Author's Note:
There are a few things I'd like to make sure are clear before the second chapter starts. This story is taking place in 2006. This means that Harry and friends graduated about nine years before it starts. Voldemort was defeated by Harry at the end of his seventh year.
Also, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the first part. It makes my day to get a review. =)
In response to some of the reviews, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher should seem familiar... haha And, I plan to work his friends into it- at least for the last part.
Thanks for reading my story! And, once again I'd like to say please review- but don't flame- and sorry for any spelling and grammar mistakes.
-Hope
It always amazed Stacy how time could be so mean. Whenever she wanted something to last forever, it went by in the blink of an eye. In her case, she wanted time to fly by, but it was creeping along like a slug. Stacy had been counting the days until school started ever since she got back from her trip to London.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, it was August 28. Stacy was going to fly to London the next day to stay with her grandmother for the last two days of vacation. It was going to be the first time Stacy traveled on a plane by herself. Her father was in Ohio with his latest film project and her mother was in New York doing the talk show route to promote her latest movie.
"I can't believe you're going to England for the whole school year!" Stacy's best friend, Mandy Payer, exclaimed for the tenth time that hour when she surfaced. The two girls were in Stacy's backyard. Mandy was in the pool and Stacy was sitting on the edge dangling her feet in the water. "What am I going to do without you?"
"I'll be home for Christmas," Stacy pointed out.
"Yeah, but you know my family always goes to Vermont over the holidays. I might not even see you!" Mandy gave her such an overly dramatic look of pain Stacy couldn't help laughing.
The girls were as different as night and day. While Stacy was petite with mousy brown hair, Mandy was tall with sun-streaked blonde hair. Mandy looked more like a movie star than Stacy. She had the confidence and cockiness of one, but Mandy wasn't interested in acting. She preferred swimming. Her goal in life was to make it to the Olympics.
"I'll write to you all the time," Stacy promised. She didn't know how she'd get the letters to Mandy, but she'd figure it out.
"You better!" Mandy exclaimed. "I want every detail of your life."
"Um, right," Stacy stammered. She hadn't told Mandy what kind of school she was going to, and didn't plan on telling her.
Suddenly, Mandy grabbed her arms and pulled her into the pool. "Mandy!" Stacy shouted angrily when she lifted her head out of the water. Mandy laughed and splashed her with a wave of water. Stacy giggled and splashed her back.
The girls spent the next hour swimming and practicing their cannon balls until Mandy's mother, Cara, came to pick her daughter up.
"Stacy," Cara remarked as Mandy went to get her things. She'd spent the weekend at Stacy's house. "Mandy tells me you're not going to return to La Anglia next year." La Anglia Prep School was the local private school for grades K-12.
"I'm going to a boarding school in England," Stacy told her.
"That's too bad," Cara said sadly. "We'll all miss you."
"I'll miss you too," Stacy replied with a touch of unhappiness.
"Ready, honey?" Cara asked as Mandy came into the room carrying her overnight bag.
"Yup," Mandy answered.
"Do you have everything?"
"Mom, I'm eleven, you don't have to-" Mandy dashed back upstairs to Stacy's bedroom and returned with her hairbrush. Her mother smiled, but didn't say anything. Instead, she opened the front door and hugged Stacy good-bye.
"Bye, Stace," Mandy said sadly. "Write me, ok?"
"I promise," Stacy replied. "You write too, k?"
Mandy nodded and followed her mother out the door.
"Bye!" Stacy yelled after them. Then, she ran up to her bedroom and closed the door. The house was silent for once. Despite the thirty some maids, cooks, and other workers, she felt completely alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Miss Arrons!" an impatient voice hissed in her Stacy's ear. "Miss Arrons! Please wake up!"
Stacy lifted her head off her pillow to see Maria, the housekeeper, standing above her.
"Your flight is leaving in two hours, Miss Arrons," Maria continued. "Please get yourself dressed and come downstairs for breakfast." Maria turned on her heel and walked briskly out of Stacy's bedroom.
Stacy pulled herself out of bed and put on her favorite pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. She brushed her hair and twisted it up into a clip. She grabbed her carry on bag and went downstairs. Her trunk of clothes and school belongings had been shipped to her grandmother's house the week before.
Breakfast went by quickly since Stacy was the only one sitting at the long dining room table. She was too nervous about the flight to eat any of the gourmet dishes the chefs had fixed her, but managed to nibble on a bagel and cream cheese she made herself.
Maria ordered all of the servants come to say good-bye to her. Stacy felt ridiculous as the limo drove off with thirty-two people dressed in black and white waving to her from the front lawn.
Stacy got onto the plane without any major delays or problems. She only had to sign autographs for seven people. Most people did not recognize her with her sunglasses on or just didn't care about her since Natalie was not there.
The flight was surprisingly fast. Stacy watched the in-flight movie, ate lunch, and took a nap. She woke up as the pilot announced they were about to land.
Her grandmother was waiting for as she stepped off the plane. It was eight at night when she arrived and they went to eat in a café down the street from the airport.
Roxanna watched her granddaughter with interest. Stacy had ordered a bowl of soup for dinner and just sat there staring bleakly at it.
"What's wrong, Stace?" She asked after ten minutes of silence.
"Nothing," Stacey lied.
"Really? Sure fooled me," Roxanna replied with a twinkle in her eyes.
"It's just," Stacy started, then paused and stared at her soup again.
"Yes?" Roxanna urged.
