A/N: Hiya papayas, I would have written this chapter yesterday, but sadly,
I dislocated my shoulder in, shall we say, a less than auspicious manner.
I had to get that fixed, and still I type one-handed. EEE! I feel the
need to make a confession. I tried to write a sorting hat song for this
chapter. It reeked. So, rather than put something awful in, we're going
to work around it.
Wonapalei: Ah, Plotting!Ron is right here (honest to gosh truth, I tried to write him in to the last chapter, but couldn't get him to mesh with all the other scenes.) He's been working his butt off; it's just that Harry hasn't been paying any attention. Bad Harry. Ron doesn't know about Jared, because, well, he doesn't exactly get out much, does he? Eep! I'm really glad you liked the "You take it" bit. It just popped into my head, and I included it at the last minute. Love you bunches!
ShaeLynn: Mmm...yummy chips. :o) Thank you muchly! Unfortunately, I can make no promises, except that Ron's actions won't come between Harry and Draco. Other than that...~cackles madly~
JumpyPUNKyMonkey: You're here now, and as long as you like it I'm happy chappy :o)
HecateDeMort: Ron is planning in the Shrieking Shack. He didn't even get an invite, poor guy. ~beams at you~ yup, I think Jared and Hermione would make a good pairing, too.
cutieak88: ~scratches chin~ yeah, so do I. Thank you!
Natasha AKA: Tash: Hehe. Sorry. Copious thanks, I'm really glad you like it.
She had lived there for the entirety of her short life. She knew, even if she could not remember, that she had learned to walk in these very halls. She knew all the professors, had eaten with them, taken short lessons from them, had amused them. She had seen the other students, the 'real' students, walking the halls of her home, and had never given them a second thought. They had ignored her just as easily and everyone had lived their own little life.
No longer, though, was she allowed that oblivion. This night would change it all. Shopping in Diagon Alley had been a short excursion; she had taken many before, and was able to pretend it was no different. She had glanced at her class list, and acknowledged with a type of detached anxiety and excitement that her magical education would be starting in earnest. Now, though, it was different. Joining the other first years at the entrance to the Great Hall she felt her self-confidence wane, just a bit. She glanced nervously at the other students, looking for a friendly face, but they all seemed to blur together. One face turned into another, and regardless of their origin, each face seemed to be displaying the same apprehension she felt twisting in the pit of her own stomach.
As she walked with the other students through to the Great Hall to the front she felt like she was seeing it all for the first time. The older students sitting at their tables, all of the empty spaces-one of which was hers and she wondered which one-the ceiling, and all the professors seated up, front, and center. To her childhood self they had looked friendly and comforting; now they appeared authoritative and intimidating. If they remained thus throughout the year she thought she might have trouble recognizing them when the holidays or summer finally came about.
Through the din she heard Professor McGonagall call out the name of some student, or another. She despaired of learning them all, and was hoping that they had all not made friends on the train. That there was one person standing there, just like her, wishing for a friend in an unfamiliar place. Looking up at the teachers she thought maybe she would catch her mother's eye, but failed. At the table she noticed that the seat next to Harry was empty. He must have seen her looking, for he grinned at her and winked. Slightly heartened by the fact that Harry was still Harry, and had not been transformed in the few short hours since she'd seen him last into 'Professor Potter', she went on, now listening to the names as they were called.
"Francis, Airlia" she heard the professor call shrilly.
There was a slight pause as the small, doll-like girl climbed the steps and donned the hat. Suddenly
"Gryffindor!" and the relieved girl walked diffidently down to greet her new classmates. It was only a fraction of a second before recognized the closeness of that to hers when put alphabetically, and only had a moment to panic before "Granger, Samantha"
~Do or die~ she thought, as the hat was placed on her head, but then reconsidered. She didn't have to do anything, she just sat her butt on the stool and some other force chose the path of her life. It was unnerving, and slightly frustrating to think she was going to be 'put' somewhere. In fact, she was growing rather angry at the thought, not so angry, though, that she missed that the Hat was silent. Straining her eyes upward all she could see was the leather brim, and it was moving not at all.
Suddenly the Hat began to laugh. It was a harsh sound, but also uproarious and it sounded as if the Hat were short of breath. Funny, she'd never seen a hat with lungs, and she hoped they weren't hovering inside the Hat, somewhere above her head, laboring heavily. She wondered if there might be other organs in there as well, she might have an entire set of innards floating haphazardly over her head. The thought made her feel rather ill, and the Hat continued to display its amusement.
