CHAPTER SIX - WHAT OSCAR DID.
Ratings, summaries, who the hell these people are, all in chapter one.
Genre for this chapter: Humour, angst, all that. Natasha's third year at Hogwarts.
Nat was almost glad to be going back to school. It had not been a happy summer, her parents had been very preoccupied with things they wouldn't explain and now they were both out of the country. Again. She had spent the last few days of the summer at the Burrow and, although she adored her grandparents, it just wasn't the same.
Nat and her grandfather attracted some curious looks from the Muggle commuters, which was hardly surprising. Arthur was in full Ministerial dress and was pushing a trolley with a large tawny owl on it.
" Shall we make a run for it? " asked Arthur, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
" Yeah. Last one in's a Muggle! " grinned Nat and took to her heels, passing effortlessly through the barrier to platform 9 3/4 .
The Hogwarts Express was waiting; steam billowing from its chimney, students and parents were saying their goodbyes. Arthur emerged to stand at her side, breathing heavily.
" I'm getting too old for this game. " he said. " Now, let's find you a seat. "
" Deborah! " exclaimed Nat joyfully as she spotted her best friend. Her parents were talking to another couple who looked suspiciously like Oscar's family. As she approached, she was proved right. Oscar had been hidden from view by his father's bulk.
Nat greeted them all warmly and introduced Arthur.
" Mr and Mrs Williamson, this is Arthur Weasley, my grandfather. "
" How do. " said Mr Williamson, engulfing Arthur's outstretched hand in his vast grip, ignoring his son's frantic mouthing of
" The Minister for Magic, Dad. Be nice "
" You're Muggles! " exclaimed Arthur delightedly. " Once we get the kids off, you must come for a drink. I've heard such a lot about your son from Nat. "
Oscar's parents smiled, a trifle dazedly.
" Aye, that'd be nice. " said Mrs Williamson who was tiny and softly spoken. " Thank you Minister. "
Arthur grinned and pushed his glasses up his nose. " Arthur, please. Such a pleasure to meet you both. "
Once their trunks and other stuff was safely placed on the train, Nat jumped back down to hug her grandfather.
" Be good. " said Arthur, smiling. " And make sure you write to your grandma. You know how she worries. "
" I will. " she said, climbing back on board the train. " Be gentle with them, won't you? " she said gesturing to the Williamsons as the train began to pull out of the station. The last thing she heard was her grandfather's laughter.
The train began to pick up speed and Nat slumped into her seat. She eyed Oscar sourly. He had grown since they had last met and had filled out. He looked as if he would end up every bit as tall and broad as his father.
" How was Bolivia? " she asked. Deborah stopped rummaging in her trunk to listen. This was going to be good.
" It was brilliant. Honestly. "
" We knew that from your letters. " replied Nat sweetly
" But I didn't write any! " said Oscar, bewildered.
" Exactly. Some bloody friend you are. " raged Nat. " There was I having the crappiest summer ever but I thought, it's okay, Oscar will write soon. He always knows how to cheer me up. But not a single fragment of parchment. Not one. Thank you very bloody much. "
" Hey, I'm sorry. It's just that we were so busy with school and the dragons...hey that reminds me. I met your uncle over there. "
Nat was momentarily shaken from her sulk. " Uncle Charlie? "
" Yeah. He's set up a breeding programme for the Peruvian Vipertooths. Or should that be teeth. Anyway, we saw a lot of him with the hacienda being so close to the breeding ground. We even saw a hatching. It was just amazing. "
" Who's we? " asked Deborah before Nat could. Nat could swear Oscar was blushing.
" Elisabeth. Elisabeth Fernandez. She was the one who was chosen to look after me while I was over there. She's great. She's promised to write to me. "
" Huh. If you're as great a correspondent to her as you are to the rest of us she'll get fed up waiting. " said Nat grimly. Oscar frowned.
" Hey, got your Hogsmeade forms signed? " asked Deborah, desperately trying to lighten the mood.
Both nodded. " Dad says it's brilliant there. " said Nat, cheering up slightly. " Honeydukes, the Three Broomsticks, Dervish and Banges, and Uncle Fred and George's shop. "
Oscar frowned. " Didn't it say that students had to have //special// permission to go into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes? "
Nat laughed for what felt like the first time that summer.
" It's okay. They hide the, er, speciality stuff during term time. So that young minds won't get corrupted. "
Her friends looked eagerly at her for more details but she refused to elaborate. Her uncles were geniuses of their time and had brought the spice back into many an ailing relationship, as well as selling the best wizarding jokes on the planet. Nat sighed. If only her parents problems could be solved by a trip to the shop.
The talk turned to general stuff as the train puffed steadily northwards.
* * *
Nat looked eagerly at her new timetable.
