When Science Labs Explode
Disclaimer: We would like to make it clear that we IN NO WAY own or claim to own, or any rights to, or any trademarks of any characters recognizable from the Harry Potter series by Joanne Kathleen Rowling. Or any trademarks, rights to, express or implied, to the Calgary Board of Education, or anything else at all you may recognize from anywhere else.
We also in no way own Ransom Jr. High or any teachers therein. ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY THAT ARE NOT FROM THE HARRY POTTER SERIES WERE EXTRACTED FROM REAL LIFE AND ARE BASED ON REAL PEOPLE. PLEASE DO NOT SCREW AROUND WITH THEM, FOR WHATEVER REASON YOUR TWISTED MIND MAY THINK OF. However, we changed everyone's names (including our own). Neither do we mean to upset any supporters of the Canadian Alliance. If you support them, don't read this!
A/N: I wrote this with Ella Moon, so if you recognize her style of writing or word usage or whatever, then that'll be why. This is also my very first time posting so if things are a little screwed, I apologize. I'M LEARNING!!!
Chapter Two
It was a very long time before they got to where they were going. When they stepped out of the limos, being told their bags would be brought later, they looked up at their new school.
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" a prefect said. There was a faint thump as Kaitlyn fainted.
When she woke up on the ground a few seconds later she stood up.
"I'm fine…" she said. No one questioned her, all the GATE kids looked like they were about to faint themselves, but the prefects looked rather confused.
"What, in the name of the Philosopher's Stone has gotten into them?" asked one prefect of another.
"Got me, Sally-Ann," answered Edward. He was happy to say something not supremely stupid for once.
"Um… yes… well… maybe we should go in?" said Miss Andrews, looking rather flustered herself.
"Yeah… you'll be sorted… there's a feast to welcome you…" said Sally-Ann, and led them into the hall.
"Wow, we get a feast!" said Bruce. "Of course, I deserve it."
"Uh-huh, yeah, sure Bruce…" said Ally, proceeding to the doors of the great hall. They walked in completely and totally silent. (For once)
"Wow - look, it really is enchanted!" mused Kaitlyn, looking up at the ceiling, commenting to Ally.
"Oh! It's so cool!" She said, in her normal rapturous voice. (She had a voice that always seemed to bubble with rapture.)
"Ah… hello, children!" said Dumbledore to the wondrous (they were full of wonder, not wonders themselves) GATE kids. "Here you are! We've been waiting! We're so glad we could take you - and, Miss Merchell, we won't have to worry about your blowing up the science lab here!" (Airinne blushed) "So, if you'd all line up, let us begin the sorting!"
All the GATE kids lined up at the top of the hall, in front of the teachers' table. The shabby old Sorting Hat was brought out.
"You will be sorted into your house. You will attend classes with your house, sleep in your house dorm, and eat at your house table," explained Professor McGonagall, and stepped aside. Kaitlyn, Ally, Lily, Siri, and most people knew what to expect now. Kaitlyn was shaking, she was so excited. She stared at the hat.
"Oh, many years ago, working at my post,
For Gryffindor and Slytherin and Hufflepuff, I boast,
I do my job with pride,
I do it all the time!
The second time this year it is I've had to sing a rhyme!
So…
If you'll oblige me and sit down,
Upon this handsome stool,
I can promise you, you won't look like a fool!
I tell you where your heart belongs,
You sit and listen rapt,
And while I sing my merry songs,
The others just relax!!!
I may decide,
You do divide,
Into a Hufflepuff,
Where you will be so happy,
Where others do your stuff,
There they are so caring and,
Willing to lend a hand,
And loyal to a fault I'm told,
That's where Hufflepuff stands!
Or maybe you're a Gryffindor,
A brave and fearless knight,
Who always strives and tries and tries
Just to do what's right!
There they will do anything,
For what they want to do,
And if you don't believe me, talk to one or two!
Or possibly in Ravenclaw,
You'll be most at home!
Where they can toil
Over books and moil
For knowledge to achieve!
And there they know just who they are,
And where they're going to,
They are so smart, so knowledgeable,
Maybe just like you!
But perhaps, when done my math,
I'll make a different choice!
And send you in to Slytherin to
Others who are moist - er…
And when you are in Slytherin,
You'll know just what to do,
The people there do what they want
To get to where they do!!!
