1 Ok, I wasn't quite sure where this story was going at first but at this
point I began to enjoy writing it, so from now on it should be getting
better. You now know the background of the lead character so the story
really starts here…
2
3
4
5
6 Chapter 3 – The Bet
Karen decorated her office with her Wimbourne Wasps pictures, scarves and medals that she had won. The team whizzed about in the magical pictures. She kept her muggle belongings in her bedroom. She put her stationary pictures of her Mum, Dad and brother on her chest of drawers and put her CD player and pile of CDs in her bag at the edge of her room. After a while admiring her decorating her stomach rumbled. 'I'm hungry,' she said to herself. She looked at her watch and saw that it was 6.15pm. 'Oh crap! I better get ready!' She flung herself into the bathroom (which she hadn't managed to close) got ready and changed into her robes. She looked at herself in the mirror and adjusted her robes, when she heard a knock at her door. She nipped down her stairs and pulled on the handles that were her side of the door. She only tugged a little when the doors took over, they opened the rest of the way themselves. Amber was stood waiting for her.
'Ready?' She asked Karen.
'Yep, I think so,'
'You aren't wearing your hat?'
'Oh that. I don't want to, it makes me look like a weirdo,' Amber put her hands on her hips and gave Karen a nasty look.
'I'm wearing my hat!' She snapped. 'Does that make me a weirdo?'
'No! No, no. Yours looks cool, mine just looks dodgy,' Amber decided that would do and they walked off towards the Great Hall. Karen noted the way they were going, she made a mental note of things like, 'Turn right at the three suits of black armour. Left at the laughing picture. Down the stairs by the spitting statue.' As they wiped spit off their robes they came to somewhere Karen recognised - the Entrance Hall. Karen had passed through here when she first arrived at Hogwarts. 'I know my way from here!' She said happily.
'Yep, here we are,' Amber said. They turned into the Great Hall. It was 6.45pm; the students would arrive in fifteen minutes. Karen walked down the middle of the four house tables staring at the ceiling watching the clouds drift by. They got to the teachers' table at the end of the hall and Dumbledore was already sitting in his great, big chair. He was talking to Hagrid the gamekeeper, Karen noticed that most of the teachers were already in their seats. She walked towards an empty seat passing Snape. Unfortunately there wasn't a free seat next to him but she said,
'Alright Severus,' He sat with his elbows on the table, fingertips touching, resting his chin on them.
'I'm fine,' He said in his low, smooth voice, though not moving an inch.
When Karen and Amber reached their seats they sat and waited chatting quietly. The sound of hundreds of footsteps coming from out of the hall filled Karen's ears. The doors opened with a boom, and in came the students. The prefects from each house led their fellow students to their relevant tables, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. With the hustle and bustle of the students Amber turned to Karen to find her looking at Snape.
'I'd forget about him if I were you,' Amber said reading Karen's thoughts.
'Huh?' Karen turned to her.
'Severus. He's not really the, um… loving kind,' Amber grinned at Karen. Karen looked once more at Snape watching him converse with the tiny Professor Flitwick.
'I bet I can get around him,' Karen claimed smiling and still watching. Snape turned and caught Karen's eye. She gave him a toothy grin and raised a hand, barely off the table in a quick sort of wave. He just turned back to Flitwick.
'I told you,' Amber said. 'I wouldn't bother if I was you,'
'No. I said, I bet you I can get something out of him…' she trailed off in thought. 'How much are you willing to put on it?'
'What?' Amber said looking totally lost.
'How much money do you want to bet, that I can't get off with him?'
'Oh! A real bet! I see! How about… fifteen Sickles?'
'What!?' Karen looked almost offended at Amber's proposition. 'That's not even a Galleon! You don't bet much, do you?' Amber shook her head. 'I was thinking more along the lines of… twenty Galleons.' Amber's eyes widened, she raised an eyebrow and said,
'Ten Galleons,'
'Done!' Karen said shaking Amber's hand, just as professor McGonagall walked in followed by the new first years and carrying the Sorting Hat.
'Shouldn't there be a time limit?' Amber whispered.
'What? Oh yeah. Gimme two weeks, that should be long enough,'
'Ok,' Amber said doubtfully. 'Good luck!'
As each new student tried on the hat and was sorted to the houses Karen got more bored and more hungry. Although she had never seen a talking hat before, its novelty wore off fast; she wanted the ceremony over so she could tuck in to her first meal at Hogwarts.
The last student sat at the Ravenclaw table and everyone cheered. Thank God for that, Karen thought. She looked down at her plate waiting for it to fill up with food. She fancied some roast potatoes and… Dumbledore got up.
'Welcome to Hogwarts new students, welcome to a new year everyone.' He gestured to the whole hall with his hands. 'It is now time for my welcoming speech…'
'OH!' It went very quiet and every face in the hall turned and looked at Karen. She realised then that she hadn't thought that "oh!" she said it out loud, very loud. 'Oops,' she said under her breath. Most of the students sniggered at her and then looked to Dumbledore for his reaction to the interruption. He smiled broadly.
'May I introduce our new Flying and Quidditch teacher, Karen Clark,' Karen hadn't been so embarrassed, she smiled and gave a forced wave to the students who were both clapping and laughing at her. 'Now, as some of us are desperate to start the feast,' he looked at Karen, who hung her head grinning. 'I'll cut my speech short. Enjoy your time here at Hogwarts… um… and… err… sod it, let's eat!' He clapped his hands once and the plates filled up with food and the goblets with drink. At last.
Oh, I've started writing another story; it won't be out for a while yet but keep an eye out for it. I'll keep you informed on its progress!
