Fyre pixie- Glad you like this story so far!

Cinderella- I'm happy that you enjoy my stories. I like to write humor stories a lot. : )

Vajiha14- Yes, I've pondered about that too. In the fourth book, it said that Mrs. Weasley reminisced about the former gameskeeper Ogg while she was attending school. However, it was said that Hagrid started becoming gameskeeper ever since he dropped out. I don't think Mrs. Weasley is older than Hagrid since Hagrid is in his 60's. So I just went along with having Ogg as the gameskeeper. Hagrid is mentioned later in the story to explain the confusion. Thanks for noticing!

Lord Tyrranis- No, my name isn't Jackie. : )

Dieselbaby- Macnair was mentioned in the books. He was a death eater. Really glad you liked the chapters and hoping that your reviews will roll on and on….also, you gave up on your draco/ginny story didn't you? humph!

Captain 'Phoenix' Aquamarine- The story might be cute now…but things get a bit darker later on….hehehe…but it won't be too bad.

Isis Stormwing- After your review, it kind of hit me that you might be right. However, I'm already really into the story (like on chapter 11) so it's too late to take Moody out. Yeah, Arthur probably has glasses since he is described being a glasses wearer in the books. I imagine him most like Ron. Not a serious troublemaker like the twins and not a serious student like Percy. He's also a bit dorky, but in a cute sense. Dumbledore is headmaster at the moment. I will try to write descriptions of the characters.

HyperCaz- I'm absolutely honored that you've taken a liking to my story on first impression.

Fantasyangel writer- I can just hear you giggle in your review. Lol. : )

Lils- Whoohoo! I'm someone's favorite author!

Mandy of the Amoeba- Thanks for your review. : )

Chapter 3- The Hufflepuff Boy

"Arthur! Arthur!" Molly Hattingfield came running down the couriers to find Arthur and Kingsley together walking to Transfiguration.

"Hello Molly," Kingsley greeted.

"So there you are!" Arthur said beaming down as Molly reached up to him. They kissed and Kingsley made a loud kissing smack noise.

Molly waved her hand at Kingsley, pretending to slap him. They all laughed.

"Good afternoon, Professor McGonagall!" they all greeted cheerfully as they walked through the door.

"Hello students!" Professor McGonagall said back.

Molly and Arthur held hands until they went to sit at separate desks.

"Today, students, we will learn how to turn pillows into piglets and back again." McGonagall said, getting in front of the class. "I will put that away if I were you, Mr. Fletcher." McGonagall said. "Now, everyone get out your wands and Miss. Rhemal, please pass out a pillow to each student."

After they had each received a small, pink pillow, they waved their wands, hoping to transform the soft, squashy material to a pink piglet.

Fletcher's pillow sprouted legs, but wouldn't transform to the rest of the piglet's body. Molly's pillow turned into a cute pink piglet, but ran around the classroom and out the door.

"Never mind, Miss. Hattingfield!" McGonagall said. "I'm sure the little piggy will find its way back."

Arthur tried to turn his pillow into a pig, but somehow turned it into a canary instead.

"It's a flick of the wand, Mr. Weasley! A flick!" McGonagall said calmly. "Now Mr. Longbottom, what are you doing making your pig fly?"

Frank grinned; he made Alice giggle. He eventually placed the pig on the ground again, letting its wings disappear with a pop.

"Show off," muttered Lucius.

Alice's pig, however, had ideas of its own. As soon as Alice transfigured the pillow into a pig, it just wouldn't transfer back. It sat there while Alice waved her wand around.

"Mr. Weasley!" McGonagall said as Arthur's canary flew across the room and ran into the window. She pulled out his own wand and the canary turned back into a pillow and landed softly to the ground.

"Sorry, Professor McGonagall." Arthur said.

Finally, everyone's piglets turned back into pillows and just before class ended, Molly's pig came trotting back into the classroom happily.

She transfigured him back into a pink pillow and handed the pillow to McGonagall.

"Now," McGonagall said. "I hope you are ready for tomorrow's class. We are, ironically, going to be transfiguring bananas into canaries." she looked at Arthur when she said this, the corners of her mouth twitching.

