Disclaimer: The characters and places in this story all belong to JK Rowling, an amazingly talented writer, except for the plot of this fic and some characters I have created. You'll know them when you get to them.
A/N: I'm really sorry about the bad half-chapter I had up. I felt terrible about not putting something up before school started, simply because I knew I wasn't going to be back for weeks and ... I just couldn't do it. So if you've read the chapter that was up before, I added a little bit more into Grace's conversation with Helga Hufflepuff, but other than that you can skip down to after Malfoy's threat and read from there.
School Life
Grace woke the next morning to find the room empty. She shook off her black comforter, grabbed a robe out of her trunk, and sped out of the dorm and down the hallway to the bathroom. Like Jess and Laurie had said last night, the showers were practically empty. She took a quick shower, dressed, and then hurried up to the Great Hall for breakfast.
"Grace! Over here!"
Reluctantly, Grace followed the sound of the voice to the three second-year girls who were sitting alone at the end of the table. She'd have rather sat with the other first years ...
"Guess who the Head Girl's boyfriend?"
"Wasn't she going out with Harry Potter last year?"
Grace tried to block them out. She stared over at the Gryffindor table, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in deep discussion.
"That's so - so last year, Jess. She going with Mike Corner now."
"The fifth year?"
"That's right."
Terri looked bored as well. "Grace, why don't I take you to your first class. Come on, grab a schedule, we can bring some toast up or something."
Grace nodded eagerly, grabbing a schedule and kicking her chair back. Jess and Laurie gave the two of them haughty looks as they left the table.
"They can be terrible, sometimes," Terri said as they navigated through the silent halls on the way to Transfiguration. "The things they say about people ... Anyway ... why do you think all those people were held back last night after the feast? My brother and your cousin ..."
"I don't know," Grace replied. "Who were those boys? Creevey and Jittery ...?"
"Jittery's a sixth year," Terry answered. "He ... was my brother's friend. He was supposed to come by our house this summer, but he never answered Justin's owls."
"What about the Creeveys?"
"Brothers, third year and fifth. I think they all lived in the same town. Dad told us about the attack," Terri continued. "He said the whole town had been destroyed, there was nothing left."
Grace shivered at the thought of Voldemort's power. "What if he comes here?"
"He won't, don't worry," Terri said. "Here, take this." She paused and reached into her book bag, pulling out a worn, leather book. "Hogwarts, a History. It talks all about security wards and things around here."
"Thanks," Grace said, taking the book and putting it into her own bag.
"That wasn't his style last year," Terri continued as they started walking again. "Last year he was stealthier, picking off ... picking off people one by one, rather than murdering a whole town at once."
"Suppose so," Grace said.
"Here we are," Terri said brightly as the first bell rang. "McGonagall's all right, even if she does tend to favor the Gryffindors a bit. It's not as bad as Snape, though."
"Thanks for taking me."
"No problem. Just wait out here for her. I've got to run, I'm going to be late for Defense," Terri said, running off in the opposite direction.
Grace set her book bag on the floor and slid down next to it, waiting for the rest of the Hufflepuffs to show up. Memories came to mind unwillingly, memories of Grammy's shriek of surprise ... not pain, but surprise. Memories of her and a tiny, balding man standing alone in a dark clearing ... no, not alone. There was something else, a spirit ... an angry spirit.
Lord Voldemort.
Harry had told her about that. She knew Voldemort was after her twin, that ... that Harry either had to kill Voldemort or be killed by him.
Grace clenched her fists in anger at Voldemort. Tears sprung to her eyes. He had murdered an entire town in search of Harry. So many people killed ... all because of some stupid prophecy ...
The first year Hufflepuffs had Charms with the Slytherins after Transfiguration. Grace moved through the hallways and corridors with the rest of the group, not speaking to anyone simply because they would not speak to her.
"Why the long face, dearie?"
Grace started at the voice. She let the rest of the group pass her by as she stared up at a portrait of a medieval woman with a round, kind face. A placard at the bottom of the painting read Helga Hufflepuff.
