Yellow

As the last few weeks of August drew to a close the impending thought of what was to come captured the imaginations of not just the twins but also everyone in the house. While the boiling yellow sun burned on, reminding everyone that it was still summer, the leaves gave a different message. They turned from luscious green to yellow-gold hinting at September. And with September came Hogwarts.

The very house was a clue as to the imminent departure of River and Star. The posters and pictures that had collected over the years on the walls of each of their bedrooms were taken down one by one and rolled up. Long-lost games left in the wrong bedroom turned up and were returned to their rightful owners. River went through all his clothes giving Jake the two-small items and Star's out-grown items were put away for little Ruby. When Ginny went through the piles and discovered the set of yellow jumpers she had bought them one each she found herself holding back tears. She knew they couldn't stay little forever, but, she thought sadly, a few more years would have been nice.

Star sat outside on the patio, keeping an eye on Ruby whilst writing a letter to her best friends. Signing her name at he bottom she read through the yellow parchment that held the note.

Hey Maisie! (It read in Star's little round writing)

How are you? The mood here's a little nostalgic. I don't think Mum's ready for Riv and me to go yet. She keeps getting out old photo albums and going through them, reminiscing about when we were five and stuff. I looked through one myself. There was one snapshot of me and River in our basket, just after Mum found us. We looked so cute in our little pink and blue sleep suits! It made me think about my birth-Mum. I'm not sure if I want to meet her or not. If I did go searching for her, with Riv of course, would you go with me? I wonder if, should I look, I would find her…I don't even know where to begin looking. All I know for sure is that Riv and I were found on a wizard's island in Greece, so she's probably Greek. Unless of course she was holidaying in Greece or something. It's so hard to know what's true. In the note it said that our birth-dad had died. Maybe she's dead too. Or maybe, even weirder, she's married and has more children. They would be sort-of brothers and sisters to us, but nothing to Jake and Ruby. Strange.

Speaking of Ruby, it's her birthday party next week. They've "invited" me to help. Is your brother going? If he is could you come and help with me? Please. Come on, you're my best friend. You know I'd do the same for you. It might be fun. Sort of. Let me know as soon as possible.

Do your parents keep talking about Hogwarts to you? Mum steers clear of the subject on the whole, but Dad is really excited. I know he especially wants us to be in Gryffindor like him and Mum. Your parents were Gryffindors weren't they? That might mean we'll be together. I really hope so. Write back soon. River says to say hi from him.

Love from,

Star

Xxxxxxx

It was one of the longest letters Star had ever written. It incorporated a lot of what had been messing her head up. River knew what she was thinking because he was thinking it too and they told each other absolutely everything. Jake didn't want to hear anything about River and Star not living with him and he didn't like to hear River and Star's story. It reminded him how he was different to them. Ruby didn't understand things like birth mothers and adoptive mothers. She knew her parents had found Star and River but saw that as just another one of those things. To a five-year-old a lot of the world makes little sense and you learn to just pick it up as it goes along. Ginny and Harry had no idea of the hours spent wondering who they were. They knew that one day they would want to discover their past but every time they thought about it, they pushed it to the back of their minds. They loved Star and River so much it hurt to think that they belonged to some one else.

River was not at home. He was round at the Woods' visiting his best friend Freddy. Freddy's dad Oliver was in the England Quidditch Squad and Freddy was the best at Quidditch in the neighbourhood, though River wasn't too bad himself. River and Freddy had been best friends since they were tiny. As they sat in Freddy's sunshine -yellow bedroom they shared tactics, ideas and secrets as they had done for seven years. Freddy knew River almost as well as Star, which was really saying something.

"I've just had a thought," Freddy said suddenly.

"There's a first!" joked River. This earned him a friendly punch on the arm.

"Seriously though," Freddy's face lost its fun-loving manner and he adopted a solemn air. "What if they separate us in Hogwarts?"

Jake Potter was not the sort of boy to dwell on things. Life was always rushing by and so he rushed with it. He didn't often stop and analyse the past or contemplate the future, but even Jake could sense the changes going on right before his eyes and it made him stop and wonder. There were a lot of thoughts rushing round his mind and he needed somewhere to think. Somewhere intense, wise and somewhere that was used to thought. He decided to go to his grandparents' memory room. His father had set this room up a long time ago and it housed all Lily and James' old books and artwork, photos and letters. Pinned to the wall were messages from those who knew them and a big photograph album, dusty yellow from age, was full of photos of them. Their favourite poems were on the walls, along with birth certificates from St Mungo's and an invitation to their wedding. Hanging on silver thread from the ceiling a rolled up map of Hogwarts, created by James along with Remus, Sirius and the traitor Peter, proclaimed itself the Marauders Map. This, together with the silvery invisibility cloak hanging from a hook by the door, would be accompanying the twins to Hogwarts. Arguably this room was the most precious in the Potter Manor. Now Jake entered it, sat on a comfy butter-yellow armchair that was originally a gift to his grandmother, and thought about what was edging ever closer. When the twins departed he would have to take River's place as oldest son and protect Ruby. He wasn't sure how he would manage it. Ruby was a pretty tough cookie. She wasn't scared of much. Only the dark inflicted fear on Ruby Potter. Each night her door was left ajar and her little bunny night-light was turned on. Jake wasn't sure how he was meant to protect Ruby from the dark. He couldn't ask River because he was at Freddy's. River was in the house less and less nowadays. Even when he was home his mind was always somewhere else; only Star and occasionally his father, could crack through this absence to have a decent conversation with the boy. Jake hoped he'd be able to talk to River before the 1st of September, when he would leave. Ah well, he thought, he could always talk to Star.

In the garden Star began to plait her blonde hair. She felt she was due for a haircut; her hair now fell halfway down her back. In the heat of the boiling yellow sun it annoyed her. She wondered what colour hair her mother must have. River had dark, dark brown hair but Star was vibrant blonde. They were so different it was impossible to guess. When her hair was in two French plaits she walked over to where Ruby was chalking on the slabs of yellowing stone. Ruby was very creative. Already he formerly yellow stone was awash with red, green, blue, orange and purple. She had chalked a smiley face, an apple tree, a house and a slightly out-of- place koala which she was no colouring grey.

"Good drawing!" complimented Star. Ruby looked up smiled cutely and turned back to her colouring. Lately Ruby was drawing everywhere; paper, cardboard cereal packets, magazines. When they had run out of paper she had moved onto the walls. A can of some magic cleaning product found in Diagon Alley later, Ruby had been given the chalks and sent to the patio. Nothing contented the little girl more than creating her pictures. Once or twice the pictures had been poignant and sad. Sometimes they were excellent and pinned onto her bedroom walls, and taped to the fridge. Today however she was just doodling. She had an eye for good art and knew that this wasn't it. She was the one most often taken to choose knew pieces for the house. The last one she had found, a bowl of yellow pears, was really beautiful. Ruby had potential to be fantastic and amazing. Star often wondered over how brilliant the drawings were. Neither Ginny nor Harry drew particularly well. Ruby was more than just good; she was gifted.

This is probably my favourite chapter so far so please tell me what you think. Good/bad/medium- whatever. I'd just like some feedback please. Choc-chip cookies for all who review!