The next morning Galleria, Parrish, and Lanai woke up in their seperate
houses on opposite sides of the castle. As this was the farthest the the
girls have ever been away from each other, this morning felt partiularly
odd to the three of them. Although, Lanai couldn't help but relish in her
new-found freedom. Stretching and yawning, the girls made their way down
to their respective common rooms.
"Morning," Galleria yawned, dropping down into a chair across from Harry and Ron. "What are you guys doing? I would have thought you would already be in the Great Hall."
"We're waiting for Hermione," Harry said. "She said she wanted to talk to us about something."
"So," Ron said, looking at Galleria, "are you going to talk to McGonogall about switching houses?"
Galleria shrugged. "I don't think so. I mean I want to be near my sisters, but this could be good for us, y'know? We've never been this far apart from each other before while being so close."
Harry and Ron looked at each other, blinking. Galleria, not noticing their confusion, continued with her little talk. "The farthest we've ever been apart is when Lanai was allowed to go to a friends house next door." At the look on Ron's face, Galleria explained. "See, my mom is really very protective of us girls. Since Alastor died in that fire, family has became number one. We put nothing before family. So, it came as a real shock to us when Mum decided that Lanai could go to Terri's house."
Ron and Harry had no clue who Alastor was and what fire Galleria was talking about, but they didn't question her about it. She gave them the impression that it was a rather touchy subject. "So the whole thing about you being in seperate houses-"
"Is a big thing for us," Galleria finished. "That's why I said we've never been so far apart while being so close. We need time apart from each other to establish our own independence."
"So, you aren't going to talk to McGonogall?" Ron asked hopefully.
Galleria shook her head. "No."
Hermione came running down into the common room at that moment with a look of excitement that Harry and Ron had only seen on her face once. "Ron, Harry, you've got to see this!"
When she said that Harry, Ron, and Galleria noticed a thick book clutched tightly in her left hand. "See what, Hermione?" Harry asked.
"This," she said breathlessly. She was just about ready to open the book and show them whatever it was that she was so excited about when she noticed Galleria sitting opposite Harry and Ron. "But," she said quickly, "It'll have to wait. Now come on or we'll have to go to McGonogall's office for our course schedules."
Without bothering to wait for the boys, Hermione turned and hurried from the common room. Exchanging looks, Harry and Ron stood. "What was that about?" Ron asked Galleria.
Galleria shrugged. "Search me. She's been acting strange ever since last night."
"What happened last night?" Ron asked with a curious look on his face.
"Well," began Galleria, "I'm not exactly sure. I woke late into the night from this really odd dream and couldn't get back to sleep. I heard Hermione muttering something about how she hadn't read nearly as much as she needed("Figures," Ron said with a meaningful look at Harry.) and got up to see if she needed any help. When I opened the hangings on the bed, I seen Hermione poring over a large book, must have been about 3,500 pages. I asked her if she was okay and she answered in this high-pitched voice, saying that everything was fine and for me to go back to bed."
"Oh, that's nothing to worry about," Harry said in a relieved voice. "Hermione was probably just trying to learn a new spell or something. She doesn't like to be interrupted when she's studying."
"But-"
"Yeah," Ron agreed with Harry. "Now lets go down to breakfast. I'm starved."
********
The Great Hall
"So Hermione are you going to tell us what you were so excited about earlier?" Ron asked conversationally.
"I told you," Hermione said with an obvious look at Galleria. "It will have to wait until later."
Ron looked at Galleria who just continued eating her breakfast. "Is it something really important then?" Ron pressed on.
Hermione didn't say anything; she just shoved another forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth. Shrugging it off, Ron tore a bluberry muffin in half and started to eat it. Harry looked between Hermione, Ron, and Galleria and cleared his throat. "When d'you think Professor McGonogall is going to hand out our course schedules?"
Hermione swallowed a sip of her pumpkin juice and held up a piece of parchment, waving it in Harry's face. "She handed them out a moment before you got here."
"You mean we have to walk all the way up to McGonogall's office?" Ron said incredulously.
"Well you wouldn't have to if you had gotten here sooner, now would you?" Hermione sniffed. "You'd better hurry too or you'll be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"That's right!" Ron said excitedly on their way up the stairs that led to Professor McGonogall's office. "We'll be getting a new teacher. I wonder who it's going to be this year? Whoever it is, they're going to have their job cut out for him."
"Or her." Galleria put in.
"Or her." Ron added hastily.
"Well whoever it is, I just hope he or she sticks around for more than just this year," Harry said while hopping over the sinking step.
"Yeah," Ron said, "We haven't had a permanent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher since we've been here."
"Not in all five years?" Galleria asked curiously.
"A different teacher every year." Ron nodded.
"Really?" Galleria said, intrigued. "Why is that?"
"It's cursed," Ron said grimly. "You see, everytime someone new gets the job-"
"Oh look, we've reached McGonogall's office," Harry said quickly.
