Chapter Four
Hogwarts
"Firs' years over here! Right this way! Firs' years!" a giant of a man was calling. "Any more firs' years?" Harry, Neville, and Ron walked over to the group of first years that was rapidly forming in front of the man.
"Who's that?" Ron whispered.
"I think it's Hagrid," Harry said, vaguely remembering his parents talk about him. "He's the gamekeeper."
"Ah," Ron said as they were led down a small path between some bushes and through to the edge of a large lake, where they saw Hogwarts for the first time.
"That's big," Harry said. They reached a little fleet of boats in the lake.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called. Harry, Ron, and Neville climbed into a boat and were joined by a sandy-haired boy who introduced himself as Seamus Finnigan.
Once everyone had a boat, they started moving across the lake. Everyone fell into silence as they floated across the water and up to the giant castle that would be their home for the next nine months.
"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled, and everyone ducked as the boats drifted through a stone passageway and docked at a little harbor that seemed to be right under the cliff on which Hogwarts was situated. They all climbed out of the boats, and Hagrid double-checked them all before leading the first years through a passageway and up to the giant front doors.
"Everyone here?" he asked, looking around before lifting his giant fist and knocking three times on the castle door.
It swung open immediately, and there stood a stern-looking, black-haired witch in emerald robes. Professor McGonagall. Harry recognized her immediately.
"The firs' years, Professor," Hagrid said.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." she opened the door widely to let the first years in. Harry barely looked where they were going as he gawked at the monstrosity of the entrance hall and the sheer size of everything he could see. They heard voices coming from a room off their right as the first years passed--that must be where the rest of the school was waiting--but did not enter the room. Instead, they were led to a smaller one, where they all crowded in and listened to Professor McGonagall's rather boring welcome speech. She told them all to smarten themselves up, and then left.
Hermione, Parvati, and Padma, along with another girl Harry didn't recognize, came over to where Harry, Ron, Neville, and Seamus were standing. They introduced the new girl as Lavendar Brown. All of the first years looked rather nervous except for Harry, who of course knew the entire procedure by now.
"I wonder what the Sorting Ceremony is," Ron said nervously, gulping.
"I wonder if we'll have to use any spells..." Hermione said, wondering which of the ones she'd learned she'd need.
"Fred and George were going on about wrestling a mountain troll..." Ron said.
"I do hope I don't do anything stupid..." Lavendar said.
"What if there's a test and someone doesn't pass?" Neville asked, looking rather nervous. Harry looked around at their anxious faces and burst out laughing. Everyone in the room turned to stare at him.
"What's so funny?" Padma demanded.
"Sorry, but there's no reason to be worried!" Harry said, recovering. "All you have to do to be sorted is try on the Sorting Hat!"
"Oh," everybody said collectively, and after that, there was much less tension in the air.
"All right, everybody, form a line, and follow me!" Professor McGonagall said, returning. The first years obeyed and followed her out of the room and into the Great Hall, where they saw the staff table and four other tables filled with students.
As they passed the staff table, Melody waved so hard she fell out of her chair, Lupin smiled, and Lily glared at Melody but winked at Harry. Harry smiled and shook his head.
Professor McGonagall brought out a stool and placed upon it a very tattered, old, dirty hat. Harry glanced at his mom. Lily was twitching as though she would like to jump out of her seat and give the hat a good scrubbing. Harry quickly averted his gaze and tried not to laugh.
The brim of the hat opened wide, and it started in on a song. The school listened respectfully and clapped when it had finished. But all of a sudden, Gryffindor didn't seem quite the house for Harry. He didn't feel very brave at heart or chivalrous or any of that right now. At the moment, no other house seemed quite right for him either...
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbot, Hannah!" Professor McGonagall said, beginning the rather long and tedious sorting ceremony. Hannah became the first Hufflepuff, by order of the hat, and she sat down at the table on the right with all the other Hufflepuffs. Harry was suddenly quite glad his last name wasn't at the beginning of the alphabet.
Another Hufflepuff was sorted, and then the first new Ravenclaw. A second Ravenclaw by the name of Mandy Brocklehurst was sorted, and then Lavendar Brown was called.
Stepping out from beside Parvati, and looking rather nervous, Lavendar sat down on the stool and put on the hat. "GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers. This was what Harry had been looking forward too; seeing all the Gryffindors. He looked at the table and saw three of Ron's brothers, standing out with their red hair.
"Bulstrode, Millicent" became the first Slytherin, and Harry examined the Slytherins, not surprised to find that they were about as unpleasant and ugly as Sirius and James had described them.
Over at the staff table, Lily was praying and praying that Harry wouldn't be put in Gryffindor. Oh, if he got in with those Weasley twins, they could very well blow up the school. Melody, meanwhile, was thinking the exact opposite, and hoping Harry would be put in Gryffindor, because then not only would he be in the coolest house at Hogwarts, but he would also be in with those wonderful Weasley twins, and then they could reinstate the Order of Marauder, and...
"Finnigan, Seamus!" Professor McGonagall called, and Harry watched him sit on the stool for almost a whole minute before he was declared a Gryffindor.
"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione seemed almost a little too excited for her own good, Harry noted as she jammed the hat on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat declared. Harry smiled slightly. Good, if he was in Gryffindor, there would at least be two other people he knew. Now Harry was beginning to wish his last name WAS closer to the beginning of the alphabet, because it was getting quite boring, just standing there.
When it came time for Neville, Harry gave him the thumbs up. He sat down on the stool and was almost immediately declared a Gryffindor. Now Harry HAD to be in Gryffindor! It was just Harry, Ron, Padma, and Parvati left now, of the people who had met on the train.
A few more names, and then it was "Malfoy, Draco!" being called, and Harry looked at the staff table to see Melody stiffen and get a hard look on her face. The hat had barely touched his head when Draco was proclaimed a Slytherin.
Now there were only a few people left. Three more, and then it was Padma, who, much to Harry's disappointment, was put in Ravenclaw, and Parvati was put in Gryffindor. Well, Harry didn't suppose that was too bad, if he was put in Gryffindor, but Padma had seemed the nicer of the two. One more girl, and all too soon it was "Potter, Harry!" Harry almost trudged to the stool and placed the hat on his head. It fell over his eyes and he could no longer see the Great Hall.