* *

"Well, that wasn't so bad!" Kingsley said cheerfully during dinner. "Next Quiddich game this Friday! Who are we up against?"

"Hufflepuff, it'll be a breeze." Frank answered. The blonde haired boy spooned some peas into his plate. "You ready?"

"Me? I'm always ready." Kingsley said and took a portion of shepherd's pie.

Alice rolled her eyes.

"Ooh, look at him!" Emmeline said suddenly and pointed over to the Hufflepuff table. A dark haired, light blue eyed boy walked over and sat down for dinner. "Never seen him before."

"Must be new this year. I wonder what school he came from." Kingsley shrugged.

"Probably that Dark Arts school Durmstrang." Moody said disapprovingly, his messy dark hair uneven in areas. He wore a protection necklace around his neck, which is supposed to vibrate every time someone is trying to murder him. So far, it has never vibrated. "Got to watch out of these kinds of students, coming to Hogwarts, trying to steal all of our spells and---"

"Moody, he is not going to steal anything." Alice said impatiently, then she caught Emmeline's eye and giggled. "He's too…studdly to do that."

"Studdly? You think he is a stud?" Frank said incredulously, his mouth agape.

"Well, we all know he must be a wonderful Quiddich player." Emmeline said. "Just look at him."

"I think that's enough now, Alice." Frank said, putting his hand over Alice's eyes.

Alice laughed. "Oh come on, Frank, I'm just kidding."

"Hello!" Molly and Arthur came strolling to the table. "Some lesson, eh?"

"Molly, come here," Emmeline said and pointed to the Hufflepuff table. Molly looked over indifferently, but then she took a second glance, starting more avidly this time.

"Who is that?" she asked Emmeline.

"No idea." Emmeline answered. "New boy. I say he's a Quiddich player."

Molly smiled, "Look at his form!"

"Oh, I know!" they giggled together.

"Girls." Kingsley rolled his eyes and then spotted a cute first year. "Hello." He gave a whistle; grinning what he thought was a winning smile.

The girl gave him a disapproving huff and walked on.

"Humph!" Kingsley said, turning back to the table.

"I'm very disappointed that none of us are Headboy or Headgirl this year." Alice said.

"Hey! I'm Headboy!" Kingsley waved his arms around.

"You don't count." Alice said waving his arm away, ignoring Kingsley's dropped mouth. "Anyway, the Headboy or Headgirl gets to lead new students around the castle." She sighed.

Kingsley shrugged. "What's the big deal about him anyway?"

"Who?" Arthur asked, just coming into the conversation. He looked up from a new Muggle book, What Pinball Machines Are and How They Work.

"Pretty boy over there," Kingsley rolled his eyes.

"Oh," Arthur gave a shrug and munched some a piece of bread. Then, he spotted Molly looking somewhat dreamily at the Hufflepuff boy. He immediately felt a surge of jealousy. "Molly?"

"Mmm?" she turned and smiled at Arthur.

"You don't….you don't find him attractive, do you?" he asked.

"Who? Hufflepuff boy?" she asked blushing.

Arthur stared.

"Oh, don't be silly Arthur, he's just new." She leaned up and gave Arthur and kiss.

* *

"Emmeline, let me see your outline for Wortham, come on." Kingsley pleaded, looking at his watch.

"You've had plenty of time to do it." Emmeline said in a rather bossy voice, gathering her books together.


"Alice?" Kingsley turned to look at Alice.

"Kingsley! I let you see it last time! You promised to never procrastinate again."

"If you want to train to be an Auror----" Emmeline began.

"Okay, I think we've all heard the 'If Kingsley wants to be an Auror he has to actually work to become one' speech enough now," Kingsley interrupted.

"You can see mine, Kingsley, I owe you," Frank handed over his copy.

"Frank!" Alice and Emmeline said disapprovingly.

"Oh, come off it, Alice." Frank said good-humorously. "Hurry up, Kingsley, class starts in about five minutes."

Arthur was trying to finish his outline too, with Molly glaring at him, her hands on her hips.

"Molly, just a peek at your paper…" Arthur begged.

"You spent that extra time trying to build a Muggle birdhouse!" Molly said, her arms folded.