"Aren't you excited? Your first day at Hogwarts!"
"Not very," she replied, moving closer to the painted woman's face.
"Nervous? It's a very nice school, nothing to be worried about. I should know. I've been hanging in this corridor over sixty years and have never seen a first year so depressed on the first day."
"It's my brother," Grace said quietly, making sure there was no one else around her. "We're not in the same house, and he's years older, and nobody else will talk to me, except Laurie, Jess, and Terri, and Terri doesn't talk much, and my roommates don't like me – one of them, anyway, and …"
She stopped, realizing suddenly that she was rambling. Helga looked down kindly at her.
"Things will get better, dear, you know they will. Give it a little time and everything will start to make sense. No one makes best friends the first day."
"My brother did."
That wasn't exactly true, though. Harry had said he and Ron became friends before they even got to Hogwarts, but it took them two whole months to become friendly with Hermione, and now the three were inseparable.
Something of what she was thinking must have shown on her face, because Helga smiled at her, her bright red hair shining in the painted sunlight.
"You see? It'll turn out all right, dearie, just you wait and see. You're a Hufflepuff, I can tell," Helga added, nodding at the badge on the front of her robes. "One of my own. I'm sure you'll do lovely, dear."
"Thank you," Grace replied quietly, because it seemed like the right thing to do.
"Feel up to a bit of exploring?" Helga asked. "The dormitories are full of old mementos … initials, lost diaries, things of that sort. It's quiet fascinating. Something to tell your new friends about."
Grace murmured something in agreement, though she thought that she'd sound very much like Hermione if she started talking to people about school history. She heard a small noise down the hall and turned her head. Professor Flitwick was standing by the entrance to the Charms classroom.
"Come along, Miss Potter, don't dawdle, now!"
"Good-bye," she whispered to Helga, slung her book bag over her shoulder, and hurried off.
Lunchtime finally rolled around, but Grace avoided the Great Hall. She didn't feel like sitting with Jess and Laurie and listening to the school gossip, Terri was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she's joined a lunchtime study group, Grace thought. That seemed like the sort of thing Terri would do.
She had just decided that she might as well go off to the common room and work on the homework they'd been given in Transfiguration – homework on the first day! – when she heard voices coming from around the corner.
"It's not like it'll be difficult, Father said we'd –"
Grace stared as the owner of the voice rounded the corner. Draco Malfoy, flanked by two extremely large boys, just a bit smaller than Dudley.
She glared up at him with suppressed rage, trying to be reasonable with herself, but failing. He wasn't the one would had forced Grammy to take that trip to Albania, that had been his parents.
Malfoy was grinning evilly at her. The five-year difference in their ages was clear as he and his cronies stood at least a foot taller than her.
"Potter," he snapped. "Never told me who you were, did you?"
"It was none of your business," she said coldly, looking for ways to escape.
"No cousin to save you this time," Malfoy said. "You like your cousin, don't you, Potter?"
Grace only glared, not rising to anything. Just keep quiet. Don't say anything they can use against you.
"Almost as much as you liked your grandmother?"
The intensity of her stare grew, and she exhaled a sharp breath through her nose.
Malfoy grinned.
Ignore bullies and they'll go away. Ignore bullies and they'll go away. Ignore bullies and they'll go away.
But Malfoy was much, much more than a bully. His side was large and powerful.
"You wouldn't want something to happen to him, would you, Potter?"
No, his side might be large and powerful, but they were still bullies. Lucius Malfoy, Bella Lestrange, Voldemort, all of them.
Ignore bullies and they'll go away.
"Because I'd tread very carefully around Hogwarts if I were you. Very carefully. Or else there might be an accident. If you know what I mean, Potter."
Grace nodded slightly, making sure to keep her chin erect. "If you'll excuse me." She slipped through the gap between Malfoy and one of the cronies and sped off down the hall to the Hufflepuffs' underground lair.
