Little Left of Center Chapter One
Michelle Marie Maire
Disclaimer: These stories that I tell...have their own level of hell...I own not yet a word you see...just the plot from inside of me...these characters...and places...belong to a witch at heart...oh the good J.K. Rowling...ah what a dashing art
FYI: I AM IGNORING THE FACT THAT THIS IS THE BOOK WHERE GINNY IS POSSESSED! I WILL STILL USE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST BOOK BUT THEY WILL ALL BE IGNORING THE FACT THAT GINNY WASN'T THERE. THANK YOU!
Chapter One
As Ginny got off the train carrying her backpack and her notebook she looked around. Smiling to herself she saw the Whomping Willow in it's beauty.
She continued to look around and saw the Forbidden Forest and laughed. She had heard Ron mumbling in his sleep about following spiders into there and it was hilarious to hear him scream in the night when he thinks that a spider is after him. Being an insomniac all it did was add a bit of spice to the night time. Sometimes she would put spiders in Ron's bed just to freak him out. When she got caught one time it was really bad. One of her friends had a few pet tarantulas and they weren't poisonous because all pet tarantulas were de-poisoned before they were sold so Ginny had put about 9 or 10 of them in Ron's bed but her mom caught her and put a lock on her door and locked her in at night. Ginny' was very sorry but the sound of Ron 's scream were all that had kept her going during the summers that she hadn't had anything to do. But now that she was going to Hogwarts she would have homework and other things to do. Maybe practice Quidditch to get on the house team the next year.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
Ginny heard the voice of what was unmistakably Hagrid, the gamekeeper. Even though her brother and Harry had told her great things about him she didn't really much care for giants or half giants but she was willing to give him a chance. After she tested him and he passed. C'mon, follow me – any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
Ginny followed the sound of his voice after finding Michelle in the group of first years. While everyone around them stumbled, except for a few who actually fell, they were gliding along with Hagrid. They were walking down a steep, narrow path. Ti was so dark they could barely see 10 feet in front of them. Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, "Hagrid hollered out over the sea of faces, "it's jus' round this bend here."
The edge of the narrow path widened into the edge of a great black lake. On the other side of the lake there, on a mountain top, was a castle looming abouve them.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water. Ginny and Michelle got into a boat. After they were in the boat for a while 2 boys came over that they had been watching for some time. The boys had kept staring and pointing at them so they had been wondering when they were going to come sit with them. Or try to.
"Hi I'm Justin Asinus and this is my friend Joe Facilis. We were wondering if you would let us sit with you in your boat." Ginny and Michelle looked at each other. Stretched their feet out onto the rest of the benches in the tiny boat.
"Sorry these seats are taken." Michelle sneered and Ginny nodded then turned away.
A few boats away a tall boy with deep chocolate hair was watching Ginny and Michelle. "Well my lovely pet, I hope you will not object to me doing more than sitting with you."
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who was sitting by himself in a boat. "Right then – Forward!"
The little fleet of boats began to slide across the great lake towards the castle with it's lit up windows. There was complete silence as the castle loomed ahead.
"Everyone duck!" Hagrid yelled out as the boats carried them through some hanging ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. Some boy forgot to duck and got ivy caught all in his and his friends boat so they had to stop to fix the problem but after continued on their way towards Hogwarts through a dark tunnel that led them to an underground harbor. When Ginny got out she realized that the floor was made of rocks and larger pebbles. Picking one up she threw it at Michelle, who screamed, and threw one back. Hagrid came to break it up and when he saw who it was he just said to them, "Ah another Weasley. What else can I expect." Ginny immediately knew that she didn't like him.
They climbed up a passageway and out onto the damp grass of the front courtyard shadowed by the castle. They walked for a while and when they reached a flight of stone stairs they climbed it and swarmed the oak door as it began to rain. Hagrid raised his fist and knocked on the door three times and the door swung open at once.
Inside the door way, with her hands clasped together in front of her, was a witch dressed in deep blue robes. Her lips were pursed and the first thing Ginny thought was, 'I hope she isn't the head of my House.'
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I can take them from here."
She opened a set of doors. The entrance hall was humongous. You could have fit Harry's old school in it and still had room for a pool. Professor McGonagall started across the stone floor. Ginny and Michelle could hear the murmur of the Great Hall off to their right as McGonagall led them off to a separate room. Most of them crowded together but Ginny and Michelle went off to explore the room.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin soon, but before you go to sit in the Great Hall with your fellow classmates, you need to be sorted into your Houses. The sorting is a very important part of your life at Hogwarts because your house will be like your family during the time of your stay here. You will take your classes with your house, sleep with them in your dorms." Professor McGonagall went on to say more but she was interrupted.
"Are males and females separated?" A voice asked.
"Well, of course." Professor McGonagall was astonished that some one would ask such a thing but continued anyways. "You will also spend spare time in your house common room.
