Part 5 - Thief
"IZZY!! HEY IZZY!! OVER HERE!!" Is the first thing Isabel hears when she steps inside the front doors of Hogwarts, and it makes her cringe. Shopping was exhausting, the train ride back a bore, and now people are yelling at her, drawing attention to her. Her throat still hurts from inhaling all that smoke. Today is not a good day.
Izzy turns, in time to see a flash of neon orange hair just before she's being squeezed up in spindly arms. The poor girl struggles as violently as she can manage with her weak limbs, crying out softly, "Let go! Let go! Stop it!"
In an instant, she's free again, and finds herself staring into the very confused brown eyes (and shockingly orange hair) of Tonks, the girl she met on the train. Though she remembers Tonks with shorter purple hair, and then green pigtails, she knows its the same person. Izzy recognizes the school uniform the girl is wearing, she had to buy several second hand ones for herself, but the girl's one is slightly different. Aside from a bluish crest on the front pocket of her white blouse, she also has several patches that look to be from muggle bands, though Nirvana is the only one Izzy actually recognizes (Jordy used to play them sometimes). Also, her blue plaid skirt has swirls painted on it in silver and pink glitter. Underneath the skirt, the girl's thin legs are clad in black and purple polka dot leggings, which end at her ankles where the mismatched socks and flip flops she's wearing begin.
"Sorry," Tonks apologizes sadly, her small, round face looking guilt ridden, "I was just happy to see you. I thought that maybe you'd given up on school because of what happened on the train. I really didn't mean to scare you that bad."
Izzy lets out a shaky breath, hugging herself desperately, her emotions guarded and her face hidden behind a curtain of amber curls, "N-No. It wasn't that. I just... Um... It's hard to explain..."
The girl smiles, "Meh, I'm sure you'll find the words eventually, and we're friends now, so I'll be around when you do. Let me know, ya?" Izzy can't help the large grin that comes across her face as she nods. She's never had a friend before...
"Great!" Tonks exclaims happily, bouncing along towards the Great Hall, "You fancy some dinner then? I'm starved! Hey, what house are you in?"
Izzy shrugs, "I don't know. Hagrid told me that I was going to be, um, sorted tonight. Where is the Great Hall? That's where I'm supposed to go, and I have to find Professor McGonogall."
"Great Hall is where we get food," Tonks explains brightly, still leading the way towards the location in question, "And I'll help you find ole Minerva. Man, not sorted yet, huh? I guess it makes sense since you've been in the hospital wing this whole time, but that's still weird. It's been like, what, two weeks since term started? How are you gonna make up all that work you missed?"
"I don't know," Izzy mutters softly, a little worried about the very same question. Tonks shrugs, "It's probably not that big of a deal. Maybe you'll get lucky, and the teachers will excuse you. What house are you hoping to get in? I made it into Ravenclaw. It's supposed to be the smart people house, but I don't like smart people. All everyone wants to do is study all the time. It's no fun. I like the Gryffindors, they're supposed to be the brave house so they're always up for anything, and even some of the Slytherins aren't bad, if you steer clear of the pure-blooded psychos. The Hufflepuffs are all pretty nice, but they're always afraid of getting in trouble, so they don't really like me that much. Minerva says I'm the first first-year she can ever remember having to give detention to at the welcoming feast. I started a food-fight. It was really great. There was treacle tart everywhere. And all the ghosts thought it was really hilarious since they could watch and not have to worry about getting dirty. The one, the poltergeist, Peeves, he said that it was brilliant, and he wanted to know if I would help him booby-trap some of the hallways. I'm still thinking about whether I should do it or not. I mean, it would be really funny, but I probably wouldn't get away with it since I almost never do. I don't know why- OUCH!"
Tonks walks into a suit of armor, finally giving Izzy a reprieve from her seemingly-endless chatter. The loud crash of the suit falling, as well as the jeers from the portraits fill her ears instead, and within seconds Tonks is trying to battle her way from beneath the large pile of polished steel.
"Fallen down again, Nymphie?" A teasing, but happy voice coos from the other side of the hall. Izzy turns and sees a girl with long, bone-straight brown hair hanging loosely from her head, and a mocking smile on her porcelain doll face. Her green eyes sparkle as she rocks back and forth on the balls of her feet, seeming impatient for "Nymphie's" reply.