"I don't think she's back from breakfast yet," Galleria said. "When we left, she was talking to Professor Dumbledore about something."
"So you've already met Dumbledore then?" Ron asked, leaning up against the wall next to Professor McGonogall's office door.
Galleria nodded. "Of course. Mom, Dad, Lanai, Parrish, and I had to meet with him in person before he would even consider taking us into the school. He's really a very fair man," she added. "He knows what he's doing too. He wouldn't think of turning us down. See, Mom went to school here as well back when she was our age. But Mom, being the insistant person she is, absolutely refused to send us off to school without speaking to Professor Dumbledore."
"Well Dumbledore-" Ron began, but was cut off by Professor McGonogall's return.
"Mr. Weasley what on earth are you doing here? You were supposed to be in class five minutes ago." She looked around to see Harry and Galleria standing there also. "And you two! Mr. Potter, Ms. Summers, what is going on here?"
"Well you see, Professor, the three of us," here he gestured to Galleria who was busy counting the cracks in the wall, and then to Ron who was staring out the window at the end of the hall, "didn't get to the Great Hall in time to get our schedules, and we were wondering if you could maybe- "
"Bring you your schedules, perhaps?" Professor McGonogall finished.
Harry nodded.
Professor McGonogall turned, swept into her office, and returned a few seconds later with three pieces of parchment clasped in her hand. She held them out to Harry, but held them out of his reach when he went to grab it. "Perhaps next time you'll learn to be on time, Mr. Potter?"
Harry nodded again. "Oh yes, Professor. I most certainly will."
Eying him shrewdly, Professor McGonogall handed him the schedules and with a look at Galleria and Ron, headed off to her first class of the day.
**********
Later on That Day
"I wonder why Hermione's having us meet her in the library?" Ron said as he and Harry made their way down to the school library.
"It's probably about what she was going to tell us earlier, but stopped when she seen Galleria," Harry said. "I mean, you seen how she looks at Galleria. It's not exactly a secret that Hermione doesn't care for her."
When they entered the library, Hermione waved them over from a table by the Restricted Section. "Harry, Ron, over here!"
Madam Pince scowled, but didn't say anything.
When Harry and Ron had sat down, Hermione immediately launched an explanation on why she was being so secretive and hostile towards Galleria. "It started at the feast yesterday," she started, "when Galleria went to grab a wizard cracker, I noticed something on her hand."
"You noticed something on her hand?" Ron asked. "What was it, a speck of dirt?"
Hermione shot Ron a dirty look. "A star with an arrow through it. At least that's what it looked like anyhow."
"So?" Ron said. "It could be a birth mark, couldn't it be?"
Hermione shook her head. "It's something far more than that..."
"Morning," Galleria yawned, dropping down into a chair across from Harry and Ron. "What are you guys doing? I would have thought you would already be in the Great Hall."
"We're waiting for Hermione," Harry said. "She said she wanted to talk to us about something."
"So," Ron said, looking at Galleria, "are you going to talk to McGonogall about switching houses?"
Galleria shrugged. "I don't think so. I mean I want to be near my sisters, but this could be good for us, y'know? We've never been this far apart from each other before while being so close."
Harry and Ron looked at each other, blinking. Galleria, not noticing their confusion, continued with her little talk. "The farthest we've ever been apart is when Lanai was allowed to go to a friends house next door." At the look on Ron's face, Galleria explained. "See, my mom is really very protective of us girls. Since Alastor died in that fire, family has became number one. We put nothing before family. So, it came as a real shock to us when Mum decided that Lanai could go to Terri's house."
Ron and Harry had no clue who Alastor was and what fire Galleria was talking about, but they didn't question her about it. She gave them the impression that it was a rather touchy subject. "So the whole thing about you being in seperate houses-"
"Is a big thing for us," Galleria finished. "That's why I said we've never been so far apart while being so close. We need time apart from each other to establish our own independence."
"So, you aren't going to talk to McGonogall?" Ron asked hopefully.
Galleria shook her head. "No."
Hermione came running down into the common room at that moment with a look of excitement that Harry and Ron had only seen on her face once. "Ron, Harry, you've got to see this!"
When she said that Harry, Ron, and Galleria noticed a thick book clutched tightly in her left hand. "See what, Hermione?" Harry asked.
"This," she said breathlessly. She was just about ready to open the book and show them whatever it was that she was so excited about when she noticed Galleria sitting opposite Harry and Ron. "But," she said quickly, "It'll have to wait. Now come on or we'll have to go to McGonogall's office for our course schedules."
Without bothering to wait for the boys, Hermione turned and hurried from the common room. Exchanging looks, Harry and Ron stood. "What was that about?" Ron asked Galleria.
Galleria shrugged. "Search me. She's been acting strange ever since last night."
"What happened last night?" Ron asked with a curious look on his face.
