Paint the Sky with Stars
--by Egon Starcollector
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Not sure if I should've mentioned it before, but 'Kaleidescope Superior' is the name of an album by the Christian rock band Earthsuit. Very good stuff.
Author's note: I've made myself cross-eyed and crazy hunting up stuff in canon about Justin Finch-Fletchley. I found precious little, so I'm making a lot of this up as I go along. And I know we usually see him in Herbology, but the story will work better in spots if he's an Astronomy nut. :)
The cousins' trip to Diagon Alley in mid-August was uneventful. Hermione had hoped to meet up with Harry and Ron so she could introduce them to Stacy, but Harry was staying with the Weaselys and their schedule hadn't matched up with the Grangers'.
Before they knew it, it was September first. Hermione and Stacy found a compartment on the Hogwarts Express and waited for the boys to join them. "Ron might sit with his girlfriend, but he'll at least stop in to say hello. I'm sure Harry will ride with us."
"Of course."
As if on cue, a young man with glasses and messy black hair half-fell through the door and landed next to Hermione. "Hello, love."
"Good morning, Harry. Have a good summer?"
"I missed you," he said, kissing her quickly.
"I missed you too. Harry, remember I owled you and Ron about my cousin Stacy?"
"Oh, yes."
"Stacy, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Stacy McIvers." Harry started, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he realized Stacy had witnessed his public display of affection towards her cousin.
"Um, hello," he mumbled, extending a hand.
"No wonder Hermione's always talking about you! You get right to the point!" she laughed as she shook his hand firmly. He turned a deeper red at that and averted his green eyes. Stacy studied him. Yes, she decided, he and Hermione *did* make a good couple. His eyes shone adoringly every time he looked at Hermione...oh, very good, very good.
Her train of thought was cut off abruptly by the appearance of what seemed to be a human firecracker. "Room for one more?" This was obviously Ron Weasely, the redhead in Hermione's school pictures.
"We figured you'd be sitting with Lavender," Harry grinned.
"What about me?" A pretty blonde girl poked her head out from behind Ron. Lavender? *I can't have heard that correctly,* Stacy decided.
"Oh hello, Lavender," Hermione said. Lavender. That really *was* her name. Poor girl must've had hippie parents. Stacy noted that Hermione seemed fond enough of the girl, while at the same time looking vaguely put- upon. Then again, that could have been because Harry kept interrupting her reading to steal kisses. "Stacy, meet Ron and his girlfriend Lavender Brown. Ron, Lavender, my cousin Stacy."
Lavender smiled sweetly; Ron gave Stacy a handshake that made her shoulder hurt. "So Herm, how'd you end up with an American cousin again?"
"For the millionth time, *don't* call me 'Herm!' And her mother--my father's sister--left England many years ago and moved to Michigan." Stacy tried not to seem thunderstruck by what seemed to her a blatant display of stupidity on Ron's part. He seemed like a really nice guy, but he was clearly not the brains of the operation.
*As long as he's nice, as long as he's nice...oh, brother....*
When they reached Hogwarts, they filed into the Great Hall. Stacy stood a little to the side of the first years; she needed to be sorted just as they did, but that didn't mean she wanted to be mistaken for one of them. She was just a little tall for that.
"Now students, we have someone special to start the sorting ceremony with. Miss Stacy McIvers is an American student who will be spending her last two years of schooling with us. She is in sixth year, along with her cousin Hermione Granger. Miss McIvers?"
Stacy, redfaced, made her way to the stool and sat patiently as a thin, dark woman placed the hat on her head. "Hmmm...very clever. Hotheaded, yes, but with a kind heart. Wait...you're *whose* cousin? Well then, there is only one place for you. GRYFFINDOR!" Stacy sighed with relief and noted that Hermione appeared to be cheering. She made her way to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to her cousin.
"Okay, my nerves are officially shot."
During the feast--roast chicken, one of Stacy's favorite foods, was the main course--the group of them compared schedules. "Herbology!" Stacy moaned. "I'm so bad with plants...know of any good Herbology students who could tutor me?"