"What if no one likes me? What if I fail all my classes? What if I get homesick? What if there was a mistake and I wasn't really accepted? What if-"
"What ifs don't accomplish anything," Roxanna advised. "And, of course people will like you. You have never had problems with that before."
"But, that's because people know who I am there."
Her grandmother looked confused for a moment. "Well, of course you're going to have to introduce yourself to people, Stace. But, so is everyone else. No one new is going to know everyone."
"I mean, I'm famous there. I'm not here."
"Do you really think your friends in California like you just because of your status?"
Stacy shrugged. "It's crossed my mind."
"Stacy," Her grandmother said kindly. "It is natural to be worried when starting a new adventure, but you will be fine. You will not fail your classes. You were accepted by Hogwarts because of who you are, not who I am or who your father is or who your grandfather was. Because of you."
Stacy smiled slightly. "What if I get homesick though?"
"You may at first, but I'm sure Hogwarts will quickly become your home."
The nervousness started to fade from Stacy's face.
Her grandmother smiled at her. "It'll be fine." She reassured her.
Stacy sighed and began to eat her soup.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"All aboard for Train Number 876!" A man's voice crackled over the loud speaker.
"It's not up there," Stacy said nervously as she looked at the list of leaving and arriving trains.
"Of course not," Roxanna told her. "The Hogwarts Express is never listed. A Muggle might find it then."
They were rushing through King's Cross Station to get Stacy on her train on time. Finally, they reached platforms nine and ten.
'Where's platform nine and three quarters?' Stacy thought. Before she could think about it too much, Jacob and Ben Wright came up from behind them.
"Hello, Roxanna. Hello, Stacy," Jacob greeted them. He was just as cheerful as he had been when Stacy met him Diagon Alley. "Ready to go to Hogwarts, Stacy?" He asked.
"I think so," She answered.
"Dad!" Ben exclaimed nervously. "It's almost eleven!"
"Come on, then," Jacob ordered without a touch of anxiety in his voice. He led Ben through the barrier between the platforms and Stacy followed with her grandmother.
A train was waiting on the other side of the barrier. Hundreds of students were standing about talking and getting ready to board the train. Stacy felt her grandmother's hand on her shoulder as they made their way through the train to the last car. Roxanna got on the train with Stacy and helped her put her belongings in the overhead storage racks. When she was satisfied her granddaughter was settled, Roxanna hugged her good-bye and went back outside to watch the train leave.
Stacy glanced around the car. It was empty except for herself and a young man with black hair and glasses sitting in the last row of seats. He noticed Stacy staring at him and glanced up from the book in his lap.
"Hello!" He called. "Is this your first year?" Stacy nodded. "It's my first year teaching," He continued. "This should be an interesting year. I used to go to Hogwarts. As a student, of course."
Before Stacy could say anything, the compartment door swung open and a girl with bouncy blonde curls came in.
"Anyone sitting there?" She asked referring to the empty seat next to Stacy.
"Go ahead," Stacy told her.
The girl sighed and flopped down in the seat. "Thank God. If I had to spend the whole ride with my sister and her friends, I'd-"
The compartment door opened again and an older girl with equally bouncy curls came in.
"Courtney!" The girl exclaimed. "What are you doing? Mom told me to keep an eye on you."
Courtney glared at her sister. "Well, Mom's not here, is she Rachel?"
Rachel glared back at her. "Fine, but don't get into any trouble or I'll tell Mom!" She turned around and left the car.
Courtney turned around and smiled at Stacy. "Do you have any sisters or brothers?"
Stacy shook her head. "I'm an only child."
"You are so lucky! I only have Rachel and she drives me insane. She thinks she can boss me around just because she's five years older than me and a prefect."
"What's a prefect?" Stacy asked curiously.
"Oh, do you come from a Muggle family?"
Stacy frowned. Why was everyone so interested in what sort of family she came from? "My mom's a Muggle, but my dad's a wizard," She replied.
"It's the opposite for me," Courtney told her. "My mom's a witch, but my dad's about as Muggle-ish as you can get. He's a builder." She paused. "I'm Courtney Flowers, by the way."
"I'm Stacy Arrons."
"Do you live around here?" Courtney asked curiously. "You don't sound British."
Stacy shook her head. "I'm from California."
"Really?" Courtney asked. Her eyes lit up. "I always wanted to go there. Do you live near any movie stars?"
"You know about movie stars?" Stacy asked. She was clearly taken by surprise.
Courtney nodded proudly. "My father goes to see movies sometimes. I've never been to one. My mum is afraid the Muggle magic will be a bad influence on me. Dad told me about them though. Do you suppose they're really stars? Maybe they come from the sky."
Stacy almost laughed. "I don't think so."
Just then, the car door opened again and Ben and his friends came in.
"Hi Stacy!" Peter said. "Mind if we sit in here? It's getting too noisy out there."
"Sure," Stacy replied.
"Hi!" Courtney said as the four boys sat down. "I'm Courtney Flowers. Who are you?"
Peter, as usual, was the first one to speak up. "I'm Peter. That's Justin, Greg, and Ben." He pointed to each boy as he said their name.
"Is this your first year too?" Greg asked Courtney.
Courtney nodded. "I'm so excited. I didn't think I'd be able to wait until it was my turn to come here. It's my sister Rachel's sixth year. She's been bragging about how great this school is ever since her first year."
"I know how that is," Justin spoke up. "My cousin Brad's in his third year. He rubs it in my face everytime I see him."
