A/N: All right, I forgot a couple of things... Including a few kids. I
know, I know, I'm awful. There's a couple of baby's as well, but they're
not important. Poor things.
Neville and Lavender: Jason (11, First Year), Julia (11, First Year), Nathan (8), Andrew (6), Sarah (3). Only the first two are going to play a role, for now. By the way, they're not twins. They were born ten months apart. And they'll make sure you know it, too. ;)
Fred and Angelina are also married, with a couple of very young children, who won't really have anything to do with this fic (sorry kids). You might be seeing a couple descendents of others characters I haven't listed yet, but not many.
A Shadow Rising
Chapter 4: On the Train
"Come on kids, hurry up, you don't want to be late! Marcus, stop threatening your sister with that roll of parchment! Becky, stop threatening your brother with that lamp! Will, Michael, what on earth are you doing standing on the kitchen table?! Get down here this second! Norah, would you hurry up with your packing? We're leaving!"
The morning of 1st September at the Weasley residence. Chaos. Destruction. Devastation, more like it. Somehow, though, all five kids managed to load their trunks into the boot of Ron's car (magically expanded, of course), and were off to King's Cross station in a timely manner. Ron was driving, and looking rather grumpy at the prospect of having to control a group of excitable kids in a car, while his wife, sister, and brother-in-law waved cheerily from the house as he drove away.
Becky had brought a radio, and she and Norah were belting out the lyrics to one of their favourite songs. Marcus was complaining that 'muggles get dozens of stations and we only get three!', Will was checking to make sure that he had remembered all of his pranking necessities (donated generously by his uncles Fred and George, of course), and Michael looked as if he were about to fall asleep.
Suddenly Becky let out a cry of excitement. "This is them! This is them! This is Clarus!" she squealed. She twisted the volume knob on her radio, and the sound of 'Clarus' filled the car. The boys groaned. Gulliver, Will's owl, hooted distanefully, and fluttered around in his cage. It seemed he wasn't particularily fond of this wizard band.
"Turn it off, turn it off!" Marcus pleaded.
"Yes, for the sake of our sanity!" Michael exclaimed.
"Look, even my owl hates it! Go on, Gulliver, tell them how you feel about this bloody song!" Gulliver let out several loud hoots. Will smiled triumphantly.
"Would you all quiet down, please?! Becky, turn that radio down, or I'll throw it out the window. Will, tell that owl to shut up, or I'll throw it out the window as well! And all of you calm down, or I'll turn around and drive back home, and no one will be going to Hogwarts this year. Or maybe I'll just throw all of you out the window and you can walk home! Is that clear?" Ron fumed. They nodded glumly, and were silent for the rest of the drive.
Once they reached King's Cross and loaded their luggage onto a few trollies, Ron seemed to have cooled down a bit, and apologised for his outburst in the car. "I'm sorry, kids," he said, shaking his head. "I've just been so overworked at the Ministry lately. I really need some peace and quiet, that's all."
"That's all right, Uncle Ron," Norah nodded understandingly. "I know what it's like to need peace and quiet," she glared at Michael, who made a face at her in return.
"Ugh, Norah, why do you always have to agree with the adults? You can be such a goody goody sometimes!" Becky sighed. They had arrived at Platform 9 3/4. "You boys go through first."
"Why?" Will asked.
"Because I'm nervous!" she said. "Just go!"
Will laughed, and ran through the barrier, followed by his brother and Michael in the same fashion. Becky straightened her shoulders, and marched through the seemingly solid wall after them.
Ron glanced at his watch. "You've got seven minutes 'till the train leaves, Norah. You better get moving."
She gulped, and stared at the wall. It seemed so solid. What if it didn't work? What if she couldn't get through? What if she ran into it, and all her luggage fell off her trolly, and everyone stared at her? What if the impact was so hard that she broke her arms?
"Norah? Norah?" her uncle stared down at her, concerned. "What's wrong?"
"It's, umm..." she kicked at the ground, ashamed. "I'm... scared," she whispered.
He laughed. "Oh, don't be scared, Norah! You'll do fine! You know, your father and I were terrified the first time we had to go through as well."
She looked up at him hopefully. "Really? And you were OK?"
"Really. We were fine. Now go on, or you'll miss the train! You can run, if you're nervous."
Norah nodded, gripping the handle of her trolly, and made a run for the wall. When she opened her eyes she was standing on Platform 9 3/4, and the Hogwarts Express was waiting before her. She grinned, and rushed onto the train just before it chugged out of the station.