"Hmm..." a tiny voice whispered in his ear. Harry realized it must be the hat talking. "Let's see...plenty of courage. Sharp wit, too. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes--competitive spirit, I see. I could put you any number of places. Difficult. This is going to be very difficult." Harry thought vaguely Gryffindor might be nice, as most of his friends were already there.
"Gryffindor, eh?" the hat said to him. "Well, that's a nice choice, you'd fit right in. Have fun in GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last word to the whole school. The Gryffindor table exploded. Melody jumped out of her chair and started screaming as loud as she could, ignoring the disapproving stares she was getting. Lily's head dropped into her hands and she groaned. Lupin smiled. Dumbledore was trying very hard not to laugh.
Harry smiled as he walked over to the Gryffindor table and was greeted by Seamus, Neville, Hermione, Lavendar, Parvati, and Fred and George. He sat down and watched Dean Thomas be sorted into Gryffindor and Lisa Turpin get sorted into Ravenclaw. Then it was Ron's turn. He was looking rather pale as he put on the hat. Harry and the rest of his Gryffindor friends crossed their fingers under the table. A moment later the hat shouted "Gryffindor!" And they stood up cheering, greeting Ron happily. Then one last person was sorted, and the ceremony was over.
As they all settled down, Harry looked down at his empty plate and his stomach growled. He was suddenly quite glad his name was so close to the end of the alphabet; otherwise he'd have been staring at this empty plate for a lot longer.
Albus Dumbledore got to his feet. He was beaming at his students in such a way that Harry just had to smile back, even though he didn't think Dumbledore would see him.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I have several notes of seriousness that I feel must be addressed before we eat.
"First of all, students are reminded never to go out on the grounds at night without a teacher, and never alone. Second, I am sorry to say that from now on only sixth and seventh year students will be permitted on Hogsmeade trips, as an issue of safety." Loud groans and shocked voices suddenly echoed through the hall. "Please quiet down!" Dumbledore said. "You must understand that in times such as these we have to take extra precautions.
"On a happier note, Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, informs me that the Clabberts raised by last year's class have reproduced, and anyone willing to help raise the baby Clabberts for extra credit should see Professor Kettleburn after the feast. And now, with that out of the way, enjoy the feast!"
Harry saw the food appear on the table and he helped himself to a bit of everything. It was all delicious. Everyone was pretty much quiet for the beginning of the meal, as they were all starving. Harry finished quickly and leaned back, looking up at the High Table where all the teachers were sitting. Lily and Melody were having a discussion about something. Lily seemed very much exasperated with Melody, who was positively glowing with excitement-about what, Harry wasn't sure.
Next to Melody sat Remus, and then Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore sat in the middle. Harry didn't recognize any teachers on the other side except Hagrid, and he wasn't really even a teacher.
"Who are those other teachers?" Harry wondered.
"Which ones?" Harry looked over to see one of Ron's older brothers looking at him. "Percy Weasley, by the way. I'm Ron's older brother, and a Prefect. I can answer any questions you have about Hogwarts," He held out a hand and Harry shook it.
"I don't know anyone to the left of Professor Dumbledore except Hagrid," Harry said.
"Well, the one right next to him is Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher; then Professor Sprout-she teaches Herbology-and then you have Professor Kettleburn, Care of Magical Creatures, then Professor Vector, who teaches Arithmancy, and that's about it. Some of the teachers and staff aren't here, though. You'll be seeing them later."
Just then the dinner food disappeared and wonderful desserts came in their place. Harry helped himself to a little of everything. Before he knew it, the feast was over and he was sitting back, quite full, and Dumbledore was standing again.
"Well," he said. "Now that we are all fed and watered, I have several announcements to make. I would like to remind the Quidditch teams that a teacher must be present during all practices.
"Also, any third years interested in being a member of the dueling club should see Professor Cauldwell in the Great Hall tomorrow morning at breakfast. Professor Potter asks me to remind all of you that anyone going near her private potions stores or her lab will receive cruel and unusual punishment.
"And, as always, students are reminded never to go into the Forbidden Forest. And now, with that done, let us sing the school song. Pick a tune, and away we go!" He flicked his wand, and out poured little streams of music, and the school broke out into song. Among the last to finish were the Weasley twins, singing along to a very slow funeral march. Even after they finished, Melody was still going, to some sort of gospel tune, which involved a lot of repetition and running of the notes on Melody's part.
She had picked up a fork and was now using it as a microphone. "We're gonna learn, gonna lee---a---rr-n till our brains, oo-oh-oh-ohwho-aoh, all ro-o-o-o-o-o-o-ot!!!" she finished dramatically, and the whole school burst out into applause. Melody bowed, and then took a seat.
"Ah, thank you, Professor." Dumbledore said, and Melody nodded, as if to say 'no problem.' "What would the school song be without you?" Harry saw his mother mouth, 'how about sane?' and tried not to laugh. "Music!" Dumbledore cried. "A magic far greater than any we teach here! Now, off to bed! Good night!"
With that, the whole school stood, and every house followed their respective Prefects to their common rooms. Harry was so tired and stuffed; he barely paid attention to where they were going.
Up staircases, behind hidden panels and tapestries, more stairs, more stairs...was there even an end to the stairs? Harry was beginning to wonder if they'd ever get where they were going at all when they suddenly came to a dead halt.
Harry looked up to see a bundle of walking sticks floating in midair. "It's Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." Percy walked forward, and the walking sticks started throwing themselves at him. "Peeves, show yourself!" Percy demanded. Peeves answered by throwing all the walking sticks at him. Percy backed up a little. "No one can control him except the Bloody Baron," Percy whispered exasperatedly. "He won't even listen to us prefects!"
"Oh, nonsense!" Came a voice from behind them. All the Gryffindors whirled around to see Melody making her way up the stairwell. "Peeves'll listen to anyone! You just have to know what to say!" She pushed her way through the crowd and up next to Percy. "Hey, Peeves!" She directed at the walking sticks. "Have I gone blind, or is there just something hovering there that needs blue paint on it?" With a pop, a poltergeist immediately appeared, holding the walking sticks and smiling devilishly.
