Chapter Twenty-two: the dance
I threw my dress robes over my head, and looked in a mirror. I looked pretty good. I hadn't cut my hair all year so it was down my back. It just hung there.
"Hermione!" I called.
She came out of the closet where she'd been looking for a necklace.
"Are you ready?" I asked her.
"Yeah," she sighed heavily.
"Where did they say they'd meet us?"
"The great hall." Said Hermione.
I was going with Dean Thomas and Hermione was going with a Ravenclaw boy Danny Glenwood. We walked down the stairs and out of the common room.
The great hall looked wonderful. The light was coming from floating balls of fire. Instead of house tables there were little tables spread around the brim of the hall. The middle was for dancing. We found our dates quickly, and sat down at one of the tables. Harry and Ron hadn't found dates, so they were just there playing it by ear. They'd said if someone asked them to dance they'd dance. Anyway they joined us at the table.
"Welcome to the end of year dance for 5th, 6th, and 7th years." Said Dumbledore. "I hope you all have a wonderful time. Will the orchestra please strike up?"
The orchestra started playing something fast.
"Dance?" asked Dean cheerfully.
"Sure." I answered.
We walked out with the other couples (Ew! Did I just say couples? Scratch that! Dean and I are not a couple…yet.). Anyway we walked out to start dancing.
The dance wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I had a lot of fun. Harry danced with me once, and was asked to dance by about ten other girls. Ron was asked just about as much. Hermione looked like she had a wonderful time. She was asked to dance by many boys, which is what happens when you use lots of hair grease (we both did).
After the dance we had a feast. I made sure to sit away from the Weasley twins for fear of being hit by one of their trick foods. Instead Professor Snape was hit by something. Snape actualy looks mildly attractive with red hair, and wings.
"Fred! George!" scolded Hermione.
"It wasn't ours." Said Fred looking around trying to see who dared to threaten their reign as pranksters.
"No it was ours." We turned. Maxis stood behind us. "Just letting people know the official pranksters of Hogwarts are back. Sorry boys," she looked at Fred and George "now while we applaud your work over the years you'll be leaving in a few days. Who'll torture people then? We're just regaining our reign of terror." She grinned evilly and walked away to talk with some other people.
"They are so cool." Said George in awe.
"I know." said their friend Lee. "They rule!"
"They deserve to be idolized!" murmured Fred.
"You've got problems." Commented Hermione.
"Shhh!" whispered Lee "not while we're worshiping!"
Later that week I said a tearful good bye to Hogwarts. I looked back at the school as I climbed onto the carriage.
"Aphi!" said mom pushing me on. "You're coming back next year. Geesh!"
"I'm going!"
"Come on Snuffles." Harry grinned.
Dad as a dog leapt up into the carriage.
"It's beyond me why when he can travel as a human he's traveling as a dog." Mom sighed. "Well close the door you need to get going."
"Where're you going?" asked Hermione.
"Same place as Sirius. The Dursley's. We're gonna have a talk about child-abuse."
"Harry you're lucky you get to see this." I said
"I'll write." He promised.
"Go!" said mom.
"Going, going, gone!" I yelled as the carriages took off down the road.
(A/n- ah the end of my first year at Hogwarts! Well I've still got two years to beat Voldemort. I hope I survive. Any way coming attractions: Dursley's, Jamie Mcnulty, Weddings and all that other good stuff. Yay! I love weddings, writing them I mean. I don't know why, but Saraan and Remus's wedding will be cool! Should Maxis fall in love? Hmm… *Author ponders idea*
Well what do you think? Let me know in your Reviews (hint, hint, hint!) also I think I'll up load a pic of my self soon. Look for it. I have to find a good one.)
-Kendra Black (aka Sirius Blacks Daughter)
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Beginning Of Summer
At Kings Cross Station I said good-bye to Harry and Hermione and left with Ron watching dad follow Harry stealthily out of the station. I think Vernon might have caught a glimpse of me because he froze for a few seconds; then pushed Harry out of the station.
Two weeks after we'd returned to the Weasley's Ron and I received a letter from Harry.
