By: Cora Heinisch
Chapter 1The Forth Owl
Willow and I laid in the moist grass, looking up at the sky. Soon our Hogwarts letters would arrive.
"Any minute now…" I said softly. We waited for another moment until we heard a commotion coming from the window. Lilly's window. We stood up and looked around. We trudged towards the flowering bushes lining the house towards the window. We stood on tip-toe hanging onto the sill peering through it. We saw two silhouettes sitting very close on a beautiful four-poster bed covered in lacy purple hangings. The two figures were holding hands and… We couldn't stand the pressure anymore. We broke into giggles about as loud as muggle music on high volume. They broke apart with surprising ease. Lilly turned around with her face a burning scarlet. Her boyfriend, Roger ran towards us and tumbled out of the window. We stood our ground, but there was a small pop behind us. Lily looked very embarrassed. She walked to the window and looked out at us with eyes as big as saucers.
"Magnolia! Willow! Why are you so nosy?" She said angrily.
" Dad says it's better than having no nose, perhaps you recall?" I say. A shiver ran down Lily's spine.
"Ugh! Roger and I are just close friends!"
"Physically and mentally!" Willow muttered.
"What did you say?" Lilly said in a tense tone. We said nothing but giggled all the while. "You girls are so immature!" Lily yelled at us as we backed away.
"It's better than being Sirius!" I called out to her.
" I don't understand that one." Said Lily, sounding confused.
" Ask Dad!" Willow said playfully. "He'll start crying!" She added.
"Then ask Mom," I said, Lilly nodded as if making a mental note to herself. We sprinted away before she could say another word. She slammed the window and stalked to the door, opened it and ran down the hallway. Two pairs of pink rain boots trimmed with purple lace sprinted through the lime green grass and around the flowers that changed color towards the front lawn. We laid down on the soft grass and looked up at the brilliant blue sky. A brown dot was moving swiftly through the clouds, towards the front door. As it came closer, we saw the magnificent tawny owl make its way with four envelopes of thick parchment with a red wax seal bearing the Hogwarts code of arms, an eagle, lion, badger, and serpent.
I pointed to it and said, "Willow, look! Our Hogwarts letters!" We squealed. Willow looked at me with her shining emerald green eyes as did I. We raced to the door and burst through it, panting. My long auburn hair twisted around and landed in my mouth. I spit it out and said "Mum! Our! Hogwarts! Letters! Are! Here!"
"Magnolia! Willow! That's great! You've been waiting for days, haven't you?"
"Let's open them!" Willow said excitedly. Our eleventh birthday had been on March 1st, 2021. Willow took her letter, and I took mine.
Magnolia Nymphadora Potter
The Front Yard
The Potter House
Magnolia Nymphadora Potter,
You have been accepted to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Please be ready to climb aboard the Hogwarts Express on September the 1st.
You will need:
Uniform
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black)
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Coursebooks
The Standard Book of Spells(Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment
1 Wand
1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal vials
1 Telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR cat OR toad
PARENTS REMEMBER FIRST YEARS
ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
"Yay! Diagon Alley!" I squealed.
"That's right." Said, Mom.
"We're going to pile up with books!" Yelled Willow.
" And get an Owl?" I asked hopefully.
"A cat," Mom confirmed.
Chapter 2The Land Behind The Wall
We strolled along London, all the shops painted with bright color, to a shabby pub with all the paint chipping. Everyone else walked past it, not seeming to notice it. We entered the Leaky Cauldron smiling cheek to cheek. The bartender called, " Mrs. Potter, a butterbeer?"
Saw Mom passing and saying nothing, then looked down over the bar. When he caught sight of Willow and me, he turned pink and muttered "Oh." We walked back to the "solid" brick wall near the end of the bar. Mom tapped a brick near the trash bin and the wall opened to show a city street full of shops that had names like "Eeylope's Owl Emporium" and "Ollivander's Wands since 382 BCE" Willow and I each grabbed one of Mom's hands. We tugged her towards Ollivanders. This was definitely the best shop because that's where you can get a wand! Or maybe the best shop was Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, created by our uncles Fred and George, who were twins quite like Willow and me. That was of course before Uncle Fred died in The Battle Of Hogwarts. Then Uncle Ron and Uncle George continued running the shop. Once we got inside, Ollivander said "Ah I remember all those years ago when your father came here… very odd case indeed. The-"
"Yes, we know. We've read the Harry Potter books by the muggle lady J. . They are very good books." I interrupted.
"Oh. What a bright little witch. Try this wand." He handed a wand to Willow and said," Yes, you would rather enjoy this wand, Magnolia. Ashwood, 18 inches,-"
"Umm... Mr. Ollivander?" I said shyly. "I'm Magnolia."
"Oh. Yes I see, give it a wave." I held it but paused.
"It's okay Mr. Ollivander-" Said Willow.
"We know our names-" I added.
"I'm Millow-" She said.
"And I'm Wagnolia!" I did jazz hands. Mum tried to hide laughter.
I waved the wand. A fluffy blond cat with a smushed face came out of the wrong end into my arms and mewed before curling up.
"Perhaps not. I'll just vanish that cat for-"
"No, Mr. Ollivander. I'd like to keep her." The cat purred.
" Right, then. Try this one, you have a good sense of humor, this is cherrywood 18 and ½ inches, unicorn hair core nice and springy." I waved the wand and golden sparks flew across the room. Ollivander gasped. " Wonderful, yes that is the one. Now Willow, how about Black Walnut, Thestral hair core, 10 inches, and brittle flexibility."
My sister waved her wand and watched in amazement as beautiful flowers burst from the end of it.
"Lily would like those!" I said.
"That's definitely the one for you, Ms. Potter." Said Ollivander.
"But sir, you just said that this is my wand!" I exclaimed, holding up my wand. Ollivander chuckled.
"Very funny Magnolia." He said sarcastically.
As we walked out I said, " Willow, what should I name her?" I pointed to my new cat and patted her head.
"Umm… maybe blondie?" She responded.
"No… but I like the idea of naming her after a food…Passionfruit!"
"Yes! I like that idea!" Said Willow.
"Oh, little Passionfruit!" I said, rubbing her tummy. She purred and clung onto me like a little furry baby. I carried Passionfruit across the street to Gringotts, the wizarding bank. I remembered being a toddler and going to Diagon Alley with Dad and Willow to run errands while Lily and Albus went to muggle elementary school and James was at Hogwarts. Now James has been out of Hogwarts for a year while Albus is in his fifth year and Lily is in her fourth. We were going to Hogwarts for the first time ever. We strolled through the sunlight towards Gringotts, thinking of when we were going to meet Dalilah and Astrid, our favorite cousins. We never saw Molly and Lucy, our cousins Victorie, Dominique, and Luis were a lot older than we were, and our cousins Fred and Roxanne were always really annoying and obnoxious. As soon as we had gotten into Gringotts, Dad was there talking to a particularly old goblin. The goblin gave him a tiny silver key with opal flowers on it and a large golden key with amethyst stars on it. Dad turned around and caught sight of us. He ran towards us and gave Willow and me a big hug and gave Mom a kiss on the cheek.
