A/N...Oh my God! You've actually deigned the first chapter good enough that you've gone on to the second! I am
SO happy right now. Anyway, this fic was written before OotP came out, and I name one of the characters "Phineas"
because I got it out of this book we had to read in English, A Separate Peace. Total coincidence that JKR
named one of her characters - Sirius' uncle - the same thing. Anyway, hope you like it...and even if you don't...
REVIEW!
-----------------
"Nora! Come sit with us!"
Nora swiveled to see her cousin Dane leaning out the window, a broad smile on his
face. Grateful for company, she walked into the compartment and shut the door.
"Hello," she greeted its other three occupants.
"You must be Dane's cousin Nora!" exclaimed a girl with yellow curls. "Dane's told us
so much about all the things you used to do before he came to school."
"Some pretty creative pranks you've come up with," said a brown-haired boy
enviously.
"All courtesy of my uncles, Fred and George," Dane assured him. "Nora, this is Laura
Messinger," he indicated the blonde girl, "Gregory Chatham," the brown-haired boy grinned,
"and Mira Gray," he concluded, pointing at the black-haired girl in the corner.
"Nice to meet you," she said courteously, tossing her waist-length, silky black hair.
"And you," Nora replied, her signature dazzling smile firmly in place.
"Do sit down," Mira beckoned to the space between her and Gregory, which was
enough to fit Nora's slim waist.
"Thanks for letting me sit with you," Nora said gratefully.
Laura and Dane exchanged glances. "We've been there, Nora," said Laura. "Just trying
to return the favor that a few third years did us last year."
"I was afraid I'd have to sit alone," Nora confessed.
Dane rubbed his chin. "No harm in that, really," he said thoughtfully. "Look at what
happened to my dad. He chose to sit alone, your dad walked in, and they're still best friends to
this day."
Nora cocked her head. "I guess you're right," she admitted, "But I'd rather start off here
with some familiar faces."
"The trip up can be lonely alone," Gregory put in. "I sat alone the entire way here last
year."
"Doesn't matter," Mira said dismissively. "You made friends the second you sat down at
the table."
"And which table is that?" Nora asked.
"We're all Gryffindors, don't worry," Laura assured her.
Nora laughed, albeit nervously.
"You sound like a Slytherin," Mira sniffed.
"Yes, 'Anyone who's not a Gryffindor is subject to persecution,'" said Gregory.
"Are they really all that bad?" Nora asked, alarmed.
"No, not at all," Dane waved a hand dismissively. "Slytherins can be a little high headed
sometimes, but Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs are always great."
"You've got nothing to worry about, though, Nora," Laura winked. "You'll be in
Gryffindor for sure."
Nora wished she could hold Laura to her word.
The train sped on past the green hills of England while Nora and the four Gryffindor
second years chatted amicably. Nora laughed until her sides hurt at the recounting of a
particularly humorous tale involving the now ancient Professor Snape and a violently pink
bathrobe.
"It was his own fault, walking into our Transfiguration lesson without knocking,"
Laura said facetiously.
"Good thing that all Max's spell did was turn his robe fluffy and magenta," said Mira.
"Much better than turning it transparent," Gregory agreed, chortling.
Dane, Laura and Mira's faces suddenly all shared the same twisted scowl.
Nora giggled at their antics. "I sure hope I'm sorted into Gryffindor," she said
anxiously, thinking of all the fun she'd miss if she wasn't placed into the House that everyone in
her family had attended.
"Oh, you will," said Laura soothingly. "Don't even worry yourself over it."
Then the witch with the food trolley came in and Nora temporarily forgot her concerns
as she bought some Peppermint Toads and fell to listening to the pleasant conversation. As
Dane, Laura, Mira and Gregory laughed, Nora caught a glimpse of the scenery they were
passing. The blankets of green had been replaced by wild moors, and the sky was turning a
deep purple. She exhaled in anticipation and knew they were getting closer.
Mira and Laura, whom Nora had come to like very much, followed her glance out the
compartment window. "We're almost there," said Laura, reading Nora's mind.
"Good thing, too," said Gregory. "I'm starving."
Laura looked at him in disbelief. "You just ate a box of Chocolate Frogs, and some of
Mira's Fizzing Whizbees, and you're still hungry?"
"I'm a growing boy," he said defensively.
The train suddenly slowed beneath their feet.
"Oh!" Nora exclaimed, as she was jerked forward in her seat. She felt a steadying hand
on her shoulder, and looked up appreciatively at her cousin. "Thanks, Dane."
"No problem," he said good-naturedly.
