A/n: Hey guys. Two weeks! I think that might be a record for me! This chap's kinda crazy cause it basically cuts the summer into four chunks, but you guys are smart so you'll figure it out. A note about the songs: they're sort of the soundtrack for the fict. They are generally something to do w/ the chappie. They're also how I name chapters. So, hope you like this one. I liked writing it so I hope that is a good sign. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
;l;l;;l;l;l;l;l;;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;ll;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l
Give Me Novacaine
Green Day
Take away the sensation inside
Bitter sweet migraine in my head
Its like a throbbing tooth ache of the mind
I can't take this feeling anymore
Drain the pressure from the swelling,
The sensations overwhelming,
Give me a long kiss goodnight
and everything will be alright
Tell me that I won't feel a thing
So give me Novacaine
Out of body and out of mind
Kiss the demons out of my dreams
I get the funny feeling, that's alright
Jimmy says it's better than here,
I'll tell you why
;l;l;;l;l;l;l;l;;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;ll;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l
;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l
"Were you in trouble?" asked Sirius. "For sleeping outside?"
"We got a couple detentions," said Dora.
"And did you stay with your one friend above the grocery?"
"Oh yeah, that was great. We had a blast…for the most part…"
;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;lll;l;l;l;l;l;l;ll;l;ll;;ll;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l
The Muggle Way
"DORA, TURN THAT BLOODY MUSIC DOWN!"
They had been at the apartment in above Uncle Tweeze's grocery for three weeks. The store had closed up for the day and Rusty was screaming at Dora over the blaring noise of her muggle CD player which was playing a track from Guns n Roses, a muggle band that Dora had attached herself to.
"Sorry, darling," she said with a grin, and turned the volume dial on the player down a bit, "better?"
Rusty nodded and turned back to the game of chess he was playing with Charlie. They were all sitting around their smallish living room, furnished in a mismatched, sporadic fashion. Some things that were there when they got there and some of their own personal touches: some posters of Quidditch teams and wizard bands, a couple of flowering plants Mrs. Weasley had donated, a rug from Millie's room at home to cover the bare wood floor, etc. Chinese take-out containers from their dinner currently littered the room.
Dora hopped up. "Let's go," she said, "we need to get out."
Twenty minutes and much whining later they were out the door and walking down the street. "I don't see why we can't just Apparate somewhere," Rusty complained. They had all taken their Apparation test earlier that month. Charlie had taken his twice, but eventually they had all passed.
"What if there are Muggles watching?" asked Millie.
"Besides," added Dora, "it's more fun this way."
"Where are we going?" Charlie asked her.
Dora tipped her head back and stared randomly into the sky, spinning around before saying: "Wherever our feet take us," in wispy, mock-Trelawney tones.
They wandered for a half an hour before their feet took them to a small park outside a school. They sat and chatted for awhile, watching the day turn into night. Around nine, Dora stood and stretched. "Hey Rusty," she said, "still want to Apparate somewhere?"
"Where to?" asked Rusty suspiciously.
"Malfoy Manor."
The four of them appeared at their destination almost simultaneously.
"What are we going to do to them?" asked Charlie.
Dora ignored the first question and addressed the second. "We're going to do this the Muggle way." With a quick wave of her wand she conjured a backpack... It appeared to be full…
An hour later, they sat back to admire their work. The mansion was covered with big bunches of toilet paper. Juvenile? Yes. Harmful? Not so much. Amusing? Very.
"You know," said Dora thoughtfully, "it'll be house elves who end up dealing with this."
The others nodded, slightly disturbed by the thought. It seemed wrong that elves would pay for the crimes of their masters. As if of one mind, all four of them pulled out their wands "Accio toilet paper." And then, "Evanesco."
"It was a good idea," said Millie.
Dora nodded, "And it was fun: no regrets."
They Disapparated.
Observations
Dora was working at the cash register. This was her regular job. Stocking shelves had proved too dangerous for the klutzy teenager. She liked the position-she enjoyed watching people.
She scanned a box of cereal, making small talk with the shopper, a regular named Jane Caper. A bearded man was next. Then a mother, with her infant, toddler, and two young children. The toddler began to cry as the mother was paying. Dora took the baby from her so she could comfort him. When the child was calmed, the groceries paid for and the baby returned, the woman moved on and an elderly couple took her place.
Dora worked, a smile on her face, the auburn hair she always sported at work for the sake of consistency pulled up in a ponytail, until 6:30. She spent the days observing the store and the people in it. When her shift ended, she and her friends returned to their apartment and scrounged up a meal. They had evenings off while Rusty's uncle ran the shop.
