Chapter 14

'Oh crap' thought Ebony, 'crap, crap ten times over, thestral's craps ten times over!'

And still, all eyes were trained on her, she seemed especially aware of the emerald pair from the floor. She cleared her throat nervously and Hermione noticed the acute feeling of awkwardness emanating from her and burst onto the scene with her usual large amount of bossy organised attitude. "Now! Ebony, wasn't it? Come on, sit down, would you like something to drink? Water? Juice? Butterbeer? From the look on your face you could well do with something stronger, like a fire whiskey!" and she gently guided Ebony by the crook of her elbow to a spare seat at the table, where she sat with the kneazle kits on her lap, playing quietly with the braided cord that hung around the waist of her robes, she wouldn't even know they were there for they were so light, were it not for the loud sounds of purring coming from her lap. Hermione placed a butterbeer in front of her and she automatically reached out and took a sip, feeling a pleasant sensation of warmth and comfort flow through her body. She sighed and, on instinct, hugged Hermione, who, after the initial shock, hugged her back, "it's all just too much…" whispered Ebony thickly as Hermione patted her on the back. "Eh, I know hun…I know…" murmured Hermione soothingly, happy in her new role of affectionate friend, something she was never quite able to do with Harry and Ron due to the fact that they may have got the wrong impression and leading them on.

Breaking off the hug, Ebony smiled up at the frizzy haired girl, her eyes bright with unshed tears as the kits looked at her with concern in their violet eyes as they nuzzled her from their position on her lap. "So," said Hermione softly, "you gonna tell us all about it?" Ebony cleared her throat, suddenly nervous again, until she heard Hermione say quietly, "In you own time Ebs…" so she took a breath and began;

"Jeez," she giggled helplessly before catching herself, "it feels like I know you guys already, I mean, so many people feel they know you guys…adults, children, teenagers, parents, all of you, not just Harry mind you, you too Ron, especially you Herms, I know so many young girls who parade around wearing bin liners and waving twigs whilst muttering 'Accio' or 'winGARdium leviOsa'…and your siblings Ron, Bill, Charlie, Percy the twat, the twins, and Ginevra, Remus, Snape, Sirius, and your parents too Harry…Dumbledore and McGonagall and Sprout and Binns…Cedric and Cho, Davies…and of course…the Death Eaters…McNair, Nott, Goyle, Crabbe, Avery, Bellatrix Lestrange… Wormtail…I've already met Lucius…if that's what you'd call it…Narcissa…Draco…Voldemort…" she trailed off, the pain in her eyes so similar to the haunted look in Sirius' eyes after her left Azkaban that a sharp intake of breath came from the head of the table as Harry's bright eyes blinked furiously behind his partially steamed up glasses. Ebony swallowed the pain now masked by an empty blankness as she continued her tale…

"I was almost twelve years old when I spotted a book in the window of Ottakers, 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' and decided to buy it, and it's sequel, 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' and I was hooked, a story about a boy who finds out he's a wizard and fights for his life against the evil Voldemort whom he had defeated as a baby, then there was 'Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban' and in came new characters, kindly father figure Remus Lupin, the werewolf, and Sirius Black, the escaped convict, who turned out to be Harry's Godfather, and the secrets of Time Travel were unveiled. JK Rowling, the author, was receiving fan mail by the tin, children the world over were writing to Hogwarts demanding to know where their acceptance letters were, Halloween costumes appeared in shops of Harry Potter, complete with round spellotaped glasses and fake scar, and more often than not a small furry white owl and a wand. Play sets were starting to appear, I hear Lego has a whole range of Harry Potter toys, including one where you can make n edible potion that changes colour when you mix it…but there was more, next there was 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire', long awaited by avid fans and a massive 636 pages long, and fans saw Voldemort return to a corporeal body and full strength with the price of Wormtail's hand, yet another scar, this time on Harry's arm…and the life of Cedric Diggory after the Triwizard Tournament…and then, there was 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' longer again then the previous book, a whole 766 pages, telling us of Umbridge's iron rule over the school, the twins joke shop, Grawp the giant, Harry's first kiss, the secret band of freedom fighters, the events in the Department of Mysteries…and Sirius…falling through the veil…it came out mere weeks ago…just after the beginning of your summer holidays…there have been spoofs too, 'Barry Trotter and the Philosopher's Scone' and movies too, three of them so far…"

