A/N: This is probably one of the only times I'll be able to post chapters so quickly, so don't get used to it. It's probably going to be more like a chapter per week, if I'm lucky. I wish I could do it faster, but, alas, I have a shit-ton of schoolwork to do and it's stressful enough. Please review - feedback helps me with future chapters, and don't refrain from asking any questions or giving suggestions! I'll answer any questions/comments/suggestions in the chapter after they were posted. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC Skylar Wolf and her pet cat, Celeste. Everything else belongs to its respective owner.
Word Count: 1,784
Mrs. Weasley was at Platform 9¾, urging her daughter to go through the brick column.
"Go on, Ginny. You know what to do." Ginny nervously ran towards the barrier, closing her eyes as she passed through it with her things intact. Upon passing, she opened her eyes to come face to face with Hermione and Skylar.
"Hey Ginny!" Hermione greeted the youngest Weasley.
"Would you like to sit with us?" Skylar offered, "The boys are late and we're tired of waiting." Ginny nodded happily before following the two witches onto the train. She waved goodbye to a smiling Mrs. Weasley. The three girls found an empty compartment and made themselves uncomfortable.
"Where do you think they are?" Hermione asked the older redhead. She shrugged before pulling out a stack of books from her bag.
"I'm not sure, but I know it can't be good." She gave a pointed look at Ginny, who giggled in return. She knew firsthand what it was like to share a home with rowdy boys.
"Ooh, Little Women?" Hermione picked out the novel from the stack.
"Go ahead, I've brought enough to last…" Skylar counted the books, adding up to fifteen. "Enough for the train ride." Ginny looked at her wide-eyed. "I like reading." She explained simply. "Anyways, help yourselves. I've got plenty for all." When the trolley-lady came by, she bought a variety of candies, spreading them out on the table like she'd done with Harry and Ron their first year. When Ginny fell asleep beside her, Skylar got up to move.
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked without taking her eyes off the page.
"Just to see Neville and the other guys." She replied nonchalantly.
"Okay. See you later." Skylar closed the sliding door quietly before searching the neighboring cabins for Neville and his friends.
"Hey!" She greeted Neville once she found him. "What's...going on?" She asked, gauging the shocked expressions on the faces of Neville, Seamus, Dean, and Michael.
"We-we-" Neville started, staring at the window.
"We just saw Harry and Ron pass by in a flying car!" Seamus blurted out.
"Oh, lord." Skylar put her face in her hands.
"He's not kidding!" Dean added.
"I know," Skylar shook the loose strands of her hair from her face, "I knew they'd gotten up to something bad. You've just confirmed it. When the professors find out, they'll have detention for years." The boys laughed at her reaction. They talked for a while before Skylar headed back to her own cabin.
Skylar walked into the greenhouse alongside Hermione, both with their bags and arms full of books. They'd both heard about Ron and Harry's run-in with the Whomping Willow, and they were just glad the boys were alive. Skylar knew that Mr. Weasley wouldn't be too happy when he found out about the condition of his car.
"Detention. On the first day?" Skylar craned her head to see the source of the question. It was Neville, conversing with Harry, Ron, and some of the other Gryffindor second years.
"That must be some kind of record." Seamus joked. Skylar stifled a giggle as she walked over to Ron and Harry with Hermione.
"I should think you'd count yourself lucky that's all you got." The brunette commented, looking back and forth between Ron and Harry.
"I should think you'd mind your own business." Ron countered with a sour look. There was an awkward silence as Hermione and Ron glared at each other. Their moment was interrupted by Professor Sprout.
"Welcome to Greenhouse Three, Second Years. Today, we will be repotting Mandrakes." Skylar shivered as she remembered what she'd read in the Herbology books about the human-like plants. "Now, who here can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" To no one's surprise, Hermione's hand shot up in the air.
"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is used to return those who have been transfigured to their original state. It's also quite dangerous. The Mandrake's cry is fatal to anyone who hears it."
"Excellent." Professor Sprout clapped her hands together. "Ten points to Gryffindor. Now, as our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet. However, they will knock you out for several hours. That is why I have provided each of you with a pair of earmuffs. If you would then…" Each student pulled a pair of earmuffs from under the tables. Ron made a disgusted look when he pulled out a pair of hideous fluffy pink earmuffs. Skylar suppressed a giggle as she saw Ron's reaction before pulling out a pair of plain black earmuffs, identical to Harry and Hermione's. Professor Sprout led the students to the garden area of the classroom and stopped at a pot with a rather large fern-like plant. She grabbed the bunch of leaves in her hand and lifted it up, revealing a brown, mud colored baby, the leaves sticking up from its head like tufts of green hair. Neville took one look, and his brown eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the ground, his body lying limp and motionless. The Professor and students crowded around the Gryffindor.
