I tried to make this chapter quite long, just for you lot. I'm aware that
Sirius isn't in this chapter, but Bellatrix is... almost as good, non?
Anyway, here we go!
Chapter 5
It wasn't until the end of July when Orla got the owl with her results from the examinations. The family were just sitting down for breakfast when the bird flew through the window and perched itself on the table, letter tied to its leg. It bore the crest of Hogwarts leaving nobody in any doubt of its origin. John looked at his little sister, grinning from ear to ear sadistically.
"Open it then!" he said enthusiastically. Orla untied the letter from the bird's leg and looked at it for a few seconds. She then got out of her chair and left the room, her letter clutched in her hand. There was no way that she wanted to open the results in front of her parents. Talk about added pressure. Instead, she headed for the library, her favourite room in the whole house. It was richly decorated with rich burgundies and greens. It looked as though it could have fallen out of a Jane Austen novel.
Orla took a seat in one of the leather armchairs, curling her legs, assuming a small position, still staring at the envelope in front of her.
"Right," she said to herself. She then turned the envelope over quickly, breaking the wax seal. She quickly removed the letters contents.
Dear Miss Scamander,
Below are the results of your O.W.L's taken in June of this year. All results are completely accurate and therefore, final. The Ministry of Magic sincerely hopes that the results below are satisfactory, and if they are not, it's your own fault.
Astronomy – Outstanding
Arithmancy – Exceeds Expectations
Charms – Exceeds Expectations
Defence Against the Dark Arts – Exceeds Expectations
Herbology – Acceptable
History of Magic – Outstanding
Muggle Studies – Outstanding
Potions – Exceeds Expectations
Transfiguration – Outstanding
Hoping you are well,
Yours Sincerely,
Griselda Marchbanks
Wizarding Examinations Authority
Orla read and reread her results. She couldn't believe it! Exceeds Expectations in Potions! She laughed at the very thought of it! Now she really could rub her mothers face in it. She got up from her chair and went back into the kitchen. Her family immediately stopped eating and looked to her.
"How did you do then love?" asked her father. Orla kept her face completely straight and handed the letter to her mother, and with the words, 'suppose you don't have to be a Ravenclaw after all' she headed off upstairs with a great big grin on her face. About five minutes later, her brother John came bounding up the stairs, giving her a huge hug and congratulating her. He wasn't finished with saying how proud he was when the second O.W.L of the morning came flying through Orla's window. She instantly recognised the pretty handwriting on the front.
"Who's that from?" John asked, looking at the pretty barn owl which had landed in front of him.
"Lily, she'll be sending me her results." Orla tore open the letter and smiled at the letter as she read.
Hey Orla!
I can't believe it! I've done really well. I just had to tell someone!
Ancient Runes, O
Astronomy, O
Arithmancy, O
Charms, O
DADA, E
Divination, E
Herbology, O
History of Magic, E
Potions, O
Transfiguration, E
Can you believe it? I hope you did well too, I bet you have! Are we still on for tomorrow? Tabitha and I are definitely allowed to come over? I do hope so, because when we all get together, we're going to have some celebrating to do! I told my Owl to wait so that you could write me back. Hurry up, I want to know what you got.
Love Lily (happiest girl in the world) Xxx Xx X
Orla laughed at the letter and shook her head. She asked John for a piece of parchment and he went off into his room to go and find her some. Orla sighed as she looked at her friend's results again. Lily was such a clever witch, yet not very good at thinking things through. Imagine if Orla's results were terrible? This letter from Lily wouldn't have been the best way of sympathising with her. Luckily, this time, Orla couldn't have been happier with her results. Lily may have done better than her (as expected), but she doubted that Lily was happier than her.
John entered the room again and handed Orla some parchment. She wrote a quick reply and tied it to the owl's leg, who flew off through the window. She then turned to her brother.
"Why haven't mum and dad congratulated me yet I wonder? Too busy eating humble pie?"
"Don't start on Dad," said John, "He isn't like mum with you, he just had a rush of inspiration and went to write something." Orla rolled her eyes and smiled in spite of herself. "Mother however, probably is eating humble pie, either that or she's telling everybody we know about your results." John then smiled at his younger sister. "You did really well kid, I'm proud of you. So proud in fact, that I'm taking you out tonight."
"Oh really? Where to?"
"It's a charity ball. The Ministry of Magic organised it."
"No, I'm not coming. Those things are so boring! That isn't a treat, it's a punishment!" Her brother laughed heartily.
"Actually it won't be as bad as you think. Dorcas is going to be there and I want you to meet her. Both her and I get to invite a guest, as we both work at the ministry, so your going to be my date. Plus mum won't be there, so you can have a few drinks."
