A/N: Usual disclaimer...I don't own any HP characters, they all belong to JKR. I do own any original characters and I suppose the plot too. Anyway, there you go. Please enjoy and R/R!!!!!! (please! I'm begging!)
CHAPTER TWO (Of Pudding and Toads)
Philomena sighed and wandered towards the Great Hall for lunch. She walked past the Slytherin table accutely aware of the glares she was attracting. Her gaze momentarily flicked in that direction, before her shoulders slumped and she flopped down at the Hufflepuff table. Margaret Appledown gave a sympathetic smile to her friend as the pudding on her tray slid down and with a definite plop, landed on Philomena's shirt.
"This day could not get any worse," she muttered, absently dapping at the pudding.
"Oh, don't worry...it can only get better, right?" Margaret tried. Philomena glared at her lunch. Nothing in her life ever got better.
"I guess," she mumbled, taking a spoonful of pudding. She ate her dessert first, something she had done since childhood.
"Just because you're related through marriage to Fiona does not mean you're automatically going to become a Slytherin...so don't worry. Besides, you'll only have to see her around the holidays...Christmas...summer...but, you know, you can always travel...or something," Margaret said, watching her friend's expression turn sour again.
"Right, thanks a bundle," she sighed. They finished in silence and Philomena gathered her books, preparing for her Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"See you after class," she said to Margret as she got to her feet, barely missing toppling over her friend's glass of pumkin juice.
"Yeah, and Phil...please, cheer up," Margaret said. Philomena nodded.
"Yeah, alright."
Her mother had sent an owl two nights ago, informing her shocked daughter that she was getting married to Victor Batterwall. They had barely dated, she wondered if her mother even knew Victor had a daughter. But there was little she could do now. She didn't know what to say to Fiona, and wondered if maybe it was best to say nothing.
"Hey Bell!"
Philomena turned at her name. Fiona was sitting with a gang of girls around her at the Slytherin lunch table, slightly motioning her towards the table. Philomena swallowed hard, and slowly approached the group.
"Yeah?"
"Look, we need to talk...just because my dad is marrying your mom, does not mean that we have to be friends," Fiona said, the group of girls around her glaring at Philomena.
"Oh...uh, yeah," Philomena said awkwardly. How does one respond to that?
"So...why are you still standing there?" she asked, pursing her lips and glaring. Philomena blinked, then started to back away and managed to collide with someone walking towards the table.
"S-sorry!" she sputtered. Draco Malfoy recovered his composure quickly, and was thankful he hadn't had any food.
"Why don't you watch where you're going," he sneered. Philomena finally cracked and glared back at him. Turning on her heal, she stalked off, forgetting her Divination and History of Magic books on the floor where she had dropped them. Draco wouldn't have bothered to pick them up if they hadn't been in his way. With a sigh, he reached down picked them up, then dropped them at the Hufflepuff table without much fanfare.
Draco looked towards Fiona and shook his head.
"Was that your new step sister?" he asked, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his voice. Fiona nodded and rolled her eyes.
"She's hopeless."
"I dare say she's the clutziest girl at Hogwarts," Pansy muttered, poking at her lunch absently. Fiona nodded.
"Just be thankful we don't have potions with her. Last year, she turned the entire class orange for three days. She somehow managed to mess up a simple water purification potion, one can only guess how," Fiona said, biting her lip.
"You're going to be living with her?" Draco asked, disgust evident on his face. Fiona nodded limply. Draco's lip curled slightly and he gave a small shudder. No one had ever described Philomena Bell as lithe or graceful, and for good reason. Her first year had been a small catastrophe, though not as notorious as Neville Longbottom, trouble seemed to seek Philomena out.
"What was your father thinking?" Pansy chortled, sticking a grape in her mouth. Fiona sighed.
"I'm sure he has a good reason. I have yet to meet her mother, though with a daughter like Philomena, I worry the apple did not fall far from the tree," Fiona sighed sadly. Dysfunctional families were normal in Slytherin, parents were not expected to be loving, supportive, or interested in the lives of their children in the least. However, this was stretching it, even by Slytherin standards.
***
Harry stared absently at the potions book in front of him. He had since copied Hermione's notes from class and was now attempting to at least start his homework.
"You know you won't get anything done," Ron said, finding a seat next to Harry in the library.
"I figured I'd at least humor Hermione. With practices after school every night, I barely have time to sleep, let alone do homework," he answered.