" Muggle Studies first. " she said enthusiastically. " I'm really looking forward to that. "
Arthur had unwittingly passed on his love of everything to do with Muggles to his granddaughter. She had spent an interesting few days in his garden shed while he explained to her how things worked. And he had been delighted that she had chosen Muggle Studies as one of her options.
" Divination for us. " said Deborah. " We'll meet you in Herbology. "
" See you later then. " said Nat as she put her timetable into her bag and set off. She got slightly lost and found the classroom in the nick of time. To her complete horror the only vacant seat was next to Rainer Johnstone.
" Oh, bugger. " she thought as the teacher swept in.
" Sit down, my dear. " she said gesturing to the empty seat. She could //feel// Johnstone smirking as she gingerly sat, as far away from him as humanly possible.
" Good morning. My name is Professor Andrews, and I am delighted to see so many of you here. These seats will be yours for the rest of the year. I'm terrible with names, but good with faces. So you'll just have to humour an old woman. Now then, I'll take the register. "
What followed was a very interesting lesson indeed and Nat knew she had made the right choice. The others, when she joined them in Greenhouse Two, looked less than thrilled.
" What's up? " hissed Nat as she pulled on her dragon hide gloves. Oscar and Deborah refused to answer.
Professor Longbottom stood at the front looking, as usual, like he had been digging a trench with his robes. His grey eyes twinkled.
" A bunch of depressed Gryffindors. Hmmm. Let me guess, you've just had your first Divination lesson, am I right? "
There was a murmur of assent.
" Okay, who's going to die this year? "
Nat was horrified as Oscar raised a trembling hand. Professor Longbottom grinned.
" Oscar, for heaven's sake, don't worry. She told us, in our first lesson, that one of us wasn't going to see the year out. And we're all still alive and kicking. Sybil can be very, er, confusing at times. Especially since she told me I'd marry the girl of my dreams and have six children. "
The entire greenhouse exploded with laughter at that comment.
" What's so funny? " asked Deborah.
" Don't you know? " asked Nat, wiping her eyes. " You've been here for three years and you don't know? Blimey. "
" What? " asked Deborah.
" He's been married to Professor Snape for years. Dad told me. Dad was best man at their wedding. "
Deborah looked completely stunned. " You're kidding. "
" I'm not. Haven't you ever noticed he wears a wedding band? "
" Yes, they both do, but...seriously? Ew! "
Nat laughed. " Quite a thought, isn't it? " And they settled down to concentrate as Professor Longbottom told them all about the properties of the most disgusting smelly fungi Nat had ever seen.
* * * *
And so the year wore on. Christmas came and went and Nat sensed a very forced kind of jollity from her parents.
" So where are you going next? " Nat asked Ron as she prepared to return to Hogwarts.
" Back to Germany. " replied Ron and Nat noticed the clouds that formed in Harry's emerald green eyes at the very mention of the word. " I'm still having problems over there. Maria does her best but she needs a hand now and again..."
Harry got up and left the room.
" What's up with him? " asked Nat fretfully. With both of you? She wanted to add.
" He doesn't like me spending so much time with someone else. He's jealous, Nat. "
" Of a witch? "
Ron frowned and nodded. " For no reason. When you go back to school then I'll try and sort it out, okay? "
Nat sighed. It wasn't like she had any other option.
Her temper was not improved when, on the very first day of the new term, Oscar received another letter from Bolivia.
Since the summer the letters had grown closer and closer together and the sheaves of parchment that made them up had gotten thicker and thicker. She didn't even want to think about the perfume...In the beginning Oscar had read them out to her and Deborah, but now he kept them to himself.
This one he slit open and gasped as a photograph slid out. He wasn't quick enough and Nat grabbed it. She stared at the picture in her hand in total disbelief.
The girl in it was standing with her arms folded. She wore long white robes, which were the perfect contrast to her lightly tanned skin. Long hair, the colour of runny honey tumbled over her shoulders and soft brown eyes and perfect white teeth smiled up at Nat.
" Is that her? " asked Nat, horrified to hear her voice shaking with emotion.
" Yeah. " replied Oscar in what he thought was an off-hand manner. " That's Elisabeth. Pretty, isn't she? "
Deborah leaned over for a look.
" Pretty? She's bloody gorgeous! "
While Oscar and Deborah were bantering, Nat caught a glimpse of part of the letter. It was written in a very fine hand and what she read made her feel ill.
" I miss you so, amor mio, and long for your return. Bolivia misses you, the hatchlings miss you, but none so much as me..."
Nat was absolutely furious.
" You're jealous! " crowed Deborah as they prepared for bed that night. " You should have seen the look on your face! "
" Oh shut up! " wailed Nat as she pulled the covers over her head, praying for respite from the awful feeling in her heart and in her gut.
