Thanks to those of you who have reviewed. I'd just like you to know that I am very indecisive and have changed the first two chapters. So if you previously read the other two chapters, (like before this one was posted), you might want to re-read them…. Sorry bout that….
Disclaimer: I have no claim to Harry Potter. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling and such. The characters unheard of are mine tho. Creative little me. Heh heh heh….. LOOKOUT!! The Rampaging Neon Koalas are at it again! Never mind… random thought…. BEWARE!
Chapter 3: New Beginnings
Sydney woke early to find herself in a new bed. One familiar thing was Mage next to her. Lightly she rubbed the kitten's back and quietly crept from her king-size bed. She reached for her glasses on the bedside table and put them on. She looked around the room where she found everything in order, her broom sitting in the corner, school books and personal reading neatly stacked on the book shelf. Her camera, picture album and few keepsakes sat undisturbed on top of the bookcase. Beside it lay her guitar case. Something she hadn't noticed last night was a balcony on the other side of her bed. Curious she pulled open the curtains and looked out. The sun was slowly making it's way over the horizon. She closed the curtains, smiled, then pulled her school robes out from the dresser and set them on her bed. Looking around Sydney found the tea she had asked for on the vanity table. She poured herself a cup and took a seat down on the scarlet red couch that filled the center of the room. All of the furniture in the room was a deep mahogany, the drapes and carpet a deep scarlet red, as well as the down comforter on her bed. Sydney set the cup down and walked to the desk that sat next to her amoire. She pulled out a parchment and quill.
Dear Mom and Rini,
I've arrived! I'm safe. I hope everything is well. Don't have too much fun without me. I'll write you two a better letter when things start happening. Love you both very much. I'll see you at the holidays.
Syd
PS: I've been sorted into Gryffindor.
She rolled up the parchment and put her quill away. She walked to the large barn owl that sat on a perch in the corner of her room. She nestled his feathers and stoked his head.
"Merdoch, love, how was your trip?" She said with her native Irish accent. Playfully the owl nipped at her fingers. "Come on you, I don't think you'll fit through the window." She said jokingly, wanting to get some fresh air. She took the great bird onto her shoulder and sauntered out onto the terrace. Fresh morning air hit her faster than the rays of the rising sun. "Off you go now." She kissed his wing as he spread them. With a flap of his outstretched wings Merdoch sped into the sky and up to the clouds. Sydney gazed at his retreating form until he was a mere speck in the sky. Seeing that the sun sat above the horizon Sydney sat down on the chair on the terrace with her tea.
Fred Weasley, though hardly a morning person found himself half awake at the crack of dawn. Something wouldn't let him sleep. Growling, he got up and threw on his robe. He opened the door to the balcony and stepped out. Hearing the noise from her seat Sydney stood and looked down off her balcony to the one below. He stood there, red hair tousled by sleep and the morning breeze. Her stomach lurched as she realized she was goggling. Quickly she took a step back and hurried into her room. Fred heard the shutting of the door and looked but saw nothing. Grumpily he went back into his own room, he was starving.
Sydney quickly dressed and braided her hair. She slipped out of her room with her books and sketch pad in hand. The common room was empty. Only the shadows crept lightly on the walls. She pushed open the Portrait Hole and made her way down the corridors to the Great Hall. To her surprise only a handful of teachers sat at the table in the front, the room was totally void of students. Professor Dumbledore and a teacher Sydney didn't know appeared beside her.
"Morning to you Miss Spelling." He smiled.
"Good morning to you Professor." She made a mental note to sketch his smiling face sometime.
"Did you sleep well my dear?" His eyes sparkled behind his glasses.
"Yes thank you." She couldn't help but return his smile.
"You're up early, students are rarely seen this early in the morning, isn't that right Madame Hooch?" A lady with smiling eyes looked down at Sydney.
"Oh yes, usually it's just us Professor Dumbledore." She smiled at Sydney. "Nice to meet you Miss Spelling, I'm Madame Hooch, the flying instructor."
