Harry Potter and the New Moon

Chapter 2

By: PhelpsFan04

A few days had passed since the night in the Common Room. Harry had had no more strange dreams and there was no sign of the mysterious girl except during classes. Besides, Harry had no time to think about mysterious girls when he had Quidditch practice three times a week.

"Fred! George! Concentrate! We're not going to beat Slytherin with that attitude!" yelled Oliver Wood across the Quidditch pitch. The twins stop doing loop-the-loops their broomsticks and looked over just in time to see Harry pull out of a spectacular dive, the golden snitch grasped tightly in his hand.

"Wonderful! Excellent practice team! Hit the showers."

Harry walked back up to the castle looking forward to just sitting by the fire, maybe play a game of wizards chess with Ron. He was just going up the marble staircase when Oliver Wood caught up with him.

"Nice practice today, Harry," he said. "We play like that all season and the Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it. I only hope Fred and George don't get to many detentions. They already got one each for hitting Marcus Flint in the back with a bat bogey curse."

That put something else in Harry's mind.

"Hey, Wood, d'you know anything about a new girl? She's in my year and nobody can seem to tell me anything about her."

Oliver thought to himself.

"Hmm...Tall girl, about your height? Black hair?"

"Yup," Harry nodded. "Know anything about her?"

"No, not really." (Harry's face fell.) "'Cept she'll give you a run for your money on a broomstick."

Harry looked up quickly.

"Yup, saw her flying the other day," continued Wood. "She seems very solitary, mind you. Not quite sure what model broomstick she's got, but man can that girl fly."

The two came to the portrait of the fat lady and climbed inside. Wood said something about having to map out a new chaser strategy and left for his dormitory. Harry went to join Ron and Hermione at a table in the corner.

"How was practice, Harry?" asked Hermione as she looked through her Charms notes.

"Fine," replied Harry absently.

"So I hear you're playing Slytherin first then," said Ron opening a chocolate frog and taking out the card. "Merlin! Merlin again!" He through down the card in disgust.

Harry laughed and sat down. Hermione started talking about homework and how far behind she was, while Ron complained about Snape.

"Do you realize that this is the second Hogsmeade detention he's given me? And just because I mixed up dittany and asphodel!"

The conversation turned to the Hogsmeade trip the next day and all thought of the mysterious girl was driven from Harry's mind.

Eventually, the common room emptied and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and a solitary figure next to the window were the only ones left.


The next day, Saturday, Harry woke up early. He lay in his four poster bed and thought about what he and Hermione would do in Hogsmeade. He really wished Ron were going. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy being around Hermione it was just that she'd always start talking about school or complained about a particular piece of homework.

After a while, he got up and went downstairs to the common room. There he was met with a very strange sight.

Hermione was standing at one end of the common room holding a very angry Crookshanks. At the other end of the room, facing Hermione was a grey cat with green eyes. It was spitting and hissing. As Harry looked down he realized that the floor was covered in clumps of orange cat hair.

"Shoo! Get away from Crookshanks, he didn't do anything to you!" Hermione screamed at the cat.

"Piper!"

Harry dove out of the way just in time as a head of black hair flew past him down the stairs, closely followed by Fred and George.

The black haired girl ran over to the grey cat and knelt down beside it. Hermione shot the girl a look.
"You keep that awful beast away from Crookshanks!" she yelled.

"Awful beast? Piper's a cat! What d'you call that thing?"

Hermione looked like she was on the brink of tears.

"C'mon, Hermione," Harry whispered. "Let's just go." He grabbed Hermione's arm and Crookshanks leapt lightly onto the floor and ran up the stairs to the girls dormitories. Harry dragged a tearful Hermione out of the portrait hole and down the hall.

"What happened?" asked Harry as the pair walked down the stairs to the entrance hall.

"Well, I came downstairs and that...that cat was attacking Crookshanks!" Hermione groaned. "And it was that girl's cat too; I don't even know who she is! If she doesn't want people knowing who she is she isn't doing a very good job."

Hermione complained (as Harry expected her to) all the way down to Hogsmeade. She didn't stop complaining until she had downed her third glass of butterbeer in The Three Broomsticks. She slammed her glass down. Harry jumped.

"So," she said, attempting to start normal conversation. "What is Snape making Ron do for detention?"

"Oh, I dunno. Lines or something," said Harry, happy that the conversation had turned to something he could talk about.

Harry and Hermione walked around Hogwarts for the rest of the day. They went into the shops, and paid a visit to the Shrieking Shack, saying hello to fellow Gryffindor's as they passed.

Tensions were high between houses what with the first Quidditch match of the season coming up. The first match was Gryffindor versus Slytherin and the outcome of that match would determine the standings for the start of the season.

Eventually, the sky grew dark and Harry and Hermione returned to the castle for dinner.

There was no sign of Ron in the Great Hall so the pair sat down at the Gryffindor table and started eating. Harry was about half way through his meal when his scar burned. He clapped his hand to his forehead and Hermione looked up.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Before Harry could answer her, Ron sat down.

"Hey Ron," said Harry, taking his hand off his forehead. "What'd Snape have you do in detention?"

"I had to scrub out all the old rusty cauldrons he keeps in the back room, the git. Like anyone even uses those!" He slammed a pork chop onto his plate. "But anyways Harry, about that girl. She's related to you I know she is! The resemblance is just too uncanny."

"Ron, for the final time, she is NOT related to me. Where did you see her anyways, shouldn't she have been in Hogsmeade?"

"She's not allowed, doesn't have a signed form; besides, she was serving detention today with Fred and George."

"For what?" asked Hermione.

"The bat bogey hex idea," said Ron matter-of-factly. "Although I hear Fred and George are gonna sneak her into Hogsmeade the same way they did you. I guess they like doing things for your family, Harry."

"Ron, I know this is hard for you to comprehend, but as this is my third time saying it I'm sure you'll grasp the idea. She is not related to me!!"

"But Harry, she's got a scar; she's got a scar just like yours!" Ron yelled.

Harry groaned and rolled his eyes. Hermione took a book out of her bag and began reading, attempting to drown out Ron and his crazy ideas with the solid fact in the text.

"You mean to tell me that this girl has a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on her forehead? Yeah and flobberworms fly," said Harry, going back to eating his meal.

"Well it's not a lightning bolt; I'm not sure what it is but there is definitely something there!" said Ron, desperation in his voice.

"Ron, do you want proof that she is not related to me?" Without waiting for an answer, Harry stood up and grabbed Ron. They walked down the Gryffindor table until they found the girl who was sitting next to Fred and George. Harry tapped her on the back.

"Excuse me," he said as she turned around. "My friend here seems to think that there is some relation between us. Would you mind telling him that there is none?"

The girl seemed grimly satisfied by this statement.

"Actually, Harry, I am related to you. I'm Harriet, your sister."