Ron was blocking the dungeon hallway with the rest of the Gryffindor class.

'What? Oh, no.' Sophie's heart leapt into her throat. Her classmates had their arms crossed, or hands on their hips.

'But you said you look up to him, you've read all his books, your draught was better than Hermione's!' Ron's face was pink, his fists clenched. There were noises of agreement from the Gryffindor's behind him, passing them was Sophie's only way out.

'No, I – ah – I just said all that because everyone's been telling me how horrible he is and not to get on his bad side, I just made it up. I've never heard of Professor Snape before yesterday.' Sophie hoped the sooner she explained the sooner the situation would be diffused.

'That's true, we told her about him last night!' Lavender stepped from the group; Parvati was next to her nodding.

'You, don't even know who he is?' Ron breathed, the colour was no longer so high on his cheeks. Sophie shook her head, wanting to get out of the grim dungeons.

'Blimey, I reckon you even had Snape fooled.' Ron smiled, a few people laughed but Sophie was about to break into a sweat even though it was cooler in the dungeons than the rest of the castle.

'Want to join us for lunch?' There was no longer a forced tone in Hermione's voice.

'Sure.' Sophie felt as though she was taking her first breath since leaving class.

As they sat down in the great hall with Harry, who was already almost finished his lunch, Ron and Hermione started up an argument, on that had been interrupted when Sophie had run into them in the hall.

'Are they always like this?' Sophie turned to Harry, thinking of the same kind of pointless argument they were having the night before. Harry nodded.

'Are they dating?' Sophie asked. Harry, sandwich halfway to his mouth, stared at her.

'No, definitely not, they're just friends.' Harry said after a beat. Sophie frowned.

'What did you do to get on Professor Snape's bad side?'

'Noticed, did you?' Harry's munched down on his sandwich with some force. 'Snape and my dad didn't get on. He thinks I'm the same.'

'Are you?' Sophie reached for a sandwich herself.

'I wouldn't know, they were killed when I was a baby.' Harry finished his sandwich.

'Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't –' but Sophie remembered her conversation with Lavender at breakfast and fell silent.

'It's fine, I didn't know them.' Harry didn't meet her eyes so Sophie dropped the matter.

'Hey, weird question, how long did it take you to get the hang of wingardium leviosa?'

Both Ron and Hermione look up. Harry laughed but at seeing Sophie deep frown he said it was a long story, it had taken them all a couple of weeks. Not Hermione though, she was always the exception.

'Hermione, are there any sports teams here? What do you play, soccer?' Sophie had been meaning to ask about teams but had been so distracted by black cats and magical theory she had forgotten all about sport.

'There's only a quidditch team. Or wizarding chess.' Hermione shrugged.

'Soccer? Like how muggles run around on the ground?' Ron almost choked on his apple juice.

'She means football.' Hermione said, Ron tilted his head to the side and frowned at her.

'Yeah, that's the one. How does quidditch work?' Sophie dusted crumbs from her robes. Ron and Harry both looked as though they'd been slapped.

'Quidditch? You don't know quidditch? The greatest game in the world?' Ron was leaning across Hermione. Hermione turned to hide her smile, Sophie felt it was at her expense.

'Who doesn't know what quidditch is?' Fred and George appeared behind Ron, placing their hands on either of his shoulders.

'Sophie doesn't. And she's from a wizarding family! And she basically told Snape she's in love with him.' Ron sat back crossing his arms.

'You love Snape? What's wrong with you?' One of the twins asked. Sophie could not tell them apart, she was getting flustered, it was Hermione who saved her.

'Well, not really, she just told him that so he wouldn't hate her.'

'Smart.' The other twin said, both of them smiled.

That night, when Sophie returned to the common room, thankful she was still being escorted by Lavender and Parvati, there was a group of first years surrounding Fred and George.

One by one the first years eyes roll and they fell to the floor. Sophie gasped. Hermione strode across the common room.

The common room was silent as Hermione threated to tell the twins mother they were not studying. Sophie couldn't help smiling as Fred and George apologised and the first years began to come round. There was no doubt Hermione had guts.

Sophie took a seat and retrieved parchment and a quill from her bag, ready to make a start on the essay Professor Snape had already set for homework. She heard the twins asking the first years how they felt, Lee scribbled notes.

Two boys arrived at the table Sophie, Lavender and Parvati were studying at. They gave Sophie a funny look. Sophie forced a smiled then looked to Lavender and Parvati.

'Oh, Dean, Seamus, this is Sophie, you know; the new girl.' Parvati looked up from her essay.

'Hi.' Dean and Seamus said together.

'They're in our year.' Parvati said.

'Where have you been? You said you'd meet us at six.' Lavender frowned at the two boys.

'We were, Neville got stuck in his bed again.' A smile played at the corners of Seamus's mouth.

'Who's Neville?' Sophie shifted in her seat, Seamus and Dean were still staring at her.

'He's another Gryffindor in our year. Hopeless, he is.' Lavender said.

'Did you get him out?' Parvati had stopped writing, Dean and Seamus had her full attention.

'I mean, we tried, but he was really wrapped up this time! And he wouldn't stop squirming.' Dean looked from the girls to Seamus, also trying not to smile.

'So, he's still there!' Lavender eyes grew wide.

'Well, no. Him and his bed have been transported to Professor McGonagall's office.' Seamus let out a laugh, Dean elbowed him.

'Hey, it's not funny.' But Dean couldn't help it either, soon they were all laughing. For the first time Sophie felt able to relax.

Sophie went through three pages of parchment before managing to write the heading of her essay without smudging it. It was then that she decided quills were not designed for the left handed witch or wizard. Wolf appeared as Sophie was about to lose her temper and throw a bottle of ink across the common room. He jumped in her lap and started purring. It had an incredibly calming effect.

04 – One Wand A' Waving

Sophie's next few days at Hogwarts continued in a blur. There were classes she was up to speed in, the ones where wand work was minimal, and remedial classes with Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall. In those classes she worked through the most basic spells.

Sophie had managed to cast Wingardium Leviosa and a summoning spell with Flitwick and was ever so slowly learning how to transform objects into small animals with McGonagall. Less and less Sophie exploded things around her and since McGonagall had taught her a simple way to extinguish fires, Aqua Eructo, Sophie's confidence was growing. It was in one of these classes on a Thursday morning with Professor McGonagall that Sophie was trying with all her might to transform a hedgehog into a pin cushion, complete with pins.

'Relax your mind and your body, the more tense you are the harder it will be.' McGonagall was saying. McGonagall was patient but to say she was kind was a stretch.

Sophie stood with her wand arm outstretched, felt the familiar surge of energy within herself, and with a few deep breaths, she uttered the incantation. Sophie knew she'd put too much force behind what was meant to be a delicate flick of the wrist. The hedgehog exploded into a cloud of fluff and pins which showered over Sophie and McGonagall.

'Goddamit!' Sophie cried, throwing her wand down. Anger fired through her chest into her limbs. She moved forward with her palms outstretched and summoned the pieces of what was once a hedgehog onto a desk. With a snap of her fingers Sophie had turned the mess back into a pink pincushion, pearl ends of the pins sticking out – what she had been trying for – and with another snap, she transformed it into a hedgehog, who wiggled its nose at her then scurried out of sight into a pile of books. Sophie didn't blame it. She sat down at a desk and dropped her head into her hands.

'I'm sorry.' Sophie muttered as McGonagall collected her red wand.

'Here,' McGonagall handed back Sophie's wand. 'You need to take better care of this.' McGonagall walked to the front of the classroom, robes sweeping behind her.

'You will not master a wand if you allow your anger to control you.'

Sophie looked up, embarrassed at her outburst, it had been childish. McGonagall continued.

'But you also do not have to give up your own style of magic to use a wand.'

Sophie opened her mouth but McGonagall held up a hand.

'You were brought here to further your magical education, not to stop you doing the magic you already know. You can use Old Magic alongside New Magic, but again, you must control your anger to be able to control your magic.'

Sophie sat in silence; she could have both Old and New Magic? She had not thought it was a possibility. Her radiating anger was subsiding.

'But, Professor, I'm the only one here with Old Magic. Not even Dumbledore.'

'Yes, but that doesn't mean it's wrong or less important. And that is the end of our lesson. You are dismissed.' McGonagall flicked her wand and the room rearranged itself for the next class.

Sophie slipped her wand into her robes and left the classroom. She had a lot to think about.

As Sophie sat in the library with Lavender and Parvati that evening, she wished for the simplicity of maths homework. Reverting to writing with a biro instead of a quill, Sophie found she could get through her essays on giant wars and the properties of moonstones with speed.

'Why aren't you using a quill?' Lavender whispered, wrinkling her nose at Sophie's pen.

'I was smudging the ink, left handed.' Sophie whispered back, holding up her writing hand.

'You know what they say about left handers,' Seamus said as he sat down at their table, also behind on his History of Magic essay. 'Left hand, dark heart.'

'What?' Sophie forgot to whisper; the others hushed her.

'It's not true, just old witch tales. I'm going back to the common room, it's too quiet here.' Parvati made to leave, Lavender followed without question. Sophie was left with Seamus who was already scratching away at his essay.

She tried to get back to work but Sophie was now thinking about having a dark heart on top of all the other things that were weighing her down.

Her mind couldn't have been further from the essay. Although her remedial lesson with McGonagall had gone well that morning, Sophie found it hard to get her head around using both Old and New magic. A knot formed in her stomach thinking about taking her OWLs at the end of the year. Sophie was four years behind her peers but that hadn't stopped her professors assigning her just as much homework as her classmates. Sophie found herself longing for home.

She wanted to be there for the spring, see the twisted red gums and smell the green grass, she wanted the hot sun and the cold rivers. She wanted to see her dogs, she wanted to feel the wind in her hair as she rode through the dusty paddocks on her old mount, Diamond. She wanted her mum and dad to be there, together and happy, she wanted to be in the big stone homestead, with all its whispers of magic. Sophie wanted her brother, Max, to come and scoop her up and take her home with him.

With tears stinging her eyes, Sophie scribbled out the last few lines of her essay, hoping it would suffice. She got up, muttered goodbye to Seamus, and collecting her books Sophie left the library. She felt snakes in her stomach and a tightness in her throat. All she could do now is curl up in bed with Wolf, the curtains drawn and try to fall asleep to the crackling fire in their dorm.

Sophie had been walking for some time. Looking up she found she had taken a wrong turn. She was nowhere near the Gryffindor Tower and even worse, she was in a part of the castle she didn't recognise. Sophie spun around trying to figure out where she was, going back along the corridor where she had come from. She turned a corner but still didn't recognise her surroundings. As she was about to ask a painting of a sleeping ghoul for directions, a group of students turned into the hall in front of her.

'Excuse me, do you know where the library is?' Sophie decided that if she could get back to the library, she could find her way from there. The pale prefect from her potions class was one of the three boys. He looked at his friends before they all burst out laughing.

'Aw the newbie is lost already.' He smirked, his Slytherin companions laughed as they walked past her. Sophie was left with a lump in her throat and heat rising in her face. Don't cry, she told herself, not in front of them. She walked the opposite way from the Slytherins hoping against all odds she'd find her way back to the Gryffindor Tower.

A second group of students rounded the corner in front of her. Sophie stepped into the shadows, tears causing her throat to seize up. It was Fred, George and Lee. They were moving quickly. Lee was carrying wrapped package. They hadn't noticed Sophie and were about to walk past.

'Excuse me,' Sophie murmured from the shadows, all three jumped. 'Could you please tell me how to get back to the Gryffindor Tower?' Sophie felt her voice wobble but did her best to steady it.

'Ah, it's... hang on,' George looked at the package, then at his brother, 'you'll be right, yeah?'

'I think we can manage to attach this to an owl without you.' Fred raised his eyebrows, Lee was smiling.

'Come on,' George motioned to Sophie, she had been going in completely the wrong direction. 'What are you doing up here?'

'I got lost.' Sophie tried to smile but with this small kind act her tears breached their barricades, flowing down her face. Sophie tried to wipe them without George seeing, she was not successful.

'Why are you crying, everyone gets lost here, just no so much by fifth year.' George nudged Sophie.

'Sorry, I… I just,' Sophie was properly wiping away tears now, there were more students coming along the hall towards them. Sophie turned her head so no one else would see her crying.

'In here,' George took Sophie by the arm and pulled her behind a tapestry. They were in an identical hidden hall, running parallel to the one they had just been in. Sophie looked around, tears stopping momentarily; she was sure there had been windows on this side of the other hall. George motioned for her to sit on one of the low windowsills. The window looked out over the grounds and the dark lake. Sophie sat with her back to the view.

'If you're being pushed around by Slytherins tell me and I'll sort them out. Ginny taught me a great bat bogie hex.' George smiled, Sophie couldn't help returning it, though wet eyed and sniffling.

'I can't use a wand.' A secret hall was as good a place as any to confess.

'What do you mean, you're a witch. Aren't you?' George looked at Sophie with a raised eyebrow.

'I can do this.' Sophie snapped her fingers and both their robes turned gold; George blinking in the sudden brightness. She snapped her fingers and they were black once more, light lingering in both their eyes.

'And this.' Sophie waved her hand across her books. They turned to withering snakes, which hissed and twisted. She passed her hand back and they were the still motionless textbooks they had been a moment ago. 'But all I can do with a wand is make things explode.' Sophie took a deep breath and wiped her nose.

'Brilliant!' George's eyes had grown wide. 'I didn't know anyone could do magic without a wand.'

He sat down beside Sophie, making her shove over a bit so they could both fit on the windowsill. George sat looking into space, a smile spreading across his face.

'That changes everything.'

Sophie laughed and wiped her eyes.

'That's exactly what Ron said. I can't teach it to you though. It's old, that's what Hermione said.' Sophie was sorry to have to let George down. But George didn't deflate. He wiggled around to face Sophie as there really wasn't much room on the windowsill.

'I don't want to learn it, I meant you could help us!' George's eyes were alight, Sophie's brows furrowed.

'With what?'

'Our products! We've got this one, Nosebleed Nougat. It gives you an instant blood nose, it's part of the Skiving Snack Box, but there's no antidote, you'll just bleed out!' George said with a laugh.

'Oh, that's easy,' Sophie also wiggling around to look at George. 'Just a bit of witch hazel and wolfs grain, you don't even need magic for that one!'

'We've been looking for that antidote for months! Where have you been this whole time!' George turned his smile to Sophie. Sophie blushed.

'It's easy, my grandmother used to use it when we were kids, the nose bleeds are a bit more extreme when five year olds hex each other.' Sophie wiped her own snotty nose again.

'If your grandmother was here, I would kiss her! Come on!' George jumped up and started down the secret hall, leaving Sophie to collect her things and catch up.

They made their way back to the Gryffindor Tower. George had a spring in his step and Sophie struggled to keep up. Lee and Fred had already retuned, they were sitting in a dark corner of an almost empty common room. George marched over to them.

'Where have you two been?' Fred asked with a smirk.

'I have the antidote.' George beamed at Fred and Lee, throwing an arm around Sophie and pulling her in tight.

'For what? Your dim wits?' Fred scanned Sophie.

'No.' George lowered his voice. 'For the nose bleeds; witch hazel and wolfs grain.'

Lee and Fred both looked at Sophie.

'How do you know that?' Lee asked.

'My gran is an old potions master.' Sophie didn't meet Lee's eyes.

'Well, sit down, we need the recipe!' Fred's face split into a smile as he motioned to the seat beside him.

Sophie spent the rest of the night working through all the products the three boys had developed but couldn't perfect. She helped them correct ingredients and methods, gave them advice on other antidotes and in one case, told them how to make an eyeball fall out using Veela venom. She didn't know it yet, but in those few hours Sophie won the lifelong friendships of Fred, Lee and George.

Quidditch Trials

The sky in the great hall was dreary and bleak. It made the prospect of watching quidditch trails with Hermione after dinner one of the sadder decisions Sophie had made that week. And Sophie had made some bad decisions, like asking Draco Malfoy for directions.

Hermione yawned into her chicken pie, Sophie had to prod her in the arm twice to keep her from dozing off. After dinner they followed current members of the Gryffindor quidditch team, prospective members, and a few other enthusiastic spectators, like themselves down the slopping lawns to the pitch.

It was like no pitch Sophie had seen before. The stands were set high off the ground so the spectators could be level with the mid-air play. Sophie had since learnt the game was played on brooms. There were three goal posts with large hoops atop them at each end but no markings on the ground. Sophie looked up at the towering stands as Hermione wished Ron, who was looking rather green, good luck. He walked off to the change rooms with Fred and George either side of him. It was not clear if they were tormenting or encouraging him. Either way they looked delighted and Ron looked ill.

Sophie followed Hermione up several flights of wooden stairs. Being able to see between them to the criss-crossing timberwork below did nothing for Sophie's feeling of safety. They took their seats in the Gryffindor stand and Lee joined them a few minutes later.

'Where's Harry?' Lee scanned the pitch.

'He had a run in with Umbridge.' Hermione rolled her eyes.