"Haven't gone blind, ma'am," Peeves said.
"Good!" Melody replied. "Now, last time I checked, Filch was almost done cleaning up that mess you made of the trophy room. If you go there, I think you'll find something of interest in the biggest trophy." Melody winked and Peeves zoomed off. "Now who says that's not handling him?"
Percy had quite a sour look on his face, but he didn't say anything to Melody. (She was, after all, a Professor.) "Run along, now, get to bed! I know you must all be tired!" Melody said, motioning them up the stairs. The students started moving again, but as Harry passed by Melody, she grabbed his arm.
"Harry! There you are! I need to talk to you," she said, and she yanked him the opposite direction of the way everyone else was going. They reached a suit of armor. Melody tapped it with her wand and muttered something. It slid aside and the wall opened to reveal a small room.
"What's this?" Harry asked. Melody shrugged. "Just some room nobody uses. Nothing important."
"So, why did you need to talk to me?" Harry asked.
"Well, the Gryffindor Quidditch team is in desperate need of a Seeker, and I know you're the best they can get."
"And?" Harry said. "First years aren't allowed on Quidditch teams!"
"I know," Melody said. "But I have an idea to get you on it."
"What?" Harry asked, both excited and scared. Melody's ideas were usually the same as Sirius's: fun, exciting, but dangerous.
"Okay, this is how it's going to work: Your first Flying Class, the Quidditch equipment is going to 'mysteriously' escape from its box and end up near all of you. That means two bludgers and the Snitch are going to be flying around. Your job will be to find the Snitch as fast as you possibly can--hopefully you'll be able to throw in a magnificent dive--and dodge the bludgers, all before the teacher can make you come down off your broom. They'll most likely call out the Weasley twins and Oliver Wood-they're all Gryffindor--and probably Cho Chang-she's a superb Seeker, and from Ravenclaw-and you'll have to get to the Snitch before she does. Got it?"
Harry took a moment to let his brain register. "So...you'll let out the Bludgers and Snitch, I'll go up high in the air, capture the Snitch while everyone's looking but before I've stayed up too long and before Cho Chang comes out?"
"Yes." Melody nodded. "You got it. And if the plan works, you're on your way to being the youngest Quidditch player at Hogwarts in a hundred years. Good luck!" Melody said, and she led the way out of the small room and the rest of the way to Gryffindor tower. They reached a portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress and stopped. "Password?" she asked.
"Caput Draconis," Melody replied. The portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. "Right through there, up the middle stairway. See you at breakfast!" Melody said. Harry nodded, his eyes drooping as he followed her instruction. He trudged up the staircase and into a dormitory. He found his bed and fell into it, not even bothering to take off his glasses.
* * *
The next morning, Harry, Ron, Neville, Seamus, Hermione, Parvati,, and Lavendar congregated in the middle of the Gryffindor common room to study the Marauder's Map on how to get down to breakfast. They hadn't really paid attention on how they had gotten up here from the Great Hall last night, and didn't want to get horribly lost looking for it.
Harry had decided to trust all of them with the secret of the Marauder's Map-why, he wasn't sure, but something in his gut told him all of his new friends could be trusted.
Hermione, who had a very good memory, only needed to look at the map for a minute before she knew how to get there. She led them all down to breakfast quite successfully, except for one moment when half of them got their feet sunken into a vanishing step and had to be helped out of it.
When they reached the Great Hall, they noticed a long line of third years stretching from outside the door to inside, up by the High Table. Melody was at the head of the line, taking names and talking. That must be the Dueling Club sign-ups.
They sat down and helped themselves to some cereal and toast. Suddenly, about a hundred owls streamed into the Great Hall. Hermione, who had been holding a piece of toast, jumped, and the toast dropped into her bowl of corn flakes. All the first years looked up with surprise as the owls began circling the tables, looking for their owners. Aphrodite swooped down over Harry and dropped a letter at his place.
Harry picked it up and opened it.
Hey Harry!
So you're at Hogwarts now, huh? What house did you get in? Have you made any new friends yet? If so, send us back their birth dates; we're going shopping tomorrow.
And remember: don't do anything we wouldn't do!
~Sirius, Melody, and Alex~
"Birth dates?" Harry muttered.
"Who was that from, Harry?" Neville asked.
"It's from my sister and my godfather and one of my friends," Harry said. "They want all your guys's birth dates."
Parvati, Lavendar, Neville, Hermione, Seamus, and Ron all exchanged looks. "Why?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged. "I dunno. It doesn't say. It says they're going shopping tomorrow; maybe they want to buy you all something." They all shrugged and gave Harry their birthdays, which Harry scribbled down in a note back to Sirius, Melody, and Alex. He also included that he was in Gryffindor. He signed it, then gave it to Aphrodite. She took off again.
"Why in the world would they want our birthdays?" Hermione wondered, fishing her now-soggy toast out of her corn flakes.
"It did sound like they were going to get us something, but...why?" Ron asked. They all looked at Harry. "Don't ask me about the way Sirius's mind works!" he said. "But he'll probably send you some joke products or something."
Then they got their schedules and didn't have much time to worry about why Sirius, Melody, and Alex wanted all their birthdays.
It turned out the Marauder's Map wasn't going to be much help in finding all their classes; they couldn't have it out in public, otherwise people would get suspicious, and it wasn't as if everything were perfectly labeled on it, either. They'd just have to learn things the hard way.
The difficulty wasn't just getting to the classes, however. The classes themselves were fairly challenging as well. They had to study the night skies every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different constellations and movements of the planets. They went out to the greenhouses three times a week to study Herbology with Professor Sprout. They sat in a stupor during History of Magic, easily the most boring class, and the only one taught by a ghost.
Charms, which was taught by tiny little Professor Flitwick, and Transfiguration, which was taught by Professor McGonagall, were the classes in which they got to do the most actual magic. They had to start slowly, which was rather boring for Harry, but at least he got to use his wand. He hadn't realized learning magic would require quite so many notes.
But even in Transfiguration and Charms, however, there were a lot of notes involved. Their first Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall had given them a strict talking-to, and then proceeded to change her desk to a pig and back again. After a series of very complicated notes, they were given a match and told to try turning it into a needle.