Dear Aphi and Ron,
Guess what! Sirius and Less turned up at the Dursley's on Monday. The doorbell rang and Uncle Vernon went to get it, he came back stuttering stupidly, and told Aunt Petunia, and Dudley to hide. He went back to the door with a wooden spoon in hand. I was in the kitchen, but I could still hear talking. First Less started in on how my mum wouldn't have wanted me treated any way close to this. Sirius told them that if they ever even talked to me roughly again they'd turn them into bats. Uncle Vernon called me in after that, and started to tell me to get my things. Sirius and Less told them I'd be staying there though. Uncle Vernon was not happy about that. He regained some courage, and started telling them how I was a drain on money that Dudley could be saving up for college. Like that lump will even make it past high school. Any-way Sirius told Uncle Vernon again that I'd be staying there. Less asked him if he could just to do it from for her since she is his sister after all, but that wasn't what tided him over. Sirius pulled out his wand, so my uncle was convinced. They told me where they'd be going; which is out looking for Hagrid some more because they still haven't heard from him. (I do hope the find him.) Well after they left and Aunt Petunia and Dudley came out of the closet Vernon told her who'd been here. You should have seen the look on her face! She was so scared. She started locking all the windows, and bringing cans into the basement as if preparing for a nuclear war.
I hope to see you two soon this summer. Has Hermione written yet? If she comes let me know the dates please so I can somehow get there at the same time.
Your Friend,
Harry
"I wish I'd been there." I said blissfully. "Must have been funny. Petunia scrambling around like someone's about to nuke us."
"Nuke?" asked Ron.
"Really powerful bombs that some countries have. Ever heard of the cold war?"
He gave me a blank look.
"Never mind." I said. "so, has Hermione written?"
"Nope, but we'd better send out Harry's birthday presents. His birthday is the day after tomorrow."
"We can use my owl." I offered.
We walked downstairs to get the pies Mrs. Weasley wanted to give him (Dudley was still eating "rabbit food."), and then went to Fred and Georges room. As we touched the doorknob there was an explosion.
"Did we do that?" I asked
"Who knows."
"You can come in now!" called one of the twins.
We cautiously entered the room looking around for any types of booby traps that (knowing them) they might have lying around.
"You said you wanted to give Harry some sweets." Said Ron.
Fred nodded, and reached under his bed pulling out a bag.
"200 pieces of candy from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes" said George importantly.
I took them carefully. "Thanks." We turned to go.
"Watch out for that…"
Boom! Ron stepped on something.
"This house is bolted onto a foundation right?" asked Fred nervously.
Needless to say Ron and I ran from their room as quickly as possible.
We sent out Harry's presents that afternoon. While we did we could hear Mrs. Weasley yelling at the twins for that explosion. Luckily the house was bolted to a foundation so nothing was damaged too much. It turns out the thing that Ron had stepped on was an improved Whoopie Cushion.
Later that week we all (except Fred and George) received our Hogwarts letters. Ron and I got a letter from Hermione, and wrote her back asking her if she could come to stay the rest of the summer. Then we wrote to Harry asking the same thing. Both answers came back as a yes. The only problem was how to pick Harry up. No one could answer this for a few days, because they didn't want to use the same method that they used last time; for the Dursley's had boarded up their fireplace and they couldn't get through.
"Who knows what they've done this time." Was what Ron's father said one night at dinner.
Finally the solution was to borrow a car from the ministry and drive there.
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Dursley''''''s
On July 16 I accompanied half of the Weasley's (their father, Ron, Fred, and George) and Hermione to the Dursley's house. It was a pleasant 2 hr drive to Privet Drive. When we pulled up all of us kids got out of the car. We walked up the front steps and Ron rang the doorbell. A red faced, beefy man opened the door. He was wearing a suit and didn't look at us first. He looked at the car we'd come in. Next he looked us all over. Finally he let us girls in and left the boys outside.
"What was that?" I whispered to Hermione when my uncle was out of hearing range.
She just pursed her lips and stared at his retreating back.
"Harry!" I heard a shrill yell, a tall, skinny lady, with the highest cheekbones I'd ever seen walked in.
Harry walked into the room; he saw us and smiled. Both of the adults squirmed nervously when they saw the smile. As if it made them nervous.
"Get your things boy." Said Uncle Vernon
Harry nodded, and beckoned for one of us to come help him. Hermione went forward, and followed Harry up to his room.
"Uh…can the boys come inside?" I asked when they were gone. "You just left them there."
He just grunted.
"Ok I'll take that as a yes." I moved towards the door.
"Touch any of our things," said Vernon threatening me "and I will sue."
"You can't do any thing to me." I laughed.
"Don't talk back to him." Said Aunt Petunia (I noticed when she wasn't shrieking she had a nasal voice, so secretly I named her Nataz.)
I just smiled. I heard a thump on the stairs, which signaled that Harry was coming back, so I wrapped up my conversation quickly.
"You might be my aunt and uncle but I know good and well that you both are afraid of my parents. Don't mess with me."
The only problem with that statement was the fact that they didn't know that I was who I was.
"You're their daughter." sneered Petunia. I could tell she was getting ready to faint if necessary.
