Chapter Three An Old Friend
Charity woke up the next morning to the warm sun on her face. She grabbed her towel and went into the bathroom. Charity turned the hot water on and waited for a second before stepping into the shower. She just stood under the warm water for a while before washing up and getting out. Charity dried off with the fluffy maroon towel and then got dressed. She was excited to be starting her first day at Hogwarts. Charity walked back to her room and over to the dresser. She grabbed her brush off the dresser and began to brush her long auburn hair. Charity pulled her hair into a messy bun and stuck some bobby pins in it to keep it in place. Her hair looked messy but it also looked elegant at the same time. Her bright blue eyes where sparkling with joy.
Charity looked down at her watch. "I better get down to Breakfast." Charity grabbed her bag and wand off of the desk and walked out of her room and down to the common room. There sitting in a chair that faced the stairs was Oliver.
"Wow you look beautiful this morning," Oliver commented.
"Thank you Oliver," Charity blushed.
"Are you ready to go down to breakfast?" Oliver asked.
"Yes, I'm starving." Charity laughed and then followed Oliver out of the portrait hole and down to breakfast. Charity inhaled the wonderful smell of freshly baked muffins. She took a seat next to Oliver and grabbed a muffin from one of the plates. Charity looked over at Oliver and then dropped the muffin that was in her hand. "Angela is that you?" Charity asked as she got up from her seat.
"Yeah it is babe," Angela said as she walked over to Charity.
"But how did you get here in Hogwarts," Charity inquired.
"Well let's just say it's a long story." Angela laughed and then took a seat across from Charity.
Charity sat back down "It's a long story that you plan on telling me right?"
"Of course I will when I get the chance but for now lets just eat." Angela smiled. "I'm just famished." Angela grabbed a box of cereal and poured some into her bowl.
"So what classes do you have?" Charity asked impatiently.
"You know all the boring ones," Angela smiled at Charity and then handed her the schedule.
Charity scanned over the list and then compared it to her own "Well it looks like we have all the same classes. Oh my gosh this year is going to rock!" Charity said with excitement.
The Great Hall was filled with laughter and excited voices talking about all their classes.
Angela looked up at Charity "I love how you did your hair today. Isn't it something Oliver?" Angela asked.
"Yeah it sure is," Oliver said looking over at Charity.
Charity blushed and looked down at her muffin.
"So did I miss anything exciting yesterday?" Angela questioned.
Charity looked up and smiled "You missed a fantastic feast last night and Oliver's going to test me and see how good I am at Quidditch." Charity announced.
"That's great Charity. So what did you do tell him about the last Quidditch team you where on?" Angela asked.
" She was on a Quidditch team before?" Oliver said confused.
"Yeah the best seeker that they ever had, they were pretty upset when they found out that their champion seeker was leaving." Angela explained.
Charity shot Angela a dirty look but Angela just ignored her.
"Really? Well Charity never said a word about being on a team before." Oliver exclaimed.
"Your pretty lucky to have her my Mum said that she was the best that she had ever seen." Angela chirped.
"Well your Mum wasn't all that into Quidditch either," Charity piped in.
Angela scowled "Yes she was my Mum has yet to miss a world cup." Angela finished her cereal while Charity ate her muffin in silence.
When the girls where both finished Oliver looked between the two before speaking. "You both ready to get to class?"
"Yeah lets go," the girls cried in unison.
The three of them walked down to the dungeon to the potions classroom. Oliver was surprised to see Professor Snape already in the classroom. Snape was not one to smile at all and had fun taking points away from Gryffindor.
Snape turned when he heard the sound of students coming into his classroom. He came face to face with Oliver, Percy, Charity and Angela. Snape smiled at Charity and then turned back to the blackboard to finish writing down the ingredients for their lesson that day.
"Did he just smile at us?" Oliver asked in a hushed voice.
"Yeah why?" Charity said in the same tone.
"Professor Snape never smiles unless he's taking points away from us," Oliver stated.
"Then I guess the lesson must be hard," Angela commented.
Charity and Angela took a seat at the second table at the front and Oliver and Percy sat behind them.
"Do we have to sit this close?" Oliver questioned.
"Yes," Charity said. "Besides I don't think this man can possibly be that bad."