Silence washed over the compartment as the train's speed steadily decreased, until it
finally came to a full stop. Instantly, there was a shuffle to grab various trunks and belongings,
as well as Mira and Dane's owl cages. The five children emerged from the car. Laura instantly
spotted some more fellow Gryffindors and waved them over. Nora stood silently to the side as
they greeted each other.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" came a friendly, booming voice.
Dane broke away from the conversation to regard Nora. "Well, cousin. That's Hagrid
calling you. Do try to stay in your boat; I don't want anyone stealing my last year's thunder." He
grinned at her. Nora was suddenly reminded of her father, when he received the owl from
Harry one year ago today that one person had fallen into the lake and Dane had dove in to
rescue them. Ron had rolled on the floor with laughter and proceeded to ask a less-than-
amused family if Heroics was a gene.
Nora didn't note the smile that had warmly crept onto her face. Dane pointed toward
Hagrid, however, and said "Off with you. See you at our table." He waved cheerily, and Nora
turned to approach her old family friend.
"Firs' years! Firs' year – well, if it isn' Nora Weasley!"
Nora looked up into the warm eyes of Rubeus Hagrid, one of her family's oldest and
best friends. "Hello, Hagrid, how are you? What have you done all summer?"
"I bin gettin' ready some creatures for me classes," Hagrid said proudly.
Nora shook her head. Her mother had often expressed her worry that not all Hagrid's
creatures were entirely – legitimate.
"Well, yeh ain't got long until yeh join all yer cousins at the Gryffindor table," Hagrid
smiled, before he turned away and continued calling all the first years to his side.
Nora got caught in the shuffle as nervous faces kept appearing. Many of the newest
children stared up at Hagrid in terror or awe. Nora glumly followed three other kids into a
boat.
The lake was slick and black as the little boats began their traditional crossing of the
lake to Hogwarts Castle. The sky was pink and orange, dotted with purple puffs of cloud. Nora
rested her cheek on her elbow as she took in the majesty of the place she'd been yearning to
attend since birth.
"So, what are all your names?" came a voice from Nora's left.
Nora snapped out of her reverie and regarded the boy at her side. He was looking
strained, but determined to make pleasantries. Nora's heart softened and she decided to throw
him a bone.
"I'm Nora Weasley, how about you?" she said kindly.
The boy looked relieved. "I'm Phineas Roark, but you can call me Finny."
"I'm Terrence Bryant," offered the boy directly in front of Nora.
The three of them turned to the girl sitting next to Terrence. "Oh," she said timidly.
"My name's Amanda Eilmann."
"Nice to meet you," Nora smiled at her. She returned the smile weakly.
Something suddenly dawned on Finny. "Hang on – did you say Weasley? As in, the
great Weasley family?"
Nora's cheeks turned as red as her hair. "Er – yes."
"So of which family are you?" Finny asked eagerly. "Who's your father? Is it Fred or
George? Or Percy?"
"No…no, my father's name is Ron," she said, dreading the reaction.
Finny's eyes bulged, and she could feel Terrence stiffening in front of her. Amanda
looked quizzically from one boy to the other.
"The famous Auror? Harry Potter's best friend?" Terrence asked her.
Nora nodded, cheeks flaming.
"So your mother…is Hermione Weasley…the Minister of Magic?" Finny choked.
"Er – yes," said Nora embarrassedly.
"Wow," said Terrence. Amanda looked confused.
"There's a Minister of Magic?" she ventured.
"Yes," said Terrence, still looking at Nora in awe.
"Listen," Nora said slowly. "Would you three mind not telling anyone? About my
family? It's kind of hard to make friends when people only see you as the daughter of the
famous Auror and the Minister of Magic."
"Of course," said Finny immediately.
"Sure," Terrence nodded.
"I guess," said Amanda, still not quite understanding the significance of Nora's
parentage.
"So, do you have any idea what Houses you'll be in?" Nora tried to change the subject.
"All my family have been in Ravenclaw," said Terrence.
"Mine are split between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor," Finny confided.
"I've no idea," Amanda said helplessly.
"Oh, you needn't worry, the Sorting Hat will make the right decision, it always does,"
Nora said comfortingly.
"What? A Sorting Hat?"
Nora smiled inwardly. Amanda had a lot to discover, and Hogwarts was certainly the
place to do it.
---------------------------
A/N...don't worry, good stuff is going to happen soon, i PROMISE. but only if you...*review.*
That's right, just *review*. It doesn't have to be long, or nice, for that matter, as long as you
*review.* I'm going to quote Nike on this one:
Just do it.