'Oh. Shit.' Lee's eyes remained unfocused on the middle distance. Sophie was desperate to hear what they both had to say about Professor Umbridge. Sophie had had bad teachers in the past but Umbridge was somehow worse. Her sickly sweet voice and pink cardigans hid something irksome Sophie couldn't pin down.

'Yeah.' Hermione sighed. 'I don't know how to make him understand she's just taunting him.'

'Bloody ministry spy she is.' Lee said. 'Harry can look after himself. Kind of. We've got more important things to worry about right now. Quidditch.' Lee smiled; Hermione retuned it, but it didn't reach her eyes. They all turned attention back to the pitch and watched in silence. Sophie would've felt awkward if she didn't think her companions were both deep within their own thoughts.

'And he's not here because he got detention.' Hermione added, startling Sophie and Lee.

'She's a troll.' Lee settled back into his seat wearing a wide grin. Most students were airborne now, level with the high stands, Sophie counted three balls in play.

'Seven players and three balls? That makes no sense, how can they all be in play?' Sophie commented to no one in particular.

'Four balls, you just won't see the snitch.' Lee said.

'Four? What's a snitch?'

'The Golden Snitch is a tiny winged ball. There's a Seeker on each team who job is to catch it, they win the team 150 points and the game ends.' Hermione said as if reading facts from a book. Her eyes were fixed on Ron who was circling the goal posts.

'The game ends? So, the seekers are just up their playing their own game? How many points is a goal?' Sophie was becoming more amused by the game the more she heard.

'Ten points if it goes through the hoops.' Lee's voice held little enthusiasm. He did not seem pleased with Sophie's judgment of the 'greatest game ever'.

'And there's one guy guarding them all? And they're all worth ten points? But the game ends when the snitch is caught? What does it do; snitch on the player?' Sophie laughed. Hermione scowled at her.

'But how do you plan your day around going to a game? It could be twenty minutes it could be three days?' An hour later Sophie, Lee and Hermione were leaving the stands. Lee and Hermione still answering Sophie's rather rhetorical questions about quidditch. They were joined by the Weasley twins who were leaving the change rooms as they walked past. Night had fallen, blanketing the vast Hogwarts grounds, they stood in the light of the change room as they waited for the others.

'Ron made the team.' Fred turned to Hermione, she issued a strange cry and ran into the changerooms, not concerned by the 'players only' sign.

'You can ask them your questions now.' Lee nodded in the twin's direction.

'What questions?' George turned to Sophie.

'You wait, real love for quidditch, this one.' Lee said. Sophie could not tell if he was joking or she'd truly offended him. She tried to smile, no longer confident to say anything. But Lee laughed and patted her on the back.

'Don't worry, you'll be hard pressed to turn a Weasley off quidditch.'

Fred and George were looking at Sophie with their identical eager smiles, awaiting any line of questioning Sophie had for them. She started with why they only played four games in the year when there were definitely enough students for two teams per house.

Fred and George happily returned excellent arguments for all of Sophie's qualms and queries. The twins walked Sophie back to the castle explaining exactly why she was wrong and how quidditch is the best game to ever be played. Sophie though it was a bit unfair as it was two on one, but she enjoyed the debate none the less.

Fingers and Faces

With October came more rain than the month before. It also brought an excitement for Halloween Sophie had not experienced at home. There seemed to be more bats around the castle, inside and out, and there was a feeling of anticipation as the orange leaves fell. Sophie felt a difference in the magic around her, it quivered with delight for the coming pagan holiday.

Sophie wondered why Hogwarts celebrated Christian holidays but reminded herself of the pagan roots of all these festivities, of the harvests and new moons they all fell on. Sophie knew her grandmother would have been disappointed that her first though was of the new customs rather than the old traditions.

It was on one of these blustery Autumn afternoons that Sophie found herself strolling the castle alone. There were few students around and now Sophie was more confident making her way through the castle, she had taken to exploring new areas. Finding the secret passages and beautiful paintings – some which took up entire walls – was one of her new favourite pastimes. Sophie had found one tapestry which depicted a vampire wedding, the stiches moving and resewing themselves to show the happy, yet bloody, festivities.

On this afternoon she stumbled into a deserted corridor, classrooms on either side were thick with dust. It blanketed the floors, tables and chairs. Books lay scattered here and there, it was easy to see where people before her had been as their robes left a distinct sweeping pattern behind them. She wondered why the rooms were not used, maybe the school had had more students in previous years, or maybe the rooms were permanently dusty, and no one could figure out how to clean them. As Sophie strolled along, peering into empty classrooms, a loud crack issued from behind her. Sophie jumped.

'Oooh, student out of bounds! I'm calling Filchy!'

Sophie spun to see a floating jester, bells on his hat and puffy trousers pulled up to his waist. It was a poltergeist. Sophie laughed, she did not understand the weight of his threat, and thoroughly enjoyed his outfit.

'Hey!' He cried, swooping down on Sophie. She put her hand up and stopped him mid-air.

'Why is it out of bounds?' Sophie asked, the jester-poltergeist's bells jingled as he struggled against her hold.

'Let me go! No wand? Ooooh, she's the new witch! Peeves doesn't tell nothing!'

'Tell me, and I'll let you go.'

'Fine.' He crossed his arms and legs with a huff. 'This is where Krumnow cursed the school, and you shouldn't be here!'

'Who? How did they curse the school?' Sophie released her hold on Peeves, he stuck out his tongue, and felt for the curse. Sure enough there was a heaviness to the energy around her which she hadn't noticed before. Peeves turned upside down and hung in front of her.

'Long time ago, didn't want no child to turn out like his. His daughter went loopy looney. He was no better, came up here and cursed the school. Wasn't Hogwarts that did it to her, it was the rabies!' Peeves descended headfirst through the floor and out of sight. Sophie heard him yelling below her.

'Student on the sixth floor!'

Sophie moved silently along the hall and down a secret flight of stairs. As she emerged from behind a suit of armour an old man with a limp and a ratty old cat passed her, hurrying up another set of stairs. The old man was mumbling to himself.

'Place would be better without students.'

Sophie made her way back to the Gryffindor Tower, checking behind her as she went. Sophie stopped dead. She had seen the long shadow of a cat. She ducked into an alcove and held her breath. The shadow drew nearer, Sophie's heart beat in her throat. A tiny mew issued, and Sophie released her breath.

'Wolf! You scared me.' Sophie's voice was hoarse as she scooped up her kitten. She hoped to Mathilde that Peeves wouldn't dob her in. There was only one witch in the school who could use magic without a wand, as far as she knew. When Sophie returned to the common room, she made a mental note to find out more about Krumnow. She joined Lavender and Parvati who were doing their Transfiguration homework.

After an hour and a half of unsuccessful study, Sophie decided she was going to have to bite the bullet and ask Hermione for help. She had already asked Parvati how to transform her teacup into a rabbit and Lavender was having just as much trouble as she was. Seamus and Dean had been helping her, but they were both stumped as to how Sophie kept giving her teacup five realistic fingers instead of four tiny legs. Sophie looked over at Hermione, sitting, unsurprisingly, with Ron and Harry. They had their heads down and were scratching away at varying length of parchment.

'Just go,' Dean whispered, nudging her in the side. Sophie bit her lip and got up.

'Hermione? Hi, could I ask a favour?' Sophie stood at the end of their table looking at the trio. Hermione slowly looked up, scratching out a few more words before she fully broke concertation.

'Sophie! I completely forgot to ask if you needed any help! Professor McGonagall told me to keep an eye on you, I'm so sorry!' Hermione swept all her notes aside so Sophie could sit down at the table. 'What do you need?'

'I was going to ask if you could help me with Transfiguration. I noticed you transformed your teacup, and I keep giving mind fingers.' Sophie held her cup up by the handle, the life size human fingers wiggling at Hermione.

'Oh dear. You better sit down.' Hermione shook her head. She began flicking through her Transfiguration textbook. Sophie sat next to her and placed the cup upside down on the table so it couldn't scuttle away.

'Hermione, we need to go soon.' Ron said, looking at his watch. Hermione looked at Sophie and then turned to Harry.

'I don't know how to fix that.' Harry recoiled from the fingers waving at him from Sophie's teacup.

'Harry, you'll be fine, just go through the spell again, you transfigured your teacup!' And with that Hermione stood and Ron followed her lead. Harry watched as they left through the portrait hole, then looked from Sophie to her teacup.

'Well, show me what you did.' Harry pushed a chipped teacup which had been sitting in front of Ron, towards Sophie. Sophie took out her wand and cast the spell. Another well-formed set of fingers sprouted from the teacup. Harry shook his head, but he was smiling.

'You've got your timing wrong, slow down the incantation, speed up your wand movements.'

Sophie nodded and tried again. Sophie and Harry screamed and toppled their chairs getting up from the table. The teacup became a tiny white rabbit, but it had four human finger and a thumb sticking out of its back. Sophie and harry looked at each other then laughed. The common room was staring at them. Harry waved an apology as they righted their chairs and sat back down, both ignoring the hideous creature in front of them. It wriggled its whiskers and started nibbling Ron's charms essay.

'Harry, what happened to your hand!' Sophie tried to take Harry's hand, but he snatched it away. He inspected the weeping wound. Sophie didn't know where to look, she adjusted Hermione's parchment.

'Nothing, it's fine.'

'I can fix it?' Sophie looked up. Harry raised his eyebrows but held out his hand. I must not tell lies had been carved into his flesh.

'Harry!' Sophie gasped.

'Umbridge.' Harry looked at the wound and flexed his hand. He winced as it opened up. Harry explained how detention with Umbridge consisted of him writing lines with a quill bewitched to cut the lines into the back of the writer's hand.

'That's barbaric!' Sophie took Harry's hand and felt the weight of dark magic. Sophie placed her hand over the wound and felt for the incision. It was easy to find, it was not only cut deep into flesh, it was deep dark magic. Sophie attempted to draw out the curse, but it was no use, she had never come across such dark magic. Sophie moved some of the pain from harry into her own hand, it was easier to heal that way, then cleaned it as best she could, the salts in a person's own body were good for that.

'What a cow. She shouldn't be using this kind of magic on students.'

'She can do whatever she wants. Umbridge is High Inquisitor now.' Harry glanced at the depressing notice which had been plastered across the school. It stated Professor Umbridge was in fact High Inquisitor. Sophie had no idea what that meant.

'Is this kind of Ministry overseeing new?' Sophie asked as Harry inspected his hand.

'Yeah, Dumbledore has done his own thing for as long as he's been headmaster.' Harry took up his quill and straightened his parament.

'Seems like she's just here to cause trouble.'

Harry nodded, Sophie took the cue to leave. Sophie returned to her table, where Lavender had produced a deck of tarot cards, knowing her rabbit would always be half a hand.

'Would you like a reading?' Lavender asked in a hoarse voice.

'No.' Sophie sat down next to Seamus. 'Thanks.' She added as Lavender's face fell. Seamus supress a laugh.

'But it's for my Divination homework.' Lavender voice returned to its normal soft self.

'Readings are always depressing. The Crone has never given me a nice one and they have a way of coming true. People tend to manifest what they hear.' Sophie waved her hands in the air before beginning her remedial charm's homework.

'I'll do you a good one!' Lavender said.

Sophie stopped writing to give Lavender a sceptical look.

'Ok, but if you pull death it'll signify the death of my trust in your readings.' Sophie said. Lavender looked at Sophie with an open mouth.

'Wait, who's The Crone?' Parvati's tone indication she has also taken offence to Sophies miserable take on fortune telling.

'My great grandmother, she's a Seer.' Sophie flipped to chapter thirteen of her textbook.

'Your great grandmother is a Seer?' Lavender leant almost the whole way across the table. 'You have to let me do a reading for you! Why aren't you doing divination?'

'She just told you she thinks its horse wallop.' Dean piped up, smirking.

'Ok, do me a reading but you be careful.' Sophie warned Lavender. Lavender shuffled her cards. The table watched, homework forgotten. Lavender placed the cards on the table in three rows, turning the left most card of each. First was The Lovers, second was The Tower, and third was The Moon.

'Oh, Soph, it's about your love life.' Lavender looked at Sophie, no trace of a smile. Sophie snorted.

'Go on.'

'You're going to have a great love, but he's going to leave you for something better, there is hope though!' Lavender turned over the next two cards; The Sun and Wheel of Fortune. 'Well, he's tall, and handsome, and … he has… red hair.' Lavender struggled to keep a straight face.

'Aw sod off!' Sophie said. She'd been tricked into the false reading.

'Oh, come on! You're into Fred, or is it George? I can never tell them apart.' Parvati said, chuckling.

'I am not, we're just friends.' Sophie said.

'I've always wondered what it would be like to date twins.' Lavender laughed. Sophie scrunched up the piece of parchment she had been about to write on and threw it at Lavender.

'I'm never having a reading from you again.'

05 – Paranormal Homicide

'Are you coming to Hogsmeade?' Sophie found herself pinned between Fred and George.

'I was but I can't find Hermione. She was going to take me.' Sophie was marched across the entrance hall by the twins. Sophie was finding it easier to tell Fred and George apart. The entrance hall was filled with excited students, laughing as they waiting to have their permission forms checked. Sophie had been looking forward to the trip, excited to visit the all wizarding village, but once again Hermione was too busy for her mentor role.

'Come with us. We'll show you around.' Fred tugged on Sophie's scarf.

'Plenty of things we know that Hermione doesn't.' George pulled the hood of his cloak over his head.

'Yeah, ever had a Butterbeer retribution?' Fred asked.

'Or seen a ghost duel?' George leant in close.

'We found this place back in our third year.'

The twins led Sophie down a back street of Hogsmeade, checking occasionally to make sure no one saw where they were going. They turned into another street. They were no longer near the High Street shopping strip. Sophie had barely had a chance to inspect the village before Fred and George had pulled her away from the crowds of Hogwarts students. These quiet streets were lined with neat houses with thatched rooves and rose gardens.

Sophie followed the twins down another alleyway, this one narrow and dark. It ran behind a row of houses, trees sprawled from back yards, shading the alley from above.

At the end of the alleyway, just before a gurgling stream, Fred ducked under thick, low hanging vines and out of sight. George pushed Sophie to follow. Sophie ducked under the vines and had to scrambled almost on her knees along a tiny dirt path. She struggled not to trip on her cloak. The tunnel through the foliage ended after a few metres at an enclosed courtyard.

Opposite Sophie, on the other side of the courtyard, was a high stone wall with a grotto carved into it. The rest of the courtyard was contained by tall trees and the dense shrubbery which Sophie has crawled from. The trees created a canopy above and threw a cool green haze across the courtyard.

'Get down.' Fred whispered. He pulled Sophie by the arm into a low alcove at the edge of the shrubbery. George appeared and crouched beside them.

'It's about to start. Here.' George pushed a leather flagon into Sophie's hand, she took a swig. Heat curled around her tongue and washed down her throat. It whipped away her breath and she coughed.

'Shh!' both twins uttered. Fred took the flagon and had a swig himself.

'Fire whisky,' he said handing it across Sophie to George. 'For the cold.' Fred winked.

Sophie's insides began to grow warm, giving her an elated feeling, she smiled broadly at Fred. Sophie was certain underage drinking was forbidden at Hogwarts, as it was at any high school. Sophie looked out at the courtyard, wondering what was about to happen as the world around her took on a dreamlike haze.

The courtyard was paved with rough stones, coved in moss, just like the wall. There was a small fountain in the grotto where water trickled out of a brass faucet into a basin below. The sound mingled with the low gurgling of the stream not far from where they sat. The effect of the running water and another swig of the fire whisky instilled a soft tiredness in Sophie, she opened her mouth to yawn but caught her breath instead, both Fred and George had elbowed her in the ribs.

A woman stepped out of the wall next to where the three teens were huddled out of sight. She was dressed in a medieval gown and her long hair floated behind her, as though she was in water. Her feet were bare, and Sophie could see right through her.

Sophie could not remove her eyes as the woman moved to the fountain in the grotto. She leaned forward, she needed to see the woman's face.

Another nudge from George and he nodded for Sophie to look at the shrubbery on the other side of the courtyard. A man, just as transparent, was crouched, watching. Something glimmered in his hand. He stepped forward without a sound and crept over to the woman. The woman was humming to herself. It was a dagger in the man's hand and he raised it up to strike. The woman turned and her face was as beautiful as it was horrible. She smiled a cruel smile and pulled a long knife from the folds of her dress. The ghostly couple looked at each other for a moment then with a cry from both (and Sophie) they sunk their blades deep into each other. The woman's long knife thrust up into the man's stomach. His plunged down into the woman's neck. Sophie looked from Fred to George, horrified, then back to the dying couple. They were sinking to the ground, blood pooling around them, held in each other's arms. As Sophie watched they faded from view.

'Time warp.' George laughed as Sophie's face lost colour.

'Happens at the same time every day. Should've seen us try to stop them the first time we found this place.' Fred patted Sophie on the back.

'What do you mean?' Sophie was staring at the place to two figures had disappeared from, seeing a dark stain on the stone where blood had been spilled. George moved out into the soft green light.

'Well, that exact scene happens every day. At the exact same time and has done for who knows how long.'

Sophie got the giggles, she stood up with a wobble, and checked her watch. They needed to be at the Hog's Head pub in five minutes!

