Chapter Two: The New Girl
A/N: The typos when Fleur is speaking are on purpose. I am trying to do her accent. Key word here is trying.
"Careful…slowly…slowly" Harry said to himself as he lowered a card onto the card house he, Ron, and Seamus were making from Ron's Exploding Snap pack. "Ah, yes!" he said loudly as the card fell into place.
"Good one, mate," said Ron. "But watch this". Ron picked up a card and slowly lowered it onto the card house in a precarious position. Hermione looked up from the book she was reading on the couch and glanced up at the clock.
"When were the new members and their kid supposed to arrive, again?" she asked them.
"Around one" Harry answered her as he watched Seamus take his turn. It had been a lot more cheerful around Grimmuald Place with the kids of the new members of the Order around, but Harry still couldn't get rid of the pit in his stomach. Even though Sirius was gone, Harry had been trying to be happy, because he knew that is what Sirius would have wanted, but it was hard for him to stop blaming himself for Sirius's death. And it had been even harder since he had returned to Grimmuald Place, knowing that it was once Sirius's house, but now it, and all of Sirius's possessions, was his, Harry's, because he had been stupid enough to get Sirius killed about a month ago.
"They are 15 minutes late," Hermione said.
"Mad observation skills you got there, Hermione," said Ron. Hermione just sniffed at him and returned to her book.
"So who are these people?" Seamus asked. Harry answered him as he took his turn again.
"They are an American wizarding family, and the parents got their jobs transferred to England so they could help fight Voldemort".
"What work do they do?"
"They're Aurors," Ron answered him, now placing a card on the house.
"Do they have any kids?" Seamus continued with his questions.
"One, but we don't know anything about them for now, even if it is a boy or girl," Hermione piped up.
Just then, a lot of things happened at once. Seamus had put his card on the top of the card house, and the whole thing had exploded with an almighty bang and a cloud of red smoke. Also the doorbell rang, and as a result of all the noise, the portrait of Mrs. Black had started screaming.
"I'll get the door and the painting!" Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen. Harry, Ron, and Seamus began picking up the cards that had been scattered around the room at the explosion, some still fluttering to the floor.
"More muggle lovers!" Mrs. Black screamed. "The filth! Bloody imbeciles, dirtying up my house! Leave this place! The noble and ancient House of Black!"
After a minute, Mrs. Weasley had obviously pulled forward the curtains on Mrs. Black's portrait, because the mad shrieking had stopped and voices could be heard conversing from the hall. Soon after, Mrs. Weasley came into the room.
"Kids, this is the Amore family. This is Aimee and Mark Amore" she said, gesturing to the two adults behind her. "And this is Desiree Amore. Come now, dear, don't be shy," said Mrs. Weasley kindly. She pulled forward a girl from behind Mr. and Mrs. Amore. Ron, Harry, and Seamus (Whose eyebrows were still smoking) all glanced up at her, and their mouths fell open at the sight of her. She was stunning with shiny brownish, golden-blonde hair that cascaded down her back and icy, yet bright, curious sapphire-blue eyes, which were momentarily cast down upon the floor in front of her. She was dressed in low-rise jeans with a studded belt and a blue tank top that matched her eyes perfectly. She pushed back her hair to reveal her ears having been pierced two times, and once on the top of her right ear. She looked strangely familiar to Ron, Harry, and Hermione, but they couldn't say why.
"Bonjour" Desiree said quietly. She lifted her head shyly and glanced nervously at all of them.
"Would someone show Desiree to her room?" Mrs. Weasley asked. The boys showed no sign of having heard Mrs. Weasley, and Hermione got up and harrumphed at them before saying:
"I'll take you to your room Desiree. You have the one next to mine and Ginny's," she said. She motioned for Desiree to follow her. The blonde girl followed Hermione out the door and up the stairs reluctantly. As soon as Desiree was out of sight, the boys regained semi-consciousness.
"I'll just give you two the grand tour, shall I?" Mrs. Weasley said warmly to the remaining Amores, and they nodded happily and followed her back out into the hallway.
"Wow," Ron said. All three boys were still getting rid of the initial shock of the beautiful girl.
"Yeah, wow," said Seamus and Harry. The boys continued to pick up the strewn cards, and they finished right before they heard footsteps descending the stairs. As Hermione and Desiree walked back into the room, all three boys stood up hastily.
"And this is Ron, Seamus, and Harry," Hermione told Desiree, who glanced up at the sound of Harry's name.
"So you're Monsieur Harry Potter…" she said softly. She walked towards Harry and lifted her hands up to brush away his messy hair. She softly touched the scar on his forehead, but then hastily withdrew her hand.
"One of my aunts and uncle and cousins were killed by Voldemort when I was just born. I never knew them," she said, almost to herself.
"I-I'm sorry," Harry stammered. He desperately hoped no one else could hear his heart beating, as it was very loud. Desiree glanced at him with her icy, clear blue eyes.
"Merci, but it is not your fault. And besides, you are the one who will be his down fall," she said calmly.
"How did you know that?" Harry asked, surprised. He had not even told Ron and Hermione about the prophecy yet. So how could this girl know about it?