"There you are, finally!" Becky pulled her into a compartment near the front of the train. "I've been waiting here for you, alone, forever!"
"I only took five minutes," Norah said. "Where are our brothers?"
"You think I'd sit with them?" Becky laughed. "There's no way I'm closing myself up in a compartment with those mad fools. They'd probably set me on fire or something."
Norah had to agree. "Did you see William packing all his joke stuff? I wouldn't accept any sweets or gifts he may offer you."
Becky yawned and stretched. "I'm so glad I'm finally getting away from home!" she sighed happily.
"Why?" Norah asked. "I'll miss my parents."
Becky rolled her eyes. "Don't be so daft! You'll see them at Christmas holidays anyway. Besides, we're going to have so much fun at Hogwarts, we'll forget all about home in a couple of days! I just wish Dumbledore was still Headmaster. Too bad he had to go and die during the war. Apparently he was a pretty cool old guy. McGonagall doesn't let you get away with anything!"
Norah shrugged. "Oh, hey!" she said, as if suddenly remembering something. "Aren't Jason and Julia coming to Hogwarts this year?"
"Jason and Julia Longbottom? I guess so. What do you think they're like now? I haven't seen them in forever!"
"I know," Norah replied, thinking back to when her and her cousins used to play with the Longbottom children. That was when the Weasleys, the Potters, and the Longbottoms had all lived in Hogsmeade for a short while. Norah barely remembered her former playmates. She hadn't seen them since she was four or five. "Do you think they still live in Hogsmeade?" she wondered.
"I heard they moved to Ireland or something. I guess we'll be seeing them soon." her cousin responded. "Well, it's a long train ride. What do you suggest we do?"
"Umm..." Norah rummaged around in the bag that she had carried onto the train. "I've got this July issue of Youth Sodalitus here, and it's got a list of different spells that're supposed to be useful. Want to have a try at some?"
"This coming from the girl who hates breaking rules?" Becky raised an eyebrow. "We're not supposed to do magic out of school, you know."
"I know," Norah replied, "but we're on the train, and it's 1st September, so we can. What do you say, do you want to try it or not?"
"All right, sure," Becky gave in. "What kind of spells do they have there, what are they for?"
"Well... Here's one you might like. It's to straighten hair."
"Ohh!" Becky exclaimed. "Try it out on me!"
"What if I mess up and it doesn't work?"
"I'll only be angry with you for a second," Becky grinned. "Go on!"
"If you say so..." Norah cleared her throat, pointing her wand at Becky's head, and said, "capillus directus!"
"Did it work?" Becky asked anxiously.
Norah was trying hard to suppress a fit of laughter. "It... It... Umm... Well it's straighter than it was, but... Umm... it's all sticking up above your head!"
"What?!"
"See for yourself," Norah laughed, and tossed her a small mirror.
Becky screamed. "Gawd Blimey, Norah, what have you done to me?! My hair's straight, but it's all up above my head! Fix it! Fix it, Norah, please fix it!" she was becoming hysterical.
"All right, calm down!" Norah said. "I don't know how to fix it! It doesn't say!"
"Norah, you have to help me! I can't start school like this! Please, Norah, make it right again! I don't care if it's not straight, I just don't want it sticking up in the air!"
"I'll go get Christina," Norah jumped up. "She knows a bit about this stuff. I'm sure she'll be able to help you. Just wait here."
"Hurry!" Becky called as she exited the compartment.
Norah rushed off down the corridor, remembering that she had seen Christina in a window near the back when she had first seen the train. She was intent on finding her older cousin as quickly as possible - she didn't know what might happen if Becky was made to wait for more than a few minutes, and she didn't want to find out. She was in such a state that she didn't even notice a compartment door slide open, and a boy step out in front of her.
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
Norah had collided with the boy and toppled over onto the ground. She sat up and rubbed her head. "Gawd Blimey..."
"Sorry!" the boy said. "I didn't even see you there! I'll help you up," he pulled her to her feet.
"Thanks," she said, brushing herself off. Then she caught sight of the person who she had literally run into. Blond hair. She remembered that blond hair. It was the cute bloke from Diagon Alley!
"So where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked.
"Umm... Uh..." she stuttered. "I was, um, going to get my cousin. Because my friend sort of, er... Well, I sort of.. I sort of stuck her hair all up on end."
"I... See..." the boy said. "Well then. Anything I can do to help? I'm Dominic Malfoy, by the way."
