Chapter Two: Time Heals Most Wounds

"Ron! Bring your daughter's trunk downstairs! She needs it this morning! Not tomorrow!" Helen snickered as her father sighed halfheartedly and went to do her mother's bidding. "Now, you sure you have everything?" Helen nodded and was suddenly enveloped in a big hug. "I'm going to miss you, you know that right?" Helen nodded and grinned as the sound of her trunk thumping down the stairs resounded throughout the house.

"Ron! Oh! Honestly!" Annoyed, Hermione performed leviosa and sent Helen's trunk hurtling towards the door where it made an abrupt stop and thumped to the floor.

"See? You really didn't need me after all." Still annoyed, Hermione smacked his arm and left to round up the others. Ten minutes later, after much running around on her sibling's part, Helen found herself in the car with her two younger sibs.

Hermione liked children very much, having been an only child herself. Which was just as well, Helen thought, since having large bunches of children seemed to be as much a penchant as genetic in the Weasley line.

"Now! I want all of you quiet or there will be consequences, understood?" The children looked at their slightly frazzled mother and nodded as one. "Good, now Ron, where did you put the car keys?"

"Promise you'll write me!" Helen's younger sister Rose yelled after her.

"I will! I'll write all of you!" Helen promised laughing. Blowing kisses, she waved until the platform pulled out of view. Plopping down into her seat, she smiled happily at the other two occupants.

"Hi! My name's Helen!" The girl addressed looked startled at first but the look was quickly replaced with a smile.

"Hi. My name's Daryl. Pleased to meet you." Daryl had short black hair that artfully curled around under earlobes decorated with glinting sapphires. Her eyes sparkled an almost perfectly matching blue hue, giving her an impish impression.

"Mine's Chelsea!" The blonde seated across from them offered, leaning foreword eagerly. Her clear sea colored eyes danced merrily behind a pair of small frameless glasses. "I hear that one of us might be Harry Potter's daughter!" Daryl's eyes grew wide and Helen snorted. "What?" Chelsea pushed her glasses back into place as they slid down her aquiline nose. "It could be true."

"And if it was?" Helen countered. Chelsea opened her mouth to reply then frowned. She shrugged and grinned.

"I dunno, it'd be cool."

"So you're half-blood?" Daryl summarized, pointing at Chelsea with a licorice wand.

"Yep! Mom's a muggle but a wonderful one. She knew dad was a wizard even before he'd married her." She bit the head off a frog and sighed dramatically. "But neither of them knew if I had enough magic to go to school, but!" she smiled brilliantly, "I did! So, here I am!"

"What house do you think you'll get sorted into?" Daryl asked, brushing her hair out of her face and leaning over to gather her things together.

"Me?" Chelsea asked and receiving a nod replied "I would love to be in Gryffindor!" Helen shrugged while Daryl muttered something about Hufflepuff.

"What about you Helen?"

"I don't know. Probably Gryffindor, our whole family is." Daryl nodded before speaking abruptly.

"Ravenclaw."

"You think?" But before Daryl could reply, the door swung open and a girl stood there. She already had on her school robes and wore a haughty expression on her otherwise beautiful face. Long silver blonde hair streamed down her back.

"We're getting ready to stop soon, just to let you know." Her tone told them she could probably care less. Helen glared at this girl, her own slate colored eyes snapping fire at the intruder's green ones.

"Thank you." Helen made herself say politely. The girl smirked.

"Don't mention it. I'm Amarantha Malfoy." She held her hand out. Time suddenly stood still. Helen looked at the hand, at her smirk, then again at her hand. Helen suddenly noticed how, almost imperceptibly, the girl's hand was shaking. Making a split second decision, and hoping it wasn't the wrong one, Helen grasped it.

"Helen, Helen Weasley."

Author's Notes: Okay, so I'm a little bummed here since no one's reviewed. :whimpers: I mean, what ff writer doesn't live off of the little things? I need them too! Self esteem is a great thing to have. So PLEASE REVIEW! Even if you have NOTHING to say - post that! It's better than nothing! Please? With little HP plushies on top? :does chibi-eyes: I'd luv you forever if you did. ... Please?

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Gomen! Ja ne!