For Damon.
Chapter One
Noelle Granger knew better than to underestimate her mother about anything. Hermione Granger was the perfect epitome of a successful businesswoman and a wonderful mother. Noelle understood how hard this was for her mother: Hermione was a single mother with a prominent career in both Muggle and Magical worlds. She had a teenage daughter to support and frequent out-of-country meetings with publishers.
So today as Noelle stood impatiently at the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten, she thought kindly of her parent as Hermione swung into view, a vision in a smart pantsuit. Muggles would think of her as a businesswoman if not for the swinging owl cage in her hand. "Elle," Hermione breathed, approaching her daughter, "darling, here!" She held out the cage toward Noelle. The handsome occupant of the cage screeched happily. "You almost forgot him and he was losing his wits trying to find you. I'm never good with birds!" Delicious was the name of the owl in the cage.
"Oh…uh…sorry, Mum," Noelle said, setting the cage down on her trunk.
"Well, let's get on with it," Hermione said, prodding Noelle gently towards the barrier. Casually, they both stared at the clock, pretending to be very interested in the time. Noelle mimicked her mother and they both slid through the very solid brick wall. This action always thrilled Noelle. She loved the fluid motion the barrier gave her when she slid right through it. It was like sitting in a warm soft chair before she stepped out.
The scarlet Hogwarts Express was sitting idly while students meandered around. Noelle's eyes narrowed in search for her two best friends, James Potter and Ian Weasley. She didn't catch any hint of flaming red hair. She was disappointed. They had planned to leave together but the plan had gone awry when Hermione had been called at the last minute to Los Angeles. It was at times like these when Noelle resented her mother very much. She hated to think of James and Ian partying it up in the back of a Ministry car while she was already here, searching for an empty compartment.
In the midst of all of this, someone was calling out Noelle's name. "Noelle!" It was a distinctly male voice. "Noelle!" There stood in front of her a tall, gangly boy who was breathing heavily and trying to smile at her. "Are you Noelle Granger?"
"That's me," Noelle said.
"You're the new Head Girl, right?" the boy asked. Noelle looked in puzzlement at her mother.
"No, I'm not," she replied.
"Oh," the boy said, looking disappointed. She didn't recognize him but she knew his face. She watched as he joined his friends, one of them thumping his arm and saying, "Good job, mate! You talked to her!"
Hermione laughed. "Of course," she said. "My daughter, Lolita."
Noelle rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right," she said. "What a terrible actor."
"Quite impressive, I thought," Hermione said as she pushed her daughter's trolley
"He's a dick."
"I agree."
They found a very empty compartment. Noelle heaved her trunk into the compartment and slid it underneath a seat. Then she stepped out to see a family of flaming red hair talking to her mother. "Ian!" Noelle exclaimed, hugging the very tall and brown Ian Weasley. Ian hugged her back. Years ago, Noelle had been taller than Ian but then Ian had become taller and now she was standing on the step of the train to hug him.
"Ron," Noelle said, nodding at Ian's father. Hermione was looking disapprovingly at Ron.
"The train leaves in ten minutes and you're here now?" Hermione was saying. "This is your daughter's first year at school. I think she deserves a good goodbye."
"Hey, it's not my fault," Ron said. "Someone called at the last minute to say they had to run to L.A."
"You're blaming me?" Hermione was incredulous.
Ian and Noelle shared a look, both rolling their eyes. This was the typical first-day-of-school routine when Hermione and Ron would argue about nothing and then they would make up and bid their children farewell.
"And where, may I ask, is Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Harry is at work, dear friend," Ron said. "My sister is bringing her children to the train today so you needn't worry. They'll be here soon."
"That's not soon enough," Hermione said, glancing at her watch. They continued to bicker for a long while until there was a tap on Hermione's shoulder. Hermione whirled around, incensed with anger, and was surprised to see Ginny standing there with her son and daughter.
"Finally!" Hermione said. "Finally you're here! The train leaves in—" She checked her watch. "—three minutes."
Ginny smiled serenely. "Hermione, darling, don't worry," she said. "I am here, my children are here, everything is fine."
"Ah, well," Hermione said. "Hurry and get your trunks in the compartment."
"Elle," James said, nodding formally. "How have you been?"
