In The Life of Skye Black

Chapter Three

By NarnianAslan

Author's Note: Right, so no updates in a while, right? I'm working on it, trust me. I'm editing up chapters one and two, so this might not make sense at the moment. Check back in a week or two to reread chapters 1 & 2, see if you get it.

XXX

Laughing like mad, Fred and I raced back to Gryffindor common room. We were halfway there, when who should we meet but Snape?

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Black, what, pray tell, is so comical that you're laughing loud enough to wake the castle?"

A girl stepped out of the shadows.

"It was me, Professor. I'm sorry. I told a joke, and they couldn't stop laughing." She gave Snape a grin. She was wearing Slytherin robes.

"Very well. Miss Montague, you're a prefect, I suspect you can lead Mr. Weasley and Miss Black to the vicinity of Gryffindor tower?"

"Of course, Professor."

Snape walked away.

"Bloody hell, Montague, we didn't need your saving!"

"From how it looked, you did. Trust me, I'm not too keen on saving two Gryffindorks from detention."

I rolled my eyes. Typical Slytherin.

"Who are you?" I asked. I wasn't about to stay in the dark.

"Sorry, Skye this is Montague. Montague, Skye."

"My name's Regina Anastasia Montague, thanks, Weasel."

"Hold on-" I stopped. "Anastasia Montague?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "That's what I said."

I looked at her. Black hair, grey eyes, abso-bloody-lutely haughty appearance. She was a Black. "Who was your mum?"

"Not that it's your business, Blood Traitor, but Meissa Montague."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No. Why?" She was curious. I don't think she knew. Fred certainly didn't.

"Skye, what the-?"

"You're my cousin. Directly. My mum, she's Anastasia Montague. Or she was, before she married my dad."

"Skye, I thought your mum's name was Aza…"

"That's only her nickname. She hates her real name." I turned to Regina. "Who's your dad?"

"I don't know. He died before I was born. He was only just eighteen."

"Really?" I asked.

"Ha…" I said… from what it sounded, her dad was my uncle Regulus. And Regina was the feminine form of the name.

"Was your dad a Death Eater?" Fred asked.

"I don't bloody know! I don't get why I'm talking to you."

"Blood is thicker than water," I said simply.

"What's that mean?"

"That you're curious about your father, and, seeing as I look so much like you," I had changed my appearance back to normal as soon as we'd left the dungeons, "you wonder how much I know."

"You've been hanging around that Hermione Granger too much."

I shrugged. "Maybe."

"Later, Gryffindorks. If you tell anyone I just had a conversation with Blood Traitors…" she mumbled as she walked off. Fred reached in his robes for his wand. I grabbed his hand.

"She's not worth it."

"She just insulted us!"

"Slytherin," I reminded him. "Ha. Mum'll be interested to hear this."

"What, that you've got a cousin?"

"No, that my Uncle Regulus had a daughter."

Fred, having no idea I even had an Uncle Regulus, shrugged. Then he looked down at his wand hand. "Skye… Why're you holding my hand?"

I quickly dropped it. "I forgot I had it. I had to stop you from getting us into more trouble."

Fred grinned. "I can't wait for tomorrow!"

Laughing, we made our way back to the common room, and up to our dormitories.

XXX

"Skye! Skye! Get up!" Ginny and Emily were talking turns yelling in my ears.

"What?"

"It's breakfast time!" Emily yelled, forever thinking of food.

"And Fred found me in the common room and told me to tell you that you two have to see Malfoy's face!" Ginny yelled. I rolled my eyes. I couldn't even sleep on a Saturday! Wait- Saturday? Tomorrow was the ball!

I shot up, quickly dressed in a Muggle band t-shirt, jeans, and my Converses. Then I raced downstairs to find Fred and George playing Exploding Snap.

"What the bloody hell time is it?" I asked.

"Uh…" George checked his watch that he'd gotten for his birthday…on April Fool's Day. "Eight-thirty. And Fred got an owl about five minutes ago that said Malfoy was up."

"Who would do that?"

Fred shrugged. But he caught my eye, which I took to mean that Regina had sent it.

"Your eyes are grey-brown today, Skye, any reason why?"

I shrugged. "I didn't even notice. Be right back." I raced up the girl's dormitory. My hair was black, thank god, but George was right. My eyes were grey- strange enough as they were normally blue- but they had brown flecks in them. I'd have to write Dora about it. I grabbed my wand, which I'd forgotten before, and raced back down.