"Magnolia, this is your key." He said, panting. He handed me the tiny silver key. "And Willow, this is yours." He handed her the large gold key.
"Wow, Dad! This is so pretty!" I said with excitement.
"I definitely agree!" Said Willow, looking at her key lovingly.
"Magnolia, where did you get that cat?" He asked, looking at me questioningly.
"Her name is Passionfruit!" Willow said harshly.
"Right. Where did you get Passionfruit?" Dad asked. We explained what had happened at Ollivanders.
"Knobber!" The goblin yelled. A young goblin with thick blond hair came running forward, very excited. I admired my key as the goblin led us towards a cart. "Vault numbers 687, 686, 685, and-," Dad started. "Vault 954, please." Astrid finished. We all hopped into the cart and with a hard jerk, the goblin had started the ride down. A couple of sharp turns and a drop later, we were at vault number 685. "Magnolia, this one is yours." Mom said. Mom and I got out of the cart and opened the door with my key. The door slowly opened to reveal a small fortune of golden Galleons silver Sickles and brass Knuts. I grabbed a couple of handfuls and scooped it into a small pastel pink bag embroidered with teal bows. We hastily got back into the cart and rolled on to Willow's vault. They entered and Willow opened her vault and removed her gold. We moved farther into the underground where Dad collected a large sack of coins for extra stuff. We started on a sharp drop but ended halfway. We whirled around and made the steady incline through the darkness back into Diagon Alley. We stepped out of the cart and Willow and I sprinted towards the exit with Mom and Dad walking along very far behind us. We sat down on the stairs to Gringotts, counting our money. "That's 105 Galleons, 62 Sickles, and 43 Knuts." Said Willow.
I did the calculation in my head. "About 523 muggle dollars."
Willow looked quizzically at her letter. " Robes...we'd get those at…-"
"Hello! Willow, Magnolia," Our cousin Delilah interrupted. "Ooo! Nice cat, Magnolia!" Dalilah exclaimed.
"Her name is Passionfruit!" I said excitedly. "Lets go get our stuff!" We ran to Madam Malkin's at full speed and crashed into the door. Our parents strode behind us chatting enthusiastically. We pressed our noses against the shop window and strained our eyes to see who was in there. It was Bob Chang. Maybe our least favorite person. He had been fine, but now, no. Bob was our neighbor and he was nice to us until he met Carl Smith. He had turned Bob into a filthy hypocrite. We then hated him, which gave him a very bad attitude. We strutted into the shop, our noses in the air.
"Oh, look. It's the potty twins, and their weasel, but where is the old asteroid. Did she crash?" He hissed into my ear. Astrid was one of our friends. We hadn't seen her in years though. Her mum and dad traveled a lot.
"Oh tell me Billy Bob Joe, how did you not drown in your Mummy's tears?" Dalilah said defensively. Billy Bob Joe was a mean nickname we called him to annoy Bob. He scowled at us, but we could see a tear rolling down his cheek. He praised Cedric Diggory, his Mum's dead ex-boyfriend. But the one thing he had against us was that we were Potters. My Dad was stupid enough to break his Mum's heart so...yeah he hates us. Madam Malkin called over her apprentices to measure Willow, Dalilah, Astrid and me. We were given our robes and we walked out without another word to Bob. But I did stick out my tongue at him. We purchased the other parts of our uniform and made our way towards the book shop, which Willow Astrid Dalilah and I were excited to go to. As soon as we entered Flourish and Blotts, my green eyes widened with amazement. We piled our arms with course books. But Mum and Dad let us get three extra books. We already had Quidditch Through the Ages, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and Hogwarts: A History. Who didn't? We chose The Ultimate Book of Hexes: Enemies Beware!, Magic For Geniuses, and Everything You Need to Know About The Wizarding World: A Complete Guide. Mum had cast the undetectable enlargement charm on our backpacks, which had gotten notably heavier.
"Okay. Just up this way to get the rest." I said, We hiked upstreet towards the apothecary, with a lot of pickled animals in jars lining the window. It creeped me out a bit, but Willow and Dalilah were excited. I cautiously walked in, hastily grabbed my equipment, and burst out of the store.
"Willow" Dad called her. She came out of the apothecary.
"Yes, Dad?" She responded.
"Let's get you a pet." Mum voiced. Willow squealed.
"Can I get a cat like Passionfruit?" Willow asked.
"Sure," Mum answered. Delilah gave Willow Astrid and I a hug and went off with Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. We entered Cats Rabbits Toads And All Sorts and walked up to the counter.
Willow locked eyes with what looked like Passionfruit's twin. She looked up at the shopkeeper and said, pointing at the cat,"I would like that cat please."
The shopkeeper turned around and scooped up the fuzzy brown cat with a smushed face and said "280 Galleons, please." in a wheezy bored voice. Willow looked in her pouch.
"I only have 140." Said Willow, looking down at the floor with a disappointed look.
I turned to her and happily exclaimed,"That's exactly how much I have!" I poured the entire contents of my money sack onto the counter and Willow's eyes sparkled. She too poured out all her gold.
We took a short train ride back home.
"What should I name her?" Said Willow.
"Sycamore!" I responded.
"I quite like that name." Willow said.
We sat on the grass, watching our smart cats hunt down gnomes.
"And…Sycamore has gotten one! The fight has started! And it's Passionfruit for the win!" I checked my watch.
"3...2...1!" Willow yelled.
"Time is up and Passionfruit is today's grand knome catcher!"
"See you later on Hunting Cats starring Sycamore as Sycamore and Passionfruit as Passionfruit!" I closed.
Chapter 3 Where I Wanted To Go The MostJames, Lily and Albus were apparently all in their rooms. Mum and Dad went straight to the kitchen to get lunch ready. Who to spy on first? We put our backpacks on our beds, which swirled the neat pastel pink bedding. We fixed up the teal hangings nicely and took our cats with us to Lily's door. We peaked inside and saw her writing a letter on a piece of parchment. I tiptoed to her and started reading it.
Dear Roger,
I am so sorry for my sisters' rude behavior. They are just so annoying. They'll be at Hogwarts this year, but they definitely won't be in Gryffindor. They have bright minds, they will be Ravenclaws. Dad won't be happy, we already have one in our number who's not Gryffindor, do you remember the consequences?
