Sitting inside the Robe's shop, Lacci sat and looked at her wand, twirling it between her fingers. It was wood stained many different colors. Lacci guessed it was by accident but thought it was pretty all the same. It was 13 1/4 inches long, and strangely sharp at the end, where Edward had whittled it too thinly. Edward had said the wood was birch and the core was from the tail fin if a Chimaera*, which he had found in the back of the shop. Mr. Ollivander had scolded him for wasting such a valuable core on a wand that didn't work properly. Lacci grinned. The wand was perfect, in her opinion. Perfect in every way. And she had told Edward that too. He was very pleased.
Madame Malkin, wearing beautiful swishing emerald robes, called Lacci up to get her fitted. Lacci stuck the wand in her pocket and bounded up, and stuck her arms out like a scarecrow. Harry and Ron were watching other people getting fitted, one of whom was a small girl with her father. She was complaining loudly.
"You know, we haven't heard from Hermione all summer," Ron said offhandedly, recalling the letter he wrote but never sent.
"Yeah.. I wonder if we'll see her today?"
"No, I don't think so. I mean, what are the chances of Hermione going to Diagon Alley on the exact same..." Ron stopped, and turned to look at the window. Harry did the same. Hermione was standing at the window, waving and smiling. Seconds later she was next to them, filling them in on her summer and asking why neither of them wrote to her. Harry pointed to Lacci and explained.
"...And now we're getting all her school stuff, because she's been accepted to Hogwarts," he finished. Hermione looked at the girl, and then gave Harry and Ron and uneasy look. "You do know she went to Azkaban, right? She could be dangerous."
Knowing Hermione had gotten the wrong idea, Harry and Ron both went into explaining how nice Lacci is, and how she doesn't *coughcough* have any really criminal tendancies and how she'd never do anything to harm anyone. Hermione still looked uncertain.
"Harry, Ron, if she's from Azkaban, she could be mad. Of course she'd seem alright, for the most part. But special words could trigger things, or certain actions. You really should be careful. Didn't you see her picture in the Daily Prophet?" Hermione reached into her pocket and pulled out the paper Ron had shown Harry.
"I've seen it already, I've shown it to Harry," Ron said. "I'm not saying she's no nutter, I'm just saying she's nothing we can't handle."
Hermione was about to make a remark, but Harry spoke quietly. "Look Hermione, thank you for the warning. We'll keep an eye out, fi you like. But I really don't think she can be much harm. I mean, she's so young.."
"Harry," Hermione said pointedly, but more quietly this time, "We don't know how long she's been in Azkaban. Hell, we don't know why she was in Azkaban. Ok? I'm..." Hermione stopped, because Lacci had finished getting robed and was now leaning happily on Hermione's back, her arms wrapped around her shoulder's. "Haio, my name is Lacci De, who are you?"
Lacci bent her head down so she could look Hermione in the eyes. Hermione nudged away from her. "I'm Hermione, Ron and Harry's friend."
Lacci looked delighted. She gave Hermione a huge squeeze and sat down next to her. "You're Hermione? Hayee and Ron talked about you! I was wondering if I'd see you before I went to school. I'm going to get to go to school!! Isn't that neet? I get to go with everyone else, just like a big kid! Because I am a big kid."
My gods, thought Hermione, they were right. She doesn't just look young, she babbles like a 7 year old. Hermione started to speak, but Lacci, seeing the Daily Prophet that Hermione was still holding, plucked it out of her hands and looked at it.
"Ohh... what's this? A Noonspaper?" lacci sat and stared at it. Her picture Grinned up at her. Lacci's smile faded, but she didn't move. Finally, she stuck the paper in her pocket, and started grinning like usual again. "Where's God? Will Your parents get here soon, Ron? I can't wait to show God our house!"
Ron, looking relieved that Lacci ahdn't done something really strange from looking at the paper, hardly noticed that she hadn't given it back to Hermione. "They should be here any moment. In fact..." Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stepped into the robes shop. Mr. Weasley smiled. "Well, we've got the whole group now, haven't we? Hello Hermione it's nice to see you again."
"Hello Mr. Weasley," Hermione said politely.
"Lacci, have you gotten everything? Got your wand?" Mrs. Weasley asked. But Lacci wasn't listening. Something had just hit her. She turned to Fred and George.
