Author's Note: Whoa, eighteen reviews and it's only at the second chapter!
When I saw that tally I almost fell off my chair. I don't usually do this
because I don't think I'd have the time to keep it up and I can't guarantee
that I will in the future, but because of the number of reviews, I will
respond to some valid queries a few of you had at the end of this chapter.
I should really put in a separate author's note chapter, but then I would
have to keep on pushing it back and, ah, I have a very limited tolerance
level with technology. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
# # # # # # # # #
Chapter Three: The Journey to Hogwarts
"Hermione," Ron said, "put that book down. Term hasn't even started yet."
"I most certainly will not," Hermione told him, her head bent over a ponderous-looking textbook. "Last year I got the highest OWL score in the past twenty years, and I'm a Prefect this year. I have a reputation to uphold. And I am going to graduate Top Girl if it kills me."
"Why not just kill that guy who recited the rule book to you earlier?" Ron suggested, rolling his eyes. "It's him you're worried about, isn't it? But in case it's escaped your attention, he's MALE. Therefore you don't have to worry about his competition for Top Girl honours."
"It didn't escape my attention," Hermione muttered, flicking over the page more roughly than necessary.
"Oh, it didn't, eh?" Ron smirked. Hermione's scowl deepened. "You know, 'Mione," Ron continued, "despite being such a brainiac yourself, I've never really seen you go after the bookish types. I mean, take your track record. Gilderoy Lockhart. Cedric Diggory. Victor Krum-"
"Fleur Delacourt," Hermione retorted.
"I'll have you know that she was actually quite intelligent-"
"Oh? And I suppose her "brains" were what you were oogling all through dinner every night during our fourth year?" Hermione snapped.
"Well, if that's what you call them," Ron quipped. Hermione shot him a look that was positively nuclear. "Anyway, my point, and I do have one, is that I think you're afraid of being shown up by a man. So you deliberately go for ones that are significantly less intelligent than you."
"Weeell, I did have a crush on you one year," Hermione mused, scratching her chin thoughtfully.
"Oh, that's very funny," Ron snapped as Hermione collapsed with laughter. "Now will you put that blasted book down? I want to go and have a gander at those midgets Longbottom was yapping on about."
"Just one more page," Hermione murmured, returning to her book.
Ron sat thoughtfully for a minute, then grinned as an idea occurred to him. "You know, 'Mione, I really don't know what works for you nerds, and I'd rather continue not knowing, but I do believe that bloke's rule book recital was his version of hitting on you. Sort of like reading Shakespeare- "
Hermione was no longer reading her book. Instead, she had hurled it at him.
* * * * *
Bearing his trusty Firebolt, Harry had looked around the rest of the compartments in his carriage, but they were all full. Well, the one containing Colin and Dennis Creevey wasn't, but he had wisely overlooked that fact. He was about to give up and go and ask Head Girl Cho Chang and her Hufflepuff boyfriend if he could share their cabin (he had a copy of Victor Krum's unofficial biography he could bury his nose in to ignore their continuous snogging), when he spotted a lone blonde in the last cabin on the right of the train.
She was curled up in the corner next to the window, her long legs tucked under her and one hand absently twirling a strand of hair as she poured over the reading material she held in the other. Harry looked down, expecting to see a copy of Witches' Weekly or one of the beauty magazines Lavender and Parvati ceaselessly poured over, and was pleasantly surprised to see that she was clutching "Finus Flail's 101 Unbeatable Beater Drills." Pushing open the door, he asked, "May I sit here?"
"It's free upholstery," the blonde shrugged without bothering to look up. Harry took the seat across from her and carefully placed his Firebolt on the shelf above him.
With the blonde bent over her book, he was free to peruse her. Her skin was smooth and clear, save for the smattering of freckles across her nose that suggested she did get some sunlight. Her thick, wavy hair fell down to her waist, but not everything about her suggested that she went quietly into her conformity to ideal female beauty. Her dark nails, not to mention her combat boots and the studded collar encasing her swanlike neck, screamed rebellion. "New to Hogwarts this year?" he asked, and received a curt nod in response. "I've been here since my first year myself."
"Good for you," came the husky rejoinder, but the manner of its delivery suggested that the speaker wished to be left alone rather than inflict serious hurt upon his ego. She would be a tough nut to crack, Harry reflected to himself. Fortunately, he was rather fond of nuts.
Hagrid was his favourite staff member at the school, after all.
Their conversation, or lack of it, continued in this vein for some time until the Hogwarts Express suddenly rounded one corner, causing Harry's Firebolt to slide off the shelf and crash to the floor of the cabin. Harry bent down to retrieve it, but the blonde had got there first. "Bloody hell," she gasped, "is this what I think it is?"
