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Chapter 3: Entering Royalty
Clara leads me through what I am sure to be the Great Hall.
Once we have gone through the huge golden arches (about five times taller than my height), I gasp dramatically. Everyone around me, including Clara, looks at me and smirks. My face immediately turns a shade of red while I look directly in front of me, anywhere but the gawking students.
The Great Hall is easily the most beautiful place I have ever been in… by a loooong shot. In front, to the sides, and in back of my frame is a brightly lit and huge room. The light comes from hundreds of floating white candles that are suspended far on top of everyone's heads.
Once I notice the floating candles, it is almost impossible to not become aware of the actual ceiling! It is not a ceiling whatsoever, but a star-filled night sky. There is mist moving above and around the black and sparkling scene, unlike any sky I have ever seen before.
"Clara, this is magical!" I whisper without moving my head from the position it is in; with my nose straight up in the air as I take in the beautiful night from below.
"Oh we know. Isn't beautiful? I am still hypnotized by it. And look." Clara nudges me and directs her eyes to tall and golden stone framed windows. I turn and stare where she gazes. Through the window it shows a black and starry sky, just like the one up above on the ceiling.
"Wow! Everything is magical here… literally. But do you know what I mean? It's like I've stepped into a fairytale!" I sigh in a daze while Clara leads me by the hand to a long and dark wooden rectangular table that is flooded with students who have Gryffindor badges.
There are three tables, which I guess is split up into the three other houses, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw that are parallel and identical to this table, and at the end of the four tables is another identical table, although this one perpendicular.
Professor McGonagall sits in the middle chair of the table facing all of the students, between a humongous man. Maybe he is eight feet tall? I don't know, but it is crazy! His hands are as big as the headmistress's head!
"Who is that huge person with the big hair, Clara?" I ask while I sit down to the left of her on a dark wooden bench. On Clara's right Al sits, now holding her hand.
"Wha- Oh that's Professor Hagrid! Don't base him on his appearance, because he is the nicest man. In first year my kitten got in a very bad fight with this horrible other cat, and he fixed her up so well. And he was so sweet, setting me down in his little cabin and fixing me a pot of tea while he cured my baby!" Cara tells me persuasively as I glance back up to his table.
Al leans in on the table to look at me from over Clara. "Yeah, Hagrid is one of my family's friends. We've known him since my dad was in first year, and he's helped us out a ton." He smiles, showing beautiful and perfect pearly white teeth as I smile back, noticing his adorable dimple.
"He looks nice! He's all smiley and stuff-" I start, but notice the students of all ages around me and loose my voice. Their eyes are glued on me as I smile uncomfortable. Didn't they learn that it is rude to stare? "Hi –umm- I'm Jackie!"
My eyebrows are razed convincingly while they nod.
"Yeah, I'm Karl Wood! We already know who you are. The feast is about you of course, Jacqueline Marshall," says a brown haired, brown eyed, and very fit guy who looks to be my age. He sits beside other toned men and women, although he is the fittest.
I notice that Al's cute smile slides from his face when he sees who speaks.
"Oh yeah!" I hit my head in an obvious motion. "Ooops yeah… that was obvious-"
"So do you think you'll try out for Quidditch? We're still one person short because the douche captain hasn't held tryouts." Karl leans into me from across the table with intensity while holding a small girl's hand. I look at him, confused.
"Errr-"
"She's muggle born, Wood. Why would she know what Quidditch is?" Al asks him in a much deeper voice than the one I've heard all today.
Karl's pale face has a pink tinge while he breathes in quickly and scratches his brown buzz cut. "Oh yeah, sorry. I forgot… Hi, Albus-"
"And you know that James can't hold the tryouts until Roxanne gets out of the hospital," he growls to Karl. "She's one of the best players and if she is gone during the tryouts, she won't be able to get on the team again."
Karl smiles apologetically while Al glares daggers.
I stare in astonishment. Why is Al acting like such an asshole?
From next to me, I feel Clara nudge Al with her Mary Jane shoes forcefully, her face very pale as she glares warningly.
I laugh shakily and look over to my left. The students on that side are all what look to be first years, gossiping about their latest boyfriend or girlfriend. Can't talk to them…
I bight my lip while the huge silence around me sinks in. Clara, Al, Karl, and I just stare at the empty wooden table in front of us; dead sound flows through the air.
"I can't believe James had detention during the feast!" Clara speaks up, awkwardly.
"What, was he caught in another broom closet?" Karl snorts out.
"At least he doesn't-" Professor McGonagall stands up from the table she sits at, where other teachers stare at her in anticipation, making Al stop talking. Professor Longbottom sits a couple places to her right, smiling as he waits.
