A/N - If you're confused...so am I.
Chapter 6 - An Unwelcome Escort
--------------------------
Without giving a backward glance to the open window behind her, Nora set off downstairs, where a pair of first-year boys were sitting and playing what looked to be a game of Exploding Snap.
"Ha!" cried Finny Roark. "Ace! Take THAT," he said smugly.
The entire deck exploded. His partner shielded his face, but Finny received the blast of the explosion. The other started laughing merrily.
"You know," said Nora, approaching, "You should really learn some Anti-Flammability Charms before you play - "
She stopped short. The boy across from Finny was peering up at her, listening intently. It was only then that she realized she'd walked straight up to Vincent Malfoy.
"Good idea," he said approvingly. "Where d'you find these Anti-Flammability Charms? Is it in our Charms text?"
"Er...yeah," Nora stammered, before wheeling around and flying out the portrait hole.
'I mustn't associate with him,' Nora thought to herself furiously. 'What would Daddy say?'
Nora quickly went to the Great Hall, where she walked straight to the seat she'd been sitting in since the Sorting Feast. She noticed that Professor McGonagall had resumed her place in the middle of the Head table. She glanced around the room and caught Pallas' eye, nodding. She then turned back to her own table, and, helping herself to steaming, pink bacon, she once again failed to notice someone sitting down to her right.
"Morning, fair cousin," said Dane, grinning. "How are your first days going?"
"Great," said Nora excitedly. "There's just so much! Mum never really explained just how much work it'd be, but it's such a pleasure to do it, I barely remember that it's actually homework!"
"You won't be saying that come this time next month," Dane warned her. "Or next year. Next decade."
"Well...it can't be all bad, can it?" Nora looked crestfallen. She had thoroughly been enjoying herself, and a bleak future was not what she wanted to hear about at that moment.
"No, don't worry," Dane assured her. "You'll be fine." Suddenly, his demeanor changed into a bracing, worried one. "Nora...have you heard about what happened to the third-year Ravenclaw bloke, Darius Drake?"
"No," said Nora, frowning.
"Oh! Oh, then never mind," Dane said hurriedly, looking as if he were about to smack himself.
"What is it?" Nora demanded.
"I'd tell you...only...well...your mum and dad told me not to scare you," he said in a rush.
"What?!" Nora exclaimed, her face as red as her hair. "Do they think I'm five? I am eleven years old!"
"And if it were me, I'd tell you," Dane said painedly, frown lines creasing his forehead, his bright green eyes filled with regret. "But my mum forbid me, too."
"We'll just see about this," said Nora, leaning forward and turning her head until she found a shock of red hair. "Robert! Robert Weasley!"
"Yes?" Robert said innocently. The twelve heads in between the two cousins turned to regard Nora, waiting for her accusation.
"Er...do you...do you know when the Charms club meets?" she finished.
Robert looked baffled. "Er...today, in Flitwick's room, round eight?" he said, giving her an odd glance.
"Oh...thanks," she said, embarrassed. "I was, just, er, thinking of going, you see, and - "
"Oh, so was I," said someone sitting halfway between the two Weasleys. "It seems such a good idea, y'know?"
Nora's stomach slammed into her chest. The speaker was Vincent Malfoy.
"D'you want to walk up together, then?" asked the brown-haired boy, looking at Nora expectantly.
"Oh...sure," she mumbled, and felt her face grow hot with humiliation.
Dane shook his head. "Well, I thought I'd give you a hello," he said, before standing and walking to the end of the table, where Nora could make out the blonde curls of Laura Messinger and the dark sheet of Mira Gray. 'I wonder if Dane is interested in one of them?' she thought to herself. 'I must remember to write Dad about it...he'd be sure to tell Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry...I suppose that'd be good revenge.'
As soon as Dane left, Morag took his vacated seat. "Morning, Nora, what're you up to?"
"Oh, nothing," Nora sighed. She took one look at Morag's concerned expression, and decided to share her dilemma with her fellow Gryffindor. "My cousin, Dane Potter, just made me do the most idiotic thing imaginable. And now I'm forced to go to Charms club tonight with a Malfoy!" Suddenly a thought occurred to Nora. "Oh, Morag," she begged. "You must come with me! My Dad'll kill me if he finds out I'm walking around Hogwarts with a Malfoy!"
