1They went into Flourish and Blotts.
They sold practically everything that could be read; schoolbooks of course, but also old, venerable looking books of magic spells, little pocket books, recipes books you could tell apart from the others ten feet away by the smell of cabbages and lettuce and such, and there was even a cage in a dark corner, containing hirsute-looking books with four feet, staring at you with creepy little orange-red eyes, everything.
Charlie looked in another corner where there was a huge cage full of maybe a hundred copies of The Monster Book of Monsters. Charlie was glad she didn't need those yet.
Torn pages flew everywhere as the Monster books fought with each other. Grabbing tearing
wrestling, and what looked like almost dog-fighting.
"Cool" she heard Alex whisper behind her.
"Yep, but think of the poor guy that has to get them out. Hate to be him"
"Yeah me too, bit of bad luck in his job huh?" Charlie didn't have time to respond. The manager came towards them.
"Hogwarts first years?" They both nodded, "won't be needing those eh?"
"No, sir" Alex said still interested in the books.
"Well come on, you've got to get your books" he said sounding happy that he didn't have to
reach inside of the cage again.
When they got their books and went out of Flourish and Blotts' they heard someone calling their
names. They both turned in the opposite directions looking for whoever it was.
Then Charlie spotted the person but she didn't recognize who it was at first.
A beautiful girl came towards them with shoulder length, curly hair that looked like Vanessa.
They both realized slowly that it really was Vanessa.
She wore a blue spaghetti strap shirt and black low cut bellbottoms.
"Hey guys" Vanessa said.
Charlie had to look twice to even take it all in. Just a few days ago she'd had long straightened hair and light bangs, which now were growing out. Now it was shorter and curly and down. In her hair was a beautiful lily clip.
"Wow" Charlie said "did you get a makeover?" Vanessa laughed.
"Yep my muggle cousin did. How's it look?"
"Great" Alex said, still staring. Charlie laughed inwardly.
Too bad they don't know the person they love loves them back. Maybe I'll tell them at Hogwarts. She thought watching them.
"So...did you get your books yet?" Charlie asked her
"no, Belle's giving me hers" she said
"Where's your dad?"
"He's at work" Alex said, "where's yours?"
"At work, too."
They heard a group of kids calling his name.
"Oh, there's my friends, gotta go." he said, looking both glad and not too glad of being out of that situation.
"Charlie, d'you think.."
"That Alex likes you? well I was gonna tell you later at Hogwarts but now that you ask, I'd better tell you." Vanessa looked like she was ready for a definate no, but Charlie didn't know why.
Vanessa was the most beautiful girl she'd ever met. She'd definitely be the most beautiful
at Hogwarts. Charlie smiled
"He loves you too."
"You're kidding! Alex loves me? no way!"
"Yes he does, why wouldn't he? You're so beautiful, smart and talented, i mean, look who you had for parents. Both of them have, or had, which ever, killer looks and talent, not to mention brains." Vanessa smiled.
"Thanks Charlie."
"No problem, what're friends for? Anyways... So what do we gotta get next? oh yeah a wand."
They walked into Olivander's and stood there
"D'you get the feeling that..." Charlie started
"That we're in a library? Yep, wonder where he is?" Vanessa finished her.
"I dunno" suddenly a man with huge unblinking silver eyes came out of nowhere.
The door behind them slammed shut making both of them jump a foot in the air.
"Ahhh... Charlie Potter and Vanessa Wood, come to get your wands eh?" Charlie felt a shiver go down her spine.
"How's he know our names?" Vanessa whispered into her ear, but she just shook her head
slightly.
"The wand chooses the wizard, of course." He continued. "So now who goes first?" They both
looked at each other and Charlie looked at him.
"I will." He looked at her undaunted.
"Oh yes seems like yesterday when your father came to get his wand, holly with a phoenix feather core, eleven inches, nice and supple. Of course no two wands have the same core, as no two dragons, or phoenix's or unicorns are alike. Your mother's was Beech wood phoenix feather core, eight and a half inches, rather springy. Good for divination too. Now, what's your wand hand?"
"um... my right." She said as a tape measure, she realized that it was working itself, measured her.