They're in a class, all of their own,
And not to be messed with!
But if you are a Slytherin, that's what will fit you best!
So come along,
And put me on your head,
And when you take me off,
I know you won't be dead!
Because, although I'm just a hat,
A hat that by and by,
Will know each Hogwarts student,
From their heart unto their hide!"
"Do you think the pressure got to him?" asked Kaitlyn of Lily.
"No," she answered. (In a sarcastic tone.)
"Now, let's begin the sorting. Aryst, Ayter!" McGonagall yelled. Several GATE kids winced and gingerly put their hands over their ears. (They were being hypocritical; thinking that McGonagall was loud.) The sorting went on… and on…
"Gainstein, Kaitlyn," Kaitlyn walked up and scanned the crowd. She saw Cho Chang at the Ravenclaw table. Almost as she had imagined her. Then she saw the Gryffindor table. Hermione, with her bushy, almost curly hair. And then Harry. He looked so - sad. Small wonder, Kait thought. She plopped the hat onto her head.
"Ahhh, hello, Kaitlyn! You'll make a great witch, you know. {Kaitlyn almost fell off the stool} I think you'll do best in… hmm… some Gryffindor qualities… Yes… and you're nice and loyal… A good, stable sprinkling of Slytherin, but you'd do horribly there… oh, and I know you think you're a Muggle, but just wait, Kait, and you'll see… so… all things considered, I think you'd do really well in RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted the last word to the whole room. Shaking and trembling, she went to the Ravenclaw table, sidling into a free space beside Cho. Sally came and joined her almost right away.
"Did the hat tell you that you were a witch?" Sally asked Kait.
"Yeah - but we're not… we're Muggles… we're only here `cause Airinne blew up the science lab…"
"Creepy… wonder if anyone else is gonna be a Ravenclaw?" said Sally.
"Doesn't look like anyone nice. Joy's in Hufflepuff, Melanie, Fiona, and Kailie are in Gryffindor… along with Jody. So… doesn't look like anyone… anyone nice, at any rate. `Cept Lily…" said Amy.
"Yeah," said Kait, as Lily sat across from her, cocked her head to one side, and banged on the side facing the ceiling and grimaced. "Stupid hat… why the hell did it have to yell so freaking loud?" she wondered. When the sorting ended, the feast began. There was a sprinkling of "ooo"s and "ahh"s when the food appeared (although Lily couldn't taste WHY) from the GATE kids, but most expected that. When the feast was over, everyone bursting, all the GATE kids were told to go to their common rooms with the rest, and that their classes would be explained the next day. Kaitlyn, Sally, Amy and Lily went with their prefect. They stopped beside a tapestry of a hole in the ground covering a door, big enough for them to fit through.
"Harry Potter," said the prefect, and the door swung open.
"Who made up that password?" asked Lily.
"Some besotted, idiotic prefect, that's my guess," answered Kait. Lily nodded. They all walked into the common room. It was cozy, a big room with tapestries on the walls and hardwood flooring. There were bookshelves in a corner and armchairs. In another there were some tables, with normal chairs. All the fabric was blue, and little carved eagles were everywhere.
"Well, see that corner there?" the prefect asked.
"Yeah," Lily said. (they weren't total idiots)
"Well that door behind the gathered tapestry is the way to the girls' dorms. There's beds and trunks for you in the fourth year room,"
"`K." they said, (while muttering, "Duh, you could've just mentioned that in the first place…") and went up to their dorm to check it out. There were five beds, just like in Harry's dorm (they knew it, naturally. They'd read the books), except all hung in blue. A bathroom was off to a side through a carved door. The ceiling was domed and carved stone, and the walls were hung all nicely. They found their suitcases on fancy carved trunks at the end of three beds.
"Well, this is nice! Shall we go back down?" asked Kaitlyn.
"Yeah, sure whatever."
"Ok. Let's go." They walked down the stairs to the common room, and sat down by the fire. Kaitlyn walked over to Cho, after a mental battle in her head.
"Hi Cho," she said
"How do you know my name?" asked Cho.
"Um… musta heard it around… ya know?"
"Oh. OK… What's your name?"
"Kaitlyn"
"Hi Kaitlyn."
"Hi." There was a long pause for a moment, then Kaitlyn spoke up.