Ratings, summaries, who the hell these people are, all in chapter one.
Genre for this chapter: Humour, angst, all that. Natasha's third year at Hogwarts.
Nat was almost glad to be going back to school. It had not been a happy summer, her parents had been very preoccupied with things they wouldn't explain and now they were both out of the country. Again. She had spent the last few days of the summer at the Burrow and, although she adored her grandparents, it just wasn't the same.
Nat and her grandfather attracted some curious looks from the Muggle commuters, which was hardly surprising. Arthur was in full Ministerial dress and was pushing a trolley with a large tawny owl on it.
" Shall we make a run for it? " asked Arthur, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
" Yeah. Last one in's a Muggle! " grinned Nat and took to her heels, passing effortlessly through the barrier to platform 9 3/4 .
The Hogwarts Express was waiting; steam billowing from its chimney, students and parents were saying their goodbyes. Arthur emerged to stand at her side, breathing heavily.
" I'm getting too old for this game. " he said. " Now, let's find you a seat. "
" Deborah! " exclaimed Nat joyfully as she spotted her best friend. Her parents were talking to another couple who looked suspiciously like Oscar's family. As she approached, she was proved right. Oscar had been hidden from view by his father's bulk.
Nat greeted them all warmly and introduced Arthur.
" Mr and Mrs Williamson, this is Arthur Weasley, my grandfather. "
" How do. " said Mr Williamson, engulfing Arthur's outstretched hand in his vast grip, ignoring his son's frantic mouthing of
" The Minister for Magic, Dad. Be nice "
" You're Muggles! " exclaimed Arthur delightedly. " Once we get the kids off, you must come for a drink. I've heard such a lot about your son from Nat. "
Oscar's parents smiled, a trifle dazedly.
" Aye, that'd be nice. " said Mrs Williamson who was tiny and softly spoken. " Thank you Minister. "
Arthur grinned and pushed his glasses up his nose. " Arthur, please. Such a pleasure to meet you both. "
Once their trunks and other stuff was safely placed on the train, Nat jumped back down to hug her grandfather.
" Be good. " said Arthur, smiling. " And make sure you write to your grandma. You know how she worries. "
" I will. " she said, climbing back on board the train. " Be gentle with them, won't you? " she said gesturing to the Williamsons as the train began to pull out of the station. The last thing she heard was her grandfather's laughter.
The train began to pick up speed and Nat slumped into her seat. She eyed Oscar sourly. He had grown since they had last met and had filled out. He looked as if he would end up every bit as tall and broad as his father.
" How was Bolivia? " she asked. Deborah stopped rummaging in her trunk to listen. This was going to be good.
" It was brilliant. Honestly. "
" We knew that from your letters. " replied Nat sweetly
" But I didn't write any! " said Oscar, bewildered.
" Exactly. Some bloody friend you are. " raged Nat. " There was I having the crappiest summer ever but I thought, it's okay, Oscar will write soon. He always knows how to cheer me up. But not a single fragment of parchment. Not one. Thank you very bloody much. "
" Hey, I'm sorry. It's just that we were so busy with school and the dragons...hey that reminds me. I met your uncle over there. "
Nat was momentarily shaken from her sulk. " Uncle Charlie? "
" Yeah. He's set up a breeding programme for the Peruvian Vipertooths. Or should that be teeth. Anyway, we saw a lot of him with the hacienda being so close to the breeding ground. We even saw a hatching. It was just amazing. "
" Who's we? " asked Deborah before Nat could. Nat could swear Oscar was blushing.
" Elisabeth. Elisabeth Fernandez. She was the one who was chosen to look after me while I was over there. She's great. She's promised to write to me. "
" Huh. If you're as great a correspondent to her as you are to the rest of us she'll get fed up waiting. " said Nat grimly. Oscar frowned.
" Hey, got your Hogsmeade forms signed? " asked Deborah, desperately trying to lighten the mood.
Both nodded. " Dad says it's brilliant there. " said Nat, cheering up slightly. " Honeydukes, the Three Broomsticks, Dervish and Banges, and Uncle Fred and George's shop. "
Oscar frowned. " Didn't it say that students had to have //special// permission to go into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes? "
Nat laughed for what felt like the first time that summer.
" It's okay. They hide the, er, speciality stuff during term time. So that young minds won't get corrupted. "
Her friends looked eagerly at her for more details but she refused to elaborate. Her uncles were geniuses of their time and had brought the spice back into many an ailing relationship, as well as selling the best wizarding jokes on the planet. Nat sighed. If only her parents problems could be solved by a trip to the shop.
The talk turned to general stuff as the train puffed steadily northwards.
* * *
Nat looked eagerly at her new timetable.