"Well then try this one. Willow, ten and a half inches, very flexible, good for divination. A unicorn
hair core, go on give it a wave."
Charlie looked at and waved it, but nothing happened.
"Ok try this one, willow, nine inches, with a phoenix feather core, springy, good for charms." She took it and again nothing happened.
"Not to worry, here try this one. Dragon Heartstring core, Ash seven inches. Charlie sighed and took it. Immediately she felt it. A feeling of warmth spreading all over her body from her finger tips. She waved it and blue and gold sparks shot out of the tip.
"This wand has chosen you, that will be 7 galleons" he said putting the wand in a paper bag and handing it to her. She paid him and walked back to Vanessa, who walked up next.
"I remember your mothers wand very well, miss Wood," he said as the tape measure measured her. If the subject of him remembering Ginny bothered Vanessa, she didn't show it one bit.
"Dragon heartstring core, willow, very flexible, good with Care of Magical Creatures. Your fathers
was very powerful. phoenix feather core, mahogany, eight inches, good for transfiguration."
The tape measure stopped and immediately flew to its box.
"Well, try this one. 13 inches, weeping willow, unicorn hair core. Very good for powerful workings such as Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Vanessa took it, her hands shaking slightly.
The warmth Charlie felt radiated through her fingers. She waved it and purple and scarlet sparks flew out.
"Congratulations, the wand chose you, miss Wood." Vanessa looked at it.
"You, you mean this is my wand? And it chose me on the first try? Wow, cool." She said.
On their way out Charlie fell over someone on the sitting sidewalk. She landed hard on the ground
and partially skidded on the ground.
A warm feeling on her face told her that her cheek was bleeding and a sharp pain in her knees told her that she scraped them. Her hands and head ached and she didn't even want to know how she looked. Her wand bag lay a foot out of her reach and she didn't feel like reaching for it. Little black stars filled her vision but she was determined not to black out.
Hands grabbed her arm and hauled her gently up."Charlie you ok?" a voice boomed into her head.
The pain in her head she'd dubbed as a million hammers hitting her head at the same time, hurt, if possible, worse.
She looked up slowly.
Vanessa's never told me she had a twin she thought looking blankly at her friend.
Oh how lovely...everyone has a twin.
She blinked twice and the world came back into focus.
"Jeese don't talk so loud, I'm getting a killer headache and i don't really wanna keep it if you don't mind." She said sarcastically.
She rubbed her head and then felt her cheek.
She knew immediately she'd at least scraped it a bit by the stinging it was giving her from touching it. Her pants were ripped and her knees were scraped pretty good. But besides the minor pain and the killer headache, she felt fine enough.
"Oh my God im so sorry i really didn't mean to trip you" a voice rang out.
Charlie looked up again still half dazed.
A girl maybe their age stood next to Vanessa.
She had long light brown hair, currently occupying the shape of a braid, and bright blue eyes that looked like the weight of the world was poured into them. She wore simple purple witch's robes and, Charlie almost burst out laughing.
A Pirates hat.
"Charlie are you ok?" Vanessa asked again, she got up and smiled weakly.
"Yeah im fine, Jeese, you'd think I'd been pushed off a cliff or something. Its ok, I'm not hurt, well not much anyways, but I'm gonna have a pretty nasty cut or bruise. But that's all." She turned to the girl who'd accidentally tripped her.
She looked ready to be socked a good one.
"Hey, don't worry, I'm fine. I'm Charolette Potter, but you can call me Charlie, all my friends and family do." Charlie said in the nicest voice she could, not sure if she sounded like a total loser nerd or a person getting ready to beat the kid up.
"This is my friend, Vanessa Woods. What's your name?" The girl looked taken aback by the sudden kindness. Then she frowned.
This girl, a Potter, was offering her friendship.
Of all the bloody things she could have offered her, she'd certainly not expecting friendship! She'd expected something more along the lines of being beat up.
But what was the use? This girl would hate her with a passion if she knew her name.
Everyone, even very old friends of the family (that had turned of course) hated her because of
what her father and grandfather were. That was why her mother had left her father, but
unfortunately, while adults can give up last names, children can't.