"So…" she said.
"Yeah?"
"How's your year been so far? Voldie pop up yet?"
"Voldie…? Oh! You said - well - you almost said You-Know-Who's name!"
"Oh… yeah… nasty habit of mine… heh, heh… he's not a real threat to me… not real… not part of my nightmares…"
"Um… no, he hasn't… thank goodness… and how can he not be a threat? He'd kill us all!"
"Um… well, I never believed he was real…"
"Never… you must be crazy."
"No… OK, yeah, I am crazy."
"Er… OK…" Cho looked somewhat perplexed.
"So… where's Snape?"
"How do you know about Snape?"
"Um… well… I just asked who he was… really seems to hate Ha - that kid with the funky scar…"
"Um… he wasn't here…"
"Wasn't he! Oh…" Kait mentally gave herself a severe scolding.
"No. He's gotten the year off. But he's shown up twice already, and left again."
"So who's potions teacher?" It seemed to slip Cho's mind to wonder how a Muggle knew about wizarding classes. That was mainly because she was really surprised by who the Potions Master was, and even though it was November, she was still very excited when talking about the subject.
"Black! Black! We all thought Dumbledore had gone potty. But he doesn't seem so bad… Dumbledore's made a break from the ministry… there are a lot less students here this year… some parents pulled their kids when they found out… but my parents thought Dumbledore was right - he's Dumbledore - so I stayed."
"Cool! Good thing too."
"How would you know anything about it?"
"Um… I read the Daily Prophet to keep up… so I wouldn't be behind in wizard news… even though I'm a Muggle…"
"Oh…" Cho felt bewildered.
"Hey, Cho, promise me something, will ya? I have my ways of knowing what's been happening at Hogwarts… particularly about Harry Potter, from the beginning of his first year to the end of last year… and... He'd probably hate me if he knew I told you this, since I'm not his friend yet… so, um…" she quickly made up her mind. "He's got a horrible crush on you, Cho, and could you please ask him out this year? It'd make him happy, and well, he'll need it, even though - heh, never mind, but still… do it for me, please, or for Harry?" blurted Kait. She wasn't at all used to talking to strangers openly, but she kept telling herself Cho wasn't a stranger.
"Er… OK, yeah… he asked me to the Yule Ball last year... but I was going with…" here she broke into sobs.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! Hey, Lily, Sally, Amy, get over here," Kait said, happy for a diversion so she could retrieve her foot from her esophagus, nodding her head towards the weeping Cho.
"Oh! Yeah, sure!" they came over, and they all sat with Cho, helping her get through the whole Cedric ordeal. You see, Cedric had died the previous year, when he had been dating Cho. It had been very traumatic for the whole school, but Harry and Cho mostly. It seemed to slip Cho's mind to ask how they knew.
"Sorry…"
"It's OK, what would we expect? I'm sorry I brought it up…"
"It's alright. Thank you,"
"Welcome," said Kait, and the five of them tentatively walked away from Cho. Just then there was a knock at the door. Siri, Kailie and Airinne stood at the door. A prefect was giving them trouble, as they weren't Ravenclaws.
"We just wanna see our friends," they protested, and they (the aforementioned friends) came over.
"Hey guys!"
"C'mere!" the three at the door said. They stepped out of the common room, and into the corridor.
"Where are we going?" Sally asked.
"To our common room," Kailie answered.
"Ahhh… but won't your prefect take off points?"
"Ha! Our prefects are Hermione, Harry, Fred and George! Never!"
"Fred and George are prefects?!" (This came from the open-mouthed Kait.)
"Yeah, they let us do anything, they're trying to make McGonagall mad enough to make them stop being prefects. We call them prefects all the time, it makes them so mad!"
"Ha ha!"
"Yeah, it's a laugh riot."
They finally arrived at the Gryffindor entrance.
"Hey, Miss Fat Lady," said Kait. "You're cool!"
"Why, thank you, dearie," replied the Fat Lady who looked puzzled, but she took the comment as a compliment. You never knew with Americans. (CANADIANS!!! That's what they were, {of course} but what would a British painting know anyway?)
"Plug your ears!"
"OK" the five Ravenclaws plugged their ears.