Snape heard what Charity had said "Just like her mother," Snape muttered to him self. He turned around and waited for the rest of the class to take their seats and get situated.
Oliver leaned forward and tapped Charity's shoulder. Charity turned around and shot Oliver a dirty look. In return Oliver stuck out his tongue. Charity giggled and then turned around to face the front. Oliver held his breath waiting for Professor Snape to give them both a dirty look and to deduct ten points from Gryffindor.
Snape looked over at Charity upon hearing her giggle. She smiled up at him and he smiled back at her and then he began to give instructions for the lesson.
"I think that we will start this day out by assigning partners for the rest of this year. We will also be doing some group projects and I will assign the groups that will be also for the rest of this year." Snape said. He grabbed his master list of students and began to call off the partners. "Percy Weasley and Valerie Laswick, Angela Sterling and Blair Malfoy, Charity Laswick and Oliver Wood." Snape continued to name off the partners and when he was finished he set the list a side. "Now please get with your partners and take a seat." Snape waited for the class to settle down before beginning. "I think we will wait two weeks before I give out the groups." Snape said. "Ok now we are going make a potion that will reveal a piece of a puzzle to each of you. If you can figure that puzzle out before the end of the year then you will get extra points. The faster you solve it the more points you get. Any questions?"
Charity and Angela raised their hand along with a few others in the class.
"Yes Angela?" Snape asked.
"Are we all going to have the same puzzles Professor?" Angela inquired.
"No they will all be different puzzles that way nobody can cheat to get it done." Snape said. "Yes Charity?"
"If they are all going to be different puzzles then how is that going to work when we all have the same ingredients?" Charity asked.
"That's a very good question Charity. Well when you have finished your potion then call me over and I will check to make sure it looks right and then I will had another ingredient." Snape replied. "Ok now let's get started with those potions."
Charity got up and walked over to the cupboard were the ingredients were kept. She began to pull out the ingredients she would need for the potion when she heard a small voice in her ear.
"Just because he's your partner doesn't mean you should be friends with him," Valerie whispered.
Charity flipped her hair and smiled back at Valerie before turning and making her way back to her seat. Charity read and reread the instructions before starting on her potion. As she mixed her ingredients together she could feel her sisters eyes on her. Charity smiled and then turned to Oliver.
"What?" Oliver asked when he noticed Charity staring at him.
"I was just wondering why you guys think that he's such a mean teacher, he doesn't seem that bad to me." Charity wondered.
"That's because he's not being is usual self for some reason. I'll explain everything after class ok?" Oliver smiled.
"Ok I guess so," Charity laughed and then turned back to her potion. When Charity had finished adding everything to her potion she sat down in her seat and waited for Professor Snape to come over and check her potion.
Professor Snape looked down at the purple goop that Valerie had made. "This is suppose to be a bright blue potion Valerie not purple," Snape cried and then he swept away leaving Valerie with her mouth hanging open. Snape walked over to Charity's potion and looked into the cauldron. "Perfect potion Charity Ten points for Gryffindor," Snape walked over to his desk and grabbed a small bottle of some silver liquid. Snape poured the bottle into the cauldron. "Stir it and then wait ten minutes and the clue will appear." Snape smiled at Charity and then turned and went to check the other student's potions.
Charity began to stir the potion and watched as the silver liquid swirled in with the bright blue. She glanced down at her watch and then looked over at Angela. Angela was also stirring her potion and waiting for the result to appear. Her partner was doing the same. She glanced back to where Percy was to find him writing something down and Valerie still glaring at her not paying any attention to her own potion.
"Valerie you're potion did not turn out as it was suppose to but maybe you should take its advice and get a clue. Next time pay attention to your own potion and not what your classmates are doing." Snape snapped. "Zero points for you today and ten points from Slytherin." Snape turned and walked back to his desk and waited for everyone to finish. "When the clue is revealed to you then please fill a flask and cork it. Then put it right here on my desk." Snape ordered.
Charity looked down at her clue her mouth flew open. She grabbed a pen and scribbled down the clue. Someone from your family is very close to you now. Charity reread the clue and then stuffed the paper in her robes. Charity grabbed a flask and then filled it and corked it. She looked back into the cauldron but the clue had vanished. Charity walked the flask up to Professor Snape's desk and set it down and then went back to her seat to begin cleaning up.