Well maybe she wont ask if i only tell her my first name. At least i can try, cant i? She sighed.
Please, just one time let it work.
"My name's Maddy, short for Madison." Charlie looked at her, confused, she was used to people saying their full names.
"What's your last name?" Vanessa asked politely.
Oh great now I'm stuck, maybe i can get my way outta this. Hopefully. "Er.. I don't have a last name" this really got Charlie.
"you don't got a last name? How?" The girl Maddy frowned
"My mom's side of the family gave up that name. And anyways if you knew it, I can guarantee you, you'd hate me." She smiled weakly, hoping that was enough to keep them off.
But, of course, it wasn't.
"We'd never hate you. Unless your name was Dursley, but i don't think it is." Charlie laughed at
Maddy's confused face. "Just horrible muggle distant relations." She explained "and you cant be
that bad. You like the Pirates." She was relieved to see the small smile start across the girls face.
Well at least it was worth a try. Guess I've gotta tell them. "Well if your sure you wanna know its Malfoy."They both stared at her like she was crazy.
"What! Maddy you've got to be kidding! You don't even look like one! I mean, the white-blonde hair, the pale, sickly complexion, well, you are pale, but still, and the icy cold blue eyes. Jesus Christ! You don't have any of those, anyways why on earth would we hate you? Its just a name." Charlie said, partially in shock. Maddy smiled a small, sad smile as if they were playing some joke and she saw right through it.
"Come off of it, everyone hates a Malfoy, even one that don't act like one, because of who we are -and were, just like everyone loves your families because of who they are and were."
She sounded defeated, like she was almost expecting to be spit on or something.
Charlie and Vanessa just stared at her. They thought it was stupid to hate someone just because of a name, they'd never been raised that way and certainly had never yet met someone like that.
"Maddy, we don't hate you. We weren't brought up like that. If I ever was mean to someone because of a name, I'd be grounded!" Vanessa said and Charlie nodded in agreement.
"Look unless you want us to hate you, we could never. D'you want us to hate you?" Charlie asked in the same dorky nice voice.
Ok, dorky nice voice, you can leave now. Charlie found herself thinking.
Maddy was frozen in disbelief.
They didn't hate her? Were they joking? Her whole dad's side of the family was death eaters! But they sounded so sincere she could help but smile.
Maybe just maybe this is different, oh God just let this be different. Please don't let it be some cruel joke.
"Of... of course i don't want you to hate me!" Maddy said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Well we don't." Charlie said smiling.
"You mean it... really?" Maddy mentally kicked herself for sounding so dumb, but her mind couldn't form any other words right then. The other two nodded slowly.
"Why would we say it if we didn't mean it?" Vanessa said.
"Most people hate me because of who im related to. I just never had someone not hate me after I told them my name. Your reaction sort of stunned me, I guess." Maddy said slowly, carefully choosing her words so as not to sound even more stupid than she probably already did.
"Oh we're s'possed to be mean to you?" Vanessa joked but, instead of laughing, or just smiling, Maddy went deathly pale and looked like she could have cried, "I was just joking!" Vanessa half laughed a little nervously and Maddy seemed to relax and smiled this time.
"Well then we'll be your friends, how's that?" Charlie said, Maddy nodded.
"You think your parents would mind you being friends with a Malfoy?" She asked sounding a little wary.
"'Course they wouldn't" Charlie said, "they don't care 'bout names."
"Well then its official," Vanessa started,
"were your friends." Charlie finished her smiling, "You get all your stuff?" Maddy looked at her list.
"Yeah 'cept for a cauldron and robes."
"Well then come on we gotta get our robes anyways." They said dragging her to Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
The store looked quite normal; very big, a tiny bit dusty and somewhat dimly light. Madam Malkin came out of a smaller room.
"You're here for your robes?" they all nodded and she took them to the back of the shop and had them sit on stools a few feet away from Charlie was another boy. She recognized him as the boy she'd met outside of Gringotts, Mike. His piercing eyes looked out into nowhere and he didn't seem ready to talk to anyone.
Charlie looked he other way when suddenly his voice rung in her ears.
"Hey, you look a little roughed up, what happened?" It wasn't a sneering sort of comment, or a really concerned one. Just more of a blunt one.
