AN: I didn't get as many reviews as I wanted for the last chapter L But w/e that's alright, because I have way too much crap going on to get all sad about not getting all that many reviews. So on with the chapter:
*~~~Chapter 14: Surprises~~~*
"Mom I'm going to miss you so much!" Laurali cried to her mother on the eve of August 31st. They were back at Salem Witches Institute, making good use of the Floo-connected fireplace. The only ones present for Laurali's departure were Laurali of course, Samantha, and Mr. Richardson, or Bob, as he liked to be called.
"You can always come home. We'll always be here for you," Sam said, with tears in her eyes.
"That's right," Bob said. "But we'd like you to give it a try for a few months. Then you can come back if you decide you'd rather be here." The clock struck 5 p.m. (AN: I don't know the time zone differences so I'm making this up!)
"I have to leave now," Laur said, tears running down her cheeks. She lifted her trunk and walked forward to the fireplace. She stopped for one last hug and a kiss from her parents.
"I love you," she said to each of them. They responded the same.
"Be careful, eat healthy, and write a lot!" Sam said before she pusher her daughter to the fireplace.
"Bye! I'll be home for Christmas," Laurali said, waving to her parents. Then she threw the Floo powder down and yelled "The Leaky Cauldron!"
Once again, Laur stumbled out of the fireplace. She dusted the ashes and soot off of herself as best as she could and then walked up to the bar.
"Good evening Miss Richardson," Tom greeted as Laur sat down on a nearby stool.
"Hi Tom. Is there any chance of an available room?"
"Room #3 is free," he said, taking a quick glance behind him at a list on the wall.
"Great. Thanks." Then she looked around and saw that the pub was awfully busy. "Tell you what Tom. It looks like you're quite busy here, so I can walk myself up to room #3."
"Thank you Miss Richardson. That would be very helpful," he said, offering her the key.
As she was walking up the stairs, she saw the French boy that had talked to her a few weeks ago, on her last visit here, coming down the stairs. Laur looked the other way while walking past him and them almost ran to her room.
Walking in, she thought 'Just as I left it'. And then she took a nice long, relaxing shower.
An hour later, Laurali was showered, dressed, and relaxing in front of the fireplace. She was debating with herself whether or not she should ask Tom for a hot chocolate. Finally realizing that she had nothing better to do, going downstairs wouldn't be such a bad idea.
Walking down the last steps, she thought that she had heard Harry's voice. Listening closely, she waited to hear it again, but she didn't. 'Wishful thinking' she told herself.
"A hot chocolate with whipped cream please," she asked a middle-aged witch who was at the counter.
"Here you go miss," she said, handing Laur her order.
"Charge it to room 3 please."
"Consider it done."
"Thanks." Walking away, she heard a quite familiar voice say, "Do you realize that it's summer and you just ordered hot chocolate?"
Turning around, she saw bright green eyes, messy hair, round glasses, and a bright smile.
"Well, I find it comforting," she said and then laughed. "Hey Harry."
"Hi," Harry responded.
"So, why are you here?" Laur asked with curiosity.
"Well, me, the Weasley's and Hermione are here, so we can take the Knight Bus to Kings Cross tomorrow morning."
"Ah."
"And you?"
"Well I decided that it wouldn't be too good for me to go to a new school all sooty. It wouldn't make the best first impression, so I came tonight."
"Good idea."
"I thought so."
"So how are your parents coping with the fact that their little girl is studying in a far away land?" Harry asked curiously.
"Well, right before we were leaving, my mama was crying, although then again, so was I. My father really didn't seem all that upset to see me leaving though. But that's because I'm not nearly as close to him as I am to mama."
"Oh, well at least you have me," He said with a grin.
"I do, don't I?" she responded with an identical grin.
"So what room are you staying in?"
"Same as before. Number 3."
"Okay, well if you want, I can come visit you before I go to bed."
"Maybe," Laur said with a shrug of the shoulders.
"Okay, well I have to go check in my room. Ron and me are sharing room number 12. Hermione and Ron's little sister, Ginny are in, I think, room #8."
"Oh, okay. Well I'll visit them later."
"You do that."
"I will," Laur said with a grin.
"You know, we still haven't gone out for our birthday."
"No we haven't."
"I say we go get some ice cream or something."
"Hmm," Laur said thinking, "Hot chocolate and ice cream will be nice," she said with a laugh.
"You are strange, you know."
"But that's why everyone loves me!" Laur replied, still laughing.