It was a lot farther to the common room than she had realized; lunch was nearly over by the time Grace found her way back to the Entrance Hall. She found that she wasn't very hungry, and had decided to try and find her next class – Defense – when she heard someone calling her name.
"Grace! Gracie! Over here!"
She whirled around, her nerves on edge at both the sound of her old nickname and Malfoy's threat. It was a relief to see Harry running towards her from across the Hall.
"How's your day so far?" he asked.
"Lousy," she said truthfully.
"What, Snape gave you a load of homework?"
"Oh, stop gloating, Harry," she shot back. "Just because you don't have to take him anymore … we haven't even had him yet. And besides, I thought he only hated Gryffindors."
"Snape hates everyone," her brother said fervently. "What do you have next?"
"Defense."
"I'll take you there," Harry said, grabbing her by the elbow and guiding her toward the marble staircase. "I wanted to tell you, before …" He trailed off, glaring suspiciously at two older Ravenclaws who were passing them.
They were at the top of the staircase when Grace worked up the courage to ask. "Tell me what?"
Harry didn't answer for a moment, as if he was choosing the best way to phrase whatever it was he wanted to tell his twin. "You know the boys Dumbledore mentioned last night?"
She nodded. "The Creeveys and Jittery. Terri says her brother was friends with Terrance Jittery …"
"Terri Finch-Fletchley?" Harry asked. Grace shrugged.
"Probably. I don't know. She said her brother got held back last night."
"Justin's little sister," Harry murmured. "They were friends."
Grace knew he was talking about Justin and Terrance Jittery. They began another flight of stairs. "So?" she asked impatiently.
"Dumbledore said not to tell you," Harry continued. "He said you were too young, but … Dennis was only thirteen …" he trailed off again, staring down at his feet. "Death's terrible, you know that? Especially in war. You never know who's going to die next. Voldemort picks off people here, picks off people there … people – people die by accident …"
Like Sirius? Grace wanted to ask, but she didn't think she could work up the nerve. I'm definitely not a Gryffindor. That only made her more depressed.
"He didn't even need to die … the others didn't, none of them … it was too early, it wasn't their time …"
"They wouldn't have died if it wasn't their time," she ventured softly. "That's the point, isn't it? If you … if you wanted to use those Time-Turner thingies and change the events, it wouldn't be right. That's the way it's supposed to be. It can't have been an accident. Everything always happens for a reason," she finished.
He just shook his head slowly from side to side as they made their way up a corridor. "You don't – understand … you're too young – I'm starting to sound like a grown-up, aren't I?"
"Just a little," Grace admitted, putting on a small grin.
Harry suddenly looked up, as if he hadn't taken in any of their surroundings. "We're nearly there, and I haven't told you yet," he said. "Listen – the Creeveys and Jittery, they all lived in the same town, right –"
"Terri said so –"
"Listen to me," he said, a little louder. "We're almost there, I have to – it was near London, Gracie, near London. The town. They lived in –"
"Mr. Potter," said a smooth, cool voice. Harry and Grace turned so fast Grace could feel her head spinning.
It was Professor Bowtry, his long, blonde flopping gently around his face, his large smile. "Or Harry, I should say. N.E.W.T. level, aren't you?"
"Yes," he answered, half defensively, half exasperatingly at being interrupted.
"I was just on my way to make sure the new students were able to find my classroom," Professor Bowtry said. "They seem to have moved the Defense classroom. I remember it was on the other side of the building when I was here. But it seems you've taken to helping the first years yourself. Thank you. But I believe I'll take Miss Potter from here."
"Oh," Harry said, looking urgently at Grace. "It's all right, I can take her to the …"
"Don't you have class soon?"
"Go on, Harry," Grace insisted. His protective older brother habits were starting to get a little annoying. They were twins, after all, weren't they? Equals?
"I'll talk to you later," Harry replied purposefully as he turned and jogged back up the passageway they had just come down.
A/N: I hope that was better. I will definitely never post a half chapter again. Anyway, thanks guys for all the wonderful reviews, they really make my day. I hope you'll review again!