"Hey!! Where did you come from?? You just appeared at the wand shop! I don't remember seeing you before that!" Fred and George smiled. One by one, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and finally Percy stared at them. They had been so caught up in the current events that they hadn't noticed Fred and George appear.
"Well," said Fred, "That's the trade. Showing up where you're not expected. Just poofing out of nowhere."
"Yeah," continued George, "It seems the money from our joke shop also can poof in and out of nowhere. When we went to buy new beaters bats, our five galleons was gone. We don't know what happened to it."
Percy was about to speak, when the errant flick of a black and silver tail hit him in the mouth. The giant black cat strode silkily up to Fred ans George, and sat i front of them. he looked at Lacic. Lacci looked at Fred and George. Fred and George looked at God. Everyone else looked at God too, and Lacci spoke.
"I took your galleons," she admitted, not sounding very sorry but not sounding mirthful either. "When Mr. Weazley was pairing us off. I didn't think you'd mind. I bought God with it." After getting the main bit out, she engaged in full-speed-explanation. "But he was so unhappy in that shop and he wasn't treated right there and people kept bringing him back to the store and I really love him and it's not like you needed the money because I know you love me so I didn't think you'd mind and I'm very sorry if you're mad at me but I'm happy because I have God even though I had to give away Grubble."
Lacci took a deep breath. Fred and George took all this in. "So..." Fred said slowly, "You took our money, and you bought this cat?" Lacci nodded.
"Lacci, that was a really bad thing to do," Molly scolded, looking very disappointed in Lacci. "You shouldn't steal people's money, and you know that. I think it'll be up to Fred and George what we do with the cat. And you'll have to work off that money, and pay them back."
Lacci looked up at twins, her eyes pleading them to let her keep the cat. She was biting her lip again. The two turned their backs and spoke for a moment, then turned back. George smiled faintly at Lacci. "Consider it a late birthday present, Lacci. You don't owe us anything."
Lacci was so happy she jumped up and huged them both repeatedly, almost trodding on God's tail. "Danke danke danke danke danke!!!" She cried gleefully, so happy she managed three exclaimation points at the end of one sentence. Fred and George hugged her back, looking slightly pained at their descision, but glad Lacci was happy all the same.
*Chimaera: A Chimaera is a mythological creature, a fire breathing she-monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and a serpent's tail. Chimaera comes from greek khimaira, chimera, aka she-goat. Near the beginning Harry lied to the bus driver and said Lacci was Greek, keep that in mind.
Madame Malkin, wearing beautiful swishing emerald robes, called Lacci up to get her fitted. Lacci stuck the wand in her pocket and bounded up, and stuck her arms out like a scarecrow. Harry and Ron were watching other people getting fitted, one of whom was a small girl with her father. She was complaining loudly.
"You know, we haven't heard from Hermione all summer," Ron said offhandedly, recalling the letter he wrote but never sent.
"Yeah.. I wonder if we'll see her today?"
"No, I don't think so. I mean, what are the chances of Hermione going to Diagon Alley on the exact same..." Ron stopped, and turned to look at the window. Harry did the same. Hermione was standing at the window, waving and smiling. Seconds later she was next to them, filling them in on her summer and asking why neither of them wrote to her. Harry pointed to Lacci and explained.
"...And now we're getting all her school stuff, because she's been accepted to Hogwarts," he finished. Hermione looked at the girl, and then gave Harry and Ron and uneasy look. "You do know she went to Azkaban, right? She could be dangerous."
Knowing Hermione had gotten the wrong idea, Harry and Ron both went into explaining how nice Lacci is, and how she doesn't *coughcough* have any really criminal tendancies and how she'd never do anything to harm anyone. Hermione still looked uncertain.
"Harry, Ron, if she's from Azkaban, she could be mad. Of course she'd seem alright, for the most part. But special words could trigger things, or certain actions. You really should be careful. Didn't you see her picture in the Daily Prophet?" Hermione reached into her pocket and pulled out the paper Ron had shown Harry.
"I've seen it already, I've shown it to Harry," Ron said. "I'm not saying she's no nutter, I'm just saying she's nothing we can't handle."
Hermione was about to make a remark, but Harry spoke quietly. "Look Hermione, thank you for the warning. We'll keep an eye out, fi you like. But I really don't think she can be much harm. I mean, she's so young.."
