Chapter 9
We (Albus, Clarice, Rose, Professor Potter and I, that is) all crowded anxiously around James as he lay, still unconscious, in his bed in the hospital wing. The only noise was the occasional whimper from Lily or Hugo or a shush from Will as they stood outside the door because Madame Pomfrey only allowed five visitors at a time. She had been able to heal his broken arm and leg in a matter of minutes, but his cracked skull would heal more slowly.
"He'll have to stay overnight," she announced. "And he has a nasty little concussion too." Seeing the worried looks on everyone's faces, she quickly added, "But that'll all be healed up by tomorrow morning. In fact, he may even be able to go to dinner tonight IF and only if he rests a lot during the day." Albus and Professor Potter, who had been the most worried, visibly relaxed. "He'll wake up soon enough, just be patient." And with that, she bustled into her office, presumably to look at more dress robe catalogues.
And so we waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, around 11:30, just as Rose suggested that we go get some lunch, his eyelids fluttered open.
"James," breathed Professor Potter. "How're you feeling?"
He squeezed his eyes closed and then opened them wide. "Like I've fallen off my broomstick." His voice was hoarse and scratchy. His father transfigured a scrap sheet of parchment sitting on the nightstand into a cup. He then muttered, "Aguamenti,", pointing his wand inside the cup. A stream of water tumbled out, and he handed the cup to James, who had sat up a little. "Thanks." He took a sip, looking around the room. His eyes stopped on me. "Allie, you aren't hurt, were you?"
I smiled. "No, but you sure scared the heck out of me. How much do you remember?"
"I remember diving. And getting flipped off that darn broom." Only he didn't say darn.
"James! Language!" Professor said.
He grinned cheekily. "Sorry, Dad." The grin faded a little as he said tentatively, "How bad was I?"
Al rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Godric, James. Broken arm, broken leg, bloody nose, scrapes and bruises everywhere. All that's been healed, though. It's the cracked skull and concussion you have to worry about now."
James groaned. "So that's why my head feels like it's been trampled by a herd of hippogriffs. I don't have to stay overnight, do I?"
"'Fraid so, Jamesie," said Rose, grinning mischievously. "And didn't I hear McGonagall say tonight's the night that the students from Rolaires and Beauxbatons come? What a pity…"
Throughout her dialogue, James's eyes had been getting wider and wider. "WHAT?"
"James, relax," I said, laughing. "Madame Pomfrey says you can go to the feast if you rest up today." At this, I shoved a box of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum from one of his cousins into his lap. "Just eat some of this and rest so you can go to the feast." He rolled his eyes but grabbed two pieces, popped them into his mouth, and started chewing loudly.
"James, close your mouth. No one wants to see that," said Clarice, looking away from the big bubbly mess in his mouth.
"Clarice, when did you get here?" Except with his mouth full, it sounded more like "Cwawith, weh di you geh hee?"
"I've been here all along, James. Now close your mouth!" He grudgingly obliged.
Madame Pomfrey came bustling out of her office. "'Scuse me, coming through. Now, Mr. Potter, how are you feeling?" Even she looked slightly revolted by the gum wad. "For Merlin's sake, James, spit it out! One piece at a time." James rolled his eyes at Clarice's smirk and spat the gum out into the rubbish bin. "Thank you. Now I'm going to run a quick diagnostic spell on you. The rest of you shoo! Mr. Potter needs his rest." We all scurried away with quick, "Bye, James!"s.
As soon as we stepped out the door, Will, Lily, and Hugo came barreling past us.
"Wait! Madame Pomfrey doesn't…" but Rose trailed off. They were already inside, pestering Madame Pomfrey and James. "Oh well." She turned to me. "Come on, Al. Let's go back to the girls' dorm. You need to get out of those dirty clothes." We headed off to the Gryffindor tower while everyone else headed who knows where.
When we reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Rose said, "Blibbering Humdingers," and she swung open with a cheery, "Goodness, girl! What happened to you?" I quickly climbed through into the common room and shut it behind me.