'Let's go! Hermione's meeting!' Sophie crawled out of the shrubbery and into the lane. She started off down the dark lane at a run.

'Hold on!' Fred called.

'You don't know where you're going!' George said, both following her.

Sophie stopped at the end of the alley and turned around. Fred and George skidding to a halt behind her.

'Yes, I do,' Sophie said with a smile. 'If nothing else, I have a great sense of direction.' And with that she ran off, leaving the twins to chase her back to High Street.

When Fred, George and Sophie stumbled onto the High Street they spotted a group of Hogwarts students traveling in their direction. The group was led by a striking red-head.

'Ginny!' Fred called.

Of course, another Weasley, Sophie thought. George waved, the three of them could not control their giggling now.

'Where have you been?' Ginny stopped and looked at them. All were slightly dishevelled and pink in the face.

'That doesn't matter, what matters is where we're going. To the Hogs Head, yes?' George threw an arm around Ginny. She scowled at George and crossed her arms.

'Hermione wants us there now.' As Ginny spoke a few other Hogwarts students joined the group.

'Sophie!' Lavender waved. Sophie smiled and took a step towards Lavender and Parvati. And … Parvati. Sophie stopped dead. Parvati laughed.

'Sophie, this is my twin, Padma.'

Padma smiled the exact smile as Parvati, showing their white teeth. Padma wore a Ravenclaw prefect pin on her striped turtleneck.

'You're not in the same house?' Sophie frowned.

'Padma is way smarter than Parvati.' Lavender swept a stary curl off her shoulder.

'Hey!' Parvati elbowed Lavender, they all laughed.

'It's true though.' Padma winked. Her voice was a fraction deeper than Parvati's, but other than that they were as identical as Fred and George.

The group made their way off the High Street. Sophie could not help thinking how conspicuous they looked for people on their way to a secret meeting. Lee appeared from a side street with several bags from Zoinko's, he handed them to Fred and George.

'Research.' Lee said to Sophie as a small puff of smoke issue from one of the bags.

The inside of the Hogs Head was as sorry as the rickety sign hanging out the front. Fred and George ordered a round of butterbeer, the bar tender obliged though muttered under his breath something about too much business being worse than none.

Over in a corner, away from the commotion of the twenty or so Hogwarts students arriving in a near empty pub, Sophie saw Harry, Hermione and Ron. They were sitting together staring at the group. Sophie knew they truly had not been inconspicuous.

Once they'd all found chairs and settled in, Hermione stood.

'Well – er – hi,' her voice was higher than usual, her eyes darting around the dusty pub. 'Well…erm … well, you know why you're here. Erm … well, Harry here,' Harry shifted to give Hermione a dirty look. '– I mean, I had the idea – that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defence Against the Dark Arts – and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us –' Hermione squared her shoulders, '– because nobody could call that Defence Against the Dark Arts.'

One of the boys to Sophie's right called 'Hear, hear!' Hermione smiled.

'Well, I thought it would be good if we well, took matters into our own hands.' Hermione paused to look at Harry. 'And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just in theory but doing the real spells.'

'You want to pass your Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL too, though, I bet.' A boy sitting next to Ginny interrupted.

'Of course I do, but more than that I want to be properly trained in defence because … because…' Hermione paused again, took a deep breath, the group leant forward. 'Because Lord Voldemort is back.'

Everyone reacted at once; one girl shrieked, some gasped, others flinched, the shock was immediate. Sophie looked around, almost every face in the group had lost its colour. Even Fred and George's mouths hung open, absent of their usual composure.

'Well … that's the plan, anyway,' Hermione continued, rather pleased with the reaction she had just received. 'If you want to join us, we need to decide how were going to -'

'Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?' A young boy spoke, his tone raised Sophies hackles.

'Well, Dumbledore believes it –'

'You mean, Dumbledore believes him.' The boy nodded at Harry, cutting off Hermione again. Ron had turned in his chair to fully face the young boy.

'Who are you?'

'Zacharias Smith, and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's back.'

A distinctly Weasley scoff issued from several directions.

'Look,' Hermione's voice was raised. 'That's really not what this meeting was supposed to be about –'

'It's ok Hermione,' Harry spoke for the first time. Every head turned his was, even the bar tender had stopped polishing the filthy glass in his hand. 'What makes me say You-Know-Who's back? I saw him.' Harry spoke to Zacharias directly. 'But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you don't believe him, you won't believe me, and I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone.'

the room had the compressed felling of every person holding their breath. A Gryffindor sixth year held her hand over her mouth. All four Weasleys in the room were positioned as though they were about to draw their wands. Zacharias, without reading the room, continued with his nose upturned.

'All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know –'

'If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone, I can't help you, I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So, if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out.' Harry fists and jaw were clenched. He shot Hermione another seething look.

Sophie felt like an imposter. She had never experienced the wrath of Lord Voldemort, even his name didn't have the effect it did on everyone else. She looked around, expecting someone to tell her to leave but they were so entranced by what Harry had to say they hardly noticed she was there at all. No one's eyes had left Harry. Zacharias didn't even have the sense to look away. Sophie felt her palms getting sweaty as the tense atmosphere held.

'So,' Hermione broke the silence. 'So, like I was saying … if you want to learn some defence, then we need to work out how were going to do it, how often were going to meet and where were going to –' Her voice was an octave too high again but at least someone was talking.

Sophie stopped listening as one of the girls, the one with an auburn braid, asked Harry about his Patronus.

Sophie found herself thinking about Professor Umbridge, her fluffy pink cardigans, her classes that could bored Professor Binns to death. Again. And how much she needed real practice with a wand. No one had told her to leave yet, so Sophie was staying. A veiled witch sitting a few tables away shifting. Sophie blinked and found a few students were laughing.

'And did you kill a Basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?' A boy was asking. 'That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year.'

Lavender, who was to Sophies right, uttered an impressed 'wow', Sophie raised an eyebrow at her. Harry flushed as students continued to recall his heroic deeds over the years. They really did add up. Apparently, he had fought a dragon.

'Yeah, well –' Harry was still trying to deflect praise.

'And nobody helped you get rid of those Dementors this summer.' The girl with the braid said. Sophie turned to George to ask what a Dementor was, but he and Fred were rummaging in their Zoinkos bags. Sophie turned to Lavender.

'What's a Dementor?' Sophie whispered.

Zacharias was still talking. Lavender's eyes were darting from him to Harry.

'It's a –'

'Here's an idea, why don't you shut your mouth?' Ron said loudly to Zacharias. Lavenders hands went to her mouth, Parvati and Padma sat forward, mouths open, eyes alight. All three wore a look Sophie was beginning to recognise; they were witnessing a live scandal. Sophie sighed; she was going to hear about this for weeks.

'Would you like us to clean your ears out for you?' George produce a long thin device from his bag as he waved it in Zacharias's direction. Lavender, Parvati and Padma's heads swivelled, as the scene unfolded before them. Every detail mentally noted so it could be picked apart later.

'Or any part of your body, really, we're not fussy where we stick this.' Fred inclined his head, daring Zacharias to continue. Sophie blinked, with the look of the twins faces she understood Harry and Hermione were as much a part of the Weasley family and the Weasleys themselves.

'Yes, well,' Hermione said before Fred and George could act upon their threat. 'Moving on … the point is, are we agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?'

The group nodded in agreement. The next ten minutes were spend trying to decide when to meet. Sophie turned her attention to the specks of dust casting the small beam of light coming through the grimy window above Ron. She had no interest in quidditch training.

'Here.' Lavender pushed a piece of parchment and a quill into Sophie's hand. 'Sign your name.'

'Oh, thanks.' Sophie took the parchment. As she put the quill to it, she felt something binding her hand. But Sophie could also feel a lot of eyes on her, so she did her best not to smudge the ink as she messily scrawled her name before passing it along.

'Well, times ticking on,' Fred stood and looked around. 'George, Lee and I have got some items of a sensitive nature to purchase, we'll be seeing you all later.'

And with that the meeting in the Hogs Head concluded.

Sophie left with Lavender, Parvati and Padma. She had no intention of finding out what Fred, George and Lee considered sensitive in nature.

As they wandered back to school, Sophie thought about Voldemort. She thought about the Ministry of Magic and the army that had been mentioned in the meeting. Did the Ministry of Magic really think Dumbledore would militarise his students against them? Once Sophie was back within the warm walls of the castle she went to the library and made her way to the history section.

She read for hours, far more interested doing her own research than listening to Professor Binns drone on. She didn't find much about Voldemort, though she wasn't surprised there had been nothing published about him, so she moved on. She read about the ministry but found politics dryer than Professor Binns.

Sophie found books on Old Magic which explained phenomenon she had experienced but had never been able to explain; the way she could manipulate things around her, why magic was stronger in some places and not in others, why she could hold Old Magic and how that allowed her greater abilities with a wand (though Sophie doubted this chapter very much). She found a dust coated book tucked away at the back of the library. Geschichte von Mathilde Hexenschule was shelved among other books with various coats of arms. The book was in German and Sophie could not be bothered to translate it now. She borrowed it to decipher later.

Sophie was determined to learn as much about the new world she was a part of as she could. She spent the rest of the weekend in the library, it was more important to understand the world around her than to be studying for exams.

During one of her informal study sessions, late on Sunday evening, Sophie decided it was time to translate the book about Mathilde Hexenschule.

Sophie was sitting along, tucked into a quiet corner, enjoying some time away from the noisy common room.

The library was candle lit, lanterns hung at the end of every shelf, and the thick smell of old books was a comfort new to Sophie. There were no cold parts of the library, even though it extended further than Sophie had had a chance to explore, and the shelves rose high into the arched ceiling.

Using an old trick Camilla had shown her Sophie swept a hand across the cover, she knew just enough German to cast a translation charm. The words Geschichte von Mathilde Hexenschule rearranged themselves to spell; The History of Mathilde's School of Witches. Sophie smiled at the new words on the cover. She flicked through the yellowing pages. Black and white photos of witches on brooms, mixing potions, or sitting in class, were scattered throughout the text. There were maps of the sprawling grounds, and inside the front cover was a picture of Mathilde herself, the same image which hung above the Crone's bridge table.

Sophie used the translation charm on the contents page and skimmed it. A chapter titled Notable Staff caught Sophie's interest. She turned to the chapter and flicked through until she found who she was looking for.

Professor Irma Köhler, taught 1910 – 1945, 1950 – current

Professor Köhler teaches the girls of Mathilde potions at a level the school has not previously known. Her efforts through both World Wars, continuing to teach and protect students, was unparalleled. Although Professor Köhler left Mathilde for a brief period to teach under the great Professor Albus Dumbledore at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she was welcomed back with open arms. As of writing Professor Köhler is teaching final year potions and celebrating the birth of her fourth child, to whom we wish great health and happiness.

Awards in name; Köhler Potions Prize (for excellences in potions, awarded to first year students), The Irma Köhler Leavers Awards – Potions (for excellences in potions, awarded to final year students)

Note; we would like to personally thank Irma for her devotion to Mathilde, to her students and to her colleagues, Irma you have always been a bright light even in the darkest of times, from; the staff and students of Mathilde's School of Witches.

Sophie flicked to the front cover, the book had been published in 1949, her grandmother had been 54 at the time. It was published well before Grandma Irma had been forced to leave Germany. Sophie reread the small paragraph about her grandmother, imagining her in Professor Snapes position, the dungeons in Sophie's imagination took on a brighter and welcoming light.

Sophie closed the book. She had more questions than before she opened it. Tucking her new found treasre safely in her bookbag she left the library. Something had made Grandma Irma flee her home country but what? Sophie had to find out.

Puking Pastilles

On Monday morning Hogwarts awoke to a new notice plastered on every unoccupied surface;

BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS

All student organisations, societies, teams, groups and clubs are henceforth disbanded.

Sophie didn't bother to read the rest. She turned to Lavender and Parvati. Parvati shook her head as Sophie began to speak; there were too many students around to talk about the Hogs Head meeting.

There were cries of distress as Gryffindors discovered quidditch, chess club and other groups had been dissolved. Sophie, Parvati and Lavender made their way to breakfast.

'That means… right?' Lavender looked at Sophie and Parvati as they made their way down a hall.

'Yeah, I think so.' Parvati's face work an unfamiliar frown.

'Surely Hermione will figure something out?' Sophie linked her arm through Parvati's to lead her out of the way of a suit of armour which had moved over night.

'I hope so! I was really looking forward to it.' Lavender took Parvati's other arm.

'I thought you didn't like Harry?' Sophie said.

'I like him fine. I guess I just didn't want to believe him. But now, with the Umbridge spying for the ministry, it's pretty obvious something is going on, right?' Lavender scowled at the flagstone floor.

Parvati nodded her agreement. Sophie hadn't taken Lavender to be much of a rationaliser, she was impressed.

At breakfast there was some commotion as students from the meeting tried to talk to Harry. Hermione ushered them on trying not to draw any attention.

Sophie was also disappointed, although she already had extra classes, she had been excited to learn defensive skills. And, although she had not fully acknowledged her inclination, Sophie was starting to think the Crones predictions meant there could be another wizarding war.

After tediously boring classes, Sophie met up with Fred and George in the common room for the spare period they shared. Most of the twin's periods were spare these days.

When Sophie entered the common room she found the twins slumped into armchairs. They didn't look up as she joined them.

'What's wrong at camp Weasley?' Sophie set her bag down. The common room was quite, only the crackling of the warm fire interrupted them.

'Educational Decree Number Twenty Four.' George glanced up from the parchment on his lap.

'No quidditch.' Fred said when Sophie didn't react. Quidditch still held no sentiment for her.

'Oh! Well I've got something to cheer you up. Borrowed a little something from Snape,' Sophie rummaged in her bag, then produced a small vial. It contained tiny purple flowers with long blue stems. 'Crevlin's Creed, for the vomiting antidote!'

'How did you – he wouldn't...' Fred stopped reading. Sophie smiled a wicked smile.

'You stole it from Snape!' George's eyes glowed in the firelight.

'Borrowed, but whether I return it is another thing.' Sophie sat down and handed the vial to Fred. 'You just add it to the mix while it's still hot but before it becomes silver. It should turn purple instead of brown and that's it; vomiting antidote.'

'You're bloody brilliant.' George said. Sophie blushed.

'Should we do it now?' Fred asked.

'No time like the present.' George stood and stretched.

'It's not like I was going to get anything done anyway.' Sophie smiled.

The three of them made their way out of the common room and through the school to a secret room Fred and George had been using for their work.

They had confided in Sophie about the room only a month before. They explained how they had watched it on a magical map they used to own, making sure no one ever used it. It had taken them months to figure out enter the room (it was relatively simple in the end; shake hands with the stature of the one legged warlock and a door swings open). Inside they found an old classroom, not unlike the potion's classrooms; just as much grime but lighter, smaller and full of Latin medical books, totally undecipherable to both of them.

There were several long benches; beakers and vial and Bunsen burners were scattered across them. Under each bench were scores of different jars holding all kinds of interesting potion ingredients.

Fred and George used the secret lab to produce their Skiving Snack boxes and perfect tricky items. There was a cauldron bubbling away in a corner. The remedy needed a full moon cycle to brew. Sophie took another cauldron, set it in a stand and lit a fire beneath it. She tuned one of the potions books they'd borrowed from the library to the recipe she needed and got to work.

'That's it.' Sophie said, an hour later. She scooped a sample into a large vile. Fred, who had been packaging Skiving Snack box items, took the vile. With a wave of his wand the liquid transformed into several solid lumps, looking very much like purple gummies.

'How do you do that?' Sophie gazed at his wand.

'Easy. Want to test your potion?'

'Well… I'd need to be vomiting first.' Sophie took a step back.

'All together?' George took three orange gummies out of a dish on the bench. Sophie looked at Fred, he shrugged, took an orange gummy and offered George a purple one.

'Come on, Fax, all for one and all that.' George smiled. Sophie conceded and took one of each and with a nod, threw the orange sweet into her mouth.

Instantly Sophie felt a nasty wave of nausea, her stomach contracting. A fountain of vomit erupted from her mouth, splashing onto the floor. Fred was mid laugh when vomit erupted from his mouth, and George was no better. The three of them stuffed the purple antidote into their mouths between torrents of vomit and the sensation of their stomachs' turning itself inside out stopped immediately.

Sophie wiped her mouth and coughed, even the taste of vomit was gone, the smell lasted only a moment. Fred took out his wand and with a graceful wave the vomit at their feet evaporated. Sophie shook her head as the ease of his spell casting.

'Nicely done, Fax.' George ruffled Sophie's hair before returning to filling orders.

'No. Worries.' Sophie said through her teeth as she fixed her hair.

Fred and George turned the remainder of Sophie's brew into palatable sweets. They checked the other cauldron, it was happily bubbling and spluttering, then made their way back to the common room, Fred and George deciding how best to showcase their new product.

'We'll have to do a demonstration, and we have to show Lee, he's off next period.' Fred was far more business minded than his twin. A common misconception was that the Weasley twins were disorganised and reckless but that simply wasn't true.