"Settle… Settle…" she says with raised arms as the Great Hall quiets. My shoulders and heart slump down further towards the bench while I dread what she might say. Professor McGonagall smiles once the room goes silent. "Thank you! Now, you all know the main reason why you are here! This is the first time a student has come to Hogwarts after the sorting! Obviously, you are all very confused also. I have decided to keep you confused as to why this happened, for this feast is only to welcome! We are all very happy to welcome in our new student Jacqueline Marshall into the Gryffindor House!" she says with a magnified voice echoing through the hall dramatically.
The eyes that weren't already staring at me now flash towards my low top, short skirt, and overly high heels. I hadn't realized how inappropriate the outfit was until now! Oh god, this is pure torture! There must be hundreds of eyes, all on me! Couldn't they at least show their warm welcome with a smile?
Clara nudges my sinking body so that I have to sit straight, while McGonagall yells rubbish about me and my kindness. Clara is now showing a hinting smile at my traumatized face, so I show her my beautifully fake grin.
"Don't worry. It's almost over, and then we can stuff our faces," she mutters, barely a whisper while the sea of students glance from the headmistress to me curiously.
Clara had lied. Professor McGonagall ends her speech a whole three minutes later, with fifty mentions of my name as I show my forced and stretched smile. "Now, you all must be starving! Especially you, Ms Marshall." Make that fifty one times… "Dinner is served." She waves her hands towards the long and wooden tables in front of her and filling them with overflowing food.
I jump in my seat. "Oh my! How?-"
"My mum told me how they make food apporate in front of all of us," says a familiar voice. I look over my shoulder to where the voice was, and see Rose Weasley walking over to where I am. "Can you move to the right a bit, Jackie? I was late because I just finished the essay, and the most room is next to you."
"Hello, Rose! Yeah sure I can." I scoot over a little bit so she can squeeze between me and a first year and I stare back to the glistening food. My stomach growls meanly, so I glare and breathe in deeply. "I will have salad," I mutter.
"What?" Clara and Rose ask me in astonishment.
"Oh never mind. How does the food apporate here, Rose?" I ask, changing the subject while my face flushes and I drop my eyes from the food completely.
"It's always been the same, but it used to be that hundreds of house elves were not paid as they made all of the students' food for days and days while my mum and dad were in school. They were enslaved, told to stay underneath the Great Hall floor… but Mum made a stop to it all! Now they are paid a decent amount of money, and all of them are free!-"
"Oh come on, Rosie. Aunt Hermione over-exaggerates. House elves were never enslaved!" Al says with a sickening amount of Shepard's Pie stuffed into his mouth. "Weren't they just mistreated?-"
"Do you ever pay any attention in History of Magic? I mean come on, Al. We started learning about the House Elf Act of 2007 years ago!"
Al snorts. "No…" He and Clara roll their eyes jokingly. "Why would I do that if you can just give me the notes for homework and tests?"
Rose slumps down on the bench and piles mashed potatoes onto a golden plate. "You know what, Al, one of these days I won't give you my notes, and you will be very sorry that you hadn't listened in class!" she says forcefully while Al laughs nervously.
"You wouldn't do that, would you?" Al asks quickly while Clara laughs at him.
"Al can be so pathetic some times!" Clara jokes while Rose does not reply to his question. Instead, Rose puts a spoonful of the potatoes into her mouth and chews.
"Is it really that boring in class? I mean, I feel that it is pretty easy to just jot down a couple lines of the teacher's speech," I say. Al stares at me with wide eyes from over Clara's head, as I just smile innocently.
"Ummm I don't know about the school you used to be at, but our History of Magic professor makes every living, sleep-"
"Which is really unfair because he's a ghost. If he were still a human, I am sure that Professor Bins would figure out how boring he always is." Clara gets a nod from Al and a slight smile from Rose, while I stare in astonishment. "Ghosts can't sleep, but I'm sure if he could, he would."
"Wha-what? There are ghosts at the school?" I say, coughing on my first bite of lettuce as shock hits.
"Oh I keep forgetting you've been growing up in muggle surroundings all your life! Yes there are ghosts at the school, and one of them teaches us history," Al says, painfully at the last couple words.
I stab a cherry tomato with a silver fork that lies in front of me as I think it over. "So do some ghosts –err- haunt people?" Every person around me spit out their food or snort, either way looking up at me with a ridiculous smile. I blush furiously and just concentrate on wiping my mouth with a maroon silk napkin.
"Where did you used to live? Everyone wants to know, and I'm surprised that I'm the first to ask…" says a light brown haired and petite girl that looks to be my age. She has her hand held by Karl Wood to the right of her and to the left of a very, very unfairly beautiful girl (also about my age).