Surprised by the sudden animation in her features, Harry did not respond instantly, but the blonde did not notice. "This is just the coolest thing," she continued. "The entire Irish team had them during the last world cup - not that it stopped Victor Krum from getting the Snitch, but he could have caught it on a Comet, he's so brilliant. It has a built-in autobrake and precision balance and can accelerate from zero to one hundred and fifty miles an hour in ten seconds - but of course you must know all that already- " She broke up abruptly, a sheepish grin stretching across her mouth. She had a lovely smile, Harry reflected, and dimples in her cheeks when she did. "How long have you had that for?"
"Since my third year," Harry replied, and the girl's mouth fell open even further.
"Merlin, you didn't have to save long for it, then! I've been putting away half my allowance every week since "my" third year."
"We must be around the same age, then," Harry told her and extended a hand. "Harry Potter."
"Eowyn Shieldmaiden," the girl responded, accepting his hand. There was an awkward pause, which Harry broke by asking her what she thought of her book. "It's pretty good," she said, "but I have a problem with drill fifty- three, which is dependent on all three Chasers have brooms of roughly the same speed."
"Perhaps Malfoy could use it then," Harry said, reflecting bitterly on how the Slytherin Seeker and now captain had bought his way onto his house team by purchasing Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones for the entire team.
"-And since this book is meant to be written for Quidditch amateurs, which would mean a lot of school children that may not all come from wealthy families that could afford the latest make, I think it's a bit of a tough call, really," Eowyn was saying.
"-And some families could afford a new broom, but may not want to update their child's every year for fear of spoiling them," Harry added.
"Exactly!" Eowyn punctuated him. They stared at each other for a several seconds, this time Eowyn breaking it off. "You don't think I could, um, hold it, could you?"
*Hold it,* Harry thought. *Hold "it"?* [Innocent little Harry, I hear you ask, making sexual innuedos? Oh come on, he's a sixteen year old boy who's been in the company of Fred and George Weasley for the previous five years. How innocent can he be? - A/N] "Oh, you mean my Firebolt?"
"Yeah," Eowyn gave him an assessing, level look. "What else would I be talking about?"
"Er, nothing," Harry said. *Get your mind out of the potty, Harry,* he told himself. *She seems like a nice girl.*
"Well," Eowyn said. "Can I?"
"Oh," Harry broke out of his reverie. "Yes, sorry, of course you can hold it. My Firebolt. That is." Feeling flustered, Harry took if off the shelf he had replaced it on during the course of their conversation and handed it to her. "In fact, when we get to Hogwarts you can go one better and ride it if you like." *Stop it, Potter, stopitstopit.*
"Thank you. I'd enjoy that," Eowyn said, smiling up at him and running one hand over the sleek mahogany wood.
After the Sorting Ceremony, Harry decided, he would have a very long and very cold shower.
# # # # # # # # #
Author's Note: Some of you have asked me why Gollum talks like Jar Jar Binks. I just thought it would be cute if he did, since I thought Gollum was absolutely adorable in the movie (and yes, I am not only aware that it "was" based on a book, but have read the book multiple times). You can see when he's talking to Aragorn in the first chapter, his accent slips a bit. It's a put-on to make himself look defenseless and adorable when he's obviously after the ring. I just wanted to leave room for something to happen with his character if I felt like it. Perhaps Gollum's even watched "The Phantom Menace," hmm, plot bunny! As I've said before, this is meant to be a silly fic and I'm going to be doing a few more nonsensical things in it.
little-lost-one: If you have a theory on how they all got to the UK, fic it up! I for one would be interested in reading it.
shewhodares: Yes, the girl with the broomstick was Eowyn. Thanks for your reviews as usual. And in reference to your Natalia Adani review, I won't comment on your choice of soccer team *cough* *cough* spice boys! *cough* ;- )
Star of the South: Well, Eowyn does seem to be rather attached to her broom, who knows? And most of them are reasonably athletic, so they would make quite interesting additions to the house teams.
Tori: Aragorn and Arwen are living together because Elrond was bringing Aragorn up in the book (that continues here). I'm afraid I'm going to portray Arwen as being something of a brat, since that's just how I've pictured her in a contemporary setting. But for what it's worth, I apologise if you're offended by the deviation in her character. I also did not intend Eowyn to come across as cheap, rather I thought I'd depicted her as more the rebellious goth and that her additions (dog collar, fishnet tights) are ironic takes on a school uniform, and an ironic take of the ideal of female beauty, come to that. Those comments are just the sort of things Parvati, Padma and Lavender would say (they're probably jealous). I added some touches, like how well looked after Eowyn's broom is and how assertive she is with Eomer, to let people know that not all is as it would appear. And yes, there will definitely be some Hermione/Faramir tension in forth-coming chapters!
Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed, and thank you, kizuna kasumi, for adding me to your favourites list. Hopefully I get this up soon.
# # # # # # # # #
Chapter Three: The Journey to Hogwarts
"Hermione," Ron said, "put that book down. Term hasn't even started yet."
"I most certainly will not," Hermione told him, her head bent over a ponderous-looking textbook. "Last year I got the highest OWL score in the past twenty years, and I'm a Prefect this year. I have a reputation to uphold. And I am going to graduate Top Girl if it kills me."
"Why not just kill that guy who recited the rule book to you earlier?" Ron suggested, rolling his eyes. "It's him you're worried about, isn't it? But in case it's escaped your attention, he's MALE. Therefore you don't have to worry about his competition for Top Girl honours."
"It didn't escape my attention," Hermione muttered, flicking over the page more roughly than necessary.
"Oh, it didn't, eh?" Ron smirked. Hermione's scowl deepened. "You know, 'Mione," Ron continued, "despite being such a brainiac yourself, I've never really seen you go after the bookish types. I mean, take your track record. Gilderoy Lockhart. Cedric Diggory. Victor Krum-"
"Fleur Delacourt," Hermione retorted.
"I'll have you know that she was actually quite intelligent-"
"Oh? And I suppose her "brains" were what you were oogling all through dinner every night during our fourth year?" Hermione snapped.
"Well, if that's what you call them," Ron quipped. Hermione shot him a look that was positively nuclear. "Anyway, my point, and I do have one, is that I think you're afraid of being shown up by a man. So you deliberately go for ones that are significantly less intelligent than you."
"Weeell, I did have a crush on you one year," Hermione mused, scratching her chin thoughtfully.
"Oh, that's very funny," Ron snapped as Hermione collapsed with laughter. "Now will you put that blasted book down? I want to go and have a gander at those midgets Longbottom was yapping on about."
"Just one more page," Hermione murmured, returning to her book.
Ron sat thoughtfully for a minute, then grinned as an idea occurred to him. "You know, 'Mione, I really don't know what works for you nerds, and I'd rather continue not knowing, but I do believe that bloke's rule book recital was his version of hitting on you. Sort of like reading Shakespeare- "
Hermione was no longer reading her book. Instead, she had hurled it at him.
* * * * *
Bearing his trusty Firebolt, Harry had looked around the rest of the compartments in his carriage, but they were all full. Well, the one containing Colin and Dennis Creevey wasn't, but he had wisely overlooked that fact. He was about to give up and go and ask Head Girl Cho Chang and her Hufflepuff boyfriend if he could share their cabin (he had a copy of Victor Krum's unofficial biography he could bury his nose in to ignore their continuous snogging), when he spotted a lone blonde in the last cabin on the right of the train.
She was curled up in the corner next to the window, her long legs tucked under her and one hand absently twirling a strand of hair as she poured over the reading material she held in the other. Harry looked down, expecting to see a copy of Witches' Weekly or one of the beauty magazines Lavender and Parvati ceaselessly poured over, and was pleasantly surprised to see that she was clutching "Finus Flail's 101 Unbeatable Beater Drills." Pushing open the door, he asked, "May I sit here?"
"It's free upholstery," the blonde shrugged without bothering to look up. Harry took the seat across from her and carefully placed his Firebolt on the shelf above him.
With the blonde bent over her book, he was free to peruse her. Her skin was smooth and clear, save for the smattering of freckles across her nose that suggested she did get some sunlight. Her thick, wavy hair fell down to her waist, but not everything about her suggested that she went quietly into her conformity to ideal female beauty. Her dark nails, not to mention her combat boots and the studded collar encasing her swanlike neck, screamed rebellion. "New to Hogwarts this year?" he asked, and received a curt nod in response. "I've been here since my first year myself."
"Good for you," came the husky rejoinder, but the manner of its delivery suggested that the speaker wished to be left alone rather than inflict serious hurt upon his ego. She would be a tough nut to crack, Harry reflected to himself. Fortunately, he was rather fond of nuts.
Hagrid was his favourite staff member at the school, after all.
Their conversation, or lack of it, continued in this vein for some time until the Hogwarts Express suddenly rounded one corner, causing Harry's Firebolt to slide off the shelf and crash to the floor of the cabin. Harry bent down to retrieve it, but the blonde had got there first. "Bloody hell," she gasped, "is this what I think it is?"