She paused, letting it all sink in…it was going rather well she had thought, true, Harry had turned an attractive shade of grey, Hermione didn't seem to be breathing and Ron's eyes had almost popped out…but none the less…she carried on…

"Harry, you're played by Daniel Radcliffe, Hermione –"

"You mean the guy who played David Copperfield? He's really cute!" interrupted Hermione, who suddenly realised exactly what she had said and blushed, "hehehe, what I mean is, nowhere b near /b as cute as you Ron!" Ebony grinned and continued,

"Hermione, you're playing by a girl called Emma Watson, she sucks, I mean, she is nowhere NEAR as intelligent or pretty as you and her hair is in ringlets!"

"Oh God," muttered Hermione, "I'm played by a nobody who can't act and has ringlets! How shite…"

"Bad luck Herms, and Ron, now, you're played by a guy called Rupert Grint, he's a great actor, he's been in other films too and he's got your character completely sussed! Only thing is…he needs a hair cut…"

"Who's Malfoy played by!" asked Ron eagerly, really not at all surprised that their were movies about his best friend winning BAFTAS in the muggle music industry, considering his main focus seemed to be that his rival was played by a cockroach.

"Erm…Tom Felton, why?" Hermione was suddenly overcome in an intense fit of giggles leaving both Harry and Ron bemused beyond words, Harry, because he had never been allowed to watch a movie in his life and didn't have a clue as to who these people were, and Ron, because…well, because he was Ron.

"What's so funny?" Ron spluttered while Hermione lay helpless in giggles on the floor, "He's sucha ponce!" she sniggered as Ebony's jaw hit the floor, "He is not!" she said, outraged, "he's cute and funny and –"

"You have a crush on Tom Felton!" squealed Hermione, and Ebony turned a scary shade of beetroot. "Not anymore…" she muttered, "not now I've seen the real thing…"

"WHAT!" Hermione's laughter was cut short as she, Ron and Harry stared incredulously at Ebony, Ron with disgust, Harry with despair and Hermione with a dawning comprehension…

"Yes…" she murmured, and looked intently at Ebony, scrutinizing her closely, "that's where you were isn't it? You were at Malfoy Manor! You've met…Voldemort…haven't you? That's why you got that haunted look on your face when you talked about him isn't it?"

Ebony stopped dead with her hand half reached out to pick up her butterbeer, her eyes dead as she stood up abruptly and sent her chair clattering to the floor, "it isn't any of your business!" she screamed as she fled the room. She ran into the entrance hall and realised she didn't know where her luggage was or what room she was staying in, so she sprinted up the wide staircase as she heard the kitchen door bang open, and footsteps echo in the hall. At the top of the stairs she was faced with a long corridor with dozens of doors to each side and a narrow vermillion carpet running long its length. Following the carpet, she ran to the end of the corridor and turned to the left, where she could see another staircase winding its way upwards. As she scrambled up the stairway she could hear Hermione, Ron and Harry calling to each other, and to her, but on she climbed, the stairway becoming dusty as she reached higher, the only places where the dust had been disturbed was where a large booted figure had left footprints marking the stairs.

At the top finally, Ebony sat in the darkened room she had found, tears spilling down her face, 'why couldn't she have been stupid?" she thought angrily, 'tactless nosy Hermione!' she felt something preen her, a large beak combing its way through her hair, she looked up into Buckbeak's golden eye and hugged the hippogriff around the neck as it settled itself around her, allowing her to use its softly plumed side to rest herself against, and she feel asleep, her fingers curled in the downy feathers, her tears leaving salty runs down her cheeks and her ears echoing with people calling her name…


ZOMG. I turned her Mary Sue in this chapter...-goes to corner and shoots self- I'm sorry...But have you never had a moment where you go completely out of character? Like a couple of nights ago, I, a girl who is never one for talking about fashion and whatnot, I find it boring and roll my eyes at those who do, spent over an HOUR talking about shoes...Okay, so they were converses, but still... ¬¬ Ebony was having one of those days, honest.