...We began our tenure at Hogwarts that very morning, over pancakes and pumpkin juice. We sat there, awaiting the time tables that were being passed out by a very old teacher. I'm sure she would have killed me if she had known what I just thought. I turned my attention in front of me, where Mariah sat, looking confused, her grey eyes squinted in concentration, and Arielle, who had one foot on the ground on one foot on the floor. She was apparently trying to spot someone.
Mariah raised the goblet of pumpkin juice to her nose and sniffed it. She made a face and said, "How the hell do they make juice out of pumpkins? Aren't they mostly seeds?" I was about to give an answer when the old teacher swooped up behind me and looked at Mariah.
"Miss Malfoy, I do not want to hear such profanity from you again. Miss Weasly! Benches are for sitting!" Arielle quickly sat down.
"Yes Sir!" She cried loudly. "Ma'am, I mean ma'am! Yes ma'am!" She looked down at her plate.
"I hope you do not turn out like your father. Or worse. Your iuncles/i." She passed us time tables with a hint of anger. "Have a good day," She said coldly. "I shall see you after lunch." She stalked off, giving out more time tables, and scolding some more people.
I let out a snort of laughter. "We now know who the loony one is." Arielle laughed and Mariah smiled.
Our first class went quite well, as did the second one. During our time between our lunch hour and break, we stood in the corridor, laughing and talking about some antics that went on during Charms. A Slytherin girl approached us, and looking back at her friends to smile, said,
"Hey, the Ugly Fairy hit you itwo/i nights in a row!" She nodded at Mariah, and then looked back at her friends once more, as they burst out laughing. I stepped up to the girl, my fury heightening.
"She is iway/i prettier that you will ever be!" I yelled. She laughed again.
"I'd like to see that happen." She put on a triumphant face, as if it were to insult this. Arielle gently pushed me aside.
"Let me deal with this, Summer." She whispered. She looked that girl in the face for a moment. She then did what was completely unexpected. She punched the girl. She punched her in the eye, leaving her staggering back.
"You little-little..!" She screamed at Arielle. "This is not the end!"
And so began the biggest girl-fight Hogwarts had ever seen. At least, that was my interpretation of it. Arielle stood smiling, happy that she had defended her two friends.
"I will be off to the library. I have something I must research." She stalked off, her head held high, her back straight.
"Should we go out to the grounds?" Mariah suggested.
"Yes, if fact. I have something, isomeone/i to show you." Oh, was she in for a surprise...
We strolled around the lake, trying to avoid older students who seemed to have fun harassing the new ones. It was noon, and the clouds had cleared away, making the sun shine hot and melt away the dew. We sat down on piece of grass near the crystal blue lake and began to talk.
"There he is." I said dreamily, pointing him out to Mariah. He was about twelve. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes. "I was partnered up with him for charms. He is a Ravenclaw."
Mariah plucked a near by flower and put it in her hair. "Why do I need to know this?"
"Isn't he cute?" A strange look crossed Mariah's face, as if she was deciding something she would rather not.
"I... guess so. Why? Are you looking for a boyfriend? Is only the first day, might I remind you." We both giggled.
"I think iyou/i should go to the Valentine's ball with him! My mother told me there are two, one for third years and up, and another for first and second years. I can't wait."
"Ummmm... Summer, Valentine's isn't for another six months."
"I'm planning ahead." We both laughed. After a few minutes, Mariah rolled over onto her stomach and put her hand in the lake, looking for shiny rocks. She leaned in closer, and the tips of her light blonde hair fell past her ears and into the water.
"Do you think we are allowed to swim in the lake? It's so hot out!" She said a hint of exhaustion in her voice. I saw a giant tentacle slip in and out of the water, surprisingly quiet.
"Are you sure? I hear there is a Giant Squid and merpeople in there." Mariah shrieked and pulled her hand out of the water, letting all the rocks she held float back to the bottom.
"Squids? Merpeople? Are you serious?" A group of Ravenclaws pointed and laughed. I heard one mutter, "It's the Death Eater." These people had no mercy. I grabbed Mariah's wrist and stood up.
"Let's go, the bell is about to ring."
We ran back up to the castle, where we met Arielle, who looked positively delirious. She floated over to us, happy as could be.