"Pig zits!" whispered Kailie to the Fat Lady, who swung open and let them in. Kait loved the Gryffindor common room. She saw everyone. She felt like she was coming home.
"Hi!" she said to everyone (they all looked at her funny, since they had never seen her before in their lives, but she didn't notice. Although she did feel really brave talking to "fictional characters"). To Fred and George she also asked if she could maybe have a Canary Cream, although she was shaking as she said it and Siri and Airinne were holding her in place. She asked Lee how Quidditch was going, and Neville if he could teach her some Herbology. She talked to Seamus about how she thought being a half- and-half you get the best of both worlds (she was blushing almost as bad as Ron, but this was true, and she had to say it. And despite what anyone might think, no she did not like Seamus) (not in that way, at any rate). She just started talking to Ginny about everything… they were the same age… and, after a whispered conversation with the other GATE gals, they hauled Harry, Ron and Hermione out of the common room and told them to help find an empty classroom. All together they could do that, and soon they were all in the empty charms classroom.
"Why - why did you take us here?" asked a rather scared Hermione. Harry was stifling laughs, and Ron was bent double.
"Hi! We've always wanted to meet you - especially Kait, there, a real fan," said Siri, and she was whapped upside the head by Kait at the last line.
"Actually, Harry"
"And Ron and Hermione!" said Kristin.
"We've got to tell you something rather important. We want you to know that we know. I don't think you'll want to know where we get our info, but it's not from Voldemort, so don't worry. I should be getting my next report on Hogwarts some time in December. (Lousy Canada Post…) Anyway, Harry, we know," said Kait, in a serious voice.
"What - what do you know?"
"All your secrets," said Airinne, laughing.
"Shut up! This is serious! Voldie's gonna be back! Hopefully we'll get the giants, but he's already got the dementors! Harry has to know! He didn't (I don't know why) catch what Dumbledore told everyone to do, and he has to know!" Kait had a stern look on her face. The three fifteen-year- olds stood there in amazement.
"How much do you know?"
"Oh, Harry, everything! We know about Quirrell, and your parents, and about Sirius, and about Draco, and Lucius, and Moon and Nott, and McNair and Beaky and Fluffy," at this point Lily (who had been casually leaning against a wall) snorted and then subsided into quiet snickers. This earned her a dirty look from Kaitlyn as well as several funny ones from Harry, Ron and Hermione. "…and Norbert" Lily's face lit up at the mention of the baby dragon, but no one noticed. "and the skrewts, and we know all about the tasks. We know who helped you, we even know about Myrtle's spying on you, and how horribly red you turned, and we know about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and TMR -" when she saw the blank looks she was getting she exclaimed, "oh!" and then hastily added "Tom Marvolo Riddle. And Moody (both of them) and the Crouches. And Poncho and Kilt, and the Pensieve, and Rita, and Remus, Peter," (whence she made fists) "Sirius, and James, and the cloak, and the Whomping Willow. And Arthur's - Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia, and Floo Powder, and Borgin and Burkes, and the Dursleys. And Ton Tongue Toffees, and Fizzing Whizzbees, and how Filch is a squib - we even know about Neville, and I brought along a complete account of what happened at the Riddle Graveyard," here her friends looked at her funny. "and I know how Cedric died, and also about Neville! We know EVERYTHING!!!" Kait was almost in tears. Harry, in the meantime, was trying to work out who everyone was with their first names. Which he promptly forgot ten minutes later.
"How do you know - oh yeah, you won't tell… oh… alright, who knows?"
"Mostly everyone, Harry."
"Who knows the most?"
"Me, Harry," answered Kait.
"She's the resident expert," said Lily. Kait smiled dopily.
"Ok, well, we'll have to talk… in the meantime, tell NO ONE!"
"Kind of a duh thing there!" said Airinne.
"What? Oh. OK, can we go now?"
"Yeah. Bye." They all walked out of the classroom and to their common rooms.
"Well, you certainly told all, didn't you?" asked Lily. Kait grinned impishly.
"Nope. I know more than that,"
"Of course. You do know that you're hopeless, right?"
"And proud of it!"
"My god."
They eventually split up and went to their respective common rooms. Sally, Amy, and Lily fell asleep right away, but Kait was much too excited to even think of sleep. She went down into the common room and read all she could (specifically, tons of the books in the common room, and she brushed up on her details from her favorite books).
