Violet stood beside the fireplace in the Weasleys kitchen, occasionally glancing outside the window showing the backyard. Harry and Ron were both fooling around on their broomsticks, throwing a Quaffle between the two of them. Both of them had woke up early this morning to have a practice, both Seeker and Keeper of the Gryffindor Quiddicth team had admitted that their lack of practice during the summer break could affect their performance later on during a match in the school year.
Three hours earlier...
Having the bed beside the window, she had waked up due to the shouts and laughter from the two teenagers. It was Harry who first noticed Violet's head looking out of the window at them with a yearning look in her eyes.
"Why don't you join us Violet", he had flew as near as he could to the window.
"Sure. Let me get ready and I'll get my broom,"
Harry smiled at the innocent joy on her face. Once again, Harry felt a tug to his heart, the feeling that there's something familiar about Violet cane nagging back to his mind.
20 minutes later the nagging in his head had disappear when Violet arrives at the backyard with a broomstick in her hand. Ron had landed near her and was now checking out her broomstick with admiration.
"It's a Firebolt Extreme! I thought this will only come out this Christmas!"
Hearing the name of the broomstick, Harry had suddenly found himself on the ground beside Ron within seconds. He takes the broom from Ron's hand and examines it. He wanted to make sure that it really is a Firebolt Extreme, and not just a modified Firebolt. Harry had saw the article of the new broomstick in that month's issue of Which Broomstick? And along with Ron he had literally drool over the picture like any other teenager would drool over a picture of a supermodel.
After a throughout inspection, Harry felt his mouth fall, just like Ron. "Blimey, it is a Firebolt Extreme!" something on the broom's handle catches his green eyes, "Is that Krum's signature?".
"The whole Bulgarian Quiddicth team had signed this broomstick, actually."
Ron's eyes had widened to the size of galleons by that time. Seeing the look on both Harry and Ron's face, Violet laughs, her eyes shining and mounted her broom, eager to feel the cool wind tugging on her hair.
Their hour of practice had been very successful in Harry's opinion. Violet had been one of the best flyers he had ever met. He had been watching her from the corner of his eyes most of the time he wasn't looking for the snitch. It could have been the Firebolt Extreme but Harry knows talent when he sees it. It was like watching a fish swim in the water, with ease and confidence. Every swerve, every turn had be done with grace. Ron, as Keeper had definitely improved with Violet sending the Quaffle at him at every unsuspected moment. She had made Ron literally run (in this case, fly) for the Quaffle. Harry had nearly fell off his broom laughing at the sight of Ron hanging on his broom with one hand while the other holding the Quaffle, a look of terror on his face.
Harry had challenged Violet to catching the gold snitch, remembering her throwback comment about loving to be a Seeker but was more the Chaser type. "Sure, but mind you, I'm not good with Seeking as I'm with Chasing," The match between the two of them had been a flurry of figures and black hair. Fearing his safety, Ron decided to sit at the sidelines rather than being on air and risking being crash into. Violet caught the snitch first then it was Harry and then Violet again. This went on until the sun had rise, whish by that time, the small match between them had attracted the attention of the twins, who had drop by for dinner the night before, Ginny and Hermione.
"Blimey! Look at them George!"
"Yeah Fred. Have you ever seen anything like this before?"
Ginny held her hand up to her eyes, trying to see the two blurry figures trying to catch the golden winged ball the size of a golf ball." It's like watching the Quiddicth World Cup again,"
The two Seekers didn't hear any of the conservation between the four Weasleys and Hermione, every fiber of their being were concentrated on the golden Snitch. Violet swerved through branches, eager to out fly Harry and reach the Snitch before Harry does. Both of them were tied for the winning catch and very eager to win the match. Harry extends his hand, just at the moment Violet did the same. It was a battle of their hands, which one is going to reach the snitch and grab it first-
"Breakfast!"
Mrs.Weasley's voice rang out through the backyard and startled the two of them therefore making both Harry and Violet lose their concentration on the gold ball and sooner than said, both of them lost it from their view. Both of them groaned. So did the small crowd of spectators.
"Come on, Mom. Can't we wait for them to at least catch the snitch for the last time?" Ron whined to his mother.
Mrs. Weasley shook her head. She had her cooking apron on." You won't want your breakfast to get cold. I expect everyone to be at the table in 4 minutes. Do you understand that Ronald?" Mrs. Weasley looks at her son with a death glare identical to the one he had sent once to Ginny." Yes Mom," the youngest male Weasley meekly says. He knew he's defeated whenever his mom decide to interfere.
Violet landed gracefully on the ground, beside Harry and immediately found herself surrounded by a mass of red hair. After a full minute of praises from Ginny, Hermione and Harry," Are you sure you're more of the Chaser type?", "You should try out in Hogwarts this year and if you're lucky it will be for the Gryffindor team!" and "That was awesome!". Ron, Fred and George were huddled in a group a few feet from them, the Firebolt Extreme between them as an object of worship. Harry's stomach starts singing a hunger song of its own.