"Ugh," I said. All the adrenaline from the Quidditch pitch was gone, and I felt drained.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Fine, just tired. Let's go upstairs." We walked (well I trudged) up the stairs to the dormitory where I flopped down on my bed.
"C'mon Allie. You need to get changed; you're filthy." I picked myself up and walked over to the full length mirror that our roommate Arianne White had brought from home. Merlin, she was right. My jeans were covered with grass stains and dirt smears. Fortunately, these were my old ones. My shirt was slightly less dirty, but it had blood stains on the sleeve from James's nose. My hair- don't even get me started on my poor hair. It hung around my sordid face, lank, matted, and two shades of brown darker than it usually was. Rose laughed at my expression. "Didn't I tell you?"
I stuck my tongue out at her. "Well, I'm gonna take a shower. Oh, shoot. I don't think I have any clean clothes left."
"No problem, you can borrow some of mine."
"Thanks," I said gratefully, grabbing a towel and stepping into the bathroom.
A good half hour later, I stepped out of the shower and found a bundle of clothes neatly folded and placed on the counter. A folded piece of parchment lay on top. In Rose's cramped but neat handwriting, it read:
Allie,
Gone to get some lunch. Here are your clothes; sorry I couldn't find anything else.
See you when I get back!
Rose
What did she mean, "Sorry I couldn't find anything else"? Well, only one way to find out. I put the note aside and unfolded the clothes. So it seemed Rose was alright with finding Muggle clothes. On top was a pair of well-worn blue jeans with a hole over the right knee. They were about my size, although Rose was a bit taller than me. Under that was a bra and underwear that I recognized as mine. The item on the very bottom was wine red, and I initially thought it was a shirt. But as I unfolded it, I realized it was a very short sundress. Far too short to wear alone. Sorry I couldn't find anything else. Oh. Well, it was either this or my dirty clothes.
I slipped it all on, and as I stood looking in the mirror, I realized it didn't look half as bad as I had feared it would. In fact, I thought as I twirled a bit on the floor that was still wet with condensation from my shower, I looked rather American. Like a Southerner or something. Yes, I really ought to add a straw hat and cowboy boots to this outfit. Giggling, I walked out of the bathroom.
Rose was sitting on the window seat with a red gingham blanket and a basket. When I walked in, she looked me up and down and cracked a grin. "Well, don't you look…"
"American," I finished for her, my smile matching hers.
"Yes, that's the word. C'mon, I got some food from the kitchens; we're having a picnic down by the lake. I've invited Lorcan, Lysander, and my cousin."
"Which one?"
"Roxanne."
"Right. Well, let's go!" I snatched the basket and skipped out of the dorm with it over my arm, everyone in the Common Room staring, and Rose laughing and running to catch up behind me.
We met up with Roxanne, Lorcan, and Lysander by a huge, shady oak tree at the lakeside. After the picnic blanket was spread out, Rose unpacked the food that disappeared very quickly between the five of us.
"So," said Lorcan, swallowing a bite of pie. "What exactly happened to James? We," here he motioned at his brother "heard that he was riding Hagrid's pet hippogriff and fell off!"
"Where in Merlin's beard did you hear that?" I asked, almost choking on my pumpkin juice.
"Hogwarts is notorious for rumors," explained Roxanne. "You'll never get the truth unless you hear it from the person the rumor is about. Sometimes not even then."
"Right," agreed Lysander. "So since James is in the hospital wing, why don't you tell us? According to the hippogriff story, you were riding a thestral behind him."
I groaned and put my hands over my face. "Where do these people get these barmy ideas?" They all snickered at my "innocence".
"Well, James invited me to go fly around the pitch with him for a bit- ON BROOMS, mind you…" I told them everything, although I scaled down a bit on my freaking out over him.
"So no hippogriffs OR thestrals?" said Lorcan when I finished.
"Nope," I said.
"Well, I suppose it wouldn't've been all too exciting with thestrals anyway. Mum says they're completely harmless. I can't see them, though."
"Why not?"
"Y'can only see them if you've seen death. Which I don't fancy doing, so I really don't mind not seeing them."
"Hmm," I said, not really listening.