"I just got the impression," she answered quickly, looking away. The four kids had the feeling she wasn't telling them something, but they all decided to over look it for now.
"Well, dinner will be ready soon, so lets all head into the kitchen!" Hermione said brightly.
"Doesn't she look familiar to you?" Ron asked Harry quietly, as they all left the living room.
"Yeah, she does, but I can't figure out why," Harry told him.
They all walked into the kitchen and sat down at the long table, Desiree bringing up the rear. Soon, more residents of the house and Order members came pouring in. Bill, Charlie, Mr. Weasley, Ginny, Remus Lupin, Mad-eye Moody, and Tonks were some of the many people now in the kitchen (Fred and George were working at their shop in Diagon Alley). Later, Mrs. Weasley returned with the Amores and the Delacours, who had just arrived. The moment Desiree saw Fleur, her face lit up.
"Fleur! Fleur!" she called. When Fleur spotted Desiree she immediately ran over to her.
"Hey Dez!" Fleur exclaimed, hugging Desiree. They could have passed as sisters, but not as twins. Desiree's golden hair had streaks of light brown in it, compared to Fleur's all around silvery-whitish blonde, and there were other differences in their faces and eyes, too, but they still looked like each other.
"Eeet's soooo good to see you! Bonjour 'arry!" she added smiling, spotting Harry. He nodded and grinned back at her in greeting.
"Same here! I'm so glad I have a friend here!" Desiree cried back. Then she glanced over at the Weasley kids (Ginny had sat down between Ron and Harry after being introduced to Desiree), Hermione, Harry, and Seamus. "Not to say that you guys won't become my friends, it's just, I already know Fleur," she said quickly. "We're cousins".
"We understand," Harry said. Desiree smiled at him and he was surprised he didn't melt in his seat, and that he could say a coherent sentence in front of her.
"That is why you look so familiar!" cried Ron.
"What?" Desiree said, looking startled.
"You look like Fleur," Ron said.
"You knew Fleur before?" Desiree asked.
"Yeah, from the Triwizard Tournament in fourth year" Hermione told her. "But this is the first time she has been by the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix".
"Oui, my parents 'ave just beeen here before, but now es the first time Gabrielle and I 'ave come weeth them" Fleur told Desiree. As if on cue, Gabrielle trotted over to Fleur. When she saw Desiree her eyes lit up.
"Dezzy!" she cried, and she flung herself in Desiree's arms.
"Hey, girl! Wow, you have gotten taller since I last saw you! What have you been eating?" Desiree joked with her little cousin. Gabrielle smiled brightly at her. Then she spotted Harry.
"Hi Harry!" she said eagerly.
"Hello Gabrielle. Long time no see, eh?" Harry said to her. Gabrielle giggled.
"How do you know Gabrielle? Surely she wasn't at the Triwizard Tournament?" asked Desiree, puzzled.
"She was part of one of thee tasks and 'arry saved 'er," Fleur told Desiree. "Even though he didn't have to".
"Wow. That is pretty cool," Desiree said softly. Harry felt his face flush.
Dinner was about to start, so Gabrielle left to sit with her parents, but Fleur sat down next to Desiree and began chatting with her. Harry noticed Desiree didn't eat much, but that she just picked at her food with her fork with a distracted look on her face, listening to Fleur talk away. He also noticed how often Fleur's eyes darted down the table to where Bill was sitting.
Soon Fleur's talk slowed and Hermione began to point out other Hogwarts students to Desiree.
"Down at that end of the table is Parvati and Padma Patil. Parvati is in Gyrffindor with us, and Padma is in Ravenclaw. And that girl with the pig-tails? That's Hannah Abott, from Hufflepuff. She's sitting with Ernie Macmillian, and he is also from Hufflepuff. And down there is Viktor Krum and his parents. He doesn't go to Hogwarts, but he was also in the Triwizard Tournament," she said quickly.
At that moment, Krum looked down the table and saw Hermione, and he smiled and waved at her. Hermione waved back to him. Ron watched this exchange with a stony look on his face. He still wouldn't admit that he liked Hermione. Harry sighed to himself, wondering whether he ever would. He also found himself wondering if Desiree could ever like him, and if he liked her, if he could admit it to her.
"I wonder what house I will be in," Desiree thought out loud.
"I hope you are in Gryffindor with us, Desiree!" said Ron, Harry, and Seamus enthusiastically. Desiree smiled her bright smile at them, and they grinned back.
Suddenly Desiree gasped and pointed down the table. Everyone leaned over to see what she was looking at and laughed when they saw Tonks. She had been entertaining everyone else for the past few minutes, and had a huge nose with many hairs sticking out, a bright yellow Mohawk, and huge, floppy ears, much like the ones Harry had had the other day. She looked ridiculous.
"Harry, my inspiration!" Tonks called out as she saw Harry looking her way. Harry reddened and hoped no one would reveal the embarrassing story of his elephant ears to Desiree.
"That's Tonks," Seamus told Desiree. "She's-"
"A Metamorphagus," Desiree finished. Everyone stared at her.