"Too true," Harry said with a grin.
"So what are we waiting for? Let's go get Ron and Hermione and go out for ice cream!" Laur said after a moment of silence.
"Well, I was sort of hoping that it could be just the two of us. But if you really want them to-"
"No, it's alright. Let's go," Laur said, putting her purse over her shoulder, her mug of hot chocolate in one hand, and dragging Harry out the door.
"You know, it's strange." Harry started once they had gotten their ice cream and started to walk around.
"What is?" Laur asked.
"It feels like I've known you forever. Yet we only met a few weeks ago. It's just strange."
"Well maybe we were destined to meet so it feels so natural to be around each other."
"Do you really believe that we have no control over lives?"
"I didn't say that. But now that I think of it, maybe, maybe not. The way that I see it, we all have a purpose in life. Some of us don't know what it is yet. You're one of those people who know what their purpose is."
"So you're saying that the only reason I exist is to defeat Voldemort?"
"Well, maybe," she said quietly.
"I can't, and I won't believe that the only reason I exist is to kill some ugly son of a bitch!" he said forcefully.
"That's not what I said. So don't get all mad at me," Laur said, speeding up and walking ahead of Harry.
"Laurali!" Harry called behind her. "Look, I'm sorry," he said once he caught up to her. "But there has to be more to my destiny, because I wasn't the only one that could kill Voldemort. He just picked me."
"What do you mean Harry?"
"When I was about a year old, a prophecy was made. It basically said that the only wizard who could defeat Him was a boy born at the end of July, whose parents have defied him three times. There were two options, me, and other kid in Gryffindor. His name was"-
"Hiya Harry!" a chubby boy their age said, running up to them.
"Oh, hi Neville. Neville, this is Laurali Richardson. She's an American transfer student; she'll be in Gryffindor with us. Laur, this is Neville Longbottom," Harry said, making introductions.
"Hi," Laur greeted.
"Hello," Neville said with a slight blush.
"So what brings you here Neville?" Laur asked.
"Well. I'm here with my Gran for a celebration."
"Oh, that's always cool. What are you celebrating?" Laur asked curiously.
"This." And he pulled out a shiny prefect badge.
* * *Hermione, Ron and Ginny were playing Exploding Snap when a Hogwarts owl came and dropped a letter for Hermione.
"Oh my God," Hermione said, reading the letter and fainting.
"Hermione!" Ron and Ginny yelled.
"Mom!" Ron yelled, running for his mother to revive his friend.
"Ronald Jonathon Weasley! What are you trying to do? There is no need-What happened?" she asked, running to Hermione.
"She go this letter, read it, and fainted," Ginny explained.
"Enervate." Mrs. Weasley cast the charm on the girl. Hermione was slowly opening her eyes and said, "Was it a dream?"
"No? What happened?" Ron asked bluntly.
"Look at this!" Hermione said, handing them her letter.
"'Dear Miss Hermione Granger,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been chosen to be a Gryffindor prefect. Please take this position seriously. Enclosed is a list of your duties and names of 6th and 7th year prefects.
Congratulations,
Headmaster Dumbledore'"
"Hermione's a prefect! Hermione's a prefect!" Ron sang, but then thought of something. "Who do you think the other fifth year Gryffindor prefect is?"
"I don't know. Could it be Harry?"
"It's possible. You never know though."
"How about we don't worry about that now and celebrate?"
"Celebrate how?" Ginny asked.
"Well, we can get a bunch of food and play music?" Hermione suggested.
"Sounds good to me!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, leaving the room.
"Where is Harry?" Ginny asked.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him for about an hour." Hermione said warily.
"You don't think something has happened to him, do you?" Ron asked.
"You mean…. Here? Now? I don't think so. Do you?" Hermione asked Ron.
"What's with the 21 questions?" Ginny asked, rather loudly. "Why don't you just ask Tom if he's seen Harry." Before any one could say anything about everything, Hermione and Ron were out the door.
Panting slightly, they approached the bar.
"Excuse me Tom. I, we were wondering if you have seen Harry lately," Ginny asked behind them politely.
"The last time I saw him was about 40 minutes ago."
"Do you know where he went?" Ron asked.
"To 'celebrate', with a pretty Miss Richardson. So much like her father, that girl."
Not sure whether they heard the last part right, the 3 teens exited the building and went to look for Harry and the "pretty Miss Richardson".