"Guess what I found!" She said in a sing-song voice. "It's this awesome spell. We have to try it out, itonight/i!" She said this last bit in a hushed tone.
"What exactly does this spell do?" I asked inquisitorially.
"It-" She stopped just as we turned into Professor McGonagall's classroom. "I will tell you later." We took our seats in the front row, took out our books, and sat attentively. Well, that is what Arielle did. Me and Mariah tried our best to look the same, but to no avail. I placed my head on my hands, wondering where the teacher could be. All there was sitting by the old desk was a cat. It looked around the sea of chatting students and twitched it's tail, as if it were greatly annoyed.
This old cat suddenly turned into the teacher. Mariah jumped about a mile beside me, and I blinked several times in surprise. Arielle, however, didn't even flinch. She just got her quill ready, and stared ahead, ready for the lesson. The teacher began to speak.
"Hello, and welcome to your transfiguration class. I am Professor McGonagall. For the next five years I will teach you about..." I tuned her out and stared out the window. I really didn't want to tune her out, but I do before I notice it. I can't remember anything that is said between the time I am out, and the time I come back in. "...If you decide to take the NEWT level courses. Miss Potter, are you with us?" Arielle, still maintaining her smile, elbowed me in the ribs.
"Ow! Uhm, Uh... Yes, I'm here." Mariah let out a snort.
"Good, now today we will just take some general notes on the Transfiguration theory..." She turned to the board and waved her wand. Script handwriting appeared on the board, despite the fact she did not even go within a foot of it. "Just write all of this down, and for homework answer questions 1-15 on page 23. I want complete sentences; we are not five years old."
Seventy-five minutes later, we walked out, notes organized neatly to Arielle's very convenient system.
"Wow that was not hard at all." I said, as we walked out to the grounds for herbology.
"Well, it's only our first day; she is bound to give us a break." Mariah said, obviously quite pleased with the way her notes turned out.
"You really should have listened, Summer. It is absolutely iimperative/i that you pay attention!" She sounded very concerned.
"I promise I will for herbology, I guess I just need to get used to all this."
"You better." She smiled at me, and we entered the greenhouse.
"Now, what about this spell you were going to show us?" Mariah said. We were sitting in the otherwise empty dorm room, anxiously awaiting this spell Arielle promised she'd show us.
"Okay. She said, sitting down on her bed, and checking to see if anyone was coming up the stairs. "There is this one spell. It allows us to sneak out unnoticed, even if we are an inch away from a teacher or another student. But the problem is, it cannot be used in combination with any other spells. It's pretty basic magic, I figure we can do it."
I put my head into my hands. "Arielle, we don't know enough to do this. What are we going to do anyway?"
"Well I thought we could go swim at night seeing as the nights are still pretty warm, or we could go to Hogsmeade Halloween night and see... Whatever is there!" Arielle protested, sure that this would work.
Mariah swayed uncertainly, looked paler than usual and finally croaked out, "There are squids in that lake."
Arielle bit her lip. "There why don't we go to Hogsmeade for Halloween? We should be pretty safe." I thought for a minute. What could possibly go wrong?
"Sure, but as long as Mariah agrees, too." Mariah nodded her head.
"Just so long as we do NOT swim in the lake."
"Okay! Now, why don't we do our homework in the library!" Arielle chimed, full of happiness.
"Sure." I groaned. I then smiled at Arielle's obsession for everything school.
Just before we got ready to leave, a large bird tapped on the window. Mariah looked sick. "It's Father's owl." We sat and watched as she shakily opened the letter and read it out to us.
iDear Mariah,
I am extremely disappointed at your choice of friends. I urge you to make better choices. I have spoken to your Head of House about you switching. She told me it was not in her power to switch you. However, I do want the best of grades from you and possibly a change of friends.
Sincerely, Father./i
We were all appalled at this letter. Mariah looked furious as she took out a quill and etched across the bottom,
iSorry Father, it's my life/i.
She sent it back with the owl.
"He is so overprotective. He needs to let me go." Mariah complained, 15 minutes later, as we all sat around a table that held many dusty books.
"You're all that he has. He loves you, despite his troublesome past." It amazed me that Arielle could do homework iand/i offer moral support. I turned to my Transfiguration questions. "Everything will work out, Mariah." Arielle added. She leaned in. Me and Mariah did the same.
"Now, about Halloween..."