Her face paled. "Malfoy?"
"Yeah, Malfoy," he said. "Who are you?"
Neville and Lavender: Jason (11, First Year), Julia (11, First Year), Nathan (8), Andrew (6), Sarah (3). Only the first two are going to play a role, for now. By the way, they're not twins. They were born ten months apart. And they'll make sure you know it, too. ;)
Fred and Angelina are also married, with a couple of very young children, who won't really have anything to do with this fic (sorry kids). You might be seeing a couple descendents of others characters I haven't listed yet, but not many.
A Shadow Rising
Chapter 4: On the Train
"Come on kids, hurry up, you don't want to be late! Marcus, stop threatening your sister with that roll of parchment! Becky, stop threatening your brother with that lamp! Will, Michael, what on earth are you doing standing on the kitchen table?! Get down here this second! Norah, would you hurry up with your packing? We're leaving!"
The morning of 1st September at the Weasley residence. Chaos. Destruction. Devastation, more like it. Somehow, though, all five kids managed to load their trunks into the boot of Ron's car (magically expanded, of course), and were off to King's Cross station in a timely manner. Ron was driving, and looking rather grumpy at the prospect of having to control a group of excitable kids in a car, while his wife, sister, and brother-in-law waved cheerily from the house as he drove away.
Becky had brought a radio, and she and Norah were belting out the lyrics to one of their favourite songs. Marcus was complaining that 'muggles get dozens of stations and we only get three!', Will was checking to make sure that he had remembered all of his pranking necessities (donated generously by his uncles Fred and George, of course), and Michael looked as if he were about to fall asleep.
Suddenly Becky let out a cry of excitement. "This is them! This is them! This is Clarus!" she squealed. She twisted the volume knob on her radio, and the sound of 'Clarus' filled the car. The boys groaned. Gulliver, Will's owl, hooted distanefully, and fluttered around in his cage. It seemed he wasn't particularily fond of this wizard band.
"Turn it off, turn it off!" Marcus pleaded.
"Yes, for the sake of our sanity!" Michael exclaimed.
"Look, even my owl hates it! Go on, Gulliver, tell them how you feel about this bloody song!" Gulliver let out several loud hoots. Will smiled triumphantly.
"Would you all quiet down, please?! Becky, turn that radio down, or I'll throw it out the window. Will, tell that owl to shut up, or I'll throw it out the window as well! And all of you calm down, or I'll turn around and drive back home, and no one will be going to Hogwarts this year. Or maybe I'll just throw all of you out the window and you can walk home! Is that clear?" Ron fumed. They nodded glumly, and were silent for the rest of the drive.
Once they reached King's Cross and loaded their luggage onto a few trollies, Ron seemed to have cooled down a bit, and apologised for his outburst in the car. "I'm sorry, kids," he said, shaking his head. "I've just been so overworked at the Ministry lately. I really need some peace and quiet, that's all."
"That's all right, Uncle Ron," Norah nodded understandingly. "I know what it's like to need peace and quiet," she glared at Michael, who made a face at her in return.
"Ugh, Norah, why do you always have to agree with the adults? You can be such a goody goody sometimes!" Becky sighed. They had arrived at Platform 9 3/4. "You boys go through first."
"Why?" Will asked.
"Because I'm nervous!" she said. "Just go!"
Will laughed, and ran through the barrier, followed by his brother and Michael in the same fashion. Becky straightened her shoulders, and marched through the seemingly solid wall after them.
Ron glanced at his watch. "You've got seven minutes 'till the train leaves, Norah. You better get moving."
She gulped, and stared at the wall. It seemed so solid. What if it didn't work? What if she couldn't get through? What if she ran into it, and all her luggage fell off her trolly, and everyone stared at her? What if the impact was so hard that she broke her arms?
"Norah? Norah?" her uncle stared down at her, concerned. "What's wrong?"
"It's, umm..." she kicked at the ground, ashamed. "I'm... scared," she whispered.
He laughed. "Oh, don't be scared, Norah! You'll do fine! You know, your father and I were terrified the first time we had to go through as well."
She looked up at him hopefully. "Really? And you were OK?"
"Really. We were fine. Now go on, or you'll miss the train! You can run, if you're nervous."
Norah nodded, gripping the handle of her trolly, and made a run for the wall. When she opened her eyes she was standing on Platform 9 3/4, and the Hogwarts Express was waiting before her. She grinned, and rushed onto the train just before it chugged out of the station.