It seemed all the others in the hall had noticed, as well, because everyone was staring at her, and the Hat. The students looked frightened, the professors unnerved, and the Headmaster looked like someone had given him a pony ~A white pony, with gray spots, and purple ribbons braided in its mane. ~
"Dear girl," the Hat wheezed, "Do stop thinking, for a moment"
And that, was the end of any patience Sam felt like having. This whole situation was surreal, and maddening. She was on the verge of screaming, or crying. At that moment it didn't matter which. The Hat must have had some idea what was going through her head, for finally it said, "Gryffindor" and the deed was done.
She forced her legs to move to the table where she sat down next to the girl, Airlia, and looked somberly at the faces she would come to know in the next seven years.
The food was much the same as it always was. Everything was delicious, but nothing overly remarkable, and mostly she fiddled with it. Her classmates prattled on, and she found that she liked Airlia somewhat more than the others.
"I'm Airlia"
"I'm Sam"
"Where are you from?"
"Here, Hogwart's"
"Really! Then..."
And the conversation went from there, and Sam thought she just might have made her first real friend. Her life spent at Hogwart's there were always adults willing to dote upon her, but no real friends. It seemed, though, that time was passing around her, and soon she found herself in a red and gold room. She thought it looked quite like Harry and Draco's room, except that the couch was most certainly not green with silver embroidery. The redundancy of color made the strong hues lose their power, mostly it looked stifling, and she longed for her room, at home, less than two floors away.
Troubled by her torn emotions it took Sam a rather long time to fall asleep that night. She was happy; she had friends. She was scared; she wasn't at home. Finally she fell into troubled dreams. When she awoke the next morning she would not remember a single one, but the ominous feeling would haunt her for days.
******************************************************
At 2 am in Hogsmeade, Dolores Umbridge, Cornelius Fudge, and a group of aurors left the Shrieking Shack. Finally, they had all the evidence they needed. Ron watched them go, marked their progress as the edged through the shadows and apparated away. He knew that this time, this time justice would be served, and when it all came to a head, the wizarding world would be clamoring for blood.
A/N: And that would appear to be that. This is another chapter that I'm not sure where it came from. I certainly had not had the intention of making it quite so...whatever it is. Anyways, next chapter: It'll be up in a few hours and I suppose it should include who exactly is carrying the baby. Whoever you think it is...it's not...unless it is. Chapter 15 will be different from all the other chapters, and chapter 16 (all of these should go up today) is from Jared's PoV so, we'll see how that goes. Much love, and lots of hugs.
Wonapalei: Ah, Plotting!Ron is right here (honest to gosh truth, I tried to write him in to the last chapter, but couldn't get him to mesh with all the other scenes.) He's been working his butt off; it's just that Harry hasn't been paying any attention. Bad Harry. Ron doesn't know about Jared, because, well, he doesn't exactly get out much, does he? Eep! I'm really glad you liked the "You take it" bit. It just popped into my head, and I included it at the last minute. Love you bunches!
ShaeLynn: Mmm...yummy chips. :o) Thank you muchly! Unfortunately, I can make no promises, except that Ron's actions won't come between Harry and Draco. Other than that...~cackles madly~
JumpyPUNKyMonkey: You're here now, and as long as you like it I'm happy chappy :o)
HecateDeMort: Ron is planning in the Shrieking Shack. He didn't even get an invite, poor guy. ~beams at you~ yup, I think Jared and Hermione would make a good pairing, too.
cutieak88: ~scratches chin~ yeah, so do I. Thank you!
Natasha AKA: Tash: Hehe. Sorry. Copious thanks, I'm really glad you like it.
She had lived there for the entirety of her short life. She knew, even if she could not remember, that she had learned to walk in these very halls. She knew all the professors, had eaten with them, taken short lessons from them, had amused them. She had seen the other students, the 'real' students, walking the halls of her home, and had never given them a second thought. They had ignored her just as easily and everyone had lived their own little life.
No longer, though, was she allowed that oblivion. This night would change it all. Shopping in Diagon Alley had been a short excursion; she had taken many before, and was able to pretend it was no different. She had glanced at her class list, and acknowledged with a type of detached anxiety and excitement that her magical education would be starting in earnest. Now, though, it was different. Joining the other first years at the entrance to the Great Hall she felt her self-confidence wane, just a bit. She glanced nervously at the other students, looking for a friendly face, but they all seemed to blur together. One face turned into another, and regardless of their origin, each face seemed to be displaying the same apprehension she felt twisting in the pit of her own stomach.