"Hello Lily!" said Willow loudly. Lily jumped. She turned around and looked at me.
"Annoying, are we?" I said in mock surprise. She covered her letter with her arms.
"GET OUT! Go bother Albus or James!" She yelled.
"Ok, we'll tell Albus what a disappointment you think he is!" Said Willow brightly. We pounded down the hallway towards Albus' room. Willow opened the door and walked in. I grabbed a book from the shelf across the hall with an amber cover titled Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
"Albus!" I called, suppressing giggles. He turned around.
"Look what we have!" Said Willow, giggling. Albus looked petrified. He hated this book. It was written by Rita Skeeter. So the Rubbish was about him having a crush on Voldemort's daughter, stealing a time turner, all that stuff"Are you still pen pals with your girlfriend, Delphi, or is she not allowed to write letters in Azkaban?" I taunted. Albus' face turned pink.
"I-I-I" Albus stuttered.
"Didn't know Azkaban doesn't allow you to send mail to its inhabitants?" Willow suggested. Albus started started slowly backing up slowly, holding our hands up.
"Nice doggy…" I said in mock fear. Willow and I sprinted out of the room.
"Let's do James next." Willow said playfully. We stalked up a small set of stairs, up to his door. We slowly opened it. James must've cast a spell on his room, because as soon as we entered, we heard the racket that really had happened up there. James was the oldest sibling, so he had the second biggest room in the house. His room was an oval shape, his king sized bed in the back. A beautiful cherrywood desk sat rear the right of the giant scarlet carpet in the middle of the room. Towards the left, a navy blue couch. A magnificent Eostrix owl sat on a silver perch. On either side of the bed there were cherry wood bedside tables. On one of them a wand sat. There were two windows looking out to the gardens below. James looked just like the fuzzy pictures of Dad on the living room shelves. He was taller than Dad had been though, and obviously, he didn't have a scar or glasses. Loud music was booming in the room and it looked like James had invited several friends. There was a girl who looked to be James' age, she had long blond hair and hazel colored eyes. She was holding hands with James as they sat on the couch. There was also a plump boy with a mop of curly burgundy colored hair floating about a foot off the ground snarfing down a bag of fizzing whizbees. A short girl with leather black hair curtaining her face studied them all. She was wearing all black clothes and stressed jeans. There were dirty clothes strewn across the floor and everyone was laughing at James' jokes. The fat boy had placed food wrappers all around him like a wall. The commotion stopped and all of James' friends were staring at us.
James' girlfriend looked at us and said lovingly, "James are these your little sisters Willow and Magnolia? They are so cute!"
"They're not cute, Stella. They're annoying as soon as you get to know them." James said casually.
"Well, your "cute" little sisters will make their way out, and proceed to tell Dad you've invited friends over, and tell Mum her wittle Jamesy Wamesy has a girlfriend" I said, looking over to Willow, who nodded. James' fists clenched.
He took a deep breath and said, "Guys, stay here while we...take care of things." He closed the door calmly. We bolted down the stairs. James followed close behind.
"MUM! DAD! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!" Willow screamed. We got down to the kitchen.
I turned to Dad and said, "Dad! James! Invited! Friends! Over! And! His! Room's! A! Mess!" Dad rounded on James.
"You take me up to your room Mister. If Magnolia and Willow are right, you will clean up your room-without magic! And all of your little friends will be walking home! Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Dad." Said James. His head was down. They made their way up the stairs and we could hear Dad yelling. Stella, Gordon, and Jenna walked down the stairs moodily. I crossed my arms and smiled delightfully, as did Willow.
"And also!" Willow said.
"James has!" I added.
"A girlfriend!" Willow finished. We started giggling.
"Oh my Jamesy Wamesy has grown up so much in the last 17 years! I remember when he was a little baby and I had to hand feed him mashed peas!" Mum said. We giggled really hard. "Now you two go and pack for the Hogwarts Express!" Mum said delightfully. "While Dad and I sort out this…matter." She ended in a rather harsh tone. Willow and I strolled over to our room with pleased looks on our faces. We took our trunks out from under the twin beds and began packing. Sycamore and Passionfruit sat on Willow's bed and cuddled. We neatly folded our uniform and packed matching outfits. We quietly talked about what Hogwarts would be like. We had watched all three of our older siblings go to Hogwarts.
"Willow, what house do you want to be in?" I asked politely.
"Ravenclaw. Definitely Ravenclaw." She responded. "You?"
"Ravenclaw. I don't want to be like everyone else. I want to be different." I explained.
"Yeah, I agree." Said Willow lazily. We finished packing up and slouched downstairs. We had lunch and played a game of Where In The World Is Harry Potter with Mum Dad and Lily. When we finished the game, Lily sneakily crept into her bedroom, smiling broadly. Willow and I giggled as we walked into our room. A warm breeze came in through the window and lifted our hair. No one spoke, we only laid there in silence. Willow began to fall asleep, about an hour after she had closed her eyes, I felt a strong urge to close mine, and I did willingly.
My eyes fluttered open. I scanned the room to see what had woken me up. The room was dark, and so was the sky outside. The watch that had remained on my wrist told me it was 3:00 AM. I jumped. This was the scariest hour of the night. The haunting hour. I steadied myself and controlled my breathing. I laid back as I heard a noise behind me. I turned around. My ears must've been playing tricks on me. I closed my eyes. There it was again. A snort. A grumbly little snore. But where was it coming from? I couldn't fight the urge to sleep any longer. I rolled back on to the pillow, now fully asleep.
I woke up to a soft licking on my face. Assuming it was Passionfruit, I rolled over. I suddenly remembered the events of the night before and opened my eyes. But nothing was there.
"Girls! Boys! Get up, we have a big day ahead of us!" Mum yelled from the kitchen. "The Hogwarts Express leaves at 11:00! We don't want to be late!" She added. We pulled on our clothes and ran downstairs. Today was the day we were finally going to Hogwarts, what had seemed the personal hangout of Lily and Albus. But now it was our turn.
"Mum I don't see why I have to come to Platform 9 ¾ this year, I'm not in Hogwarts anymore! I could be catching up on sleep…" James groaned. He was still in pajamas.
"Oh, you know why!" Mum said sternly. "Also, James, why haven't you applied for work yet, it would surely be easy to snag a job in the ministry," Mum suggested.
"Mum! I already told you! I'm not ready for a job yet!" James said.
"What if you just-" Mum started.
"I don't have the money to move out!" James yelled.