"Fell, but I'm fine." She said in the same blank tone unconsciously reaching to her sore cheek.
"Don't look it." What was it that Charlie detected in the voice, mocking? concern? sarcasm? she couldn't figure it out.
"Well I am," she replied coolly. Her eyes stared where his had lingered before. Out the window, into Diagon Alley.
Mike spoke next, his voice had some expression caught between sarcasm, concern, and a strange excitement. The three made a "interesting" combination.
"You don't look it but never mind. Who are your friends?" His sharp eyes flickered over the other two, who were talking to each other.
"They're Vanessa Wood and Madison, or Maddy, Malfoy," she announced proudly but he cast her a doubtful, and somewhat worried, look.
"A Malfoy? You sure you wanna hang around their bunch?" Charlie smiled a quizzical smile that made him somehow feel like he'd just swallowed a tankard of butterbeer.
"You obviously don't know her."
He looked about to say something when Madam Malcolm cam out with their robes and Charlie said goodbye to Mark after paying for their robes, then they walked out the store.
"So, what next?" Vanessa asked walking in between Charlie and Maddy.
"Um... How's about the pets store, I'm gettin a owl, what're you gettin?" Charlie said.
"A owl" Maddy said in her usual quiet voice.
"I've already got a pet," Vanessa said, giving Charlie a knowing smile, "Why're you gettin a owl Charlie, ain't you takin Silver to Hogwarts?" Charlie nodded,
"Yep, but Alex don't have a pet, so I'm gettin him a owl" Charlie smiled inwardly as Vanessa turned slightly pink at the mention of Alex. She shared a knowing yet amused look with Maddy who seemed to figure out that Vanessa had a mad crush on Alex.
"Hey, uh... Charlie?" Vanessa looked slightly nervous like, "can i..." Charlie grinned, getting what Vanessa was trying to say.
"Sure you can, which one?" Though she hated romance with a passion, she'd still help any of her friends along in it. Vanessa looked relieved, if that was even the word for it.
"Thanks."
"No problem what're friends for?"
"Hey, where's Maddy?" Vanessa asked suddenly.
"Um... she's over there i think." Charlie said looking towards where she last saw their friend. Vanessa's sudden cry jolted her.
"What?" Vanessa looked almost in a dream-like state and her voice sounded dreamy-like.
"Charlie, look!" she said in a voice just above a whisper. Charlie looked up at one of the most beautiful owls she'd ever seen in her life.
Silky jet-black feathers hung about its frame. The big blue-green eyes looked at them intently. The owls eyes darted out of her almost sleepy trance and looked around.
"God it's..." Vanessa started.
"Beautiful" Charlie breathed.
Maddy looked up at all the owls, towering above her in cages to the ceiling, looking a far up made her dizzy and she resolved not to do that again.
She still found it hard to believe that she wasn't here alone. Her mother was always somewhat distant ever since 'it' happened, therefore Maddy had just went to Diagon Alley alone, actually in hopes to stay alone, because being not alone when she wasn't with her mother usually meant being bullied by her twin-brother, Jack, or, worse, her protégé Death Eater older sister. But now she wasn't alone, and she wasn't with either sibling, she was with friends.
Friends? Are you sure you want to think of them as friends already? You know how the other ones were. A part of her mind rang out.
Yes she answered wearily and sadly, I remember. I just hoped... never mind.
Suddenly, a soft hooting brought her back to earth. She looked up and saw a beautiful white barn owl with red-brown tips to its feathers. Green eyes peered out at her almost solemnly, with a mix of some kind of affection.
"What, you want me to get you?" she asked the owl, feeling quite stupid when she realized it couldn't hear her. She shook her head, then looked at its tag, a boy. The owl fluttered in its cage then cocked its head to the right.
Maddy smiled, "Fine lets get you outta here. Wonder what the other two picked?" She got the cage and went over where the other two were when she found them again.
"Wow, that yours? Its beautiful," she said staring at the beautiful jet-black owl.
"Yep" Vanessa looked happy, "beautiful isn't it?"
"That yours?" Charlie said looking at the owl.