"What's up, Allie? Daydreaming about Jamesie?" teased Roxanne. My head, which had been leaning back, snapped up.
"WHAT?"
She giggled at my reaction. "C'mon, Al. It's soooo obvious you fancy him!"
"No I- What- How- I don't fancy James! I mean, he's like a year older than me, and I barely know him. I just met him two weeks ago. At King's Cross. And just because we're kinda friends doesn't mean we're, like, going out or something. Can't guys and girls be just friends? Besides, he's my brother's mate; that'd be so weird to go out with him. It'd be like dating-"
"Allie, stop! It's okay, we all know you're in denial. Don't worry, we won't tell him. Your secret's safe with us. Although," she added, feigning thoughtfulness, "if you go on being so obvious, it might not matter whether we tell or not."
"Oh, go feed the Giant Squid," I said, throwing a few blades of grass at her. "Read my lips: I don't fancy him."
"Whatever," she said, still smiling and picking grass out of her hair calmly.
Glaring at the others, who were practically rolling in the grass laughing, I said, "Oh, grow up, you lot! Worse than the first years, honestly."
Lysander sat up, wiping his eyes. "Sure, Allie. Keep on denying it."
I sent a "see what you've done?" look at Roxanne, who smirked, and I rolled over and lay down.
"C'mon," she said to Lorcan and Lysander. "Let's go skip some stones into the lake." I heard the three of them get up and scramble around in the grass for rocks to throw. After a minute or so, the sound of splashing and taunts could be heard.
"So, Allie," said Rose. I sat up. "Now that you've seen Dimitri, what do you think?"
I smiled. Rose was still obsessed. "Pretty good-looking, I'd say. But something about him seems kinda off."
"What, because he's from Durmstrang?"
"No. It's just- I dunno how to describe it. I just don't feel comfortable around him. He's a bit intimidating, to be honest."
"Oh, it's just because you don't know him well yet," she said, waving her hand as if swatting off a fly.
"Yeah, probably," I said, absentmindedly braiding a few blades of grass together. Something told me Rose was right.
Rose, Roxanne, and I were in our dorm getting ready for the welcome feast for Rolaires and Beauxbatons. I, of course, had nothing else to wear, so I was wearing my cute little American outfit. Hopefully the Rolaires kids wouldn't laugh at me.
Instead of working on my own outfit, I helped Rose and Roxanne with theirs. Neither of them, being Weasleys and therefore redheads, could wear red or orange without horrible clashes ensuing, so we paired a turquoise gypsy-style shirt with brown stitching around the collar with dark skinny jeans for Roxanne. For Rose, a deep purple babydoll was matched with another pair of Roxanne's skinny jeans. We'd heard those were very popular in the States.
"Well, girls, I must say that we look Ah-maz-ing!" said Rose proudly as we posed before the mirror. "Let's go wow some hot American boys!" Laughing, we headed downstairs into the stream of students headed for the Great Hall.
As we approached the Gryffindor table, I spotted a bunch of Weasleys, Will, Lily, and…James!
"James!" I said as we sat down. "How're you feeling?"
He smiled ruefully. "Bit dizzy, but don't tell Madame Pomfrey."
Before I could even say hello to Will, Professor McGonagall's voice, aided by a Sonorus charm, boomed over the hall. "ATTENTION, STUDENTS!" The chatter of the hall quickly ceased. "THE STUDENTS OF THE SCHOOLS OF ROLAIRES AND BEAUXBATONS WILL BE ARRIVING MOMENTARILY. I EXPECT YOU ALL ON YOUR BEST BEHAVIOR, AND YOU WILL DO YOUR BEST TO WELCOME OUR GUESTS. THANK YOU."
Even though she had sat down and removed the charm, the hall remained silent, the tension tangible as everyone waited for the foreign schools to arrive. A few hushed whispers were the only sound to be heard.
Just then, the doors of the Great Hall snapped open and every head turned. A VERY tall (and by very tall I mean Hagrid tall) woman strode in followed by an entourage of boys and girls all in pale blue silk uniforms. They looked very cold; after all, winter here isn't excactly known for being mild.