Orla was fighting off her hatred of ministry events, after all, she would get to meet the infamous Dorcas.
"Of course I'll come." She smiled at him happily, "I hope Dorcas is ready for the grilling I'm going to give her though." John laughed out loud.
"I'm sure she'll handle it just fine."
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Ten hours later, Orla was feeling terribly bored at the ball. Her and John were stood together, still glancing over the crowd to try and find Dorcas. She had told John that she would be slightly late, but the thirty minutes they had been waiting for her were just too long. So far Orla had been introduced to five old gentlemen, whose names she had already forgotten, who all said the same thing;
"Oh, you must be Orla! Your Grandfather thinks very highly of you."
They then smiled at her, looked her up and down (sometimes a little too suggestively) and carried on their conversation with her brother. It wasn't till forty minutes after her arrival that something sparked Orla's attention.
"There's Bellatrix Black," her brother said tensely.
Orla's head shot up to try and see the woman in her brother's gaze. Her eyes rested upon a very proud, elegant looking woman with long, thick black hair. Her hair matched her black jewellery, black dress robes and, above all, her inky black eyes. Even if Orla didn't know that the woman was trouble, she would have been swayed in thinking that way by just looking at her. The tall, superior way she held herself, her manipulative stare and those deep, cold eyes. She reeked of wealth and 'pure blood'.
Just then, the woman's dark eyes looked in John's direction. Her lips formed into a smirk and her left eyebrow shot up. She whispered something to the man next to her (whom Orla presumed to be her husband) and left his arm. She then walked, quickly and gracefully to Orla's brother who swore under his breath. The woman reached them, stood in an attractive fashion, and then smiled.
"Hello there, John"
"Bellatrix."
She raised her eyebrows at the less than warm greeting she received from the good-looking man in front of her.
"Where are your manners, John? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" She looked at Orla with an odd glint in her eye. Surely she didn't think that Orla was John's girlfriend? Orla kept looking at the eyes that were glaring and glinting at her, she wasn't going to back down. Bellatrix also reminded her a lot of Sirius, whose dark eyes, though warmer than the woman's, were definitely similar.
"This is my sister, Orla," the bitchy glint in her eyes subsided and she smiled charmingly.
"Ah, I see now. How could I not have seen? You look so similar, so beautiful," here she looked at John again, who stared at her, a blank expression on his face. Bellatrix then turned again to Orla. "So you're in Hogwarts?"
"Yes, I'm just about to enter my sixth year."
Bellatrix smiled, "So you must have received your O.W.L results this morning? I hope they were what you wanted, but then, you are a Ravenclaw, so I suppose they were."
"Oh, well actually, no, I'm in Gryffindor. But yes, my results were wonderful." Bellatrix's smiled faded slightly at this revelation.
"Gryffindor?" She tried to say it without conviction.
"Yes, there's only my grandfather and I in the family. Everyone else was in Ravenclaw."
"Interesting...you must know my good for nothing cousin then." Bellatrix frowned. It wasn't a question, more of a statement, yet Orla felt inclined to comment.
"Sirius? Only very briefly."
"Your lucky then. I wouldn't mix with him if I were you. You don't seem like the average brainless Gryffindor." She then gave a swift smile to John and walked away. John nudged Orla and laughed.
"I think she likes you" he said.
"Damn."
Her brother howled with laughter, causing Orla to try and stifle her snigger.
"And what are you laughing about?" Both Orla and John turned to find a woman with dirty blonde curly hair stood behind them, looking puzzled, yet happy.
"Dorcas!" said John, hugging his girlfriend and giving her a kiss. "Orla, this is Dorcas Meadowes. Dorcas, this is my sister." The two girls smiled at each other, and quickly fell into conversation. Mainly about the tediousness of the ball and about John's annoying habits. By the time the ball had ended, the girls were firm friends (much to John's relief).
At one o'clock in the morning, when the ball was over and Orla was home, sat on her bed, she reflected on the day's events. She had done so wonderfully on her O.W.L's, who said you needed to revise a lot to get good marks? At this though she laughed at herself, she had revised a good deal really, but that was more to do with being Lily's best friend than having self-motivation. Lily and Tabitha were coming to her house tomorrow as well, making her holidays even more fun.
Orla undressed and got ready for bed, thinking about Bellatrix Black. She might have been dislikeable, but she was a very intriguing character, and what seemed more odd was that, after the initial shock of her being a Gryffindor, Bellatrix seemed to accept her. Later at the ball, after Bellatrix had smiled at Orla a few times, John sounded his surprise at Bellatrix's behaviour. However, Orla didn't feel one hundred percent happy with her newfound friend, Bellatrix oozed danger. Trying to forget about the woman, Orla fell asleep.