'What about you, Soph, want to skive off next period?' George as they climbed through the portrait hole.

'I better not, I've got remedial charms,' Sophie sighed as she collected her book bag. 'I'll see you guys after class.'

Sophie left the common room to calls of 'looser' and 'coward'. She flipped the twins off as she climbed back out of the portrait hole.

Dumbledore's Army

Sophie was improving, but her charms were rudimentary. Professor Flitwick had filled his classroom with fluffy pillows so Sophie could practice a summoning charm. By then end of an hour Sophie could cast the charm but every now and again a pillow would not stop only crash right into her. Even though Professor Flitwick had not had to repair nearly as many objects as he usually did, he sat down with a heavy sigh.

'Professor, are you alright?' Sophie broke concentration and a pillow collected her with a gentle ooft.

'Oh, yes, just lots to do these days.' Professor Flitwick smiled as Sophie adjected her robes; the pillows did a good job of hitting her right in the stomach. Although Flitwick was smiling it had not reached his eyes.

Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall had not stopped teaching any of their other classes and had managed to fit Sophie in as well. Along with all the other troubles the school was having (Umbridge coming to mind at once) they had made time for her. Sophie was hit by a wave of gratitude.

'Professor, I… thank you, I really appreciate your help.' Sophie could not put what she was feeling into words, but she thought she ought to try.

'Miss Fax, it is an honour.' Flitwick inclined his head. Sophie offered to finish class early, though it was not her call to make in the slightest.

'Well, that is very kind, alright.' Flitwick said with a yawn. He waved his wand and the pillows vanished. They left the classroom half an hour early, said their goodbyes, and went their separate ways. Sophie was excited to get back to the common room to see what Lee thought of the puking antidote.

When she arrived, there was a small crowd of sixth and seventh years surrounding Fred. He threw a orange gummy in his mouth, leaned back for effect, then ejected vomit across the common room. Lee used a vanishing spell as the vomit hit the ground and Fred took the small purple sweet between torrents. The crowd laughed and applauded, impressed by the distance and the force of the spew. Sophie made her way over, George spotted her. He threw an arm around Sophie's shoulders and beamed at her.

'You're a real asset, Fax. We've already made seven galleons off of these idiots!' George swept his free arm around the room to indicate who the idiots were. The ones clapping apparently.

'Wow, I don't even know how much that is, but it sounds good.' Sophie smiled at the idiots.

'It's a lot,' George said. 'And when we're done tonight, we'll split it between the four of us.'

'Why? It's your money.'

'Don't be daft, do you think we'd have gotten this far without you and Lee?'

Lee was cleaning up after Fred with a smile.

Sophie took a seat by the fire as George joined his brother, also taking a newly coined Puking Pastille. George erupted vomit down the back of Fred's robes. Sophie laughed.

Sophie spent her lunch break with Lavender and Parvati in a crowded classroom, the rain was so heavy they could not be expected to wait outside. The rain had pelted down with so much force that morning that they had hardly been able to hear Professor Sprout in Herbology. Everyone was happy to be back inside the castle, wet robes tended to have an unpleasant musty smell to them.

Lavender and Parvati were informing Sophie of a relationship budding between a sixth year Hufflepuff and a seventh year Ravenclaw. It was completely scandalous.

'Hey, Lavender, Parvati,'

They all turned to see the Ginny pushing her way through the crowd. She looked at Sophie with a frown.

'Sophie was there. What's up?' Parvati said, answering Ginny's unasked question. Sophie looked down, she knew she was not welcome in the defence group, she knew it.

'Oh, good, we're meeting at eight tonight, seventh floor, you know the tapestry with the trolls?'

Parvati and Lavender nodded. Sophie didn't meet Ginny's eyes; she was waiting for her to tell her she wasn't meant to go. The classroom was so loud.

'Sophie, right?' Ginny asked, Sophie looked up and nodded. 'Do you know where it is? Just get one of them to take you.' Ginny jerked a thumb at Lavender and Parvati before walking away. Peeves swooped past and missed Ginny with and ink bomb by inches. Ginny yelled at him as her fiery red hair was lost among other students.

'Don't think you're going to be able to get out of this one, Soph,' Parvati said with a playful nudge, Sophie smiled. Parvati was good at reading people. Though she was apt to gossip, and Sophie questioned her faith in divination, Parvati was great at knowing exactly how someone was feeling. Parvati had picked up on Sophie's nervous habits right away.

That night Sophie, Lavender, and Parvati made their way to the seventh floor with Neville, Dean, and Ginny.

Sophie had come across Neville often since hearing about his entanglement in his bed. He was a sweet boy with more nervous habits than Sophie.

Before them stood a gleaming oak door. Ginny pulled it open revealing a specious room. It was torchlit and books lined the walls. On the floor were large silk pillows and the far wall housed a shelf of instruments Sophie didn't recognise but desperately wanted to inspect.

'Whoa,' Dean gazed around the room. 'What is this place?'

Harry opened his mouth to explain but was interrupted. Another group arrived. And then another.

Every person who has been at the Hog's Head meeting found their way to the room on the seventh floor. They took their seats on silk cushions, curiously there were exactly enough. Harry locked the door.

'Well,' he made his way to the front of the group. 'This is the place we've found for practice sessions, and you've – er – obviously found it ok.' Harry spoke as though hoping someone would take over, Sophie willed him to keep going.

'It's fantastic!' One of the girls said, Harry tried to hide a smile.

'It's bizarre,' Fred said from beside Sophie, he was frowning as he looked around. 'We hid once from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then.'

George nodded. The group muttered in amazement.

'Hey, Harry, what's this stuff?' Dean was at the back of the room, indicating to the instruments on the shelf.

'Dark detectors,' Harry moved to Dean. 'Basically they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much, they can be fooled…' he trailed off, gazing into a foggy mirror. There was movement, figures beyond the fog.

'Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first,' Harry turned back to the group. 'And – er – what Hermione?'

Hermione held her hand in the air.

'I think we ought to elect a leader.'

'Harry's leader.' A tall Ravenclaw said. Harry turn pink as she swept her long hark hair behind her shoulders.

'Who's that?' Sophie whispered to Fred.

'Cho Chang.'

'Well, it looks like Harry's got a crush.' Sophie smiled.

'That's bound to get complicated.' Fred said quietly.

'Why?'

'I'll tell you later.' Fred said as they both raised their hands; Hermione had asked if everyone wanted to officially elect Harry as leader.

Hermione interrupted Harry again, this time to ask, more accurately tell, him to name the group. There were some great suggestions. Sophie thought of Knight Club but Ginny's suggestion of DA; Dumbledore's Army, was far better.

'All in favour of the DA?' Hermione knelt on her cushion to count the votes. She needn't to, everybody raised their hand. 'That's a majority – motion passed!'

There were mutters of excitement all around Sophie. She still couldn't shake last clinging creepers making her feel like she was imposing.

After writing DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY across the top of the parchment the group had signed in the Hog's Head, and pinning it to the door, Hermione allowed Harry to continue with the lesson.

Harry wanted them to start with Expelliarmus, and after explaining to Zacharias Smith that; yes, he had already used this against Voldemort, and; yes, he had won, they began.

Sophie paired up with Neville and since she was rubbish at using her wand, they were a good match. Neville managed to disarm Harry by mistake. This excited Neville greatly, though his opponent was unlikely to be looking the other way in true combat. By the end of the session Sophie had managed to disarm Neville at least every second attempt. Harry had been offering advice to the group. He was smiling and more relaxed than Sophie had ever seen him.

At the end of the lesson there was confusion about when they could meet next. Harry assured everyone he would find a time that didn't clash with anyone's quidditch practice. Sophie rolled her eyes, George elbowed her in the ribs.

Harry let them leave in groups of two and three. Sophie caught up with Fred to ask about Harry and Cho. What could she say, Lavender and Parvati were beginning to rub off on her.

'First, was that you disarming Zacco?' Sophie checked the hall before leaving. Zacharia had had a hard time holding onto his wand and it might have had something to do with the twins standing behind him.

'Yes,' Fred laughed. 'Such a git, can't stand him.'

'Excellent.' Sophie smiled. 'Secondly, tell me about Harry and Cho.' Sophie kept her voice low so it wouldn't echo through the vaulted ceilings.

'Well, it's rather messy, but not in a good way,' Fred stopped to check the next hall. Sophie's stomach sank, she should've known. 'The boy who died last year in the Tri Wizard Tournament, Cedric Diggory, he was dating Cho at the time, and since Harry was the one who brought him back, and no one knew what happened, how he died, I mean, there are a lot of people who think Harry had something to do with it.'

Sophie felt guilt swoop through her, she'd wanted to gossip about a dead boy, she felt terrible.

'But he didn't, right? It was Vol – You-Know-Who?'

'That depends if you believe Harry or not.'

'I do, I believe Harry.' Sophie looked down as they walked. She couldn't imagine having feelings for the guy who'd been with her boyfriend when he died and having the entire school know about it. Cho Chang had been hit with a crooked arrow and Sophie thanked Mathilde it wasn't her.

06 – Bloodlines and Bludgers

Hermione had taken to walking Sophie to her classes, something Sophie had needed in her first week but not so much now. She was finally getting the hang of the castle. Sophie didn't enjoy the time she spent with Hermione either as Hermione used it to interrogate her about her studies and her knowledge of the school rule. Sophie kept her eyes on the ground and merely nodded as they made their way to Arithmancy.

'Taking those prefect duties a little too seriously, Granger?' A sneering voice called from behind them. It was the Slytherin prefect, Malfoy. He'd overheard Hermione telling Sophie that skipping class is the utmost defiance of school rules.

'Don't you have some first years to terrorise?' Hermione turned to face Malfoy and his goons; two enormous boys who always stood either side of him.

'Well, newbie, I thought even you would've had better taste than Granger here. I guess the crossbreeds are sticking together.' Malfoy sneered, his sidekicks snorted.

'Do people really care about bloodlines here?' Sophie raised her eyebrows at Hermione.

'Oh yes, and the Malfoys are the purest of all.' Hermione replied, mirroring Sophie's sarcastic tone.

'Hmm, yes, clearly pureblood, his eyes are quite close together, aren't they? Pity, I might've liked him otherwise.' Sophie said. Hermione laughed, Malfoy snarled.

'I wouldn't want you even if you were pure blood!' Malfoy spat.

'But Malfoy,' Hermione said between giggles, 'her blood lines are purer than yours!'

'What!' Malfoy's pale complexion grew pink.

'Yep, I traced her family back to Mathilde herself, and her father's line goes back just as far.' Hermione smiled at Sophie. Malfoy's face twisted horribly, his companions looked at each other, maybe a minute or more behind.

'Really? When did you do that?' Sophie and Hermione continued along the hall leaving Malfoy to call insults after them.

'I saw your Mathilde trunk on the train and I just went from there,' Hermione blushed. 'Sorry, it's a bit weird, isn't it?'

'No, it's not,' Sophie reassured Hermione. 'I'd love to see what you found!'

As they continued on to class Sophie felt a new warmth for Hermione. Hermione stood up for her, and if she was going to that Sophie could put up with Hermione's pestering about study. Mathilde knew she needed the encouragement.

Over the next few weeks Sophie found herself spending more time with Hermione. It was easier to be with her, and studying, instead of enduring mind numbing chatter with Lavender and Parvati. Hermione was interesting when she wasn't harassing Sophie about an essay, and Sophie enjoyed hearing about the school's history and the wizarding world.

'I really think you should let me draw you up a timetable, I can even add times when I can tutor you and it can give you reminders.' Hermione spoke as quickly as they walked.

'Thanks, but I think I'll be ok.'

'It might really help you catch up, and your wand use…' Hermione glanced at Sophie and caught her narrow eyes and clenched jaw. 'Well, you could!'

Sophie took out her wand and as they walked and waved in in front of them.

'Aqua eructo.'

Water spurted out of Sophie's wand like a hose, splashing on the floor in front of them.

'Sophie!' Hermione leapt back.

'That's a third year spell isn't it?' Sophie felt a familiar simmering in her chest.

'Yes, but you got my shoes wet! Oh alright, have it your way. Can you clean it up though?' Hermione took out her own wand.

'No.' Sophie admitted. Hermione squared her shoulders as she evaporated the water, drying her shoes at the same time.

'At least let me write you a guide.'

'Hermione, I don't think you have time –'

Sophie stopped dead as they entered the great hall. A scene played out in front of her like a renaissance painting.

The Gryffindor quidditch team sat huddled together around Ron, his head down. Gryffindor students were standing and yelling across the hall, pointing at the Slytherin table. The Slytherin table were hurling just as many insults and a whole lot of toast, most of it landing on the Ravenclaw table beside them. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were mostly seated but locked into heated arguments. Prefects were pointing at students, telling them to sit down and be quiet. Teachers at the staff table were chatting and eating, paying the students no attention.

The noise and energy levels were high; gold and scarlet littered the student's attire. Aside from the Slytherin table. The Slytherins were clad in silver and green, they all wore an identical badge. When a young Slytherin ducked around Sophie to get to his table she read; Weasley is our king. Sophie shook her head.

Sophie and Hermione joined the Gryffindor team, dodging buttered toast and nasty taunts. Sophie hid a smile as she loaded her plate with bacon and eggs.

After a tense breakfast they made their way to the first quidditch match of the season with the rest of the school. Sophie was excited to see the ridiculous game in play. All of Slytherin were wearing the Weasley is our king pin, waving at Ron as he passed. Hermione was wringing her hands but there was so much laughing and cheering, and just as much slagging off of the opposition that Sophie couldn't help her excitement.

'Weasley is our KING!' A Slytherin girl yelled as she passed. She jabbed herself in the chest as if they hadn't already seen the pin.

'Pansy in a waste of breath.' Hermione muttered. Sophie laughed and took Hermione's arm.

'He'll be fine! It's just a game.'

Hermione had lost all the colour in her face.

The entire week had been building to this fever pitch. Fights had broken out in the halls, students were hexing opposing team members, or completely resorting to muggle fisticuffs.

Sophie smiled, she loved the atmosphere, but she knew her joy was not shared.

To take Hermione's mind off the Slytherin slander being solely directed at Ron, Sophie decided on a round of What does Hermione know?

The game What does Hermione know? consisted of Sophie asking Hermione about the most obscure topic she could think of to find how much Hermione knew about said topic. It was usually quite a lot.

'I've been reading about a guy named Krumnow, do you know anything about him?' Sophie had been curious ever since Peeves had mentioned him, but she hadn't gotten around to finding out for herself.

'Yes, he cursed the school in 1763,' Hermione straightened up. 'Eric Krumnow thought Hogwarts had driven his daughter mad. He stormed up here and accused Headmistress Derwent of giving all the students rabies. Which is ridiculous, of course, because Headmistress Derwent was one of the best healers St Mungo's has ever seen.

'Apparently, the girl had been bitten while on summer vacation and it wasn't rabies at all, it was a werewolf bite.' Hermione drew breath. 'Anyway, Krumnow turned out to be the crazy one. Probably driven mad because his only daughter was cursed and the only person who might've been able to help, Dilys Derwent, could do nothing for the wolf bite. They still can't.'

'They still can't cure a wolf bite?' Sophie frowned.

'Werewolf? No. He tried to run the students out of Hogwarts so it would be shut down. He thought Professor Derwent was going to ruin them. I'm not sure the exact curse but it's been contained to a hall on the sixth floor. It's all in Hogwarts; A History.' Hermione flicked her unruly hair over her shoulder. Sophie nodded.

By the time Hermione had given her history lesson they were at the base of the stands. They climbed in silence. Sophie hadn't known werewolf bites were still untreatable. They took their seats in the Gryffindor stands, waiting for the game to begin. No one could sit still. The stands were humming with excitement.

The two teams took to the pitch. The crowd, which Sophie didn't think could make any more noise, erupted. The Slytherin players were double the size of the Gryffindor team, which couldn't be an advantage when flying. The two teams mounted their brooms and the crowd continued to roar. Sophie felt herself grinning as she joined in clapping and cheering with the rest of the school.

Harry flew high above them, scouting for the snitch. The only player with glasses was meant to be the one to spot the smallest ball? Sophie thought to herself, shaking her head.

Fred and George circle with their bats, protecting the chasers as they flew to the goals with the quaffle.

Sophie decided that the atmosphere of quidditch far outweighed and bizarre rules. And as George swung his bat, sending a bulger into the head of the Slytherin team captain, Sophie caught herself thinking this may just be a game to rival the best.

Lee was commentating not far from where Sophie and Hermione were sitting. He paused to listen to the loud chorus coming from the Slytherin stands. Sophie was too entranced with the dirty tactics of the opposition to take much notice. She was yelling at the referee along with the rest of her house; one of the huge Slytherin players hip and shouldered a Gryffindor chaser so hard she was thrown from her broom. Slytherin sang louder.

It wasn't until Hermione turned to Sophie, tears in her eyes, that Sophie finally listened to the words of the Slytherin song;

'Weasley is our King,

He always lets the Quaffle in,

'Don't listen to it.' Sophie told Hermione, but as she did Ron missed an easy save. Slytherin scored and the chant kicked up a gear,

'Weasley cannot save a thing,

He cannot block a single ring.'