"Who's he?" Ben asked, pointing to the man in the last row who was now asleep.
"He's a new teacher," Stacy told them.
"I bet he's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts," Justin whispered. "Brad says they get a new teacher for that class every year."
"What house is your sister in?" Peter asked Courtney.
"She's a Ravenclaw," Courtney said. "So was my mum. I hope I'm not one. I'll go crazy if I'm in the same house as Rachel."
"Brad's a Slytherin," Justin informed them. "Everyone in my family has been one."
"You don't want to be one, do you?" Ben asked him, looking worried.
"Not really," Justin said. "But, I hope I'm not in Gryffindor. My father would disown me if I was."
"My parents were both in Hufflepuff," Greg spoke up. "That's probably where I'll be."
The conversation came to a holt as a woman came in with a cart of food. Stacy bought herself a bag of Chocolate Frogs.
The rest of the train ride went by quickly. Stacy talked to her new friends about everything from Quidditch to what classes she was interested in to what their families were like. Stacy left out some details about her parents- such as their professions.
Before she knew it, night had fallen and the train arrived at Hogwarts. Everyone put their Hogwarts robes on over their clothes when a conductor came in to tell them they were almost there. Five minutes later, a voice came through the room instructing the students to leave their belongings on the train because they were going to be taken up to the school later.
Stacy stepped off the train with Courtney and the boys. The glanced around awkwardly waiting for someone to tell them what to do.
"I believe you're supposed to go with him," The new teacher said as he stepped out of the train. He pointed to a tall man with long, thick black hair and a beard who was yelling for the "firs' years" to come with him. He motioned for the group to follow him and he walked over to the tall man.
"Hello Hagrid!" The teacher exclaimed brightly.
"Harry!" Hagrid bellowed, hugging the teacher. "What are yeh doin' here?"
Harry grinned and replied. "Professor Dumbledore sent me an Owl asking if I could fill the Defense Against the Dark Arts position this year."
Stacy heard Justin hiss "told you."
Hagrid grinned too. "It's great to have yeh back at Hogwarts. We've missed yeh." Hagrid looked around the crowd of students and yelled, "Any more firs' years?"
They waited another minute and no one else joined the group. The crowd thinned as the older students began to leave in carriages. Finally, satisfied that he had gathered all of the new students, Hagrid led them down to the lake where a flock of boats were waiting.
"See yeh up at the school, Harry!" He yelled over his shoulder.
Hagrid instructed the students to get in the boats with no more than four per boat. Ben, Greg, Peter, and Justin all climbed into one boat and Courtney and Stacy got in another one with two other girls.
The boat ride was fun. Stacy and Courtney looked around them in awe. The castle was beautiful with towers and passageways. The other girls in the boat were twins Mary and Carrie Sarers. They were completely identical, but seemed to have very different personalities. Mary was quiet and seemed bookish, while Carrie was very sarcastic and didn't seem to care about studying.
Once they reached the school, Hagrid led them in where they were greeted by a tall woman with black hair pulled tightly back into a bun.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," She said as she led through a hallway. "I am Professor McGonagall. In a few minutes, I will take you into the Great Hall where you will be sorted into one of the four Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw." She stopped when they reached an empty, dark part of the hallway. "Please wait here silently. I will return when the Sorting is ready to start." She looked over the group for a moment, then turned and walked into the Great Hall.
The group waited quietly for several minutes before Professor McGonagall returned and led them into the Great Hall. The older students clapped politely as they made their way to an empty space between the teachers' table and the four tables for students. Professor McGonagall brought a stool out with an old, falling apart hat. The hat sang a song about the different Houses. Stacy watched it with a mixture of amazement and anxiety. Apparently this hat was going to read her mind and decide which house she belonged in.
Professor McGonagall picked up a roll of parchment and called, "Adams, Greg."
Greg walked over to the stool with a quick nervous glance at his friends. He sat down and put the hat on. A half minute later, the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Greg put the hat back on the stool and walked over to the Hufflepuff table amongst the cheers and applause from the older students.
Stacy stood timidly next to Courtney as the other first years with the "A" last names were called up. Finally, Professor McGonagall announced "Arrons, Stacy" and it was her turn.
"Hmm," a voice whispered. "You're a tough one. You have the brains of a Ravenclaw. That is plain to see. You also are loyal, patient, and willing to work hard. You would make a good Hufflepuff. I can't see you doing well in Slytherin. Though, you do have a concealed need to prove yourself. I can sense a strong amount of courage in you, though it is deeply hidden. Gryffindor could teach you to use your knowledge in new ways. Yes, I think it best be GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last word to the whole group.
Stacy stood up tensely and placed the hat back on the stool. It had felt like it took longer to decide her house than it had the previous students. The end table cheered as she walked toward them.
"Hi!" an older girl said as she sat down next to her. "I'm Penny Prickle. Welcome to Gryffindor."
"Thanks," Stacy said. "I'm Stacy Arrons."
"I know." Penny giggled and Stacy turned bright red. Why did she have to blush at the drop of a hat?
Stacy turned her attention back to the sorting and watched as Bryons, Kurt got sorted into Ravenclaw. Finally, it was Courtney's turn. Stacy felt her heart beating fast as she waited to hear what house her friend was going to be in. At last, the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Courtney grinned at Stacy and put the hat back on the stool. Stacy couldn't help laughing when she spotted Rachel's mouth opening in surprise.