"THE BEAUXBATONS ACADEMY OF MAGIC!" boomed McGonagall. We all applauded as they marched after the giant lady who was presumably their headmistress. Every person at every table scooted over to make room for the newcomers. I spotted a girl whose golden blonde hair fell in waves to a little bit past her chin. She appeared to be looking for a place to sit. I squeezed into Rose, pushing her until she moved over and motioned for the girl to come sit next to me. She smiled a little bit shyly.
"Charlotte Dupont."
"Allie Lancaster. Nice to meet you."
"And you."
At the front of the hall, I spotted Professor McGonagall and the Beauxbatons headmistress seated next to each other, talking quietly. Oddly, Hagrid kept stealing glances at the giant lady. Maybe he had never seen someone else who was actually his size before.
As everyone started to chat with the foreign students, the doors opened wide again, bringing another unnatural silence to the hall. A very tan man with black, perfectly styled hair walked in. He wore Muggle clothes, as did his students.
"THE ROLAIRES INSTITUTE OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY!" I noticed that the Americans actually looked prepared for the colder weather. They marched in after the tanned man and started looking for seats. This time it was Rose who shoved me into Charlotte, who promptly fell over. I glared at Rose and helped Charlotte up as a Rolaires girl with perfectly straightened, chestnut brown hair slid onto the bench next to Rose.
McGonagall began to speak again. "Welcome, students of Beauxbatons and Rolaires. We welcome you to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We hope you will enjoy your stay, and remember, everyone, this exchange program is meant to help us form bonds of friendship with other schools of magic. Please act accordingly in the following weeks. Thank you, and enjoy the feast." She clapped twice and every plate filled with food. The talking started up again, this time joined by the sound of scraping forks and clinking cups.
"So, how old are you, Charlotte?" I said, turning to face her.
"I am nearly fourteen," she said, her words touched by a heavy French accent. "What about you?"
"Same," I said, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. "So you're a third year?"
"We do not haff years at Beauxbatons," she said. "But eef I went to 'ogwarts, zen yes, I would be a third year."
Her accent intrigued me, but I didn't want to be rude by asking about it. After all, all the Beauxbatons students had accents. "Cool. Hey, let me introduce you to some of my friends. This is James, Roxanne, Rose, my brother Will, Lily, Fred, Lorcan, Lysander… um, well, I'm kind of new this year, I don't really know everyone's names yet." When I said their names, the aforementioned looked up and smiled at Charlotte. She looked rather overwhelmed.
"Are zey all related?"
"The redheads are all Weasleys, James and Lily are Potters, and Lorcan and Lysander are Scamanders. The Potters and Weasleys are all related as well."
Her mouth formed a perfect "O". "You don't mean ze Weasleys and Potters? As een Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and 'ermione Granger? And Lovegood like Rolf Scamander?"
I smiled, enjoying her reaction. "The very same."
Her mouth snapped shut as she realized she was gaping. "Wow. You 'ave famous friends."
Will interrupted. "Except me. I'm just the older brother." Here he winked.
I rolled my eyes. "Charlotte, this is my brother, William Lancaster. Will, this is Charlotte Dupont."
Will tossed his hair to the side (do all boys do that?) and stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Charlotte."
Her pale cheeks turned slightly pink. "Ze same to you, Will. You may call me Lottie; everyone else does."
Godric, was my new friend hitting on my brother? And even worse, did he like her as well? Unwilling to think of such vulgar things, I turned around to see how Rose and the Rolaires girl were getting along.
Fabulously, it turned out. She introduced me to the girl, whose name was Kailey. As we talked, I realized that I hadn't liked her when I first saw her. Maybe it was the perfect hair, or the immaculate makeup. Or maybe I just thought she was stealing my best friend. But she turned out to be really nice, and hilarious to boot. We finished dinner and I walked upstairs with Rose, Roxanne, Charlotte (who was going on about how nice my brother was), and Kailey. We found that since they had chosen to eat at our table, our dorm had expanded to accommodate two more people. None of us worried about sleep. Instead, we stayed up through the night, exchanging stories and trying to mimic each others' accents. I guess McGonagall was right about this whole foreign exchange thing after all.