More updates, yay!
The Scribe's Resurrection
Part One: Chapter Two
Hogwarts, December 1971
Selena sighed, bored out of her mind. It was Christmas holiday, and Darcy had left the week before. Five people out of Gryffindor had stayed, including herself. She tried to ignore the conversation the others were having.
"Shh, shh, she might be listening!" Someone hushed everyone else.
"I'm not listening!" Selena announced, looking over at the corner where four boys sat. "Oh, hi, Remus!"
"You know her?" One asked Remus. He nodded. "Oi! Get over here!"
"Yes, sir," Selena said, rolling her eyes and getting up from in front of the fire. She sat at the table next to Remus, who looked like he had been sleeping.
"Sirius Black," the boy who had called her over said.
"James Potter."
"Peter Pettigrew. I sit next to you-"
"In the Great Hall, yeah, I know. I know all of you."
"How might that be?" James asked, producing giant bags of marshmallows to go with the mugs of chocolate they already had.
"You're enough to scare Peeves away."
"I'm touched." James put one hand on Sirius' shoulder and the other on his chest. "No one's ever given us such a compliment." Selena began to laugh.
"You're welcome. Now, what was it you wanted me for?"
"Nothing." Selena narrowed her eyes at Sirius. He pulled out a deck of cards. "Exploding Snap anyone?"
They played cards the rest of the afternoon, gorging themselves with toasted marshmallows and crumpets. Simple fun was the aim- nothing complex or hard about it, just spending time with people in a warm common room waiting for the eve of Christmas to wear out.
Christmas morning, Selena awakened late and found an assortment of presents waiting at the foot of her bed. She gave a little squeak of happiness as she counted the boxes. Three. One was from the Knoxes, and inside was a midnight blue cashmere sweater with winking stars speckled on it and glowing earrings that changed colors. Another box came from her Mum and Daddy, containing knee-high Christmas socks and a humongous batch of snickerdoodles. Selena frowned as she went to open the last one.
Very sorry, the note with it read. We only met you last night. Selena knew who had sent the box and unwrapped a yellow whistle that supposedly could produce six different, strange sounds and/or effects, one of which was a Banshee.
The girl pulled out her journal and quill, and her thoughts took her away. She couldn't afford to write for long, though, because the feast lingered in the back of her mind.
"I've got to go now, then. Gotta put on these gifts. Sincerely-"
Selena, happy with her haul this year, got dressed in everything that everyone had bought for her. She strung the whistle around her neck next to her other two necklaces as she went down the staircase.
"Merry Christmas!" She exclaimed when she saw the boys in the common room. "Thanks for the whistle!"
"You're welcome. Thanks for the trick wands," James said.
"Nice socks."
"Thanks. Mum gave them to me. I swear I've got like five pairs for every holiday."
"What time is it?"
"Almost noon."
"Breakfast time, then?" Peter prompted, inching his way over to the portrait hole. Everyone nodded and followed the boy out of the common room.
"I'm trying out for Chaser next year. It'll be awesome if I get on the team. Spinnet says I'll probably get reserve, at least. Like Quidditch, Selena?"
"Love it," she answered. "I'm going for that opening next year for Beater. Just gotta get my dad to buy me a broom..."
"Beater? You're kinda tiny..."
"Yeah, I know, but my dad says I've got a deadly aim. We played cricket once, and I nearly knocked him unconscious."
"What's, er, cricket?" Sirius asked.
"Uhm, well, it's a Muggle sport." Selena pointlessly explained to them what cricket was, and as expected, they couldn't follow. But, that didn't matter because they had arrived in the Great Hall.
"I love Hogwarts."
"So do I," Selena said, walking in. Graceful snowflakes drifted lazily from the ceiling down to their heads. Twelve Christmas trees that Professor Flitwick decorated flashed and glittered intensely, lining the Great Hall. It was toasty and comfortable.
"Merry Christmas!" Albus Dumbledore was sitting at the High Table, and the five Gryffindors seemed to be the only ones staying.
"Merry Christmas!" They replied.
"Come, sit up here! We are the only ones feasting this time," Professor Dumbledore gestured to some empty chairs, and they took places. "Lovely outfit, Miss Riviera."
"Thank you." Selena sat on Dumbledore's left.
"Cracker?" She gave it a tug, and a crown of garland exploded out.
"Ooh!" Selena set it above her head, and it hovered there as Dumbledore took another cracker. He got a sombrero, and he switched it with his wizard's hat.
