Miranda woke up to a noise coming from her hotel room door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Miranda? You up?" she heard Declan ask through the door.
'I am now ...' she said to herself as she threw on her dressing gown and went to open her door.
"Yes?" she said in mock politeness as she opened the door to reveal Declan holding three cups of coffee with Peggy behind him.
"Weren't you going to meet us out at the lobby this morning?" he asked.
Miranda froze. She had completely forgotten.
"I ... I'll be down in a minute."
"Okay." Declan said as he turned to walk down the hall.
~*^*~
At about the same time, in a small flat near Diagon Alley, Bill Weasley woke up and found the hand on his clock start to lean toward "You're late". His brown eyes opened completely as he immediately grabbed the clothes he was going to wear that day.
It took him about five minutes to get dressed, brush his hair and put it in a ponytail, brush his teeth, and nuke a small breakfast pastery with his wand. He laughed to himself at the thought of what his mother might say if she ever found out what he had for breakfast every morning.
'William Bernard Weasely! How can you possibly think of starting your day without a proper breakfast?!'
He then realized that he was still late for work. He hastily picked up his slightly burnt pastery (he was never that good with cooking even the simplest things) and disapparated straight to the front door of Gringotts.
~*^*~
Bill ran down complicated Hogwarts hallways, hurriedly searching for the Transfiguration classroom.
It was his third day of school and he *still* didn't know how to get to his classes. Of course, it didn't help that the hallways always seemed to move around at will.
Finally, the pictures hanging on the walls started to look familiar and he raced even faster toward the door that was on the left only a few yards away.
THUMP!
"OW!"
Bill found himself on the floor directly in front of the door, facing a girl with dark brown hair.
"Figelsteen! Weasley!" Both of them looked up to see Professor McGonagall standing over them. "You're late!"
"I know, Professor Mc --" Bill started.
"Next time it will be ten points from Gryffindor." she said calmly, then she turned around and went back into the classroom.
Bill and Miranda quickly followed her inside and found the only two seats left ... which happened to be right next to eachother.
~*^*~
Miranda had planned (or at least hoped) to slip out unnoticed, but just as she was exiting the cathedral she heard a voice from behind her.
"Where are you going?" It was Declan.
"Out." Miranda said quickly.
Declan gave her a 'that's kind of obvious' look.
"I'm ... visiting a friend ..." she said, knowing she wouldn't get away without an explanation, "Someone I used to go to school with."
"Oh." Declan nodded as if giving his consent, and Miranda went out the door.
The Leaky Cauldron was only a few blocks away, and it was a nice day for a walk. It was early summer and there was a nice breeze gently blowing around the crowded London street.
She finally did reach the small bar sandwitched between the bookstore and the record store. She opened the door and went inside.
It was only her third time in the Leaky Cauldron. Her mother had taken her here when she was going to go to school at Hogwarts. Her father had refused to come.
"Back again, I see."
Miranda turned toward the bartender, appearantly named Tom.
"Yeah." she answered him.
"You need to get into Diagon Alley again?" he asked.
"Yeah." she said again.
"All right." he said pulling out his wand and getting out from behind the counter.
She followed him to the trash can that was sitting beside the brick wall and watched him tap one of the bricks. Immediately, a huge archway formed and Miranda stepped out into Diagon Alley.
After saying thank-you to the bartender, Miranda settled herself in a chair outside Florean Fortescue's. She glanced at her watch. She was right on time, but appearantly Bill was not.
~*^*~
Miranda focused all of her energy on the tiny match in front of her. She was going to turn it into a needle if it killed her.
She raised her wand and muttered "Transfiguro!"
The match immediately lit on fire. Miranda jumped up from her seat and screamed.
"Finite ignem!" Professor McGonagall called from across the room. The fire was quenched.
"You're doing it all wrong!" Bill said, tossing yet another perfect needle into a pile on his desk. "You're concentrating too hard."
Miranda fumed, but didn't say anything. As hard as it was for her to admit, he was probably right. She sighed and pulled out another match, this time, trying to relax a little more.
"Transfiguro!" she said again, waving her wand. She almost didn't want to look at it because she knew it was still going to be a match. When she finally did look at it, it was, indeed a match, but it had turned slighly silvery and looked a little thinner. She cautiously put a finger on one end of it and felt a prick. It was pointy!
"See? What'd I tell you?" Bill said smugly.
Miranda glared at him and went back to her work. Bill shrugged and went back to his own work. Neither of them talked to the other again during that class.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Miranda? You up?" she heard Declan ask through the door.