"Looking forward to Divination?" Ron questioned. Harry shrugged. Professor Trelawney seemed like a nice enough woman, but it was hard to get past the impending doom her class always seemed to bring him.
"I suppose I'm going to die again this year," Harry said, taking a deep breath.
"Maybe not, she seemed to be in a rather good mood today."
"And so I live to see another day," Harry muttered, flipping the page of his potions book with an irritated flick.
Hermione found a seat and frowned as Ron continued to mangle his potions notes into something that might have been a bird. He obviously had not mastered the muggle art of paper folding, something he had seen another student do, and now was all but obsessing over.
"At least /someone/ is responsible around here," she said, looking at Harry, who knew better than to get involved in their fights.
"Really? Who?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed for her Arithmancy book.
"You know, I've been hearing a lot about these toads that keep popping up around muggles," Ron said slowly. Harry bristled. The very same toads that seemed to bare a strange black mark on their belly, which, everyone immeadiately seemed to associate with evil, and so with Voldemort.
"I thought they found out the cause was infected pond water," Hermione said, looking up from her book. Ron shook his head.
"No, that's just a theory...I've heard they think it's-"
"You know, not every black mark is caused by magic," Harry cut in irritably.
"And besides, they're nt doing anything...I mean, they aren't hopping around changing muggles into flies or anything...oh Ron, don't give me that look, honestly, you make such a big deal out of everything," Hermione sniffed, turning back to the parchement.
"Well, fine then, but when you get turned into a big hairy fly by a toad, don't come running to me," Ron said sputtered. Harry arched an eyebrow and looked up.
"I doubt she would be able to run-"
"Don't you start!"
Hermoine decided a subject change was sorely needed as Ron was quickly becoming more and more indignant by the minute.
"So, Harry, when is the first Quidditch match?" Hermione asked.
"In a few weeks," Harry answered quickly.
"Against who?" Ron questioned.
"Ravenclaw," Harry said, a little too enthusiastically.
"Isn't Cho-"
"Yes," Harry answered quickly, blushing and looking around the library for fear she possibly over heard. Ron seemed to take great pleasure in making his friend blush and laughed as Harry slowly slid lower in his seat. Hermione looked at him reprovingly, but also couldn't help the small smile.
____
So, um...whatdya think? Please Review *whimper*. I promise, it'll start getting more interesting soon, I'm sort of just setting the ground work now.
CHAPTER TWO (Of Pudding and Toads)
Philomena sighed and wandered towards the Great Hall for lunch. She walked past the Slytherin table accutely aware of the glares she was attracting. Her gaze momentarily flicked in that direction, before her shoulders slumped and she flopped down at the Hufflepuff table. Margaret Appledown gave a sympathetic smile to her friend as the pudding on her tray slid down and with a definite plop, landed on Philomena's shirt.
"This day could not get any worse," she muttered, absently dapping at the pudding.
"Oh, don't worry...it can only get better, right?" Margaret tried. Philomena glared at her lunch. Nothing in her life ever got better.
"I guess," she mumbled, taking a spoonful of pudding. She ate her dessert first, something she had done since childhood.
"Just because you're related through marriage to Fiona does not mean you're automatically going to become a Slytherin...so don't worry. Besides, you'll only have to see her around the holidays...Christmas...summer...but, you know, you can always travel...or something," Margaret said, watching her friend's expression turn sour again.
"Right, thanks a bundle," she sighed. They finished in silence and Philomena gathered her books, preparing for her Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"See you after class," she said to Margret as she got to her feet, barely missing toppling over her friend's glass of pumkin juice.
"Yeah, and Phil...please, cheer up," Margaret said. Philomena nodded.
"Yeah, alright."
Her mother had sent an owl two nights ago, informing her shocked daughter that she was getting married to Victor Batterwall. They had barely dated, she wondered if her mother even knew Victor had a daughter. But there was little she could do now. She didn't know what to say to Fiona, and wondered if maybe it was best to say nothing.
"Hey Bell!"
Philomena turned at her name. Fiona was sitting with a gang of girls around her at the Slytherin lunch table, slightly motioning her towards the table. Philomena swallowed hard, and slowly approached the group.
"Yeah?"
"Look, we need to talk...just because my dad is marrying your mom, does not mean that we have to be friends," Fiona said, the group of girls around her glaring at Philomena.
"Oh...uh, yeah," Philomena said awkwardly. How does one respond to that?
"So...why are you still standing there?" she asked, pursing her lips and glaring. Philomena blinked, then started to back away and managed to collide with someone walking towards the table.