"The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding contributors to our society. Here we have a point system, your accomplishments will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose you house points. At the end of the year the house with the most points wins the house cup. A great honor I might add. I hope each will be a credit to your house, whichever it may be.
"The sorting is about to begin. I suggest you all smarten up before because you will be in front of the whole school. I shall return to get you when we are ready." McGonagall left the room and a silent wave of chatter began to sweep across the room.
"I wonder how we get sorted." Michelle said to Ginny.
"Well from what Percy told me a hat sings a song, we put on the hat, it looks inside our heads, tells us a whole shit load of crap and then calls out a house that makes no sense except for in a few cases and then we go sit and it does it all over again with other people." Everyone had been listening to their conversation and none of them believed a word of it. "Hey, it's your shitty problem." Ginny said and walked away.
Professor McGonagall returned soon and brought them into the Great Hall. "Stay here." She said, placing them in front of the whole school. Ginny looked over at Draco and he was making funny faces at her, discreet, but funny faces. Ginny looked around and saw five tables four big ones in front of one smaller table. The teachers were seated at the smallest of the five tables. All the children were seated at the four larger tables with banners hanging over them. There was a banner with a serpent, one with a badger, one with a eagle and then a lion. The tables were covered in goblets and plates. Ginny looked up to the ceiling, gasped, tugged at Michelle's shirt, pointed, Michelle looked and gasped, too. The ceiling was an exact replica of the night sky that was abouve it.
A head appeared in between their heads.
"It's bewitched to look like the current sky abouve it." Ginny, startled, turned to find a girl with very dark skin smiling at them. Ginny and Michelle turned around to talk to the girl, whose name turned out to be Leeana. But she said to just call her Columbia.
Professor McGonagall returned carrying a four legged stool and old hat. A tear near the brim of the hat opened and the hat began to sing:
This year instead of singing
About the founders four
I will tell you all
Of a honor yet received
That has been granted to us
And all that we perceive
I am getting old and frayed
And I know better than most
That when something like this is here
Hogwarts will be the best host
For the child we've been waiting
The one to save us at last
Shall not be the great Harry Potter
But a young, sweet, sometimes deceiving, lass
This girl who is within our midst
Is strong and brave to boot
The finest witch of passing time
Will be the one within my rhyme
Who I will tell the story
Of the conquer of the Dark Lord
He-Whose-Name-Must-Be-Hyphenated
The one who should have died
This little girl will bring us
To the peace we seek at last
This girl is just a special one
She is unsurpassed
So treat her like you would another
That would make her feel divine
She will be the one who midst the chaos
Will keep us all in line
And make sure all is sound
She will step up to a burden
That isn't meant for one
And hold it by herself
But just this little tidbit
Just this tiny sound
Of caring and compassion
Of hope and love rebound
I will let you all know
That she I joining us just this year
Though this may sound like a prophecy
I suppose you could say it true
That I am not a singing hat
But a seer through and through
The hall was silent. There were a lot of girls being sorted this year and all of them looked sweet except a few. And a lot of them also looked deceiving. It was very difficult to tell who it could be. All of them though were smiling thinking that it was them. McGonagall looked taken aback at the hats song but pulled a list out and read the first name.
"Abirro-Indiciam, Casey." A tall blonde-haired boy stepped out from the crowd of new students. He sat on the stool holding the hat skeptically.
"If it can talk can it also bite?" He asked. He got no answer to when he put it on it immediately called out Hufflepuff and bit him as he went over to his table.
"Asinus, Justin." She called out and a curly-haired brunette walked up to the stool and sat down. A second later he was declared a Gryffindor and that was it for him.
"Benignas, Steffani." A blonde girl with pigtails walked up to the stool, sat a few minutes, was declared a Ravenclaw and was left alone.
"Calidas, Patrick." A dark haired boy walked up to the stool and let the hat settle on his head. After a moment the hat declared him a Slytherin.
"Facilis, Joe" was sorted into Slytherin as was his sister Leeana. You would never have guessed that they were related but Leeana was adopted so it explained things.
Lauren Gorgo and Galen Gratus, a very cute couple, were sorted into Gryffindor as was Courtney Hariolor. But Carolyn Hermonsando was sorted into Hufflepuff followed but a Gryffindor Ben Himen.
A weird boy named Kiefer Invisus was sorted into Hufflepuff when he should have been in Gryffindor, but oh well.
"Lacertosus, Nick." McGonagall called and a dishwater blonde walked up to the stool. People began whispering. He wasn't wearing robes but black pants with red all over them and a shirt that said 'I'm only wearing black until they make something darker.' He had the coolest haircut though. The top half of his hair was long while the bottom half was short with a rattail. Girls all over were drooling. He became a Slytherin in no time and had a fan club in two minutes. Almost half the size of Draco's.