"I will give these flasks back to you in a few days that way you will be able to continue getting your clue and hearing it anytime you need to." Snape said.
Charity cleaned up her stuff and then sat down and waited for the bell.
Just as the bell rang Snape stood up. "Have a nice day class and don't forget to work on the puzzle's." Snape watched as Charity gathered her stuff up and followed her friends out the door.
Dumbledore waited outside of Snape's class as they filed out the door and then he went in shutting the door behind him. "You did not tell her did you?"
"No I didn't but I don't see why she shouldn't know the truth," Snape cried.
"Because it's something she has to figure out for herself otherwise all that I have done to ensure her safety will be shot all to hell. Know that puzzle you gave her to figure out is ok because she does not think it is a teacher." Dumbledore said.
"What? Well then who does she think it is?" Snape asked.
"She thinks it's her father who is the one close." Dumbledore sighed. "She really does miss him but at least she had a happy childhood for the most part."
Snape looked down at his desk and nodded "Ok I won't tell her." He looked up just in time to see Dumbledore leave the room. Snape sighed and then opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a picture. Snape was standing by his sister Melanie and in her hands was a little girl. "I wish you were still her Melanie I miss you so much." Snape cried. He put the picture back into his desk and then left the room behind along with his memories.
Charity sat in History of Magic thinking about her father. She looked down at her quill, which was busy writing down every word that Professor Binns said. Charity looked out the window as that terrible night replayed in her mind. She hadn't even realized that she was crying until Oliver said something.
"Are you okay?" Oliver questioned.
"Yeah I'm fine I was just thinking about my dad," Charity replied. She wiped the tears from her cheek and then looked down at her parchment. It was true she was thinking about her dad but it wasn't who everyone thought was her dad. The rest of class went by in a daze as Professor Binns droned on about some war and Charity's mind wandered into the past. Before she knew it class was over and they were heading down for lunch.
"So are you going to tell me that long story now?" Charity asked.
"Well I suppose so," Angela laughed. Angela and Percy sat across from Charity and Oliver. All most as soon as the girls sat down then Fred and George were there. Fred sat on the other side of Charity and George on the other side of Angela. Angela piled some food on her plate and then looked up at the others who were waiting patiently for her to start telling her tale. "Well my Mum is good friends with your Grandparents and they told her seems how your Dad had died that they felt it was only right that you go to Hogwarts. They said that's where your Father graduated from that's where you should graduate from too. Well my Mum knows how good of friends we are so she came and talked to Dumbledore to see if she could get me in. Then we went to Europe for are vacation and in Europe we got the letter saying that I had been excepted into Hogwarts." Angela took a bit before finishing. "My Mum doesn't know that I over heard her talking but she said that she didn't think it would be to hard to get me in. I guess that the only reason I didn't go to Hogwarts before is because she didn't want to tear Charity and Me apart. But what I don't understand is why Dumbledore took you now and not before." Angela turned to Charity.
Charity looked up at Angela's question to find everyone's eyes on her. "Well it's not that he won't accept me before. I got the letter saying I was accept into Hogwarts but then my Dad decided that he didn't want me to go there." Charity shrugged her shoulders and then took a bite of her stew.
"Why wouldn't he want you to go Hogwarts like he did?" Oliver inquired.
"I don't know he never told me why but my Grandparents where as surprised as I was so," Charity said.
"Oh well you're here now and that's all that matters," Percy reassured her. "I'll see you guys later I have some things to do."
They all waved Bye to Percy and then went back to eating. Fred and George where whispering to each other over the table about something that they didn't want anybody else to hear. Angela started to laugh making Charity jump.
"Trying to make mayhem boys?" Angela asked.
The twins blushed "Yeah why are you going to tell on us," Fred said.
"No I just thought I'd give you some pointers and maybe even help," Angela commented.
Charity laughed, "She's the queen of mayhem boys so get ready to be blown out of the water."
"Cool," Fred and George cried in unison. Then they began to talk to Angela about some of the pranks they had thought of and she told them of the things she use to do in Beauxbatons. Charity smiled Angela had defiantly found someone to help with her with her pranks and two friends. Charity turned to look at Oliver only to find him staring back at her. He blushed and then looked back down at his stew. Charity felt her heart stop for a moment before beating again.