"Nice hat, sir," James said.
"Thank you, Mister Potter. Ah, shall we dig in?"
The table turned out impeccable food, as always. Everyone ate to their hearts content, trying a bit of this and a bit of that.
"Try some of this, Remus," Sirius spoke, handing the tired boy a dish.
"Pull this with me, Peter?" Selena asked. He pulled, and out came a dozen candy canes. "Here, you take half."
Selena never had so much fun without Darcy around. Hagrid and Professor Flitwick sang Christmas carols and Professor McGonagall avidly discussed Gryffindor's Quidditch team for next year with James. Peter and Remus cheered Sirius on while he chugged eggnog (he made it to nine before he passed out the Headmaster revived him). And Selena loved every minute of it.
The Christmas crackers held more presents too. She got a pair of self-warming gloves, a little flying animal seemingly made of shreds of tinfoil, a chocolate Christmas tree molding that was as big as her head, and lots and lots of sweets.
"Let's go outside," James said when they got back to the common room.
"You're the ringleader, aren't you?" Selena asked innocently.
"Heheheh, get your coat and come on."
"Definitely the ringleader," she muttered as she ran up and got her coat. She scooped the Garland Fuzzie, now named Twinkles, into her pocket and went back into the common room.
The snow fell delicately but steadily, and the boys decided to have an epic snow battle, while Selena resolved to build a giant snow fort.
"What's the incantation to multiply stuff?" She yelled in the boys' direction.
"Dunno!" Remus said, throwing a ball of snow.
"Geminio!" Sirius answered, ducking.
"Okay!" Selena set Twinkles on the ground, and it seemed to want to help her.
"Um, can you push snow over here?"
"Shwee." The creature was small, but it was also very strong. It pushed a formidable amount of snow over, and Selena packed it into a block.
"Geminio, geminio, geminio!" After multiplying the block several times, an outline of the square fort began. Eventually, it came to be bigger than her head, and Selena began levitating the pieces up.
"Wow." Peter looked at it in awe. "Can I help?"
"Sure. You can make windows." She began turning the snow to ice. The fort now resembled Hagrid's hut, and the rest of the boys came wet and dripping inside.
"This is nice."
"Candy cane?" Selena offered. "They'll warm you up." They each took one and James, with a flick of his wand, conjured a fire. They sat around the fire, taking off their gloves and putting their hands in front of the fire.
"Remus!" Selena exclaimed. "Gimme your hand!" Remus reluctantly relinquished his left hand, and Selena studied the deep gash in his hand.
"What happened?"
"I was sending my parents' Christmas presents, and the owl I was using-"
"That must hurt," Sirius said, leaning over. "Nasty looking, too."
"Not really. It's almost healed."
"You should go up to the infirmary." James, also interested, took a look at Remus' hand.
"I'm fine," Remus said forcefully, "Really."
"If you say so."
"C'mon, let's get back up to the common room. A little house elf told me he was setting out dinner."
"Not before getting a picture of this snow cottage," Selena said, pulling out a camera from her shoulder bag. "You guys can get in the picture too."
The boys posed in front of the structure and made faces.
"Say 'ice mice'!"
"ICE MIIIIICE!" Selena took the snapshot, giggling as she did it.
"Now you get in the picture- I'll set the timer."
"There isn't-"
"There is if I say there is," Sirius said, taking the camera. He jabbed it with his wand twice and dragged Selena into the view of the camera.
"On the count of three. One, two-" A click sounded and the camera flashed obscenely. Sirius looked at them.
"Oops."
"You're hopeless," Selena sighed. After picking up her camera, they went back into the school and into their warm common room.
James pulled out his miniature Quidditch set his parents had sent, and the five first-years sat watching the players zoom around while eating sandwiches and hot chocolate.
"Oh, come on," Selena moaned. "Keeper, you're weak at your left hoop! They keep getting points 'cause you won't guard it!"
"I'm rooting for the other side," James announced. "Your team's losing by fifty."
"Underdogs need a smidge of love too."
"Oh, please. They're underdogs 'cause they can't play!"
"A galleon if the ones in blue robes, win then." Selena pulled out a gold piece from her bag. The shiny flying animal in her lap picked it up and set it on the table, then Twinkles poked James, waiting for him to place his bet.
"You're on. Here you go, Twink."
"Shwee."