"Well," began Galleria, "I'm not exactly sure. I woke late into the night from this really odd dream and couldn't get back to sleep. I heard Hermione muttering something about how she hadn't read nearly as much as she needed("Figures," Ron said with a meaningful look at Harry.) and got up to see if she needed any help. When I opened the hangings on the bed, I seen Hermione poring over a large book, must have been about 3,500 pages. I asked her if she was okay and she answered in this high-pitched voice, saying that everything was fine and for me to go back to bed."
"Oh, that's nothing to worry about," Harry said in a relieved voice. "Hermione was probably just trying to learn a new spell or something. She doesn't like to be interrupted when she's studying."
"But-"
"Yeah," Ron agreed with Harry. "Now lets go down to breakfast. I'm starved."
********
The Great Hall
"So Hermione are you going to tell us what you were so excited about earlier?" Ron asked conversationally.
"I told you," Hermione said with an obvious look at Galleria. "It will have to wait until later."
Ron looked at Galleria who just continued eating her breakfast. "Is it something really important then?" Ron pressed on.
Hermione didn't say anything; she just shoved another forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth. Shrugging it off, Ron tore a bluberry muffin in half and started to eat it. Harry looked between Hermione, Ron, and Galleria and cleared his throat. "When d'you think Professor McGonogall is going to hand out our course schedules?"
Hermione swallowed a sip of her pumpkin juice and held up a piece of parchment, waving it in Harry's face. "She handed them out a moment before you got here."
"You mean we have to walk all the way up to McGonogall's office?" Ron said incredulously.
"Well you wouldn't have to if you had gotten here sooner, now would you?" Hermione sniffed. "You'd better hurry too or you'll be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"That's right!" Ron said excitedly on their way up the stairs that led to Professor McGonogall's office. "We'll be getting a new teacher. I wonder who it's going to be this year? Whoever it is, they're going to have their job cut out for him."
"Or her." Galleria put in.
"Or her." Ron added hastily.
"Well whoever it is, I just hope he or she sticks around for more than just this year," Harry said while hopping over the sinking step.
"Yeah," Ron said, "We haven't had a permanent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher since we've been here."
"Not in all five years?" Galleria asked curiously.
"A different teacher every year." Ron nodded.
"Really?" Galleria said, intrigued. "Why is that?"
"It's cursed," Ron said grimly. "You see, everytime someone new gets the job-"
"Oh look, we've reached McGonogall's office," Harry said quickly.
"I don't think she's back from breakfast yet," Galleria said. "When we left, she was talking to Professor Dumbledore about something."
"So you've already met Dumbledore then?" Ron asked, leaning up against the wall next to Professor McGonogall's office door.
Galleria nodded. "Of course. Mom, Dad, Lanai, Parrish, and I had to meet with him in person before he would even consider taking us into the school. He's really a very fair man," she added. "He knows what he's doing too. He wouldn't think of turning us down. See, Mom went to school here as well back when she was our age. But Mom, being the insistant person she is, absolutely refused to send us off to school without speaking to Professor Dumbledore."
"Well Dumbledore-" Ron began, but was cut off by Professor McGonogall's return.
"Mr. Weasley what on earth are you doing here? You were supposed to be in class five minutes ago." She looked around to see Harry and Galleria standing there also. "And you two! Mr. Potter, Ms. Summers, what is going on here?"
"Well you see, Professor, the three of us," here he gestured to Galleria who was busy counting the cracks in the wall, and then to Ron who was staring out the window at the end of the hall, "didn't get to the Great Hall in time to get our schedules, and we were wondering if you could maybe- "
"Bring you your schedules, perhaps?" Professor McGonogall finished.
Harry nodded.
Professor McGonogall turned, swept into her office, and returned a few seconds later with three pieces of parchment clasped in her hand. She held them out to Harry, but held them out of his reach when he went to grab it. "Perhaps next time you'll learn to be on time, Mr. Potter?"
Harry nodded again. "Oh yes, Professor. I most certainly will."
Eying him shrewdly, Professor McGonogall handed him the schedules and with a look at Galleria and Ron, headed off to her first class of the day.
**********
Later on That Day
"I wonder why Hermione's having us meet her in the library?" Ron said as he and Harry made their way down to the school library.
"It's probably about what she was going to tell us earlier, but stopped when she seen Galleria," Harry said. "I mean, you seen how she looks at Galleria. It's not exactly a secret that Hermione doesn't care for her."
When they entered the library, Hermione waved them over from a table by the Restricted Section. "Harry, Ron, over here!"
Madam Pince scowled, but didn't say anything.
When Harry and Ron had sat down, Hermione immediately launched an explanation on why she was being so secretive and hostile towards Galleria. "It started at the feast yesterday," she started, "when Galleria went to grab a wizard cracker, I noticed something on her hand."
"You noticed something on her hand?" Ron asked. "What was it, a speck of dirt?"
Hermione shot Ron a dirty look. "A star with an arrow through it. At least that's what it looked like anyhow."
"So?" Ron said. "It could be a birth mark, couldn't it be?"
Hermione shook her head. "It's something far more than that..."