Special Thanks:
Arabian13
B
Ankou
Amby! (I love ya honey!)
2
3
4
5
6 Chapter 3 – The Bet
Karen decorated her office with her Wimbourne Wasps pictures, scarves and medals that she had won. The team whizzed about in the magical pictures. She kept her muggle belongings in her bedroom. She put her stationary pictures of her Mum, Dad and brother on her chest of drawers and put her CD player and pile of CDs in her bag at the edge of her room. After a while admiring her decorating her stomach rumbled. 'I'm hungry,' she said to herself. She looked at her watch and saw that it was 6.15pm. 'Oh crap! I better get ready!' She flung herself into the bathroom (which she hadn't managed to close) got ready and changed into her robes. She looked at herself in the mirror and adjusted her robes, when she heard a knock at her door. She nipped down her stairs and pulled on the handles that were her side of the door. She only tugged a little when the doors took over, they opened the rest of the way themselves. Amber was stood waiting for her.
'Ready?' She asked Karen.
'Yep, I think so,'
'You aren't wearing your hat?'
'Oh that. I don't want to, it makes me look like a weirdo,' Amber put her hands on her hips and gave Karen a nasty look.
'I'm wearing my hat!' She snapped. 'Does that make me a weirdo?'
'No! No, no. Yours looks cool, mine just looks dodgy,' Amber decided that would do and they walked off towards the Great Hall. Karen noted the way they were going, she made a mental note of things like, 'Turn right at the three suits of black armour. Left at the laughing picture. Down the stairs by the spitting statue.' As they wiped spit off their robes they came to somewhere Karen recognised - the Entrance Hall. Karen had passed through here when she first arrived at Hogwarts. 'I know my way from here!' She said happily.
'Yep, here we are,' Amber said. They turned into the Great Hall. It was 6.45pm; the students would arrive in fifteen minutes. Karen walked down the middle of the four house tables staring at the ceiling watching the clouds drift by. They got to the teachers' table at the end of the hall and Dumbledore was already sitting in his great, big chair. He was talking to Hagrid the gamekeeper, Karen noticed that most of the teachers were already in their seats. She walked towards an empty seat passing Snape. Unfortunately there wasn't a free seat next to him but she said,
'Alright Severus,' He sat with his elbows on the table, fingertips touching, resting his chin on them.
'I'm fine,' He said in his low, smooth voice, though not moving an inch.
When Karen and Amber reached their seats they sat and waited chatting quietly. The sound of hundreds of footsteps coming from out of the hall filled Karen's ears. The doors opened with a boom, and in came the students. The prefects from each house led their fellow students to their relevant tables, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. With the hustle and bustle of the students Amber turned to Karen to find her looking at Snape.
'I'd forget about him if I were you,' Amber said reading Karen's thoughts.
'Huh?' Karen turned to her.
'Severus. He's not really the, um… loving kind,' Amber grinned at Karen. Karen looked once more at Snape watching him converse with the tiny Professor Flitwick.
'I bet I can get around him,' Karen claimed smiling and still watching. Snape turned and caught Karen's eye. She gave him a toothy grin and raised a hand, barely off the table in a quick sort of wave. He just turned back to Flitwick.
'I told you,' Amber said. 'I wouldn't bother if I was you,'
'No. I said, I bet you I can get something out of him…' she trailed off in thought. 'How much are you willing to put on it?'
'What?' Amber said looking totally lost.
'How much money do you want to bet, that I can't get off with him?'
'Oh! A real bet! I see! How about… fifteen Sickles?'
'What!?' Karen looked almost offended at Amber's proposition. 'That's not even a Galleon! You don't bet much, do you?' Amber shook her head. 'I was thinking more along the lines of… twenty Galleons.' Amber's eyes widened, she raised an eyebrow and said,
'Ten Galleons,'
'Done!' Karen said shaking Amber's hand, just as professor McGonagall walked in followed by the new first years and carrying the Sorting Hat.
'Shouldn't there be a time limit?' Amber whispered.
'What? Oh yeah. Gimme two weeks, that should be long enough,'
'Ok,' Amber said doubtfully. 'Good luck!'
As each new student tried on the hat and was sorted to the houses Karen got more bored and more hungry. Although she had never seen a talking hat before, its novelty wore off fast; she wanted the ceremony over so she could tuck in to her first meal at Hogwarts.
The last student sat at the Ravenclaw table and everyone cheered. Thank God for that, Karen thought. She looked down at her plate waiting for it to fill up with food. She fancied some roast potatoes and… Dumbledore got up.
'Welcome to Hogwarts new students, welcome to a new year everyone.' He gestured to the whole hall with his hands. 'It is now time for my welcoming speech…'
'OH!' It went very quiet and every face in the hall turned and looked at Karen. She realised then that she hadn't thought that "oh!" she said it out loud, very loud. 'Oops,' she said under her breath. Most of the students sniggered at her and then looked to Dumbledore for his reaction to the interruption. He smiled broadly.
'May I introduce our new Flying and Quidditch teacher, Karen Clark,' Karen hadn't been so embarrassed, she smiled and gave a forced wave to the students who were both clapping and laughing at her. 'Now, as some of us are desperate to start the feast,' he looked at Karen, who hung her head grinning. 'I'll cut my speech short. Enjoy your time here at Hogwarts… um… and… err… sod it, let's eat!' He clapped his hands once and the plates filled up with food and the goblets with drink. At last.
Oh, I've started writing another story; it won't be out for a while yet but keep an eye out for it. I'll keep you informed on its progress!
Special Thanks:
Arabian13
B
Ankou
Amby! (I love ya honey!)