"Nice to meet you Madame." She shifted her books to the other arm dropping her sketchbook. The contents flew out. Quickly she bent down to pick them up. Professor Dumbledore bent down to help as well. Sydney tried to stuff all the pictures back into the book but Professor Dumbledore held on the few he'd picked up.
"Sorry about that. Thanks for helping me." She held out a hand for the pictures he had.
"You're quite the artist Miss Spelling." Dumbledore smiled as he handed the sketches back. On top was a recent sketch of her little sister playing in her garden.
"It's just something to do to pass the time."
"That reminds me, you haven't chosen an elective course yet. We have many to offer, though you'd probably like to take an art course." He handed her a rolled parchment. She unrolled it. "It's you're schedule. At the bottom is a list of extra courses." The two walked to the teachers table. Sydney looked over her schedule and then skimmed the list of electives. Astronomy stood out. She'd always wanted to take it, but at her old school it wasn't offered.
"How much work would it be to get into the Advanced Astronomy course? We didn't have it at my school in Ireland."
"I suppose you could do it with the help of a tutor, but you'd have to work on weekends."
"That doesn't bother me. Might bother the tutor though."
"I'll find someone who won't mind." He smiled. Other students began to file into the hall.
"Thank you Professor." She returned his smile and went to take a seat at the Griffindor tables.
At the end of breakfast all the students scattered to their classes. The seventh year Griffindors made their way to the dungeon for potions with the Slytherins. The halls leading down the dungeons were bleak and dreary. Lanterns hung on the walls, shedding little light. Fred walked with George and Lee, though he was only half awake. The two houses filed into the empty room. Snape was never there until just before the bell. The trio of trouble makers found their way to the back. Sydney looked for a seat.
"Hey! Sydney?" A girl with chestnut hair smiled and waved to her. Sydney walked over to the girl. "Hi, I'm Katie, would you like to sit with us." She motioned to the empty chair next to her. Sydney sat down.
"Thank you." She smiled at Katie. A girl with dark hair and eyes peered around Katie.
"Hi I'm Alicia, nice to meet you." She smiled and leaned back. "This is Angelina." A girl on the other side of Alicia had her head down on her arms, but she looked up and smiled.
"'Lo." She resumed her position of sleep. Alicia and Katie laughed. Just then Snape entered and shut the door with a shuttering slam. Angelina's head shot up.
"Well, well, welcome to your last year of potions. Unfortunately for you, it will be the hardest." Snape sneered at the students as they groaned. "Also you will be assigned lab partners that you will work with for the entire year." Another groan echoed the last. "Alright, alright." Snape pulled a parchment out of his pocket. "Let's see here, Bell and Weasley, George that is…" Snape looked up at George as Katie rolled her eyes
"I always get stuck with the stupid ones." Katie half whispered, half giggled. Sydney noticed the gleam in Katie's eyes that told her she really didn't mind all that much. Snape continued down the list.
"Spinnet and Jordan." Katie smiled at Alicia. Sydney waited as Snape read the list of partners. As he came to the last pair he hesitated. "Weasley and, and…" He trailed off. "Does anyone here not have a partner?" Sydney slowly raised her hand. "And you would be?"
"Spelling, Sydney the transfer from Ireland."
"Right, right…" Snape muttered. "You weren't on the list. You're with Weasley." He rolled up the parchment as the students moved to sit with their partners. Fred smiled as Sydney sat down next to him.
"Aren't you lucky?" He grinned. She gave him a small smile. Within minutes Snape had them brewing a dreamless sleep potion. A low mumble of chatter filled the room as Snape wandered the room checking on the progress. "So why did you move to Britain Miss Spelling?" Fred asked as he stirred the potion.
"Actually I'm just staying at Draco's for the year, then I'll be going back home."
"Oh really? That's interesting. I expect you've heard nothing but bad things about the Weasleys and Harry and Hermione."
"Oh yes, you're all a bunch of muggles to him. But I personally hadn't met you, and knowing how Draco's mind works, I figured you weren't all that bad."