Disclaimer: We would like to make it clear that we IN NO WAY own or claim to own, or any rights to, or any trademarks of any characters recognizable from the Harry Potter series by Joanne Kathleen Rowling. Or any trademarks, rights to, express or implied, to the Calgary Board of Education, or anything else at all you may recognize from anywhere else.
We also in no way own Ransom Jr. High or any teachers therein. ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY THAT ARE NOT FROM THE HARRY POTTER SERIES WERE EXTRACTED FROM REAL LIFE AND ARE BASED ON REAL PEOPLE. PLEASE DO NOT SCREW AROUND WITH THEM, FOR WHATEVER REASON YOUR TWISTED MIND MAY THINK OF. However, we changed everyone's names (including our own). Neither do we mean to upset any supporters of the Canadian Alliance. If you support them, don't read this!
A/N: I wrote this with Ella Moon, so if you recognize her style of writing or word usage or whatever, then that'll be why. This is also my very first time posting so if things are a little screwed, I apologize. I'M LEARNING!!!
Chapter Two
It was a very long time before they got to where they were going. When they stepped out of the limos, being told their bags would be brought later, they looked up at their new school.
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" a prefect said. There was a faint thump as Kaitlyn fainted.
When she woke up on the ground a few seconds later she stood up.
"I'm fine…" she said. No one questioned her, all the GATE kids looked like they were about to faint themselves, but the prefects looked rather confused.
"What, in the name of the Philosopher's Stone has gotten into them?" asked one prefect of another.
"Got me, Sally-Ann," answered Edward. He was happy to say something not supremely stupid for once.
"Um… yes… well… maybe we should go in?" said Miss Andrews, looking rather flustered herself.
"Yeah… you'll be sorted… there's a feast to welcome you…" said Sally-Ann, and led them into the hall.
"Wow, we get a feast!" said Bruce. "Of course, I deserve it."
"Uh-huh, yeah, sure Bruce…" said Ally, proceeding to the doors of the great hall. They walked in completely and totally silent. (For once)
"Wow - look, it really is enchanted!" mused Kaitlyn, looking up at the ceiling, commenting to Ally.
"Oh! It's so cool!" She said, in her normal rapturous voice. (She had a voice that always seemed to bubble with rapture.)
"Ah… hello, children!" said Dumbledore to the wondrous (they were full of wonder, not wonders themselves) GATE kids. "Here you are! We've been waiting! We're so glad we could take you - and, Miss Merchell, we won't have to worry about your blowing up the science lab here!" (Airinne blushed) "So, if you'd all line up, let us begin the sorting!"
All the GATE kids lined up at the top of the hall, in front of the teachers' table. The shabby old Sorting Hat was brought out.
"You will be sorted into your house. You will attend classes with your house, sleep in your house dorm, and eat at your house table," explained Professor McGonagall, and stepped aside. Kaitlyn, Ally, Lily, Siri, and most people knew what to expect now. Kaitlyn was shaking, she was so excited. She stared at the hat.
"Oh, many years ago, working at my post,
For Gryffindor and Slytherin and Hufflepuff, I boast,
I do my job with pride,
I do it all the time!
The second time this year it is I've had to sing a rhyme!
So…
If you'll oblige me and sit down,
Upon this handsome stool,
I can promise you, you won't look like a fool!
I tell you where your heart belongs,
You sit and listen rapt,
And while I sing my merry songs,
The others just relax!!!
I may decide,
You do divide,
Into a Hufflepuff,
Where you will be so happy,
Where others do your stuff,
There they are so caring and,
Willing to lend a hand,
And loyal to a fault I'm told,
That's where Hufflepuff stands!
Or maybe you're a Gryffindor,
A brave and fearless knight,
Who always strives and tries and tries
Just to do what's right!
There they will do anything,
For what they want to do,
And if you don't believe me, talk to one or two!
Or possibly in Ravenclaw,
You'll be most at home!
Where they can toil
Over books and moil
For knowledge to achieve!
And there they know just who they are,
And where they're going to,
They are so smart, so knowledgeable,
Maybe just like you!
But perhaps, when done my math,
I'll make a different choice!
And send you in to Slytherin to
Others who are moist - er…
And when you are in Slytherin,
You'll know just what to do,
The people there do what they want
To get to where they do!!!