"I'm betting on James," Peter said, setting out two sickles.
"Selena," Sirius spoke, giving up a galleon to the pile. "Sorry, James."
"Not betting!" Remus held up his hands. "Goodness knows how long this match'll last. Mm, look!"
"OOH!" They all winced, watching a Bludger smack a miniature player in the head. The chaser fell over and was instantly replaced in the sky with a reserve.
"Note that was your Chaser," James said.
"My problem's not Chasers. It's this Keeper." Selena leaned the blue-robed keeper's way. "C'mon, love, I know you've got it in you. Just a couple saves?" The keeper nodded and stiffened his chin. "That's a good boy."
"You tried that whistle yet?" Remus asked Selena, wrenching her from her pep talk.
"Oh, no, I haven't." She put the whistle in her mouth and blew, expecting a high-pitched sound. Instead, she got the sound of a firecracker. She ripped it out of her mouth.
"Hum. It works." James smiled happily.
"That comes as a surprise?"
"Well, see, we made it."
"You made this?" The boys nodded.
"Peter and Remus decided what sounds should go in it, Sirius and I found and put the sounds in," James explained.
"You four are the brightest wizards of your age," Selena declared with reverence. "This is amazing magic! And you gave it to me? What else can it do?"
"You turn the dial there on the end, yeah, there. There's a sound in it that confuses people, makes them dizzy and disoriented."
"If you ever need your owl, there's a hooting one."
"Um, there's a banshee. Peter's brilliant idea."
"I just thought it would be cool."
"It is. We're giving you credit." James clapped his hand on Peter's back. "Uhm, you heard the firecracker one. There's one that produces people talking, but the sound comes from the opposite direction that you're in."
"Great for diversions."
"Exactly."
"And there's the regular whistling sound."
"Wow. Wait- how exactly did you get the banshee one?" She looked at them all suspiciously. Remus broke the awkward silence.
"Oh, look, your Keeper made a save."
"Good job!" Selena said, going back to the game. The boys looked at each other as if to say, 'that was a close one.'
"Look, they've spotted the Snitch," Peter spoke up, pointing to a corner. James and Selena leaned in.
"YES. MY SEEKER CAUGHT IT! HAHA! UNDERDOG WINS!" Selena high-fived Sirius, who was happy that he was a galleon and two sickles richer. "Good work, you guys!"
James, quite cross, mumbled that he was tired of Quidditch and put the set back in its case.
"How come we've never seen you in classes?" Peter bit into his sandwich.
"I sit with Alice and Lily in Herbology..."
"Evans?"
"Lily Evans, yes." James smirked but let the girl go on. "I'm always sitting with Darcy when we've got classes with Slytherin-"
"Slytherin? You fraternize with them?"
"Her dad and my dad have been best friends since their first day at Hogwarts. So, naturally, we're best friends. It's in our blood."
"Hmph. My brother's probably going to be in Slytherin, little pet," Sirius growled.
"When's he coming to Hogwarts? Next year?"
"Yeah."
Summer Vacation, Late July 1972
"Will you just come on? We will not get in trouble. And leave Twinkles here."
"Fine." She pet Twinkles on the head. The Garland Fuzzie could still sit in Selena's palm.
"Good." The two girls, leaving Darcy's bedroom, went into the hallway. Selena looked at the cranberry wallpaper.
"Your new house is pretty."
"Isn't it though? There are places in it I haven't been yet. It's so fun to live in a Wizarding community for once. I can ride my broom and nobody cares."
"Yeah. Hey, I did I tell you I wanna be on the Quidditch team?"
"Really, I've never seen you fly... This is gonna be fun," Darcy said, referring to where they were headed. "There's something I want to get." Darcy skipped down the steps, Selena following in her wake.
"What?"
"You'll see."
"We're going to get in so much trouble if our parents-"
"They are not going to find out. We'll only go in one store."
"What store? We haven't even gotten our book list yet!" Selena followed her best friend to the fireplace. She and Darcy were going to Diagon Alley by themselves, unbeknownst to the girls' parents.
"You'll see. Quit worrying. I won't kill us."
"I'm not worried about you killing us. I'm worried about You-Know-Who."
"Oh, please." Darcy helped herself to a large amount of Floo Powder and put some in the fireplace. "Now, remember, the place is called Knockturn Alley."
"Knockturn?! But you said-" Selena's eyes widened.
"I lied."
"But I'm your friend!"