"Come on you guys. I got my appetite all worked up after all this seeking,"
Half an hour, two glasses of orange milk, a round of bacon and eggs and a pile of pancakes later, Harry found himself leaning back on his chair alongside Ron and the twins. Unlike them, the girls didn't attack Mrs. Weasley's cooking with the behavior of someone who had been stranded on an island for weeks. Earlier on Violet had turn down Harry's offer to join Ron and him after breakfast for another spot of Quiddicth.
"Love to but I'm going to Muggle London with Hermione and Ginny later on. Wanna come?"
Harry shook his head at Violet's sincere invitation. Ginny had told him last night that the three of them will have a girl's day out in London and would he please have some plans of his own with Ron so her brother won't interrupt them. Ginny had said this with a look that creepily reminds him of Mrs. Weasley. "Can't. Got to practice," and once again he had a feeling of familiarity when Violet throws him a look of small regret that he won't be joining her to London.
At present time...
The sound of footsteps going down the stairs with two female voices talking excitedly came to Violet's hearing. Finally, they're here. She looks up as Ginny and Hermione comes into the kitchen. Violet stands up and says
"Finally, I thought you guys had forgotten all about me down here,"
"How could we forget about going to London with you," Ginny says as she pours some Floo powder from a jar on the mantel above the fireplace and threw it in.
The red fire that was dying slowly before turns into a merry green fire crackling loudly and emitting sparks once in a while. Ginny looks over her shoulder and screams, "Bye Mom. We'll be back before dinner" and looks back at the fireplace and says "Leaky Cauldron,". The three of them had agreed to floo to Leaky Cauldron and from there they will go to Muggle London from there.
5 minutes later, three teenagers can be seen exiting an old shop with its window so dirty no one can go close and peer into it and actually see it. Not like any of the muggles have ever had the urge to that so, who would when they know it's bound to contains dust, dust and more dust. Not even a child with the most vivid imagination would imagine that the window is the window to a whole new world, hence the magical world where wizards and witches are its main community and where dragons, hippogriffs and merpeople exist.
None of the passing muggles paid the slightest attention as Hermione follows Ginny and Violet out of the Leaky Cauldron, blinking against the bright sunlight," So, what are we going to do in London?" Violet turns to look at her brunette friend, smiles and simply says," Shopping". Hermione groaned. The thought of spending a day shopping in London which is of course popular among shopping fans make her stomach turns. Violet laughs at the look of Hermione's face. She had spent enough time with Hermione to know that the bookworm is not the typical shopping lover teenage girl.
"Don't worry Hermione, it won't take long. Ginny just want to get a new pair of jeans and I just found out that I need a new pair of shoes. I'm sure you need something Hermione. A new book perhaps?"
Violet knows that she had struck gold at the prospect of Hermione's face lighting up at the thought of getting a new book. She pulls Hermione's hand, "Come on. The faster we buy Ginny's jeans and my shoes, the faster you can go and buy your book".
Violet toss her hair behind her, she had decided not to tie it that day and unknown to her, this act had raise a small twinge of jealousy in Hermione, a very small twinge. Hermione looks at Violet black mane. She looks at the softness and shine and the way it curls softly as some places. It's not razor straight like Cho's hair nor is it bushy like hers.
Hermione shakes her head slightly, as if trying to get the green eyed monster out of her. Come on Hermione, why are you jealous of her? She deserves every good thing about her after ...everything that has happens to her. God, her life is as sad as Harry's; minus the part where You-Know-Who has the obsession of killing him. A week before, Hermione had enquired Violet about her childhood, hoping to hear a happy one like her own instead, by the end of Violet's story Hermione had found herself feeling sorry for her friend.
Flashback
Hermione trudge up the stairs, leaving behind Harry and Ron in a chess game in the living room. It's only the four of them in the Burrow, including Violet. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny had just flooed to St. Mungo's a few minutes earlier after receiving a letter about a certain relative who had been admitted to one of the wards due to a certain accident involving a toaster and an over excited witch( don't ask me what happened).
Hermione knocks slowly on the door and waited for a moment before turning the knob. Violet looks up from the book that Hermione had lend her, Hogwarts: A History which had proved to be a very good read in preparing herself for Hogwarts.
"Hey Hermione"
"Hey Violet. Enjoying the book?'
"Yeah.It's great. Now I know more about Hogwarts." she closes the book and out it on the bed beside her
"Glad to hear it. At least you enjoy reading it. I don't think Harry and Ron had even open let alone read it." Hermione rolls her eyes at this and Violet laughs. After spending a month with them, she had got to known a small part of their various personalities.
"I like the thing about the four houses. I wonder which one I will be in. My father used to be in Gryffindor and my mother used to be in Ravenclaw." Violet explains.