"Then get a job!" I shouted. We could never see the end of James' refusal to make any life decisions. He was 18. He had been unemployed ever since he had left Hogwarts and wasn't planning to get a job for a long time. Mum had been trying her hardest trying to get him interested in something. Anything. Mum really wanted him gone. So did we. We ate our breakfast hastily and hopped into the car. Mum, Dad and James could all ride back home when Lily, Albus, Willow and I had boarded the Hogwarts Express. The green buick pulled out of the driveway and we drove an hour or so to King's Cross station. Passionfruit and Sycamore sat in our laps, licking themselves. Next to Willow Lily sat. Dad drove the car and Mum had cast an enlargement charm on the front seat so she, James and Albus could sit there. We arrived and walked all the way to the post between platforms 9 and 10. We knew how this went.
"It's best to take it at a run." Dad said. I rolled my eyes. He had said this every time.
"Dad! You say this every time we go to King's Cross!" Said Willow, clearly annoyed.
"James, you first. Then Albus then Lily." Said Mom.
"Then we go!" I said excitedly, looking at Willow. James ran empty handedly through the column. Albus went next, running with his trunk and his ferret. Lily ran through then, with her luggage, she didn't have a pet. With my trunk along with Passionfruit on my cart, Willow and I sprinted through the barrier and found ourselves where we had been every year since 2013 when James had started Hogwarts. Then in 2021, Willow and I could finally go. We were so excited. A big scarlet steam engine pulled up to the platform. As Lily and Albus hopped onto the Hogwarts Express, I gave Mum a hug while Willow gave one to Dad.
We switched parents and said, " Bye, Mum and Dad! See you for Winter Break!" Mum started crying.
"My youngest children! Going off to Hogwarts for the first time!" She yelled with tears in her eyes.
"And you remember!" Dad said. "Be grateful you have someone who wants you back for Winter Break!" He yelled. We hopped onto the Hogwarts Express and tried to find an empty compartment. We found one with only one other girl inside and decided it would work.
"May we sit here?" Willow asked. The girl looked up. She had long, curly, light blond hair, very pale eyebrows, and light blue eyes that seemed to look into something only she could see.
"ASTRID!" Willow screamed, running over to hug her.
"You're here!" I screamed, giving her another hug."Let's find Dalilah." I said, looking around. A girl with bushy auburn hair and brown eyes came in.
"Dalilah! You're here! We were just looking for you!``said Astrid excitedly.
"Sit down right here," Willow said, patting the spot next to Astrid.
"How is James doing?" Dalilah asked tentatively.
"Same old, same old." Said Willow indifferently.
"Doesn't have a job," I added.
"Or a house." Willow ended.
"That's a shame." Said Astrid, looking over her copy of The Quibbler.
"Especially for us, we want him out," I said,
"Also, James has a…" Willow began.
"Girlfriend!" I finished. Everyone started giggling.
"And Lily has a boyfriend!" Said Willow. They giggled harder.
"Then Albus must have a girlfriend too, right?" Said Astrid.
"No, I don't think so…" I said,
"We should set him up on a blind date!" Willow said giggling.
"With?" Astrid prompted.
"Hmm, How about…" I said,thinking.
"Kayla Parkinson!" Willow squealed. We all giggled even harder.
"Well, he did see a muggle walking their pug down the street, and he seemed pretty interested!" I said, which made everyone giggle even harder, which was hard to comprehend.
"Umm...Magnolia? That thing you told me about this summer, something licking you? That reminds me… Mum loves pugs… and her birthday is coming up… and Dad has been acting pretty suspicious lately…"
"Willow are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I said, coming to a conclusion.
"Oh, just tell us! We aren't all thinking what you're thinking!" Said Astrid impatiently.
"Yeah!" Said Dalilah in agreement.
"Yes! If you're thinking-" Willow started.
"That Dad got Mum a pug and didn't tell us!" I finished. We squealed.
"Before we get too close to Hogwarts, let's play some pug songs in celebration!" I said enthusiastically.
We all sung along to the music played on Lily's phone that Willow had stolen.
The Pug snuck food again last night
not a single crumb to be seen
A kingdom of refrigeration
There's so much food to eat
My stomach's growling like there's nothing left inside
Should I order in I'm craving something fried
Don't let them smell
Don't let them see
Just a selfish pug
It's all for me!
Just want a meal, then I'll go
So know you know
Chubby Pug
Chubby Pug
Hiding snacks under the rug
Chubby Pug
Chubby Pug
There's so much more to love
There's always room
For a little more food
Turn the oven on
The rolls never bothered me anyways
Chubby Pug
Chubby Pug
Always craving chicken nugs
Chubby Pug
Chubby Pug
There's so much more to love
There's always room
For a little more food
Turn the oven on
The rolls never bothered me anyways
Albus pressed his face against the window. He saw us all listening to muggle music, and his face turned red and he ran to his compartment. Another song began playing.
I found a dog
For me
Flat faced loafy bun
With rolls of plenty
I found a pug
Beautiful and sweet
Never knew she was the doggy
Perfect for me
Cause I used to think she was so ugly
Half maggot half doggy
But I will not give a pug this time
The pug is adorable
Eats all the food I own
Tilted head bread the pug is mine
Baby I'm dancing with the pug
A loaf between my arms
Pooping on the grass
Listening to my favorite snore
Well I belly-rub her chest
Then she farts I hold my breath
You smelled it, doggy your a, loaf bun
Don't deserve this
Puggy you look pugfect tonight
Another song started playing.
The club isn't the best place to find a doggo so the pug is where I go
She's a flat-faced doggy with rolls of plenty
And trust me just give her a chance, now
Curly Tail, Up!
Flat face on the jukebox then we started to dance
And I'm like girl you know I love your pug
Your pug was handmade for somebody like me
The pug keeps following me
I may be crazy, don't mind me
Boy!
It eats and sleeps too much
Grab the pug and put that belly on me
The pug keeps following me, so clingy keeps following me
I'm in love with the shape of pug
Curly tail with a flabby bun
All though it eats and sleeps too much,
I'm in love with the puggy
I'm in love with the puggy!
I'm in love with the puggy!
Every day with his lovable fuggly bun,
I'M IN LOVE WITH THE PUGGY!
"Hey, why has it stopped playing?" Said Dalilah quizzically. We looked out of the window. A large castle was slowly rising out of the mist.
"Wow!" I said, amazed. I put the muggle device away and said,"I think we should change into our robes." We opened our trunks with great difficulty and pulled on our Hogwarts uniform. The Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade Station.
A man with a maine of a twisted and knotted shaggy beard and feet as big as baby dolphins yelled, "Firs' years! Firs' years! Come with me!" Dalilah, Willow, Astrid and I made our way through the pushing crowd towards him.
"Hi, Hagrid!" I said enthusiastically.
"Oh, yes hullo Larry!" Hagrid yelled into the crowd at a skinny boy with white blond hair and freckles.
"No! Over here!" Willow yelled at him. Hagrid turned around.