'I am now ...' she said to herself as she threw on her dressing gown and went to open her door.
"Yes?" she said in mock politeness as she opened the door to reveal Declan holding three cups of coffee with Peggy behind him.
"Weren't you going to meet us out at the lobby this morning?" he asked.
Miranda froze. She had completely forgotten.
"I ... I'll be down in a minute."
"Okay." Declan said as he turned to walk down the hall.
~*^*~
At about the same time, in a small flat near Diagon Alley, Bill Weasley woke up and found the hand on his clock start to lean toward "You're late". His brown eyes opened completely as he immediately grabbed the clothes he was going to wear that day.
It took him about five minutes to get dressed, brush his hair and put it in a ponytail, brush his teeth, and nuke a small breakfast pastery with his wand. He laughed to himself at the thought of what his mother might say if she ever found out what he had for breakfast every morning.
'William Bernard Weasely! How can you possibly think of starting your day without a proper breakfast?!'
He then realized that he was still late for work. He hastily picked up his slightly burnt pastery (he was never that good with cooking even the simplest things) and disapparated straight to the front door of Gringotts.
~*^*~
Bill ran down complicated Hogwarts hallways, hurriedly searching for the Transfiguration classroom.
It was his third day of school and he *still* didn't know how to get to his classes. Of course, it didn't help that the hallways always seemed to move around at will.
Finally, the pictures hanging on the walls started to look familiar and he raced even faster toward the door that was on the left only a few yards away.
THUMP!
"OW!"
Bill found himself on the floor directly in front of the door, facing a girl with dark brown hair.
"Figelsteen! Weasley!" Both of them looked up to see Professor McGonagall standing over them. "You're late!"
"I know, Professor Mc --" Bill started.
"Next time it will be ten points from Gryffindor." she said calmly, then she turned around and went back into the classroom.
Bill and Miranda quickly followed her inside and found the only two seats left ... which happened to be right next to eachother.
~*^*~
Miranda had planned (or at least hoped) to slip out unnoticed, but just as she was exiting the cathedral she heard a voice from behind her.
"Where are you going?" It was Declan.
"Out." Miranda said quickly.
Declan gave her a 'that's kind of obvious' look.
"I'm ... visiting a friend ..." she said, knowing she wouldn't get away without an explanation, "Someone I used to go to school with."
"Oh." Declan nodded as if giving his consent, and Miranda went out the door.
The Leaky Cauldron was only a few blocks away, and it was a nice day for a walk. It was early summer and there was a nice breeze gently blowing around the crowded London street.
She finally did reach the small bar sandwitched between the bookstore and the record store. She opened the door and went inside.
It was only her third time in the Leaky Cauldron. Her mother had taken her here when she was going to go to school at Hogwarts. Her father had refused to come.
"Back again, I see."
Miranda turned toward the bartender, appearantly named Tom.
"Yeah." she answered him.
"You need to get into Diagon Alley again?" he asked.
"Yeah." she said again.
"All right." he said pulling out his wand and getting out from behind the counter.
She followed him to the trash can that was sitting beside the brick wall and watched him tap one of the bricks. Immediately, a huge archway formed and Miranda stepped out into Diagon Alley.
After saying thank-you to the bartender, Miranda settled herself in a chair outside Florean Fortescue's. She glanced at her watch. She was right on time, but appearantly Bill was not.
~*^*~
Miranda focused all of her energy on the tiny match in front of her. She was going to turn it into a needle if it killed her.
She raised her wand and muttered "Transfiguro!"
The match immediately lit on fire. Miranda jumped up from her seat and screamed.
"Finite ignem!" Professor McGonagall called from across the room. The fire was quenched.
"You're doing it all wrong!" Bill said, tossing yet another perfect needle into a pile on his desk. "You're concentrating too hard."
Miranda fumed, but didn't say anything. As hard as it was for her to admit, he was probably right. She sighed and pulled out another match, this time, trying to relax a little more.
"Transfiguro!" she said again, waving her wand. She almost didn't want to look at it because she knew it was still going to be a match. When she finally did look at it, it was, indeed a match, but it had turned slighly silvery and looked a little thinner. She cautiously put a finger on one end of it and felt a prick. It was pointy!
"See? What'd I tell you?" Bill said smugly.
Miranda glared at him and went back to her work. Bill shrugged and went back to his own work. Neither of them talked to the other again during that class.