"It wanted to put me in Ravenclaw," Courtney told Stacy when she sat down. "I kept thinking Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor until it put me here."
They watched the sorting until it was time for the twins they had crossed the lake with to be sorted. Mary was put in Ravenclaw and Carrie was put in Slytherin.
After several more students had their turn, it was Justin's turn. It took the hat nearly five minutes, but it finally yelled, "SLYTHERIN!" Justin removed the hat and looked very disappointed. He shuffled along to the Slytherin table looking angry. Stacy felt sorry for him.
A few more people went and it was Peter's turn. The hat had barely touched his head when it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Peter happily hurried over to the table and sat across from Stacy and Courtney.
They watched the sorting in silence until it was Ben's turn. The hat was on him for about two minutes until he too became a Gryffindor.
The rest of the sorting took about ten minutes, then the hat and stool were taken away. A man with a long white-silver beard stood up from his position at the center of the teachers' table. "Hello and welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" He said happily.
"That's Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster," Penny whispered to Stacy.
Dumbledore continued, "Is everyone hungry?" The crowd cheered. "Then, I suppose we should start the Welcome Feast." He nodded and the dishes were filled at each table. Stacy looked at them in surprise.
"You'll get used to it," Penny told her.
"What year are you in?" Courtney wondered.
"I'm a fourth year," Penny answered.
"Lucky you," Courtney replied. "I guess you haven't had any classes with my sister."
"Your sister is Rachel Flowers from Ravenclaw, right?" Penny asked.
Courtney grimaced. "You know her?"
Penny nodded and swallowed a bite of chicken before answering, "Everyone does. She's the best Seeker Ravenclaw has ever had."
Courtney's eyes widened in surprise. "She plays Quidditch?"
"You didn't know?" Penny stated.
Courtney shook her head and looked at her sister strangely. "I just figured she spent all her time in the library."
Penny smiled slyly. "Well, she does that too. She wants to be her class' Hermione Granger."
"Who's that?" Ben asked. He spit a bit of bread on Courtney by mistake.
"A girl who spent a lot of time in the library, I think." Penny shrugged. "It's just a saying people use here. I'm not really sure what it means."
Just then, Professor Dumbledore stood up again and surveyed the students. The majority of them had finished eating. "Before you go to bed," He said, causing the chatter in the Great Hall to stop. "I have a few announcements. I would like to remind you once again that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to students. Also, Third years and up with permission may visit Hogsmeade starting next weekend." A cheer sounded from the older students. "Finally," Dumbledore continued. "I would like to introduce you to our new Defense Agaist the Dark Arts teacher. He went here a few years ago and has agreed to come back this year to teach the class since we are without a teacher because of the unfortunate incident with Professor Agset last year. Please welcome Professor Harry Potter."
A stunned silence filled the Great Hall for about a minute. Then, students started chattering like there was no tomorrow.
"Did he just say Harry Potter?"
"Is it really THE Harry Potter?"
"It is! It is! I see his scar!"
"This is so cool!"
"I can't wait to tell my parents!"
"I bet he's a really lousy teacher." (That was a Slytherin)
Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat and the chatter died now. "Before you go, let us sing our favorite song."
Stacy watched as the older students say the school song to many different tunes including church hymns, Christmas songs, children's songs, and someone sang it to the tune of the Britney Spears song Baby One More Time.
When the everyone had finished the song, Dumbledore dismissed them. Stacy yawned. She was ready to go to bed. Penny's sister, Joan, was a prefect. Joan led the Gryffindors to their tower. Stacy spotted a painting of an obese woman. She was shocked when the painting opened her mouth and asked for the password. "Tinker bell," Joan announced loudly and clearly, so the whole house heard it.
"That's right, dearie," the lady said and swung to the side so they could climb in.
Joan led the girls up to their dormitories. Stacy was sharing one with Courtney and three other first year Gryffindor girls, Jessica Mullan, Christine Gerties, and Julie Schma.
While the other girls were in their bathroom brushing their teeth, Stacy talked to Courtney.
"Who's Harry Potter?" Stacy asked as soon as the other girls were gone. She'd been wondering that for the past half hour since Professor Dumbledore introduced him.
"Who's Harry Potter?!" Courtney exclaimed in shock. "Your father really never did tell you anything about our world, did he?" Stacy blushed and looked down. "Sorry," Courtney continued. "That was rude. It's just so strange to meet someone who hasn't heard of Harry Potter."
"Well, who is he?" Stacy pressed.
"He's one of the most famous wizards of our time. He defeated You-Know-Who when he was only a year old."
"Who's You-Know-Who?" Stacy asked.
Courtney's eyes widened. "We never say his name. He was a horrible, evil wizard. Anyway, Harry defeated him, but he came back to power thirteen years later. No one believed it at first, until he killed the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. You-Know-Who was defeated by Harry at the end of Harry's seventh year here."
"Is he dead?" Stacy asked.
Courtney nodded her head so hard her curls bounced all over the place. "Harry killed him by kicking a mirror down during their final fight. The curse You-Know-Who meant for Harry was reversed and hit him."
The other girls finished with the bathroom then. Courtney gathered her things together and went in. Stacy stood up slowly and followed her. Her thoughts were scrambled together. Something about the story Courtney had just told her seemed very familiar. She just couldn't place where she had heard it before.
A few minutes later, Stacy climbed into bed and rested her head on her pillow. She fell asleep right away, as did the other girls. None of them noticed the invisible figure moving around their bedroom.
