Only Half-Weasley
Chapter 5
A/N: This chapter isn't long, but I wrote another author's note at the bottom of it. I am leaving tomorrow to go on vacation so I will not be around for a week. However, I do plan to update once I come back, so keep your eye out! Thanks to the people who reviewed! I really appreciate and please review more! I feel a bit pathetic now…
Just as the week was long, the weekend was even longer. At least during the week, Holly was occupied with classes. Now that it was weekend, her only company was her pile of books. This didn't last long, though, as she managed to finish all her homework before noon on Saturday and the rest of the day, she wondered around the castle aimlessly until she finally settled in the library. Here, she managed to run into Michael and Daniel who were both studying by themselves.
Holly sat across from them and watched them as they fumbled with their Transfiguration assignment. "You spelled 'forest' wrong," she observed, "Michael, and Daniel- it's three taps and a click, not three clicks and a tap. You got that backwards."
Both boys looked up at her in amazement. "How did you remember that?" Daniel asked.
"Are you trying to tell us that you can pay attention in Professor Hardy's class?" Michael added. "You're crazy!"
Holly blushed slightly. "I did my homework already," she said simply. "I guess that's all I can do with no one to talk to."
Michael looked a little uneasy at Daniel who shared the same expression. "Yeah," Michael said, "about that."
"Well, it's gotten around Hogwarts that you are…well…" Daniel tried to say.
"Rude? Selfish? Muggle-born?" Holly interrupted angrily.
Michael scratched the top of his head. "No, not 'Muggle-born.' That one got shot down after we told people that your Mum was a witch."
"WHAT?" Holly exclaimed. "Since when is being Muggle-born a bad thing?"
"Never!" Daniel answered. "We totally agree with you on that one! But the other ones…well…you haven't made yourself very favorable. Jaclyn and Emma have been telling everyone how stuck up you are because you never talk to anyone and act so superior."
Tears welled up in Holly's eyes and she fought hard to keep them back. "What are you talking about? I don't act that way."
"I'm sure you don't, Holly," Michael agreed. "It's just that no one else believes us and we don't want to get on the wrong side of things…"
"So you're telling me that we can't be friends because some little brats are running around telling lies about me and you can't stand up for me because you will lose your popularity?" Holly said in astonishment.
Both boys looked quite guilty and refused to look her straight in the eye. "Come on, Holly," Michael said. "You have to admit that you don't talk to people much…"
Holly looked enraged. "Because I have nothing to say! How am I supposed to get into a conversation when I don't even understand what it's about? I didn't grow up in the wizarding world! I grew up knowing nothing about Hogwarts! How could you even expect me- even think that I- You know what? Those girls are prats and so are you!"
With tears flowing down her face, Holly ran to the nearest bathroom and cried until she couldn't cry any longer. It appeared empty and for a few hours, Holly felt quite alone. She couldn't believe that her two only friends at Hogwarts had both turned their backs on her. "Popularity," she spat. "Stupid."
"Do people make fun of you, too?" a voice said next to her. Holly screamed and she jumped into the ice cold plunge of a ghost which made her gag for air and fight to get out. "Oh fine, be like that! No one ever cares about me!" And the ghost burst into tears and glided to the toilet that Holly had been sitting on and dove in.
Holly stared at the toilet for a second before the ghost reappeared. "I'm sorry," Holly said. "I didn't mean to make you cry. You just frightened me and I've had such a horrible week." Tears crawled down Holly's cheeks, but her voice was still steady.
"You had a horrible week? I've had a horrible life! No one ever cares about me! No one ever comes to visit me! 'Moaning Myrtle' is what they call me! Why can't anyone care?" And Holly found out why the ghost was nicknamed 'Moaning Myrtle.' The ghost let out a loud wail that sent Holly running out of the bathrooms and her roommates.
Holly shot the group a hateful glare before running down the rest of the corridor and back into her dorm. She moped for the rest of the day and had no appetite for dinner that night. When she went to sleep that night, she felt bitter and angry towards everything and anything around her. As far as she was concerned, Hogwarts was the worst school in England.
