…Christmas…
I continued my lessons trying my hardest. I preferred the cooking lessons to the others. Mum was very patient with us during cooking lessons. Dad went on a short trip for a Gringotts' assignment.
I spent some time sending letters to Ginny. She was just like Ava, anxious to start her Hogwarts schooling. I sent everyone the Christmas gifts I'd made for them. I went shopping for Christmas dinner with Lucas. He was much easier to handle then when he was with Ava. He listened when I told him to go get certain ingredients. As a token of my appreciation for his good behavior I bought him a treat before we headed home.
I was prepping the ingredients for tomorrows meal with Kreacher when I heard the familiar roar of dad's motorbike. I dropped what I was doing and rushed outside to greet him. "Hey, did you miss me?" he asked giving me a hug. Mum had come outside to help dad with his things. "See Fae. She really does act like you from time to time.", dad joked. Mum blushed slightly hitting his shoulder playfully. We went inside.
Christmas morning dawned and Ava and Lucas ran into my room already in the spirit. They danced around a bit shaking me awake before rushing from the room. I put on my robe and slippers and went downstairs still yawning. I heard the hooting of owls coming from the living room. I rushed into the room. "They're for you and Izzy. Merry Christmas!" a voice said behind me. I turned to see Uncle Remus. I gave him a hug. "Are you sure?" I asked looking at the owls. He nodded. Izzy came downstairs and went wide eyed. She gave Uncle Remus a hug then went over to the owls. They were barn owls. "You shouldn't spoil them like that Remus." mum joked giving him a hug.
Izzy named her owl River and I named mine Blue. Uncle Remus had gotten Ava and Lucas books of pranks. Of course, he waited until mum wasn't watching to do that. We had a lovely dinner and we listened in as he told us about his travels. I took Ava and Lucas up to bed when they fell asleep in their dessert. I cleaned them up and tucked them in. I went back downstairs to say bye to Uncle Remus, he had other people he wanted to visit before the new year. Izzy and I said good night to mum and dad and trudged upstairs yawning.
…Spring Air…
It was a lovely winter, but eventually it melted away. The house was opened up to let the fresh spring air in. It was almost me and Izzy's birthday. Mum and dad planned a simple birthday party, and the cousins all came.
It was fun watching the younger ones running around trying to catch each other. There was a delicious lemon and poppy seed cake. We blew out the candles together. As the oldest of the cousins we were asked by the younger ones if we were excited to start Hogwarts. "Oh why of course. I heard from dad that there's this obstacle course that you have to go through before you get sorted." I replied to Edwin. I added a bit to the story because he was still young enough to believe it. He gasped in amazement.
We played with sparklers as the sun began to set. I helped my aunts and uncles get the worn-out kids into the vehicles. We waved bye as they drove away. We went inside and Izzy helped me clean up. Mum and dad were putting Ava and Lucas in their rooms. We hauled our presents to our rooms. I'd just put the last of my gifts away when Izzy knocked and entered. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Nothing. I just wanted be here." she responded sitting on my bed. We sat up talking and playing around until we finally fell asleep.
…Summer…
We went back to the station to pick Harry up from school. All the students were talking about the school year and how Harry had gone up against Voldemort and survived again. Mum was shocked to hear this. "He gets into as much trouble as his dad did." dad mumbled with a laugh. We take Harry back to the Dursley's. "Now remember Harry. You are under no circumstances to do magic. It could get you expelled." mum warned him. We helped him get his things and waved bye.
Ginny kept asking and talking about Harry in her letters. "At this rate she'll drive her brothers insane." Izzy stated waving her letter from Ginny in the air one morning at breakfast. An owl swooped in at that moment and dropped off three thick envelopes. Izzy froze, but I kept eating. "Fine. I'll get them." mum said picking them up. The owl gave a hoot and flew back the way it came. Dad leaned over to read the letters. "Harry has gotten a warning for magic. I wonder what really happened." dad murmured reading a letter from the Ministry. The other two were me and Izzy's acceptance letters. Ava held her hand out. "Where's mine?" she whined. "You're a year too young." dad pouted with her.
We went to Diagon Alley to get our wands and basic supplies. Dad had to stop Ava and Lucas from trying to go into Knockturn Alley numerous times. We stopped for a quick lunch in the Leaky Cauldron. We got home late in the afternoon. Ava and Lucas were in their rooms in a timeout for the numerous times they'd misbehaved. I was in my room with Izzy. She wanted to begin reading our books. I avoided the Lockhart books. His smiled was far too bright and he seemed fake. Izzy just adored him and read every word with rapt interest. Kreacher popped up and gave us snacks to enjoy while we read.
Blue came sweeping into my cooking lesson with mum a week later with a letter from Ginny. "Harry is at the Weasley's. Apparently, Ron, Fred, and George broke him out of the Dursley's." I report to mum as we waited for the custard to bake. Mum looked shocked and dad choked on his tea. Mum took the letter and read it. She handed it to dad. Dad read it and shook his head. "No intervention is allowed, but we can at least talk to them, right?" he asked hopefully. Mum gave him a look. I took the custard out of the oven when the timer went off. "Poor Ginny. If Harry is there how is she going to speak?" I wonder aloud. Dad lets out a bark of laughter.
On September 1st we went to the station with all of our luggage. Mum was too emotional to speak so she just hugged us a lot. Dad seemed to be immersed in some memories. "Don't cause any trouble." mum reminded us. Dad jumped at her words slightly. From the stories I'd heard dad and his friends were notorious troublemakers. I give dad a hug before boarding the train. I saw Ginny rushing to board the train. She fell into the compartment gasping. I watched as the station fell out of sight. Izzy came and sat down tears in her eyes. Yep, just like mum, I thought to myself.
