(FYI: Sorry my last chapter was so short! I started it so long ago but had a writer's block. Oh, well. I hope you all like this one. Please leave me some reviews- any kind. I am going to try to fit in another chapter before I go to camp for 2 weeks, then I'm coming back for the weekend then leaving for Texas to visit my grandparents for a week, and when I come back school will have started. So sorry for the crazy schedule. I'll try to add on more chapters in Texas, and I'll write when I have time at camp. I hope you like it so far.)
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Chapter 2: Let's Worry When We Need To
"Oh, hello Jason, Albus." She said with a small smile, and then turned to the others, "Why don't you all take your stuff upstairs; Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny are in bed. I'll get you up in the morning for a late breakfast."
They all nodded, and headed upstairs. Leaving their father and Dumbledore with Mrs.Weasley, and Tonks who had just come out of the kitchen. They each found their rooms they had stayed in last summer and dragged their trunks into the rooms behind them. When Crystle went into her room she found Hermione and Ginny sitting up in bed.
"Crystle! Amber!" said Hermione, and she ran up to them and gave them each a hug in turn, while Ginny sat on the bed smiling.
"We've missed you so much!" Hermione said to Crystle as Amber went to unpack her belongings (Amber didn't really know Hermione or Ginny very well and felt a little awkward) "Mrs.Weasley told us not to stay up and wait for you, but we couldn't fall asleep! How was your summer? How many O.W.L.s did you get? Have you been reading the Daily Prophet? It's awful isn't it?"
"Slow down Hermione! Let me sit down." Said Crystle and she smiled, she sat down on her bed and pulled her trunk next to her. She couldn't believe how good it felt to be talking to her best friend again. "I got 7 O.W.L.s, but Amber got 10. I guess you could say I've had a good summer, although dad was busy most of the time. Stuff for the Order you know…" She trailed off leaving her sentence unfinished. Then saw a copy of the Daily Prophet on the bed next to Ginny.
"And yeah, I've been reading the Daily Prophet. Not much, mind you, with all those deaths and disappearances who could?" She sighed, thinking about her mother and how this must have been before she died, until Hermione's voice brought her back to her senses.
"Yeah, it's just awful! I never knew there could be so much hate in a person. Voldemort is really trying to take over this time, isn't he? I'm more worried about Harry though, with Sirius gone and Voldemort probably still bent on killing him."
"Ron's worried also." Ginny said, "He says Harry isn't his usual self, but who would be after going through what he has?"
They all sighed and didn't talk for a while. They each knew the other one was thinking about the same thing, 'how many people would Voldemort kill this year, and would he get Harry?' Crystle shook her head, don't think about that, she thought to herself, and got up to put on her nightwear.
"Let's go to bed." She said, "We'll worry about Harry when we need to."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Girls time to get up. Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes. I want you all ready and downstairs in that time. Oh yeah, your school lists have arrived also, so we're going to Diagon Alley after lunch."
Crystle heard Mrs.Weasley talking then closing the door, turning over she tried to get back to sleep, but got up when her sister started to shake her telling her to get up.
"Alright already! I'm up, you happy now?"
"Yes, but I wonder if you know that we have to be down there in five minutes?"
"Really?" Crystle moaned
"Yeah, Ginny and Hermione are already down there helping Mrs.Weasley get breakfast set up."
Crystle scowled, and got up. As she got dressed she thought about the school list and remembered something she couldn't believe she'd forgotten.
"Hey Amber, did Hermione say how many O.W.L.s she got last night?"
"How should I know? I wasn't listening to her. She's your friend, not mine. I don't even know her."
"Oh come on Amber. She's a great friend."
"A great friend for you."
"You just don't like her because she makes better grades than you, and your use to knowing more than other people."
"That's not true!"
"Yes, it is."
"No, it's not."
"Prove i-
But their fight was cut short by a knock on the door.
"Hey you two still alive? Dad sent me up. It's time for breakfast." Came Jess's voice
"Sorry" said Crystle throwing her shirt on, "coming."
The two girls joined their older brother in the hallway, and they started for the stairs. Passing the heads of house elves on the wall.
"You know that is really sick, really, really sick." Said Amber
"Yeah, so what were you two fighting about in there anyways?" asked Jess.
"We weren't." said Amber.
"Yes we were. I was telling her that she should try to be friends with Hermione, but she says Hermione isn't her type of friend."
"Maybe not, but you should try to be friends anyways." Said Jess to Amber, then he turned to Crystle, "I was surprised when you became her friend Crystle. She seems more like Ambers type of friends not yours."
"Yeah well I would have never met her if I hadn't become friends with Harry and Ron in the first place." Said Crystle as she pushed the door to the kitchen open.
"There you three are. We were just sitting down to eat." Said Mrs.Weasley, as the three of them walked into the kitchen.
Crystle sat down next to Harry, and across from Ron and Hermione, who were holding hands. Crystle noticed this and looked questionly at Harry who smiled and shook his head.
"So what time did you get here last night, Crystle?" asked Harry, trying to change the subject.
"Wha-oh," she looked up, she'd been watching Hermione and Ron, "around one fifty. We rode the Knight Bus here, then we met Dumbledore outside of the house, and that's how we got inside."
"You saw Dumbledore?" asked Harry.
"Yeah, he said he was coming to collect reports or something."
"Well there was a meeting yesterday before you came. Maybe that's what he was talking about," said Ron, joining in on their conversation.
"I don't know. He didn't talk much. Guess he didn't stay the night though." Said Crystle looking around the room "Is Lupin here?"
"Crystle last night was a full moon. Why?" Said Hermione.
"Oh. Just wondering, I mean he was here last summer, but I haven't really kept up with everything that's happened over the summer…
She looked up at the three of them, and found that they were all staring at her.
"Well I haven't…
"You could have just asked if anyone from the Order had died over the summer!" Said Hermione
"Fine! So?" said Crystle
"Well, yes." Said Hermione, and glanced at Ron, who was playing with his fork.
"Who?" Said Crystle looking from one to another
The other two kept looking at Ron, as if to get an okay. After a while Ron looked up and nodded at Hermione.
"Percy." Said Hermione in a very small voice, "Right after he joined the Order at the beginning of the summer."
"What!" said Crystle
"Shhhhh!" Said Harry, "Mrs.Weasley might hear you. She's been breaking down all summer."
"Oh my God!" whispered Crystle
They sat in silence for a few minutes until Mrs.Weasley came over and set their plates down in front of them.
"Now why the long faces?" She asked
"We were just…" began Hermione
"Missing quidditch. We were just missing quidditch. That's all." Harry said quickly
"Ahh, well you'll be back at school playing soon enough." Said Mrs.Weasley, "Now eat up. I didn't cook all this food for the trash can."
(Sorry if you think this is a short chapter, or something. I wanted to add more, but thought it was better to end on this note. Also, I wanted to get something up before I leave for the rest of the summer. You know, Girl Scout camp, then my grandparents, then school again. God the summer goes by way to fast, or it's not long enough. I can't decide which. Please leave your reviews. If people like it then I'll put a chapter 3 up. Please keep in mind that I'm not even in high school yet so if you think the chapters are to short then that's probably why.)