~ ~ ~ ~
"You're-You're a prefect?" Harry stuttered.
"I know it's a shock, I fainted when I read my letter," Neville said.
"No, it's not that, it's just that I never thought of you as-"
"As a prefect." Neville finished. "And for some reason, that's okay with me. Dumbledore sent me the letter yesterday. He admitted that he never thought of me as one either. But he and McGonogall thought that being a prefect, I can feel more confident with myself and do better in school."
"Good for you, Neville." Laurali congratulated. "I'm not sure who or what a prefect is or what they do, but I have confidence in you."
"Thanks," Neville said, blushing once again. " I got to go, my Gran is waiting for me. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye," Laur and Harry said, simultaneously.
"There they are!" a distant voice cried, turning around, Laur saw Ron, Hermione and a girl with red hair. The trio started to run towards Harry and Laur.
"Harry," Hermione panted, "Where…where have you been?"
"Out with Laurali, to celebrate out birthdays," He answered, nervously. "Why? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, but do you have any idea what we were thinking?" Ginny asked. Harry shook his head "no" down at a wall that was past her ear.
"Stop acting like you're guilty of something," Laurali whispered.
"Sorry guys, but I haven't a clue to what you're talking about." Harry said, somewhat truthfully.
"You prat!" Ron said, speaking for the first time. "You left without telling any of us where you were going, didn't even leave a note. That usually gives someone reason to be worried. Especially when it's you and what's happened in the past!"
"What does the past have to do with anything?" Laurali asked, confused.
"Everything," Ginny answered.
"Oh, Well I'm Laurali," Laur introduced herself to Ginny.
"Ginny Weasley."
"More specifically, You-Know-Who is reorganizing his death eaters," Hermione whispered.
"'You-Know-Who'? You don't mean Voldemort, do you?" Laurali answered. Hermione, Ron and Ginny all shuddered.
"Shhhhh," Ron said.
"So why should just Harry be worried about it? And why are you three so frightened of a name?"
"Because He wants me dead," Harry answered simply. "But what else is new?"
"Right. Is this another one of those long stories?"
"Yep," Hermione answered.
"But don't get too keen of the idea of knowing everything, you probably wouldn't want to know afterwards," Ginny said.
"So what were you two doing?" Ron asked, with a grin.
"Like I said, we went out to celebrate our birthdays," Harry said, annoyed with Ron's attitude.
"Wasn't your birthdays in July?" Ron asked.
"Well we realized that we never got a chance to celebrate our birthdays like we wanted to, so here we are," Laur said.
"So you have a coffee mug in your hand?" Ginny asked suspiciously.
"I had hot chocolate."
"In the summer?"
"It's relaxes me. What's with the 21 questions?"
"Hey! Ginny said that earlier!" Hermione said.
"So?" Laur asked. " I know a lot of people who say it."
"People don't say it around here so often," Harry said.
"Well in like 20 minutes, two people did," Hermione said, "It's strange."
"Whatever." Laurali said.
"Okay, so we ran into Neville today," Harry said, changing subjects.
"Oh, how is Neville? I haven't talked to him since June," Hermione asked.
"Good. He was here celebrating."
"Celebrating for what?" Ginny asked.
"The fact that he's a prefect," Laur answered.
"Neville's a prefect?" Ron asked bluntly.
"Yeah, I guess so." Harry answered. "I wonder who the other Gryffindor prefect is…"
"You'll know sooner or later," Ginny said.
"Neville, a prefect? I never thought that I'd be working alongside him," Hermione said, nonchalantly.
"You mean, you're the other prefect?" Harry asked.
"YEP!"
"Congratulations girly!" Laurali said, smiling.
"Girly huh?" Harry said.
"You got a problem with girly Mr. Nutsy?" Laurali said pretending to act all tough.
"And what if I did?" Harry said, mimicking the others acting.
"How about I get a hug?" Hermione asked.
"That works!" Harry said and gave his best friend a hug.
"Hey! Don't leave me out!" Ron cried and hugged both Harry and Hermione.
"What about me?" Ginny asked, and ran to the group hug. Laurali just stood there, looking at the people in front of her all hugging each other. She was realizing that no matter how hard she tried; she'd never know them as well as they knew each other. And she was okay with it.
AN: Okay, another chapter done. To be honest, this isn't my most favorite chapter, but this is how I'm going to leave it for now.
If anyone has suggestions that they would like me to consider, please, by all means, let me know. And as always, REVIEW!