--Renee
SO happy right now. Anyway, this fic was written before OotP came out, and I name one of the characters "Phineas"
because I got it out of this book we had to read in English, A Separate Peace. Total coincidence that JKR
named one of her characters - Sirius' uncle - the same thing. Anyway, hope you like it...and even if you don't...
REVIEW!
-----------------
"Nora! Come sit with us!"
Nora swiveled to see her cousin Dane leaning out the window, a broad smile on his
face. Grateful for company, she walked into the compartment and shut the door.
"Hello," she greeted its other three occupants.
"You must be Dane's cousin Nora!" exclaimed a girl with yellow curls. "Dane's told us
so much about all the things you used to do before he came to school."
"Some pretty creative pranks you've come up with," said a brown-haired boy
enviously.
"All courtesy of my uncles, Fred and George," Dane assured him. "Nora, this is Laura
Messinger," he indicated the blonde girl, "Gregory Chatham," the brown-haired boy grinned,
"and Mira Gray," he concluded, pointing at the black-haired girl in the corner.
"Nice to meet you," she said courteously, tossing her waist-length, silky black hair.
"And you," Nora replied, her signature dazzling smile firmly in place.
"Do sit down," Mira beckoned to the space between her and Gregory, which was
enough to fit Nora's slim waist.
"Thanks for letting me sit with you," Nora said gratefully.
Laura and Dane exchanged glances. "We've been there, Nora," said Laura. "Just trying
to return the favor that a few third years did us last year."
"I was afraid I'd have to sit alone," Nora confessed.
Dane rubbed his chin. "No harm in that, really," he said thoughtfully. "Look at what
happened to my dad. He chose to sit alone, your dad walked in, and they're still best friends to
this day."
Nora cocked her head. "I guess you're right," she admitted, "But I'd rather start off here
with some familiar faces."
"The trip up can be lonely alone," Gregory put in. "I sat alone the entire way here last
year."
"Doesn't matter," Mira said dismissively. "You made friends the second you sat down at
the table."
"And which table is that?" Nora asked.
"We're all Gryffindors, don't worry," Laura assured her.
Nora laughed, albeit nervously.
"You sound like a Slytherin," Mira sniffed.
"Yes, 'Anyone who's not a Gryffindor is subject to persecution,'" said Gregory.
"Are they really all that bad?" Nora asked, alarmed.
"No, not at all," Dane waved a hand dismissively. "Slytherins can be a little high headed
sometimes, but Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs are always great."
"You've got nothing to worry about, though, Nora," Laura winked. "You'll be in
Gryffindor for sure."
Nora wished she could hold Laura to her word.
The train sped on past the green hills of England while Nora and the four Gryffindor
second years chatted amicably. Nora laughed until her sides hurt at the recounting of a
particularly humorous tale involving the now ancient Professor Snape and a violently pink
bathrobe.
"It was his own fault, walking into our Transfiguration lesson without knocking,"
Laura said facetiously.
"Good thing that all Max's spell did was turn his robe fluffy and magenta," said Mira.
"Much better than turning it transparent," Gregory agreed, chortling.
Dane, Laura and Mira's faces suddenly all shared the same twisted scowl.
Nora giggled at their antics. "I sure hope I'm sorted into Gryffindor," she said
anxiously, thinking of all the fun she'd miss if she wasn't placed into the House that everyone in
her family had attended.
"Oh, you will," said Laura soothingly. "Don't even worry yourself over it."
Then the witch with the food trolley came in and Nora temporarily forgot her concerns
as she bought some Peppermint Toads and fell to listening to the pleasant conversation. As
Dane, Laura, Mira and Gregory laughed, Nora caught a glimpse of the scenery they were
passing. The blankets of green had been replaced by wild moors, and the sky was turning a
deep purple. She exhaled in anticipation and knew they were getting closer.
Mira and Laura, whom Nora had come to like very much, followed her glance out the
compartment window. "We're almost there," said Laura, reading Nora's mind.
"Good thing, too," said Gregory. "I'm starving."
Laura looked at him in disbelief. "You just ate a box of Chocolate Frogs, and some of
Mira's Fizzing Whizbees, and you're still hungry?"
"I'm a growing boy," he said defensively.
The train suddenly slowed beneath their feet.
"Oh!" Nora exclaimed, as she was jerked forward in her seat. She felt a steadying hand
on her shoulder, and looked up appreciatively at her cousin. "Thanks, Dane."
"No problem," he said good-naturedly.