"Sod off, Margo," Tonks answers with a playful laugh, "You know they put them here just for me to run into."
"Sure," Comes Margo's reply as she helps Tonks unstick herself, "Because the whole world is conspiring against you. You're secretly being recorded at all times, and we have meetings where we play the records of it, and everyone laughs at you when you make an arse of yourself."
"Oh, haha," Tonks snipes with a slight grin as she gets to her feet. Once there, she gives Margo a slight smack on the arm, and the other girl smacks her right back.
Feeling slightly out of place, Izzy tries to slowly back away, but Tonks notices her again as soon as she moves, grabs her by the arm, and hauls her a few steps forward.
"Izzy, this is Margo Amos," Tonks informs brightly, "and, Margo, this is Izzy Cooper, she's my friend that I told you about from the train." The brunette's eyes get big, "The one who punched out the head girl?"
"The very same," Tonks announces, sounding almost proud as she hooks her arm around Izzy's neck, ignoring the small girl's desperate struggle to escape, "Funniest thing I've seen since that crazed squirrel went after my da's nuts. And that was pretty damn funny."
"Wow..." Margo gasps, looking at Izzy with pure awe, not that the girl notices since she's still fighting to make Tonks get off of her, "You totally broke her nose!"
"I did?" Izzy squeaks as she finally succeeds in her break away, "I didn't mean to. Is she ok?"
Tonks giggles as she starts walking in the direction of the Great Hall once again, "Oh, she's fine. Madame Pomfrey fixed her up as soon as we got back to the school. Of course, the way she tells it, she's scarred for life, in constant pain, gonna to make you pay, blah, blah, blah, and etc. Totally full of it, if you ask me."
"W-What was that last one?" Izzy squeaks frightfully. Margo snickers, "I wouldn't worry about it. Pam's in my house, and she is all talk." Not feeling reassured, Izzy merely nods.
"Miss Cooper?" A strict voice inquires, making all three girls jump as they turn to investigate. Tonks smiles when she lays eyes on the middle-aged teacher with the deceivingly severe expression on her face, "Minerva! Don't sneak up like that! Are you trying to give us all heart attacks?"
Izzy, confused, resolves herself to silence, however, as soon as the woman gives Tonks a harsh glare, it doesn't matter, "Miss Cooper, correct?"
"Yes, ma'am," She answers quietly, and the woman nods. "Good. Follow me," She instructs, turning, "And Misses Tonks, and Amos, run along to dinner now."
"Sure thing," Margo quips brightly, flicking her long hair over her shoulder. With an energetic wave as the both of them leave, Tonks adds, "See ya later, Izzy! Good luck with your sorting."
Without another word, they're gone, and Izzy is left to scurry along in the very serious woman's footsteps. It's rather hard to keep up, but, very shortly, she stops outside a large set of slightly open double doors. The loud raucous of the whole school gathered in one place can be heard from inside.
"Just one moment," The woman states, "The headmaster will call your name in a moment." Izzy nods, "Ok."
Not even ten seconds later, the loud chatter from inside the doors goes silent. After a brief pause, Izzy hears, "I am pleased to announce that we have one additional student to add to the first year class. She will be sorted now. Cooper, Isabel."
"Come along," The teacher instructs just before she places her hand on Izzy's back and pushes her lightly into the hall.
Izzy jumps like a frightened animal away from that hand, loses her balance in the process, and falls face first into the stone floor just inside the doors. Everyone laughs, or at least that's what it sounds like to Izzy as she tries to hold back tears of pain and embarrassment, and find the will to make herself get back up again. "Maybe I should just stay down this time..." She thinks sadly.
But she doesn't stay down this time, nor would she stay down any other. As frightened as she might be, as absolutely terrified she is of life, Izzy Cooper is much too strong to ever stay down, not when she's already managed to pick herself up on so many other occasions. So she picks herself back up again.
Once she's on her feet, the laughter mostly dies down, though a lot of snickering is still going on. Izzy keeps her eyes on the floor, and hugs herself defensively.
"Are you ok?" A kind, slightly familiar voice asks. Izzy finds the courage to look up, and sees the tall redheaded boy from the train, Bill, she thinks his name was, standing over her. He's not the only one who got up from his seat to check on her well-being. The olive-skinned, curly-haired twins from the train, Mac and Myron, are also nearby, smiling kindly.