"My boyfriend could," said a girl who'd identified herself as Ron's little sister Ginny.
"Ginny...." groaned the dark-haired boy sitting next to her.
"Neville, there's no need to be so modest. Everyone knows you're the best student in the class." The young man blushed and hid his face.
"I'll remember to look you up if I need help," Stacy chuckled. "Now, who else has Double Astronomy?"
"Not me."
"Nope."
"Couldn't fit it into my schedule."
"Double? Are you off your nutter?"
"Astronomy? Somebody say Double Astronomy?" This came from a boy sitting behind Stacy at the next table. She turned around.
"Why yes...Tuesday and Thursday evenings from four to six, unless otherwise noted?"
"The same. It'll probably be mostly independent study. I've been the only student for the past two years. It'll be nice to have a classmate. Justin Finch-Fletchley, by the way," he said, offering his hand.
"Stacy McIvers." Justin had a firm handshake, big blue eyes, curly brown hair...in fact, Stacy decided, he could probably win an Elijah Wood lookalike contest. "I guess I'll see you in class--oh, bother!" Stacy's schedule slid off her lap and fell to the floor. They reached for it at the same time, and their heads smacked rather painfully together. "Ow! I'm sorry!"
"Ow! No, it was my fault, really. Say, what's this?" he said. Stacy's necklace--a silver cross set with tiny star-shaped crystals--had fallen out of her robes and was dangling in mid-air from her neck. He took it between his fingers and studied it.
"A present from my Grandma McIvers."
"Lovely," he said, and Stacy noticed the silver cross hanging around his own neck. "Mine came from my father. Not very fancy, but I tend to be rather a minimalist anyway."
"It suits you," she said, smiling at him. They both turned around, and Stacy found herself facing a bewildered-looking Ron. "What?"
"He's a Hufflepuff!"
"So? He seems nice, and I'm glad to know I won't be the only one in that class."
"It could be worse," said a boy called Seamus Finnegan. "He could be a Slytherin." None of the other Gryffindors could dispute that logic-- Stacy had heard horrifying tales about the millennium-long feud between the two houses--and they changed the subject.
--by Egon Starcollector
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Not sure if I should've mentioned it before, but 'Kaleidescope Superior' is the name of an album by the Christian rock band Earthsuit. Very good stuff.
Author's note: I've made myself cross-eyed and crazy hunting up stuff in canon about Justin Finch-Fletchley. I found precious little, so I'm making a lot of this up as I go along. And I know we usually see him in Herbology, but the story will work better in spots if he's an Astronomy nut. :)
The cousins' trip to Diagon Alley in mid-August was uneventful. Hermione had hoped to meet up with Harry and Ron so she could introduce them to Stacy, but Harry was staying with the Weaselys and their schedule hadn't matched up with the Grangers'.
Before they knew it, it was September first. Hermione and Stacy found a compartment on the Hogwarts Express and waited for the boys to join them. "Ron might sit with his girlfriend, but he'll at least stop in to say hello. I'm sure Harry will ride with us."
"Of course."
As if on cue, a young man with glasses and messy black hair half-fell through the door and landed next to Hermione. "Hello, love."
"Good morning, Harry. Have a good summer?"
"I missed you," he said, kissing her quickly.
"I missed you too. Harry, remember I owled you and Ron about my cousin Stacy?"
"Oh, yes."
"Stacy, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Stacy McIvers." Harry started, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he realized Stacy had witnessed his public display of affection towards her cousin.
"Um, hello," he mumbled, extending a hand.
"No wonder Hermione's always talking about you! You get right to the point!" she laughed as she shook his hand firmly. He turned a deeper red at that and averted his green eyes. Stacy studied him. Yes, she decided, he and Hermione *did* make a good couple. His eyes shone adoringly every time he looked at Hermione...oh, very good, very good.
Her train of thought was cut off abruptly by the appearance of what seemed to be a human firecracker. "Room for one more?" This was obviously Ron Weasely, the redhead in Hermione's school pictures.
"We figured you'd be sitting with Lavender," Harry grinned.
"What about me?" A pretty blonde girl poked her head out from behind Ron. Lavender? *I can't have heard that correctly,* Stacy decided.