To Be Continued...
There are a few things I'd like to make sure are clear before the second chapter starts. This story is taking place in 2006. This means that Harry and friends graduated about nine years before it starts. Voldemort was defeated by Harry at the end of his seventh year.
Also, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the first part. It makes my day to get a review. =)
In response to some of the reviews, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher should seem familiar... haha And, I plan to work his friends into it- at least for the last part.
Thanks for reading my story! And, once again I'd like to say please review- but don't flame- and sorry for any spelling and grammar mistakes.
-Hope
It always amazed Stacy how time could be so mean. Whenever she wanted something to last forever, it went by in the blink of an eye. In her case, she wanted time to fly by, but it was creeping along like a slug. Stacy had been counting the days until school started ever since she got back from her trip to London.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, it was August 28. Stacy was going to fly to London the next day to stay with her grandmother for the last two days of vacation. It was going to be the first time Stacy traveled on a plane by herself. Her father was in Ohio with his latest film project and her mother was in New York doing the talk show route to promote her latest movie.
"I can't believe you're going to England for the whole school year!" Stacy's best friend, Mandy Payer, exclaimed for the tenth time that hour when she surfaced. The two girls were in Stacy's backyard. Mandy was in the pool and Stacy was sitting on the edge dangling her feet in the water. "What am I going to do without you?"
"I'll be home for Christmas," Stacy pointed out.
"Yeah, but you know my family always goes to Vermont over the holidays. I might not even see you!" Mandy gave her such an overly dramatic look of pain Stacy couldn't help laughing.
The girls were as different as night and day. While Stacy was petite with mousy brown hair, Mandy was tall with sun-streaked blonde hair. Mandy looked more like a movie star than Stacy. She had the confidence and cockiness of one, but Mandy wasn't interested in acting. She preferred swimming. Her goal in life was to make it to the Olympics.
"I'll write to you all the time," Stacy promised. She didn't know how she'd get the letters to Mandy, but she'd figure it out.
"You better!" Mandy exclaimed. "I want every detail of your life."
"Um, right," Stacy stammered. She hadn't told Mandy what kind of school she was going to, and didn't plan on telling her.
Suddenly, Mandy grabbed her arms and pulled her into the pool. "Mandy!" Stacy shouted angrily when she lifted her head out of the water. Mandy laughed and splashed her with a wave of water. Stacy giggled and splashed her back.
The girls spent the next hour swimming and practicing their cannon balls until Mandy's mother, Cara, came to pick her daughter up.
"Stacy," Cara remarked as Mandy went to get her things. She'd spent the weekend at Stacy's house. "Mandy tells me you're not going to return to La Anglia next year." La Anglia Prep School was the local private school for grades K-12.
"I'm going to a boarding school in England," Stacy told her.
"That's too bad," Cara said sadly. "We'll all miss you."
"I'll miss you too," Stacy replied with a touch of unhappiness.
"Ready, honey?" Cara asked as Mandy came into the room carrying her overnight bag.
"Yup," Mandy answered.
"Do you have everything?"
"Mom, I'm eleven, you don't have to-" Mandy dashed back upstairs to Stacy's bedroom and returned with her hairbrush. Her mother smiled, but didn't say anything. Instead, she opened the front door and hugged Stacy good-bye.
"Bye, Stace," Mandy said sadly. "Write me, ok?"
"I promise," Stacy replied. "You write too, k?"
Mandy nodded and followed her mother out the door.
"Bye!" Stacy yelled after them. Then, she ran up to her bedroom and closed the door. The house was silent for once. Despite the thirty some maids, cooks, and other workers, she felt completely alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Miss Arrons!" an impatient voice hissed in her Stacy's ear. "Miss Arrons! Please wake up!"
Stacy lifted her head off her pillow to see Maria, the housekeeper, standing above her.
"Your flight is leaving in two hours, Miss Arrons," Maria continued. "Please get yourself dressed and come downstairs for breakfast." Maria turned on her heel and walked briskly out of Stacy's bedroom.
Stacy pulled herself out of bed and put on her favorite pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. She brushed her hair and twisted it up into a clip. She grabbed her carry on bag and went downstairs. Her trunk of clothes and school belongings had been shipped to her grandmother's house the week before.
Breakfast went by quickly since Stacy was the only one sitting at the long dining room table. She was too nervous about the flight to eat any of the gourmet dishes the chefs had fixed her, but managed to nibble on a bagel and cream cheese she made herself.
Maria ordered all of the servants come to say good-bye to her. Stacy felt ridiculous as the limo drove off with thirty-two people dressed in black and white waving to her from the front lawn.
Stacy got onto the plane without any major delays or problems. She only had to sign autographs for seven people. Most people did not recognize her with her sunglasses on or just didn't care about her since Natalie was not there.
The flight was surprisingly fast. Stacy watched the in-flight movie, ate lunch, and took a nap. She woke up as the pilot announced they were about to land.
Her grandmother was waiting for as she stepped off the plane. It was eight at night when she arrived and they went to eat in a café down the street from the airport.
Roxanna watched her granddaughter with interest. Stacy had ordered a bowl of soup for dinner and just sat there staring bleakly at it.
"What's wrong, Stace?" She asked after ten minutes of silence.
"Nothing," Stacey lied.
"Really? Sure fooled me," Roxanna replied with a twinkle in her eyes.
"It's just," Stacy started, then paused and stared at her soup again.
"Yes?" Roxanna urged.