"S-sorry!" she sputtered. Draco Malfoy recovered his composure quickly, and was thankful he hadn't had any food.
"Why don't you watch where you're going," he sneered. Philomena finally cracked and glared back at him. Turning on her heal, she stalked off, forgetting her Divination and History of Magic books on the floor where she had dropped them. Draco wouldn't have bothered to pick them up if they hadn't been in his way. With a sigh, he reached down picked them up, then dropped them at the Hufflepuff table without much fanfare.
Draco looked towards Fiona and shook his head.
"Was that your new step sister?" he asked, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his voice. Fiona nodded and rolled her eyes.
"She's hopeless."
"I dare say she's the clutziest girl at Hogwarts," Pansy muttered, poking at her lunch absently. Fiona nodded.
"Just be thankful we don't have potions with her. Last year, she turned the entire class orange for three days. She somehow managed to mess up a simple water purification potion, one can only guess how," Fiona said, biting her lip.
"You're going to be living with her?" Draco asked, disgust evident on his face. Fiona nodded limply. Draco's lip curled slightly and he gave a small shudder. No one had ever described Philomena Bell as lithe or graceful, and for good reason. Her first year had been a small catastrophe, though not as notorious as Neville Longbottom, trouble seemed to seek Philomena out.
"What was your father thinking?" Pansy chortled, sticking a grape in her mouth. Fiona sighed.
"I'm sure he has a good reason. I have yet to meet her mother, though with a daughter like Philomena, I worry the apple did not fall far from the tree," Fiona sighed sadly. Dysfunctional families were normal in Slytherin, parents were not expected to be loving, supportive, or interested in the lives of their children in the least. However, this was stretching it, even by Slytherin standards.
***
Harry stared absently at the potions book in front of him. He had since copied Hermione's notes from class and was now attempting to at least start his homework.
"You know you won't get anything done," Ron said, finding a seat next to Harry in the library.
"I figured I'd at least humor Hermione. With practices after school every night, I barely have time to sleep, let alone do homework," he answered.
"Looking forward to Divination?" Ron questioned. Harry shrugged. Professor Trelawney seemed like a nice enough woman, but it was hard to get past the impending doom her class always seemed to bring him.
"I suppose I'm going to die again this year," Harry said, taking a deep breath.
"Maybe not, she seemed to be in a rather good mood today."
"And so I live to see another day," Harry muttered, flipping the page of his potions book with an irritated flick.
Hermione found a seat and frowned as Ron continued to mangle his potions notes into something that might have been a bird. He obviously had not mastered the muggle art of paper folding, something he had seen another student do, and now was all but obsessing over.
"At least /someone/ is responsible around here," she said, looking at Harry, who knew better than to get involved in their fights.
"Really? Who?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed for her Arithmancy book.
"You know, I've been hearing a lot about these toads that keep popping up around muggles," Ron said slowly. Harry bristled. The very same toads that seemed to bare a strange black mark on their belly, which, everyone immeadiately seemed to associate with evil, and so with Voldemort.
"I thought they found out the cause was infected pond water," Hermione said, looking up from her book. Ron shook his head.
"No, that's just a theory...I've heard they think it's-"
"You know, not every black mark is caused by magic," Harry cut in irritably.
"And besides, they're nt doing anything...I mean, they aren't hopping around changing muggles into flies or anything...oh Ron, don't give me that look, honestly, you make such a big deal out of everything," Hermione sniffed, turning back to the parchement.
"Well, fine then, but when you get turned into a big hairy fly by a toad, don't come running to me," Ron said sputtered. Harry arched an eyebrow and looked up.
"I doubt she would be able to run-"
"Don't you start!"
Hermoine decided a subject change was sorely needed as Ron was quickly becoming more and more indignant by the minute.
"So, Harry, when is the first Quidditch match?" Hermione asked.
"In a few weeks," Harry answered quickly.
"Against who?" Ron questioned.
"Ravenclaw," Harry said, a little too enthusiastically.
"Isn't Cho-"
"Yes," Harry answered quickly, blushing and looking around the library for fear she possibly over heard. Ron seemed to take great pleasure in making his friend blush and laughed as Harry slowly slid lower in his seat. Hermione looked at him reprovingly, but also couldn't help the small smile.
____
So, um...whatdya think? Please Review *whimper*. I promise, it'll start getting more interesting soon, I'm sort of just setting the ground work now.