"Interesting, very interesting." The two sat silently until the Snape okayed their potion. They cleaned the supplies and gathered their things. They were soon joined by George, Lee, Katie, Angelina, and Alicia.
"Well he never just lets us get used to being back in school, he shoves the workload right onto you." George grumbled and they left the classroom.
"Quit complaining. It's been like this for seven years." Katie playfully elbowed him in the ribs.
"At least I have a smart and not to mention good-looking partner for the year." He grinned at Katie, who blushed.
"At least you guys have discussions with your lab partners." Angelina scoffed. "I'm stuck with a Slytherin who won't even talk to me!"
"Aww poor Angelina" Alicia teased. Angelina went to punch her in the arm but Alicia ducked behind Lee. Lee fell back in mock pain and Alicia caught him.
"Oh look see what you've done!" Alicia teased some more.
"Er, sorry Lee, wasn't aiming for you." Angelina smiled then gave Alicia a death glare.
"Well I've got no complaints about my partner." Fred smiled at Sydney. "Though I must say the accent is a bit distracting." She blushed.
"Aye and you best be getting used to it lad." She half laughed. "Or vould you prefer a French accent?" She said in a very good French accent.
"See what I mean." Fred laughed.
"So where are we all headed next?" Lee asked, mock scowling at Angelina.
"I think Herbology." Katie looked at her schedule. "Yep let's go." The group walked through the large wooden doors to the greenhouses.
"I hope Professor Sprout forgot about the little accident we had last year." Lee looked at Fred and George.
"Hope so." They chimed in together.
"They blew up an entire greenhouse last year." Alicia explained while laughing. The trio of boys glared at her.
"I noticed." Sydney motioned the remains of the condemned greenhouse.
"Hey we didn't mean to!" Fred said in an exasperated tone.
"Sure you didn't, we believe you." Katie said sarcastically. George grumbled. "Just kidding! Jeez, if I'd done it I would have been proud!" The Gryffindors were the first to arrive to the greenhouses. The little group sat and waited while the Hufflepuffs filed in and took their seats.
* * *
That night after dinner the houses headed off towards their respective common rooms. Grumbles of homework and no free time filled the Gryffindor common room as the first day of school came to a close. Sydney curled up in one of the window seats with her Transfiguration book. By now the first years had finished their homework and began to play Wizards' Chess and Exploding Snap. Fred sat at one of the tables bent over his Herbology homework. He let our a growl in frustration.
"How am I supposed to know how many colors a Scallifer* turns?!" George and Katie looked up with the same question.
"Three hundred fifty-one." Sydney said without looking up from her book. Fred looked up in disbelief.
"I didn't even know there were that many colors." He scribbled down the answer. "How'd you know that?"
"It's in the book, they make lovely conversation partners." She resumed her reading.
"Did you do all of this already?" Katie said as she her Herbology book.
"Mmm hmm." Sydney nodded. "Did it during lunch." She finished as she shut her book and picked up her sketchbook.
"What's that?" Alicia looked up from her homework.
"My sketchbook." Sydney smiled. Just then Hermione came into the Tower, with a look of thought on her face. Ron practically pounced on her and dragged her off to 'talk'. Harry was laughing uncontrollably on the floor in front of the fireplace. Alicia looked like she was going to say something further but Ron and Hermione came back, holding hands. Katie, Alicia, Angelina, and Ginny smiled at Hermione while Fred, George and Lee starred at Ron in disbelief. Fred jumped off his seat and tackled his little brother. George and Lee followed while the girls swarmed around Hermione. Sydney smiled from her seat as she quickly began to sketch the little scene.
A/N: now that I think about it, this was a really pointless chapter…. but hey, writers block in a wonderful thing, heh NOT! I promise the next chapter will be a bit more interesting. Right now I'm just trying to introduce my character, and get her some friends. We all need some friends, don't we? I have none, 'cept for those rampaging neon koalas… aight enough with the mile long authors notes. Hopefully we'll get this story moving! Ha, I'll shut up now!
Toodles!
K. Shadow
