center "Just Because I'm Different."/center
**Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, Harry Potter's not mine! Obviously, or else I wouldn't be posting my ideas for all to see here. I'd be putting them in some very large book and making millions off of them. One day.**
centerChapter 1: Attack of the Killer Shoes/center
The Hogwarts Express rumbled along, hills and streams rolling by pleasantly. Harry once again found himself in a compartment with Ginny and Neville; Ron and Hermione off with their Prefect duties and all. The cart was about ready to explode with uncomfortable silence.
Suddenly, there was a loud thump outside the compartment, followed by an "Ouch!" Luna Lovegood entered the compartment smiling contentedly. "Hi." She said, looking around. "Where's Ronald?" She asked, focusing her stare on Harry. When he didn't respond she took a seat next to Ginny, who was eyeing her oddly. Luna looked at the door as another girl followed her in, or tried to.
The girl got to the door, and then tripped over her enormously tall high heels. She landed sprawled on the floor, her wavy reddish-brown hair all over her face. This explained the loud thump that they'd heard earlier. "Ouch." She said bluntly before erupting into a fit of giggles.
Harry looked around at the others, very confused. Neville looked a little frightened by these strange antics. Ginny looked confused and appalled. Luna was just smiling dazedly at the latest copy of The Quibbler.
The girl seemed to have just noticed the others looking at her funny. Her laughter dwindled, and she got up, dusting herself off. She was still smiling, but her smile seemed a little forced and her face had turned a rather bright shade of red. "Erm, can I sit there?" She asked Neville, pointing to the window seat next to his. Neville cast a frightened glace at Harry before nodding.
The girl took two steps toward him, before tripping again and tumbling forward; her head hitting the window with a sickening thud. She ripped the shoes off of her feet and threw them at the opposite wall with an angry cry. "Okay mum!" She said to herself. "I tried the shoes! They almost gave me a concussion, are you happy now?"
To Harry the situation would have been funny, had he not been trapped in a compartment with this psychopath. Luna was still smiling dreamily, but had put down The Quibbler and was now looking at the girl.
"Hand up?" The girl asked Neville jovially, as though she had not just erupted at a pair of shoes. Neville looked as though touching this girl was the last thing that he would like to be doing at the moment. Actually what he looked as though he wanted to be doing was getting as far away as possible from the girl. But, he politely gave her his hand and pulled her up. "Thanks." She told him not letting his hand go. "My name's Rachel." She shook his hand lightly, now smiling happily at him.
"Neville," He replied bluntly.
"Longbottom?" She asked, a blush rising to her cheeks.
He nodded, and she carefully avoided his eyes. She let go of his hand, and turned to Harry, grabbing his hand and shaking it excitedly. "And you're 'the amazing Saint Potter' that I've heard so much about."
"Thanks for enlightening me." He told her with a strange look.
The girl let go, nodding at Ginny. "Ginny," she said, her face turning very, very, red. "Were you able to fix your shoes?"
"Yeah," said Ginny somewhat coldly.
"Look, I'm really sorry about that. Honest."
"I know," said Ginny sighing.
"What happened?" Asked Harry, genuinely confused at their exchange.
"Potions accident," commented Rachel, a blush creeping up her face again.
"How bad was it?" Neville asked, pretty intrigued, he was the only one that he'd seen make really bad mistakes in Potions.
"Really bad," Rachel said, obviously getting really uncomfortable. "Although, I guess almost anything wrong is a big mistake because nobody else makes bad mistakes. They're lucky because Snape just picks on them, they don't deserve their bad grades and they'll do well in the future."
"That's not true." Mumbled Neville embarrassedly, he could obviously relate.
"Oh yeah? Well, I'll bet that you've never mad a mistake on a potion that turned it to acid."
"Have," Neville confirmed, getting more uncomfortable, and speaking more quietly.
"That melted through the cauldron,"
"Yep"
"And melted the sneakers of the people within a five foot radius of you?"
"Try ten."
"Wow!" She said with wide eyes. Harry could just imagine her following it up with something like 'You're my idol.' It seemed like a competition of good things, except for the fact that with each statement Neville and Rachel would get redder in turn.
Just then the compartment door opened and in walked Hermione and Ron. "Hey Ronald," Luna said, looking dreamily at him.
"Hey Luna," Ron replied in a monotone. But he hadn't taken more than three steps when he tripped over Rachel's shoes. Luna's reflexes were quick when she jumped out of her seat to catch Ron; although she simply managed to get in the way. They landed on the ground in a tangle of limbs.
