Hogwarts Again - A New Generation
Chapter 10 - The First Few Weeks
Disclaimer: I am not JKR.
Ivy woke up, excited for her next day. She immediately looked to her right, expecting to see Daisy still asleep, but the bed was empty and she was nowhere to be seen. Ivy got up and dressed, and stared out of the window at the mountains for a while. Olivia had told her that there would be a practice Quidditch match today on the pitch, as the team was playing in the first match, and that anyone was welcome to watch. Ivy wasn't really interested in Quidditch, but she wanted to go to this one match.
She had never seen an actual game before. Their father would sometimes take them to Uncle Harry's place and the Potter family would play Quidditch on their own small pitch with some of the Weasley family. Ivy and Daisy couldn't play Quidditch very well, but they weren't upset. They were only interested in pranking. The Potters and the Dursleys were good friends, and Ivy had promised to write to James Potter Jr. about Hogwarts as he was coming the next year. Another prankster at Hogwarts.
She shook herself out of her thoughts and went down to the common room, to find Daisy sitting at a desk, writing something. She hurried over to her twin and looked over her shoulder. A letter to their parents.
Dear Mom and Dad,
It's Daisy. I just woke up and Ivy's still asleep and I didn't want to wake her up. I really love Hogwarts and she does, too. It's so exciting. Both Ivy and I were sorted into Ravenclaw, and the, well, Ravenclaw is cool. I can't say anything else about Ravenclaw, but we both settled right in. We don't have any special friends, but we will soon. We're getting along pretty fine, no detentions yet.
Ivy snatched the pen and Daisy cried indignantly.
But don't worry Mom and Dad, we'll have one pretty soon. (Ivy here, I'm awake now.) All our classes are pretty cool except for History of Magic, I don't know what that's like. But considering that I was asleep within 10 minutes, it's safe to say it's incredibly boring. Anyway, there's this practice Quidditch match today that we're going to watch.
It's Daisy again. She snatched my pen! And I didn't know anything about Quidditch! No one tells me anything these days. But yeah, I want to watch.
Anyway, Mom, did you know, there's a boy called Edward Wrong in our year. You know, I'm really glad Dad's name isn't Wrong. *giggle*
Our teachers are cool too, I guess. Flitwick is an old charmer, pun intended, and they say Slughorn's changed a lot. I wonder what he was like before. I don't know what Binns is like except that he's a ghost, I was asleep, too. Boring, I'd say. McGonagall's fine, too, though a bit stern. We wouldn't be able to play any pranks on her.
Oh, and speaking of pranks, Gryffindor has a great prankster, we don't know who yet, they turned all the Slytherin's food into ants last night at dinner. It was so funny, I wonder how they did it. It wasn't House prejudice, though. All Houses are apparently united, and 'how' is a secret I won't share. Professor Marazion just turned it all back into food with a wave of his wand, though.
"Give me the pen back, Daisy," said Ivy impatiently. Honestly, this pen exchange was a pain. She'll get her own pen the next time they write a letter. Or they could just separate letters.
We love everything here, Mom. It's all just so different, but in a nice way. It's already like a second home to us. We'll bring back some Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans for Dad when we come home.
We've got to go now, it's breakfast time. I hope you'll be waiting eagerly for the story of our first detention. Stay in tune, we'll write soon.
Love,
Both of us.
They headed to Transfiguration after breakfast and Professor McGonagall taught them all something about 'the Transfiguration alphabet' which was a tool to learn transfiguration. It consisted of 26 characters that directly translated to the letters of the English alphabet. The twins listened for quite a bit, nearly till the end, actually, but they just lost interest in the last five minutes.
After all the classes were over, Ivy went to the Owlery and sat down to write a short note to James as she had promised.
James Sirius Potter,
I'm sorry I can't tell you much now, but I feel like I want to break some rules right now. I can't tell you what Gryffindor's like, you'll have to find out for yourself. Daisy and I got sorted into Ravenclaw, and no, I can't tell you what Ravenclaw's like, either. I'll tell you when you arrive yourself, though I suppose you'll find out anyway when you come next year, having the Map and all.
I think you'll enjoy Hogwarts. And Hogsmeade. They've changed the rules for visiting Hogsmeade, you know. Apparently, the new headmaster, Professor Marazion, decided that you did not need permission to go to a candy shop in a village if you don't need one to fight a dragon. That's what everyone's saying, anyway. You probably know that already... The first Hogsmeade visit for first years is coming up next month, and I'll buy you something from the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes branch there if you'll send a return owl saying what articles you want for your pranking war.