James, who was very fond of Transfiguration, had taught Harry this a long time ago, so he finished first. By the end of the class, the only other person to make any difference to their needle was Hermione. Professor McGonagall gave both students a rare smile and rewarded them a point each for Gryffindor.
The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and it was no disappointment. Professor Lupin had started their first class by going over a schedule of what they were going to learn this year. For the first half of the year, they would study dangerous Dark creatures and Dark objects (i.e.: household objects cursed with Dark magic). For the second half, they would study Dark magic; what type of curses to look out for, and, later, how to block them and what the counter curses were, etc.
Friday was their first Potions lesson. As Harry and Ron looked over the schedule, they realized they would be taking Potions with the Slytherins.
"Oh no!" Ron said. "Not the Slytherins!"
"Well, it could be worse," Percy Weasley said, overhearing him. "You could have had Professor Snape, you know. He always favored the Slytherins. Professor--or your mother, rather, Harry--is a much better teacher than Snape ever was. Not to speak ill of the dead--" Percy finished with a whisper. Harry and his friends exchanged looks. Just then the bell rang and they all got up for Potions.
They made their way down to the Potions dungeon, and Parvati, who was the only one to have checked the map this morning for directions to class, got confused and turned right instead of left. Consequently, they were lost and had to ask directions from a ghost wandering around down there, which helped but still made them five minutes late for class. When the whole group of them burst in late, the entire class turned to look at them.
"Well isn't this interesting," Lily Potter said, raising an eyebrow. "I just finished telling the class how important it is that everybody be prompt. However, it is our first class and since you wouldn't have known where exactly to go, although you could have asked, there will no penalty--this time. Please take your seats." She watched all of them pointedly as they took their seats.
"Now," she said sternly, calling the class's attention back to her. "Back to rules. Like I said, be prompt and prepared. Secondly, there will be absolutely no goofing off in this class. There are no second chances, either. If I catch you, any of you, goofing off in my class, you are out. Permanently. Is that unclear to anyone?" No one responded. "Good. Next rule.
"You will not bring any sort of food, toy, game, joke product, et cetera, into my classroom. If I see anything of the sort, it will be confiscated and given to Mr. Filch, and good luck trying to get it back from him." She shot Harry a stern look, and he got the impression that she was telling him not to bring the Marauder's Map to class, or else.
"You will not talk when I am talking. You will pay attention and take notes. If you miss something, do not bother to ask me, because I say each instruction only once. This is why it is important that you write things down. Do not ask me questions unless I ask for questions. If you've missed something, wait until I am done talking, and ask somebody else.
"And lastly, you will all be respectful to each other in this class. I don't care if you hate each other's guts, you will not do anything to anyone else that is harmful or disrespectful in any way while I am watching you." With those words and an icy cold stare around the room at the wide-eyed students, Lily Potter broke into a smile. "Now, if you follow the rules and do what you are expected to, we can actually have fun in here. If you're a good class, on the days before holiday, I will let you socialize, play games, brew a potion or try some spells for fun, and probably pass around treats. However, you must be well behaved and any potions or spells must be approved and supervised by me. Are you ready to start? Good.
"Now, before we get too far into class, does anyone have any questions about curriculum?" Lily asked, sitting on her desk, legs dangling above the floor. Several hands raised. "Yes, miss...Granger, is it?" she said, pointing at Hermione and looking down at her class roster. Hermione nodded and lowered her hand.
"What kind of potions will we be brewing?" she asked.
"Oh, all kinds," Lily said. "It really depends on the class. If you are a good class and perform well, by the end of the year you may very well be trying some basic second year potions. I do plan, however, to teach you all the sleeping potion, the forgetfulness potion, and the shrinking potion, just as a few examples. Does that answer your question?" Hermione nodded. "Okay. You...Miss...Parkinson?" Lily asked. The Slytherin girl she had pointed to nodded.
"What kinds of exams will we be doing in here?"
"Well, some exams are written. Those are usually fill-in-the-blanks. Some involve potion brewing without notes. Others may be oral." The Slytherin girl nodded. "Any more questions?" Lily asked. No one raised their hand. "No?" She waited several seconds. "Okay. Now I'm going to pass around a short quiz, just as an assessment of what you know, which may not be much, but that's okay; just do your best. Then we'll go over the quiz, take some notes, do a little reading, and try a simple little potion." Lily passed out the quiz and gave them ten minutes to take it.
After they went over it, took notes, and read a little from their books, she told them to put all their books on the floor and set up their cauldrons.
"This is one of the quickest, simplest potions you can make," she said. "It takes about twenty minutes to make, and will cure hiccups, coughs, and most allergies." She wrote the ingredients and procedure on the board and told them all to get to work. She went around, making comments and supervising.
"Good job...you need your fire a little hotter...hurry it up, girls, the slices don't need to be perfect for this...looking good, Mr. Potter...ah, not quite that many roots, boys...fire's a little too hot, there...wait, let it simmer five minutes before adding those...nice...don't worry if it smells!...that's good!" Lily finished circling the class. "All right, everyone, we have fifteen minutes of class left. Finish up your potions and pack up when you're done. Don't forget to show me when you're finished, though! We'll test the potion, and the good ones you can keep. They come in handy when you've got an annoying case of the hiccups or if you're allergic to cats. If you don't want yours, we can send all good leftovers to Madam Pomfrey."
Fifteen minutes later, Harry walked out of class holding a potion in his hand, impressed with his mom's class. "That was...cool," he said, surprised.
"Wow...I didn't think I'd like Potions too much, but that class was actually kind of fun!" Ron said. "Don't know why; we didn't do anything real interesting. I guess your mom's just a good teacher, Harry!"
"Oh, I can't wait until our next Potions class!" Hermione said. Harry, much to his surprise, found that he was actually looking forward to it too.
A/N: Okay, peeps, sorry it took me so long to get this up! Hope you liked this chapter; I really enjoyed writing it! Please leave me a review; feedback is always appreciated! Well I have to now but a little preview of the next chapter: It is going to be titled "Chapter Five-Sirius Cooks Something." That will be...*ahem*...interesting...
LOL well luv ya, bye!