"Yeah" Vanessa looked at it,
"beautiful," she said. The owl cocked his head to the right again and surveyed all the people in front of him.
"What're you gonna name him?" Charlie asked. Maddy thought a minute, racking her brain for a right name for a he-owl.
"Cyvus" she said suddenly.
"Cool" the other two said at the same time.
They then paid for their owls and left the store.
"So, we've already got the books, wands, cauldrons, telescopes, robes and pets, do we need anything else?" Vanessa said Charlie pulled out her list.
"nope we've got everything. Now just to find my git of a brother." Charlie laughed inwardly at the confusion on Maddy's face.
"He's my twin brother" she whispered to her, "Alex, the one Vanessa's in love with." Vanessa shot her a look and she burst out laughing.Days literally flew by, though not without the occasional snail taking over some parts of the day.
Adam had finally turned up, with a few cuts, scratches, and bruises he said he'd been in a fight with a few trouble some git wizards, but with some help he'd gained the upper hand. Charlie and Alex -as he felt somewhat awkward for doubting Maddy- had told their parents and Adam about their new friend. All of them had the same reaction as Alex had, suspicion, doubt, concern, and still had a trace of doubts in the far corners of their minds.
She'd also unwrapped her other four presents.
Sirius' other present was some dung bombs, a whole load of sugar quills, chocolate frogs, and a few other mischief making things. Remus' three were a whole bunch of cool books she'd always wanted, although he wouldn't say where or how he'd gotten them. The other two were a book to all of Hogwarts (including every single corridor the Marauders found) but he'd not said how to find them. Charlie had cursed his love of riddles, and the third were prank things they could use in Potions to 'lighten up the class.' As he'd put it. Charlie knew how much he'd loathed Potions wit a passion as a child. Certainly not any more than the other Marauders had.
Charlie sat on her bed as the full moons beams cast graceful rays of lights over her room. Small candles Adam had gotten her in the shape of silver phoenix's that never melted burned merrily flickering their light over the bed room. She smiled and leaned back, her muggle book, Lord of the Rings - the Fellowship of the Ring sat propped up against her pillow. Page 200 she read from the bottom of the page.
Just two weeks she thought excitedly. Two weeks and I'll be at Hogwarts with my friends. God i can't wait.
The mere thought of being at the school with Vanessa, Maddy -her best friends, Vanessa being her first best friend- and her other friends was enough to make her curse the fact she had to wait two weeks to go there.
She sighed and tossed her book aside.
There is no way i can read that right now. She thought and got up. Alex was always willing for a game of exploding snap, maybe that'd help her.
God anything to get the time to go faster. When she got there she frowned. Alex was bent over his desk, his hands in his messy black hair. The emerald eyes seemed so far away then. She wondered what happened.
"Hey 'Lex" she said softly calling him her nickname for him.
"Hey" came the muffled reply.
"What's wrong?" He shrugged.
"Nothin just nervous 'bout Hogwarts and all i guess." Charlie stared at him, her eyes narrowed.
"Lex don't give me that crap, I've known you for eleven years and you sure as all hell ain't fooling me." She sat down as if showing im she was not leaving.
"C'mon what's really goin' on?"
Alex sighed deeply then heaved his head up.
"Ok fine, it's just that i love Vanessa so much, but i don't know if she loves me. Damn it what's the use, she probably hates me anyways, or thinks of me as just a friend. And every time i come close to telling her i worm out of it. Am i just a chicken or something?"
Charlie could tell this cry came from his heart and frowned slightly. Then she smiled, her eyes light up so brightly it looked at if someone had light a Christmas tree up inside of her eyes at full blast. She laughed slightly.
How ironic that both of them loved each other but had yet to figure it out.
"Chill, Lex, what im about to tell you is the truth i swear on my very life, K?" He nodded, confused. Her eyes, if possible, light up even more and she leaned close enough to whisper in his ear, "Vanessa loves you too."
The next morning when they were all eating there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it" Charlie said jumping up. Vanessa stood there, in a pair of jeans and a baby blue spaghetti shirt with her hair up in a loose ponytail, and holding a suit-case like bag. She looked either very frustrated or very mad. "Got in a fight with your dad?" she nodded.