And pray tell me how it goes. I'm sorry Daisy and I won't be able to join.
Say hello to Remus R. and Lily L. for me.
Ivy.
(A/N: Harry's children are James Sirius, Remus Rubeus and Lily Luna. I don't like the name Albus Severus, I feel like Harry wouldn't name his kid after Snape just because he loved Lily and was killed by Nagini. I mean, he was still mean to Harry, and Snape loving Lily and hating James has nothing to do with Harry and he shouldn't have bullied him. And, no, he would absolutely name his son after Remus. He cared a lot more for him than Dumbledore, if you ask me.)
Ivy tied the letter to Erwin's leg and watched him fly away. She returned to the common room to see Daisy talking to two other Ravenclaws. A girl and a boy, almost identical, both with red curls and dark brown eyes, but the girl looked older.
"We really do," she was saying, bobbing her red curls enthusiastically.
Daisy's eyes wandered and locked with Ivy's as if drawn by her twin's appearance. She beckoned and Ivy went toward them, a little surprised. Daisy was not known for her friendliness. She was shy of strangers, like her Mom.
"Hey, Ivy," she said. "These are Rebecca and Robert Madden. Third and first year, respectively. They're great at maddening people, apparently." She turned to them. "And this is Ivy. My twin. Duh. Anyway, Ivy, they want us to help them in a prank against some people they managed to madden. Apparently," She looked at Ivy. "they noticed that you had a mischief maker's glint in your eyes. They also picked up that I was trying to hide mine." She sighed guiltily. Ivy knew why.
They'd planned to act like dear, sweet angels to get into everyone's good books and then start their pranking. Now their cover was blown. But she wasn't upset. Hey, they wanted her to take part in a prank! How could she refuse that? Besides, they had that 'mischief maker's glint' in their eyes, too.
"We'd love to help you prank someone," she told the siblings, grinning. They beamed back. She could tell that they would become friends as time passed. Maybe even best friends. The Pranksters of Ravenclaw.
They planned the prank carefully. Ivy had grown to respect the Madden siblings. They knew something about pranks. She was almost awed by them. They had planned to play the prank on two of the fifth year Gryffindors a week after their first meeting. They had met regularly after that, and Ivy could tell that Daisy was awed too. They had swiftly become friends, and then best of friends during their course of planning.
Both the Maddens had maniac grins and eyes that glinted dangerously with crazy ideas. Once, Robert had actually managed to sneak in a dingbomb into Transfiguration class and set it off under McGonagall's desk. And he hadn't even been caught, which was quite impressive as it was considered pretty much impossible to fool McGonagall. She'd been in a fine rage the rest of the class and given them all loads of homework.
Then, there was the time when Rebecca slipped in some Babbling Beverage in Olivia Right's pumpkin juice during breakfast, and she simply wouldn't stop talking nonsense for an hour. She had been forgiven when the prank was discovered, but again, Rebecca hadn't been caught. Olivia went green everytime someone mentioned it in front of her, and that brought on another round of laughter.
In short, Robert and Rebecca were like the co-leaders of a secret cult of pranksters, and Ivy and Daisy who assisted them were members of the same. And Ivy couldn't help but enjoy herself in all the pranks and laugh with Daisy and the others in their dorm at night.
The prank had gone well. Ivy and Daisy had charmed a cauldron cake to taste like rubber, though it was still edible. Then, Rebecca had cast some spell on herself. She said it made everyone who listened to it make them do whatever she was saying. So, Ivy, Daisy and Robert had 'borrowed' some earmuffs and made sure there was no one but the fifth year Gryffindors they were about to prank. Then, Rebecca charmed them into eating the cakes, all the while faking her voice and wearing a veil so they wouldn't know who did it. Then, they'd all run for it.
They learnt that the two Gryffindors had gone to the Hospital Wing, pestering Madam Pomfrey for something that will take the rubber taste out of their mouths. It wasn't much of a prank, but they got a good laugh out of it.
They exchanged prank stories, too. Daisy told them the story of how they had filled hundred glasses with water and placed them carefully tthrough out the entrace and the corridor in thoer Muggle school, and how nobody had been able to get to classes and how they hadn't owned up. Of course, Muggle teachers didn't have magic, so they had had to appoint some students to pick up the glasses.
Overall, they were best of friends, and no one even knew that it was the four of them who'd pranked the victim. No one even knew that they had a mischievous streak.
It was all perfect.