"Wow!" Zerial said looking at her newly attached broom harness. "This is so cool!"
"Yeah," Lavina agreed. "Now, if we can smuggle our brooms into Hogwarts, we can fly around while no one is on the Quidditch field."
"Really?" Zerial asked snapping the harness around her.
"Yeah," Lavina said again. "All we have to do is bribe Olivia."
"Who is that?" Zerial asked and paid the shopkeeper.
The girls waved goodbye to Marshal the storekeeper on their way out the door. "No flying in the store!" he yelled after them.
"Olivia is my cousin." Lavina said on their way back to her house.
"Will it be hard to get her to take them?" Zerial asked. And she flipped upside down.
"Um, maybe," Lavina said. "And what are you doing?"
"Having fun." Zerial said. She was now spinning in circles. "Try it."
Lavina just cocked a brow.
"No, really! Its fun." Zerial assured her friend.
Lavina just shook her head and said, "No thanks."
"Suit yourself." Zerial said.
When she was upright, she lifted her handle and shot up into and upward spiral, and when she was so dizzy she couldn't see straight, she just shot forward. Zerial went through her zigzags and her downward spirals and then shot up into the air and took a quick dive for the adrenalin pump she loved so much. When she slowed, Lavina flew up to her and this time it was her turn to say it.
"Wow. You're a good flier." She said.
"Oh," Zerial said. She had forgotten that she was with Lavina. Now she felt like a show off and blushed.
"Oh what? You don't think so? Or you just forgot you were with me?" Lavina said with a grin.
"I uh, forgot. How did you know?" Zerial admitted.
"My sister's friend says that's how she gets when she flies." Lavina said with an even bigger grin.
"You don't think I'm a show off then?" Zerial asked.
"No!" Lavina threw her head back and just laughed. "I think you are a great flier."
"Well I like it a lot." Zerial said as they approached a house.
"That much was obvious." Lavina said fervently.
They raced the rest of the way to Lavina's house. Flying by a blur of houses, all shapes and sizes.
Lavina pointed her wand at the front door and said, "Open says Lavina."
When they flew into the kitchen Mrs. Potter and her enormous belly began to yell about her children never obeying rules. And how one day, the house would just fall down while she was out shopping. "And it's all because no one, including Addison, will get off of their broom BEFORE they come in the house!" She finished and marched out of the room with a huff and her hands on her hips, and her huge belly sticking out in front of her.
"Who is Addison?" Zerial whispered for fear that it would make Mrs. Potter yell again.
"My dad," Lavina said while digging quietly through a cupboard.
"What are you doing?" Zerial asked, still whispering.
"Shh," Lavina said and continued to dig. "Follow me," she whispered when her arms were full of what looked like bottles of potion ingredients.
Zerial silently obeyed. And they were headed up the middle staircase again. Still on their broomsticks.
Zerial laughed when they were in Lavina's room again. "What do you need all of that stuff for?"
"To make things of course. Candy, potions, that butter beer you claim to make." Lavina replied, arranging the bottles in her own cabinet.
"I can make it." Zerial insisted.
"Good. We can bribe Olivia with it. She loves the stuff. So if we can make enough, maybe she will take our broomsticks." Lavina said. She was now browsing on the top shelf of her book case. All of the books were candy instructions.
"How much do I need to make for that?" Zerial asked sceptically.
"About twelve bottles." Lavina said, pulling down a book.
"Twelve!" Zerial protested.
"Yeah, thats for the train ride." Lavina said, pulling down another book. "We're lucky she knows how to get into the kitchens, or we would be making more than that."
Zerial gaped. Lavina's family was very strange indeed. "Well, can I meet this Olivia then?"
"Sure," Lavina said. "She's in Lexi's room."
"Thats the staircase on the left right?" Zerial asked turning her broomstick around and flying out of the room.
She heard Lavina's voice call after her, "Yes, it is."
Zerial flew down Lavina's staircase, and flew up Lexi's. She stopped at the landing and unfastened her harness so she could get off of her broom.
Zerial knocked on the door. At first, nothing happened. But all of a sudden, the doors and walls began to glow bright and change colors. Then a voice said, "The stairway will self destruct in five-- four-- three-- two--
Zerial began to freak out, what had she done? Now the potters would make her go home and not let her come back.
When the door in front of her opened, Zerial screamed. She had been Expecting an explosion rather than the person before her.
Lexi chuckled. "Like the sound effects?" and then she gestured for Zerial to com inside her room.
When the door was closed behind them, Zerial noticed that unlike Lavina's room, this room was a very large triangle. The room looked like three people lived in it rather than one. Each wall had a small bookshelf, cabinets to store things, a walk in closet, and a bed.