Surprised by the sudden animation in her features, Harry did not respond instantly, but the blonde did not notice. "This is just the coolest thing," she continued. "The entire Irish team had them during the last world cup - not that it stopped Victor Krum from getting the Snitch, but he could have caught it on a Comet, he's so brilliant. It has a built-in autobrake and precision balance and can accelerate from zero to one hundred and fifty miles an hour in ten seconds - but of course you must know all that already- " She broke up abruptly, a sheepish grin stretching across her mouth. She had a lovely smile, Harry reflected, and dimples in her cheeks when she did. "How long have you had that for?"
"Since my third year," Harry replied, and the girl's mouth fell open even further.
"Merlin, you didn't have to save long for it, then! I've been putting away half my allowance every week since "my" third year."
"We must be around the same age, then," Harry told her and extended a hand. "Harry Potter."
"Eowyn Shieldmaiden," the girl responded, accepting his hand. There was an awkward pause, which Harry broke by asking her what she thought of her book. "It's pretty good," she said, "but I have a problem with drill fifty- three, which is dependent on all three Chasers have brooms of roughly the same speed."
"Perhaps Malfoy could use it then," Harry said, reflecting bitterly on how the Slytherin Seeker and now captain had bought his way onto his house team by purchasing Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones for the entire team.
"-And since this book is meant to be written for Quidditch amateurs, which would mean a lot of school children that may not all come from wealthy families that could afford the latest make, I think it's a bit of a tough call, really," Eowyn was saying.
"-And some families could afford a new broom, but may not want to update their child's every year for fear of spoiling them," Harry added.
"Exactly!" Eowyn punctuated him. They stared at each other for a several seconds, this time Eowyn breaking it off. "You don't think I could, um, hold it, could you?"
*Hold it,* Harry thought. *Hold "it"?* [Innocent little Harry, I hear you ask, making sexual innuedos? Oh come on, he's a sixteen year old boy who's been in the company of Fred and George Weasley for the previous five years. How innocent can he be? - A/N] "Oh, you mean my Firebolt?"
"Yeah," Eowyn gave him an assessing, level look. "What else would I be talking about?"
"Er, nothing," Harry said. *Get your mind out of the potty, Harry,* he told himself. *She seems like a nice girl.*
"Well," Eowyn said. "Can I?"
"Oh," Harry broke out of his reverie. "Yes, sorry, of course you can hold it. My Firebolt. That is." Feeling flustered, Harry took if off the shelf he had replaced it on during the course of their conversation and handed it to her. "In fact, when we get to Hogwarts you can go one better and ride it if you like." *Stop it, Potter, stopitstopit.*
"Thank you. I'd enjoy that," Eowyn said, smiling up at him and running one hand over the sleek mahogany wood.
After the Sorting Ceremony, Harry decided, he would have a very long and very cold shower.
# # # # # # # # #
Author's Note: Some of you have asked me why Gollum talks like Jar Jar Binks. I just thought it would be cute if he did, since I thought Gollum was absolutely adorable in the movie (and yes, I am not only aware that it "was" based on a book, but have read the book multiple times). You can see when he's talking to Aragorn in the first chapter, his accent slips a bit. It's a put-on to make himself look defenseless and adorable when he's obviously after the ring. I just wanted to leave room for something to happen with his character if I felt like it. Perhaps Gollum's even watched "The Phantom Menace," hmm, plot bunny! As I've said before, this is meant to be a silly fic and I'm going to be doing a few more nonsensical things in it.
little-lost-one: If you have a theory on how they all got to the UK, fic it up! I for one would be interested in reading it.
shewhodares: Yes, the girl with the broomstick was Eowyn. Thanks for your reviews as usual. And in reference to your Natalia Adani review, I won't comment on your choice of soccer team *cough* *cough* spice boys! *cough* ;- )
Star of the South: Well, Eowyn does seem to be rather attached to her broom, who knows? And most of them are reasonably athletic, so they would make quite interesting additions to the house teams.
Tori: Aragorn and Arwen are living together because Elrond was bringing Aragorn up in the book (that continues here). I'm afraid I'm going to portray Arwen as being something of a brat, since that's just how I've pictured her in a contemporary setting. But for what it's worth, I apologise if you're offended by the deviation in her character. I also did not intend Eowyn to come across as cheap, rather I thought I'd depicted her as more the rebellious goth and that her additions (dog collar, fishnet tights) are ironic takes on a school uniform, and an ironic take of the ideal of female beauty, come to that. Those comments are just the sort of things Parvati, Padma and Lavender would say (they're probably jealous). I added some touches, like how well looked after Eowyn's broom is and how assertive she is with Eomer, to let people know that not all is as it would appear. And yes, there will definitely be some Hermione/Faramir tension in forth-coming chapters!
Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed, and thank you, kizuna kasumi, for adding me to your favourites list. Hopefully I get this up soon.