"Need a hand RONALD?" Prompted Ginny; she was looking at him with wide eyes and a blank expression.
"Oh, just shut it!" Ron threatened, with his fists clenched.
"Dumb shoes, they'll leave a path of death and destruction if you don't keep an eye on them at all times." Commented Rachel, as she rolled her eyes.
She stood up to retrieve them, just as Hermione sat down next to Ginny. She sat down just in time too. Right after she took her seat, the train came to an abrupt halt. Ron and Luna, who had just untangled themselves, went sprawling into another heap. Rachel few back, hitting her head against the seat across from Harry's, her eyes locked on his.
Suddenly Harry was re-living all of the events of lasts June. Images flashed through his head: the spinning room, the veil, the prophecies, Hermione knocked out, Neville's bloody nose. All of these things flying by at the speed of light: Ron attacked by a brain, Neville's frantic feet, Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius's death, Voldemort in his body, and snippets of his conversation with Dumbledore. He found himself on the ground, and snapped back to reality, his eyes locked with Rachel's.
"Are you guys okay? You just spaced out." Hermione asked, "Oh, and by the way, who is she?" Yet no one supplied her with an answer.
"Wow, did I do that? Boy will Aunt Sybille be proud." Asked Rachel dazedly, her eyes still locked with Harry's.
"'Aunt Sybille'? You mean your aunt is Trelawney?" Asked Ron, who had his jaw hanging at the ground.
"Second aunt, once removed, or something like that, distant relative," answered Hope; her voice filled with awe. "Did I REALLY do that?" She paused, her voice filling with awe and disbelief. "Did YOU really do that? Wow!"
Harry was still shocked. The only other time that that'd happened to him was while Snape was teaching him how to block it. Now that he looked at her eyes he realized something else, they were steely gray, with tints of blue. He'd only seen eyes like those on the Malfoys. "Hope, what's your last name."
"Uh-uh, I'm not saying that here, I know what you all will do! You'll absolutely murder me, I mean; it's not even my fault!"
** Well. I hope that you enjoyed reading that as much as I did writing it. If you want me to update this story please tell me so. I feel left out of the wonderful circle of the fan-fiction authors. Everyone else has so many reviews it's scary. (I'm all alone here, since I'm not in the Anti-Circle group either. Very long story, review and ask if you want in on it!) Please review 4 me! **
**Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, Harry Potter's not mine! Obviously, or else I wouldn't be posting my ideas for all to see here. I'd be putting them in some very large book and making millions off of them. One day.**
centerChapter 1: Attack of the Killer Shoes/center
The Hogwarts Express rumbled along, hills and streams rolling by pleasantly. Harry once again found himself in a compartment with Ginny and Neville; Ron and Hermione off with their Prefect duties and all. The cart was about ready to explode with uncomfortable silence.
Suddenly, there was a loud thump outside the compartment, followed by an "Ouch!" Luna Lovegood entered the compartment smiling contentedly. "Hi." She said, looking around. "Where's Ronald?" She asked, focusing her stare on Harry. When he didn't respond she took a seat next to Ginny, who was eyeing her oddly. Luna looked at the door as another girl followed her in, or tried to.
The girl got to the door, and then tripped over her enormously tall high heels. She landed sprawled on the floor, her wavy reddish-brown hair all over her face. This explained the loud thump that they'd heard earlier. "Ouch." She said bluntly before erupting into a fit of giggles.
Harry looked around at the others, very confused. Neville looked a little frightened by these strange antics. Ginny looked confused and appalled. Luna was just smiling dazedly at the latest copy of The Quibbler.
The girl seemed to have just noticed the others looking at her funny. Her laughter dwindled, and she got up, dusting herself off. She was still smiling, but her smile seemed a little forced and her face had turned a rather bright shade of red. "Erm, can I sit there?" She asked Neville, pointing to the window seat next to his. Neville cast a frightened glace at Harry before nodding.
The girl took two steps toward him, before tripping again and tumbling forward; her head hitting the window with a sickening thud. She ripped the shoes off of her feet and threw them at the opposite wall with an angry cry. "Okay mum!" She said to herself. "I tried the shoes! They almost gave me a concussion, are you happy now?"
To Harry the situation would have been funny, had he not been trapped in a compartment with this psychopath. Luna was still smiling dreamily, but had put down The Quibbler and was now looking at the girl.
"Hand up?" The girl asked Neville jovially, as though she had not just erupted at a pair of shoes. Neville looked as though touching this girl was the last thing that he would like to be doing at the moment. Actually what he looked as though he wanted to be doing was getting as far away as possible from the girl. But, he politely gave her his hand and pulled her up. "Thanks." She told him not letting his hand go. "My name's Rachel." She shook his hand lightly, now smiling happily at him.