"Harry," Hermione said pointedly, but more quietly this time, "We don't know how long she's been in Azkaban. Hell, we don't know why she was in Azkaban. Ok? I'm..." Hermione stopped, because Lacci had finished getting robed and was now leaning happily on Hermione's back, her arms wrapped around her shoulder's. "Haio, my name is Lacci De, who are you?"
Lacci bent her head down so she could look Hermione in the eyes. Hermione nudged away from her. "I'm Hermione, Ron and Harry's friend."
Lacci looked delighted. She gave Hermione a huge squeeze and sat down next to her. "You're Hermione? Hayee and Ron talked about you! I was wondering if I'd see you before I went to school. I'm going to get to go to school!! Isn't that neet? I get to go with everyone else, just like a big kid! Because I am a big kid."
My gods, thought Hermione, they were right. She doesn't just look young, she babbles like a 7 year old. Hermione started to speak, but Lacci, seeing the Daily Prophet that Hermione was still holding, plucked it out of her hands and looked at it.
"Ohh... what's this? A Noonspaper?" lacci sat and stared at it. Her picture Grinned up at her. Lacci's smile faded, but she didn't move. Finally, she stuck the paper in her pocket, and started grinning like usual again. "Where's God? Will Your parents get here soon, Ron? I can't wait to show God our house!"
Ron, looking relieved that Lacci ahdn't done something really strange from looking at the paper, hardly noticed that she hadn't given it back to Hermione. "They should be here any moment. In fact..." Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stepped into the robes shop. Mr. Weasley smiled. "Well, we've got the whole group now, haven't we? Hello Hermione it's nice to see you again."
"Hello Mr. Weasley," Hermione said politely.
"Lacci, have you gotten everything? Got your wand?" Mrs. Weasley asked. But Lacci wasn't listening. Something had just hit her. She turned to Fred and George.
"Hey!! Where did you come from?? You just appeared at the wand shop! I don't remember seeing you before that!" Fred and George smiled. One by one, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and finally Percy stared at them. They had been so caught up in the current events that they hadn't noticed Fred and George appear.
"Well," said Fred, "That's the trade. Showing up where you're not expected. Just poofing out of nowhere."
"Yeah," continued George, "It seems the money from our joke shop also can poof in and out of nowhere. When we went to buy new beaters bats, our five galleons was gone. We don't know what happened to it."
Percy was about to speak, when the errant flick of a black and silver tail hit him in the mouth. The giant black cat strode silkily up to Fred ans George, and sat i front of them. he looked at Lacic. Lacci looked at Fred and George. Fred and George looked at God. Everyone else looked at God too, and Lacci spoke.
"I took your galleons," she admitted, not sounding very sorry but not sounding mirthful either. "When Mr. Weazley was pairing us off. I didn't think you'd mind. I bought God with it." After getting the main bit out, she engaged in full-speed-explanation. "But he was so unhappy in that shop and he wasn't treated right there and people kept bringing him back to the store and I really love him and it's not like you needed the money because I know you love me so I didn't think you'd mind and I'm very sorry if you're mad at me but I'm happy because I have God even though I had to give away Grubble."
Lacci took a deep breath. Fred and George took all this in. "So..." Fred said slowly, "You took our money, and you bought this cat?" Lacci nodded.
"Lacci, that was a really bad thing to do," Molly scolded, looking very disappointed in Lacci. "You shouldn't steal people's money, and you know that. I think it'll be up to Fred and George what we do with the cat. And you'll have to work off that money, and pay them back."
Lacci looked up at twins, her eyes pleading them to let her keep the cat. She was biting her lip again. The two turned their backs and spoke for a moment, then turned back. George smiled faintly at Lacci. "Consider it a late birthday present, Lacci. You don't owe us anything."
Lacci was so happy she jumped up and huged them both repeatedly, almost trodding on God's tail. "Danke danke danke danke danke!!!" She cried gleefully, so happy she managed three exclaimation points at the end of one sentence. Fred and George hugged her back, looking slightly pained at their descision, but glad Lacci was happy all the same.
*Chimaera: A Chimaera is a mythological creature, a fire breathing she-monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and a serpent's tail. Chimaera comes from greek khimaira, chimera, aka she-goat. Near the beginning Harry lied to the bus driver and said Lacci was Greek, keep that in mind.