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Chapter 5
It wasn't until the end of July when Orla got the owl with her results from the examinations. The family were just sitting down for breakfast when the bird flew through the window and perched itself on the table, letter tied to its leg. It bore the crest of Hogwarts leaving nobody in any doubt of its origin. John looked at his little sister, grinning from ear to ear sadistically.
"Open it then!" he said enthusiastically. Orla untied the letter from the bird's leg and looked at it for a few seconds. She then got out of her chair and left the room, her letter clutched in her hand. There was no way that she wanted to open the results in front of her parents. Talk about added pressure. Instead, she headed for the library, her favourite room in the whole house. It was richly decorated with rich burgundies and greens. It looked as though it could have fallen out of a Jane Austen novel.
Orla took a seat in one of the leather armchairs, curling her legs, assuming a small position, still staring at the envelope in front of her.
"Right," she said to herself. She then turned the envelope over quickly, breaking the wax seal. She quickly removed the letters contents.
Dear Miss Scamander,
Below are the results of your O.W.L's taken in June of this year. All results are completely accurate and therefore, final. The Ministry of Magic sincerely hopes that the results below are satisfactory, and if they are not, it's your own fault.
Astronomy – Outstanding
Arithmancy – Exceeds Expectations
Charms – Exceeds Expectations
Defence Against the Dark Arts – Exceeds Expectations
Herbology – Acceptable
History of Magic – Outstanding
Muggle Studies – Outstanding
Potions – Exceeds Expectations
Transfiguration – Outstanding
Hoping you are well,
Yours Sincerely,
Griselda Marchbanks
Wizarding Examinations Authority
Orla read and reread her results. She couldn't believe it! Exceeds Expectations in Potions! She laughed at the very thought of it! Now she really could rub her mothers face in it. She got up from her chair and went back into the kitchen. Her family immediately stopped eating and looked to her.
"How did you do then love?" asked her father. Orla kept her face completely straight and handed the letter to her mother, and with the words, 'suppose you don't have to be a Ravenclaw after all' she headed off upstairs with a great big grin on her face. About five minutes later, her brother John came bounding up the stairs, giving her a huge hug and congratulating her. He wasn't finished with saying how proud he was when the second O.W.L of the morning came flying through Orla's window. She instantly recognised the pretty handwriting on the front.
"Who's that from?" John asked, looking at the pretty barn owl which had landed in front of him.
"Lily, she'll be sending me her results." Orla tore open the letter and smiled at the letter as she read.
Hey Orla!
I can't believe it! I've done really well. I just had to tell someone!
Ancient Runes, O
Astronomy, O
Arithmancy, O
Charms, O
DADA, E
Divination, E
Herbology, O
History of Magic, E
Potions, O
Transfiguration, E
Can you believe it? I hope you did well too, I bet you have! Are we still on for tomorrow? Tabitha and I are definitely allowed to come over? I do hope so, because when we all get together, we're going to have some celebrating to do! I told my Owl to wait so that you could write me back. Hurry up, I want to know what you got.
Love Lily (happiest girl in the world) Xxx Xx X
Orla laughed at the letter and shook her head. She asked John for a piece of parchment and he went off into his room to go and find her some. Orla sighed as she looked at her friend's results again. Lily was such a clever witch, yet not very good at thinking things through. Imagine if Orla's results were terrible? This letter from Lily wouldn't have been the best way of sympathising with her. Luckily, this time, Orla couldn't have been happier with her results. Lily may have done better than her (as expected), but she doubted that Lily was happier than her.
John entered the room again and handed Orla some parchment. She wrote a quick reply and tied it to the owl's leg, who flew off through the window. She then turned to her brother.
"Why haven't mum and dad congratulated me yet I wonder? Too busy eating humble pie?"
"Don't start on Dad," said John, "He isn't like mum with you, he just had a rush of inspiration and went to write something." Orla rolled her eyes and smiled in spite of herself. "Mother however, probably is eating humble pie, either that or she's telling everybody we know about your results." John then smiled at his younger sister. "You did really well kid, I'm proud of you. So proud in fact, that I'm taking you out tonight."
"Oh really? Where to?"
"It's a charity ball. The Ministry of Magic organised it."
"No, I'm not coming. Those things are so boring! That isn't a treat, it's a punishment!" Her brother laughed heartily.
"Actually it won't be as bad as you think. Dorcas is going to be there and I want you to meet her. Both her and I get to invite a guest, as we both work at the ministry, so your going to be my date. Plus mum won't be there, so you can have a few drinks."
Orla was fighting off her hatred of ministry events, after all, she would get to meet the infamous Dorcas.