"What if no one likes me? What if I fail all my classes? What if I get homesick? What if there was a mistake and I wasn't really accepted? What if-"
"What ifs don't accomplish anything," Roxanna advised. "And, of course people will like you. You have never had problems with that before."
"But, that's because people know who I am there."
Her grandmother looked confused for a moment. "Well, of course you're going to have to introduce yourself to people, Stace. But, so is everyone else. No one new is going to know everyone."
"I mean, I'm famous there. I'm not here."
"Do you really think your friends in California like you just because of your status?"
Stacy shrugged. "It's crossed my mind."
"Stacy," Her grandmother said kindly. "It is natural to be worried when starting a new adventure, but you will be fine. You will not fail your classes. You were accepted by Hogwarts because of who you are, not who I am or who your father is or who your grandfather was. Because of you."
Stacy smiled slightly. "What if I get homesick though?"
"You may at first, but I'm sure Hogwarts will quickly become your home."
The nervousness started to fade from Stacy's face.
Her grandmother smiled at her. "It'll be fine." She reassured her.
Stacy sighed and began to eat her soup.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"All aboard for Train Number 876!" A man's voice crackled over the loud speaker.
"It's not up there," Stacy said nervously as she looked at the list of leaving and arriving trains.
"Of course not," Roxanna told her. "The Hogwarts Express is never listed. A Muggle might find it then."
They were rushing through King's Cross Station to get Stacy on her train on time. Finally, they reached platforms nine and ten.
'Where's platform nine and three quarters?' Stacy thought. Before she could think about it too much, Jacob and Ben Wright came up from behind them.
"Hello, Roxanna. Hello, Stacy," Jacob greeted them. He was just as cheerful as he had been when Stacy met him Diagon Alley. "Ready to go to Hogwarts, Stacy?" He asked.
"I think so," She answered.
"Dad!" Ben exclaimed nervously. "It's almost eleven!"
"Come on, then," Jacob ordered without a touch of anxiety in his voice. He led Ben through the barrier between the platforms and Stacy followed with her grandmother.
A train was waiting on the other side of the barrier. Hundreds of students were standing about talking and getting ready to board the train. Stacy felt her grandmother's hand on her shoulder as they made their way through the train to the last car. Roxanna got on the train with Stacy and helped her put her belongings in the overhead storage racks. When she was satisfied her granddaughter was settled, Roxanna hugged her good-bye and went back outside to watch the train leave.
Stacy glanced around the car. It was empty except for herself and a young man with black hair and glasses sitting in the last row of seats. He noticed Stacy staring at him and glanced up from the book in his lap.
"Hello!" He called. "Is this your first year?" Stacy nodded. "It's my first year teaching," He continued. "This should be an interesting year. I used to go to Hogwarts. As a student, of course."
Before Stacy could say anything, the compartment door swung open and a girl with bouncy blonde curls came in.
"Anyone sitting there?" She asked referring to the empty seat next to Stacy.
"Go ahead," Stacy told her.
The girl sighed and flopped down in the seat. "Thank God. If I had to spend the whole ride with my sister and her friends, I'd-"
The compartment door opened again and an older girl with equally bouncy curls came in.
"Courtney!" The girl exclaimed. "What are you doing? Mom told me to keep an eye on you."
Courtney glared at her sister. "Well, Mom's not here, is she Rachel?"
Rachel glared back at her. "Fine, but don't get into any trouble or I'll tell Mom!" She turned around and left the car.
Courtney turned around and smiled at Stacy. "Do you have any sisters or brothers?"
Stacy shook her head. "I'm an only child."
"You are so lucky! I only have Rachel and she drives me insane. She thinks she can boss me around just because she's five years older than me and a prefect."
"What's a prefect?" Stacy asked curiously.
"Oh, do you come from a Muggle family?"
Stacy frowned. Why was everyone so interested in what sort of family she came from? "My mom's a Muggle, but my dad's a wizard," She replied.
"It's the opposite for me," Courtney told her. "My mom's a witch, but my dad's about as Muggle-ish as you can get. He's a builder." She paused. "I'm Courtney Flowers, by the way."
"I'm Stacy Arrons."
"Do you live around here?" Courtney asked curiously. "You don't sound British."
Stacy shook her head. "I'm from California."
"Really?" Courtney asked. Her eyes lit up. "I always wanted to go there. Do you live near any movie stars?"
"You know about movie stars?" Stacy asked. She was clearly taken by surprise.
Courtney nodded proudly. "My father goes to see movies sometimes. I've never been to one. My mum is afraid the Muggle magic will be a bad influence on me. Dad told me about them though. Do you suppose they're really stars? Maybe they come from the sky."
Stacy almost laughed. "I don't think so."
Just then, the car door opened again and Ben and his friends came in.
"Hi Stacy!" Peter said. "Mind if we sit in here? It's getting too noisy out there."
"Sure," Stacy replied.
"Hi!" Courtney said as the four boys sat down. "I'm Courtney Flowers. Who are you?"
Peter, as usual, was the first one to speak up. "I'm Peter. That's Justin, Greg, and Ben." He pointed to each boy as he said their name.
"Is this your first year too?" Greg asked Courtney.
Courtney nodded. "I'm so excited. I didn't think I'd be able to wait until it was my turn to come here. It's my sister Rachel's sixth year. She's been bragging about how great this school is ever since her first year."
"I know how that is," Justin spoke up. "My cousin Brad's in his third year. He rubs it in my face everytime I see him."