"Not broken, are ya, Toothpick?" Myron inquires as he jokingly brushes her off. She flinches, and he stops, but she still answers, "No, I'm ok."
"That's good," Mac adds, running his fingers through the closely-cropped, chocolate-colored curls stuck down against his skull as he smiles, "As long as you're ok, then just go on up." Bill nods, whispering conspiratorially, "Ya. Don't be afraid. It's nothing. I swear."
Sniffling, Izzy informs him calmly, "I'm not afraid," Because she's not, not of the sorting at least. The only thing that scares Izzy is other people, and these ones don't seem all that bad.
"I'll bet anyone ten galleons that thief makes it into Slytherin!" Someone suddenly shouts. The comment is followed by laughter and jeers, and Izzy's not so sure how nice these people are anymore. She pinpoints the source of the yell as the red-haired boy she saw on the train, Bill's little brother, Charlie. He has a smug, hateful smile on his face that makes Izzy turn away abruptly, feeling horribly guilty.
"Shut it," Bill commands dangerously, slapping the severely freckled boy upside the head as he trails behind Izzy on his journey back to his own seat a little farther down the Gryffindor table. Myron gives Charlie a whack as well, snapping, "Git," before he sits down next to Bill. Mac settles for a disappointed glare as he stalks back to the Ravenclaw table.
Of course, Izzy doesn't notice any of this exchange. She's almost all the way to the front of the room, and is trying desperately to ignore the whispers and laughter, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other and keeping her eyes down. "Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Ri-"
"Miss Cooper," The kind voice stops her just as an old stool appears in her vision. Slowly, she looks up into kind blue eyes sparkling behind half-moon glasses. The smile on the old man's face is crinkling his crow's feet, and that somehow makes her feel better, like he's been nice his entire life so there's no way he'd not be nice to her now, "Take a seat, please."
Izzy does as she's told, and her vision goes dark a few seconds later. Disoriented and slightly frightened, her mouth drops wide open a second later when she hears a voice speak to her, almost whispering in her ear, but more than that, maybe inside her head.
'Next time, darling, please be on time for the sorting. I don't like being disturbed while I'm writing next year's song.'
"Err... I'm sorry?"
'Quite alright. You couldn't help it much. Anyways, I suppose we should get right into it.'
"Right into what?"
'The sorting, dear! The sorting! Let's see... hmmm... Interesting, very interesting. Tender-hearted, shy... too shy for Hufflepuff. You'd disappear there...'
"Huffle... what?"
'Most definitely not a Slytherin. I don't think you've got a cruel bone in your entire body. I can't find any ill intent, malice, or anger... which surprises me. With what you've endured, I would certainly understand any anger you might be harboring. But there seems to be none at all...'
"You... You can see that?"
'Indeed I can. It's horrible. No one should be put through anything like it, but you've handled it so well. You just need to stop letting it control your life.'
"Umm... I'll try?"
'That's all I can ask of you. Hmmm... Brilliant. You're a brilliant girl. Maybe one of the smartest I sorted in the last several years...'
"No, I'm not really. I'm nothing special..."
'Oh, but that shy thing, dear. You don't like to show off your intelligence, do you? Yes, I can see that. You wouldn't get along with the Ravenclaws then. Well, I think I know where to put you. You're fiercely loyal to the ones you love, and your hard life has made you strong, and brave.'
"You just said I was shy. I don't think you can be shy and brave."
'Can too.'
"Can not."
'Can too.'
"Can not."
'Stubborn little thing. Just trust me, alright? I know what I'm doing.'
"I guess..."
"Excellent. So you'll be perfect in-"
"GRYFFINDOR!!" The voice bellowing out the strange word makes Izzy jump, almost falling off the stool as her vision is restored and she scrambles down from the high perch. She barely catches a glimpse of an old hat being carried away before the sound of loud, rambunctious cheering draws her attention. Almost everyone at the table all the way at the left side of the hall, the one swathed in red and gold beneath the banner of the roaring lion, is on their feet, screaming, clapping, and hollering jubilantly for the house's newest member.