~*Sierra Charm*~
Hogwarts
"Firs' years over here! Right this way! Firs' years!" a giant of a man was calling. "Any more firs' years?" Harry, Neville, and Ron walked over to the group of first years that was rapidly forming in front of the man.
"Who's that?" Ron whispered.
"I think it's Hagrid," Harry said, vaguely remembering his parents talk about him. "He's the gamekeeper."
"Ah," Ron said as they were led down a small path between some bushes and through to the edge of a large lake, where they saw Hogwarts for the first time.
"That's big," Harry said. They reached a little fleet of boats in the lake.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called. Harry, Ron, and Neville climbed into a boat and were joined by a sandy-haired boy who introduced himself as Seamus Finnigan.
Once everyone had a boat, they started moving across the lake. Everyone fell into silence as they floated across the water and up to the giant castle that would be their home for the next nine months.
"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled, and everyone ducked as the boats drifted through a stone passageway and docked at a little harbor that seemed to be right under the cliff on which Hogwarts was situated. They all climbed out of the boats, and Hagrid double-checked them all before leading the first years through a passageway and up to the giant front doors.
"Everyone here?" he asked, looking around before lifting his giant fist and knocking three times on the castle door.
It swung open immediately, and there stood a stern-looking, black-haired witch in emerald robes. Professor McGonagall. Harry recognized her immediately.
"The firs' years, Professor," Hagrid said.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." she opened the door widely to let the first years in. Harry barely looked where they were going as he gawked at the monstrosity of the entrance hall and the sheer size of everything he could see. They heard voices coming from a room off their right as the first years passed--that must be where the rest of the school was waiting--but did not enter the room. Instead, they were led to a smaller one, where they all crowded in and listened to Professor McGonagall's rather boring welcome speech. She told them all to smarten themselves up, and then left.
Hermione, Parvati, and Padma, along with another girl Harry didn't recognize, came over to where Harry, Ron, Neville, and Seamus were standing. They introduced the new girl as Lavendar Brown. All of the first years looked rather nervous except for Harry, who of course knew the entire procedure by now.
"I wonder what the Sorting Ceremony is," Ron said nervously, gulping.
"I wonder if we'll have to use any spells..." Hermione said, wondering which of the ones she'd learned she'd need.
"Fred and George were going on about wrestling a mountain troll..." Ron said.
"I do hope I don't do anything stupid..." Lavendar said.
"What if there's a test and someone doesn't pass?" Neville asked, looking rather nervous. Harry looked around at their anxious faces and burst out laughing. Everyone in the room turned to stare at him.
"What's so funny?" Padma demanded.
"Sorry, but there's no reason to be worried!" Harry said, recovering. "All you have to do to be sorted is try on the Sorting Hat!"
"Oh," everybody said collectively, and after that, there was much less tension in the air.
"All right, everybody, form a line, and follow me!" Professor McGonagall said, returning. The first years obeyed and followed her out of the room and into the Great Hall, where they saw the staff table and four other tables filled with students.
As they passed the staff table, Melody waved so hard she fell out of her chair, Lupin smiled, and Lily glared at Melody but winked at Harry. Harry smiled and shook his head.
Professor McGonagall brought out a stool and placed upon it a very tattered, old, dirty hat. Harry glanced at his mom. Lily was twitching as though she would like to jump out of her seat and give the hat a good scrubbing. Harry quickly averted his gaze and tried not to laugh.
The brim of the hat opened wide, and it started in on a song. The school listened respectfully and clapped when it had finished. But all of a sudden, Gryffindor didn't seem quite the house for Harry. He didn't feel very brave at heart or chivalrous or any of that right now. At the moment, no other house seemed quite right for him either...
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbot, Hannah!" Professor McGonagall said, beginning the rather long and tedious sorting ceremony. Hannah became the first Hufflepuff, by order of the hat, and she sat down at the table on the right with all the other Hufflepuffs. Harry was suddenly quite glad his last name wasn't at the beginning of the alphabet.
Another Hufflepuff was sorted, and then the first new Ravenclaw. A second Ravenclaw by the name of Mandy Brocklehurst was sorted, and then Lavendar Brown was called.
Stepping out from beside Parvati, and looking rather nervous, Lavendar sat down on the stool and put on the hat. "GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers. This was what Harry had been looking forward too; seeing all the Gryffindors. He looked at the table and saw three of Ron's brothers, standing out with their red hair.
"Bulstrode, Millicent" became the first Slytherin, and Harry examined the Slytherins, not surprised to find that they were about as unpleasant and ugly as Sirius and James had described them.
Over at the staff table, Lily was praying and praying that Harry wouldn't be put in Gryffindor. Oh, if he got in with those Weasley twins, they could very well blow up the school. Melody, meanwhile, was thinking the exact opposite, and hoping Harry would be put in Gryffindor, because then not only would he be in the coolest house at Hogwarts, but he would also be in with those wonderful Weasley twins, and then they could reinstate the Order of Marauder, and...
"Finnigan, Seamus!" Professor McGonagall called, and Harry watched him sit on the stool for almost a whole minute before he was declared a Gryffindor.
"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione seemed almost a little too excited for her own good, Harry noted as she jammed the hat on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat declared. Harry smiled slightly. Good, if he was in Gryffindor, there would at least be two other people he knew. Now Harry was beginning to wish his last name WAS closer to the beginning of the alphabet, because it was getting quite boring, just standing there.
When it came time for Neville, Harry gave him the thumbs up. He sat down on the stool and was almost immediately declared a Gryffindor. Now Harry HAD to be in Gryffindor! It was just Harry, Ron, Padma, and Parvati left now, of the people who had met on the train.
A few more names, and then it was "Malfoy, Draco!" being called, and Harry looked at the staff table to see Melody stiffen and get a hard look on her face. The hat had barely touched his head when Draco was proclaimed a Slytherin.
Now there were only a few people left. Three more, and then it was Padma, who, much to Harry's disappointment, was put in Ravenclaw, and Parvati was put in Gryffindor. Well, Harry didn't suppose that was too bad, if he was put in Gryffindor, but Padma had seemed the nicer of the two. One more girl, and all too soon it was "Potter, Harry!" Harry almost trudged to the stool and placed the hat on his head. It fell over his eyes and he could no longer see the Great Hall.