"Why! Green eyes...Harry's eyes...red hair...that'd be Ginny's. Hullo! You must be… Why! Harry and Ginny's youngest children...twins! Willow and Magnolia!" He said happily.
"I'm Magnolia!" I said proudly.
"And I'm Willow!" She said.
"Who'll remember tha'?" Said Hagrid jokingly. "You two look exactly the same!" He finished. Everyone around us sniggered.
"Now, we need to get in the boats. So yer going to have ter follow me ter the lake." Hagrid said. "Now get inter groups of four." Said Hagrid as he led us to the lake. I got into a group with Astrid, Dalilah, and Willow. There were many boats sitting, docked at the shore of the Black Lake.
"Get in 'em boats." Hagrid said carelessly. Seeing the horrified looks on our faces, he said, "Don' worry. Only one student has fallen in in the last umm… lets see here…" He started counting on his fingers. "Bout' 30 years."
"Does that make me feel any better?" Said Dalilah, clearly mortified. We slowly trudged through the grass towards the wooden boats. We got in and felt hot air going down our backs as the boat quickly glazed across the water, making ripples on the would-be smooth water that looked like black velvet. We reached the other side. Dalilah seemed to think it wasn't that bad anymore, I did too. We walked into the Great Hall nervously. An old hat, ripped and torn, sat on a wooden stool.
"Hello, first years!" It said, looking around at those standing. We shivered in fear. "Oh, don't be afraid, I'll help you! Oh I see the Potter twins, and Miss. Dalilah Granger-Weasley. Ms. Astrid Lovegood, also. Some famous people they are. Oh and of course, Bob Chang." He finished sarcastically. Dalilah, Willow, Astrid and I sniggered. " I remember when your parents were sorted." He said, finishing in a misty tone.
Professor McGonagall leaned over to Willow and I and said,"It's brain was modified just this year to have more...personality." She said, looking over to the hat, which was complimenting on Slade Davies' choice of socks.
"Anyways, let's get to the sorting." Said the Sorting Hat. Professor McGonagall stepped up to give the hat a long piece of parchment. "Right, the song…" The Sorting Hat cleared it's throat. And it began to sing:
I will make a choice alone that once was made by four,
I have sorted thousands of students maybe more,
And I have no desire to stop so step right up.
I have never sorted one wrong,
So come and join your houses throng,
I will say where you belong,
Perhaps it is in,
Ravenclaw where the normals go out the door,
Or in Gryffindor where parties happen once a week maybe even more.
Or Hufflepuff where everyone is loyal.
And Slytherin with ambition but still afraid of toil.
My song is done now,
Put me on and let me choose,
Your head will give me all the right clues.
So if you will, please move your shoes,
And let the magic happen!
"Wow!" Willow exclaimed, we had never seen the sorting ceremony in person before. A girl with a pale pointed face, white blond hair and grey eyes came up to the front and looked at McGonagall with strong hatred in her eyes.
"Daphne Salazar Malfoy." She said, "Please sort me."
Professor McGonagall intervened. "Your name shall be called, Ms. Malfoy, but for now, I ask you to rest with your peers." She said, looking around at us. Daphne scowled at Astrid and made her way towards one girl, nick-named Smash and a boy, named Greg. The trio looked very dangerous together. Professor McGonagall pulled out a long sheet of parchment and started calling the names written on it. We got into alphabetical order, which separated Willow and I from everyone else. Daphne and her friends, of course, were sorted into Slytherin. Dalilah was the first of our friend group to be sorted. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head.
It hesitated for a moment then said, " Gryffindor!" A table packed with smiling faces clapped and cheered as she ran over. Next, Astrid was sorted.
The hat looked down at her face and waited. After a little it said "Ravenclaw!" Willow got called up and sorted into Ravenclaw. She ran over to the table and sat next to Astrid. I was excited for them, because I, too, hoped to be in Ravenclaw. I was called next. I came to sit on the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat onto my head. The bottom of it reached my chin. I pushed it up, but it fell back down. I must've looked so weird.
I could feel it's lips moving to form the words, " Oh, so you want Ravenclaw? Not Gryffindor, like older sister Lily and not like your older brother, Albus, in Slytherin?" I nodded under the hat. "You do have a bit of Gryffindor in you though if you're willing to…" The hat added. No! I thought. I said Ravenclaw and that's what I mean! "Ahh...I see your train of thought now…Ravenclaw!" Said the Sorting Hat in realization. Smiling cheek to cheek, I went to sit at the Ravenclaw table, where I saw the snarling face of Bob Chang. Astrid stared at the ceiling, which was now covered in speckling yellow stars.
"Astrid." I said, "You do realize this right?"
"What?" She said.
"You, were a hatstall!" I said loudly. Maybe too loudly. The entire table was staring at Astrid. Many People were gossiping about her now.
"I wonder what house she stalled on?"
"Gryffindor! Because of her mom."
"Her mom is a magizoologist! She'd be Hufflepuff!" It went on and on. Astrid was cherry red by now.
"I-I-I think I'll go to sleep now. I don't want to er-miss lessons!" She ran out of the great hall. I prefect came running after her. We shrugged. We could talk to her later. The feast continued. The prefect came back into the Great Hall and ate with his friend. We followed the same prefect up to Ravenclaw common room after dinner. It was a wide, circular room with graceful arched windows that punctuate the walls which were hung with blue and bronze silks and there was a midnight blue carpet covered in stars, which is reflected onto the domed ceiling.
Chapter 4 The Diary No One WantedAs the time ticked by we all got a little sleepy. We said goodnight. In the dorm room me and Willow tried to find out if we could make Lilly's phone work.
"Maybe if I turn this doohickey it'll do something." I muttered. "Hey! The screen lights up!" I said, But then the phone shattered.
"Not agin! Reparo!" I said, pointing my wand at the phone.
"Shh!" Willow said, pointing at the door. Footsteps could be heard behind it. We raised our wands and pointed them where the intruders face would be.
A boy came in holding a lamp.
"What are you doing? Nevermind. Can you give this to Astrid? Phoenix found it. Said she left it at the great hall." He handed us a light pink diary with swirly lettering on it. The boy looked down nervously.
"Don't worry. Ravenclaw boys are more trustworthy." I said, The boy left. Astrid looked over to us from her bed. Her face was pink. I didn't realize it, but mine was, too. I handed the diary to Astrid. She looked at us quizzically.
"What's this?" She said,
"I don't know.." I said awkwardly. I needed a diary to use. Astrid went back to sleep. And put it on her desk. I've always had a diary. As soon as I was sure she was asleep, I took the diary from the desk and started writing from the back of it, so Astrid wouldn't notice.
