Title: The Seventeen Points of Azmarta
Summary: Many a crossover with Harry Potter. Summaries for each individual chapter.
Chapter Summary: April thought that waking up in the New World was crazy…but waking up and being able to wave a wand and change fellow students into newts? Not so much.
Rating: PG 13 (T)
The Seventeen Points of Azmarta
Chapter One: Ever-Warts
To think that I actually believed that my life was easier before seems so humorous and trivial now. I was quite happy with my life with my evil witch sister Senna and I was even getting used to the idea that my boyfriend is in love with her.
Okay, not such a good example. But it wasn't so bad.
…
Now that I think about it, it really was that bad.
If you want the cliff notes version, here it is:
My half sister Senna Wales is literally an evil witch who 'transported' my three friends and I into a place called the New World. Apparently, all the gods, goddesses, aliens, and whatnot decided that human evolution was occurring much too fast and they decided to make their own world. Senna made us her puppets, manipulating us in every way possible – not to mention sleeping with my boyfriend. Every time our 'real selves' woke up in the Old World, we would be asleep in the New World and vice versa. Not so much fun when I find out that my Old World self is studying for tests and hanging out with friends while my New World self is battling evil god-eating demons and nearly dying. Whatever.
…
So, back to the present.
I woke up, not in the New World, but on a train, rain pounding the window. Outside was dark and thunder rumbled ominously in the background.
Groggily I took in my surroundings, finding a dark-haired boy sleeping on the seat across from me. His dark hair fell into his lightly tanned face and his round-rimmed glasses were falling off his nose. I could partially make out a scar on his forehead…but before I could study him any more, he awoke, startled, and I realized that I had unknowingly inched toward him so that our faces were merely a few inches apart.
I scrambled back to my seat with a blush gracing my cheeks, probably flaring as much as my hair. "Sorry," I muttered.
"'S okay." He replied with a small, kind smile. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."
He held out his hand for me to shake and I proceeded to do so. "I'm April O'Brien."
"You're a first year?" He questioned with a little confusion.
"No," I felt myself saying, "I'm a seventh year."
"Oh," he had the decency to look embarrassed, "Sorry. I guess I haven't seen you around. What house are you in?"
I had no idea what he was talking about, but thank god, my mouth was working on auto-pilot overtime, "I'm not sure yet. I get sorted when we arrive."
Surprise graces his boyish features yet again, "I'm not quite sure I understand," he says, "If you're a seventh year, doesn't that mean that you've already gone through the whole hell of first year?"
"I transferred here from my old school." Since when did I even go to another school besides my high school? "I finished sixth year there and now I'm going to go to Hogwarts." What the frizzle is Hogwarts?
He looked pleased with my answer. At least someone gets some kicks out of my confusion. "Did you go to Beauxbatons or Durmstrang?" He questions and finally decides to fix his glasses.
Uh…
"N-neither." Crap. My auto-pilot brain seems to be failing.
"Hmm…those are the most common schools, I think." He pauses and with a cute little look of interest over to me, he asks, "Were you home schooled?"
Um…the stopping of the questioning would be very nice right about now…
The moment I'm about to open my big mouth, the box door opens and in step two redheads and a brunette.
Thank you, Brigid, I knew you'd never betray me
"Harry," the redheaded girl stated with a glimmer of anger in her eyes, "Where have you been? We've been searching every compartment for you."
The brunette girl placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder and said, "Ginny, calm down. Harry must have been making a new friend, haven't you, Harry?"
"Harry, where were you, though?" The redheaded boy inquired. "We had three run-ins with Malfoy while we've been looking for you."
I'm not usually one to be ignored but the newcomers had made it pretty clear that I wasn't included in their conversation. The redheaded girl was giving me dirty looks so heated that I thought my flaming red locks would burst into their own dancing rain-dance-needing inferno.
Harry was quite taken aback by all of their questions. "Uh, April, this is Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley."
The bushy-haired Hermione Granger snapped, "We are fully capable of introducing ourselves, Harry." She turned to me and stated slowly, "Hermione Granger, seventh year prefect for Gryffindor house."
Woah. PMS much?
My two fellow redheads stepped up to the plate next.
"I'm Ron Weasley. I'm also seventh year in Gryffindor." He looked sheepish, for he was constantly adjusting the broken wand in his hands.
"Ginny Weasley. Ron's my older brother." The last girl said icily. "I'm a sixth year and I'm in Gryffindor as well. What house are you in. I've never seen you around school."
Damn that stupid auto-pilot brain of mine.
"…" Unnerved by a girl a year younger than me? How pathetic can I get?
I battle with Vikings, nearly get blown up by freaky little aliens, have an evil witch-bitch sister who tries to kill me and of the two guys I've ever loved one left me for the evil witch-bitch who tried to kill him and the other one was skewered like a shishkabab. Should I be worried about a little redhead witch getting mad because I'm talking to her crush?
"Well? Are you a Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or…" Ginny spat out the last one, "Slytherin."
I gave Harry a weak look.
"She's a new student." My glasses-clad savior cut in. "From…uh, home schooling."
"I didn't know they did that for witches and wizards." Hermione stated rather vaguely. Her face brightened up and she leaned towards me, her gaze questioning, "Did your mum and dad teach you the art? What was it like? Is this your first time to Hogwarts? Is this your first time to actually converse with actual witches and wizards?"
Woah, seriously PMSing here, lady.
"No. Okay. Yeah. No." I thought of these answers slowly. Nothing suspicious. I just have to…fall asleep and wake up in the New World, right?
Oh, if only my life were ever that simple.
"So, did you have a mentor or something?" Hermione's questions just kept on coming. What happened to that cold introduction?
"Not really." I paused, trying to find the words that 'my' brain just wouldn't tell me. "Um…my sister taught me."
"What year are you going to be in, then? Will you be in special advanced classes? Or will you be with everyone in one year? Will you start off in first year? And if-mumph!" Ron's hand clamped over her mouth and he rolled his eyes. "Sorry about her."
"Uh, no. That's okay. She is, I mean. With the questions." During this whole time, Ginny Weasley remained stoic, giving me nasty looks when she thought I wasn't looking.
But honey, please, I was taught to spot these things. Try living with Senna's incessant ramblings and sneaky grins for a few years and you start to pick up a few interesting talents...such as very keen hearing and being able to watch people out of the corner of your eyes...
"Well?" Ginny spoke low.
"I'll be in seventh year." I replied, my gaze matching hers point for point. "I suppose I'll be in all the normal classes. My," I paused, "sister (here I attempted not to flinch, and thankfully, escaped only with a slight wince at the mention of my beloved sibling) might've not been the best teacher, you could say."
"When did she start teaching you?" Hermione had finally gotten out of Ron's grip.
I hesitated, but used my good acting skills, thank goodness, "A while ago." Two years, one month, twelve days. The exact day Senna sent us to the New World.
Just as the silence between us became awkward, I found that I had spotted a familiar face on the other side of the compartment door. Startled when he disappeared, I stood up quickly, finding that with my numb legs I wobbled uncertainly. I made my way to the compartment door, pushing Ron and Ginny out of my way in the process. Flinging the door open, I took off as fast as I could the direction I swear I saw him go.
My breath caught in my throat as I saw him walking down a corridor near another set of compartment boxes.
"Chris!" I cried out.
He turned towards me in surprise and his eyes lit up excitedly. "April!"
We flung our arms around each other and even if it was just for a little while, things seemed okay.
-fin