There were two other girls in the room with Lexi. Zerial could only assume that they were Olivia and Micha. They were gorgeous. Long, golden brown hair, and perfect skin. They were identical accept for their eye color. The girl on the left had green, and the other blue.
The girl with green eyes looked down at Zerial and said, "You must be Lavina's friend Zerina."
Zerial chuckled. "No, I'm Zerial."
"Oh," the green eyed girl said. "That's what Lexi said your name was."
Lexi shrugged half apologetically. "Its alright." Zerial assured her with a grin.
"I'm surprised Lavina made a friend before she got to Hogwarts." Lexi said. "This is Olivia," she pointed to the girl with green eyes. "And this is Micha," Lexi pointed to the girl with blue eyes.
"Yeah," said Olivia. "I knew she would make friends there, but she was always such a loner."
"I agree." Said Micha. "I wonder what house she will be in."
"Micha, how many times do we have to go over this?" Lexi said, exasperated.
Zerial thought it was odd that the three girls who had just been talking to Zerial, could now talk to each other as though she had never been there.
"All of our family has been in Gryffindore," Lexi continued.
"Yes, but Lavina is so different from all of us. i think she'll be a Ravenclaw for sure." Micha said.
Olivia and Lexi were shaking there heads, but Micha pressed on. "I'm telling you, she's always got her nose in some book. and she's a genius for her age."
The two girls were still shaking their heads at Micha, but she kept going. "No, really. She has never set a foot in Hogwarts, but she's already at a second year level."
"So?" Olivia and Lexi said together.
"Thats definitely Ravenclaw material." Micha pushed back at them.
"Not a chance," Lexi said. "My dad's a genius too, but he's in Gryffindore." Olivia nodded.
Zerial coughed to let them know that she was still in the room. Lexi looked down and said, "Still here are you?"
Zerial smiled. Micha smiled back and said, "We thought that would sget rid of you for sure. Your just like jenny, always, persistent. It's obvious that your—OUCH!"
Lexi had elbowed her cousin hard in the ribs. "That your a lot like her." she finished.
Olivia looked down at Zerial and said, "So what is it Lavina sent you in here for?"
Taken aback, Zerial said, "She didn't, i just came up here to meet Olivia."
Olivia narrowed her eyebrows at her, "Why?" She asked sceptically.
"Because i wanted to meet you before i made you a dozen bottles of butter beer." Zerial said truthfully.
At once Olivia's face lit up. "Your making them for me?" and she hugged Zerial and said to Her sister and cousin, "I like this kid already."
"Don't like me too much," Zerial said siting on her broomstick. "i think Lavina meant them as a bribe."
Olivia plopped down on her bed. "Go figure."
"But I'd be happy to make you some more when you run out. or even teach you how to make it." Zerial assured her.
"Alright pip-squeak. What are you bribing me to do?" Olivia asked.
"To take our broomsticks to Hogwarts." Zerial said.
"Want me to smuggle them in do you?" Said Olivia.
"Yes." Zerial said.
"Well let me see it." Olivia said
"See what?" Zerial asked.
"Your broomstick." Olivia stuck out her hand.
"Oh," Zerial said and hopped off her broom. She handed it to Olivia.
Olivia gaped. Lexi and Micha came on either side of her and Gaped also.
"This is..." Micha said.
"This is..." Olivia said.
Lexi was the only one to actually finish the sentence. "This is a Hand crafted broomstick by Caralea Marston."
"I didn't know she made it." Zerial admitted.
"You got this from her?" Lexi practically yelled.
"No, she died a long time ago. Her mom gave it to me. And her trunk too." Zerial said. Wondering what was so special about Caralea that these girls would know her. They were starting to frighten her.
"WHAT!" Olivia screamed.
Zerial stepped back a few paces. "So...so will you take our brooms then?"
Olivia nodded and handed Zerial back her broomstick.
Zerial was glad to see that the three girls were calm again. "Can we see your trunk?"
Zerial hopped back on her broomstick and beckoned them to follow her.
They did. When in Lavina's room Every one gathered around Zerial's trunk.
"Open please," Zerial said to the trunk.
The lid glided off and landed on the floor next to the trunk. Every one gasped, accept for Zerial that is.
Zerial pulled out the journal of Caralea's that she was half way through and began to read.
"That's it? Olivia asked with an expression on her face that suggested that someone had slapped her.
"Yes." Zerial said with out looking up.
"What a disappointment," Micha said.
All three girls got up. on their way out of the room Lexi called, "Well, you two have fun."
"You know, they act like that's all the trunk does." Zerial said to Lavina when they were alone again.
Lavina poured a small amount of green liquid into a cauldron and began to stir, looking at her book occasionally. "You mean it does other things?" She said absently.
"Yeah, like it follows me around." Zerial said replacing the diary and going to help her friend at the cauldron.