"Hmm..." a tiny voice whispered in his ear. Harry realized it must be the hat talking. "Let's see...plenty of courage. Sharp wit, too. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes--competitive spirit, I see. I could put you any number of places. Difficult. This is going to be very difficult." Harry thought vaguely Gryffindor might be nice, as most of his friends were already there.
"Gryffindor, eh?" the hat said to him. "Well, that's a nice choice, you'd fit right in. Have fun in GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last word to the whole school. The Gryffindor table exploded. Melody jumped out of her chair and started screaming as loud as she could, ignoring the disapproving stares she was getting. Lily's head dropped into her hands and she groaned. Lupin smiled. Dumbledore was trying very hard not to laugh.
Harry smiled as he walked over to the Gryffindor table and was greeted by Seamus, Neville, Hermione, Lavendar, Parvati, and Fred and George. He sat down and watched Dean Thomas be sorted into Gryffindor and Lisa Turpin get sorted into Ravenclaw. Then it was Ron's turn. He was looking rather pale as he put on the hat. Harry and the rest of his Gryffindor friends crossed their fingers under the table. A moment later the hat shouted "Gryffindor!" And they stood up cheering, greeting Ron happily. Then one last person was sorted, and the ceremony was over.
As they all settled down, Harry looked down at his empty plate and his stomach growled. He was suddenly quite glad his name was so close to the end of the alphabet; otherwise he'd have been staring at this empty plate for a lot longer.
Albus Dumbledore got to his feet. He was beaming at his students in such a way that Harry just had to smile back, even though he didn't think Dumbledore would see him.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I have several notes of seriousness that I feel must be addressed before we eat.
"First of all, students are reminded never to go out on the grounds at night without a teacher, and never alone. Second, I am sorry to say that from now on only sixth and seventh year students will be permitted on Hogsmeade trips, as an issue of safety." Loud groans and shocked voices suddenly echoed through the hall. "Please quiet down!" Dumbledore said. "You must understand that in times such as these we have to take extra precautions.
"On a happier note, Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, informs me that the Clabberts raised by last year's class have reproduced, and anyone willing to help raise the baby Clabberts for extra credit should see Professor Kettleburn after the feast. And now, with that out of the way, enjoy the feast!"
Harry saw the food appear on the table and he helped himself to a bit of everything. It was all delicious. Everyone was pretty much quiet for the beginning of the meal, as they were all starving. Harry finished quickly and leaned back, looking up at the High Table where all the teachers were sitting. Lily and Melody were having a discussion about something. Lily seemed very much exasperated with Melody, who was positively glowing with excitement-about what, Harry wasn't sure.
Next to Melody sat Remus, and then Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore sat in the middle. Harry didn't recognize any teachers on the other side except Hagrid, and he wasn't really even a teacher.
"Who are those other teachers?" Harry wondered.
"Which ones?" Harry looked over to see one of Ron's older brothers looking at him. "Percy Weasley, by the way. I'm Ron's older brother, and a Prefect. I can answer any questions you have about Hogwarts," He held out a hand and Harry shook it.
"I don't know anyone to the left of Professor Dumbledore except Hagrid," Harry said.
"Well, the one right next to him is Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher; then Professor Sprout-she teaches Herbology-and then you have Professor Kettleburn, Care of Magical Creatures, then Professor Vector, who teaches Arithmancy, and that's about it. Some of the teachers and staff aren't here, though. You'll be seeing them later."
Just then the dinner food disappeared and wonderful desserts came in their place. Harry helped himself to a little of everything. Before he knew it, the feast was over and he was sitting back, quite full, and Dumbledore was standing again.
"Well," he said. "Now that we are all fed and watered, I have several announcements to make. I would like to remind the Quidditch teams that a teacher must be present during all practices.
"Also, any third years interested in being a member of the dueling club should see Professor Cauldwell in the Great Hall tomorrow morning at breakfast. Professor Potter asks me to remind all of you that anyone going near her private potions stores or her lab will receive cruel and unusual punishment.
"And, as always, students are reminded never to go into the Forbidden Forest. And now, with that done, let us sing the school song. Pick a tune, and away we go!" He flicked his wand, and out poured little streams of music, and the school broke out into song. Among the last to finish were the Weasley twins, singing along to a very slow funeral march. Even after they finished, Melody was still going, to some sort of gospel tune, which involved a lot of repetition and running of the notes on Melody's part.
She had picked up a fork and was now using it as a microphone. "We're gonna learn, gonna lee---a---rr-n till our brains, oo-oh-oh-ohwho-aoh, all ro-o-o-o-o-o-o-ot!!!" she finished dramatically, and the whole school burst out into applause. Melody bowed, and then took a seat.
"Ah, thank you, Professor." Dumbledore said, and Melody nodded, as if to say 'no problem.' "What would the school song be without you?" Harry saw his mother mouth, 'how about sane?' and tried not to laugh. "Music!" Dumbledore cried. "A magic far greater than any we teach here! Now, off to bed! Good night!"
With that, the whole school stood, and every house followed their respective Prefects to their common rooms. Harry was so tired and stuffed; he barely paid attention to where they were going.
Up staircases, behind hidden panels and tapestries, more stairs, more stairs...was there even an end to the stairs? Harry was beginning to wonder if they'd ever get where they were going at all when they suddenly came to a dead halt.
Harry looked up to see a bundle of walking sticks floating in midair. "It's Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." Percy walked forward, and the walking sticks started throwing themselves at him. "Peeves, show yourself!" Percy demanded. Peeves answered by throwing all the walking sticks at him. Percy backed up a little. "No one can control him except the Bloody Baron," Percy whispered exasperatedly. "He won't even listen to us prefects!"
"Oh, nonsense!" Came a voice from behind them. All the Gryffindors whirled around to see Melody making her way up the stairwell. "Peeves'll listen to anyone! You just have to know what to say!" She pushed her way through the crowd and up next to Percy. "Hey, Peeves!" She directed at the walking sticks. "Have I gone blind, or is there just something hovering there that needs blue paint on it?" With a pop, a poltergeist immediately appeared, holding the walking sticks and smiling devilishly.