Something odd occurred between when Holly went to sleep that Saturday night and when she woke up the next morning. Whether it was because she had nothing to do, had a weird dream about running through the school in her underwear, or because she was just plain bitter, it didn't matter- she had had it and she wasn't going to take much more of this. Holly wasn't Alex Miller's for no reason- she had a brain and she had a plan. She was going to make those four girls pay for ruining her life.
After taking a quick shower, brushing her hair and teeth, Holly made her way to the hospital wing. There were a few other students who looked like they had had a run-in with a few hexes and a snow blower, but Holly ignored them as she approached the intern who was following the school nurse like a leech.
Holly poked the girls' side shyly and whispered, "I've got a problem."
The older girl (for she couldn't have been much older than nineteen) looked down at Holly and smiled. "What is it?"
"I can't sleep," Holly confessed.
"Oh, really? Why can't you sleep?" asked the intern.
Holly shrugged. "I don't know. I've just been a bit sad lately."
"Are you homesick?"
Holly nodded with the right look of embarrassment to be convincing.
The witch gave Holly a sympathetic look and went to the cupboard where she took out a bottle full of purple liquid. The witch put it in Holly's hand and said, "Make sure you drink it right before you go to bed and go to bed early. A few drops will help you sleep for about eight hours. I hope you feel better, Hun."
"Thank you," Holly smiled broadly and nearly skipped out of the hospital wing. "Thank you for your help," she said again to herself when she was out of earshot and looking down at the liquid. "Perfect."
Dinner was much brighter that night and Holly didn't even mind that the other students were giving her odd looks and even laughing at her. She had guessed that it had gotten around that she was homesick. Homesick? Oh, she was going to show them homesick!
Holly left the Great Hall (make sure to "accidentally" hit Michael and Daniel really hard in the head with her school bag) and she turned to go down towards the dungeons. Well, she was on her way down towards the dungeons when she quickly turned right, then left, ran down the hall, made a few more turns and ended up in front of a portrait of a bowl of fruit. This was supposedly where the kitchens were if the portraits were correct on giving directions (the weird guy in the knight outfit couldn't be trusted very much).
Holding her hand out, she tickled the pair on the left and it magically turned into a handle and then opened. Holly walked in and found herself surrounded by eager little house elves. The sight was amazing! As much food as you could think of eating sitting here exactly right below the Great Hall. This by itself was magic!
However, this wasn't what Holly was looking for. Turning to the house elves around her, she said to them, "I need a batch of brownies, but I will need to have this stuff put into it." Holly pulled the bottle of sleeping potion out of the pocket in her robes and handed it to one of the house elves. "This is for me from the Hospital Wing. They told me to mix this with food and eat it before I go to bed in order to get a good night's sleep."
The house elves were as happy to make the brownies as a monkey is when it gets a banana. Before she could think do anything else, the house elves handed her the platter of brownies and Holly made her way up to her dorm. As was expected, the dorm was empty.
"Well, ladies," Holly said to no one. "I hope you enjoy this!" Taking out a quill and some parchment, Holly scribbled a note:
"To the First Year Gryffindor Girls,
Love, your secret admirer."
Holly placed the platter of brownies on Emma's bedside table before turning back to her own bed and shutting the curtains. After a few minutes, she was asleep and never heard her roommates enter the room nor eat the brownies. In fact, it was quite peaceful for most of the night and for the first time since she came to Hogwarts, Holly slept peacefully. The potion really does work!
A/N: I just want to let you know that I didn't want to leave this stopped right here. I am just running out of time and energy. However, here are a few things to expect from the next chapter: what's happens with Holly's roommates, how the other girls get revenge, and Holly has another talk with Harry that will be a bit longer than the one in the Owlry (and legal). I am so sorry for stopping right here! Please don't be mad at me! If you are, review and tell me how angry you are with me!