Walking With A Ghost

Chapter Two-When There's Nowhere Else to Run

On a muggy, London summer day, I stepped out of my rattling motel room with nothing on my mind but Meryl Streep and the strawberry ice cream waiting for me at the parlor down the street. I was completely worry free. Sort of. Being worry free doesn't really exist, I guess. Everybody has something to worry about, people just pretend they don't. Some people worry about their children, or their schooling, or if they'll get evicted today, or if their grandma's going to die, or wondering how to scrape up enough monet to eat a half decent meal today. A lot of the time you have to just suck it up and move on, or you'll become an old lady who lives in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do except her quilting and taking care of eighty-two cats. But anyways, I was just about as worry free as a seventeen year old witch can get.

You're probably wondering who exactly I am. Name's Mona Lisa Proctor, Hogwarts student extrodinaire. I do realize my name is unusual to say the least, and yes I am named after Da Vinci's famous painting. You see, my aunt named me. Which in itself explains a lot, since she supposadly illegaly used a time turner to travel back to the Rennasance period and met Leonardo DaVinci himself, and fell in love. So, she named me Mona Lisa, but I'm happy because the other choice was Eloise. So I am grateful to my aunt for stepping in and naming me. My friends always seem to say I have a Mona Lisa smile, like I know a secret that nobody else knows.

Where was I? Yes, my friends. I've always been friends with Sirius Black, our families are both "pure blood." They're a bunch of bloody morons if you ask me. There's also James Potter, the Lily-stalker, and Remus Lupin, who's probably my closest friend. I share a dormitory with Lily Evans, who doesn't seem to care for me very much but I still like her. I don't really talk much to Peter Pettigrew, but since he's friends with James I'm sure he's a good guy.

Yes, I am a Marauder, as we call ourselves. I may not be in on all of their little adventures, but I am the fifth marauder. At first I opted for #2, but Sirius wanted to be #2, so we had this nasty duel in our first year, which mainly consisted of us chucking rocks at each other until one hit me and knocked me out for four hours. So I am Marauder #5. And I am not immature, Sirius started it.

Back to me. I have ice colored eyes, that are slightly blue. I also have auburn hair, and I'm about the average height. I love Quidditch (I play Keeper) and was born in October, on Friday the Thirteenth. I also love sausage. I even had this dream, where there was this sausage, and it was flying around! So I chased it on my broom like a snitch, then I caught it, and woke up! I didn't even get to eat it! Bummer.

I strutted along the street, saluting Severus with my favorite finger, and listening to the slapping of my sneakers on the pavement. Trains whistled, windows rattled, owls flew everywhere, people talked and shouted and swore and gossiped, it was paradise. Diagon Alley, the best place for a witch to be. I came apon one of my favorite shops, Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor!

"Hello Mona! Ice cream again for breakfast?" Florean said as he smiled at me from beside the freezers.

"Yep." I shook off my knee length red leather jacket, and sat at on a tall stool at the makeshift bar.

"Here ya are, sausage flavored ice cream." He watched me eat it in large gulps. "I still don't know how you can eat that."

I was still shoveling the blessed dessert into my mouth, and just grinned and nodded at him. Then he leaned his chin on his elbow to talk to me more. "So, what are you doin' around here?"

I gulped down the last of my ice cream and pushed the bowl away. "I didn't wanna go to my family for too long. I might never come back out!" I gave a nervous laugh, and Florean raised his bushy eyebrows. "Besides, I broke my wand last term and I need a new one."

Florean's eyebrows disappeared into his balding mop of salt-and-pepper hair. "May I ask how?"

My old, Mona Lisa smirk returned. "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies." I teased, and tossed two knuts on the counter to pay for my sugary breakfast. Then I gathered my coat, and clicked out the door. Almost instantly I was hailed by a large, ugly, brown owl, with a letter bearing my name written in an untidy scrawl. I gently poked it open, I didn't want to unleash another lettered hex from my mother, I didn't want to have to grow my hair back again. Of course, the bird bit me as if to tell me to get on with it.

"Ouch!" I sucked my finger, and ripped it open.

Mona-

I sent a letter to your family's house, and got a biting Howler back, so I hope you're at the Leaky Cauldron. Anyways, Sirius is staying with me and currently has his head stuck in the sunroof...oh dear. It's really rather funny! He's thrashing around, yelling at me to help him, and cursing, and yelling what he's gonna do to me when he gets free...which he is SO not going to do! I refuse to be castrated! This isn't funny now!

That reminds me of why I'm writing to you, not the sunroof, but Sirius. He wants to come stay with you for the last two weeks of summer to show off his new shiny flying motorcycle, and flirt with you, and do ridiculous Sirius-y things Ouch! Okay, I do to since he just threw a book at me with his foot. He also wants to fly you around "romantically" on his motorcycle, which I repeatdly told him won't work since you are afraid of flying on anything but a broomstick. Don't blame me for any future visits to St. Mungo's, and don't say I didn't warn you.

Meet us Wednesday in front of Olivander's. I wanna watch you hunt for a new wand! I heard it took 3 hours to find your first one, that's insane! Sirius still won't tell me what happened to the old one, says it's "classified." Bull shit, you're going to tell me!

See you soon, James Potter

I smiled at seeing my old friends again, and walked back towards the Leaky Cauldron. I'd need lots of energy to deal with those two psycos tomorrow, but I couldn't wait all the same. So I strolled back the way I'd come, feeling like a puffy cloud high in the sky.

Author's Ending Notes

Where are the reviews! I HAVE HAD NONE YET AT ALL! On my last story, I got five in one day! Do I really suck that badly? Waaaahhh! hysterical sobbing I've been working hard on this! Okay, I haven't, but still! I'd just really appreciate it, guys. Anyways, you'd really have to be a moron not to be able to recognize (this is the last time I'm going to explain this) that Mona Lisa is telling her story at the bar, but I'm writing her memories in first person. It's just easier, and more intersting to me, and hopefully to you too! Anyways, you'll get to see why she ended up how she has, as a bottom-scum crook. All I ask for is just for you to write a really short something, just to let me know that you have read this, and if you're going to come back to read more! That's it! It's not even two sentances!

Some me news: I went to the eyedoctor (Oh! The horror!) for my check up thing, and I get to get my new glasses! Hopefully before Friday, when I leave on vacation with my father to New Jersey to see his family. (My parents are divorced, so I live with my mom and all that stuff...I won't go into details, but I'm really glad my dad's not around us so much anymore...) Or maybe we're leaving on next Thursday, I really have no idea, he never tells me anything about it. But, just please write the review that answers the following questions:

1.) Do you like this story at all? and 2.) Will you come back to read more?

Thanks and peace out!