Anger swelled in Sophie as the volume of the song rose again. The other houses booed Slytherin. Ron's complexion went from ghostly white to a seasick green. Sophie willed Harry to catch the snitch before she couldn't help herself anymore; the time just might come when Sophie levelled Hogwarts, and all because she was caught up in a game of quidditch. She took a deep breath, and the heat coursing through her body subsided momentarily.

Hermione was focused on the game, running her hands through her hair, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Slytherin continued to sing, Sophie threw an arm around Hermione.

Harry dived, Malfoy followed as closely as he had all game. Gryffindor screamed and their pain was ended; Harry rose with a glimmer of gold in his hand and tiny wings fluttering from between his fingers.

The Gryffindor crowd cheered and Slytherins singing finally ceased. But the fight was not over. Crabbe lined up a hit directed at Harry, he swung his bat and sent a bludger into the small of Harry's back. There was a sickening crunch and Harry fell to the ground with a dull thump. The Gryffindor crowd was on their feet, yelling at the ref, some students even had their wands drawn.

Madam Hooch flew over to Crabbe to reprimand him. With all her whistle blowing what she didn't see was Malfoy turn to say something to the Gryffindor team. From the stands they could not hear what was being said but, from the way Fred and George were immediately restrained by their teammates, it was clear that he had insulted the twins.

Sophie turned to Hermione, but Hermione was no longer next to her. The back of Hermione's robes disappeared through the crowd and down the stairs. Sophie ran after her.

'Hermione!' Sophie almost tripped down the rickety stairs as she took them two at a time. If Hermione heard her, she didn't stop.

Sophie jumped down the last few stairs and ran out onto the bright pitch. Fred was being held by Angelina, Alicia and Katie but Harry was no longer holding George; they were both laying blows into a cowering, sobbing Malfoy.

'Impendimenta!'

Harry and George flew back. Madam Hooch ran to them, McGonagall too, their wands pointed at the two boys now laying on the pitch. Sophie grabbed Hermione.

'Come – on, we can't – help – them!' Sophie held Hermione as she tried to pull from her grip. Sophie wrestled Hermione back into the crowds. Everyone was yelling, no sound distinguishable from the next. Fred was still being restrained as Harry and George were marched away from the crowd.

'Come on, let's find Ron.' Sophie had been using all her strength to hold Hermione but at Ron's name she stopped struggling. Hermione let Sophie lead her off the pitch.

Sophie and Hermione spent a silent half hour looking for Ron with no luck. Sophie walked Hermione back to the Gryffindor Tower. As the fat lady asked for the password the portrait swung forward to reveal George. He climbed through the portrait hole without making eye contact. His left eye was a deep red and puffy, the beginnings of a nasty black eye. He nodded but didn't stop.

'Hermione, I –'

'Go.' Hermione nodded in George's direction before pulling herself through the portrait hole. Sophie turned to catch up with George.

'Hey, wait up, what happened?' Sophie called as she got closer. George had been heading towards the owlery. He didn't attempt a smile.

'Harry, Fred and I got a lifetime quidditch ban from Umbridge.' All of George's usual jest was gone.

'What? She can't do that! Fred too, but why? He didn't...' Sophie trailed off. George had turned is head, but Sophie caught the shimmer in his eyes.

'Do you want to be alone?' She asked.

'Yes.' George replied, without looking up. Sophie turned to leave but George grabbed her hand.

'With you, you muppet.' George forced a weak smile. Sophie's heart beat double. She forced herself not to grin or blush. They walked in silence, hand in hand, to the owlery, just for something to do.

An hour later they returned to a glum common room. George took a seat with Fred and Lee. Angelina's face was puffy, but her eyes were dry. Sophie joined Hermione and Harry by the fire.

As the team discussed the game again, Sophie took her leave. In her dorm she pulled on her pyjamas and wondered briefly why Hogwarts didn't offer wardrobes. Wolf wandered into the room and jumped up on her bed. Sophie gave him a scratch behind the ear then scooped him up and got into bed herself. As always, Wolf and his full moon eyes were a soothing presence.

Snow and Surprises

'I just don't know how you stand it.' Sophie said into her scarf as she wrapped it tighter around herself. She pulled her cloak tight and tucked her gloved hands deep under her arms. Fred and George laughed. They were outside and the snow was deep. Sophie had never seen snow before Hogwarts, but the novelty was beginning to wear off.

'I'm sorry we can't provide the sand and sun or your mother country, Fax, you'll just have to deal with it.' Fred said with a sweeping bow.

Fred and George were still miserable in the wake of their lifetime quidditch ban. To cheer themselves up they were making snowballs. They had quite a pile collected at the base of the Gryffindor tower. There were a few third years tobogganing nearby. Everyone but Sophie was enjoying the snow.

'It's cold.' Sophie complained as George took out his wand, he pointed it at one of the snowballs and without saying a word it levitated off the pile. Sophie had only just discovered Hogwarts taught older students to cast spells without the incantation. Fred and George were quite good.

'Shouldn't you be studying?' George floated the snowball until it was level with the common room window. The snowball then threw itself against the window, showering snow all over Sophie who was sitting below.

'Hey!' she cried as Fred did the same. Sophie got up just as the window was pulled open.

'OI! I'm a prefect and if one more snowball hits this window –' it was Ron, Fred and George charmed several snowballs to hit him in the face in quick succession. Ron withdrew his head and slammed the window shut.

'You're right, I do have a lot of homework to do.' Sophie brushed the last of the snow off her cloak and made to go back inside.

'I was only joking!' George's face fell.

'I know, when have either of you been worried about study?' Sophie laughed as she made her way inside the castle, relieved to be out of the cold.

It wasn't until the next morning that Sophie saw Fred or George again. They hadn't been at dinner and Sophie had been in the library the entire day studying. She saw them as they ran down the middle of the great hall to the staff table. Sophie looked up, concerned why anyone would running, and saw the most enormous man she'd ever seen in her life.

He stood twice as tall as any other staff member and was easily three times as wide. His hair and beard were long and unruly and when Fred and George shook his hand the man enclosed half their arms in his grip. He looked battered with two black eyes and cuts on his face, but he smiled widely as the twins welcomed him. Sophie knew appearance was never a good indicator of character.

Sophie was still staring at the enormous teacher, when Fred and George joined her. They were in far better moods than the last time she'd seen them.

'Shut your mouth, Soph, you'll end up catching pixies.' Fred sat on one side of her and took a piece of her buttered toast.

'Been here for month and Hogwarts is still surprising you.' George said, taking her other side, Lavender huffily shuffling out of the way to make room.

'Who is that?' Sophie could not take her eyes off the enormous man.

'Rubeus Hagrid, Care of Magical Creatures professor.' George took a slice of toast.

'Call him Hagrid. And don't stare so long.' Fred lathered jam on toast.

Sophie shut her mouth and turned back to the table. All her toast gone, and the twins munching away happily.

'Where have you two been? Are you ok?' Sophie lowered her voice.

'Never better! We've got a few things to show you later. When's your new spare?' George smiled between bites.

'I have a spare this morning.' Sophie reached for a fresh piece of toast.

'We have Care of Magical Creatures.' Parvati sat across the table, her face falling as she spoke, her eyes also on Hagrid.

'I haven't had it all year, haven't you noticed?' Sophie buttered her fresh toast.

'I know, I just wish I didn't have to go either.' Parvati stood and left for class, Lavender following without question.

'Alright, Fax, you're with us then.' George dusted crumbs from his robes.

As the three of them got up to leave Sophie caught Hermione's eye.

'Shouldn't you be studying?'

Sophie shrugged.

'We're helping her, Hermione.' George took Sophie's arm.

'Yeah, we're like her tutors.' Fred took Sophie's other arm.

'I don't believe that for a second.' Hermione shook out her newspaper with a disapproving look.

'Are we going to the library?'

'Maybe.' George said. They turned another corner and Sophie was sure the Weasley twins were leading her to the quite house of literature.

'It will only take a moment. Come, come.' A high female voice rattled through the halls ahead of them. Sophie, Fred and George stopped dead. The voice had sent a shiver down their spines like nails on a chalk board.

'Umbridge.' Fred mouthed. They all looked around, not wanting to be caught in her path. They ducked into an empty classroom not a moment too soon. Umbridge and a group of Slytherin students trailing behind her made their way down the hall. Fred, George and Sophie pressed themselves against the wall; the door was still open and there was no time to close it.

'I have a very important proposal for you all.' Umbridge giggled. Her sickly-sweet voice oozing from a nauseating place within. They held their breaths as she stopped outside the classroom.

'Hmm, I smell something… something odd.' Her honey laden voice drifted through the open door.

Fred and George glanced at each other.

'What?' Sophie mouthed.

'It's us.' Fred mouthed. Sophie looked from one to the other. She didn't understand, she didn't smell anything.

'I smell it too.'

'Shut up Crabbe, it probably you.' Malfoy's sneer was undeniable.

'No, no, it's more … mossy.' Umbridge said with a loud sniff.

'Probably just a Hufflepuff trying to sneak more plants into their dorm.' A female voice said.

'It's coming from –'

BANG!

'What was that!'

'Let's go!'

Sophie, Fred and George heard the sound of robes swishing and heavy footfall as the group ran off in the direction of the explosion.

'What was that?' Fred whispered.

'We need to go.' Sophie peaked out of the classroom. The hall was empty.

'Soph?' George followed her out of the classroom.

'What was the smell?' Sophie asked as they hurried in the opposite direction to Umbridge.

Fred and George exchanged a look. They didn't reply, they didn't speak again until they were back in the common room.

'I made the explosion.' Sophie admitted as she took a seat. 'But could they smell?'

They sat in their usual spot around the table in a far corner. George traced one of the names carved into the table; Bill.

'It was us. But I think we shut it down, Fred.'

'I think you're right.'

'You're not going to tell me what it was?' Sophie pressed.

'No. It's not ready. But nice explosion. I think we should use that.' George winked. Sophie rolled her eyes.

Days later Sophie made her way through the quiet corridors of the castle. Her spare was about to end and a remedial Transfiguration class with Professor McGonagall was next. Sophie peeped into classrooms as she passed them. One class of loud first years were learning to levitate cushions, Flitwick ducked as one soared past him and thumped into a small Ravenclaw beside him. They both laughed as he helped her up.

Another class was filing out into a courtyard, Professor Vector calling for them to form a large circle. Whatever she was about to demonstrate Sophie would never find out; the next room was that of Professor Umbridge. Sophie dropped her head and hurried past it. Not a sound issued from the room.

Five minutes early for her class, Sophie knocked on Professor McGonagall's classroom door.

'Come in.' Professor McGonagall's Scottish accent always made Sophie smile.

'Moring, Professor.' Sophie closed the door behind her. McGonagall was seated at the front of her classroom, scratching notes onto students' papers. She drew a large x across an entire paragraph.

'You'd think after seven years a student would know the difference between transformation and transfiguration.'

Sophie nodded; she had no idea what the difference was. The professor looked up.

'Take a seat, Miss Fax.'

Sophie did so. A list of small animal names scribbles itself onto the board behind McGonagall's pointed hat.

'Do you know what all of these are?' Professor McGonagall peered over her square spectacles as she dipped her quill in a pot of red ink. Sophie scanned the list; squirrel, hedgehog, gopher, badger, field mouse, rabbit.

'Yes, but I've never seen a gopher.' Sophie racked her brain for an image of the small creature. As she did the word gopher disappeared in a puff of chalk and ferret replaced it in McGonagall's angular script.

'Ferret?' McGonagall didn't look up.

'I've seen a ferret.' Sophie smiled. McGonagall withdrew her wand and pointed it as Sophie's desk. With a squeak and a pop and ferret fell from thin air onto the desk.

'Work through the list as best you can using your wand.' McGonagall raised her eyebrows at Sophie.

Sophie sat waving her wand, politely asking the ferret to become a hedgehog, then the hedgehog to become a badger. Most times the ferret would become a field mouse but keep its furry tail, or the rabbit would sit on its hind legs as it had done as a squirrel. Most often the creature would transform completely, only keeping its distinct marking of the dark stripe down its back.

'You are making good progress, Miss Fax.'

'Professor, before I go,' Sophie picked up her bookbag, but a burning question wouldn't let her leave. 'Did you know my grandmother? When she worked here?'

For the first time all lesson Sophie had the Professors full attention.

'I did.' McGonagall straightened. Sophie took a deep breath.

'What did she do? Why is she in so much trouble?'

'Miss Fax,' McGonagall stood. 'That is not for me to tell you, if you grandmother has not told you herself, it is not my place.'

'It's just…' Sophie had to know. 'Everything I've heard makes her sound like a criminal.'

'Sophie, your grandmother is an exceptional witch, and she was a good friend. But there are times when good people have to disobey bad laws.' McGonagall held the classroom door open for Sophie.

Sophie left, again with more questions about her grandmother than answers. And a shrinking list of people to ask about her.

07 – All Hallows Eve

Sophie sat with Lavender and Parvati at breakfast the next day and spent most of the meal starting at the roof. The usual candles suspended in mid-air were now housed in hundreds of carved pumpkins, each with a unique expression. Some showed horror, some joy and Sophie could have sworn one pulled cross-eyes at her. There were bats swooping through the floating gauds. When the owl post arrived through the windows there was a fantastic mid-air battle as owls coasted through bats to get their letters to the desired recipient.

'Wait 'til the feast tonight!' Lavender was pouring herself another coffee. Which could not have been a good idea; her hands were already shaking considerably.

'Halloween is by far the best.' Parvati was checking her timetable. They had Divination. Sophie was seeing Professor McGonagall.

After an hour practicing, Sophie was able transformed a china teapot into a tiny kitten. Her wand felt at home in her hand.

No longer did she have to struggle with the energy all around her, she was used to the feeling. Sophie was learning control, to breathe, to stay calm, to channel only the energy she needed. The problem she was having now was remembering all the spells she'd learnt in such a short period of time.

'You're doing well, Miss Fax,' Professor McGonagall inspected the grey kitten. It mewed at her. 'I believe you are ready to join the rest of your classmates in Transfiguration.'

'Really? You think I'd be ok?' A smile split Sophie's face.

'You will not be the top of the class, but you will not be far behind either. Take out your timetable, I shall rearrange it for you.' Professor McGonagall withdrew her wand. Sophie did as she was asked. McGonagall tapped the paper and the classes reshuffled themselves. The class they were currently in became a spare and her spare before lunch on Tuesday became Transfiguration.

'Well, it looks like this is a spare period, I don't want to hold you up.' McGonagall motioned to the door, a smile playing at the corners of her pursed lips. Sophie couldn't believe her luck; McGonagall was letting her out early! It must have been the Halloween spirit!

'Thanks, professor!' Sophie collected her bag and tucked her wand safely in her robes. Sophie made her way to the common room with a skip in her step.

She climbed through the portrait hole to find only a few sixth years sitting by the fire, no sign of the twins or even Lee. Sophie sat down at a table and pulled out her Arithmancy homework. Though slightly crestfallen at the lack of any friends in the commonroom she did need to study, and right now there were no distractions. But her mind would not focus.

Sophie urged herself to concentrate, reminding herself that she would have to take OWLs along with the rest of her year level at the end of the year. Another part of her mind tried to remind her that her OWLs would hardly count as she was so far behind. Sophie wanted to do her best, wanted to prove to Camilla and her mother that Hogwarts had been a good decision.

As much as Sophie tried, the magic in the walls of Hogwarts would not let her settle. She decided to go for a walk. Who knows what she might find in the castle at this time of year. Sophie wandered downstairs and found herself drawn out into the afternoon sun. She made her way down the snowy lawns, the lake glittered as it was now almost entirely ice.

'Miss Fax! Just who I wanted to see.' Sophie turned to see Professor Flitwick leaving the Herbology greenhouse. He was stuffing something leafy into his cloak pocket.

'Hi, Professor.'

'Professor McGonagall tells me she's arranged for you to join your classmates in her Transfiguration classes?'

'She has, sir.' Sophie couldn't help but smile. The sun warmed her face as it broke through a thick bank of clouds.

'Fantastic! Well I believe it is high time you joined your peers in Charms class as well.'

'I don't know, Professor, I'm not sure –'

'Nonsense!' Flitwick said. 'You'll be fine. Why don't we continue to meet once a week, so I can check in with you?'

'Are you sure, Professor? It wouldn't be too much?' Sophie really didn't believe she was ready.

'Oh, no,' Flitwick laughed. 'I have some help for that now anyway.' He patted his cloak pocket absentmindedly. 'Let's say once a week, after dinner?'

'I can do that.'

The bell rang to signal the end of the period. Sophie thanked the professor and made her way back to the castle for Potions. Her feet were growing cold and the snow had begun to frustrate her again.

Potions went as smoothly as any of Snape's classes could go. Neville only got one ingredient wrong. Although it was a vital ingredient and his potion turned his cauldron to dust, this was an improvement. Sophie was still in high spirits as she left class with Lavender and Parvati.

'Shall we go to the library?' Parvati asked. 'I should really start Snape's essay before the feast.'

