STANDARD DISCLAIMER: J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter characters, etc.,
etc.
***
September first arrived, and Harry Potter was going back to Hogwarts for his sixth year. Harry didn't think he could have survived the summer if it hadn't been for his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. And now the three of them were on Platform 9 3/4 about to board the Hogwart's Express.
"Excuse me," a voice said.
Harry looked around and saw a very pretty girl coming toward them. She had bluish-purple eyes and shiny black hair. Harry, Ron and Hermione smiled as she approached.
"I thought it was you," the girl said. "You're Harry Potter!"
Harry sighed and responded politely, "Yes, I am."
"Oh, you probably think I couldn't wait to meet you because you're famous," she said. "But really, I thought you couldn't wait to meet me!"
"Er, excuse me?" Harry responded.
"Don't you know?" said the girl, with a laugh that tinkled like bells. "I'm Selena Black. I'm Sirius's daughter."
The smiles faded from Harry, Ron and Hermione's faces. Their jaws dropped and they stared blankly at Selena. Harry recovered first from his confusion.
"What do you think you're playing at?!" Harry shouted. "You're sick! Don't you know how much it hurts me that Sirius is gone?! And you waltz in here pretending to be his daughter?!"
Selena looked slightly surprised. "But I am his daughter," she said.
Ron and Hermione glared at her.
"No," Harry said simply. "Sirius had no daughter."
"Oh," Selena said. "So then I guess I can't be her then, can I?"
"I think you'd better leave," Hermione said.
Selena waited for a moment as though she was hoping that some miracle would happen to change things. Then she turned around and walked away.
Harry, Ron and Hermione turned in the other direction and boarded the train.
"We'll be in the prefects' compartment, but we'll come find you after a bit," Ron said.
Harry found a compartment with Neville and slumped back against the seat.
"What was that all about?" he wondered. Sirius didn't have any kids. But even if he did, that girl was far too cheerful about the matter. He was just wondering whether Draco Malfoy put her up to it when Ron and Hermione burst into the compartment.
Ron's face was red, and he was clutching his stomach and gasping for breath. Hermione was giggling uncontrollably.
"Dra- Draco . . . Mal-- It's Malfoy . . ." Ron gasped out and then fell to the floor in a fit of laughter.
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Hermione said, though Harry could tell she still hadn't recovered from whatever was making her laugh. "There's this girl in the prefects' compartment, and she claims she's a Slytherin prefect . . ."
"And she's got these bits of shiny metal stuck all over her!" Ron added from the floor.
"Honestly, Ron! They're called body piercings," Hermione said.
"She's got body piercings?" Harry said.
"Yes. In her nose, ears, lip and eyebrow," Hermione answered. "And she has a blue streak through her hair. She's wearing big, clompy boots and tight, black clothes. And she's wearing lots of black eyeliner."
"Definitely sounds like a Slytherin to me," Neville said.
"Yes, but that's the strange part," Hermione said. "Nobody recognizes her and none of the Slytherins seem to have heard of her before."
"Hermione!" Ron said, getting up from the floor. "You haven't told them the best part!"
"Oh, yes," Hermione giggled. "Well, this girl keeps chasing Malfoy all over. She won't leave him alone. And he can't figure out how to get rid of her!"
At this, Ron again fell to the ground laughing and Hermione started giggling. Harry and Neville's faces broke into grins and they started laughing at Malfoy's misfortune. But Harry couldn't help wondering if the two strange girls were somehow connected. It seemed likely to be yet another bizarre year at Hogwarts.
***
September first arrived, and Harry Potter was going back to Hogwarts for his sixth year. Harry didn't think he could have survived the summer if it hadn't been for his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. And now the three of them were on Platform 9 3/4 about to board the Hogwart's Express.
"Excuse me," a voice said.
Harry looked around and saw a very pretty girl coming toward them. She had bluish-purple eyes and shiny black hair. Harry, Ron and Hermione smiled as she approached.
"I thought it was you," the girl said. "You're Harry Potter!"
Harry sighed and responded politely, "Yes, I am."
"Oh, you probably think I couldn't wait to meet you because you're famous," she said. "But really, I thought you couldn't wait to meet me!"
"Er, excuse me?" Harry responded.
"Don't you know?" said the girl, with a laugh that tinkled like bells. "I'm Selena Black. I'm Sirius's daughter."
The smiles faded from Harry, Ron and Hermione's faces. Their jaws dropped and they stared blankly at Selena. Harry recovered first from his confusion.
"What do you think you're playing at?!" Harry shouted. "You're sick! Don't you know how much it hurts me that Sirius is gone?! And you waltz in here pretending to be his daughter?!"
Selena looked slightly surprised. "But I am his daughter," she said.
Ron and Hermione glared at her.
"No," Harry said simply. "Sirius had no daughter."
"Oh," Selena said. "So then I guess I can't be her then, can I?"
"I think you'd better leave," Hermione said.
Selena waited for a moment as though she was hoping that some miracle would happen to change things. Then she turned around and walked away.
Harry, Ron and Hermione turned in the other direction and boarded the train.
"We'll be in the prefects' compartment, but we'll come find you after a bit," Ron said.
Harry found a compartment with Neville and slumped back against the seat.
"What was that all about?" he wondered. Sirius didn't have any kids. But even if he did, that girl was far too cheerful about the matter. He was just wondering whether Draco Malfoy put her up to it when Ron and Hermione burst into the compartment.
Ron's face was red, and he was clutching his stomach and gasping for breath. Hermione was giggling uncontrollably.
"Dra- Draco . . . Mal-- It's Malfoy . . ." Ron gasped out and then fell to the floor in a fit of laughter.
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Hermione said, though Harry could tell she still hadn't recovered from whatever was making her laugh. "There's this girl in the prefects' compartment, and she claims she's a Slytherin prefect . . ."
"And she's got these bits of shiny metal stuck all over her!" Ron added from the floor.
"Honestly, Ron! They're called body piercings," Hermione said.
"She's got body piercings?" Harry said.
"Yes. In her nose, ears, lip and eyebrow," Hermione answered. "And she has a blue streak through her hair. She's wearing big, clompy boots and tight, black clothes. And she's wearing lots of black eyeliner."
"Definitely sounds like a Slytherin to me," Neville said.
"Yes, but that's the strange part," Hermione said. "Nobody recognizes her and none of the Slytherins seem to have heard of her before."
"Hermione!" Ron said, getting up from the floor. "You haven't told them the best part!"
"Oh, yes," Hermione giggled. "Well, this girl keeps chasing Malfoy all over. She won't leave him alone. And he can't figure out how to get rid of her!"
At this, Ron again fell to the ground laughing and Hermione started giggling. Harry and Neville's faces broke into grins and they started laughing at Malfoy's misfortune. But Harry couldn't help wondering if the two strange girls were somehow connected. It seemed likely to be yet another bizarre year at Hogwarts.