" Muggle Studies first. " she said enthusiastically. " I'm really looking forward to that. "
Arthur had unwittingly passed on his love of everything to do with Muggles to his granddaughter. She had spent an interesting few days in his garden shed while he explained to her how things worked. And he had been delighted that she had chosen Muggle Studies as one of her options.
" Divination for us. " said Deborah. " We'll meet you in Herbology. "
" See you later then. " said Nat as she put her timetable into her bag and set off. She got slightly lost and found the classroom in the nick of time. To her complete horror the only vacant seat was next to Rainer Johnstone.
" Oh, bugger. " she thought as the teacher swept in.
" Sit down, my dear. " she said gesturing to the empty seat. She could //feel// Johnstone smirking as she gingerly sat, as far away from him as humanly possible.
" Good morning. My name is Professor Andrews, and I am delighted to see so many of you here. These seats will be yours for the rest of the year. I'm terrible with names, but good with faces. So you'll just have to humour an old woman. Now then, I'll take the register. "
What followed was a very interesting lesson indeed and Nat knew she had made the right choice. The others, when she joined them in Greenhouse Two, looked less than thrilled.
" What's up? " hissed Nat as she pulled on her dragon hide gloves. Oscar and Deborah refused to answer.
Professor Longbottom stood at the front looking, as usual, like he had been digging a trench with his robes. His grey eyes twinkled.
" A bunch of depressed Gryffindors. Hmmm. Let me guess, you've just had your first Divination lesson, am I right? "
There was a murmur of assent.
" Okay, who's going to die this year? "
Nat was horrified as Oscar raised a trembling hand. Professor Longbottom grinned.
" Oscar, for heaven's sake, don't worry. She told us, in our first lesson, that one of us wasn't going to see the year out. And we're all still alive and kicking. Sybil can be very, er, confusing at times. Especially since she told me I'd marry the girl of my dreams and have six children. "
The entire greenhouse exploded with laughter at that comment.
" What's so funny? " asked Deborah.
" Don't you know? " asked Nat, wiping her eyes. " You've been here for three years and you don't know? Blimey. "
" What? " asked Deborah.
" He's been married to Professor Snape for years. Dad told me. Dad was best man at their wedding. "
Deborah looked completely stunned. " You're kidding. "
" I'm not. Haven't you ever noticed he wears a wedding band? "
" Yes, they both do, but...seriously? Ew! "
Nat laughed. " Quite a thought, isn't it? " And they settled down to concentrate as Professor Longbottom told them all about the properties of the most disgusting smelly fungi Nat had ever seen.
* * * *
And so the year wore on. Christmas came and went and Nat sensed a very forced kind of jollity from her parents.
" So where are you going next? " Nat asked Ron as she prepared to return to Hogwarts.
" Back to Germany. " replied Ron and Nat noticed the clouds that formed in Harry's emerald green eyes at the very mention of the word. " I'm still having problems over there. Maria does her best but she needs a hand now and again..."
Harry got up and left the room.
" What's up with him? " asked Nat fretfully. With both of you? She wanted to add.
" He doesn't like me spending so much time with someone else. He's jealous, Nat. "
" Of a witch? "
Ron frowned and nodded. " For no reason. When you go back to school then I'll try and sort it out, okay? "
Nat sighed. It wasn't like she had any other option.
Her temper was not improved when, on the very first day of the new term, Oscar received another letter from Bolivia.
Since the summer the letters had grown closer and closer together and the sheaves of parchment that made them up had gotten thicker and thicker. She didn't even want to think about the perfume...In the beginning Oscar had read them out to her and Deborah, but now he kept them to himself.
This one he slit open and gasped as a photograph slid out. He wasn't quick enough and Nat grabbed it. She stared at the picture in her hand in total disbelief.
The girl in it was standing with her arms folded. She wore long white robes, which were the perfect contrast to her lightly tanned skin. Long hair, the colour of runny honey tumbled over her shoulders and soft brown eyes and perfect white teeth smiled up at Nat.
" Is that her? " asked Nat, horrified to hear her voice shaking with emotion.
" Yeah. " replied Oscar in what he thought was an off-hand manner. " That's Elisabeth. Pretty, isn't she? "
Deborah leaned over for a look.
" Pretty? She's bloody gorgeous! "
While Oscar and Deborah were bantering, Nat caught a glimpse of part of the letter. It was written in a very fine hand and what she read made her feel ill.
" I miss you so, amor mio, and long for your return. Bolivia misses you, the hatchlings miss you, but none so much as me..."
Nat was absolutely furious.
" You're jealous! " crowed Deborah as they prepared for bed that night. " You should have seen the look on your face! "
" Oh shut up! " wailed Nat as she pulled the covers over her head, praying for respite from the awful feeling in her heart and in her gut.