"Hmm." Professor Sprout examined the motionless boy, prying open his eyelids and checking his pulse. "It appears as though Mr. Longbottom neglected his muffs." She picked up the discarded said muffs in her hands for everyone to see.
"No ma'am. He's just fainted." Seamus explained. His muffs had just fallen off when he fell. Harry and Skylar couldn't help but let out a few giggles.
Skylar watched as Percy Weasley entered the Great Hall followed by a gorgeous blonde Ravenclaw. She recognized the fifth-year as Penelope Clearwater. Skylar had the sneaking suspicion that she and the older Weasley were dating, but she couldn't be sure.
"There's Nearly Headless Nick." Penelope pointed to said ghost, who was currently floating around the hall, greeting the students and professors.
"Hello, Sir Nicolas." Skylar nearly laughed at Percy's formality.
"Hello Percy. Miss Clearwater." The elder ghost nodded at the two students before floating off. Skylar turned to her right to see Hermione, her nose still buried in one of Lockhart's books. It was Gilderoy Lockhart's Travels with Trolls. Across the table, Ron appeared to be wrapping his broken wand in layers of some sort of duct tape. Skylar picked up the roll and examined it. The tape was labeled "Spellotape". She wondered if it truly worked or if it was some kind of wizarding scam.
"Say it." Ron sighed dramatically to Harry. His wand was in two pieces, barely held together by the tacky adhesive. "I'm doomed."
"You're doomed." Harry nodded affirmatively. The four were blinded with a bright light as the sound of a camera click went off. When the flashing light faded, a small first year stood in front of Harry. Skylar giggled at the little boy dwarfed by the large camera hanging around his neck.
"Hiya Harry!" The boy held out his hand to Harry excitedly. "I'm Colin Creevey. I'm in Gryffindor too." Skylar remembered Colin. He had been both nervous and excited to be sorted, jumping with joy when the hat announced his house.
"Hello, Colin." Harry started, "Nice to meet-"
"They're for my dad-" Colin interrupted giddily, "-the pictures. He's a milkman, you know, a Muggle. Like all our family's been until me." He looked proud when he came to that part. "No one knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic 'till we got my letter from Hogwarts. Everyone just thought I was mental." Skylar could definitely relate to that. At one point she'd gotten so scared and angry with Gordon, she'd unwittingly floated a knife into the air. The knife flew at Gordon, embedding itself in the wall a centimeter from his right ear. She'd gotten quite a beating for that.
"Imagine that." Ron muttered sarcastically, still wrapping the dinky tape around his wand. Skylar kicked him under the table and he scowled.
"Say, Harry. D'you think your friend could take a photo of me and you standing together? Ya' know, to prove I've met you?" Skylar stifled a giggle when she saw Ron's face. He was turning a bright red, practically blowing steam from his ears. He looked positively homicidal. Before he could say anything, however, a wave of owls streamed into the Great Hall. Different shapes and sizes, different colors and patterns on their feathers, all graceful in swooping arcs and dives. Except for one large grey owl with piercing yellow eyes. The strange looking owl dive bombed from the air and into Ron's bowl, splashing his black bean soup all over the table and his robes.
"Bloody bird's a menace!" Ron growled at the owl, who looked both confused and saddened.
"Oh hush Ron." Skylar crossed her arms. "At least you have an owl." She regarded the red envelope lying in front of Ron. "Hey, what's that?" She pointed at the letter. Ron looked down, his grey-green eyes widening, face paling more than normal.
"Weasley's gotten himself a Howler." Seamus cried, prompting heads to turn and stare at the embarrassed redhead.
"What's a Howler?" Skylar whispered to Hermione.
"Oh, you'll see." She replied cryptically.
"Go on, Ron." Neville looked almost as pale as the redhead. "I ignored one from my Gran once...and it was horrible." He shuddered, Ron grimacing at the letter before him. His hands shook a bit as he picked up the letter in question. He opened it, flinching as a voice was released, shaking the hall and rattling the silverware on the table.
"RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR!" Skylar let out a nervous giggle as she recognized Molly Weasley's voice emerging from the angry-faced envelope that had taken shape of an angry face. "I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!" Her voice softened as she got to the next part, "Ginny dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud." Everyone turned to look at the redhead first year. Ginny had a slight blush as she ducked shyly from the prying gazes of spectators. Skylar draped her arm around Ginny's shoulders as she furiously scribbled in a small black notebook. The red letter was magically ripped into bits and pieces before everyone's eyes, shortly followed by peals of laughter and howling from the other tables. The flash on Collin's camera went off as he took pictures of the ashamed second year.
"Look at it his way," Harry patted Ron's shoulder sympathetically, "How much worse can things get?" Skylar snorted and shook her head, knowing Harry's words would soon be opposed by future events.