"Haven't gone blind, ma'am," Peeves said.
"Good!" Melody replied. "Now, last time I checked, Filch was almost done cleaning up that mess you made of the trophy room. If you go there, I think you'll find something of interest in the biggest trophy." Melody winked and Peeves zoomed off. "Now who says that's not handling him?"
Percy had quite a sour look on his face, but he didn't say anything to Melody. (She was, after all, a Professor.) "Run along, now, get to bed! I know you must all be tired!" Melody said, motioning them up the stairs. The students started moving again, but as Harry passed by Melody, she grabbed his arm.
"Harry! There you are! I need to talk to you," she said, and she yanked him the opposite direction of the way everyone else was going. They reached a suit of armor. Melody tapped it with her wand and muttered something. It slid aside and the wall opened to reveal a small room.
"What's this?" Harry asked. Melody shrugged. "Just some room nobody uses. Nothing important."
"So, why did you need to talk to me?" Harry asked.
"Well, the Gryffindor Quidditch team is in desperate need of a Seeker, and I know you're the best they can get."
"And?" Harry said. "First years aren't allowed on Quidditch teams!"
"I know," Melody said. "But I have an idea to get you on it."
"What?" Harry asked, both excited and scared. Melody's ideas were usually the same as Sirius's: fun, exciting, but dangerous.
"Okay, this is how it's going to work: Your first Flying Class, the Quidditch equipment is going to 'mysteriously' escape from its box and end up near all of you. That means two bludgers and the Snitch are going to be flying around. Your job will be to find the Snitch as fast as you possibly can--hopefully you'll be able to throw in a magnificent dive--and dodge the bludgers, all before the teacher can make you come down off your broom. They'll most likely call out the Weasley twins and Oliver Wood-they're all Gryffindor--and probably Cho Chang-she's a superb Seeker, and from Ravenclaw-and you'll have to get to the Snitch before she does. Got it?"
Harry took a moment to let his brain register. "So...you'll let out the Bludgers and Snitch, I'll go up high in the air, capture the Snitch while everyone's looking but before I've stayed up too long and before Cho Chang comes out?"
"Yes." Melody nodded. "You got it. And if the plan works, you're on your way to being the youngest Quidditch player at Hogwarts in a hundred years. Good luck!" Melody said, and she led the way out of the small room and the rest of the way to Gryffindor tower. They reached a portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress and stopped. "Password?" she asked.
"Caput Draconis," Melody replied. The portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. "Right through there, up the middle stairway. See you at breakfast!" Melody said. Harry nodded, his eyes drooping as he followed her instruction. He trudged up the staircase and into a dormitory. He found his bed and fell into it, not even bothering to take off his glasses.
* * *
The next morning, Harry, Ron, Neville, Seamus, Hermione, Parvati,, and Lavendar congregated in the middle of the Gryffindor common room to study the Marauder's Map on how to get down to breakfast. They hadn't really paid attention on how they had gotten up here from the Great Hall last night, and didn't want to get horribly lost looking for it.
Harry had decided to trust all of them with the secret of the Marauder's Map-why, he wasn't sure, but something in his gut told him all of his new friends could be trusted.
Hermione, who had a very good memory, only needed to look at the map for a minute before she knew how to get there. She led them all down to breakfast quite successfully, except for one moment when half of them got their feet sunken into a vanishing step and had to be helped out of it.
When they reached the Great Hall, they noticed a long line of third years stretching from outside the door to inside, up by the High Table. Melody was at the head of the line, taking names and talking. That must be the Dueling Club sign-ups.
They sat down and helped themselves to some cereal and toast. Suddenly, about a hundred owls streamed into the Great Hall. Hermione, who had been holding a piece of toast, jumped, and the toast dropped into her bowl of corn flakes. All the first years looked up with surprise as the owls began circling the tables, looking for their owners. Aphrodite swooped down over Harry and dropped a letter at his place.
Harry picked it up and opened it.
Hey Harry!
So you're at Hogwarts now, huh? What house did you get in? Have you made any new friends yet? If so, send us back their birth dates; we're going shopping tomorrow.
And remember: don't do anything we wouldn't do!
~Sirius, Melody, and Alex~
"Birth dates?" Harry muttered.
"Who was that from, Harry?" Neville asked.
"It's from my sister and my godfather and one of my friends," Harry said. "They want all your guys's birth dates."
Parvati, Lavendar, Neville, Hermione, Seamus, and Ron all exchanged looks. "Why?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged. "I dunno. It doesn't say. It says they're going shopping tomorrow; maybe they want to buy you all something." They all shrugged and gave Harry their birthdays, which Harry scribbled down in a note back to Sirius, Melody, and Alex. He also included that he was in Gryffindor. He signed it, then gave it to Aphrodite. She took off again.
"Why in the world would they want our birthdays?" Hermione wondered, fishing her now-soggy toast out of her corn flakes.
"It did sound like they were going to get us something, but...why?" Ron asked. They all looked at Harry. "Don't ask me about the way Sirius's mind works!" he said. "But he'll probably send you some joke products or something."
Then they got their schedules and didn't have much time to worry about why Sirius, Melody, and Alex wanted all their birthdays.
It turned out the Marauder's Map wasn't going to be much help in finding all their classes; they couldn't have it out in public, otherwise people would get suspicious, and it wasn't as if everything were perfectly labeled on it, either. They'd just have to learn things the hard way.
The difficulty wasn't just getting to the classes, however. The classes themselves were fairly challenging as well. They had to study the night skies every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different constellations and movements of the planets. They went out to the greenhouses three times a week to study Herbology with Professor Sprout. They sat in a stupor during History of Magic, easily the most boring class, and the only one taught by a ghost.
Charms, which was taught by tiny little Professor Flitwick, and Transfiguration, which was taught by Professor McGonagall, were the classes in which they got to do the most actual magic. They had to start slowly, which was rather boring for Harry, but at least he got to use his wand. He hadn't realized learning magic would require quite so many notes.
But even in Transfiguration and Charms, however, there were a lot of notes involved. Their first Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall had given them a strict talking-to, and then proceeded to change her desk to a pig and back again. After a series of very complicated notes, they were given a match and told to try turning it into a needle.