"You're bound to be in one of them. Who do you resembles most? "
"I don't know. I never had the chance to get to know them" the twinkle in her violet eyes quickly disappears and Hermione swears that she saw sadness appearing in Violet's face but just as sudden as it appears, it quickly disappears.
"You see, my mother died during childbirth and my father...he, he, weren't there for me."
"Why? Where did your father go?"
"He was a man with his duty for the greater good or as known to us the Order. He's a member. He was there for me at first, but when I was a few months old, he disappeared one night, not before leaving me at my godmother's house with a letter for her. The next time I saw him was 13 years later. He stayed for a day only because he had another duty which is much more important than his own daughter than he hadn't seen for more than a decade," her voice contains bitterness.
Violet stops talking and shakes her head, a tear escaping from her closed lids caught Hermione's eyes. Hermione hesitated in saying anything or even do anything. The month of her knowing the dark haired beauty had shown her friend in a light of composure and self contain, only showing emotions such as joy and happiness. Freakishly, this had reminded Hermione of Malfoy who also has the same kind of self contain.
A few moments later, Violet opens her eyes, which didn't show any trace or remains of the tear that had trickled out before. She smiles and continues, "I know most people expect me to be sulky and moody when my father died but I just can't. It's hard to mourn for someone who weren't there for you when you wake up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare. It's hard for you to cry your eyes out for someone who weren't there for your birthdays. I love my father just like the next daughter who loves her own father but it's hard for me to have a special bond with him,"
Without realizing it, Hermione had enclosed Violet in a hug of understanding yet she knew that she can't understand the full pain that had been inflicted on her friend. The two of them stayed in that position for a moment, each drawing comfort from the other's mere presence. It was Violet who pulled away.
" Thanks Hermione, for being a friend, although we have only knew each other for a month I feel that I've known you for a while," she holds Hermione's hand in her own.
"Glad to be a friend in need," Hermione smiles at Violet. Before she could stop herself, Hermione asks, " How about your mother? Do you know anything about her?"
The twinkle returns in Violet's eyes at the mention of her mother. It was clear to Hermione that Violet holds her mother dearly in her heart although she never had the chance to know her.
"I know lots about her because she keeps a diary and she's the type who writes her feelings down on a piece of paper. Her name is Natasha Noor. She's the only child from a respectable wizarding family in South East Asia, she looks like me or I look like her. The main difference is our eyes; hers are brown while mine as you can see, is violet so that's how I knew that unlike me, she's not a Menawan. She's a shy person and she's definitely smart because she went to Hogwarts after winning a scholarship for it,"
The two of them spend the afternoon listening to Violet's story of her mother and her childhood. By the time, Mrs. Weasley came back from St.Mungo's with Ginny; the two of them had become closer than two hours earlier.
End of flashback
Hermione's eyes widen and a big smile appears on her face as they enter the big, no that's an understatement, the enormous bookstore. She had suffered enough, in her opinion, by allowing herself to be dragged by Ginny and Violet in their 'little' shopping spree. Ginny had taken ages just to choose a pair of jeans, she had practically tried the store's whole collection that came with her size then the pair that she ends up choosing was the first one she tried. Violet however, didn't take as long. She merely tried on 4 pair of different shoes and only took 5 painful (for Hermione) minutes in choosing between the black and the brown shoes.
Hermione had literally dragged them to the bookstore in her excitement of getting a new book. The moment they enter the store, Hermione had rushed to the different sections, looking at the different choices. Fiction or non-fiction? Romance or Horror? Educational or just something to read during the free time? She didn't see Ginny and Violet exchanging looks behind her back, both of them clearly thinking, so Hermione, bring her to a bookstore and she'll be happy.
Violet runs her hand across the book spines, reading the titles. Once in a while, she pulls one out and inspects it with interest. Although she's not the bookworm like Hermione, Violet still regards reading as one of her hobbies alongside flying. Fantasy themed books had always been her weakness. How ironic is it for a witch who loves to read a book about some made up magical world with made up creatures, with the author not knowing that the contents really exist? Violet chose a book and walks towards Ginny who was waiting alongside Hermione who had three books in her hands.
"Come on, let's go and pay for the books and then we can go and have lunch,"
The three of them heads towards the counter but stops when someone from behind them calls out Violet's name.
"Violet?"
Ginny turns towards the owner of the voice and sees a tall guy with a bagpack slung over his shoulders and a book titled "Symptoms and their Medicines" in his hand. He's hot. Apparently the same thought was running through Hermione's mind because she had the same look on her face. The two of them only watch the black haired guy with twinkling blue eyes walks up to Violet and gives her a small hug. With an ad worthy smile and dimples he says,
"Violet. I've been looking for you. Where have you gone to?"
(A/N please review! This is the longest chapter yet. Hope you like the small cliffhanger. Once again please review)