"Stupid, you just saw me three days ago," she said.
James put on a simpering pained expression on his face. "Darling Noelle, don't you know what could happen in three days? We could have lost you forever."
"Yeah, because I exerted myself packing for school."
"You know, Elle, you are not very sensitive."
"Shut up," she said, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her ear to his collarbone. He placed his hands on her back and laughed into her hair.
"Excited for our last year here?" he asked. She pulled away and nodded, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
"Elle," Hermione said, reaching for her daughter, "darling, come say goodbye." Noelle moved towards her mother. "Be good," Hermione said. "As good as you've always been. Do well, study hard and have fun, sweet." She hugged her daughter hard, whispering in her ear, "Send my love." Then she placed a kiss on Noelle's forehead and nudged her towards the train. "Goodbye, darling!" Noelle climbed on the train, Ian and James behind her. She waved at her mother and the three of them entered the compartment.
They found something they didn't expect.
"Malfoy," James hissed, sneering. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"It's a public train, Potter," Tristan Malfoy said, grinning. "No need to get upset."
"Get out," Ian commanded to Malfoy and his two friends, Daniel Lombardo and Aidan Hannigan.
"Touchy," Tristan commented. "Can't we just be friends?"
Noelle could tell that James was running short of calm. "Malfoy," she said, "could you please just leave?"
"Don't beg him, Elle," James told her. "We'll just beat his ass and then drag him and his cronies out."
"Do you really think you are that tough, Potter?" Malfoy said, standing up. He was taller than James by about two inches. "Or is it that Potter in your blood that makes you so valiant to save your darling's live? The Muggle blood, you know, is very impulsive and rather—" He coughed. "—stupid."
"Let's talk about your blood, Malfoy," Noelle said loudly. "Is it true that your grandparents were cousins? Isn't that a little awkward? I hear it creates birth defects." She smirked. "Or is it just that your Malfoy line of jackasses carries on to you as well?"
Malfoy bowed his head, taking this blow to his family line surprisingly well. Noelle didn't care. "Get the hell out," she hissed. "Now."
"Right-o, boss," he said. He left, Lombardo and Hannigan trailing behind him.
"He's such an asshole," Noelle said when they had left. "God, how can his parents stand him?"
"His father's Draco Malfoy, Elle," Ian said. "Who cares how they can stand him?"
The train started and Noelle stared out the window at the other side of the platform. It was deserted. "What are you thinking?" James asked, leaning in close and talking to her softly.
"My mother doesn't have enough time to take care of me and still do her book stuff," Noelle said honestly the first time. She couldn't lie to James and it's not like she would in the first place.
James sighed. "She loves you."
"I know." They were silent until the door slid open and James's younger sister, Molly, walked in, followed by Ian's younger sister, Violet.
"Get out," Ian said immediately.
"Really, Ian, that's so immature," Molly said. "Can we join you? Malfoy is laying waste to the rest of the train."
"Sure," Noelle said, gesturing towards the empty seat. Violet and Molly sat down, smiling. "So, Vi, are you excited?"
"I'm dying," Violet replied. "I just want to get there. I wonder what house I'll be in."
"That's an easy one," James said. "You'll be in Gryffindor, of course. Your entire family is."
"That's so stupid," Violet replied. "Not everyone in the same family is the same. I hate that."
"You know she's right," Noelle said. "It doesn't make any sense to put people of the same family in the same house.
"It makes it easier for the family," Ian said. "That way the younger ones can follow the older ones."
"Did you say that Malfoy was terrorizing the rest of the train?" James asked. Molly nodded.
"That is precisely what I said."
"What's he doing, exactly?"
"Coming into compartments and being himself. He wouldn't mess with us, for some reason," Molly said. "I suspect it has something to do with you, huh, big brother?"
James shrugged. "He unsuccessfully tried to terrorize us. Thankfully, we have Elle, who at least has half a brain in her head."
"Hey!"
"Sorry, Elle," James said, smiling. She shrugged.
"I don't care." She continued to stare out the window until the woman came around with the carts. They all chipped in money and James bought sandwiches.
