Chapter Eight: Don't Step On My Golligoog



Hogwarts always began breakfast at eight. Natalia had been plagued with a bad case of insomnia since she was a little girl. As a result, she was up by five and down at the Great Hall at seven, sending an owl to her Mother. She had to ask the Headmaster for an owl because she was not supposed to use Albea except for sending her back to her Mother. Taking a scroll with her family's crest on it, she began a letter to her Mother.

Dearest Mother,

Greetings on Wednesday from Hogwarts. I hope all is well with you and that your research of Magical Power Transfer is going efficiently. I have been placed in Grandfather's old Master Chambers. Everything here is going well as I have been put into all the classes I applied for. I am in need of help from your Potions expertise. My Advanced Potions teacher, Professor Snape, has assigned us to make a Mirage- Generating Potion. I must admit that I was rather surprised to see that he knew what it was. Getting back to the point, I remembered the ingredients for the potion, but could not recall the exact procedure for making the potion. If it is not too much trouble, could you write the instructions for me and send it tonight? The potion is due this Friday.

Hoping this finds you well, Natalia

After sending the letter, Natalia pondered on whether to sit with the Gryffindors or the Slytherins. She knew Snape and the rest of the Slytherins would be outraged to see their own heir sit with the opposing House, but right now, she was rather sick of them and could care less. Besides, she thought, I would bet that Father would have rather had me in Gryffindor. With this reaffirming her, she sat down near the end of the Gryffindor table at the spot where Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny usually sat.

"What's this? A Slytherin gracing us with her presence?"

Natalia turned around, prepared to retort the mockery from whoever was nasty enough to taunt her this early in the morning. Instead of seeing an ugly green-eyed monster, she saw two red-haired, green-eyed twins. They smiled charmingly at her, each with a well-worn look of mischief on their faces.

"Yes, in fact, Hermione invited me to sit with the Gryffindors today as I do not fancy the Slytherin type much."

The twins looked at each other, slightly baffled.

"What in the world do you mean, not fancy the Slytherin? By golly, you're the Slytherin heir!" the first twin exclaimed. The second chimed in,

"Quite right, the Slytherins will be bloody livid if you sit with us! Not that we mind, but you know, it's a bit...unconventional. Not that we wouldn't want you to sit with us though."

The other nodded in agreement.

"We do like you, really. Who wouldn't like the person that scares Snape out of his wits?" The twins guffawed between themselves at the ambiguous humor behind this. Natalia watched them in awe. Never had she seen two people more lively and amusing than the fascinating twins.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I know your names."

The twins looked at each other and grinned.

"I'm Tweedle-Dum, and he's Tweedle-Dee."

Natalia frowned. Those names sounded oddly familiar, but she could not recall from where.

"Would the two of you care to join me?" she inquired politely.

"Of course!" Tweedle-Dee replied.

"It would be our pleasure." Tweedle-Dum piped in.

Just then, Hermione walked into the Great Hall, smiling openly when she saw Natalia talking with the twins.

"Good morning Natalia. I see you've met our famous Weasley twins. I'm sure they've been most courteous to you." Hermione gave the twins the "you better have" look.

Natalia nodded, smiling at the Gryffindors.

"Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee have been most kind. Although they did warn me that the Slytherins are going to be angry."

Turning to the twins with her hands on her hips, Hermione said in an infuriated tone,

"Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee, huh? Well, maybe you two do deserve those names seeing as you don't have enough tact to be civil to a friend of mine. And a friend of Harry, Ron, and Ginny's also."

The twins looked sheepishly at each other.

"Right. We're sorry Natalia. I'm George and he's Fred."

Hermione's frown deepened. She turned to Natalia.

"Don't mind him. He's trying to mix you up again. The one that said he's George is really Fred, and the other one is Fred."

The twins burst out in laughter. After catching his breath, Fred teased Hermione,

"Really Hermione, you can tell us apart better than our own Mother can!"

She rolled her eyes at this comment and turned her attention back to Natalia.

"Just ignore them. They can be a bit daft at times."

Breakfast turned out to be less conflicting than Natalia expected. The Slytherins saw her with the Gryffindors and gave her dirty looks and a couple of the teachers were surprised, but she was having a such a pleasant time with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the Weasley twins that she barely noticed.

Arithmancy passed like a breeze, for Natalia understood the magic within numbers thoroughly well. Unlike the beginning of the week, Potions was quiet and uneventful. The students spent the class time remaking the Madness-Inducing Potion and its antidote. By noon, the Slytherins had developed a keen dislike for Natalia while the Gryffindors had taken her under their wing.

The Weasley twins met up with Hermione and Natalia outside the Great Hall before lunch.

"Hullo ladies." they chimed together, happy to see them.

Hermione eyed them warily.

"What prank have you two planned this time?"

George smiled sweetly at them.

"Nothing at all. We just wanted to give Natalia a small present as an apology for our rudeness earlier."

Hermione turned to her.

"I wouldn't take it if I were you. For all we know, it could be Canary Creams or something dreadful like that."

Natalia smiled. She did not really care if it was a gag, just the fact that the Weasley twins had done something for (or even against) her delighted her. She turned to George and Fred, smiling back at them.

"I would very much like to see what it is, if it is all right with you."

George and Fred smiled at each other. They took out a small pink box tied with white ribbon with a white bow on top. Natalia took it and beamed.

"The wrapping is awfully charming. I can only imagine what's inside."

She opened the box. Inside was a little bug-like creature the size of a snitch. It was carved from various types of wood, having wings that covered its back and black dots that covered the wings.

"Thank you very much. It is adorable, but I must ask, what is it?"

Fred answered, beaming proudly,

"This, is a Golligoog."

Hermione and Natalia looked at each other.

"A what?"

George laughed.

"There's no need to look so baffled. It's a Golligoog, or what the Muggles would call a Ladybug. This one is made of wood. Touch it and see what happens."

Natalia cautiously put the box on the Gryffindor table inside the Great Hall. She gingerly picked it up and placed it in her palm. After a moment, its wings fluttered a bit and six legs popped out from under its belly. It crawled around a little unsteadily before lifting its head to peer at Natalia.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, completely delighted, "It has been enchanted to move!"

Fred and George's faces glowed. They were terribly pleased that Natalia liked the Golligoog. Fred picked it up from her palm.

"Watch, it will do what you command it to do. It's kind of like a little pet."

He placed the Golligoog on the table and commanded it to roll over. And so it did. He told it to jump and flip. And it did. This went on for most of lunch with all the Gryffindors and Natalia marveling at Fred and George's new invention.

George refilled Natalia's cup of pumpkin juice.

"So, what are you going to name it?" he asked.

Natalia looked at him puzzled.

"What?"

"Well, you have to name your pet something, you know. It's lost without a name."

She smiled widely when he said this.

"You mean, it is mine to keep?"

George laughed lightly and replied,

"Of course! Do you really think we went through all that time picking the perfect wrapping just to take back the gift? And anyway, in your hands, it gets a lot more publicity for us."

Both Fred and George smiled sheepishly at her.

"But of course, we really want you to have it as a present."

She smiled and tried to think of a name. Finally, she came up with one.

"I think I will name it Golli."

Hermione laughed when Natalia said the name.

"You're going to name it Golli? But why?"

Natalia smiled, turning to Hermione.

"Golli will remind people that it is a Golligoog, and when they ask what a Golligoog is, I can tell them to ask the Weasley twins. All the more promotion for them." she said with a smirk.