"Maire, Michelle Marie." Was called up to the stool and as she walked by she said, 'Just call me M&M' and sat down. She was made a Slytherin and went to sit next to Nick and he ignored everyone else around him.
"Mins, Samantha." Was called and she was made a Ravenclaw.
"Night, Neverwinter." Was called up and swore as she tripped over the step. After she regained her balance she waved out to the crowd as she put on the hat. She was made a Slytherin and joined Patrick over at the table.
Eric Nolg and Peter Noloc were made Gryffindors as Cola Nosnhoj and Josh Nothas were made Hufflepuffs. Chanda Obsta and Nick Parvus were made Ravenclaws.
Steve Ridiculas was made a Slytherin as Carly Sagux was made a Ravenclaw.
"Seanwayne, Kyle." Was called and a boy swaggered up to the stool gave the crowd a wink and set the hat on his head. Now two seconds later it called out Gryffindor and he jogged over to the table with the hat stuck to his robes and he had to bring it back up to Nora Sollars so she could become a Ravenclaw.
Marie Startyer was made a Hufflepuff and sat at her table.
"Weasley, Ginny." Ginny walked up to the stool and sat down. Smiling to herself she listened to the hat quietly murmur to her.
"Well, I think I am going to have to break a Weasley tradition with you, my dear." The hat told her.
"Yeah, I know." She said.
"The evil in your blood runs deep. It is a wonder that you haven't snapped yet. Slytherin is the place for you." Ginny smiled quietly.
"Yes." She replied.
"Slytherin." The hat called out and Ginny thanked it. She walked over to the Slytherin table amidst the loud outbreak that Fred and George had started. She smiled as she sat down next to Michelle, Nick and Draco.
"Good to know you are here with us, Ginny." Michelle said and Nick nodded his agreement.
"So, Weasley." Draco said. "Where should we start with this little rebellion you have started?"
"At the beginning." She said. "But some other time, when the time is right."
Albus Dumbledore got up with his arms wide as if he was trying to hug the whole student body. The gleam in his eyes told you that there was nothing more pleasing than to see all these faces.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to the start of a new school year. Before we start our banquet , I would like to say a few words. One the Forbidden Forest is, ha, Forbidden and Liquid Lemurs are now added to the list Mr. Filch has so kindly made for us of banned items bringing our list to nine hundred and four things. Now! Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
He sat back down and food appeared on the tables. Ginny and her friends began to stuff themselves. There were potatoes and roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops and sausages. Bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, broccoli, gravy, cauliflower, ketchup, and, for some reason unknown, peppermint humbugs.
After everyone had eaten as much as they could the plates became sparkling and empty as they had been before and then desserts appeared. Ice-cream, pies, tarts, chocolates, éclairs, doughnuts, trifle, fruit, Jell-O, rice pudding and so much more! After they finished and everything was once clean again Dumbledore stood to give a few more announcements.
"Quidditch tryouts will begin in the second week of the term anyone interested, 2nd year and abouve, may tryout. No magic in the corridors and, please, let's work on house relationships and furthering them for a greater cause. Now let us all get to bed for tomorrow a new day begins." He waved his wand dismissing everyone and a Slytherin prefect called out.
"Slytherins! This way please!" Ginny and her friends followed the voice down into the dungeons to a statue of Godric Gryffindor. "Evanidus Ianua." The prefect said and a door appeared. They walked into it and a room materialized before them. 11 doors were in the room. "Always the fifth from the left." The prefect steered them to the door he had mentioned. "Periculum Antecedo." He said and the door unfolded itself to reveal a room with leather couches and chairs inside. A warm fire was burning inside the fireplace. "This is our common room. If you ever need anything, do you all see that portrait over there? Well go over to it and ask it for what you need, which doesn't include homework being done for you, and you will have it. But this doesn't extend to controlling people and weaponry. Otherwise it is perfect." They all looked at the portrait of Diagon Alley. "You may all go up to your dorms now. Girls dorms are up the stairs and to your left. Boys the same except to your right." Ginny, Michelle, Draco and Nick trudged up the stairs to discover that they had private rooms.
"Night everyone." Michelle said and she turned into her room.
"Yeah," Ginny said. "Night." She went into her room to sleep.
The two boys nodded at each other and went to their own rooms in hopes of a good nights sleep.
A/N: Hope you all liked it because it is 3:02 in the morning right now. I started writing this at like eleven and I still have to proof read it again. Lets see. I haven't updated in months so I gave you a long chapter. I don't know when I will be updating again. 3,308 words though. Longer than almost any of my other stories. Let alone chapters. 15 pages. I had way too much time. I still have to update all of those though so don't worry there will be more to come. I would just like to say that I can promise you I won't update until I have at least 10 reviews so tell your friends about this story or it will never be updated. But I need to go to sleep now. Sadly I depart now.
Michelle Marie Maire
"The name implies greatness, dear."
Saying of the Day:
"It's hard to tell your mind to stop loving someone when your heart still does."