They're in a class, all of their own,
And not to be messed with!
But if you are a Slytherin, that's what will fit you best!
So come along,
And put me on your head,
And when you take me off,
I know you won't be dead!
Because, although I'm just a hat,
A hat that by and by,
Will know each Hogwarts student,
From their heart unto their hide!"
"Do you think the pressure got to him?" asked Kaitlyn of Lily.
"No," she answered. (In a sarcastic tone.)
"Now, let's begin the sorting. Aryst, Ayter!" McGonagall yelled. Several GATE kids winced and gingerly put their hands over their ears. (They were being hypocritical; thinking that McGonagall was loud.) The sorting went on… and on…
"Gainstein, Kaitlyn," Kaitlyn walked up and scanned the crowd. She saw Cho Chang at the Ravenclaw table. Almost as she had imagined her. Then she saw the Gryffindor table. Hermione, with her bushy, almost curly hair. And then Harry. He looked so - sad. Small wonder, Kait thought. She plopped the hat onto her head.
"Ahhh, hello, Kaitlyn! You'll make a great witch, you know. {Kaitlyn almost fell off the stool} I think you'll do best in… hmm… some Gryffindor qualities… Yes… and you're nice and loyal… A good, stable sprinkling of Slytherin, but you'd do horribly there… oh, and I know you think you're a Muggle, but just wait, Kait, and you'll see… so… all things considered, I think you'd do really well in RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted the last word to the whole room. Shaking and trembling, she went to the Ravenclaw table, sidling into a free space beside Cho. Sally came and joined her almost right away.
"Did the hat tell you that you were a witch?" Sally asked Kait.
"Yeah - but we're not… we're Muggles… we're only here `cause Airinne blew up the science lab…"
"Creepy… wonder if anyone else is gonna be a Ravenclaw?" said Sally.
"Doesn't look like anyone nice. Joy's in Hufflepuff, Melanie, Fiona, and Kailie are in Gryffindor… along with Jody. So… doesn't look like anyone… anyone nice, at any rate. `Cept Lily…" said Amy.
"Yeah," said Kait, as Lily sat across from her, cocked her head to one side, and banged on the side facing the ceiling and grimaced. "Stupid hat… why the hell did it have to yell so freaking loud?" she wondered. When the sorting ended, the feast began. There was a sprinkling of "ooo"s and "ahh"s when the food appeared (although Lily couldn't taste WHY) from the GATE kids, but most expected that. When the feast was over, everyone bursting, all the GATE kids were told to go to their common rooms with the rest, and that their classes would be explained the next day. Kaitlyn, Sally, Amy and Lily went with their prefect. They stopped beside a tapestry of a hole in the ground covering a door, big enough for them to fit through.
"Harry Potter," said the prefect, and the door swung open.
"Who made up that password?" asked Lily.
"Some besotted, idiotic prefect, that's my guess," answered Kait. Lily nodded. They all walked into the common room. It was cozy, a big room with tapestries on the walls and hardwood flooring. There were bookshelves in a corner and armchairs. In another there were some tables, with normal chairs. All the fabric was blue, and little carved eagles were everywhere.
"Well, see that corner there?" the prefect asked.
"Yeah," Lily said. (they weren't total idiots)
"Well that door behind the gathered tapestry is the way to the girls' dorms. There's beds and trunks for you in the fourth year room,"
"`K." they said, (while muttering, "Duh, you could've just mentioned that in the first place…") and went up to their dorm to check it out. There were five beds, just like in Harry's dorm (they knew it, naturally. They'd read the books), except all hung in blue. A bathroom was off to a side through a carved door. The ceiling was domed and carved stone, and the walls were hung all nicely. They found their suitcases on fancy carved trunks at the end of three beds.
"Well, this is nice! Shall we go back down?" asked Kaitlyn.
"Yeah, sure whatever."
"Ok. Let's go." They walked down the stairs to the common room, and sat down by the fire. Kaitlyn walked over to Cho, after a mental battle in her head.
"Hi Cho," she said
"How do you know my name?" asked Cho.
"Um… musta heard it around… ya know?"
"Oh. OK… What's your name?"
"Kaitlyn"
"Hi Kaitlyn."
"Hi." There was a long pause for a moment, then Kaitlyn spoke up.