James, who was very fond of Transfiguration, had taught Harry this a long time ago, so he finished first. By the end of the class, the only other person to make any difference to their needle was Hermione. Professor McGonagall gave both students a rare smile and rewarded them a point each for Gryffindor.
The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and it was no disappointment. Professor Lupin had started their first class by going over a schedule of what they were going to learn this year. For the first half of the year, they would study dangerous Dark creatures and Dark objects (i.e.: household objects cursed with Dark magic). For the second half, they would study Dark magic; what type of curses to look out for, and, later, how to block them and what the counter curses were, etc.
Friday was their first Potions lesson. As Harry and Ron looked over the schedule, they realized they would be taking Potions with the Slytherins.
"Oh no!" Ron said. "Not the Slytherins!"
"Well, it could be worse," Percy Weasley said, overhearing him. "You could have had Professor Snape, you know. He always favored the Slytherins. Professor--or your mother, rather, Harry--is a much better teacher than Snape ever was. Not to speak ill of the dead--" Percy finished with a whisper. Harry and his friends exchanged looks. Just then the bell rang and they all got up for Potions.
They made their way down to the Potions dungeon, and Parvati, who was the only one to have checked the map this morning for directions to class, got confused and turned right instead of left. Consequently, they were lost and had to ask directions from a ghost wandering around down there, which helped but still made them five minutes late for class. When the whole group of them burst in late, the entire class turned to look at them.
"Well isn't this interesting," Lily Potter said, raising an eyebrow. "I just finished telling the class how important it is that everybody be prompt. However, it is our first class and since you wouldn't have known where exactly to go, although you could have asked, there will no penalty--this time. Please take your seats." She watched all of them pointedly as they took their seats.
"Now," she said sternly, calling the class's attention back to her. "Back to rules. Like I said, be prompt and prepared. Secondly, there will be absolutely no goofing off in this class. There are no second chances, either. If I catch you, any of you, goofing off in my class, you are out. Permanently. Is that unclear to anyone?" No one responded. "Good. Next rule.
"You will not bring any sort of food, toy, game, joke product, et cetera, into my classroom. If I see anything of the sort, it will be confiscated and given to Mr. Filch, and good luck trying to get it back from him." She shot Harry a stern look, and he got the impression that she was telling him not to bring the Marauder's Map to class, or else.
"You will not talk when I am talking. You will pay attention and take notes. If you miss something, do not bother to ask me, because I say each instruction only once. This is why it is important that you write things down. Do not ask me questions unless I ask for questions. If you've missed something, wait until I am done talking, and ask somebody else.
"And lastly, you will all be respectful to each other in this class. I don't care if you hate each other's guts, you will not do anything to anyone else that is harmful or disrespectful in any way while I am watching you." With those words and an icy cold stare around the room at the wide-eyed students, Lily Potter broke into a smile. "Now, if you follow the rules and do what you are expected to, we can actually have fun in here. If you're a good class, on the days before holiday, I will let you socialize, play games, brew a potion or try some spells for fun, and probably pass around treats. However, you must be well behaved and any potions or spells must be approved and supervised by me. Are you ready to start? Good.
"Now, before we get too far into class, does anyone have any questions about curriculum?" Lily asked, sitting on her desk, legs dangling above the floor. Several hands raised. "Yes, miss...Granger, is it?" she said, pointing at Hermione and looking down at her class roster. Hermione nodded and lowered her hand.
"What kind of potions will we be brewing?" she asked.
"Oh, all kinds," Lily said. "It really depends on the class. If you are a good class and perform well, by the end of the year you may very well be trying some basic second year potions. I do plan, however, to teach you all the sleeping potion, the forgetfulness potion, and the shrinking potion, just as a few examples. Does that answer your question?" Hermione nodded. "Okay. You...Miss...Parkinson?" Lily asked. The Slytherin girl she had pointed to nodded.
"What kinds of exams will we be doing in here?"
"Well, some exams are written. Those are usually fill-in-the-blanks. Some involve potion brewing without notes. Others may be oral." The Slytherin girl nodded. "Any more questions?" Lily asked. No one raised their hand. "No?" She waited several seconds. "Okay. Now I'm going to pass around a short quiz, just as an assessment of what you know, which may not be much, but that's okay; just do your best. Then we'll go over the quiz, take some notes, do a little reading, and try a simple little potion." Lily passed out the quiz and gave them ten minutes to take it.
After they went over it, took notes, and read a little from their books, she told them to put all their books on the floor and set up their cauldrons.
"This is one of the quickest, simplest potions you can make," she said. "It takes about twenty minutes to make, and will cure hiccups, coughs, and most allergies." She wrote the ingredients and procedure on the board and told them all to get to work. She went around, making comments and supervising.
"Good job...you need your fire a little hotter...hurry it up, girls, the slices don't need to be perfect for this...looking good, Mr. Potter...ah, not quite that many roots, boys...fire's a little too hot, there...wait, let it simmer five minutes before adding those...nice...don't worry if it smells!...that's good!" Lily finished circling the class. "All right, everyone, we have fifteen minutes of class left. Finish up your potions and pack up when you're done. Don't forget to show me when you're finished, though! We'll test the potion, and the good ones you can keep. They come in handy when you've got an annoying case of the hiccups or if you're allergic to cats. If you don't want yours, we can send all good leftovers to Madam Pomfrey."
Fifteen minutes later, Harry walked out of class holding a potion in his hand, impressed with his mom's class. "That was...cool," he said, surprised.
"Wow...I didn't think I'd like Potions too much, but that class was actually kind of fun!" Ron said. "Don't know why; we didn't do anything real interesting. I guess your mom's just a good teacher, Harry!"
"Oh, I can't wait until our next Potions class!" Hermione said. Harry, much to his surprise, found that he was actually looking forward to it too.
A/N: Okay, peeps, sorry it took me so long to get this up! Hope you liked this chapter; I really enjoyed writing it! Please leave me a review; feedback is always appreciated! Well I have to now but a little preview of the next chapter: It is going to be titled "Chapter Five-Sirius Cooks Something." That will be...*ahem*...interesting...
LOL well luv ya, bye!
~*Sierra Charm*~