Morag looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Nora, you know I would," and Nora knew she was regretful. "But only, I'm a half-blood, and I'm not yet used to writing with quills, and we've got two huge essays due tomorrow...maybe next week? I promise I'll come next week."
"Thanks," she said gratefully. "I suppose I could survive a stroll to Flitwick's room."
The other two girls from their dormitory sat in front of Nora and Morag.
"What's this I hear about you snagging Malfoy?" Alexandria demanded. "You know he was on the top of my list!"
"That's not what happened at all," Nora said earnestly. She had been gathering the impression that Alexandria was a bit of a Miss High and Mighty. "He invited himself to Charms club, and I - "
"Oh, well," said Alexandria dejectedly.
"But...but you can come with us, and then you'd get to be with him too!" said Nora desperately.
"If there's one thing that Alexandria Townsend is not," she said in a dignified tone, "It is a third wheel."
And she set to eating a bowl of oatmeal.
"Come on, Nora," said Morag, giving Alexandria an odd look. "Let's...go back to the common room, I still don't know my way well."
Nora felt herself being dragged by the blonde girl out of the Great Hall. "Morag, you know your way back perfectly," said Nora, confused.
"Ever get the feeling that some people were Sorted into the wrong House?" Morag asked grimly. "That Alexandria...you'd think she'd make a good Slytherin."
"You know, things are a bit off lately," said Nora, her red eyebrows furrowed. "We've got friendly Slytherins and snobbish Gryffindors. What's going on?"
"I dunno," said Morag. "Bit weird, really. Maybe the Sorting Hat's so old, it's gone senile."
Nora began to snort uncontrollably at the thought of a senile hat, and the thought kept the two girls laughing up to their dormitory.
-----------------------------
Hermione Weasley entered her husband's room, only to find him bent over a piece of parchment. "Is that...the letter?" she asked him, trying to keep her voice controlled.
"It is," he said huskily. "I didn't need an official document. All I needed was Harry's head in the Floo..."
"So you've got grounds to send in your protection?" Hermione asked.
"We have," said Ron, wishing it weren't so.
"Well, then, do it, Ron," said Hermione brusquely. "In case you've forgotten, our daughter is at that school, and I will NOT let her be harmed. And neither will you, Ron Weasley."
"I haven't forgotten," Ron snapped back. "D'you think I can even stop thinking about what it must be like for Yolanda Drake at this minute? This is just a bit out of our hands, Hermione. If Dumbledore were around, maybe we'd know what to do, but - "
"Well, he isn't here anymore, Ron," said Hermione, her eyes filling with tears.
"I...I know," said Ron and pulled his wife into a tender hug. "I know...I think Harry and I might go up to Hogwarts, try to intercept Mrs. Drake before she makes a scene. Will you be alright with Troy?"
"Of course I'll be alright with Troy, I'm his mother," said Hermione angrily. "And...I'll call Remus. I hate to bother him and Louisa, but right now, it's beyond our knowledge and we need someone with experience...maybe they've heard of some other wizard terrorist group that hates - " Hermione sounded incredulous - "half-bloods?"
"Next, there'll be bias against pure-bloods, too, you just watch," said Ron in disgust.
"I don't know what this world is coming to," said Hermione, "But I'll do my best to try and keep it clean."
"Right," said Ron. "I'm just going to fire-call Harry now..."
He strode out of the room, presumably looking for a fireplace. Hermione watched him leave, before thinking to herself, 'At last, I'm safe from wizard prejudice...and it's my children who will suffer now.'
-----------------------------
A/N - Pretty short chapter...I'd completely forgot that Nora has a thousand cousins, so I decided I'd stick Dane and Robert in there, too...new chapter will be up shortly, promise. I SWEAR TO GOD, really cool things are going to occur in Chapter 7 - Mothers and Fathers.
And now, to the tune of Maroon 5's "This Love":
This fic is coming along,
I said, "Review!"
Now listen to this song.
My heart is breaking in front of you
Because I write on,
but no one does review all these words...whoaaa...whoaaaa....whoaaaaaaaaa!