"Just a bit…"

"No."

"Come on, Molly, please?" Arthur asked. He looked at his watch. The strap broke last year and he had to bind it back together.

"Four minutes!" Alice called. "We have to go!"

Molly sighed. "Well, this time only Arthur, hurry up." Molly handed over her paper.

"Thanks!" Arthur scribbled like mad and with one minute to go, the group trooped down to Wortham's Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Late again, Gryffindors!" Professor Wortham said, her eyes cold.

"Sorry," grumbled the lot as they came in. Emmeline was scolding Kingsley and Arthur, the head of the gang, accidentally tripped and caused the whole lot to fall.

"That will do Mr. Weasley!" Wortham said. "Ten points from Gryffindor!"

There was a mild scramble as the seven Gryffindors found seats.

Professor Wortham wrote a list of instructions on the board and with her wand, pointed to each of them.

"Number one," she barked. "We are going to learn how to block stunning spells today. The first thing you need to do is concentrate. Constant vigilance! Now everyone get out your wands and repeat after me: Impedus Stunnus!"

"Impedus Stunnus." The class repeated. Kingsley banged his wand on his desk. Molly pointed it straight forward, hitting Kingsley's head. Arthur's wand blew up.

"WEASLEY!" Wortham scolded. The Slytherins all smirked.

"Now I want each of you to find a partner, stun them and make sure they block themselves. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

"Don't know what's wrong with her today," Kingsley muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Well, I kind of agree with her," Moody spoke. "You never know when we're going to be struck!" He had the look of a determined sailor who has lost his way, but won't admit it.

"Yeah, you go teach Defense Against the Dark Arts someday, Moody, you're really good at it, you know." Kingsley replied.

There was a slight diversion as Arthur Weasley fell over as Molly stunned him.

"Oh, Arthur! I'm so sorry!" Molly said, pulling him up. "Are you okay?"

"Impedus Stunnus!" Frank shouted as Alice stunned him. "Hey! It worked!"

"Well, I'm glad you lot aren't always scatterbrained." Wortham muttered. "Shacklebolt! I don't see you working!"

Kingsley scowled and turned to Moody.

"I'll stun you fir---" Kingsley started, but before he even finished, Moody roared, "Impedus Stunnus!"

"MOODY!" Kingsley said. "I didn't even stun you yet!"

"Oh, yeah, well, I was just practicin'" Moody said. "I'm ready now."

"Impedus Stunnus!" Arthur said as Molly stunned him again; he fell over with a thump.

"Oh, Arthur!" Molly said apologetically.

"Don't you see?" Professor Wortham barked. "You are letting your affection get in the way. You must really mean to block her in order to do so! Malfoy! Trade places with Hattingfield!"

Lucius's lip curled to a grin.

"Impeeeedus Stunnus!" Kingsley said, waving his wand around in a kind of fashion.

"Oh, come off it, you two are just playing around." Emmeline said impatiently.

"Stupefy!" she said to Kingsley.

"Impedus Stunnus!" Kingsley roared back. Then he stood back, as if preparing to fall. "Hey! I blocked you!"

"That is what the spell is supposed to do, Mr. Shacklebolt!" Professor Wortham rolled her eyes.

Lucius and Arthur stood facing each other.

"Well, go on, Weasley, try to block this!" Lucius said. "STUPEFY!"

"IMPEDUS STUNNUS!" Arthur roared back, and then he yelled, "PROTEGO!"

Lucius was thrown backward and landed on the ground.

"Nice one!" Kingsley said admiringly.

"Ten points from Gryffindor!" Professor Wortham said. "Crabbe, Macnair, get him to the hospital wing, he seemed to have hit his head."

"Maybe he'll go into a coma," Alice muttered hopefully.

"That will do!" Professor Wortham shot at Alice. "You keep your mouth shut, or else it'll be a detention!"

Alice made a very rude gesture to Professor Wortham as she turned her back.

As the class drew to an end, Professor Wortham picked random students to stun and see how their blocking spells worked. No one was surprised when she picked all Gryffindors.

They turned out to be Kingsley, who was first choice, then Alice for her cheek, Frank because he got the spell right on first try, and Arthur because he knocked Lucius out.