As she walked with the other students through to the Great Hall to the front she felt like she was seeing it all for the first time. The older students sitting at their tables, all of the empty spaces-one of which was hers and she wondered which one-the ceiling, and all the professors seated up, front, and center. To her childhood self they had looked friendly and comforting; now they appeared authoritative and intimidating. If they remained thus throughout the year she thought she might have trouble recognizing them when the holidays or summer finally came about.
Through the din she heard Professor McGonagall call out the name of some student, or another. She despaired of learning them all, and was hoping that they had all not made friends on the train. That there was one person standing there, just like her, wishing for a friend in an unfamiliar place. Looking up at the teachers she thought maybe she would catch her mother's eye, but failed. At the table she noticed that the seat next to Harry was empty. He must have seen her looking, for he grinned at her and winked. Slightly heartened by the fact that Harry was still Harry, and had not been transformed in the few short hours since she'd seen him last into 'Professor Potter', she went on, now listening to the names as they were called.
"Francis, Airlia" she heard the professor call shrilly.
There was a slight pause as the small, doll-like girl climbed the steps and donned the hat. Suddenly
"Gryffindor!" and the relieved girl walked diffidently down to greet her new classmates. It was only a fraction of a second before recognized the closeness of that to hers when put alphabetically, and only had a moment to panic before "Granger, Samantha"
~Do or die~ she thought, as the hat was placed on her head, but then reconsidered. She didn't have to do anything, she just sat her butt on the stool and some other force chose the path of her life. It was unnerving, and slightly frustrating to think she was going to be 'put' somewhere. In fact, she was growing rather angry at the thought, not so angry, though, that she missed that the Hat was silent. Straining her eyes upward all she could see was the leather brim, and it was moving not at all.
Suddenly the Hat began to laugh. It was a harsh sound, but also uproarious and it sounded as if the Hat were short of breath. Funny, she'd never seen a hat with lungs, and she hoped they weren't hovering inside the Hat, somewhere above her head, laboring heavily. She wondered if there might be other organs in there as well, she might have an entire set of innards floating haphazardly over her head. The thought made her feel rather ill, and the Hat continued to display its amusement.
It seemed all the others in the hall had noticed, as well, because everyone was staring at her, and the Hat. The students looked frightened, the professors unnerved, and the Headmaster looked like someone had given him a pony ~A white pony, with gray spots, and purple ribbons braided in its mane. ~
"Dear girl," the Hat wheezed, "Do stop thinking, for a moment"
And that, was the end of any patience Sam felt like having. This whole situation was surreal, and maddening. She was on the verge of screaming, or crying. At that moment it didn't matter which. The Hat must have had some idea what was going through her head, for finally it said, "Gryffindor" and the deed was done.
She forced her legs to move to the table where she sat down next to the girl, Airlia, and looked somberly at the faces she would come to know in the next seven years.
The food was much the same as it always was. Everything was delicious, but nothing overly remarkable, and mostly she fiddled with it. Her classmates prattled on, and she found that she liked Airlia somewhat more than the others.
"I'm Airlia"
"I'm Sam"
"Where are you from?"
"Here, Hogwart's"
"Really! Then..."
And the conversation went from there, and Sam thought she just might have made her first real friend. Her life spent at Hogwart's there were always adults willing to dote upon her, but no real friends. It seemed, though, that time was passing around her, and soon she found herself in a red and gold room. She thought it looked quite like Harry and Draco's room, except that the couch was most certainly not green with silver embroidery. The redundancy of color made the strong hues lose their power, mostly it looked stifling, and she longed for her room, at home, less than two floors away.
Troubled by her torn emotions it took Sam a rather long time to fall asleep that night. She was happy; she had friends. She was scared; she wasn't at home. Finally she fell into troubled dreams. When she awoke the next morning she would not remember a single one, but the ominous feeling would haunt her for days.
******************************************************
At 2 am in Hogsmeade, Dolores Umbridge, Cornelius Fudge, and a group of aurors left the Shrieking Shack. Finally, they had all the evidence they needed. Ron watched them go, marked their progress as the edged through the shadows and apparated away. He knew that this time, this time justice would be served, and when it all came to a head, the wizarding world would be clamoring for blood.
A/N: And that would appear to be that. This is another chapter that I'm not sure where it came from. I certainly had not had the intention of making it quite so...whatever it is. Anyways, next chapter: It'll be up in a few hours and I suppose it should include who exactly is carrying the baby. Whoever you think it is...it's not...unless it is. Chapter 15 will be different from all the other chapters, and chapter 16 (all of these should go up today) is from Jared's PoV so, we'll see how that goes. Much love, and lots of hugs.