A bushy haired girl I remembered was Hermione Granger entered the compartment. "I've searched this whole train and haven't seen Ron or Harry.", she sighed. The compartment door slid open again. We sat up thinking it was Ron and Harry, but it was just Draco with lackeys on either side of him. "Ah, my almost cousins have started their first year.", he sneered, "Where are Potter and Weasley? What Potter decided to stay with the muggles? Did the Weasley's decided to save some money and stop sending that idiot to school?" Ginny went red and Hermione was furious. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?", Izzy questioned, "Or maybe you're just waiting for word from your father that he was able to avoid Azkaban again." Draco stiffens and pales. He left with a huff his lackeys following closely behind him.
We enjoyed the rest of the train ride in peace. We got some sweets from the trolley. Hermione and Izzy got along splendidly, no real shock there. The train pulled into Hogsmeade station. We disembarked. We followed Hagrid into the boats. They glided across the inky black lake right underneath Hogwarts. We waited nervously on the stairs.
Professor McGonagall came and instructed about the sorting. We formed two lines and waited outside the Great Hall. She returned moments later and lead us into the hall where the other students waited already seated. The sorting began and she read our names in alphabetical order.
"Charlotte Black." she called. I found my way up to the stool and she placed the sorting hat on my head. The hat and I debated for a hot second then it shouted "Gryffindor!" The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers. I hopped up handing the hat to Professor McGonagall. I joined the table. "Isabella Black", she called. Izzy walked forward her face pale. "Gryffindor!" the hat called once more. Izzy visibly relaxed and joined the table sitting next to Hermione. The sorting continued. "Ginevra Weasley." Ginny went up and was promptly put in Gryffindor.
The feast began. "Where's Harry and Ron?" Ginny asked Hermione. "They didn't come in with everyone else." she replied. The feast ended with no sign of the two. We followed our fellow first years to Gryffindor Tower. We went straight to bed.
The next morning, we went down to breakfast. Harry and Ron were there. Ron received a Howler. Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed through the hall as she yelled at Ron. The letter tore itself apart. Mum's owl Sadie flew in and dropped off a letter in front of Harry. He looked shocked and froze. "It's not a Howler. Open it." Izzy said encouragingly. He opened it. What seemed like a never-ending letter poured out. I could tell just by glancing at the letter both mum and dad both had taken turns writing. Once Harry finished reading it, it folded itself back up until it was so small it disappeared with a small pop.
Classes were a nightmare to find. Peeves liked to give false leads and the people in the pictures were often visiting others. It took me three weeks to make it to my classes without getting lost.
Ginny looked worse than I felt, she was becoming paler. Percy, her brother, made her take a potion to help her. "I don't have a cold. Why do I have to take it?" she complained. The weather was starting to feel a bit nippy. "How are classes?" Hermione asked me over breakfast. I had an essay by my plate, and I was checking it for any errors. "Terrible, but Lockhart's is worse than History of Magic." I reply nibbling on some toast.
The Halloween feast was delicious, and everyone was stuffing themselves merrily. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were at the Death Day party. Ginny was missing from the feast too. I wondered where she was while the feast was going on. The feast ended and everyone whisked off to their dorms.
There was a bit of a traffic stop ahead. Filch was screaming at Harry and Ron and Hermione were right behind him. Izzy and I wormed our way closer. Mrs. Norris was hanging from a torch on the wall frozen, or so it seemed. The teachers came and diffused the situation, and everyone was dispersed.
Back in the common room everyone whispered in groups about the scene after the feast. Ginny was really upset and even her brothers 'attempts' to comfort her she still remained visibly upset. "You guys are making it worse!", Izzy scolded them. I usher Ginny up to the dorm and made sure she was asleep.
Over the next few weeks people whispered about the night of the feast. Rumors spread like wildfire. The Quidditch match against Slytherin was approaching and the Slytherins were being their usual nasty selves but on 1000%. I was with Ginny and Izzy in the courtyard. Fred and George walked by muttering about something. Izzy ran up to them, "Why aren't you at practice?". They explained the whole incident. "Draco called Hermione a dirty filthy Mudblood." Izzy gasped sitting back down on the bench with me and Ginny. Just then Uncle Severus passed by. I thought I heard him say something along the lines of 'he'll regret that later.'
The morning of the match everyone poured into the stadium. It was a heated match. Harry caught the snitch and won the game with a broken arm. Lockhart tried to fix it, but he only made it worse. I rolled my eyes at him and moved as the team took Harry to Madam Pomfrey.
Izzy and I attended the dueling class Lockhart set up, well more like she dragged me with her. Uncle Severus assisted him. "Five galleons says uncle knocks Lockhart back on his ass." I whispered to her. She nodded watching them take position. Moments later she slid the money into pocket. "Thank you for contributions." I whisper gleefully. She scoffs and rolls her eyes.
Harry and Draco dueled next. The outcome wasn't good. Draco made a snake appear and in attempt to look cool Lockhart tried to get rid of it. His 'attempt' made the snake land in front of second-year Justin. A hissing sound escaped Harry's mouth and uncle brandished his wand and the snake disappeared.
Students began to suspect Harry was really the one who attacked Mrs. Norris and left the message on the wall. We were in class when we heard Peeves making a racket. Justin and Nearly Headless Nick were found in the same condition as Mrs. Norris. Harry was once again at the scene of the crime. Colin Creevey a fellow Gryffindor first year was also found petrified.
Many students didn't want to stay for Christmas break. We stayed with Ginny. She was pretty shaken up about Colin. We tried to cheer her up. She brightened temporarily Christmas Day. We traded gifts and played games in the snow outside. Hermione ended up in the hospital wing over night for reasons unknown.
