A/N: Hey guys here is the next chapter. This is basically a pt. 1 of a back to school chapter I would say. I just figure it's late, and I want to post something for you guys. You're all amazing, and thank you for supporting me. I'll be posting updates on my instagram account when I'm writing and everything that way you guys don't have to sit and wait for ages without knowing what's going on. My instagram screen name is located in my bio, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please read and review, you guys are the best. Love yas! ~ Piper
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters, but I do like to think that I know my own. Please let my storyline and characters stay mine. Thanks!
Chaos. C-h-a-o-s. Definition, complete disorder and confusion, otherwise known as, the entirety of the Weasley and Potter families trying to finish packing and get to Platform 9 ¾ before the train leaves. In all honesty, it was hysterical watching all of my friends run around trying to find all of their school things while I sat down for breakfast with their parents.
"Mum! Have you seen my homework?" an anxious Albus asked as he looked towards Ginny.
"Have you checked your brother's things?" Ginny asked back, shoving a tasty looking bite of eggs into her mouth.
"No, good idea, thanks mum!" Albus said, running off to find James.
"So Isabella, are you ready for this term?" Harry asked, directing a question towards me.
"If you mean all packed and done with homework and everything, I was ready before I got here," I replied smirking.
"Hey Iz," Rose said, popping into the seat next to me, "Thanks for helping me get everything I needed to pack together yesterday, and you are a lifesaver for the help on the rest of my homework as well."
"You barely needed help with either, you're a generally neat and smart anyway," I replied.
"Still thanks," Rose said, giving me a smile.
"I take it you're ready to go?" Hermione asked Rose.
"Yes mum, all packed and ready. And, now ready to watch the show of the boys frantically racing to find all of their things."
We all laughed and ate breakfast, while making bets on who would be last to be ready. I bet on Victoire, and my lesser bet was on James. For whatever reason I thought both of them would be last to be ready. I just wasn't sure who would actually take longer. I was excited to get back into the routine of classes, but I was nervous about seeing my brother again. I didn't want to have to deal with him. All I could do was try to do well in all of my classes, and try to counteract the bad that might happen with the few things I could control.
Once Rose and I had finished our breakfast, we went up to our room to grab our trunks and make sure we didn't have anything left in the room. I grabbed my bookbag out of my trunk, and put my robes, my parchment that had my homework on it so I could check it all over, the stuffed animal I had gotten in the Muggle world, and some of my candy that I had gotten at Honeyduke's earlier that week. Before closing my trunk, the little box that I kept my pocket knife in caught my eye. I grabbed it quickly, shoving it to the bottom of my bag, hiding it from prying eyes. I then closed my trunk and pulled it down the stairs behind me. I set my trunk down outside the front door, and walked back in.
The adults left to take us were Molly and Ginny. Everyone else's parents had to go to work, so it was down to them to chaperone us all to the station. We were all ready to go, and Molly called the Knight Bus for us so that we could all get on and off with enough time to actually make it on the express. We were all loaded on the bus, and right before it left, Ginny jumped up to grab something, asking Robbie to hold the bus. When she returned, she was carrying the old Firebolt that I had ridden when I had played Quidditch with my friends. Ginny climbed on the bus and held the broom out to me.
"Take it," Ginny said, "Just keep it in your trunk for when you get home. That way you can practice for tryouts next year over the break when you aren't with us."
"Thank you so much," I said, smiling, "It means a lot."
"It doesn't get any use here anyway," Ginny replied.
I thanked her again, taking the broom and placing it in my trunk. On our way to the station we all talked about what parts of school we were excited for, and what we were dreading most. Albus was dreading McGonagall's class, Rose was dreading dealing with Scorpius, and I stayed silent, hoping no one would notice. I knew Rose, Albus, and James knew what I was dreading, but I didn't need everyone else knowing about the bad parts of my life.
We arrived at the station with a few minutes to spare. So while they all said their goodbyes, I said bye to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, and let my friends know I was off to find a compartment. I put my things above my seat in an empty compartment. I sat down, and stared out of the window next to me. I glanced around searching for my friends, and secretly for my brother.
"Well look who it is," drawled a voice, at the door of the compartment.
"Please leave Harry," I said, continuing to look out the window.
I was avoiding eye contact, mainly so he couldn't see the fear in my eyes. I tried to find Rose or Albus, or even James, so that I could get one of them to come save me. I hadn't turned around yet, but I knew he was behind me.
"So how was break? I see you didn't use my gifts, that really hurts," Harry said, resting his hand on my shoulder.
I shook his hand off my shoulder, and turned around to face him, glaring daggers straight into his soul.
"Leave me alone Harry," I said through my teeth.
"No," he said, grabbing onto my wrist, making me wince in pain, "I see someone hasn't stopped hurting themselves, I hope that's not my fault."
"Harry, please," I begged.
"Harry, we gotta go," Scorpius said, panting from exhaustion. I assumed he had run from the front of the express. Once he had warned my brother, he left, but not before I saw the same look I had seen in his eye on Christmas day.
"You have your homework?" Harry asked me.
"Yeah, why?"
"I'll leave you alone for the week if you give it to me."
"It took me days to finish this Harry, I'm not giving you my homework."
"Fine," he said, twisting my wrist, making my bookbag fall to the ground and spill all over the place. I grabbed my wrist in pain, and Harry picked up the loose parchment.
"Seriously?" I asked him, gasping in pain.
"Thanks for the homework. See you in class."
Harry walked out, and I picked up all of my things, putting them back into my bookbag. I brought down my trunk, grabbing my school books, parchment, and a set of Muggle pens. I figured those would work better than an inkwell and quill in a moving carriage. I also grabbed some headphones and plugged than into an old walkman, popping in the cd that James had made me for Christmas.