Silence washed over the compartment as the train's speed steadily decreased, until it
finally came to a full stop. Instantly, there was a shuffle to grab various trunks and belongings,
as well as Mira and Dane's owl cages. The five children emerged from the car. Laura instantly
spotted some more fellow Gryffindors and waved them over. Nora stood silently to the side as
they greeted each other.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" came a friendly, booming voice.
Dane broke away from the conversation to regard Nora. "Well, cousin. That's Hagrid
calling you. Do try to stay in your boat; I don't want anyone stealing my last year's thunder." He
grinned at her. Nora was suddenly reminded of her father, when he received the owl from
Harry one year ago today that one person had fallen into the lake and Dane had dove in to
rescue them. Ron had rolled on the floor with laughter and proceeded to ask a less-than-
amused family if Heroics was a gene.
Nora didn't note the smile that had warmly crept onto her face. Dane pointed toward
Hagrid, however, and said "Off with you. See you at our table." He waved cheerily, and Nora
turned to approach her old family friend.
"Firs' years! Firs' year – well, if it isn' Nora Weasley!"
Nora looked up into the warm eyes of Rubeus Hagrid, one of her family's oldest and
best friends. "Hello, Hagrid, how are you? What have you done all summer?"
"I bin gettin' ready some creatures for me classes," Hagrid said proudly.
Nora shook her head. Her mother had often expressed her worry that not all Hagrid's
creatures were entirely – legitimate.
"Well, yeh ain't got long until yeh join all yer cousins at the Gryffindor table," Hagrid
smiled, before he turned away and continued calling all the first years to his side.
Nora got caught in the shuffle as nervous faces kept appearing. Many of the newest
children stared up at Hagrid in terror or awe. Nora glumly followed three other kids into a
boat.
The lake was slick and black as the little boats began their traditional crossing of the
lake to Hogwarts Castle. The sky was pink and orange, dotted with purple puffs of cloud. Nora
rested her cheek on her elbow as she took in the majesty of the place she'd been yearning to
attend since birth.
"So, what are all your names?" came a voice from Nora's left.
Nora snapped out of her reverie and regarded the boy at her side. He was looking
strained, but determined to make pleasantries. Nora's heart softened and she decided to throw
him a bone.
"I'm Nora Weasley, how about you?" she said kindly.
The boy looked relieved. "I'm Phineas Roark, but you can call me Finny."
"I'm Terrence Bryant," offered the boy directly in front of Nora.
The three of them turned to the girl sitting next to Terrence. "Oh," she said timidly.
"My name's Amanda Eilmann."
"Nice to meet you," Nora smiled at her. She returned the smile weakly.
Something suddenly dawned on Finny. "Hang on – did you say Weasley? As in, the
great Weasley family?"
Nora's cheeks turned as red as her hair. "Er – yes."
"So of which family are you?" Finny asked eagerly. "Who's your father? Is it Fred or
George? Or Percy?"
"No…no, my father's name is Ron," she said, dreading the reaction.
Finny's eyes bulged, and she could feel Terrence stiffening in front of her. Amanda
looked quizzically from one boy to the other.
"The famous Auror? Harry Potter's best friend?" Terrence asked her.
Nora nodded, cheeks flaming.
"So your mother…is Hermione Weasley…the Minister of Magic?" Finny choked.
"Er – yes," said Nora embarrassedly.
"Wow," said Terrence. Amanda looked confused.
"There's a Minister of Magic?" she ventured.
"Yes," said Terrence, still looking at Nora in awe.
"Listen," Nora said slowly. "Would you three mind not telling anyone? About my
family? It's kind of hard to make friends when people only see you as the daughter of the
famous Auror and the Minister of Magic."
"Of course," said Finny immediately.
"Sure," Terrence nodded.
"I guess," said Amanda, still not quite understanding the significance of Nora's
parentage.
"So, do you have any idea what Houses you'll be in?" Nora tried to change the subject.
"All my family have been in Ravenclaw," said Terrence.
"Mine are split between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor," Finny confided.
"I've no idea," Amanda said helplessly.
"Oh, you needn't worry, the Sorting Hat will make the right decision, it always does,"
Nora said comfortingly.
"What? A Sorting Hat?"
Nora smiled inwardly. Amanda had a lot to discover, and Hogwarts was certainly the
place to do it.
---------------------------
A/N...don't worry, good stuff is going to happen soon, i PROMISE. but only if you...*review.*
That's right, just *review*. It doesn't have to be long, or nice, for that matter, as long as you
*review.* I'm going to quote Nike on this one:
Just do it.
--Renee