Luckily, none of the chosen students got stunned.

Professor Wortham looked very disappointed, but dismissed class without any extra homework.

Alice, Frank, Kingsley, Emmeline, Arthur, Molly and Alastor made their way to their dormitory chatting animatedly and suddenly, there was a deep voice that sounded a bit of a drawl.

"Molly Hattingfield?" the voice called.

"Yes?" Molly turned around. She turned to face the Hufflepuff boy she saw during lunch. She stopped speaking and blushed to the roots of her red hair.

"Hi, I'm sorry, but can I talk to you?" he continued speaking with that strange foreign voice.

"What's the deal with that Durmstang voice of yours?" Moody growled.

"Moody!" Alice hissed.

The rest of the group was quiet, watching the Hufflepuff boy with slight curiosity, but mostly wondering why he wanted to talk to Molly. Arthur looked at the boy's fresh robes and then down to his patched ones.

"I'm from the US, Texas to be exact." The boy answered. He held out his hand. "My name is Justin Riley."

"You're from the States?" the seven voices chorused.

"Why do you want to talk to Molly?' Kingsley asked.

"It's kind of personal. Molly?" Justin said.

Molly nodded. "Alright."

The rest of the group hesitantly moved away, but Arthur stayed on the spot.

"Where is Texas?" he heard Moody say to Kingsley, scratching his head.

"Arthur?" Alice called. "Come on! I'll play a game of chess against you."

Arthur looked at Justin's new robes again and then, clutching his Muggle books, walked off.

Molly watched him go with a soft pity in her heart.

"What is it?" Molly asked Justin.

"Well, I---I noticed that your last name is Hattingfield. I heard someone call you by that. And…well…your father is Theodore Hattingfield?"

"Yes." Molly answered, unsure of where this was going.

Justin's eyes lit up. "We were friends! Remember?"

"You and my father?" Molly asked.

"No, me and you! I used to live here with my mom and she knew your parents. We used to play together when we were young. My mom got married to my stepfather in the US so we moved, but I'm back again to attend Hogwarts. I went to Dexington in the US, but then my step-dad got a job here. When I heard your name, I wasn't sure if it was you, but that fiery red hair and smile…" Justin grinned at Molly.

Molly searched her brain. She had a faint memory of playing with a boy with dark hair when she was young…but she didn't really remember…

"My mom told me you went to Hogwarts, too." Justin kept on smiling at Molly. "You look real nice."

His southern drawl somehow matched his looks, but Molly felt really confused. Here was someone whom she doesn't remember, but acts like her best friend.

'He's new,' Molly reminded herself. 'Be nice to him. He's friendly. He's in Hufflepuff, thank goodness he's not in Slytherin.'

"Well, welcome to Hogwarts." Molly said, returning Justin's smile. "I've never met an American before."

Justin grinned. "Well, I guess I'm the first. I can't believe you don't remember me! We used to get in trouble all the time. Sneaking cookies, playing Quiddich…"

Molly looked at Justin. He seemed amiable.

"I want to introduce you to my friends." Molly said. "You should come with us to the next Hogsmeade visit."

"Well, actually…I was hoping you'll come along with me on the next Hogsmeade visit. I was going to ask you before, but you were with this redhead boy. Y'all together?" Justin asked.

Molly looked at his handsome face and noticed a small cowboy hat he was playing with in his hand. It was no bigger than a chocolate frog. She had almost forgotten Arthur for a moment. Justin was wearing brand new robes that creased and had a strong body build.

"Yes, yes, actually." Molly answered. "His name is Arthur."

Justin's face fell. "You're taken?"

Molly was surprised at this comment. Taken. Molly Hattingfield was taken.

She smiled. "Yes, I suppose I am." Then she looked at Justin. "I'm sorry, Justin."

"Well, alright, then."

They stood awkwardly for a second.

"Let me at least walk you to your dormitory." Justin said.

Molly blushed at this gentleman act. "Well, it's alright, really---"

"No, I held you up." Justin insisted. He took her books and they walked, exchanging discourse until they got to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Molly turned to Justin.

"Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome." Justin replied. He touched a strand of her red hair and then walked away.