"So…" she said.
"Yeah?"
"How's your year been so far? Voldie pop up yet?"
"Voldie…? Oh! You said - well - you almost said You-Know-Who's name!"
"Oh… yeah… nasty habit of mine… heh, heh… he's not a real threat to me… not real… not part of my nightmares…"
"Um… no, he hasn't… thank goodness… and how can he not be a threat? He'd kill us all!"
"Um… well, I never believed he was real…"
"Never… you must be crazy."
"No… OK, yeah, I am crazy."
"Er… OK…" Cho looked somewhat perplexed.
"So… where's Snape?"
"How do you know about Snape?"
"Um… well… I just asked who he was… really seems to hate Ha - that kid with the funky scar…"
"Um… he wasn't here…"
"Wasn't he! Oh…" Kait mentally gave herself a severe scolding.
"No. He's gotten the year off. But he's shown up twice already, and left again."
"So who's potions teacher?" It seemed to slip Cho's mind to wonder how a Muggle knew about wizarding classes. That was mainly because she was really surprised by who the Potions Master was, and even though it was November, she was still very excited when talking about the subject.
"Black! Black! We all thought Dumbledore had gone potty. But he doesn't seem so bad… Dumbledore's made a break from the ministry… there are a lot less students here this year… some parents pulled their kids when they found out… but my parents thought Dumbledore was right - he's Dumbledore - so I stayed."
"Cool! Good thing too."
"How would you know anything about it?"
"Um… I read the Daily Prophet to keep up… so I wouldn't be behind in wizard news… even though I'm a Muggle…"
"Oh…" Cho felt bewildered.
"Hey, Cho, promise me something, will ya? I have my ways of knowing what's been happening at Hogwarts… particularly about Harry Potter, from the beginning of his first year to the end of last year… and... He'd probably hate me if he knew I told you this, since I'm not his friend yet… so, um…" she quickly made up her mind. "He's got a horrible crush on you, Cho, and could you please ask him out this year? It'd make him happy, and well, he'll need it, even though - heh, never mind, but still… do it for me, please, or for Harry?" blurted Kait. She wasn't at all used to talking to strangers openly, but she kept telling herself Cho wasn't a stranger.
"Er… OK, yeah… he asked me to the Yule Ball last year... but I was going with…" here she broke into sobs.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! Hey, Lily, Sally, Amy, get over here," Kait said, happy for a diversion so she could retrieve her foot from her esophagus, nodding her head towards the weeping Cho.
"Oh! Yeah, sure!" they came over, and they all sat with Cho, helping her get through the whole Cedric ordeal. You see, Cedric had died the previous year, when he had been dating Cho. It had been very traumatic for the whole school, but Harry and Cho mostly. It seemed to slip Cho's mind to ask how they knew.
"Sorry…"
"It's OK, what would we expect? I'm sorry I brought it up…"
"It's alright. Thank you,"
"Welcome," said Kait, and the five of them tentatively walked away from Cho. Just then there was a knock at the door. Siri, Kailie and Airinne stood at the door. A prefect was giving them trouble, as they weren't Ravenclaws.
"We just wanna see our friends," they protested, and they (the aforementioned friends) came over.
"Hey guys!"
"C'mere!" the three at the door said. They stepped out of the common room, and into the corridor.
"Where are we going?" Sally asked.
"To our common room," Kailie answered.
"Ahhh… but won't your prefect take off points?"
"Ha! Our prefects are Hermione, Harry, Fred and George! Never!"
"Fred and George are prefects?!" (This came from the open-mouthed Kait.)
"Yeah, they let us do anything, they're trying to make McGonagall mad enough to make them stop being prefects. We call them prefects all the time, it makes them so mad!"
"Ha ha!"
"Yeah, it's a laugh riot."
They finally arrived at the Gryffindor entrance.
"Hey, Miss Fat Lady," said Kait. "You're cool!"
"Why, thank you, dearie," replied the Fat Lady who looked puzzled, but she took the comment as a compliment. You never knew with Americans. (CANADIANS!!! That's what they were, {of course} but what would a British painting know anyway?)
"Plug your ears!"
"OK" the five Ravenclaws plugged their ears.
"Pig zits!" whispered Kailie to the Fat Lady, who swung open and let them in. Kait loved the Gryffindor common room. She saw everyone. She felt like she was coming home.