Dear Diary,
This journal was Astrid's. It was returned by Slade Davies. His friend delivered it to us. I've always needed a place to confide my thoughts in, so I took it from her desk. I'm writing from the back so she won't notice. I've been sorted into Ravenclaw, whereas my older sister is in Gryffindor and my older brother is in Slytherin. My dad is Harry Potter which sets some (if not loads) of expectations for me. I, Magnolia Nymphadora Potter, have a crush on Phoenix. OMG why did I say that? HE COULD BE READING THIS…
Magnolia Nymphadora Potter
I hastily replaced the diary on the desk. I changed into my pugjamas and hopped into bed, closing the curtains around me. I used my wand to produce blue light to help me go to sleep. All I could think about was the Yule Ball. Even though the Triwizard Tournament was out of practice since 1995, when Cedric Diggory was murdered, the Yule Ball had been continuing ever since 2000. First years are now allowed to go. I remembered something. I got out of bed and sprinted towards my trunk. I opened it to reveal a cat stuffed animal in the shape of a big marshmallow. I squeezed it happily and ran back to bed. Passionfruit curled up at the end of the four poster. I rolled over, asleep.
I awoke the next morning with extreme enthusiasm. I pulled on my uniform and woke Willow and Astrid up.
"We have our first lessons today!" I said. Those words battled Astrid's refusal to wake up, as well as Willow's. They sprung out of bed and got dressed. We strided down the stairs into the common room. Students came down from their dormitories, including Phoenix. We made our way towards the Great Hall downstairs. We said hi to Dalilah and told her about the diary.
"Ummm...that's really weird…" She said.
"I know…" I added. I had "left out" the part where I wrote in it. Astrid looked as though she was also hiding something as we made our way to the Ravenclaw table. We ate breakfast and looked at our schedules, given to us by Professor Flitwick, our head of house. I looked at it.
Period Class Teacher
1 Potions Prof. Slughorn
2 Charms Prof. Flitwick
3 HM Prof. Binns
4 Transfiguration Prof. McGonagall
5 Lunch N/A
6 DADA Prof. Simum
7 Herbology Prof. Longbottom
8 Flying Madam Hooch
9 Astronomy Prof. Sinistra - only on Wednesday nights
Please note:
Monday-Classes With Gryffindor
Tuesday-Classes With Hufflepuff
Wednesday- Classes With Slytherin
Thursday- Classes With Hufflepuff
Friday- Classes Alone
There will not be recess at Hogwarts
Break will be in between classes
Astronomy is also at midnight every Wednesday
Every other Wednesday Harry Potter will teach DADA
"Our schedule is packed!" Said Willow nervously.
"Today we'll be with Dalilah…" I said, looking at my schedule.
"First we have potions with…Professor Slughorn." Said Astrid wearly. We made our way to potions with Dalilah. We had our book, Magical Drafts And
Potions, as we made our way there. We entered the potions classroom cautiously and looked around. A plump man in navy blue robes and a flat hat smiled as we walked in. We sat down at tables and he began to speak.
"Hello, children. I have taught most of your parents and some of your grandparents. I have now taught three generations of the Potter family." He spoke loudly to the class. "Now, get out your books and we'll start our lesson."
Half an hour later, I had an amazing potion, an invitation to the Slug Club along with Astrid, Willow and Dalilah, and another class to get to. We made our way to charms and met Professor Flitwick there. He met the class and we walked in.
"Today, we will learn proper wand movements, no incantations yet." He squeaked. "Swish and flick!" He said squeakily. We took out our wands and swish and flicked. "Good Ms. Potter, Ms. Potter, Ms. Lovegood!" He said. "And you too, Ms. Granger-Weasley." He added. "Mr. Davies! Very nice wand work!" He remarked. Phoenix smiled warmly at Professor Flitwick.
"Thank you very much, Professor." He said. Next was History Of Magic. We went to the classroom. We had heard from Albus that Professor Binns was incredibly boring. Professor Binns floated above his chair.
Because my mind worked the way it did, I said, "Professor Binns, would you please give us some backstory, and tell us how you became a ghost." He raised his eyebrows excitedly and began his story.
"Yes, no one has asked me this since I died. You see, I have been waiting for this for a very long time. It was a warm June day in 1939. I was still teaching, as you know. It had been a long day of teaching and I had felt quite dizzy. I skipped lunch in the Great Hall and stayed in my office to eat. I felt very tired and fell asleep. When I woke up, a student welcomed me back and asked why I was a ghost. I was told as soon as she said so, I looked feverish. I gazed at the silvery blankness that had been my body. She told me it was 1941 and Professor Merrythought had told everyone I had resigned from my post. I quickly asked who was the teacher now and she explained that there was no History of Magic teacher. I glided to Professor Dippet's office and told him I wished to resume teaching. He said I could and I did. I have been teaching as a ghost for 80 years now. My deathday is on June 14, 1939. I don't celebrate it, though. My grave is on these very grounds, I like teaching so much." He looked at the clock. "Oh how time flies by. We have to go now. I'll see you later, Magnolia." He finished. We walked to Transfiguration, amazed at his story. We entered the classroom. A cat surveyed them from the desk.
"Hello, Professor McGonagall!" Said Willow and I in unison. The cat jumped off of the desk and turned into our Transfiguration teacher.
"Hello, class. 10 points to Ravenclaw for your recognition Ms. Potter, Ms. Potter."
"Yes!" I said under my breath. She turned her desk into a pig and back again.
"That is Transfiguration for you. A complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful or spiritual state. Today we will be turning feathers into needles. Rather simple form of Transfiguration. Does anyone know of the spell to transfigure feathers to needles?" My hand shot up into the air, along with Willow, Astrid and Dalilah's. "Ms. Lovegood?" Professor McGonagall said, looking at Astrid.
" Needlio. That's the incantation, not that I've-um-tried it-we've read about it in our books." She said nervously.
"Good. 5 points to Ravenclaw."
A boy we recognized started speaking. "Hey! Professor you do want your own house to win the cup, don't you? You've given 15 points to Ravenclaw. Not that I'm against Ravenclaw!" Said Carl Smith. We glared at him. Bob Chang looked betrayed.
"I have not practiced favoritism and I do not plan to do so. 5 points from Gryffindor."
"Remember the Bat Bogey Hex Mum taught us?" I whispered in Willow's ear.
"Yes!" She muttered back with a mischievous smile. I jerked my head to Carl and Bob. She nodded.
"After we perfect the memory charm, though." I said.
"You got it." She said. Professor McGonagall came to Astrid's desk.
"Please pass these feathers out." She said to her, waving her wand. At least 30 feathers appeared in front of Astrid. She picked them up and passed out 1 to everyone. She came back towards us and sat down. "Now, let me show you the wand movement." She waved her wand in a spiral. "Get to work, now. Anyone who turns their feather successfully into a needle will receive a bonus spell to turn the feather into a pet called a Litrix." We began. The room was full of shouts of "Needlio!" Someone made a loud booming noise. Professor McGonagall walked over to him and congured another feather, this time light brown. I brought together all my confidence and cast the spell.