"Neville," He replied bluntly.
"Longbottom?" She asked, a blush rising to her cheeks.
He nodded, and she carefully avoided his eyes. She let go of his hand, and turned to Harry, grabbing his hand and shaking it excitedly. "And you're 'the amazing Saint Potter' that I've heard so much about."
"Thanks for enlightening me." He told her with a strange look.
The girl let go, nodding at Ginny. "Ginny," she said, her face turning very, very, red. "Were you able to fix your shoes?"
"Yeah," said Ginny somewhat coldly.
"Look, I'm really sorry about that. Honest."
"I know," said Ginny sighing.
"What happened?" Asked Harry, genuinely confused at their exchange.
"Potions accident," commented Rachel, a blush creeping up her face again.
"How bad was it?" Neville asked, pretty intrigued, he was the only one that he'd seen make really bad mistakes in Potions.
"Really bad," Rachel said, obviously getting really uncomfortable. "Although, I guess almost anything wrong is a big mistake because nobody else makes bad mistakes. They're lucky because Snape just picks on them, they don't deserve their bad grades and they'll do well in the future."
"That's not true." Mumbled Neville embarrassedly, he could obviously relate.
"Oh yeah? Well, I'll bet that you've never mad a mistake on a potion that turned it to acid."
"Have," Neville confirmed, getting more uncomfortable, and speaking more quietly.
"That melted through the cauldron,"
"Yep"
"And melted the sneakers of the people within a five foot radius of you?"
"Try ten."
"Wow!" She said with wide eyes. Harry could just imagine her following it up with something like 'You're my idol.' It seemed like a competition of good things, except for the fact that with each statement Neville and Rachel would get redder in turn.
Just then the compartment door opened and in walked Hermione and Ron. "Hey Ronald," Luna said, looking dreamily at him.
"Hey Luna," Ron replied in a monotone. But he hadn't taken more than three steps when he tripped over Rachel's shoes. Luna's reflexes were quick when she jumped out of her seat to catch Ron; although she simply managed to get in the way. They landed on the ground in a tangle of limbs.
"Need a hand RONALD?" Prompted Ginny; she was looking at him with wide eyes and a blank expression.
"Oh, just shut it!" Ron threatened, with his fists clenched.
"Dumb shoes, they'll leave a path of death and destruction if you don't keep an eye on them at all times." Commented Rachel, as she rolled her eyes.
She stood up to retrieve them, just as Hermione sat down next to Ginny. She sat down just in time too. Right after she took her seat, the train came to an abrupt halt. Ron and Luna, who had just untangled themselves, went sprawling into another heap. Rachel few back, hitting her head against the seat across from Harry's, her eyes locked on his.
Suddenly Harry was re-living all of the events of lasts June. Images flashed through his head: the spinning room, the veil, the prophecies, Hermione knocked out, Neville's bloody nose. All of these things flying by at the speed of light: Ron attacked by a brain, Neville's frantic feet, Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius's death, Voldemort in his body, and snippets of his conversation with Dumbledore. He found himself on the ground, and snapped back to reality, his eyes locked with Rachel's.
"Are you guys okay? You just spaced out." Hermione asked, "Oh, and by the way, who is she?" Yet no one supplied her with an answer.
"Wow, did I do that? Boy will Aunt Sybille be proud." Asked Rachel dazedly, her eyes still locked with Harry's.
"'Aunt Sybille'? You mean your aunt is Trelawney?" Asked Ron, who had his jaw hanging at the ground.
"Second aunt, once removed, or something like that, distant relative," answered Hope; her voice filled with awe. "Did I REALLY do that?" She paused, her voice filling with awe and disbelief. "Did YOU really do that? Wow!"
Harry was still shocked. The only other time that that'd happened to him was while Snape was teaching him how to block it. Now that he looked at her eyes he realized something else, they were steely gray, with tints of blue. He'd only seen eyes like those on the Malfoys. "Hope, what's your last name."
"Uh-uh, I'm not saying that here, I know what you all will do! You'll absolutely murder me, I mean; it's not even my fault!"
** Well. I hope that you enjoyed reading that as much as I did writing it. If you want me to update this story please tell me so. I feel left out of the wonderful circle of the fan-fiction authors. Everyone else has so many reviews it's scary. (I'm all alone here, since I'm not in the Anti-Circle group either. Very long story, review and ask if you want in on it!) Please review 4 me! **