'Harry hurry up!' I thought, "Yes I am 'their daughter' as you so kindly put it." I said out loud.
A final thump announced that Harry and Hermione were back with his trunk. They hurriedly pulled it over to me.
"Well bye." Said Harry lamely.
His aunt and uncle didn't say anything, so I opened the door for Harry and Hermione and we walked out with the trunk.
"Are they gone yet?" I turned and looked back. A rather large child was standing in the living room hugging Petunia. I figured it was Dudley.
"I'm related to that lug?" I asked Harry later while we were sitting in Ron's bedroom.
"That's Dudley."
I shuddered at the thought. "You Harry," I picked up a book I had. "There's a shrinking spell right here."
I opened up to a page I'd marked off; I was about to read the spell when a slip of paper fell out.
Chapter Twenty-Five: The note
I picked the little slip up off the ground.
Aphrodite-
To grow or shrink you must complete the
Task your mother and father completed years
Ago.
"What does that mean?" I asked as I read it over.
"Grow or shrink? That sounds familiar," said Ron.
"What are you talking about?" Ginny who was also with us wanted to know what was going on.
"Ginny, you kinda have to leave." Said Hermione. "We'll be done soon."
"You know this is getting annoying." She said as she left.
"Now," said Hermione when the door was securely closed. "I understand. "It was a clue in that prophecy thingy. Remember? The note says the task that Aphi's parents completed years ago, and the clue was grow or shrink. I'm thinking animagus transformations."
"No!" I yelled, "I draw the line somewhere, this is where. You can die!"
"Aphi…"
"No!" I said again "I can't, I won't! You can die trying!"
"But the prophecy says we, well you have to. How else will we defeat Voldemort?" asked Ron.
"We'll find another way, that doesn't require animagus transformation. Harry's done it four times. We can study his tactics."
"The first time some one died for me, the second time Voldemort couldn't touch me, the third time I stabbed his diary, and last year I didn't defeat him I just got away from him. And now he can touch me!" explained Harry.
"I am not, and I repeat not becoming and animagus. How could I it takes three years." I stopped at that hoping they'd give up.
"Sorry Aphi," started Hermione "new discoveries, remember? It now can take a little as 6 months. The three years one was back when your parents were kids."
I still shook my head.
"Aphi with you doing this we almost have the other clues figured out. They're only two left!" she continued.
"I don't even know really what it requires."
Hermione smiled and got up. She left the room and went into Ginny's (where she was staying). When she came back she was carrying a thick book entitled "How To Become and Animagi"
"Well now you know what it requires." Said Harry.
"Doesn't mean I'm doing it." I said back.
"But the Prophecy says you have to." Then he smiled "or we could just do what your dad did to my mum. If you don't agree you'll have to start watching who pours your pumpkin juice at meal times."
"How many times should I say it?" I asked "should I put it in smaller words for you, here: I am not doing this" I sounded out each syllable as if the were kinder-gardeners.
"How else will be do what we're supposed to do?" Ron asked.
I shrugged my shoulders.
"You're fighting a loosing battle Aphi," said Harry "and that looks like Dumbledore's hand writing. He's expecting you to do it."
"You're good in transfiguration." Ron said.
"Flattery will get you no-where."
"Aphi!" Hermione was getting frustrated.
"Harry's good in transfiguration too." I told them.
"Is my name Aphi?" he asked sarcastically "the note is addressed to you."
"You'd have the most experienced people helping you." She was talking about my parents.
"They're not there half the time." I said trying a new tactic.
"So? You've got Maxis, Remus, Saraan, and Callisto." Said Harry.
I was loosing badly. "We don't have to beat Voldemort you know." I tried.
For that I was hit by a pillow. "Of course we do." Said Hermione seriously. "Now start reading." She pointed to the book she'd brought in.
"But…" I was about to object.
"Normally," said Hermione "I'm not against restraining free will, but in this case it's needed unless you agree Aphi."
My ship had sunk, but I didn't have to go down with it, so I agreed. After I agreed I banged my head against the wall for a few minutes before going back to reality.
(A/N-I am not Happy! I can't believe I have to become an animagus; I was not planning for this! Why can I have a nice normal peaceful life? Why!?" Anyway now for the real authors note: so what do you think? I like what's happening to Aphi. Hmm… will she make things difficult or easy? Coming Attractions: Animagi, Christmas, romance (hubba hubba!), Voldemort, Death eaters, Malfoy, Jamie, Maxis/? Romance, and a lot more! So tune in next time for Sirius Blacks Daughter!)
-Kendra Black (aka-Aphi Black)