Two
Zelda sat cross legged in the Gryffindor common room, playing a game of Wizarding Chess with Luna Lovegood. Hermione was deeply absorbed in "Modern House Elves- A Study", and made grunting noises at passages she disliked. Harry and Ron were arguing about the finer points of an upcoming Quidditch match with Ravenclaw, and Zelda looked up crossly.
"You two are blowing my concentration. Ron, give me a hand? You're the best at Wizarding Chess and Luna's going to slaughter me."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Zel." Ron laughed. "You want to move the queen three spaces diagonally, like that." He pushed the black queen across the board and Luna pouted as the stone figure decapitated one of her knights.
"Have you heard from Quinn?" Harry asked suddenly. "She's going to graduate in a couple months, right? I'm applying to Acheron next year and I was hoping to visit the grounds- not that they'll be anything on Hogwarts, but I'd like to see the Owlery, and maybe meet some of her professors. Acheron has one of the best Auror training programs in Britain, you know"
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Hermione had been listening despite her apparent absorption in the House Elf study. "The Order's been working overtime to keep Harry safe at Hogwarts- it could be just the opportunity the Death Eaters need to get him out of the castle, so to speak- in plain range of You-Know Who and that horrible woman who killed Sirius- Oh Harry, I'm sorry- I never should have mentioned."
"That's all right", he said.
"I'm sure Quinnella would love to have you." Zelda had forgotten the chess game at the thought of her sister. "Quinn is great friends with Tonks. Maybe she could take you for a visit at Christmas. Did you know Quinn's applying to the Order of the Phoenix? Shacklebolt has her papers right now- I'll make her send an owl as soon as she finds out."
"It's supposed to be very dangerous work. Do you think Quinn ought to do it?" Neville had wandered over to their group, and he looked concerned.
"Of course she ought to!" Zelda said. "Quinnella didn't get eight N.E.W.T.s, and then bust her butt for three years at Acheron so she could bug out at the first sign of danger. She's already assisted in the capture of a rogue dementor and she volunteers with the Werewolf Welfare Network on weekends!"
Neville was impressed. "Gran would love it if I became an Auror someday. Only you need loads of O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s and all I'm good at is herbology."
"That isn't true," said Luna. "You need courage and pluck to be an Auror. Both of those are traits you have in spades. Who else would have faced down Bellatrix Lestrange"-The rest of Luna's speech was lost to Zelda as she suddenly felt dizzy.
"Please, let's not talk about her. She has powers no one can guess at. Even her name is black. No one knows where she is- it's said even the dementors cannot hold her." Zelda's face was twisted as she spoke, and Hermione approached her with concern.
"You'd better sit down, Zel, before you fall down. The Order of the Phoenix will find that woman and deal with her, along with all the rest. Have a butterbeer, it will calm you down. Now don't you have some homework you should be working on?"
More coming soon, if people review!
Zelda sat cross legged in the Gryffindor common room, playing a game of Wizarding Chess with Luna Lovegood. Hermione was deeply absorbed in "Modern House Elves- A Study", and made grunting noises at passages she disliked. Harry and Ron were arguing about the finer points of an upcoming Quidditch match with Ravenclaw, and Zelda looked up crossly.
"You two are blowing my concentration. Ron, give me a hand? You're the best at Wizarding Chess and Luna's going to slaughter me."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Zel." Ron laughed. "You want to move the queen three spaces diagonally, like that." He pushed the black queen across the board and Luna pouted as the stone figure decapitated one of her knights.
"Have you heard from Quinn?" Harry asked suddenly. "She's going to graduate in a couple months, right? I'm applying to Acheron next year and I was hoping to visit the grounds- not that they'll be anything on Hogwarts, but I'd like to see the Owlery, and maybe meet some of her professors. Acheron has one of the best Auror training programs in Britain, you know"
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Hermione had been listening despite her apparent absorption in the House Elf study. "The Order's been working overtime to keep Harry safe at Hogwarts- it could be just the opportunity the Death Eaters need to get him out of the castle, so to speak- in plain range of You-Know Who and that horrible woman who killed Sirius- Oh Harry, I'm sorry- I never should have mentioned."
"That's all right", he said.
"I'm sure Quinnella would love to have you." Zelda had forgotten the chess game at the thought of her sister. "Quinn is great friends with Tonks. Maybe she could take you for a visit at Christmas. Did you know Quinn's applying to the Order of the Phoenix? Shacklebolt has her papers right now- I'll make her send an owl as soon as she finds out."
"It's supposed to be very dangerous work. Do you think Quinn ought to do it?" Neville had wandered over to their group, and he looked concerned.
"Of course she ought to!" Zelda said. "Quinnella didn't get eight N.E.W.T.s, and then bust her butt for three years at Acheron so she could bug out at the first sign of danger. She's already assisted in the capture of a rogue dementor and she volunteers with the Werewolf Welfare Network on weekends!"
Neville was impressed. "Gran would love it if I became an Auror someday. Only you need loads of O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s and all I'm good at is herbology."
"That isn't true," said Luna. "You need courage and pluck to be an Auror. Both of those are traits you have in spades. Who else would have faced down Bellatrix Lestrange"-The rest of Luna's speech was lost to Zelda as she suddenly felt dizzy.
"Please, let's not talk about her. She has powers no one can guess at. Even her name is black. No one knows where she is- it's said even the dementors cannot hold her." Zelda's face was twisted as she spoke, and Hermione approached her with concern.
"You'd better sit down, Zel, before you fall down. The Order of the Phoenix will find that woman and deal with her, along with all the rest. Have a butterbeer, it will calm you down. Now don't you have some homework you should be working on?"
More coming soon, if people review!