Review, review, review!
Chapter 6 - An Unwelcome Escort
--------------------------
Without giving a backward glance to the open window behind her, Nora set off downstairs, where a pair of first-year boys were sitting and playing what looked to be a game of Exploding Snap.
"Ha!" cried Finny Roark. "Ace! Take THAT," he said smugly.
The entire deck exploded. His partner shielded his face, but Finny received the blast of the explosion. The other started laughing merrily.
"You know," said Nora, approaching, "You should really learn some Anti-Flammability Charms before you play - "
She stopped short. The boy across from Finny was peering up at her, listening intently. It was only then that she realized she'd walked straight up to Vincent Malfoy.
"Good idea," he said approvingly. "Where d'you find these Anti-Flammability Charms? Is it in our Charms text?"
"Er...yeah," Nora stammered, before wheeling around and flying out the portrait hole.
'I mustn't associate with him,' Nora thought to herself furiously. 'What would Daddy say?'
Nora quickly went to the Great Hall, where she walked straight to the seat she'd been sitting in since the Sorting Feast. She noticed that Professor McGonagall had resumed her place in the middle of the Head table. She glanced around the room and caught Pallas' eye, nodding. She then turned back to her own table, and, helping herself to steaming, pink bacon, she once again failed to notice someone sitting down to her right.
"Morning, fair cousin," said Dane, grinning. "How are your first days going?"
"Great," said Nora excitedly. "There's just so much! Mum never really explained just how much work it'd be, but it's such a pleasure to do it, I barely remember that it's actually homework!"
"You won't be saying that come this time next month," Dane warned her. "Or next year. Next decade."
"Well...it can't be all bad, can it?" Nora looked crestfallen. She had thoroughly been enjoying herself, and a bleak future was not what she wanted to hear about at that moment.
"No, don't worry," Dane assured her. "You'll be fine." Suddenly, his demeanor changed into a bracing, worried one. "Nora...have you heard about what happened to the third-year Ravenclaw bloke, Darius Drake?"
"No," said Nora, frowning.
"Oh! Oh, then never mind," Dane said hurriedly, looking as if he were about to smack himself.
"What is it?" Nora demanded.
"I'd tell you...only...well...your mum and dad told me not to scare you," he said in a rush.
"What?!" Nora exclaimed, her face as red as her hair. "Do they think I'm five? I am eleven years old!"
"And if it were me, I'd tell you," Dane said painedly, frown lines creasing his forehead, his bright green eyes filled with regret. "But my mum forbid me, too."
"We'll just see about this," said Nora, leaning forward and turning her head until she found a shock of red hair. "Robert! Robert Weasley!"
"Yes?" Robert said innocently. The twelve heads in between the two cousins turned to regard Nora, waiting for her accusation.
"Er...do you...do you know when the Charms club meets?" she finished.
Robert looked baffled. "Er...today, in Flitwick's room, round eight?" he said, giving her an odd glance.
"Oh...thanks," she said, embarrassed. "I was, just, er, thinking of going, you see, and - "
"Oh, so was I," said someone sitting halfway between the two Weasleys. "It seems such a good idea, y'know?"
Nora's stomach slammed into her chest. The speaker was Vincent Malfoy.
"D'you want to walk up together, then?" asked the brown-haired boy, looking at Nora expectantly.
"Oh...sure," she mumbled, and felt her face grow hot with humiliation.
Dane shook his head. "Well, I thought I'd give you a hello," he said, before standing and walking to the end of the table, where Nora could make out the blonde curls of Laura Messinger and the dark sheet of Mira Gray. 'I wonder if Dane is interested in one of them?' she thought to herself. 'I must remember to write Dad about it...he'd be sure to tell Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry...I suppose that'd be good revenge.'
As soon as Dane left, Morag took his vacated seat. "Morning, Nora, what're you up to?"
"Oh, nothing," Nora sighed. She took one look at Morag's concerned expression, and decided to share her dilemma with her fellow Gryffindor. "My cousin, Dane Potter, just made me do the most idiotic thing imaginable. And now I'm forced to go to Charms club tonight with a Malfoy!" Suddenly a thought occurred to Nora. "Oh, Morag," she begged. "You must come with me! My Dad'll kill me if he finds out I'm walking around Hogwarts with a Malfoy!"