"Hi!" she said to everyone (they all looked at her funny, since they had never seen her before in their lives, but she didn't notice. Although she did feel really brave talking to "fictional characters"). To Fred and George she also asked if she could maybe have a Canary Cream, although she was shaking as she said it and Siri and Airinne were holding her in place. She asked Lee how Quidditch was going, and Neville if he could teach her some Herbology. She talked to Seamus about how she thought being a half- and-half you get the best of both worlds (she was blushing almost as bad as Ron, but this was true, and she had to say it. And despite what anyone might think, no she did not like Seamus) (not in that way, at any rate). She just started talking to Ginny about everything… they were the same age… and, after a whispered conversation with the other GATE gals, they hauled Harry, Ron and Hermione out of the common room and told them to help find an empty classroom. All together they could do that, and soon they were all in the empty charms classroom.
"Why - why did you take us here?" asked a rather scared Hermione. Harry was stifling laughs, and Ron was bent double.
"Hi! We've always wanted to meet you - especially Kait, there, a real fan," said Siri, and she was whapped upside the head by Kait at the last line.
"Actually, Harry"
"And Ron and Hermione!" said Kristin.
"We've got to tell you something rather important. We want you to know that we know. I don't think you'll want to know where we get our info, but it's not from Voldemort, so don't worry. I should be getting my next report on Hogwarts some time in December. (Lousy Canada Post…) Anyway, Harry, we know," said Kait, in a serious voice.
"What - what do you know?"
"All your secrets," said Airinne, laughing.
"Shut up! This is serious! Voldie's gonna be back! Hopefully we'll get the giants, but he's already got the dementors! Harry has to know! He didn't (I don't know why) catch what Dumbledore told everyone to do, and he has to know!" Kait had a stern look on her face. The three fifteen-year- olds stood there in amazement.
"How much do you know?"
"Oh, Harry, everything! We know about Quirrell, and your parents, and about Sirius, and about Draco, and Lucius, and Moon and Nott, and McNair and Beaky and Fluffy," at this point Lily (who had been casually leaning against a wall) snorted and then subsided into quiet snickers. This earned her a dirty look from Kaitlyn as well as several funny ones from Harry, Ron and Hermione. "…and Norbert" Lily's face lit up at the mention of the baby dragon, but no one noticed. "and the skrewts, and we know all about the tasks. We know who helped you, we even know about Myrtle's spying on you, and how horribly red you turned, and we know about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and TMR -" when she saw the blank looks she was getting she exclaimed, "oh!" and then hastily added "Tom Marvolo Riddle. And Moody (both of them) and the Crouches. And Poncho and Kilt, and the Pensieve, and Rita, and Remus, Peter," (whence she made fists) "Sirius, and James, and the cloak, and the Whomping Willow. And Arthur's - Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia, and Floo Powder, and Borgin and Burkes, and the Dursleys. And Ton Tongue Toffees, and Fizzing Whizzbees, and how Filch is a squib - we even know about Neville, and I brought along a complete account of what happened at the Riddle Graveyard," here her friends looked at her funny. "and I know how Cedric died, and also about Neville! We know EVERYTHING!!!" Kait was almost in tears. Harry, in the meantime, was trying to work out who everyone was with their first names. Which he promptly forgot ten minutes later.
"How do you know - oh yeah, you won't tell… oh… alright, who knows?"
"Mostly everyone, Harry."
"Who knows the most?"
"Me, Harry," answered Kait.
"She's the resident expert," said Lily. Kait smiled dopily.
"Ok, well, we'll have to talk… in the meantime, tell NO ONE!"
"Kind of a duh thing there!" said Airinne.
"What? Oh. OK, can we go now?"
"Yeah. Bye." They all walked out of the classroom and to their common rooms.
"Well, you certainly told all, didn't you?" asked Lily. Kait grinned impishly.
"Nope. I know more than that,"
"Of course. You do know that you're hopeless, right?"
"And proud of it!"
"My god."
They eventually split up and went to their respective common rooms. Sally, Amy, and Lily fell asleep right away, but Kait was much too excited to even think of sleep. She went down into the common room and read all she could (specifically, tons of the books in the common room, and she brushed up on her details from her favorite books).