"Sorry!" Darcy stepped into the flames. "Knockturn Alley!" Selena watched her vanish. She looked around indecisively and followed.
"Good, you came!" Darcy picked her friend up and brushed her off. They clasped hands and Darcy led at a swift pace.
"I only came to make you go back. Oh, please, Darcy, can't we go back? We can ride your broom!" Selena glanced around and was silenced by what she saw.
Everything was dark and gloomy; the sun did not seem wont to pierce the heavy black clouds above the area. There were scary, unattractive people all around, all dressed in grey or black. Knockturn Alley was filthy, too. Selena shivered in her yellow t-shirt, feeling very much out of place, and did not think the temperature was the reason for her shivers.
"I don't like this place," she whispered in Darcy's ear. She held tight to Darcy's arm and hurried along. Suddenly, Darcy stopped.
"'Scuse us," Darcy said, ready to push by the three people who had stepped in front of them.
"You look a bit lost," a witch said. She had a terrible wart on her nose, her black eyes twinkled out, and her teeth seemed to rot. An unbelievable sour smell wafted from her when she had opened her mouth.
"I'm not lost, thank you."
"Are you sure? You two pretty girls look quite a sight."
"We're going to be killed!" Selena spoke sharply.
"Shh!" Darcy looked at Selena, then back at the woman. "Excuse us. We have somewhere to be." The ugly witch leaned forward.
"I don't think you do," she breathed.
"I don't think you've heard of Toothflossing Stringmints." Selena gasped; Darcy'd done it now.
"Humph. Cheeky." The witch, for the first time, looked at Selena. "And you, little one, are you lost?"
"N-n-n-" Stuttering, Selena edged closer to her friend.
"No! We are not lost! Move out of the way!" Darcy shoved them aside with incredible force and pulled Selena into a store.
"That was close," Selena said, catching her breath. She was close to tears. "I thought we were going to be the next front page in the Daily Prophet."
"Don't be silly. Merlin, that woman was a hag. Did you see her hair? Swear there were spiders. Now, this is where we're supposed to be."
"Where are we?" Selena asked, looking around. The store was dark, just like the rest of Knockturn Alley, but it piqued Selena's interest. A sarcophagus was in one corner, with a decayed hand coming out. The shop seemed to go back for ages, and there were rows of boxes and chests and odd shapes. There were many, many items in it that they would never be allowed to take to Hogwarts, and even more reasons for them not to be there.
"Borgin and Burkes," Darcy answered. She went up to the counter.
"Hello?" She called into the store. A wizard rose up from behind the counter, frightening Selena, but Darcy acted as though that was normal.
"May I help you?" He drawled in a gloomy voice.
"I sent you an owl yesterday, telling you to hold a specific package."
"Name, please?"
"Darcy Knox."
"Ah, yes, Miss Knox. I remember what you wanted. The two-way mirror set?"
"Yes. Twenty-five galleons, were they?" Selena watched as Darcy produced a pouch of gold.
"Yes, Miss Knox." He pulled two small leather pouches from a shelf and put them in a box. "Will that be all?" Darcy nodded.
"You'll find the money all in there."
"Of course. Pleasure doing business with you, Miss Knox."
"Bye." Darcy took the box and made to go out the door.
"We don't have to go back out there, do we?" Selena asked fearfully. Darcy thought for a moment and looked around. Then, she went back to the counter.
"I'm sorry, but do you have anything so that we'll go back out unnoticed?" She asked the manager.
"I've got an invisibility cloak for three hundred-"
"That one over there? It's practically faded. That one's not real. Don't sell me dragon dung, Mister Borgin. Unless you can give me a real one, or a new one, I don't want it."
"Well, I'm sorry Miss Knox, that's all the invisibilty I have."
"Have you got a fireplace and some Floo Powder?"
"Yes, Miss, I do."
"May my friend and I use a bit?"
"Of course." Mr. Borgin showed them to the stone hearth and an urn of Floo Powder.
"Thank you." Mr. Borgin bowed, and went back to his post. Selena looked in amazement at her best friend.
"You're something else, you know that?"
"So I've been told. You get in first," Darcy said. "I don't want you back here by yourself."
Selena needn't have been told twice. She immediately took the Floo Powder and went back to Darcy's house.
Once safe in Darcy's room, Darcy pulled out her purchase.
"What did we risk our lives for?"