'Sure, it'll be quitter than the common room.' Sophie nodded as they ascended the marble staircase.

'I think I need help with my history assignment.' Lavender shuffled through her notes as they walked.

'I can help you, I've been reading heaps.' Sophie directed Lavender out of the path of some oncoming Ravenclaw students.

'You're a bit of a nerd, aren't you, Soph!' Parvati laughed.

'I am not! I just value good literature.'

'You sound like Hermione!' Parvati said as they weaved through a group of Hufflepuff first years scurrying to their common room.

'Shut up! I do not!'

'Hermione better watch out; she might have some competition for prefect next year!' Lavender nudged Parvati, they both laughed.

'Take that back!' Sophie grinned. Lavenders hair began to rise as though static electricity ran through it.

'Sophie, no! I just found the perfect anti-frizz charm!'

'Ok, ok!' Sophie allowed Lavenders hair to settle back into place. Lavender ran a hand over it making sure it wasn't too untidy. Sophie and Parvati giggled as they entered the library. Madam Pince shushed them.

They found an empty table and sat, trying not to laugh. A Slytherin girl at the next table shot them a dirty look. The girl's dark hair began to rise just as Lavender's had. Lavender snorted, Parvati hit Sophie, Sophie let the girl's hair fall back into place. The girl rolled her eyes dramatically having no idea what Sophie had done to her hair.

The three girls tried to study but the quite nature of the library made it impossible for them to settle. Half an hour later Parvati whispered across the table.

'Hey, let's go!'

Sophie checked her watch. It was almost time for the feast! They had just enough time to dump their books in the Gryffindor tower. The three girls were downright giddy. Madam Pince shushed them again as they ran giggling from the library.

'I'm so excited!' Lavender said. Sophie and Parvati laughed. There was something in the air that screamed Halloween.

The feast was not so different to any other. There were far more pumpkin flavoured deserts (much to Sophie's horror) and the decorations were festive. But the magic, it was different, the students were different. Sophie decided it was the fact that Halloween was one of the witchiest holidays on the calendar and, although no one quite understood, their powers were magnified at this time of year. Sophie was convinced if she looked at past performance there would be a spike in grades around this time of year (and possibly of intake at the infirmary).

'Ginevra! Put down that chicken wing!' Fred puffed up his chest as he imitated a woman. Ginny had her hand hovering above the wings. 'Don't do it.' Fred put his hands on his hips. With a wicked smile, Ginny grabbed a handful of wings.

'Do it, Ginny.' George leant across the table towards his sister.

Ron had spent the entire feast, up to this point, bickering with Hermione. It had started as a disagreement about house elves. Ginny had been placing chicken wings in the back of his robes. Sophie had counted seven so far and Ron still hadn't noticed. Ginny slipped another one down his back. Harry snorted. Both Hermione and Ron looked at him. Harry shrugged from across the table and they went back to their argument.

'Fred, you do mum better than she does.' Ginny took up her fork.

'I also do better hexes,' Fred took a second helping of mash potato. 'Thank you.' He stuffed the potato in his mouth.

'You do not!'

George smiled at Sophie.

'Is this what it's like at home too?' Sophie asked.

'Worse.' George leant across Sophie to help himself to the gravy. Sophie felt a rush as their bodies touched.

Lavender and Dean were also locked in a hot debate, though far less political than Hermione and Ron.

'If I eat twenty five pounds of roast lamb, I would feel sick, but I would not pop. That is physically impossible.' Dean took another helping of lamb from between them.

'Well I think you're already up to twenty three!' Lavender jabbed her fork at the pile of lamb Dean was trying to manoeuvre to his plate.

'Hey!'

Parvati leant her head on Sophie's shoulder.

'Talk about food coma.'

'I could curl up and go to sleep right now.' Sophie patted Parvati's cheek and scooped a large helping of chocolate pudding into her bowl as desert appeared around them.

They continued to stuff their faces past the point of feeling sick. There was a good amount of laughter accompanying the many debates and, for the first time, Sophie was not surprised when the school ghosts floated in through the walls.

Disarmed

Sophie pulled back an old tapestry, so faded it was hard to make out the naked warlocks in a field of wheat. Which was probably a good thing as they were doing a rather hearty jig. Sophie had been expecting to find a concealed entrance, but she was disappointed, there was only a solid wall. She took out her wand, preparing to tap the wall and utter kind words to it in hope there was a passage there after all. Instead she felt something brush against her leg.

'Wolf, what are you –' she looked down, it was not Wolf, it was Mrs Norris, the caretaker's cat. Sophie spun around, ready to run, but Filch was already behind her.

'What che' doing, lass?' He bared his teeth in what could have been a twisted smile.

'Nothing.' Sophie decided to straight out lie.

'Don't look li' nothin', does is, my sweet?' Filch said to Mrs Norris, she mewed loudly in return.

Sophie tried to walk away, hoping Filch wouldn't notice. She was not so lucky.

'Stop! Yer up te no good! Tell me what yere doing or I'll fetch the High Inquisitor.' He pointed a bony finger at Sophie.

'Well, I'm on my way to see her. I have to tell her about a… my essay, on… cats.' Sophie tried to come up with a good lie. She couldn't.

'I know yer, yer that new witch, the one who caner use a wand!' Filch cackled. Sophie flushed. 'And yer nan is that batty old potions master, lots of trouble she'd be in if they found er!'

Filch continued to laugh, Sophie stormed off. Filch didn't try to stop her this time, his laughter follower her down the hall.

'What's wrong with you?' Lavender asked as Sophie joined her friends waiting outside the Charms classroom.

'Filch. The dirty old…stinking bloody...' Sophie muttered through clenched teeth.

'Oh, that nasty old squib!' Parvati said without looking up from her notes.

'Squib?' Sophie frowned at Parvati.

'Someone from a wizarding family but isn't magic.' Lavender said.

'Filch can't do magic?'

'Nope, don't know why you'd hang around here.' Parvati tucked her notes into her bag. The door to the classroom opened and they filed in. They were hushed by Professor Flitwick. He began the class by climbing up onto his pile of books and explaining the magical theory of a growth charm.

Sophie hadn't been to many Charms classes outside her remedial lessons and she felt this was a test. She took out her wand and while Lavender and Parvati chatted about the politics of squibs, Sophie focused on the silver button on her desk.

'Crescere.' Sophie said softly. The button quivered but didn't change size. She knew the spell needed more power. Destroying a silver button in remedial lessons was one thing but to do it in front of the entire class would be mortifying.

'Crescere.' Sophie channelled a little more power through her wand. The button quivered again then began to grow. The button was three times its original size before Sophie realised; she had cast the spell correctly!

'Well done, Miss Fax!' Flitwick call from the front of the class. Little to her knowledge, he had been keeping a close eye on her. 'Five points to Gryffindor.'

There was a cheer from the Gryffindor's in the class, Dean gave her a thumbs up, Sophie blushed and couldn't help smiling.

'What are you doing up here?'

Sophie spun around, heart in her throat. It was Fred and George.

'Thank Mathilde it's you two.' She breathed, one hand on her heart.

'How did you get up here? We didn't think anyone else knew this place.'

'Except the Marauders.' George added.

'And Harry.' They nodded.

'I was hiding from Filch.' Sophie said.

'Ahh, behind the Old Lady Gabrielle.' Fred closed the door they'd appeared through.

Sophie had indeed been behind a statue of an old woman when she saw a small opening in the wall behind her. She crawled through the opening and found herself at the foot of a narrow wrought iron staircase. There was a magnificent stained glass window, depicting a young witch showering light down upon smiling children. It extended the height of the stairs.

At the top the stairs had deposited Sophie on a landing with a door as narrow as the stairs. When she opened the wooden door, she had been hit with blustery winter wind. Snow hit her face and when Sophie looked out, she found she was on a wide balcony, five stories above the snow covered grounds below. It was at this point, as Sophie regained her stomach, that Fred and George had appeared behind her.

'What have you been doing to poor old Filch, Fax?' George smiled as he pulled his cloak tight around his body against the wind.

'I was – er – he caught me… I was ...' Sophie hung her head. 'I was putting gravy in his shoes because he was so nasty about my wand-skills and I just found out he's a squib.' Sophie felt heat rising with her chest as her breath shortened.

Fred and George laughed.

'It was Peeves who told him.' George said.

'Yeah, we heard him yelling. Great idea though, shoes that turn into gravy boats when you put them on. Excellent.'

'Why are you two out here? Surely not just to get some air?' Sophie eyed the twins.

'We're expecting an owl.' They said together.

An owl appeared as if on cue. Fred caught it and took its letter. The twins read it together, their faces dropping as they did.

'I guess we just try again?' George looked at Fred.

'What's wrong?' Sophie tried to see what the letter said. Fred and George exchanged a look before Fred spoke.

'We're trying to purchase a premise on Diagon Alley, so we can open our joke shop; Weasley's Wizards Wheezes.' He let out a sigh and tucked the letter in his pocket. 'But we've been turned down.'

'What did you say to them?' Sophie, as always, was intrigued by what the twins were up to.

'We want to buy, we have gold.' George shrugged.

'You don't buy a shop like that! You have to play the game; pretend you've got heaps of money and heaps of other options!' Sophie laughed as she shivered. Her anger had subsided, she was feeling cold again.

'How do you know about buying shops?' Fred stroked the owls head before it leapt from his arm into the white sky.

'My dad's a real-estate agent.' Sophie dropped her gaze to the white grounds below, for the first time ashamed of the unmagical position her father had to take up.

'Well, you can write to them then.' George ducked under the low threshold and stepped back onto the landing.

'Sure,' Sophie shrugged. 'You do have the gold, don't you?'

'Of course!' the twins said together.

Sophie and the twins left the secret balcony and made their way back to the common room. It was empty save a couple of seventh years, though they were too entwined with each other to take any notice of Sophie, Fred or George.

'Tell me about this shop.' Sophie took a seat at a table furthest away from the couple.

'Tell us about your dad. You've never mentioned him before.' George sat too.

'No. Where'd you get the money?'

Fred and George frowned. Sophie opened her mouth to said something, anything that wasn't her dad, but closed it again. It was George who broke the silence.

'Harry. He gave us the gold.' He said.

'George, we can't tell people that.'

'Why not? Harry has heaps of money, he likes you two, obviously he'd give you a loan.' Sophie took a piece of parchment from her bag. 'Now this is what you say as a potential buyer.'

She fumbled for a minute to find a pen then wrote a proposal for the twins. They read it through and nodded.

'Way better than what we said.' George took Sophie's pen and inspected it.

'You'll get your shop if you use something like that.' Sophie took it back, seeing she'd spelt alley wrong.

'What, are you some kind of Seerer?' Fred scanned the letter again, a smile creeping across his face.

'No, but The Crone is.'

'The Crone?' George looked at Sophie.

'My great grandmother, I told you about her, the Seerer, really boring to be honest, she never gives you any juicy details, only that things will get worse, and that if I go back home I'll die. The usual stuff.'

'Sounds like a nice lady.' George said. 'Must be where you get your charm.'

Sophie whacked George on the arm.

'Hey!'

'Stop it you two. Is this really all we need to say?' Fred was rereading the letter.

'Yes, I read heaps of them when I was working with dad, and he always got the properties he wanted.' Sophie felt a wave of sadness as she thought of the last few months she'd spent with her dad.

'Soph, is your dad, you know… dead?' George placed a hand on Sophie's arm. 'Oh, no!' Sophie laughed. 'He ran off with his secretary and started a new family.'

Fred and George looked at each other again, though this time with expressions of amusement. Sophie didn't hate her dad, but she did miss him.

'Sorry to hear that.' Fred said.

'Don't be. It happened ages ago.'

'Has the Crone predicted anything real or is she more of a Trelawny?' George asked after a moment. His hand was still on Sophie's arm, she was feeling the usual swooping she felt whenever George's arm brushed hers.

'She's usually super vague but things have a way of coming true. She told me things are going to get pretty bad over here, but it'd be worse if I go home.'

Fred and George's expressions returned to ones of concern.

'She also sleeps with a shotgun so I wouldn't be too worried.' Sophie added when neither twin spoke.

'But things are getting bad here. You think she knows what she's talking about? The Crone?' Fred asked.

'She knows.' Sophie nodded. 'Do you think she means You-Know-Who?'

'That's what I'm afraid of, the way things are going, Umbridge, the Order, Death Eaters. It can only get worse can't it? They aren't going away soon.' George turned to Fred.

'What's the Order? And Death Eaters?' Sophie shuddered. Fred raised his eyebrows and George shrugged.

'Death Eaters are what You-Know-Who's followers call themselves.' George removed his hand from Sophie's arm.

'And the Order?'

'Is like the DA, but its our parents, it was formed years ago, to fight against You-Know-Who and his followers.'

'George.' Fred said with an inflection which meant shut up.

'It's not a secret, she's friends with Harry, it'll come out sooner or later.'

'A secret group? That fights Death Eaters? Thank Mathilde. I'm glad someone's doing something.'

'You think we're all just sitting round doing nothing?' Fred eyes flashed as he stared at Sophie, challenging her.

'No, but all I've been hearing is how bad You-Know-Who is and how he's gaining power and that the ministry is in denial, along with everyone else, it's nice to know there are people doing something.' Sophie hadn't meant to raise her voice, she hardly understood this world let alone it's politics. Fred looked at her, Sophie could tell he was trying to decide whether to bother responding.

'You're right, I forget you know nothing.'

'Screw you.'

'That's not what I meant.'

'I know what you meant.'

'Stop it, both of you.'

'I've got class anyway.'

'It's 6pm.'

'Remedial class, Fred. Have you already forgotten I know nothing?'

Sophie got up and left the common room. She had no idea where her outburst had come from but she stormed out of the tower with her book bag and an aching in her chest. She needed to run or punch something, not sit in remedial charms for an hour. Arriving at Flitwick's class a lot sooner than she'd meant to, Sophie walked straight in.

'Miss Fax!' Flitwick jumped as she entered.

'Sorry, Professor.' She also hadn't meant to slam the door.

'That's quite alright. Are you alright, something happened?'

Sophie found herself puffing, she'd broken a light sweat, and her jaw was starting to ache from being clenched.

'I'm fine professor.' Sophie willed herself to relax, she'd accomplish nothing in such a state of anger.

'Well, I think today might be the day I teach you to duel.' Flitwick said. Sophie stopped with her wand halfway out of her pocket.

'Duel?'

'Yes, duel. A fantastic way to expel pent up emotion. Especially anger.' Flitwick inclined his head.

Sophie breathed deeply, never had she thought she'd be taught to duel in her first year. She reminded herself she was not meant to be able to duel at all, and to keep the things she knew from DA under wraps.

'Alright, we'll start with the basics; Expelliarmus. This will disarm your opponent. I imagine you may have heard of this, or even seen it used?' Again, Flitwick gave Sophie an all knowing look, Sophie smiled. 'Of course you have. You must focus your energy on the target,' Flitwick waved his wand and a mannequin with a wand arm outstretched clattered its way into the centre of the room. 'And demand they are disarmed; expelliarmus!'

The wand, not much more than a whittled stick, flew out of the mannequin's hand in a complete arc. Flitwick caught it. Not many in the DA had been able to expel a wand with such grace. Flitwick returned the wand and motioned for Sophie to try. She aimed her wand and imagined the mannequin's wand coming to her.

'Expelliarmus!'

The wand flew out of the mannequin's hand and soared over Sophie's head. It skittered to a halt at the back of the classroom.

'Very good!' Flitwick clapped and retrieved the wand. 'Again.'

Sophie practiced the spell for an hour. By the end of the lesson, every time Sophie cast the spell, she caught the disarmed wand.

Flitwick sent the mannequin back to its home in the shadows.

'Excellent, Miss Fax. Next time, you can try disarming a real opponent; me!'

'Professor, I don't think –'

'Don't worry, I know how to protect myself from amateur duellers, but I think you'll be just fine!'

'If you're sure, sir.' Sophie smiled.

Flitwick dismissed Sophie and she made her way back to the Gryffindor tower. As she walked the quite halls, she thought about how she'd spoken to Fred. Her hands grew clammy as she replayed the incident. Sophie's anger has subsided to guilt. She would have to apologise. She felt ill.

'Where have you been?' The fat lady guarding the portrait hole sat up with some effort. Sophie tried to speak but her heart was in her throat. She knew the twins would be in their usual spot. And if they weren't Sophie's apology would have to wait until the morning. The thought of sleeping with this guilt brought on a light sweat. Even though the halls were freezing.

'Well at least give me the password.' The fat lady swung her chubby legs off her lounge and reached for a glass of wine.

'Ah – it's alea iacta est.'

'Correct.' The fat lady swung forward.

Sophie was spared having to sleep with her guilt, Fred and George were sitting up with a Lee. Sophie swallowed hard. George saw her and nudged his twin. Fred stood and, with his hand deep in his pockets, he made his way to Sophie. Sophie could feel sweat prickle on her upper lip. Better to get it over with, she thought. It felt like an age she stood there waiting for Fred.

'I'm sorry for what I –'

'No, I'm sorry.' Fred cut her off. They looked at the ground between them, Sophie didn't want to make eye contact.