"Oh hello, Lavender," Hermione said. Lavender. That really *was* her name. Poor girl must've had hippie parents. Stacy noted that Hermione seemed fond enough of the girl, while at the same time looking vaguely put- upon. Then again, that could have been because Harry kept interrupting her reading to steal kisses. "Stacy, meet Ron and his girlfriend Lavender Brown. Ron, Lavender, my cousin Stacy."
Lavender smiled sweetly; Ron gave Stacy a handshake that made her shoulder hurt. "So Herm, how'd you end up with an American cousin again?"
"For the millionth time, *don't* call me 'Herm!' And her mother--my father's sister--left England many years ago and moved to Michigan." Stacy tried not to seem thunderstruck by what seemed to her a blatant display of stupidity on Ron's part. He seemed like a really nice guy, but he was clearly not the brains of the operation.
*As long as he's nice, as long as he's nice...oh, brother....*
When they reached Hogwarts, they filed into the Great Hall. Stacy stood a little to the side of the first years; she needed to be sorted just as they did, but that didn't mean she wanted to be mistaken for one of them. She was just a little tall for that.
"Now students, we have someone special to start the sorting ceremony with. Miss Stacy McIvers is an American student who will be spending her last two years of schooling with us. She is in sixth year, along with her cousin Hermione Granger. Miss McIvers?"
Stacy, redfaced, made her way to the stool and sat patiently as a thin, dark woman placed the hat on her head. "Hmmm...very clever. Hotheaded, yes, but with a kind heart. Wait...you're *whose* cousin? Well then, there is only one place for you. GRYFFINDOR!" Stacy sighed with relief and noted that Hermione appeared to be cheering. She made her way to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to her cousin.
"Okay, my nerves are officially shot."
During the feast--roast chicken, one of Stacy's favorite foods, was the main course--the group of them compared schedules. "Herbology!" Stacy moaned. "I'm so bad with plants...know of any good Herbology students who could tutor me?"
"My boyfriend could," said a girl who'd identified herself as Ron's little sister Ginny.
"Ginny...." groaned the dark-haired boy sitting next to her.
"Neville, there's no need to be so modest. Everyone knows you're the best student in the class." The young man blushed and hid his face.
"I'll remember to look you up if I need help," Stacy chuckled. "Now, who else has Double Astronomy?"
"Not me."
"Nope."
"Couldn't fit it into my schedule."
"Double? Are you off your nutter?"
"Astronomy? Somebody say Double Astronomy?" This came from a boy sitting behind Stacy at the next table. She turned around.
"Why yes...Tuesday and Thursday evenings from four to six, unless otherwise noted?"
"The same. It'll probably be mostly independent study. I've been the only student for the past two years. It'll be nice to have a classmate. Justin Finch-Fletchley, by the way," he said, offering his hand.
"Stacy McIvers." Justin had a firm handshake, big blue eyes, curly brown hair...in fact, Stacy decided, he could probably win an Elijah Wood lookalike contest. "I guess I'll see you in class--oh, bother!" Stacy's schedule slid off her lap and fell to the floor. They reached for it at the same time, and their heads smacked rather painfully together. "Ow! I'm sorry!"
"Ow! No, it was my fault, really. Say, what's this?" he said. Stacy's necklace--a silver cross set with tiny star-shaped crystals--had fallen out of her robes and was dangling in mid-air from her neck. He took it between his fingers and studied it.
"A present from my Grandma McIvers."
"Lovely," he said, and Stacy noticed the silver cross hanging around his own neck. "Mine came from my father. Not very fancy, but I tend to be rather a minimalist anyway."
"It suits you," she said, smiling at him. They both turned around, and Stacy found herself facing a bewildered-looking Ron. "What?"
"He's a Hufflepuff!"
"So? He seems nice, and I'm glad to know I won't be the only one in that class."
"It could be worse," said a boy called Seamus Finnegan. "He could be a Slytherin." None of the other Gryffindors could dispute that logic-- Stacy had heard horrifying tales about the millennium-long feud between the two houses--and they changed the subject.