"Who's he?" Ben asked, pointing to the man in the last row who was now asleep.
"He's a new teacher," Stacy told them.
"I bet he's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts," Justin whispered. "Brad says they get a new teacher for that class every year."
"What house is your sister in?" Peter asked Courtney.
"She's a Ravenclaw," Courtney said. "So was my mum. I hope I'm not one. I'll go crazy if I'm in the same house as Rachel."
"Brad's a Slytherin," Justin informed them. "Everyone in my family has been one."
"You don't want to be one, do you?" Ben asked him, looking worried.
"Not really," Justin said. "But, I hope I'm not in Gryffindor. My father would disown me if I was."
"My parents were both in Hufflepuff," Greg spoke up. "That's probably where I'll be."
The conversation came to a holt as a woman came in with a cart of food. Stacy bought herself a bag of Chocolate Frogs.
The rest of the train ride went by quickly. Stacy talked to her new friends about everything from Quidditch to what classes she was interested in to what their families were like. Stacy left out some details about her parents- such as their professions.
Before she knew it, night had fallen and the train arrived at Hogwarts. Everyone put their Hogwarts robes on over their clothes when a conductor came in to tell them they were almost there. Five minutes later, a voice came through the room instructing the students to leave their belongings on the train because they were going to be taken up to the school later.
Stacy stepped off the train with Courtney and the boys. The glanced around awkwardly waiting for someone to tell them what to do.
"I believe you're supposed to go with him," The new teacher said as he stepped out of the train. He pointed to a tall man with long, thick black hair and a beard who was yelling for the "firs' years" to come with him. He motioned for the group to follow him and he walked over to the tall man.
"Hello Hagrid!" The teacher exclaimed brightly.
"Harry!" Hagrid bellowed, hugging the teacher. "What are yeh doin' here?"
Harry grinned and replied. "Professor Dumbledore sent me an Owl asking if I could fill the Defense Against the Dark Arts position this year."
Stacy heard Justin hiss "told you."
Hagrid grinned too. "It's great to have yeh back at Hogwarts. We've missed yeh." Hagrid looked around the crowd of students and yelled, "Any more firs' years?"
They waited another minute and no one else joined the group. The crowd thinned as the older students began to leave in carriages. Finally, satisfied that he had gathered all of the new students, Hagrid led them down to the lake where a flock of boats were waiting.
"See yeh up at the school, Harry!" He yelled over his shoulder.
Hagrid instructed the students to get in the boats with no more than four per boat. Ben, Greg, Peter, and Justin all climbed into one boat and Courtney and Stacy got in another one with two other girls.
The boat ride was fun. Stacy and Courtney looked around them in awe. The castle was beautiful with towers and passageways. The other girls in the boat were twins Mary and Carrie Sarers. They were completely identical, but seemed to have very different personalities. Mary was quiet and seemed bookish, while Carrie was very sarcastic and didn't seem to care about studying.
Once they reached the school, Hagrid led them in where they were greeted by a tall woman with black hair pulled tightly back into a bun.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," She said as she led through a hallway. "I am Professor McGonagall. In a few minutes, I will take you into the Great Hall where you will be sorted into one of the four Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw." She stopped when they reached an empty, dark part of the hallway. "Please wait here silently. I will return when the Sorting is ready to start." She looked over the group for a moment, then turned and walked into the Great Hall.
The group waited quietly for several minutes before Professor McGonagall returned and led them into the Great Hall. The older students clapped politely as they made their way to an empty space between the teachers' table and the four tables for students. Professor McGonagall brought a stool out with an old, falling apart hat. The hat sang a song about the different Houses. Stacy watched it with a mixture of amazement and anxiety. Apparently this hat was going to read her mind and decide which house she belonged in.
Professor McGonagall picked up a roll of parchment and called, "Adams, Greg."
Greg walked over to the stool with a quick nervous glance at his friends. He sat down and put the hat on. A half minute later, the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Greg put the hat back on the stool and walked over to the Hufflepuff table amongst the cheers and applause from the older students.
Stacy stood timidly next to Courtney as the other first years with the "A" last names were called up. Finally, Professor McGonagall announced "Arrons, Stacy" and it was her turn.
"Hmm," a voice whispered. "You're a tough one. You have the brains of a Ravenclaw. That is plain to see. You also are loyal, patient, and willing to work hard. You would make a good Hufflepuff. I can't see you doing well in Slytherin. Though, you do have a concealed need to prove yourself. I can sense a strong amount of courage in you, though it is deeply hidden. Gryffindor could teach you to use your knowledge in new ways. Yes, I think it best be GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last word to the whole group.
Stacy stood up tensely and placed the hat back on the stool. It had felt like it took longer to decide her house than it had the previous students. The end table cheered as she walked toward them.
"Hi!" an older girl said as she sat down next to her. "I'm Penny Prickle. Welcome to Gryffindor."
"Thanks," Stacy said. "I'm Stacy Arrons."
"I know." Penny giggled and Stacy turned bright red. Why did she have to blush at the drop of a hat?
Stacy turned her attention back to the sorting and watched as Bryons, Kurt got sorted into Ravenclaw. Finally, it was Courtney's turn. Stacy felt her heart beating fast as she waited to hear what house her friend was going to be in. At last, the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Courtney grinned at Stacy and put the hat back on the stool. Stacy couldn't help laughing when she spotted Rachel's mouth opening in surprise.