"Ready for breakfast?"

XXX

When we reached the Great Hall very few people were there. Hermione was doing work of some sort, Luna was reading The Quibbler, and a few Hufflepuffs were chatting.

"Fred, George, Skye, what are you doing up so early?" Hermione asked. Emily was right behind us, Ginny having gone back to sleep.

"Food!" Emily yelled, diving at some eggs and pumpkin juice.

"You'll see," George grinned. I had a feeling Fred told him. He sat down next to Emily, I nezt to Hermione, and Fred next to me.

Halfway through a conversation about Vegetarianism with Emily and Hermione ("You can't love animals and eat them at the same time," Emily and I had agreed), a very angry, very hilarious Malfoy came running in the Great Hall. Behind him were Goyle, Crabbe, Parkington, and Regina, the last of whom was smirking.

He raced over to the Gryffindor table. "What the hell did you do to me?"

Fred, George, Hermione and Emily covered their mouths to repress laughter, but I stayed straight-faced.

"I've got no idea what you're talking about."

"No idea! Look at me! My skin's been turned red and yellow, my hair's been turned purple, and what the hell is written on my forehead?"

Fred, who had since recovered, grinned. "Looks like 'twitchy ferret'."

"That wasn't a real question!"

"Actually, it was," Emily grinned. "It was a rhetorical question, not meant to be answered, but a question nonetheless."

"Shut up, Blood Traitor!"

Emily shrugged. "Least my dad's not in Azkaban."

"Oh yes, a bookshop in Hogsmeade. Wonderful money intake, I'm sure!"

"Actually it is. You'd be surprised how many people pick up a book."

Fred and George burst out laughing. Malfoy raised his wand at the lot of us.

"Tell me how to get rid of this."

"Ooh, see, here's the thing, Ferret," Fred sighed. "That's Weasley's Wizard Wheezes work there. Irremovable. Unless, of course, you purchase the soap that gets rid of all of it."

"Normally twenty-nine Galleons, but considering your being a Slytherin, our shop not being up-and-running, and your dire need for it, we'll have to make it ninety," George grinned.

"Forget it!" Malfoy scoffed and walked off.

Only then did I burst out laughing. Hermione wasn't angry.

"That was so inventive! You three've got potential!"

"Why, thank you Hermione," Fred grinned.

XXX

When Harry and Ron came down, they laughed. Colin Creevey had come down minutes after Malfoy, and had taken loads of pictures. Dean was trying to draw Malfoy.

"Does he really need that soap?" Ron asked.

Fred grinned. "Remember that week George and I went 'round with brown hair and vampire-white skin?"

"Yeah, Mum said you were never gonna be able to get your freckles back."

"The only thing that helped us was that soap," George grinned.

"But messing with Malfoy was Skye's idea," Fred said.

"Brilliant, Skye!"

"Why's Skye so brilliant?" Katie asked, immediately sitting down next to George and filling her plate with food.

"She and Fred made Malfoy Gryffindor red-and-gold, turned his hair purple, and wrote 'twitchy ferret' on his head. Fred and George having the only way to get it all off," Emily said.

"In that case, I agree. We've got Quidditch practice today, mind," Katie sighed as she forked some sausage into her mouth.

"Ew," Emily groaned. I mock-gagged.

"Skye, now you're going to make me feel bad and quit meat," Fred groaned.

"Maybe she could sweet talk you out of it," Ron shrugged. I glared at him. "Just a suggestion," he said quickly.

Oh, well. No one knew Ron's first fancy wasn't Hermione. Not even Katie, or Ginny, or the twins. Only me. I don't think she even knew.

"Mail's here!" Emily said.

A jet-black owl landed in front of me. Dora's owl, Morph.

"'Morning, Morph. Have I got a letter from Dora?" the bird dropped the letter.

I ripped it open.

Wocher, Skye!

How've you been? I haven't heard from you in ages, so decided to write. Is Ron giving you any trouble? Tell him I said hi. I'm going to be in Hogsmeade next weekend, so I'll be sure to find you. You and the twins had better stay out of trouble. Molly and Sirius'll go mad if you don't do well on exams. That goes for Ron and Ginny, too, though they'll be getting letters, I'm sure. I really don't have much time, as I think you've guessed, so all I can say is "break a leg on O.W.L.s!" not literally, please, I don't wasn't Sirius killing me.