Morag looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Nora, you know I would," and Nora knew she was regretful. "But only, I'm a half-blood, and I'm not yet used to writing with quills, and we've got two huge essays due tomorrow...maybe next week? I promise I'll come next week."
"Thanks," she said gratefully. "I suppose I could survive a stroll to Flitwick's room."
The other two girls from their dormitory sat in front of Nora and Morag.
"What's this I hear about you snagging Malfoy?" Alexandria demanded. "You know he was on the top of my list!"
"That's not what happened at all," Nora said earnestly. She had been gathering the impression that Alexandria was a bit of a Miss High and Mighty. "He invited himself to Charms club, and I - "
"Oh, well," said Alexandria dejectedly.
"But...but you can come with us, and then you'd get to be with him too!" said Nora desperately.
"If there's one thing that Alexandria Townsend is not," she said in a dignified tone, "It is a third wheel."
And she set to eating a bowl of oatmeal.
"Come on, Nora," said Morag, giving Alexandria an odd look. "Let's...go back to the common room, I still don't know my way well."
Nora felt herself being dragged by the blonde girl out of the Great Hall. "Morag, you know your way back perfectly," said Nora, confused.
"Ever get the feeling that some people were Sorted into the wrong House?" Morag asked grimly. "That Alexandria...you'd think she'd make a good Slytherin."
"You know, things are a bit off lately," said Nora, her red eyebrows furrowed. "We've got friendly Slytherins and snobbish Gryffindors. What's going on?"
"I dunno," said Morag. "Bit weird, really. Maybe the Sorting Hat's so old, it's gone senile."
Nora began to snort uncontrollably at the thought of a senile hat, and the thought kept the two girls laughing up to their dormitory.
-----------------------------
Hermione Weasley entered her husband's room, only to find him bent over a piece of parchment. "Is that...the letter?" she asked him, trying to keep her voice controlled.
"It is," he said huskily. "I didn't need an official document. All I needed was Harry's head in the Floo..."
"So you've got grounds to send in your protection?" Hermione asked.
"We have," said Ron, wishing it weren't so.
"Well, then, do it, Ron," said Hermione brusquely. "In case you've forgotten, our daughter is at that school, and I will NOT let her be harmed. And neither will you, Ron Weasley."
"I haven't forgotten," Ron snapped back. "D'you think I can even stop thinking about what it must be like for Yolanda Drake at this minute? This is just a bit out of our hands, Hermione. If Dumbledore were around, maybe we'd know what to do, but - "
"Well, he isn't here anymore, Ron," said Hermione, her eyes filling with tears.
"I...I know," said Ron and pulled his wife into a tender hug. "I know...I think Harry and I might go up to Hogwarts, try to intercept Mrs. Drake before she makes a scene. Will you be alright with Troy?"
"Of course I'll be alright with Troy, I'm his mother," said Hermione angrily. "And...I'll call Remus. I hate to bother him and Louisa, but right now, it's beyond our knowledge and we need someone with experience...maybe they've heard of some other wizard terrorist group that hates - " Hermione sounded incredulous - "half-bloods?"
"Next, there'll be bias against pure-bloods, too, you just watch," said Ron in disgust.
"I don't know what this world is coming to," said Hermione, "But I'll do my best to try and keep it clean."
"Right," said Ron. "I'm just going to fire-call Harry now..."
He strode out of the room, presumably looking for a fireplace. Hermione watched him leave, before thinking to herself, 'At last, I'm safe from wizard prejudice...and it's my children who will suffer now.'
-----------------------------
A/N - Pretty short chapter...I'd completely forgot that Nora has a thousand cousins, so I decided I'd stick Dane and Robert in there, too...new chapter will be up shortly, promise. I SWEAR TO GOD, really cool things are going to occur in Chapter 7 - Mothers and Fathers.
And now, to the tune of Maroon 5's "This Love":
This fic is coming along,
I said, "Review!"
Now listen to this song.
My heart is breaking in front of you
Because I write on,
but no one does review all these words...whoaaa...whoaaaa....whoaaaaaaaaa!
Review, review, review!