I put my trunk back up top, threw on the headphones, and began to work on my homework all over again. I needed to finish a whole breaks worth of homework, in one train ride and a night. I figured I should start with the subjects I was best at and work my way through the rest. I pulled out my transfiguration textbook, and started writing my 25 inches on the use of transfiguration in the modern wizarding world.
I barely registered my friends entering the compartment, but I paused my music so I could hear what they had to say.
"Didn't Iz say she was done with her homework?" Albus asked Rose.
"I thought she was, maybe she forgot about transfiguration?" Rose replied, looking at me worriedly.
"Make sure her brother didn't get to her. I'll leave you guys this compartment, and go join the others. Let me know if she needs a hug from her big brother, and remind her that I'm here to protect her," James told them, before walking out to find his other relatives.
"I just hope she's okay," Albus said.
"I know, me too," Rose said quietly.
I watched as they both put away their trunks and then sat down. They tried to ignore me, to let me do my own thing, so they tried to talk about quidditch. I pressed play on my walkman and drowned myself in homework. I only hoped I would finish before class tomorrow.
"Isabella!" Rose and Albus yelled, startling me out of my homework coma.
I looked at them, taking off my headphones, asking, "Yeah?"
"We're almost there, we need to get our robes on," Albus said.
"Oh, okay," I said, closing my Defense Against the Dark Arts book. I had finished my Transfiguration homework, and three quarters of my Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. I still had a lot ahead of me for the night.
"You okay?" Rose asked me as we went to change, "I thought you had your homework done."
"Yeah, I'm good. I found out that I had left some of it at home, so I'm trying to fit it in tonight."
"That sucks, let me know if there's any way I can help," Rose replied.
"Will do," I said smiling at her.
We both changed and put on our robes, then walked back to the compartment to meet Albus. On our way back I looked into some of the other compartments, and I saw friends laughing and messing around with each other. I waved at James as we passed the compartment where the rest of the Weasley family was. When he noticed me, he smiled and waved back, watching as Rose and I walked away.
When we got back to the compartment, Albus was already there and changed into his own robes. I sat back down and reopened my Defense Against the Dark Arts book, hoping to finish the last quarter of homework I had for that class. I had put my walkman and everything other than what I needed to do my homework. I kept writing while Albus and Rose talked, until we got to Hogwarts. I, luckily, had just finished writing my last sentence on ways to get rid of doxies.I threw my books into my bag, grabbed my things, and walked off the express arm in arm with my friends.
We left our trunks to be taken to our dormitories, but I threw my book bag into mine before sending it off. Then I followed my friends up the stairs to the Great Hall, and headed into start of term feast. We walked in and sat down at the end of the table, waiting for Headmistress McGonagall to make the start of term announcements. Once she had, we all watched as food appeared at our tables, and began to eat.
I hadn't been able to focus on anything at that table or at that entire meal. My mind wasn't on the conversations with friends we hadn't seen over the break, or telling people about how much fun we had over break, it was on my homework. I was so scared that I wasn't going to be able to finish, and that I was going to get in trouble for it. I looked around at the faces of my happy, laughing classmates, and I felt even sadder and more lonely than before.
"I'm gonna head to bed," I said to Rose, getting up to go up to our dorm.
"You haven't even eaten yet Iz," Rose protested.
"Not hungry, I'm heading to bed," I said, "See you in the morning."
"Yeah, okay," Rose said, trailing off, "Want me to go with you?"
"Nah, enjoy the feast," I said, walking away without hearing another response.
I made my way to the first floor dormitories within Gryffindor Tower and found my bed. Instead of collapsing into a deep sleep, although I knew I needed it, I opened my trunk, grabbing out my astronomy book, and went to the astronomy tower. I began to chart the stars and constellations in my assignment, and I felt as my eyes drooped and my stomach growled. I was hungry, and at this point Rose would have realized I didn't go to bed. I kept working on my assignment, even though it was getting late. By the time I finished my astronomy assignment I had five minutes to get to Gryffindor tower before curfew.
I ran like no other, almost tripping down three flights of stairs while I was at it. It was past curfew by the time I made it back the the Fat Lady, and when I entered the common room I found Professor Longbottom waiting for me.
"Professor Longbottom!" I gasped out, "I tried to run, really I did, I was just star gazing and lost track of time, and I'm so sorry, I won't break curfew again, please don't give me detention or…"
"Ms. Gregory, please have a seat," Professor Longbottom said, asking, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," I replied, looking down.
"You realize you have your astronomy book with you right?"
"I forgot to do that homework over break, but it's done now so everything is peachy," I said, smiling.
"Rose Weasley came to me when she couldn't find you, so I waited for you to come back," Professor Longbottom replied, "You've been distant all year, normally I can connect with students, but since day one you've been shut off. How's your home life?"
"It's great," I said, with a smile, "I just got distracted over break, too much fun ya know?"
"I understand," Professor Longbottom said, with a reminiscent smile.
"So are you going to give me detention?" I asked, getting to the point.
"No, not tonight, I just wanted you to know that if you need someone to go to, if anything is going on."
"Good to know sir… Thank you," I replied.
Professor Longbottom walked to his quarters, and left me sitting, tired and alone, in the middle of the common room. I walked up to my dormitory, and sat down next to my trunk, putting my astronomy book away, and my homework in my bookbag. I grabbed out my charms, herbology, potions, and history of magic books. I still had so much homework to complete, and it was already 10:30 and I needed to get started, so I walked back down to the common room, sat down at a table, opening my history of magic textbook.