"Tuna salad for Molly, as always," James said, handing them out. "Pastrami and cream cheese on bagels for the one and only Noelle. And plain old turkey for the rest of us." They ate in a weird silence that was broken only by the obnoxious noises outside the compartment of Tristan Malfoy and his cronies running up and down the corridors, teasing young children.
"I really think we should do something about him," Ian said with a mouthful of turkey.
"God, Ian, you're so gross," Noelle said, wiping off her knee where he had sprayed her with his mouth's contents.
"Oops." He swallowed. "Sorry."
"It's fine," she replied, throwing the napkin away in the bin.
"Do what, Ian?" Violet asked. "Scare him with your dangerous physique?" They spent the rest of the train ride mocking Ian and laughing at ridiculous ways to scare Malfoy."
Noelle checked her watch. "I think we should change," she said. "It's almost dinnertime, anyway. That means we're nearly there."
"Right," James said, reaching into his trunk and pulling out his school robes. He and Ian left in search of a changing room. Uneasily, Noelle pulled the curtains on the windows closed and opened her trunk and pulling out her neatly folded uniform and robes. She hated the Hogwarts school uniform but the school insisted she wear it so she did. She slid off her jeans and pulled the skirt up over her legs.
Violet and Molly were changing as well.
"How do you make sure no one just barges in here?" Violet asked.
"I'm not sure," Molly replied. "I've never felt a need to do it but maybe we should."
"It's no problem," Noelle replied. "The doors are enchanted. They have ears so they know when to lock and unlock." She buttoned up her shirt over her bra, then pulled the ugly sweater vest on. Slowly, they got dressed. Soon, James was knocking on the door.
"All clear?" he said.
"Fine," Molly said after looking over one last time.
"Well, ladies," Ian said, striding in. "We should be there in three minutes so I suggest we clear things up in here."
They spent the next few moments gathering up trash from the floor and putting it in the bin as well. The train coasted to a stop and the announcement came on telling first year students to leave their trunks on the train. Violet squirmed happily. Then they were allowed to file out and they did.
The school crowd was loud and pushy. Noelle was immediately separated from James and Ian. She was shunted forward by the crowd and shoved in a carriage. "Dammit!" she hissed as she found herself sitting directly across from Tristan Malfoy.
"Nice train ride, sweetheart?" he asked, grinning.
"Don't call me sweetheart," she ordered. "Don't even talk to me."
"Why not, sweetheart?"
"Do you value your balls?"
"Just a little."
"Oh really?" She raised her eyebrows at him. He smirked at her.
"Alright, Granger," he said. "I value my testicles a lot."
"Then shut up before I shove them up into your body, alright?" She smiled sweetly. She hated being alone in this godforsaken carriage with him. It struck her as strange that there weren't any other people in there with them. It was only Tristan and Noelle.
"So aggressive," Malfoy said. "Is that your mother's temper? Or your father's?" He smiled evilly then. "Oh, I forgot. You don't know your father."
Noelle felt the color rise in your face. "Your relationship with your father is twice as pathetic, Daddy's Little Boy," she said sharply. "'Daddy, I want a party. I want a pony.'" She mimicked him, a malicious smile on her face.
"Darling," Tristan said, gritting his teeth, "you don't know the relationship I have with my father."
"Bullshit," she said. "I see you in Diagon Alley all the time. Your father can't stand to be around you."
"At least I wasn't a mistake," Tristan said. "My father didn't run off after I was born."
"You don't know who my father is, either," Noelle said.
"Don't I?" he said and the carriage came to a stop. Noelle was seething. She wanted to slap him. "You, Granger, are the unfortunate product of a very unfortunate love affair." She raised her hand to slap him but he grabbed her wrist and leaned in towards her. "This is not a good time to rile me or slap me, madam. I warn you that if you do, there will be serious consequences."
"Let go of me, dick," she said, trying to jerk her arm out of his grasp, "or there will be penalties beyond your limited imagination." He released her and leaped out of the carriage. Noelle followed him but soon found James and Ian.
"We thought we had lost you," Ian said. "Did my sister get off the train alright?"
"Fine," Noelle said. "She was with Molly last I saw."
They nodded and walked up the stairs and into the Great Hall. Noelle looked around happily, the ceiling sparkling with stars. Dumbledore stood up after the Sorting to make a few speeches.