"We were not going to be killed, for the thousandth time!" Darcy gave Selena a little hand mirror that she had just bought. "It's a two-way mirror. Say my name in it, or whoever's got it, and they'll answer... Kind of like a tellymoan."
"Telephone?"
"Yes. Telephone."
"We went all the way there just so we could get these stupid things?"
"Well, they're easier than owls, you know, and I wanted to be able to talk to you in Hogwarts." Selena's face softened.
"I guess if you did it so you could talk to me..."
"That's the spirit! Besides, that little adventure was fun!"
"Oh, Darcy..."
Second Year, Easter Holiday, April 1973
"I chose Arithmancy, too!" Darcy exclaimed. The best friends, sitting on the steps of the school, popped open cream filled chocolate Easter eggs.
"But I guess you're not taking Ancient Runes."
"No." The blonde-haired girl dipped her finger into the cream. "Divination. Why didn't you take it?"
"I have no need to know the future."
"Mm. Oh, how'd you like your charm?" Darcy asked, indicating the shamrock charm on the bracelet that hung from Selena's wrist. Darcy gave it to her for her birthday.
"It's pretty."
"I just realized as I was buying it why your dad called you his leprechaun. You're born on lucky Saint Patrick's Day."
"Mmhmm." A boy passed them on the stairs, going out into the school grounds. Darcy sighed.
"Isn't he amazing? He's in my house."
"Who is he?"
"Regulus Black." Selena recognized the name as the younger Black son. Regulus was small, and his feet dragged along in the wet grass. He sat next to some other Slytherins. Selena couldn't find anything remarkable about the first-year.
"Aren't you related to him in some convoluted way?"
"Um, maybe, I dunno."
"He's kind of creepy."
"No, creepy is synonymous with Severus Snape. Look over there." Following Darcy's finger, Selena saw a boy with greasy, black hair and a pointed nose sitting near a tree. He was glaring.
"He is creepy."
"He doesn't talk to anyone. I tried to give him an Easter egg, but he wouldn't take it."
"Weird." Selena looked at him again and tried to understand what he glared most unattractively at. She found the object of his apparent dislike- four familiar boys under a tree.
"Oh!" Selena picked up the Easter basket next to her. "I forgot to give them their eggs! I'll be right back."
"Can I come with you?"
"Okay, but please be nice?" Selena's eyes pleaded with her friend's.
"I'm always nice."
"Right." Selena finished her chocolate, and Darcy pulled the raven-haired girl to her feet. Darcy smoothed her hair and, like always, tucked Selena's hair behind her ear. They traversed the lawn, ducking around everyone, and stood in front of James, Remus, Peter, and Sirius.
"Hi!" Selena held out her basket. "Mum's sent you Easter eggs."
"Ooh, thanks," Peter said, reaching for one.
"Wait, Peter, get the one with your name on- the Quaffle one's obviously for me."
"I wrote Mum that you'd got on the team with me."
"Thanks."
"Remus, yours is the one with the stars, and Sirius, yours is the one with the diamonds." Darcy poked Selena. "Oh, sorry. This is my friend Darcy, and Darcy, this is James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Remus- I think you met him already- and Sirius Black."
"Hi!" Darcy waved and sat down with Selena. "Sirius Black? You must be Regulus Black's older brother."
"Mm, yeah."
"You guys must have fun." Sirius snorted.
"Yeah, loads." Darcy crossed her arms over her chest. No one laughed at Darcy Vega Knox.
"Why are you guys barefoot?" Selena asked suddenly.
"We were going to wade in the lake and throw rocks."
"Can I come?"
"Sure." They all bounced up and stepped carefully down to the edge of the lake. Darcy pulled aside her friend as the boys found nice, flat rocks.
"I've never seen you talk so much with someone that's not me or your parents!" She remarked in a hoarse, low voice.
"They're my friends! I talk to my friends like that."
"Right. They better not replace me!"
"No one could ever replace you, Darcy," Selena said, shocked Darcy would even imagine such a thing.
"Good. And I'll never replace you. That's why we've got these 'Best Friends Forever' bracelets, right?"
"Yup. I'll be here as long as you need me, Darcy."
"Wand promise?" Darcy held up her wand. Selena pulled hers out of her cloak.
"Promise." They tapped their wands together, and pink sparks shot out.
"Are you guys going to throw rocks or what?" Sirius called back to them.
"Coming!" The girls took off their shoes and socks and stepped into the lake.