"There you are, finally!" Becky pulled her into a compartment near the front of the train. "I've been waiting here for you, alone, forever!"
"I only took five minutes," Norah said. "Where are our brothers?"
"You think I'd sit with them?" Becky laughed. "There's no way I'm closing myself up in a compartment with those mad fools. They'd probably set me on fire or something."
Norah had to agree. "Did you see William packing all his joke stuff? I wouldn't accept any sweets or gifts he may offer you."
Becky yawned and stretched. "I'm so glad I'm finally getting away from home!" she sighed happily.
"Why?" Norah asked. "I'll miss my parents."
Becky rolled her eyes. "Don't be so daft! You'll see them at Christmas holidays anyway. Besides, we're going to have so much fun at Hogwarts, we'll forget all about home in a couple of days! I just wish Dumbledore was still Headmaster. Too bad he had to go and die during the war. Apparently he was a pretty cool old guy. McGonagall doesn't let you get away with anything!"
Norah shrugged. "Oh, hey!" she said, as if suddenly remembering something. "Aren't Jason and Julia coming to Hogwarts this year?"
"Jason and Julia Longbottom? I guess so. What do you think they're like now? I haven't seen them in forever!"
"I know," Norah replied, thinking back to when her and her cousins used to play with the Longbottom children. That was when the Weasleys, the Potters, and the Longbottoms had all lived in Hogsmeade for a short while. Norah barely remembered her former playmates. She hadn't seen them since she was four or five. "Do you think they still live in Hogsmeade?" she wondered.
"I heard they moved to Ireland or something. I guess we'll be seeing them soon." her cousin responded. "Well, it's a long train ride. What do you suggest we do?"
"Umm..." Norah rummaged around in the bag that she had carried onto the train. "I've got this July issue of Youth Sodalitus here, and it's got a list of different spells that're supposed to be useful. Want to have a try at some?"
"This coming from the girl who hates breaking rules?" Becky raised an eyebrow. "We're not supposed to do magic out of school, you know."
"I know," Norah replied, "but we're on the train, and it's 1st September, so we can. What do you say, do you want to try it or not?"
"All right, sure," Becky gave in. "What kind of spells do they have there, what are they for?"
"Well... Here's one you might like. It's to straighten hair."
"Ohh!" Becky exclaimed. "Try it out on me!"
"What if I mess up and it doesn't work?"
"I'll only be angry with you for a second," Becky grinned. "Go on!"
"If you say so..." Norah cleared her throat, pointing her wand at Becky's head, and said, "capillus directus!"
"Did it work?" Becky asked anxiously.
Norah was trying hard to suppress a fit of laughter. "It... It... Umm... Well it's straighter than it was, but... Umm... it's all sticking up above your head!"
"What?!"
"See for yourself," Norah laughed, and tossed her a small mirror.
Becky screamed. "Gawd Blimey, Norah, what have you done to me?! My hair's straight, but it's all up above my head! Fix it! Fix it, Norah, please fix it!" she was becoming hysterical.
"All right, calm down!" Norah said. "I don't know how to fix it! It doesn't say!"
"Norah, you have to help me! I can't start school like this! Please, Norah, make it right again! I don't care if it's not straight, I just don't want it sticking up in the air!"
"I'll go get Christina," Norah jumped up. "She knows a bit about this stuff. I'm sure she'll be able to help you. Just wait here."
"Hurry!" Becky called as she exited the compartment.
Norah rushed off down the corridor, remembering that she had seen Christina in a window near the back when she had first seen the train. She was intent on finding her older cousin as quickly as possible - she didn't know what might happen if Becky was made to wait for more than a few minutes, and she didn't want to find out. She was in such a state that she didn't even notice a compartment door slide open, and a boy step out in front of her.
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
Norah had collided with the boy and toppled over onto the ground. She sat up and rubbed her head. "Gawd Blimey..."
"Sorry!" the boy said. "I didn't even see you there! I'll help you up," he pulled her to her feet.
"Thanks," she said, brushing herself off. Then she caught sight of the person who she had literally run into. Blond hair. She remembered that blond hair. It was the cute bloke from Diagon Alley!
"So where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked.
"Umm... Uh..." she stuttered. "I was, um, going to get my cousin. Because my friend sort of, er... Well, I sort of.. I sort of stuck her hair all up on end."
"I... See..." the boy said. "Well then. Anything I can do to help? I'm Dominic Malfoy, by the way."
Her face paled. "Malfoy?"
"Yeah, Malfoy," he said. "Who are you?"