"Yep over Maddy, he was all warning me about their 'bunch' and i was trying to tell him that she was different, and you know my dad. Headstrong." She shook her head, "so, can i stay here?"
"Hold up. Dad mom can Vanessa stay here?" Charlie hollered into the kitchen. Her mom and dad agreed, "C'mon, you can stay in my room."
As they went up to her room she whispered to Alex,
"your girlfriends here." He turned around and shot her daggers, she just laughed.
"Where's Venus?" Charlie asked, seeing the phoenix wasn't with Vanessa.
"She'll be here." Sure enough when they opened the door to Charlie's room the phoenix was sitting on Charlie's bed, looking at both of the calmly.
"You see Maddy lately?" Vanessa asked once they shut the door, Charlie shook her head.
"Nope, I went over earlier and her mom said she was sick, but day before yesterday she looked fine." Maddy only lived in the alley that branched off the end of their street so the three girls saw each other often enough. Vanessa seemed like she believed Maddy's mom so Charlie acted like she did, but truthfully, there was a sliver of a doubt that hung in both girls' minds. Unless it was a flu, people just didn't get suddenly sick out of nowhere, and nobody else around the street or alley had the flu.
They tried for the remainder of that day to shake the feeling of strange doubt but, as with most things you think about over and over, it just started getting bigger and bigger. They wanted to believe Maddy's mom, but something still sounded strangely wrong.
"But why would she lie to either us?" Vanessa said in a voice barely above a whisper. They stood in the hallway near Charlie's bedroom door, it was almost supper time and the two could not keep silent about each of their doubts anymore.
"I dunno that's what im trying to figure out. I want to believe her because she would have no reason to lie, right?" Vanessa frowned and thought a moment.
"She'd only lie to us if something was wrong, but there's nothing visibly wrong with Maddy."
"Yeah, but you don't just get sick all of a sudden out of nowhere, unless it's the flu and nobody has the flu."
Vanessa was about to answer when Alex came up. He turned a light shade of scarlet seeing Vanessa.
"Hey" his words sounded a little forced "I've got something I've been meaning to show you." Charlie bit her lip furiously, it was all she could do to keep from laughing.
"Sure, coming Charlie?" Vanessa said slowly, Charlie nodded slightly, almost tempted to say 'no'. They went into Alex's room as he took out two packages or something. He opened them and something silvery poured out onto his bed.
"Woah... is that a invisibility cloak?" Vanessa asked looking at it in wonder.
"Actually its two. I only need one." Charlie smiled at her best friend.
"You can have it, I've already got one." Both Vanessa and Alex stared at her.
"You got one?" Vanessa asked confused. Charlie nodded and Alex found his voice again.
"Who sent it to you? When?" Charlie rolled her eyes.
"I got it the day we went to Diagon Alley, but I don't know who sent it" she said, lying at the end.
"So what else haven't you told me?" Vanessa jokingly asked her when they got in Charlie's room.
"A few things, but now I'll show you. Charlie pulled out all the presents Remus and Sirius sent her. At the end she looked in awe.
"Woah, wish i got those things, all i ever get is regular stuff. Think of all the pranks we'll pull with these!" Charlie laughed,
"Maybe we'll even out do the Marauders record if we're lucky" she said.
"Wonder if Maddy's good at pranks" she added after a minute Vanessa thought a moment
"Probably. She reminds me a lot of Remus, don't she you?" Charlie nodded and she went on, "and if she's like Remus, hopefully she'll be good at pranks."
"Well she's not too much like him," Charlie said "or she'd be a guy and she'd be in her fifties, she'd look like him, and she's not a werewolf."
Why do i sound so suspicious? she's sick her mom said so. Charlie thought angrily.
Then why do i feel so doubtful? one part of her mind said.
Because your too stupid to believe your friend. You want something big to be happening and you want to be the one to discover what ever you want it to be. Another said furiously. Charlie sighed and forced her mind to where she was.
Stop thinking so stupid. She told herself.
"So, which House are we gonna pull our first prank in Hogwarts on?" Vanessa asked, knowing the answer.
"The Slytherins" Charlie said almost immediately and Vanessa laughed.
"Why did i even ask?"