"How did you know that?" Hermione asked. "They are really rare, so no one really knows about them, except for people who read a lot". Desiree began to look uncomfortable.
"I read a lot," she said, not meeting anyone's eyes. Fleur looked concerned and leaned over to whisper something in Desiree's ear. Desiree shook her head no when Fleur leaned back. Then she glanced at everyone else, who had been watching the whole thing interestedly. Again, they all silently decided not to say anything-yet.
After dessert, people began trickling out of the house one by one, after thanking Mrs. Weasley for the delicious dinner. After Seamus had left with his parents, and the Delacours had left also, Hermione suggested that they all go up to someone's room to hang out. So Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Desiree all headed up to the boy's room.
In the hallway, Viktor Krum and his parents were getting their cloaks and thanking Mrs. Weasley when Viktor spotted Hermione once again.
"Hermowninny. It is good to see you," he said in his low voice. Hermione blushed and looked up at him.
"It's good to see you too, Viktor".
"Haff you decided to come visit this summer?"
"Um, no. Well, actually, I don't think I will be able to make it". Hermione quickly glanced at Ron, but Krum saw it. He stared at Hermione for a minute. Finally he said:
"Vell, just be sure to vrite me, okay?"
"Yes, I'll be sure. Bye Viktor!" Hermione said as he left. She sighed and looked around. Everyone was staring at her.
"What!" she yelled irritably. This shook everyone out of their trance, and they continued up the stairs.
When they got to they boy's room, Harry sat on his bed, Ron sat on his, Ginny sprawled herself on the floor, Hermione sat at the edge of Ron's bed, and Desiree sat in a chair in the corner. Harry couldn't help noticing how Desiree's hair shone especially bright in the light.
"So, Desiree, tell us about yourself," Ginny said. Desiree looked at all of them.
"Okay. I'll tell you some stuff about me. The rest can wait until later". The kids looked at one another in confusion. What did she mean by "some" stuff?
"I come from America-"
"Which state?" Hermione asked.
"California. L.A., California. I used to go to the American Witches and Wizards Institute. I am really French, though, because I was born in France".
"How come you haven't got an accent like Fleur, then?" Ginny asked.
"I was only six months old when my parents moved to America, so naturally there was no time for me to develop a real accent, non?"
"But your parents haven't got accents, either. They just don't say their H's," Ron said.
"That is because my maman and papa just lost them after spending fifteen and a half years in America. Except, of course, for the H thing. Usually, though, I say French words. I do it because I grew up hearing my parents talk like that".
"Are you excited to be here?" Harry asked her. Desiree stared at the ground.
"No. My parents made me come with them. I wanted to go live with my grandma, but my parents didn't want me to live with her for two years. So they dragged me away from my friends and boyfriend to come here," she finished bitterly. Ron and Harry's faces had fallen at the mention of a boyfriend.
"So you're our age, then?" Hermione asked.
"I'll be sixteen on September 10th".
"That's 9 days before my birthday!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Really?" Desiree asked. "That's pretty cool. I had a friend in Cali whose birthday was on the same day as mine, but a different year".
"You have a boyfriend?" Harry and Ron blurted out. They just couldn't help themselves.
"Well, not really anymore. I broke up with him before I left. I just didn't want him to be tied up with me when I am a continent away. And, I know I really love Jason, but what if I met someone else? I'd like to keep my options open, without having to feel guilty about hurting Jason's feelings. Imagine if I didn't brake up with him and one day I mirror him and say 'Oh, Jason, hi. Um, yeah, we're through. I met this other guy, and I just like him better'. I think that would hurt more, non? I just had to take everything into consideration, you know?"
"What do you mean 'mirror'" asked Ginny.
"Mon Dieu! Don't you know what a mirror is?" Desiree said, looking surprised.
"Not the way you put it," Harry said. Desiree pulled out a small compact from her pocket and showed it to them.
"See, if I just tap it with my wand," she said, showing them. "I can say the name of a person with a mirror like this and I can see them and talk to them".
Harry gazed at it. It was almost the exact same thing Sirius had given him after Christmas last year, except more modern. If he had just opened it when Sirius had given it to him… No, don't think about that!, Harry told himself savagely.
Ron brought him back to reality by asking what kinds of mirrors the guys had, hoping they didn't carry around compacts in America. Desiree laughed at this.
"I can just imagine all the wizard G's in L.A. walking around with compacts!" she cried. "Non, guys have square or circular mirrors bigger than this, but still small. Girls have them too; I just like to use my compact better".
After a bit more chatting about Desiree's life in America, everyone grew tired and trotted off to bed. Harry lay awake for a while, thinking about Desiree and the attractive way she spoke French words.
A/N: I am not sure about the thing about people not knowing much about metamorphagus; it just makes more sense in my story.
And if you are hoping for this story to have something to do with the title, it may or may not. I have to think up something good for the end that has to do with a half blood prince… I just picked the title because that is the title for sure of the 6th book, and I am going to try to put things in my story that J.K. said would happen in the next book, and things that I think will happen in the next book. If that made any sense at all to you. LOL!
You read and review my story, tell me to read and review one of yours and I will!