"Needlio!" I feather gracefully turned into a needle.
"Good Magnolia!" Said Professor McGonagall, handing me a roll of parchment. "10 points to Ravenclaw for your magic."
Carl interrupted, "Professor-"
"Oh, please Smith anyone who correctly performs the spell gets 10 points to their house. 1 point from Gryffindor!"
I looked at the paper, which looked like a student's handwriting, that had little doodles all over it.
How To Make A Litrix, A Random One
Grab yourself a feather.
Say, " Needlio!"
Wand Movement:
Find Cora Heinisch, Maddy Lowery or Lilah Shaw for care instructions.
I looked closely at the paper. I found a feather sitting at my desk. I put it in front of me and quickly practiced the wand movement. When I was sure I had gotten it, I raised my wand.
"Needlio!" I said, making the correct movements. A small, scaly lizard sat on my desk, curled up. It didn't look quite like one, though. It was violently purple and had a big oval head, without a neck. It had wide blue eyes. It looked rather like a fish. With two small stubby legs below it's head and two pointed back legs before the start of its tail. The tail was long and fat. I prodded it with my wand to make sure it was alive and it opened its eyes and hovered an inch above my desk. It's entire body was about the size of my hand. Dalilah sat at her desk with a Litrix that had even bigger eyes and two bumps on his head above his eyes. A tongue stuck out in between two thin lips. It had weird markings on its eyes and its skin was forest green. His legs were proportionate to that of a lizard as well as its tail, thinner than my Litrix's. Willow was still working on her wand movement. Astrid read the paper over and over again.
"I think I know who Cora and Maddy are… but I don't remember where I've seen them…" She said.
"They're a year older than us. They were talking about being able to teach a Transfiguration class to the first years in the Great Hall this morning." I said, surprised I could recall such a thing.
"Yes!" Said Astrid in understanding. "They originally created the Litrix! But playing around with magic isn't really something you should do all the time… ask my Grandma if you really want to know…"
"Oh, I do know." I said. We sighed. She tried the spell again.
"Needlio!" Astrid said hopefully, making the wand movements. A soft purple magenta and blue Litrix appeared in front of her, speckled with stars, constellations, and planets. It's body was similar to the one of my Litrix, but it's eyes were deep blue. It had silver wings. It flew to Astrid's shoulder and sat down. Willow continued to perfect her wand work.
"Class is over!" Said Professor McGonagall. "You may proceed to lunch." We walked into the Great Hall, where we met Albus.
"What homework do you have?" He asked aggressively.
"None. It's our first day ever at Hogwarts." Willow responded. Albus rolled his eyes.
"Nothing? I have loads! I can't even think straight and it's only halfway through the day!" He said dismissively.
"Oh, please! You can never think straight!" I said.
"Let's go find Cora Heinisch or Maddy Lowery or Lilah Shaw." Said Dalilah, admiring her Litrix. Passionfruit gave an indignant grunt, while Sycamore snorted. Yukie snarled, making all the Litri jump.
"Cora and Maddy are Ravenclaws." I said.
"Right. We'll go over there and see if they have papers for us or anything." Said Astrid. Dalilah went to the Gryffindor table and sat down. We found the two girls sitting together, chatting happily.
"Excuse me…" Said Willow nervously.
"Oh, yes?" Said one of the girls. "I'm Cora." Maddy whispered in Cora's ear and she nodded.
"I expect you'd like the papers on how to take care of your Litri, from Transfiguration today?" Said Maddy.
"Er...yes." Said Astrid.
"Please describe your Litri to us." Said Cora. So we did. They handed us the papers for the Litri and continued chatting. We walked across the hall to give Dalilah her papers on the Serpentine Litrix, but she had already gotten some from Lilah. We made our way back to the Ravenclaw table and ate lunch. We nervously chatted with Cora and Maddy. We became friends with them and told them who our parents were and about Dalilah.
"Wow, you're just like us!" Said Maddy.
"We've also read the Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling, but we didn't know they were real until we got our Hogwarts letters." Said Cora.
"WE ARE SO GLAD YOU'RE IN RAVENCLAW AND NOT GRYFFINDOR!" Maddy burst out suddenly.
"Umm...thanks I guess." I said.
"Astrid, we thought you'd be in Ravenclaw, but we got worried during your hat stall...And we weren't sure about you two...Both of your parents were Gryffindors…" Said Cora, looking sourly over at the Gryffindor table.
"Hey, we can give you some lessons to learn cool spells!" Said Maddy excitedly.
"Yeah, and if anyone asks, we'll call it a club. Three or more students continuously meeting for some common goal. In this case, five meeting to teach first years magic!" Said Cora.
"That sounds good." Said Willow hurriedly as the food disappeared from their plates.
"Yeah, we have to go to Defence Against the Dark Arts." I added.
"Aren't they just so cute?" We heard Cora say as we walked through the Entrance Hall towards Professor Simum's classroom. She welcomed us. She seemed like a sweet lady, and I took a liking to her immediately.
"Hello, class." She said, smiling warmly. "Today we were going to-"
"Professor! Why the heck are you so much like Umbridge?!" Said Carl aggressively.
"Well, today we were going to just talk about Defence Against the Dark Arts as a whole, but I think we should learn the spell Wassawassi." She finished briskly.
"Ooooo!" I said excitedly.
"Good to know someone knows their spells! 15 points to Ravenclaw, I was in Ravenclaw myself…Mr. Smith? Would you be willing to stand in front of me? Good. Now you may chew this gum." She gave him a strip of chewing gum. He took it and chewed vigorously. Astrid, Willow, Dalilah and I were smiling from cheek to cheek. "Wassawassi!" Yelled Professor Simum. The gum flew out of his mouth and up his nose. "Obviously we will be practicing on dummies." We raised our wands. She said quickly,"Accio mannequins!" About 7 mannequins came out of the closet, they looked like real people, but they were completely made from fabric.
"Get into groups of 4! One group of 5!" She said loudly. Willow and I got into a group with Astrid and Dalilah. "Take the spell in turns." She added. We queued behind Astrid, in front of a particularly new mannequin and began practicing.
"Wassawassi!" Yelled Astrid and a piece of gum flew into its nose. Professor Simum undid it for Willow. Willow waved her wand and the gum once again flew up its nose.
After four full successful rounds, Professor Simum said, "It's time to go already. Don't worry, Mr. Davies, I'll clean up." We shuffled out of the classroom. We arrived at the greenhouse, panting.