Your cousin,

Dora

"Oi! Ron! Dora says hi!"

Ron turned a bit pinkish. Granted, I didn't need to yell that. I grabbed a piece of parchment, and a self-inking quill out of my bag.

Dora, I wrote,

I've been good, and Ron's not giving me too much trouble. He says hi back, and so do the twins. Hermione's busy working on S.P.E.W., and Harry's doing all right. You'll be in Hogsmeade? Great! I'll be sure to keep an eye out for you.

-Skye

"Hey! I never said hi!" Fred argued. I attached the letter to Morph's leg.

"You did now." I gave Morph an affectionate pat on the head before she flew off. Then I turned to my mum's owl, Lily, she was holding a package, and my dad's owl, James, had a letter.

I ripped open the package to find tickets to the Prides vs. Ballycastle game right after school. There was also a note.

Skye,

Your father, through his connections, has managed to get six tickets to the Ballycastle/Prides game this June. Please don't go about insulting Ballycastle, because your father got the tickets through their keeper, an old friend. He's also said that if you get at least six O.W.L.s, he'll get you tickets to a Homecoming Havoc concert this summer. And I'll get you a new broom if you manage to get seven. All the more reason to study.

Love,

Mum

Fred was gaping over my shoulder. "Prides versus Ballycastle? Homecoming Havoc? A new broom?"

I shrugged. "My dad's friends with Gerard Rush, you know that. And Harry got a Firebolt last year. More than likely, my dad got the tickets through Gerard Rush, he's a big supporter of Ballycastle, and good friends with the team."

"Still!"

I opened my dad's letter.

Skye,

I got you tickets to the Prides versus Ballycastle game this June, as I'm sure you already know, and they're some of the best seats. Right next to Gerard Rush and his family- I gasped- we were good friends at school, actually. As luck would have it, Gerard and Antoinette's daughter, Lydia, is starting Hogwarts next year, so they're all going to be in Hogsmeade this weekend. I'll be with them, reacquainting them with Britian. Their son, Matt, who was going to be going into his fifth year at Salem, is moving with them. Find Tonks and she'll know where we are. I'll see you then. Don't get too starstruck, Skye, they're still human. Please, don't tell too many people.

Luck on your exams,

Dad

"Oh. My. God!" I breathed. Ron took the letter out of my hand.

"Gerar-" I clamped my hand over his mouth.

"Read the last bit." I let go of his mouth.

"Oh. Wow."

"I hate you," Fred muttered enviously.

"Why, now? I was going to bring you… but…."

"Did I say I hate you? No! I meant I love you! You're my best friend!"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. You can come."

XXX

Quidditch practice was grueling, as we knew it would be… but I didn't mind it too much. On the way back, Ron and Fred wouldn't leave me alone. George and Katie had wondered off, somewhere, and Harry had been drug away by Hermione to study.

"D'you reckon your dad knows all of the band?"

I shrugged. "Dunno. I knew he knew Gerard Rush. So it wouldn't surprise me. But two of them went to Salem."

"So? This is wicked!"

"For once, I agree with Ron. Skye, they're one of the best Wizarding bands of our time!"

I laughed. "And you're coming with me."

"Yes!" He hugged me. "You're my best friend! Forget George!"

I rolled my eyes, but smiled.

"The ball's tomorrow, you know. And I heard that some third years from each house are going to plant Mistletoe all over the place," Ron said.

"But it's summer," Fred said, letting go of me.

Ron shrugged. "They're third years. Who knows what they're thinking."

We laughed and went up to the Gryffindor common room. I couldn't help but wonder about the ball. Why'd I get all those letters the day before the ball? Now that I thought about it, neither Dumbledore nor any other professor had said who was performing. I could only wonder.

XXX

Author's Note:Ack! 2,204 words! Not including the notes or the title! Pretty long. Anyways, I know I made some errors in earlier chapters, and I know that this chapter is probably crap too, but I HAD to post! Notice I put Colin in, because he's just too overlooked, poor kid. Deathly Hallows made me cry so hard, and now I picked it for a book project. Stupid, stupid me! I'm going to CRY! And I never cry! I think, besides Harry Potter, Terabithia and Titanic were the only other media that made me cry. (Titanic is a movie, and Terabithia is a book/movie)

Review. And I just might save Fred.