And so July passed, and the end of August drew ever closer, bringing with it the start of their final year at Hogwarts.
A Time For All Things
One morning in August, on which all four friends had the day off, the lot of them sat around the kitchen table, munching on toast and reading the paper. Turning the page, Millie gasped. "Dora isn't that…" she began, but then cut herself off.
Dora looked at her questioningly from the other side of the table.
Rusty peered over Millie's shoulder. "Yeah, Dora, I think that's your grandmother!" Millie kicked him in the shins just a trifle too late.
Dora snatched the paper from her friend. It was open to the obituaries. A picture of a stately woman had been placed in the middle. The woman, dressed in black velvet, sneered up at Dora. She had black hair, only slightly grayed, a beaky nose, and pale, wrinkled skin.
In Memoriam
Cassiopeia Leto Pasiphae Black
Mrs. Black, 104, passed away on August 25, 1990.
Born in London, on November 2, 1885, she passed her time in the town and in other areas of England and France. During her life, Mrs. Black made many generous donations to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, the Ministry of Magic Relief Fund, and countless other charities.
Mrs. Black was preceded in death by her husband, Utgard Black. She is survived by her two daughters, Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy, and her grandson, Draco Malfoy.
A service in her honor will be held …
Dora didn't finish reading. Late that night, she crawled out of bed and crept down the hall to the kitchen. Pulling down a tin of biscuits from the cabinet, she sat down at the table and looked at her reflection in the microwave that sat on the counter. She scrunched up her face and concentrated. When she opened her eyes, her hair had turned black and hung over her back in long, thick curls. The ridge on the bridge of her nose had become more clearly defined as had her cheekbones. The scar on her cheek had appeared.
"I wonder," she said aloud and to herself, "if there is some emotion that I ought to be feeling or something."
"I reckon however you do feel is all right."
Dora whirled around to see Charlie standing in the door frame.
"Damn! You scared me."
"Sorry. I'll go." He turned to leave.
"No--stay for a little while?"
He nodded and went to sit next to her. "Want to talk?"
"I've been wondering," she began slowly, not really knowing how to start, "I've been wondering if I should be sad or happy or angry but…I don't really feel any of that. I don't really care at all. Is that horrible? That's horrible, right? I mean there should be something, angry is better than nothing."
Charlie thought for a minute. "Nothing is okay, if that's how you feel. I mean you can't force emotions, right?"
"I feel guilty."
"Guilty's not okay. You didn't do anything wrong."
She looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. "Thanks, Charlie."
"Anytime."
They got up and began to walk back toward their rooms in silence. Dora seemed rather preoccupied, looking at her feet. "Night," said Charlie.
Dora looked at him. A silent tear was tracing its way down her cheek. Charlie frowned and reached up to brush it away. She started crying harder, pressing her back against the wall and sliding down to the floor. He sat down next to her and they stayed there for a long time, his arms around her, her face buried in his shoulder, crying for reasons that had everything and nothing to do with her grandmother's death. For reasons that had something to do with wishing she was sad about what had happened and for reasons that she didn't even understand. When she lifted her head, she had stopped crying. "Okay, I'm done now."
He raised his eyebrow. "Are you sure? This shoulder's worn out but the other's dry."
She gave him a watery grin and nodded. Then, surprising even herself, she leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. He kissed her back, and for a moment, they both forgot why her face was wet. Then they moved apart and went to there own rooms and to bed.
Back into the Wizarding World
Dora, Rusty, Millie, and Charlie's last day of work fell on the 28th of August. They moved out on the 29th, booking rooms at the Leaky Cauldron. On the 30th, they did there back to school shopping.
"Okay," said Millie, "we've got parchment and quills, books, potions ingredients, anyone need new robes?"
"I could use a new set," said Rusty. "I ruined one in Potions last year, remember?"
The rest went to get ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor where Rusty joined them, twenty minutes later. Charlie raised his ice cream cone. "To us. To another summer gone."
"Huzzah!" yelled Dora.
"Cheers!" added Millie.
"Forever more!" Rusty suggested.
They all took a bite, silent for a moment. When they finished their ice cream, it was off to the inn and then, two days later, to Hogwarts. A fresh year. Their final year.
;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;lll;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l;l
A/n: Let me know what you think. Thanks so much to all reviewers! And let me know if there's anything you guys want to see. Some things I already have planned out but I can try to work stuff in. Please review! Thanks.