Izzy takes the hint, and scurries toward the table, her face burning from the attention as she tries to find a place to sit. She finally catches a glimpse of Myron jumping up and down on one of the benches at the very farthest end, waving his arms frantically over his head as he screams, "OY! TOOTHPICK! OVER HERE!" Izzy decides her best bet is with him and the redhead to his right, since they've both been so nice to her, and bolts towards them.
"Congratulations!" Bill beams as he makes space for the small girl to sit between him and his curly-haired friend, "Welcome to Gryffindor!" She smiles, almost imperceptibly, as she takes her seat, seeming like she's trying to shrink her body with the way she's hugging herself.
Myron grabs her plate and begins piling it high with massive portions of every dish he can reach, commenting, "Ya. Sure as hell surprised me. I figured you for a Hufflepuff. It's a good thing you're not though. It'd be awfully hard for me to fatten you up from across the hall." He plops the plate down in front of her, waggling his finger, and commanding with a goofy, mock-authoritative smile, "Go on and eat. They'll be no dessert for you until that plate is spotless, young lady." Bill arches at eyebrow at his friend, "You put a huge chunk of cake on top of the chicken." Myron answers seriously, "Ya, but it's carrot cake. That counts as a vegetable."
"Don't mind him," Bill instructs with an exaggerated eye roll, "He's a little imbalanced. Anyways, I'm Bill, remember? Bill Weasley, from the train? And the one trying to make you sick off of sweets is Myron Wallace."
"And my twin is that guy who looks kinda like me, but less devastatingly handsome," Myron comments, still managing to sound almost serious, "Mac Wallace. He's in Ravenclaw." Izzy nods with understanding, "Ok."
"So, er," Bill goes on, trying to think of some way of making the frightened girl open up, "How've you been?" She replies meekly, "Fine, thank you."
"You aren't eating," Myron observes, sounding scandalized and just a bit whiny, "Why aren't you eating? Bill, she's not eating!" Not quite understanding his joking attitude, Izzy leans away, wide-eyed and frightened, "I-I'm sorry. I'm not hungry."
Myron, having somehow managed to stuff his mouth to the point where it can no longer close in the few seconds it took for her to answer, seems confused. "No' hung'y?" He questions, spraying half-chewed food all across the table. Bill reaches across Izzy to punch him lightly, "Mind your manners, git! Izzy, you really should eat. Don't you want at least a piece of bread, or fruit, or something?"
She thinks about it for a few long moments. She is hungry, starving, actually, but she doesn't want to be fat, like Jordan always tells her she is. She wants to be pretty so he'll love her.
"No," She whispers, "I'm not hungry." Bill opens his mouth to protest, however he's cut off by a shrill voice behind him, "Why are you being nice to that thief?"
"Shut it, Charlie," Bill warns, really fed up with his little brother's stubbornness and cruelty. The boy just doesn't understand. Everyone else figured out that Izzy must've had a hard life, figured it out from the way she acts, from the way she was dressed when they first met her, from the bruises that were all over her body. Bill feels sympathy, because he thinks he understands why she steals. His mother once told him about people like her, people that do what they have to in order to survive against hardship he'll be blessed to never catch a glimpse of. Charlie doesn't feel sympathy at all. Charlie's still sore that she pick-pocketed him. He may be a normally nice boy, but he has a horrible, almost malicious temper, and he can hold a grudge like nobody's business.
"But she's just a stinking little thief!" The boy shrieks, his face flushing behind his many freckles as he balls his fists at his sides, "You can't be friends with a thief! She'll steal all your stuff! People like her are bad! She should be in Slytherin! Or in jail!"
"Stop being a jerk!" Myron hisses, getting to his feet and advancing on Charlie, "Just leave her alone."
"NO!" Charlie replies angrily, "Doesn't anybody but me get it? SHE'S!! A!! THIEF!!"
"Stop, Charlie!" Bill snaps, "Or I'll tell Mum that you're picking on little girls!" Charlie opens his mouth to argue, but can't think of a reply that's not going to get him in trouble, so settles for a scowl before stomping off back to his seat.
Bill and Myron glare as they watch him go, and when they turn around they discover that Izzy is gone.
xxXxx
Izzy gets hopelessly lost within minutes of her escape from the Great Hall. As she wanders cautiously down a damp stone hallway, she decides that it probably wasn't a good idea to run away like she did, since she doesn't know where anything is in this school, but she just couldn't stay near Charlie any longer. He has every right to be mad at her, so she doesn't blame him for his words, but he makes her hate herself even more than she already does, and she doesn't like that.