"It wanted to put me in Ravenclaw," Courtney told Stacy when she sat down. "I kept thinking Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor until it put me here."
They watched the sorting until it was time for the twins they had crossed the lake with to be sorted. Mary was put in Ravenclaw and Carrie was put in Slytherin.
After several more students had their turn, it was Justin's turn. It took the hat nearly five minutes, but it finally yelled, "SLYTHERIN!" Justin removed the hat and looked very disappointed. He shuffled along to the Slytherin table looking angry. Stacy felt sorry for him.
A few more people went and it was Peter's turn. The hat had barely touched his head when it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Peter happily hurried over to the table and sat across from Stacy and Courtney.
They watched the sorting in silence until it was Ben's turn. The hat was on him for about two minutes until he too became a Gryffindor.
The rest of the sorting took about ten minutes, then the hat and stool were taken away. A man with a long white-silver beard stood up from his position at the center of the teachers' table. "Hello and welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" He said happily.
"That's Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster," Penny whispered to Stacy.
Dumbledore continued, "Is everyone hungry?" The crowd cheered. "Then, I suppose we should start the Welcome Feast." He nodded and the dishes were filled at each table. Stacy looked at them in surprise.
"You'll get used to it," Penny told her.
"What year are you in?" Courtney wondered.
"I'm a fourth year," Penny answered.
"Lucky you," Courtney replied. "I guess you haven't had any classes with my sister."
"Your sister is Rachel Flowers from Ravenclaw, right?" Penny asked.
Courtney grimaced. "You know her?"
Penny nodded and swallowed a bite of chicken before answering, "Everyone does. She's the best Seeker Ravenclaw has ever had."
Courtney's eyes widened in surprise. "She plays Quidditch?"
"You didn't know?" Penny stated.
Courtney shook her head and looked at her sister strangely. "I just figured she spent all her time in the library."
Penny smiled slyly. "Well, she does that too. She wants to be her class' Hermione Granger."
"Who's that?" Ben asked. He spit a bit of bread on Courtney by mistake.
"A girl who spent a lot of time in the library, I think." Penny shrugged. "It's just a saying people use here. I'm not really sure what it means."
Just then, Professor Dumbledore stood up again and surveyed the students. The majority of them had finished eating. "Before you go to bed," He said, causing the chatter in the Great Hall to stop. "I have a few announcements. I would like to remind you once again that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to students. Also, Third years and up with permission may visit Hogsmeade starting next weekend." A cheer sounded from the older students. "Finally," Dumbledore continued. "I would like to introduce you to our new Defense Agaist the Dark Arts teacher. He went here a few years ago and has agreed to come back this year to teach the class since we are without a teacher because of the unfortunate incident with Professor Agset last year. Please welcome Professor Harry Potter."
A stunned silence filled the Great Hall for about a minute. Then, students started chattering like there was no tomorrow.
"Did he just say Harry Potter?"
"Is it really THE Harry Potter?"
"It is! It is! I see his scar!"
"This is so cool!"
"I can't wait to tell my parents!"
"I bet he's a really lousy teacher." (That was a Slytherin)
Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat and the chatter died now. "Before you go, let us sing our favorite song."
Stacy watched as the older students say the school song to many different tunes including church hymns, Christmas songs, children's songs, and someone sang it to the tune of the Britney Spears song Baby One More Time.
When the everyone had finished the song, Dumbledore dismissed them. Stacy yawned. She was ready to go to bed. Penny's sister, Joan, was a prefect. Joan led the Gryffindors to their tower. Stacy spotted a painting of an obese woman. She was shocked when the painting opened her mouth and asked for the password. "Tinker bell," Joan announced loudly and clearly, so the whole house heard it.
"That's right, dearie," the lady said and swung to the side so they could climb in.
Joan led the girls up to their dormitories. Stacy was sharing one with Courtney and three other first year Gryffindor girls, Jessica Mullan, Christine Gerties, and Julie Schma.
While the other girls were in their bathroom brushing their teeth, Stacy talked to Courtney.
"Who's Harry Potter?" Stacy asked as soon as the other girls were gone. She'd been wondering that for the past half hour since Professor Dumbledore introduced him.
"Who's Harry Potter?!" Courtney exclaimed in shock. "Your father really never did tell you anything about our world, did he?" Stacy blushed and looked down. "Sorry," Courtney continued. "That was rude. It's just so strange to meet someone who hasn't heard of Harry Potter."
"Well, who is he?" Stacy pressed.
"He's one of the most famous wizards of our time. He defeated You-Know-Who when he was only a year old."
"Who's You-Know-Who?" Stacy asked.
Courtney's eyes widened. "We never say his name. He was a horrible, evil wizard. Anyway, Harry defeated him, but he came back to power thirteen years later. No one believed it at first, until he killed the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. You-Know-Who was defeated by Harry at the end of Harry's seventh year here."
"Is he dead?" Stacy asked.
Courtney nodded her head so hard her curls bounced all over the place. "Harry killed him by kicking a mirror down during their final fight. The curse You-Know-Who meant for Harry was reversed and hit him."
The other girls finished with the bathroom then. Courtney gathered her things together and went in. Stacy stood up slowly and followed her. Her thoughts were scrambled together. Something about the story Courtney had just told her seemed very familiar. She just couldn't place where she had heard it before.
A few minutes later, Stacy climbed into bed and rested her head on her pillow. She fell asleep right away, as did the other girls. None of them noticed the invisible figure moving around their bedroom.
To Be Continued...