"Hello!" I said cheerfully.
"Oh...Hello!" Said Professor Longbottom nervously."I went to school with most of your parents!" He added cheerfully. "Today we will learn about Devil's Snare and how to repel it. Devil's Snare is a plant that grabs onto you and tries to strangle. It hates light and warmth. It will only let go if you relax and stop trying to get rid of it. A useful spell would be Incendio, which congures fire. Today we will learn about it. It is also useful for defense as well as potion making. It's kind of a triangle movement. Then say Incendio obviously. You may practice outside on the piles of wood I have prepared. We strolled out of the greenhouse into the blazing August heat. Around 30 piles of wood sat there. "Find a pile of wood and start practicing! I'll walk around and observe." Said Professor Longbottom , happily gazing at his students. I found a pile of sticks next to Willow and Astrid and across from Dalilah.
"Incendio!" I shouted. A stream of flames shot from my wand into the pile and crackled with delight.
"Good, Ms. Potter. Oh, yes both of you!" He said before Willow or I could interject. After a while, everyone had finished with their fire and Professor Longbottom gave us a long lecture on how to properly use certain plants. We left the class slightly less cheery than before. We made our way to Flying with our hearts lighter than ever. We honestly couldn't wait to learn how to fly, ever since Cora and Maddy had told us they were on the Ravenclaw quidditch team. Cora was a chaser and Maddy was a beater. We often day dreamed of flying on a broom over the crowd and playing quidditch. We walked towards the quidditch pitch. Madam Hooch was standing in the middle, with broomsticks spaced out around her.
"First years, today we will learn how to mount a broom, but not ride it quite yet. So, place your hand to your side and say up. It'll come into your hand, then you will hop onto it." I held my hand by my side. I looked toward the broom expectantly.
"Up!" The broom flew into my outreached hand. I hopped onto it.
"Good! Good! Now that most of you have gotten it, I'll end class early today!" We trudged through the lime green grass in the sunlight. When we found a satisfactory bit of shade next to the lake, we took off our shoes and leaned against the tree, dipping our feet into the cold depths of the Black Lake. We told Dalilah about our new older friends and she told us about her friendship with Lilah. We hastily put socks and shoes on our wet feet and ran up to the Ravenclaw Common Room. The eagle looked at us then spit out a riddle.
"What came first, the phoenix or the flame?" It asked.
"A circle has no beginning!" We said together. The door swung open to reveal an empty Common Room, abandoned by students. We welcomed ourselves in and started chatting. Willow put a feather down on the table.
"Ok. I think I have mastered the movement." She said, waving her wand as a test.
"Yeah, you've gotten it." I said absentmindedly.
"Awesome! Needlio!" She said excitedly, waving her wand. A Litrix with faded blue skin and white vines wrapped elegantly around its body appeared where the feather had been. She picked it up and studied it carefully.
"Wonderful Litrix, Willow!" Came a voice from behind. Two girls taller than us were standing there with bags still sitting on their shoulders.
"Hi!" We said excitedly. Maddy handed Willow a small stack of papers. A sneering face greeted them.
"I can't seem to make one! But apparently they get help from everyone!" Said Bob, whining.
"That's because you need to replace that dung in your skull with brains!" Said Cora defensively. "Here, let me do it for you!" She said, raising her wand. Bob slunk to the back of the room with a sour look on his face.
"Oh. Looks about time to go…" Said Maddy.
"Go where?" Astrid asked.
"Ummm…" Cora answered.
"Would you just tell us already?!" I burst out.
"Fine. We're meeting...customers." Said Maddy awkwardly.
"Oh my gosh that's so cool! Can we come?" Said Astrid happily.
"Uh...I guess. Just...just...don't...just don't erm-laugh…" Cora mumbled.
"Why, exactly do you think we would laugh?" Said Willow tentatively.
"Err-the customer-is someone we-" Maddy began.
"Hate with all our heart." Cora finished with her voice lowered.
We followed them to the seventh floor. A tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls the ballet hung on the wall opposite of the one Maddy and Cora were staring down. I turned around for 1 second, and when I looked back, a door had appeared. Maddy opened the door with great difficulty to show a room decked with shelves with a counter in between the tallest shelves. Behind the desk were more shelves, and as the rest of them were, covered in terrariums. A small table sat in the far corner, stacked with piles and piles of papers. Lilah sat in one of the three chairs behind the counter. There were four bean bags in the opposite corner of the papers, obviously for us to watch. We made ourselves comfortable in the bean bags as Maddy and Cora sat down with Lilah. The girls on the other side of the room chatted aggressively. Dalilah told us of how she had gotten here, as did we. After a while, a boy opened the door and looked hopefully at Lilah, Maddy, and Cora. They turned around and mimed throwing up. The boy had a square, squashed and squished face with dark brown eyes. He had broad shoulders and a short block of hair on the top of his square head.
"Hullo. Taday Imma buy a Litri. Can I have that one?" He said in a dull, redundant voice, pointing to a beautiful Serpentine Litrix in the far corner of a shelf.
"Oh, please. Litri is the plural. You mean Litrix." Said Maddy, sounding annoyed.
"And a Litrix is not 'that one', he or she has her own personality and name, they are incredibly smart, you know. Also, that's a Serpentine Litrix which is very difficult to take care of, we wouldn't want to place it into… the wrong hands." Said Cora, looking at the boy's hands with disgust.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! I CAN TAKE CARE OF A LITRI! I TAKE CARE OF THE PET ROCK I BOUGHT FROM YOU IN 2nd GRADE JUST FINE! I CAN TAKE CARE OF A REGULAR PET! PLUS MY MOM CAN MAKE IT CLOTHES AND EVERYTHING!" The boy shouted at them. They rolled their eyes.
"Jonathan, have you forgotten to take your anger issuse pills?" Said Lilah as if she was talking to a baby. "And how many times have we told you that it's Litrix, not Litri?! Also, Litri are very smart and we've seen Litri keen on wearing clothes make some completely by themselves, from scratch!" Added Lilah aggressively.
"She's good!" I said, impressed. Jonathan walked out of the room huffing and puffing.
"Thank you for not selling him a Litrix!" Said Astrid gratefully.
"Honestly, the poor thing would suffer so much." Maddy said sadly. "It's about time for dinner."
We ran down flights and flights of stairs until we found ourselves on the marble staircase in front of the entrance hall. Hufflepuffs emerged from their common room near the kitchens and chatted. We made the short walk into the Great Hall and sat down at the Ravenclaw table. Passing the Slytherins, Albus greeted us.
"Hey guys! What've you been up to lately? I haven't seen you in ages!" He yelled.
"That's because we're in different houses! And not to mention different years, Albus Snivellus!" Willow responded. Albus rolled his eyes.