"Where am I?" She muses softly to herself as she turns yet another darkened corner. When an answer seemingly comes from nowhere, she nearly jumps out of her skin, "You're in the dungeons."
A tall blonde girl with a sharp nose and thin lips steps out of the shadows, smirking wickedly as she advances on Izzy, "And here I thought paying you back for that sucker punch was going to be hard. That's what I get for underestimating the stupidity of ickle first years." Izzy keeps backing away, and the girl keeps coming, keeps smirking, keeps talking, "Do you remember me? From the train?"
Izzy emphatically shakes her head, terrified of the crazed look in the older girl's eyes. However, the girl gets closer, "That's funny, because I remember you. You punched me in the face. It hurt. You broke my nose."
Izzy's back hits a wall, and the girl's hands smack down on either side of her head a second later, trapping her there. A curtain of long, stringy blonde hair blocks off her view of the rest of the hallway, and she can see that the girl's eyes are a muddy brown. "I-I'm really sorry," Izzy squeaks in reply, "I didn't mean to hit you."
"Doesn't matter," The blonde hisses, wordlessly summoning a hot lick of green flame from the end of her wand and bringing it dangerously close to Izzy's face, "You still did, and you still have to pay." The heat is intense, and Izzy can feel it burning her already, even though there are still a few inches left before it actually hits her skin. She wants to struggle, or cry for help, but she can't, and she's not sure why.
"Miss Burton," A cold voice snaps, immediately making the blonde pull away, put out her wand, and hide it behind her back in one smooth motion. She smiles, "Yes, Professor Snape? What can I do for you this evening?"
"Well," The hook-nosed man drawls curtly as he steps further into the light, and into Izzy's vision, "You can refrain from attempting to maim first years."
"Professor, that's not what-" The girl tries to argue, only to be cut off when Snape steps forward, his long cloak flows out behind him as he snaps strictly, "Save it, Miss Burton. We both know what you were about to do, and if you like your position as head girl, I would suggest not coming within ten feet of Miss Cooper for the remainder of the school year. I hardly think it is befitting of someone in your position to be torturing small children."
She opens her mouth to argue, but, again, he cuts her off impatiently, "Pamela Burton, if you do not leave right this instant, I will to it see that you are thrown out of school for what you have done tonight." That threat seems to have some effect, as the blonde practically trips over herself fleeing down the hallway. Once she's gone, Snape turns to Izzy, who's still cowering against the wall, and says kindly, "It's alright. She won't bother you anymore."
"T-Thank you," Izzy stutters in reply, still finding herself unable to move. This is the mean man, the one who made her remember all of the horrible things Uncle Richie did to her, and she doesn't want him to show her anything else. He seems to understand why she's afraid, and keeps his distance as he asks, "Are you lost?"
Weakly, she nods, and he says softly, "I'll find someone to show you to your House. Come with me." He turns on his heels, and Izzy follows, but reluctantly, and from a distance. She may not trust Snape, but she doesn't like being lost alone in this big, scary castle.
After what seems like an eternity of twists and darkened hallways, Snape leads the way into the potions classroom, and instructs, "Have a seat anywhere you like. I'll send for someone to walk you." Unsurprisingly, Izzy chooses a stool in the very back corner, the one that's closest to the door and farthest away from Snape. She sits on her perch, looking like a fragile figurine on a pedestal as she hugs her knees and watches the man's movements at the front of the room.
It doesn't take very long for Snape to page Yori Archer, the head boy. As much as he hates to admit such a thing of a member of his own house, Snape knows that Yori is a much nicer, and all around better person than Pamela, and he knows that the kind boy would never harm a single hair on Izzy's head. And, more than anything, Snape just wants the little girl treated with all the kindness that's due to her.
Of course, once he sends the page, all there is for him to do is wait in awkward silence, but that won't due. He caused this girl an immense amount of pain. He knows because he can still feel her presence in his mind, he can still feel the hurt, and loss, and degradation, and fear, and he wants it to stop, for the both of them.
"Miss Cooper?" He begins softly, wincing in sympathy when she flinches at his words. Her answer is a soft, barely audible, "Yes, sir?"