"Well, thats cool but its not earth shattering or anything." Lavina said, now pouring a pink chalky substance into the cauldron and stirring in the opposite direction.
"No, but in Caralea's journals, she does all kinds of things with it." Zerial said examining the book cover. it read : Cauldron treats, by Fred and George Weasley.
"What do you mean?" Lavina said, suddenly more interested.
"Well," Zerial said and putting the book back down. "Once while being chased by a Vampire, she hid in her trunk. Apparently she slept there all night."
"What? who would do that? and how could she will all the stuff she's got in there?" Lavina asked pouring in another ingredient. this looked kind of like maple syrup.
"I don't know how, but she said in order to get away from a Vampire, you had to act like one." Said Zerial.
"She bit it?" Lavina asked.
"No, I've just told you. She slept in her trunk. kind of like a coffin isn't it?" Said Zerial.
"I suppose, but I've never heard of anyone doing that before. i mean, maybe she transfigured herself to a super small size or something. but i don't see how any one could pull that off." Argued Lavina.
"Thats why i think the trunk has some amazing magical properties. She wrote about it as though she had slept in a bed." Zerial pressed at her.
"Yes, but to sleep in your trunk," Lavina said disbelievingly. "it just doesn't seem likely." she paused for a moment and added another ingredient. "she was the best Auror in history and all, but I've never heard of anything like that before."
"Well, she wouldn't shout about it would she?" Zerial said hotly. "Thats why its in her journals."
"I suppose." Lavina said. "But lets not fight over it." She opened a cabinet and pulled out little trays with circles in them.
"What are those?" Zerial asked.
"Its a candy mold." Lavina replied and chuckled.
"What kind of candy did you make?" Said Zerial.
"Flavor bombs." Lavina answered.
"Bombs? Do they explode?" Zerial asked skeptically.
"No, the taste is just so good that the inventor called them a bomb." Lavina put her finger in the bowl to taste the remnants on the edge after she had filled the candy molds.
"What does it taste like?" Zerial asked putting her finger in the bowl as well.
"What ever you think tastes good. thats why they are great for parties, everyone loves them." Lavina replied. "but they are hard to make. the recipe is very tedious."
Zerial put her finger in her mouth, and at once under stood the meaning of the name 'Flavor Bomb.' it was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. she couldn't pick out all of the tastes but didn't really care.
"Wow!" Zerial exclaimed. "Where did you get this recipe?"
"Weasley's Wizarding Wheeses." Lavina said. "Great uncle Fred and George invented these, some of the best selling items in there store.
"I saw that shop in Diagon Alley." Zerial said disappointed, "I should have gone in."
"We have another week at your house after this one." Lavina said.
"That reminds me. Erick pays me A galleon a day to wait tables at the leaky cauldron. from eight to one. and i get to keep the tips." Zerial said, taking another taste out of the bowl. "If you help me wait tables I'll give you half of what we earn."
"Yeah that sounds cool. Think of all the books we could buy. There is a charm book i want so bad."
"Yeah, and i have tons of books on my shelf in my room. There are all kinds of funny ones." Zerial said excitedly sitting down on the floor and leaning her back on the stove.
"Like what?"Lavina asked joining her.
"Once, a man didn't tip me and called me a half breed." Lavina gasped at this and clapped her hand to her mouth. "So my mom turned his skin green when he was outside. Erick had to drag her into the kitchen." The girls laughed together. "After that i borrowed the book from my mom."
"Cool." Lavina said. "Want to go play Quidditch while we wait for the candy to harden?"
"Sure. Where above your house or something?"
"Nah, Mrs. Zimmerman lets us use her field." Lavina said getting up.
"You know Mrs. Zimmerman?" Zerial asked.
"Yeah, she lives right across the street from our house." Lavina said.
"That's Erick's mom." Zerial said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, and her pies are so good. She feeds us after we play Quidditch." Lavina said.
"Cool." Zerial agreed.
Lavina and Zerial went and got Olivia, Lexi and Micha and all headed out of the house on their broomsticks. Their exit was followed by an earsplitting scream of, "NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE!"
For the next week, Zerial and Lavina got in as much mischief as they could possibly manage. They stood in the fireplace and played with a fire potion, Which reminded Zerial of how her hands would catch fire when she was upset. Which meant she got worried and couldn't get the fire off of her hands, even when Mrs. Potter had poured water over her hands.
In the end, Mrs. Potter rocked Zerial to sleep and suggested when she woke up, that she not take a fire potion ever again.
And the five girls played so much Quidditch on Friday night that they were exhausted and fell asleep in the living room.
And then Zerial and Lavina packed their trunks, wrapping two of the 'flavor bombs' for Erick and Zerial's mom. And it was off too the Leaky Cauldron for one more week of play before it was time to go to Hogwarts.