"Of course I'll come." She smiled at him happily, "I hope Dorcas is ready for the grilling I'm going to give her though." John laughed out loud.
"I'm sure she'll handle it just fine."
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Ten hours later, Orla was feeling terribly bored at the ball. Her and John were stood together, still glancing over the crowd to try and find Dorcas. She had told John that she would be slightly late, but the thirty minutes they had been waiting for her were just too long. So far Orla had been introduced to five old gentlemen, whose names she had already forgotten, who all said the same thing;
"Oh, you must be Orla! Your Grandfather thinks very highly of you."
They then smiled at her, looked her up and down (sometimes a little too suggestively) and carried on their conversation with her brother. It wasn't till forty minutes after her arrival that something sparked Orla's attention.
"There's Bellatrix Black," her brother said tensely.
Orla's head shot up to try and see the woman in her brother's gaze. Her eyes rested upon a very proud, elegant looking woman with long, thick black hair. Her hair matched her black jewellery, black dress robes and, above all, her inky black eyes. Even if Orla didn't know that the woman was trouble, she would have been swayed in thinking that way by just looking at her. The tall, superior way she held herself, her manipulative stare and those deep, cold eyes. She reeked of wealth and 'pure blood'.
Just then, the woman's dark eyes looked in John's direction. Her lips formed into a smirk and her left eyebrow shot up. She whispered something to the man next to her (whom Orla presumed to be her husband) and left his arm. She then walked, quickly and gracefully to Orla's brother who swore under his breath. The woman reached them, stood in an attractive fashion, and then smiled.
"Hello there, John"
"Bellatrix."
She raised her eyebrows at the less than warm greeting she received from the good-looking man in front of her.
"Where are your manners, John? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" She looked at Orla with an odd glint in her eye. Surely she didn't think that Orla was John's girlfriend? Orla kept looking at the eyes that were glaring and glinting at her, she wasn't going to back down. Bellatrix also reminded her a lot of Sirius, whose dark eyes, though warmer than the woman's, were definitely similar.
"This is my sister, Orla," the bitchy glint in her eyes subsided and she smiled charmingly.
"Ah, I see now. How could I not have seen? You look so similar, so beautiful," here she looked at John again, who stared at her, a blank expression on his face. Bellatrix then turned again to Orla. "So you're in Hogwarts?"
"Yes, I'm just about to enter my sixth year."
Bellatrix smiled, "So you must have received your O.W.L results this morning? I hope they were what you wanted, but then, you are a Ravenclaw, so I suppose they were."
"Oh, well actually, no, I'm in Gryffindor. But yes, my results were wonderful." Bellatrix's smiled faded slightly at this revelation.
"Gryffindor?" She tried to say it without conviction.
"Yes, there's only my grandfather and I in the family. Everyone else was in Ravenclaw."
"Interesting...you must know my good for nothing cousin then." Bellatrix frowned. It wasn't a question, more of a statement, yet Orla felt inclined to comment.
"Sirius? Only very briefly."
"Your lucky then. I wouldn't mix with him if I were you. You don't seem like the average brainless Gryffindor." She then gave a swift smile to John and walked away. John nudged Orla and laughed.
"I think she likes you" he said.
"Damn."
Her brother howled with laughter, causing Orla to try and stifle her snigger.
"And what are you laughing about?" Both Orla and John turned to find a woman with dirty blonde curly hair stood behind them, looking puzzled, yet happy.
"Dorcas!" said John, hugging his girlfriend and giving her a kiss. "Orla, this is Dorcas Meadowes. Dorcas, this is my sister." The two girls smiled at each other, and quickly fell into conversation. Mainly about the tediousness of the ball and about John's annoying habits. By the time the ball had ended, the girls were firm friends (much to John's relief).
At one o'clock in the morning, when the ball was over and Orla was home, sat on her bed, she reflected on the day's events. She had done so wonderfully on her O.W.L's, who said you needed to revise a lot to get good marks? At this though she laughed at herself, she had revised a good deal really, but that was more to do with being Lily's best friend than having self-motivation. Lily and Tabitha were coming to her house tomorrow as well, making her holidays even more fun.
Orla undressed and got ready for bed, thinking about Bellatrix Black. She might have been dislikeable, but she was a very intriguing character, and what seemed more odd was that, after the initial shock of her being a Gryffindor, Bellatrix seemed to accept her. Later at the ball, after Bellatrix had smiled at Orla a few times, John sounded his surprise at Bellatrix's behaviour. However, Orla didn't feel one hundred percent happy with her newfound friend, Bellatrix oozed danger. Trying to forget about the woman, Orla fell asleep.
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