"You are enrolled in my first year potions class, correct?" He inquires, even though he already knows that the answer is yes. At her slight nod he proceeds, "You have missed a great deal of work during the past week. Since we may be here awhile, I think it would be wise for you to use this time to start getting caught up." With a few flicks of his wand instructions are on the board, and equipment and ingredients materialize on the desk in front of Izzy. "Anything you do not understand," Snape continues, almost kindly, "You need only to ask me about, and I will explain."
She nods again, her eyes moving rapidly as she reads the neat white words scrawled across the massive black slate. The tension and fear in the room seem to melt away as she lets herself become completely immersed in cutting ingredients, and stirring her cauldron, and tending the flame. Snape can't help but let himself smile, because he's given her a reprieve from her pain, even if it's only for a little while.
xxXxx
Almost an hour later, Izzy has flawlessly completed a week's worth of work, and Snape is amazed. He just wanted to give her something to distract from how afraid she was to be alone with him, he didn't actually expect her to be able to do any of it correctly, skillfully maning three cauldrons at once. "Full marks," He tells her, once again unable to stop himself from smiling, "Excellent, Miss Cooper. I'll be expecting work of this caliber from you all year."
For once feeling good about herself, Izzy responds with a weak smile, "Of course, sir."
A second later, she jumps when a new voice calls into the room, "Professor?" Snape doesn't seem at all startled, and wipes the smile off his face as he turns to regard the boy in the doorway, "Ah, Mr. Archer, thank you. Would you please escort Miss Cooper to Gryffindor Tower?"
The handsome, dark-skinned boy smiles kindly, "Sure. No problem at all. I was going that way anyways. Just got off my rounds." Snape rolls his eyes, not even trying to hide how much he doesn't care as he replies, "Fascinating. You are dismissed." With that, he turns on his heels and stomps into his office, slamming the door shut behind himself.
With the Professor gone, Yori turns to Izzy and smiles, "Hello, remember me? From the train?" She nods, shyly, and he continues, "Great. Sorry that you got knocked out. It was kinda funny to see Pam get punched like that though, hehe."
Wide-eyed, Izzy doesn't quite no how to respond, and is thankful when Yori seems to realize it. "Er, ya, well," He chuckles uncomfortably, "Come on. I'll show you how to get to the Tower. Congratulations on making Gryffindor, by the way. Same house I'm in, and it really is the best of them all. Don't let anyone tell you any different."
"Ok," She says meekly, deliberately remaining a few steps behind Yori as he begins to lead her out of the dark and scary dungeons. The boy is confused by her behavior, but he catches on rather quickly that she is shy, and scared, and untrusting. It's sad, he thinks, because she's adorable and obviously quite bright if the way Snape was fawning over her work is any indication. Yori is an inquisitive boy (nosy, some might say), and is instantly curious about the little mystery at his side.
"So," He says, trying to make conversation, as well as investigate the girl, "What's your favorite color?" Izzy looks at him like he's mad, but he just grins widely, trying to let her know that he's serious. Reluctantly, she answers, "Purple."
"Cool," He replies, leading the way around yet another corner, "That's a good one. How about... oh, books! Do you like books?" She nods slightly, and ventures to tell him, "I liked The Little Mermaid. My brother used to read it to me..." Izzy thinks of Jordy, and it makes her heart hurt. She misses him more than anything, so much that she almost doesn't want to go on.
Yori smiles, "Oh, you've got a brother, huh? What's his name?" Trying to ignore the pain, she replies in a forlorn whisper, "Jordy." He thinks for a moment as he begins climbing the first of many staircases that will lead them to the Tower, "And he doesn't go here, does he?" Sniffling slightly, Izzy shakes her head.
"And you miss him," It's not really a question any longer, more like Yori reporting on what he has determined to be the cause of Izzy's sadness, the puzzle, at least partly, solved. She nods, and he tells her softly, "Ah, well that's ok. I miss my brothers and sisters all the time. You'll get used to it."
"But I don't want to get used to missing Jordy," She thinks to herself, "I just want him to come back..."
xxXxx
"Here we are!" Yori announces about fifteen rather uncomfortable minutes later as he and Izzy arrive at the portrait hole. Izzy is out of breath, and feeling a little woozy. Weak, malnourished little girls whose legs are barely long enough to make it between each step often do have a hard time with almost ten stories.