'I'm not good at apologies.' Sophie could shuffle her feet no longer.

'Me either.'

'I have something for you.' Sophie took from her robes a folded page. 'I don't know if you'll like it.'

'You tore a page out of a book?' Fred took the page. It was an article Sophie had found titled Twins in business; when wizards are twins, they do weird things! It had been published in a wizarding journal in 1870's. Fred smiled as he read the title.

'I found it a few days ago but only just remembered it,' Sophie smoothed out the front of her robes. 'I really am sorry.'

'It's fine, Fax, it was the heat of the moment. Come on.' Fred motioned to the table. George looked up as Fred returned to his seat.

'I've had a thought!'

'That's a first.' Fred said.

'We should – oh, you're friends again,' George smiled as Sophie took a seat. 'Good. We should get back to the lab, I've found something that might help with the headless hats.'

Weasley Exodus

December arrived and along with it; more snow. Sophie was sick of having to trudge her way everywhere. The upside to more snow meant it was closer to Christmas, announced by the festive decorations the castle was sporting. Tinsel, wreaths of holly, suits of armour singing carols. Sophie was sure she spotted some mistletoe hang in a secluded area. She couldn't help the sudden vision of running into George beneath it.

The fires in the Gryffindor tower roared day and night and Sophie found herself getting dangerously close them at any chance she could. She was beginning to despise the cold.

'Soph, come here.' George waved Sophie down as she entered the common room for her spare period, the one she still shared with the twins.

'What? I'm not trying anymore Bogie Blasters, that was cruel.'

Only the day before Fred and George had tricked Sophie into eating their snot inducing treat. Sophie had missed most of history before the twins tracked her down in the girl's toilets to give her the antidote.

'You shouldn't have run off!' Fred said. Sophie was wary, her nose was still runny, the antidote was a little tricky.

'We have something for you, an early Christmas present if you will.' George said.

'No way, I'm not touching anyth –' Sophie gasped, George had produced a beautiful hawk feather quill.

'But … you know I can't use a quill.'

'That's the beauty of it; it's a pen.' Fred smiled.

'We felt bad for the snot.' George said.

'It was George's idea.'

'I love it. It's really a pen? It's not going to write swear words in all my essays?' Sophie took the faux quill from George and turned it over in her hands.

'Not at all!' Fred said with mock indignation, they smiled at her. The twins really must have felt bad. Sophie willed herself not to blush or burst into tears, for the first time in a long time, Sophie had friends.

She took a seat at their table and, using her new quill, started her potions essay.

Sophie was woken the next morning by Hermione muttering to herself as she threw things from her trunk.

'Doesn't bother to wake me... leaves in the night... when I find them…' A pair of jeans hit the curtains of Sophie's bed. Wolf pounced onto Sophie's face.

'Hermione, what's going on?' Sophie sat up, pulling her curtains back, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

'Gone! All gone! Not even a note, no consideration... where is it?' Hermione's head was inside her trunk. Parvati was drawing back her curtains to see what was going on. Lavender snored on. Sophie got out of bed and collected the jeans and a few pairs of socks.

'Who's gone? What are you looking for?' Sophie knelt beside Hermione.

'The Weasleys, and Harry, all of them are gone! Umbridge is on a war path.' Hermione sat back and dropped her head into her hands.

'How do you know that? It's seven o'clock.' Sophie checked her watch.

'I was up early to study,' (Parvati rolled her eyes) 'Umbridge ran past me on my way to the library, looks like she's been up all night. She was yelling about Dumbledore and getting the Ministry.'

Parvati got out of bed and got dressed. A knot of worry was tying itself in Sophie's stomach, all the Weasleys were gone?

'Did they leave early for Christmas break?' Parvati offered as she pulled on her robes.

'No, we were meant to go together.' Tears welled in Hermione's eyes.

Sophie spent the day with Hermione, fending off rumours of abduction or the runaway stories which kept cropping up. By lunch Hermione was pulling her hair out.

Sophie tried all different ways of comforting her; from unsuccessfully slipping Draught of Peace into her pumpkin juice, to patting her hand while Hermione came up with yet another theory as to where the Weasleys and Harry had evaporated to.

It wasn't until the end of lunch that Hermione was called away by Professor McGonagall. She reappeared in the common room an hour later looking a might more relaxed.

'What's going on?' Sophie ran to Hermione as she clambered through the portrait hole. 'Where are they?'

'They're safe, I spoke to Dumbledore.' Hermione whispered. 'They're in London, but I have to stay until end of term.'

'Well that's alright, that's tomorrow. Why are they in London?' Sophie was relived but still confused. They returned to the table Sophie's books and parchment was scattered across.

'Mr. Weasley was in an accident at work.'

'In the middle of the night?'

'Yes.'

'Why did Harry go?'

'He's very close with them.'

'But you didn't go? What does Mr. Weasley do for work?'

Hermione refused to answer, she told Sophie they should be using their spare period to study. After a few minutes Sophie couldn't help but ask about Fred and George.

'They are ok? You're sure?'

'Yes, Dumbledore told me; they're all fine. Mr. Weasley is hurt but recovering.'

That was all Hermione would say. Sophie attempted to return to reading a page on monkshood.

'You're quite close with them, aren't you?' Hermione didn't look up as she pulled books from her bag.

'Yeah, I guess. They're funny.'

'Well, be careful. Funny doesn't get you OWLs, and they're getting into all kinds of trouble at the moment.'

'Fred and George are great. The magic they can do … if I could come up with half that stuff, I wouldn't be bothered with OWLs either.'

Sophie left the common room after an hour or so, she needed to stretch her legs, and get away from Hermione's scratching quill. Sophie wandered along the halls, there were still a few students moving about the castle. Some Sophie knew and they waved hello, others she didn't but smiled at them anyway. Sophie was drifting along a corridor near the astronomy tower, gazing down at the twilit grounds below went she heard voices ahead of her.

'I told you already, my father will pay for the quidditch –'

The voice stopped as its owner rounded the corner and spotted Sophie. Sophie froze; it was Malfoy and his two goons.

'Sophie Fax, the new girl who still can use a wand.' Malfoy sauntered over to her. His two friends snickered. 'What did you just hear?' He spat.

'Nothing.' Sophie felt heat at her collar and in her palms, she tried to breath, she was outnumbered.

'You think you're so good, coming in here, already friends with Potter, and the big family of weasels, they live in a pigsty you know?' Malfoy circled Sophie. Sophie did her best not to make eye contact as her heart thumped in her chest.

'They do not.'

'Sure they do, I seen them there one time.'

'Shut up, Crabbe.' Malfoy slapped his friend on the back of the head. 'And you're meant to be a pureblood? I dispute that any day.'

Sophie clenched her jaw, she knew nothing she was about to say would come out the way she wanted, she breathed heavily, adrenalin rippled through her.

'Have fun rolling in the filth with your new friends.' Malfoy rammed his shoulder into Sophie as he past her, his goons followed, the three of them laughing. Their forced laugher rattled down the hall long after they were out of sight.

Sophie was almost panting, she clenched and unclenched her fists. Why did she always lose herself to anger? Sweat prickled her brow and a hundred great insults flooded her mind. But it was too late, she'd missed her chance. Although, as Sophie made her way back to the common room, she couldn't help but chuckled; Malfoy knew her first name, but she had no idea what his was.

08 – A Wee Irish Christmas; Killkerrin House

Sophie didn't see Hermione the following day, they had sat together at the end of term feast but after that she was gone. Sophie made her way to the Hogwarts Express with rest of the students journeying home and settled in for the long passage ahead.

The train ride was uneventful. Sophie shared a compartment with Lavender, Parvati, Lee and two of his friends, Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell. Sophie passed the time napping or chatting with Lee. He taught her how to play exploding snap. While they played, they came up with new products for the twins, including screaming greeting cards and Lip Locking Lipstick.

Once at Kings Cross Sophie bid her friends goodbye and made her way out of the station to find Herbert. She was excited to tell him all about her time at Hogwarts. Sophie hardly stopped talking all the way to Heathrow airport.

'I'm glad you're more excited about Hogwarts than the last time I saw you!' Herbert said as Sophie finished up a story about Peeves attempting to egg a certain member of staff.

'It's so much better than I thought it would be.' Sophie confessed as they arrived at the airport. She shook Herbert's hand goodbye, complimented his new apple green coat, and made her way to the Air Ireland terminal.

The flight to Cork took no time at all after the nine hours spent on the Hogwarts Express. It was in the Cork airport that Sophie was met by a young man, no more than thirty. He was tall and dashing. He was wearing a wide smile, a three piece ruby suit and matching pointed hat and sweeping cloak. He waved, Sophie knew there was no one else arriving to the care of a wizard but herself.

'Sophie?' The man thick had a European accent. 'I'm Edvard.'

Sophie smiled, she knew her aunt was quite a bit older and, in her letters, Dubheasa had told Sophie that Edvard, her partner, would be escorting her from the airport. Dubheasa's partner was young and handsome. Sophie like her aunt's (or cousin's) taste.

'Hi, nice to meet you.'

'Shall we?' Edvard gestured to the exit. Sophie followed Edvard out of the terminal and into blistering cold winds that whipped around them. Both pulled their traveling cloaks tightly around themselves.

'Around here,' Edvard led Sophie to a secluded area, out of sight and sheltered from the weather. 'Have you ever Apparated before?'

'No.' Sophie said into the hood of her cloak

'Alright, hold my hand, good and tight and do not let go.'

Sophie clasped Edvard's hand. Wolf was in his cage in her other hand. Edvard picked up Sophie's trunk and stepped forward pulling Sophie into a vacuum.

Sophie was compressed in a way she had never been before. The air was squeezed from her lungs, her very bones were being crushed beneath her muscles. And as quickly as the pressure had started, it stopped. Sophie stumbled forward breathing deeply, fearing she never would again. Wolf was mewing. Sophie scooped him from his wicker cage and hugged him, confirming they were both alright.

'It gets easier.' Edvard chuckled. 'Come on, up the hill.'

Sophie looked around, remembering she had just travelled a long distance. They had arrived on the edge of a cliff. There was a sheer drop to the ocean to Sophie's left, to her right were fields of lush green grass, rippling in the cold wind and dotted with fat woolly sheep. Ahead of her the field rose and atop the hill, right next to the cliffs edge, was a beautiful stone house. It looked like an old church. All around the stone building were huge trees, their leaves were stunning shades of red and orange, looking as though they were about to fall.

'Where are we? Shouldn't it be snowing?' Sophie attempted to take it all in.

'We are in the south of Ireland. Yes, it's almost like magic, isn't it?' Edvard smiled as he took out his wand and pointed it at Sophie's trunk. The trunk floated ahead of them and Edvard made his way up the track on the hill after it. The closer Sophie got to the house the more she could see. It was double story and made of rough stone, many of the windows were stained glass. The front entrance was a grand set of dark wooden doors, each sporting a wreath of holly.

'Welcome to Killkerrin House.' Edvard opened the front door and led Sophie inside. Although the outside was old and weather beaten, the inside of the house was cosy and warm. Edvard sent Sophie's trunk up the stairs as they continued through to a living room. It had large windows and many lounge chairs and couches. The floor was covered with Persian rugs and there a stand-alone fire in the middle of the room. Sophie followed Edvard into a kitchen smelling of roast turkey and ham. It was only a few a few days until Christmas and Sophie, and her stomach, could not wait!

A woman was reading by another fire. She was seated in an armchair, her feet up on a stool and a large shaggy dog at her feet.

'Sophie!' She cried, getting up. She was shorter than Sophie, her dark hair beginning to grey. She was wearing caramel coloured robes, and a lot of beaded necklaces. She wrapped Sophie in a tight hug. Wolf jumped out of Sophie's arms so he could sniff the old hunting dog.

'Welcome! How was your journey? I'm your cousin Dubheasa, or your aunt, oh what does it matter! And you've met Edvard. Are you hungry?'

Sophie felt the warmth of her welcome immediately.

'I'm fine thank you, it's nice to finally be here.'

'Sit, sit!' Dubheasa pushed Sophie into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. 'Tell me about school, tell me everything.' Dubheasa sat opposite Sophie with her chin in her hands eagerly awaiting Sophie's stories, Edvard sat next to her.

Sophie first told them about Diagon Alley and buying Wolf, they exclaimed how wonderful he was as he pawed at their docile dog. Then about meeting Fred, George and Lee on the train. And all about how smart Hermione is and Hermione's friends Harry ('Harry Potter! Wow!') and Ron. She told them about Lavender and Parvati, and about the ghosts and the painting. She told them about the horrible Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher but how wonderful the feasts were. Dubheasa and Edvard were wrapped by every word.

'Oh, I'm so happy for you! When I heard you were coming to Hogwarts I was over the moon.' Dubheasa got up and checked the oven. Sophie stomach rumbled, Dubheasa heard; she waved her wand and a plate of sandwiches appeared in front of Sophie.

'What do you think of autumn?' Dubheasa took a sandwich herself as she returned to the table.

'It's beautiful! Is it like this all year?' Sophie asked through a mouthful of chicken sandwich, Dubheasa laughed.

'No, no, it just the prettiest. I wanted you to see it, but now it can snow again.' Dubheasa smiled and opened a door by the fire, it led outside. Dubheasa wove her wand at the trees and the sky. The leaves shrivel and fell, followed soon after by snow. Dubheasa closed the door and came back to the table

'I like it better when it snows.' Edvard smiled out the window as white flecks swirled outside. Sophie had almost forgotten the events of the day before. As she told Edvard and Dubheasa about her Hogwarts adventures, she thought again of the Weasleys disappearing before the end of term.

'Dubheasa, do you have an owl I could please borrow? Friends of mine left before the end of term and I'd like to write so make sure they're ok.'

'Of course, dear, just let me know when you'd like to use her. I can take you up to the library, its new!' Dubheasa clasped her hands together.

After one more sandwich Dubheasa took Sophie upstairs to a large brightly lit room. It had row upon row of books, old and new. Dubheasa wandered over to the three long windows and gazed out at the falling snow.

'Oh, to be a bird on the sea breeze.' She said. 'I better get back to the turkey!' Dubheasa smiled and left, the sound of her beaded necklaces following wherever she went. Sophie looked around, there was a desk in the middle of the room, facing out of the windows Dubheasa has been looking. Sophie saw several gull swooping and gliding as they soared out over the wild ocean. The drop below the house to the sea was sheer and jiggered. Sophie retrieved her pen-quill and a sheet of parchment from her bag, sat down and started writing.

To Fred and George,

Hermione told me you are both alright, but she wouldn't tell me anything except your dad was hurt at work, I hope he's ok and I hope he gets better soon. I'm in Ireland for Christmas with my aunt and uncle (or cousins, no one knows how we're related). I hope you have a great Christmas, I'm sending presents with this letter, not sure if they'll make it!

I'm going to do some research for some ideas for products me and Lee came up with on the train. I think you'll like them but I'm keeping them a surprise.

Please let me know you're ok!

Merry Christmas,

Soph

Sophie sealed the letter and took it downstairs. For George, Sophie had a watch which not only told the time and the moon phases, she had also bewitched to warn him when someone was listening to him. For Fred Sophie had chosen a dragon skin pouch, which held more than it should have, and she'd filled it with Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans and as many chocolate frogs she could stuff inside.

Sophie, Lavender and Parvati had given each other small gifts too, Sophie was waiting until Christmas to open theirs. She had also sent various family members gifts. She dabbled with the idea of sending The Crone some shotgun shells but figured the wizard post would be just as wary of ammunition as the muggle post.

Dubheasa was waiting for Sophie in the kitchen with a huge tawny owl.

'Ready to send it, love?'

'Yes, but I don't know the address.' Sophie came to a halt at the kitchen door. Why hadn't she thought of that?

'Don't worry, Avil will find them.' Dubheasa took Sophie's letter and neatly wrapped gifts and attached them to her owl. Dubheasa threw open the kitchen window and Avil launched from the table out into the wintery night. They watched him disappear into the darkness. Sophie yawned.

'Bed? You've had a long day. Come now, I'll show you to your room.' Dubheasa put an arm around Sophie and lead her out of the kitchen. They passed Edvard reading by the fire, he called goodnight, and they continued upstairs.

The guest room was small. Its window faced west, looking out at the wild ocean as it crashed against the cliffs below. The room was neat and cosy, the quilt was patchwork and there were fresh flowers on the dresser. Sophie changed into her pyjamas and got into bed. The bed was rather hard, but the pillows were soft, and the blankets were warm. Sophie fell quickly into a deep sleep.

Kelpie

Sophie spent the next morning outside, digging in the freshly fallen snow with Edvard and Dubheasa. Foraging under the snow they found mushrooms, truffes and all other kinds of root vegetables Sophie was sure weren't in season. She put it down to the fact it had been autumn when she arrived yesterday, and it was now the middle of winter.

Sophie made her way down the hill at the back of the house, past some very old graves and into the thick sea fog which had rolled in, it was marshy and there were a great number of mushrooms. Sophie picked them and made her way further into a swamp. She was excited by the small thrills of hunting and gathering. There was a noise somewhere in the distance, it sounded like a cry. Sophie looked up, trying hard to see through the fog.