"Quidditch tryouts will be held next week," he said in an old man voice. "And let me remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest is exactly that—forbidden. Let's eat now, shall we?" The platters filled with food and Noelle ate a bit, still full from her sandwich. Ian and James made conversation with other Gryffindor boys and Noelle sat quietly detached from the Gryffindor girls. It wasn't that she didn't like them; it was that they were jealous of her and she knew it. She knew that because her best friends were boys and cute boys at that, that Silver, Elisabeth, Hannah and Amethyst were extremely resentful of Noelle, although they never said it to her face. At times Noelle wished that she could talk to them when they huddled in a little circle on winter nights to play card games and gossip.
The best female friend she had was Megan Zelara, a Ravenclaw. A punk activist at heart, Megan and Noelle also made up the feminist sector of Hogwarts School. Megan's hair was wildly colored in shades of pink, green, blue, violet and red. Her natural hair color was blonde but she hated being a blonde and so she became a terrifying-looking—but sweet—teenager. Noelle had seen her a few times over the summer. Today, Megan's hair was short and very very black, like shoe polish. Noelle waved maniacally at Megan and Megan waved just as maniacally back. Noelle knew that Ian held a secret crush for Megan.
Then dinner was over and they headed in opposite directions. Noelle and Megan pouted across the Great Hall, then turned away to get to their dormitories. The prefects led them to the portrait of the Fat Lady where the rest of the Gryffindors discovered the new password: "blue bead bracelet." They entered. The Common Room was warm and cozy but there was no fire lit because of the hot weather outside. Instead, there was a mysterious light coming from an unknown source. Noelle felt a jab in her arm. She turned to see a grinning James.
"Home at last, yeah?" he said.
"Absolutely," Noelle replied. Then she kissed his cheek and headed up the stairs with the seventh year girls. Silver and Amethyst, more commonly known as Amy, were giggling. Noelle rolled her eyes and followed them into their dorm. The trunks were already there.
"Ooooh, look," Amy said, opening one of five doors on the far side of the dormitory. "We get our own bathrooms! And look! Personal towels and everything!"
"Thank God we don't have to use those horrific public showers," Hannah said, opening the door with her name written on it.
"Ah, see?" Silver was saying. "I told you seventh year would be the best."
"I think fifth year was my best," Elisabeth said, laughing.
"Only because you lost your virginity, skank," Hannah teased.
"No," Elisabeth corrected, "because I lost my virginity to a gorgeous man."
Noelle snorted. "Some man," she said. "Tristan Malfoy has a dick for a head."
"Oh, shut up, Noelle," Silver said, throwing a pair of satin pajamas on her bed. "You know you want his body."
"To mangle," Noelle said with a grin.
"I don't care what you say," Silver replied tartly. "I know you want him underneath everything you say. Face it, Noelle. The boy is delicious."
"Lick him, then," Hannah teased.
"Oh yes, how would you go about that?" Amy said.
"'Malfoy, may I lick your chest please?" Hannah mimicked Silver's prim and proper accent.
"Shut it!" Silver said. "Elisabeth would know. You dated him for a while."
"I never licked him," Elisabeth said, blushing, "…on his chest." They all burst into laughter. Noelle groaned.
"Can we please stop discussing this?"
"Noelle," Hannah said. "Darling, we know you are above your hormones but the rest of us can't help ourselves. We're slaves to our bodies."
"That's a good thing to be," Noelle said sarcastically. "Really, it's just self-control."
"You'd make a fine nun," Silver said, slipping off her pants and pulling her pajamas on.
"I take that as a compliment." Then Noelle crawled into bed and wrenched the hangings around her so that she was enveloped in darkness.
Author's Note: All of you reading this know all the real characters and my invented characters. I credit JK Rowling with the invention of her original characters from the Harry Potter series. Every book, author or musician mentioned in this fiction is real. I do not own them, either. There is one obscure pairing in here that I'm a HUGE fan of. This fanfiction is rated R for sexual content later on and language, perhaps some other thematic elements. Also, I haven't completely developed the plot out yet so please be patient if there are long breaks where I don't post anything. I want to thank JK Rowling for inventing the wonderful world of Hogwarts and Fallon for reading and reviewing chapters.
Fae