Doubled over and panting, she barely even notices her surroundings until she hears, "Hello, Yori, dear. Is this the new one that everyone's been talking about? Oh, she is simply darling!"
"Hello, Lady. Yes, this is the new first year. Her name is Izzy," Yori says, keeping one eye on the small girl by his side, lest she pass out again. After the fifth story, he saw how much trouble she was having and offered to carry her, but she turned him down rather emphatically and kept a far greater distance for the rest of the upward journey.
The Fat Lady eyes her, commenting, "Heavens, I think she's the smallest one of the entire year! And she is far too skinny! Haven't those house elves been feeding you children?"
Izzy, finally having caught her breath, stands up straight once again. She's gotten used to weird things happening, and barely bats an eye at the movement from within the painting, or the fact that the plump woman within it addresses her primly, "Child, you must eat more! Good nutrition is vital for health!"
Yori chuckles, "Don't worry, Lady. The way I heard it, Myron's made it his personal mission to fatten her up." Of course, this just causes the Fat Lady to puff indignantly, "Hmph. That boy..."
Yori chuckles to himself, beckoning for Izzy to step forward as he says, "Anyways, when you want to get in, all you've gotta do is give the password. This week it's puffskein."
The portrait swings open to reveal a darkened tunnel, and Yori nods toward it, "Go on." Very cautiously, Izzy does so, but she's feeling jumpy and uncertain, and having to walk through the darkness is unnerving. Thankfully, the tunnel is very short, and in just a few seconds she's arriving in the cozy Gryffindor common room.
It's a big, round room, with gray stone walls, lush red carpets, and a high ceiling. The gigantic fireplace next to the entrance is crackling and filling the place with warmth and soft light, making all the gold accents around the room seem like they're glowing. People are sprawled across numerous lush red couches and armchairs, doing homework and chattering happily. The whole atmosphere is comforting, and the low buzz of activity makes Izzy feel calm, like she's... home.
"The girls' staircase is that one," Yori says, making her jump because he's suddenly behind her, "First year dorms are only one flight up. I'd show you, but boys aren't allowed." With a nod to show that she understands, Izzy flees toward the stairs.
Of course, she barely gets one foot on the bottom step before she's grabbed up in a pair of strong arms and spun energetically around the room. In between struggling like mad and trying to keep herself from screaming, she hears, "TOOTHPICK!! There you are!! You didn't finish dinner!!"
"Myron, you dolt," Bill scolds as he runs across the room to save the poor girl from his overly enthusiastic friend. He'd have to be blind and deaf (or else just very, very stupid) to not be able to tell that little Izzy is on the verge of tears, "Put her down!"
"Huh?" Myron asks dumbly, distracted long enough for Izzy to fight her way away from him, landing on her butt when she falls from his arms. Myron, still completely clueless, just grins, "I was sayin' hi to Toothpick! I brought her some food!"
Unable to hold back a smirk, Bill rolls his eyes, "Ya, I noticed. Everyone noticed. That gigantic, dripping bulge under your robes wasn't anywhere near as sneaky as you thought it was."
"Really?" Myron inquires, sounding genuine. Bill blinks at his friend, once, twice, then lets out an exasperated groan as he grasps his forehead in his hand. Still, Myron just grins, rather pleased with himself for managing to annoy the normally painfully patient redhead.
"You alright?" Myron asks kindly, kneeling beside Izzy as he offers her a cookie, almost mockingly but with an underlying caring that's hard to miss. Though her butt is quite sore, she simply nods, then scrambles to her feet and begins backing away towards the staircase.
"Hey, where ya goin', Toothpick?" Myron questions, pouting slightly as he takes a bite of the cookie, "You haven't eaten anything!" Trembling and still backing away, Izzy replies, "I-I'm supposed to find my dorm."
"Go ahead," Bill tells her, delivering a hard smack to the back side of Myron's head, "We'll be here if you need anything, or if you just want to hang out. Ok?" Even though she's slightly wary of the two boys who are so nice to her without seeming to want anything in return, Izzy nods, "Ok." Then she turns and scrambles up the stairs.
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There you have it. As always, reviews are much appreciated ;)