A figure rose up out of the muddy water ahead of her. Sophie squinted at the tall shape of a man.

'Ge- George?' She uttered, stumbling backwards, landing in a pool of cold water. The figure walked over to her, tall and handsome. She looked up into the beautiful face of George Weasley. She gawped at him.

'Sophie, so pathetic,' he said. 'You think a seventh year like me would fall for a fifth, like you?' He laughed a cruel laugh.

'Wh- what are you d-doing here?' Sophie cried. She edged away from his horrible beauty, still sitting in the swamp, but unable to look away.

'I've come for you, to take you, don't you want to be with me?' He cooed, reaching a hand out to Sophie. There was splashing behind Sophie, but she wanted to go with George, she had to go.

'Get away, you horrible creature! TEVATEMPAI!' Dubheasa yelled. A jet of pink light flashed over Sophie's head and hit George square in the chest. Sophie snatched back her hand, only inches from George, who screamed and transformed into something horse like before it dove into the water. A fog lifted from Sophie's mind, but not from around her. She blinked and was positive it had not been George standing in front of her moments ago. She was shocked by how willingly she would've followed whatever it was. Dubheasa took her hand and Sophie shakily got up.

'Who- who- what was that?'

'That's just the kelpie, love. Come now, let's get you warm and dry.' Dubheasa put an arm around Sophie and lead her, shivering, out of the swamp.

Hands wrapped around a hot cup of tea and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, Sophie sat shivering by the kitchen fire.

'Good looking chap, who was that, lovely?' Dubheasa was not facing Sophie but Sophie could hear the smile in her aunt's voice.

'A friend. Just a friend.' Sophie shuddered at the thought of the kelpie version of George.

'Well, kelpies don't often take the form of just friends. That one, Ketheela, oooh she's an old hag. She almost got me last year, showing up looking like a young Gildroy Lockheart. Wasn't 'til I had my cloak on and halfway out the door did I realise Gildroy was safely tucked up at St. Mungo's!' Dubheasa chuckled to herself. 'Got to be on your toes around her, especially in the fog!'

'So, it shows you who you like?' Sophie was slightly horrified, definitely embarrassed, but ultimately not surprised. She had been feeling a little something she did not want to admit to for George for a little while now.

'Oh, they turn up as all kinds of thing, dogs, lovers, lost friends, anything they think will make you follow them into the fog. Just remember, they have horrible yellow eyes, so unless your boyfriend is that unfortunate, you can always tell by the eyes.'

Sophie nodded, sipped her tea and hoped to Mathilde the letter she was expecting from the real George was still a few days away. She wasn't fully ready admit to herself why she'd seen what she'd seen.

There was a knock at the front door, Edvard rose to see who it was. Muffled voices came from the front of the house, sounds of joyful greetings.

'Our guests!' Dubheasa left to greet them as well. Sophie sat and shivered, thinking of the kelpie. She wasn't in the mood to meet anyone right now. Her teeth chattered as the voices got closer to the kitchen. Sophie could hear loud kisses being planted on cheeks.

'She's in the kitchen.' Sophie heard Dubheasa say. Sophie sighed, she had no choice but to be polite.

'Why so glum, Soph?'

'Max!' Sophie jumped up and threw her arms around her older brother. He lifted her off the ground in a great swooping hug. 'What are you doing here? Where have you been? I sent you letters!' Sophie was overcome with emotion.

'I've been working, you know I don't always get letters. It's good to see you.' Max put Sophie down and held her at arm's length. 'You've grown. You look like mum.' Sophie hit him on the arm.

'Don't say that!'

'What, would you rather look like the Crone?' Max laughed.

He was tall, especially by UK standards, he had collar length hair and his face was the same shape as Sophie's. They looked far more alike than they last time they had been together, they even had the same athletic build. Though Max had a few fresh scars on his arms and face. Sophie had never gotten to the bottom of what Max did for work.

'Sophia!' A woman interrupted them, bursting into the kitchen, arms outstretched. She collected Sophie and Max in the same embrace.

'Sophie, this is our cousin Seraphine.' Max said when they managed to break free. 'I travelled here with her and her husband, Greggory, from Mosco.'

'Mosco? What –'

'Oh, you're both so handsome,' (Sophie raised an eyebrow at Max, he smirked) 'So tall and blonde, so … Arian.'

'Seraphine!' A man waddled into the kitchen. 'You can't say that!'

Seraphine and the man were both short and a little dumpy, but both had big smiles and bright caramel eyes.

'Greggory?' Sophie wondered how a husband and wife could look so similar.

'Oho, no, goodness! I wouldn't marry this old lump if all other witches were dead!' The man laughed a deep guttural laugh. Seraphine hit him in a very similar fashion to how Sophie hit Max minutes earlier.

'Brio, this is Sophie, Max's sister. Sophie this is Brio, my brother.' Seraphine introduced the two, Brio took Sophie's hand and shook it.

'Pleasures all mine!' Brio said. 'Now, a little barn owl told me you may happen to be friends with Harry Potter?' Brio put an arm around Sophie and directed her out of the kitchen into the lounge. Sophie wanted to talk to Max, find out where he'd been, what he'd been doing. Though she didn't want to be rude to a long lost relative.

'Ah, yes… I am.'

'Tell me, what's he like?' Brio leaned in rather close. Sophie could smell the tang of his breath. She felt increasingly uncomfortable.

'Brio.' Dubheasa appeared at the door. 'You snuck right past me. Not going to say hello to your old cousin?' A stern undertone carried in her voice. Brio straightened up, a wicked look in his eye vanished. His face split into a big smile.

'Oh Dubheasa, you were busy kissing Greggory! Come here cousin, for a proper welcome.' Brio cross the room, embraced Dubheasa and kissed her on both cheeks. Dubheasa frowned but retuned the greeting.

'Sophie, have you met Coletta?' Dubheasa took Sophie by the arm and lead her out of the room. In the entrance hall Edvard was talking rapidly in a language Sophie didn't recognise. Three other people were with him, they all had his dark colouring and slim build. Though they were speaking quickly there was a lot of smiling and hugging, Sophie assumed Edvard was being filled in on family gossip.

'Coletta, this is Sophie.' Dubheasa interrupted. Coletta, a young and beautiful woman, looked up and smiled a bright smile.

'Sophie, I hear you had a run in with a kelpie just now?' Coletta asked with a smile. Sophie blushed and looked at Dubheasa, she'd been betrayed.

'Coletta is an ethologist, for magical creatures. She's been studying our kelpie informally for a little while now.' Dubheasa said with an apologetic look.

'Tell me, what form did she take? And was she convincing? what voice did you hear?' Coletta took Sophie by the arm and Sophie was again lead into the lounge against her will. She could not believe she was going to have to tell her entire extended family of complete strangers about seeing George in the marsh.

Sophie did her best to keep the conversation short without being rude. She wanted to be quizzing Max. It had been almost a year since they had been in the same room, and the last time she hadn't had the chance to say goodbye.

Max saw Sophie's discomfort as soon as he entered the room.

'Soph, I've got something for you from mum.' He beckoned her into the kitchen, Sophie hurried after him.

Sophie could hear more people arriving but wanted to close the door and talk to Max, she had so much to ask him, so much to tell him!

'What is it?' Sophie asked.

'Nothing, I just wanted to get you out of there. Dubheasa told me about the kelpie.' Max laughed. Sophie felt the heat rise in her cheeks.

'Max! She's telling everyone!' Sophie wasn't ready to admit to herself why the kelpie had taken the shape of George Weasley and especially didn't want to talk to Max about it.

'Don't worry, I ran into a kelpie in the Scottish mores once. It took the form of the stupid pony, Carrot, we had as kids, it almost got me too, I was lucky I was with old Barney Buckleberry!'

'Barney Buckleberry? Why do you call him that?'

'It's his name! These British wizards are something else, Soph, I tell ya.'

They sat down at the kitchen table, chicken sandwiches between them were asking to be eaten. Max and Sophie obliged.

'Where have you been? I've really missed you.' Sophie said after a few rounds.

'Can't tell. Secret ministry business.'

'Really, Max, where? What do you do?'

'Well, Soph, if you really must know,' Max leant in, mouth full of sandwich. 'I'm working for your headmaster and it really is a secret. But I think being friend with Harry Potter and the Weasleys – you'll probably pick up a good deal of secret on your own.'

'The Weasley's? How do you know them?' Sophie's embarrassment spiked again; did Max know she was friends with Fred and George? Sophie didn't think she could take anymore humiliation.

'I know Mr and Mrs Weasley, and their sons, Charlie and Bill. Interesting guys.' Max sat back with another sandwich. Sophie relaxed a little, he didn't know George.

'Why are you working for Dumbledore, why are they working for Dumbledore?'

'I can't tell you, kid, but you can tell me all about Hogwarts and why I've only got one letter from you. That exciting is it?' Max chomped into his fourth sandwich.

'There's just so much going on! I've made friends with lots of people, and my classes are great. I've finished up more of the remedial stuff and I'm in regular classes, and I'm way ahead in potions, which Snape hates.'

Sophie filled Max in on the last six months. As she spoke, Wolf jumped into her lap, curled up and fell sleep. Max listened to everything, picking up on how often she mentioned George Weasley even though he was a twin, and by the end of her stories Max had a pretty good idea what Sophie's kelpie looked like.

Bonfire

A clock chimed six in the front entrance and Dubheasa voice sang out.

'Dinner!'

Sophie and Max were discussing the DA when all around them cupboards and draws began opening and closing. Plates, bowls, knives, forks, all soared around the kitchen then out the door.

'Duck.' Max said as a carving knife coasted past Sophie's head.

'Duck!' Sophie said as an entire roast duck soared between them. They followed the roast into a large dining room. The table was setting itself and food appeared from all around them.

The party, which had now grown to almost twenty, sat around the long table, eating, drinking, and laughing. Periodically someone would yell a nonsensical verse which was followed by a good amount of cheering and applause. Sophie looked to Max for an explanation, he just shrugged from across the table.

'A bit of a silly tradition,' Seraphine said. Sophie was sitting between Seraphine and Edvard. 'We don't like the Christian Christmas celebrations, but we do like getting together and eating and carrying on, so we decided we needed songs as well.

'We come up with verses during the year and as soon as we sit down for dinner we are bewitched to sing our songs whenever the muse takes us. The muse being your aunt Dubheasa, and its usually when one has taken a large gulp of wine.'

Sophie laughed, though she was terrified she was going to burst into song at any moment.

After dessert Sophie retired. She has been allowed to drink the mulled wine and it, along with all the food, had her feeling sluggish. The dinner party was getting rowdy and the bursts of song were getting longer, louder, and more inappropriate. Sophie thought it had more to do with the large vat of eggnog, which had about run dry, rather than any charm Dubheasa was casting.

With a heavy head but a light heart, Sophie crawled into bed. If this is how they celebrate two days out from Christmas Sophie couldn't imagine Christmas day.

The next morning everyone was slow to rise but when Sophie got out of bed she spied a huge pile of wood outside. She knew exactly what it was. She dressed and hurried downstairs. Max was up but looked half asleep and Dubheasa made them both coffee.

'When are you going to light it?' Sophie asked breathlessly.

'In a few hours, would you like to light it? With magic?' Dubheasa asked.

'I don't know if I can.' Sophie said.

'Sure you can.' Max rubbed his red eyes.

'Well then you can do the honours, Sophie, my love.' Dubheasa said.

Three hours later and the entire party was standing outside. They were wrapped in coats and shawls, blankets and mittens, standing around the huge pile of sticks and branches, it was going to be a bonfire. It was three times as tall as Sophie and the only explanation she had for its appearance was magic.

'Welcome all, family and friends!' Edvard beckoned Sophie from the group. 'This year the highly sought after honour of lighting of the bonfire has been bestowed upon cousin Sophie. She has just started at Hogwarts and apparently her status as a Gryffindor is exciting news!' The crowd cheered and whistled, except for Seraphina and Brio who both booed.

'She should've been in Slytherin!' Brio was grinning.

'Alright, Sophie, when you're ready, right in the middle.' Edvard stepped back.

Sophie took out her wand and pointed it into the centre of the stack. She was nervous, but reminded herself that setting things alight was one of her talents.

'Incendio.' There was a small flicker, but it sputtered out. 'Incendio!'

Nothing again. Sophie could feel all eyes on her. She was about to try again when she remembered there was another way. She tucked her wand into her pocket and got ready to do it the old way. Dubheasa and Max both cried out; 'No!'

But it was too late, Sophie had already snapped her fingers. The bonfire caught, with a massive crack it exploded, flames shot fifty metres into the air. Everyone ducked for cover. Fireworks blew out in every direction. The sound was like a battlefield instead of a bonfire. Sophie was thrown back into Max and Dubheasa

'I'm sorry!' Sophie was barely audible over the exploding fireworks and now roaring fire.

'Sophie, we rigged it for you to use your wand, not Old Magic!' Max pulled Sophie off the ground. He was struggling to keep a straight face.

Everyone scrambled to their feet. Brio was in hysterics, rolling around in the snow. Someone Sophie hadn't met called 'three cheers for Sophie!' and the cheer went up. Sophie was beginning to realise these people would cheer for anything. People were patting her on the back, saying they hadn't ever seen Old Magic used and how great it was. Sophie was baffled.

'It exploded because we didn't think you'd light us all out with Old Magic, lovely.' Dubheasa smiled. 'Let's get some marshmallows.'

Once the excitement had died down and everyone had roasted some form of skewered meat or veg the party settled into smaller group for quite chatting. As the afternoon drew into night everyone was far more subdued than the previous evening. There was some singing and just as much wine and eggnog, though this time Sophie opted out. It was Christmas eve, Sophie was too excited for tomorrow festivities to sleep, so she stayed up a chatted with all her long lost relatives.

Christmas morning was full of excitement with all kinds of wizarding gifts exchanged. Sophie was excited to see plenty of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes in the mix.

There was mistletoe hung from all parts of the house. Any time someone caught Sophie under it they wrapped her in a great hug and planted many kisses on her cheek, everyone smelling of wine and chocolate. Sophie didn't mind, Dubheasa and Edvard had been topping up her glass all through lunch, while Max wasn't looking, and Max's glass while he wasn't looking at it.

The seven course lunch starting with cranberry stuffed brie and biscuits. Roast turkey, ham, chicken, and vegetables of every kind followed. There was Yorkshire pudding, mashed potato and five different kinds of gravy.

Dessert comprised of Dubheasa's rendition of the traditional fruit cake; a five layered cake, every layer a different colour and flavour. Each diner swore they tasted a different fruit to the person next to them. There was ice-cream and cream and jelly and custard and by the time the dishes were stacking themselves Sophie was certain she was going to pop.

Sophie was full of wine but the amount of food she had eaten was suppressing the its effect; unlike Edvard's great aunt who was asleep with her spoon in the rum butter and her head on Greggory's shoulder.

Max sat opposite Sophie, pink in the face, his chin in his hands. He was leaning into Coletta as he listened to her tell dramatic stories about saving baby gindywills. Her bangles clinked and Max looked at her with glazed eyes. Sophie was certain he was not hearing a word. Sophie later found them giggling in a dark corner of the kitchen. She left before they saw her, and before she saw what they were doing.

Sophie join some of the party in the living room. Others had gone for a walk, some were napping, including Greggory and Edvard's great aunt. They were fast asleep in armchairs by the fire. Sophie sat with a woman called Rosa so she could avoid an entwined couple on the other couch.

Rosa was in her mid-thirties and had long, dark hair. It had a brilliant shine and Sophie couldn't help watching the golden light moving through it, it was hypnotising. Sophie's eyes were closing and soon she was asleep.

For the rest of the week guests departed until it was only Sophie and Max left with Edvard and Dubheasa. Sophie had spent most of her time practicing new spells her family had taught her, from simple hexes to more advanced charms. Sophie was having fun jinxing Max for practice.

'Sophie, you're going to have to start packing, my love, you go back to school tomorrow.' Dubheasa said as Sophie joined them for breakfast. The last of Edvard's family had left only two days ago. Coletta managing to come up with a new excuse to stay longer each day. Coletta and Max were not too discreet about their budding romance.

Sophie was struck with a sudden feeling of despair. She wanted nothing more than to stay in Ireland and stay with Max. She had never spent so much time with him, and without the added stress of their mother they were having a great time together. Sophie had also grown to love Dubheasa and Edvard in the short time she had been with them.

'I don't want to!' Sophie blurted out.

'We don't want you to either, Sophie, but you'll be back here for summer yes?' Edvard said as Dubheasa wrapped her arms around Sophie. Sophie hadn't know that was a possibility. All of a sudden, she was thrown back to the small cabin in the bush, thousands of kilometres away and the old Crones warning; don't come back!

'Really?' Sophie looked at Dubheasa, her hopes rising.

'Yes, if you want to stay with us, you're welcome to.' Dubheasa said. Sophie couldn't help smiling.

There was so much that had changed in the last six months, but the biggest change; where Sophie pined for when she felt homesick. Right now, with the promise of returning to Ireland, Sophie grew eager to return to Hogwarts.

90