"Oh, well I came from Wrentham, Massachusetts? I have no idea about anything to do with this magic… sorry…" I mumble embarrassedly while she looks to be taking in my appearance.
"You know, I'm studying to be a healer so I know how to fix teeth. I'd be able to get rid of your braces and straiten out you teeth," the brown head says, not even realizing that that could be a bit… rude to some people. Her teeth are perfectly straight and white though…
I bite my lip and nod.
"This is Tillie. Don't mind her, because she is harmless," says the one next to her. "And I'm Beatrice." The girl beside Tillie waves at me, showing long and slender fingers, all with huge, silver, and intricate rings wrapped around them.
I just stare back pathetically, nodding slightly. I already know that I am jealous of her. I already know that Tillie, Rose, and Clara are envious. And I also already know that about every male student in Hogwarts would take Beatrice over their own girlfriend in about one millisecond.
"You guys are my roommates? Hi, I am Jackie!" I tell them while Al starts up a conversation with Clara… something to do with a jinks Al put on some guy named Scorpios –isn't that the name of a deadly bug? Rose nudges me, signaling that she has to excavate a Gryffindor third year's 'Skiving Snackbox'. What ever that is…
"Oh, so you're a 6th year? Shit, what are you gonna do about school work?" Tillie asks me in shock with wide navy blue eyes while I fold the napkin and place it on top of my quarter empty plate.
"Well Professor McGonagall says I'm gonna learn alongside the 1st years-"
"Oh seriously? That's embarrassing!" Beatrice says, smiling at me knowingly.
"Yeah, I'm kind of nervous," I say uneasily.
Beatrice is not just beautiful, she is gorgeous. There is a definite difference between beautiful and gorgeous. Beautiful is attractive, classic, cute, skinny, tall, tanned, big-eyed, big-boobed, plump-lipped, shiny-haired, high-cheekboned, etcetera, etcetera, everything every girl dreams to wake up in the morning and be. Gorgeous is not attractive per say, but more like the strongest magnet in our solar system. Everyone who walks by gorgeous people need to stare and say hello, hug them, and smile spitefully or hungrily. Gorgeous is beautiful and beyond.
Well, Beatrice is unusual and eccentric. Her hair is an assortment of dark chocolate, light butterscotch, and dirty blonde, all obviously natural and could only be pulled off by her–and of course by the other few gorgeous females in the world. The mane of hair is in a huge and puffy afro, crimped and cork-screwed, none the same size and all across Beatrice's head, with the strands close to her forehead lighter than the ones at the back, all in nature with her appearance. As if she just woke up like Aphrodite.
Beatrice has huge mud brown eyes, flecks of moss green speckled around them, making her appearance even less innocent than she already would have been.
She laughs at my expression; the corners of her perfectly plump reddish brown, shiny lips turn upwards on her sculpted face. Beatrice's mahogany skin shines exuberantly with not one blemish or scar in sight.
"Yes, this is Beatrice, a half veela, half African American woman," Clara says, sighing as she joins into the conversation. She puts her elbows on the table and leans her slightly freckled head on her hands.
"What's a veela?" I ask as I cross my legs and straighten my posture, conscious of my surrounding peers. Why hadn't I noticed her before now? I must have been blind!
"I still can't find a word to describe what a veela is without sounding like a complete ass," Beatrice says to us, crisply, while she shovels a second serving of spaghetti onto her plate.
"Oh-"
"Basically they're goddess-like creatures that have the power to seduce any man they want. Veelas come from Greece, I'm pretty sure anyway…" Tilley tells me mater-of-factly.
"If you are serious… wow! You are so lucky!" I say in amazement, my mouth wide open. At least Clara fixed my acne and hair. If she hadn't, I would feel like a complete loser…
"I love your accent! It is so cool that you used to live in America! My father used to live there and Mum was hiding in America when the war was going on. They met each other… and then they eloped a month later. Now I live here." She giggles, driving Al and Karl to stare her way before focusing solely on eating their crumb filled huge plates once more, but now with much stronger grips on their fork and spoon.
"That's so romantic!"
"You never told me that happened!"
"Awww!"
"Oh, they divorced when I was ten. Apparently my mum was too hard to please…!" Beatrice says easily, still laughing lightly. "I'm so excited to have you in my dorm, Jackie! So- Hey! Why aren't you eating? It's really good food, I promise you that."
"Jackie is setting too good of an example. I really should not be eating my third helping of chicken breast… and you are not boosting my confidence!" Clara says, although she just takes another bite off her fork.
"Oh, well… yeah-" I start uncomfortably. Nervously, I rub my neck, pushing up the right side of my –now- beautiful hair.
"You have a tattoo!" Tilley tells me, reaching across the long table to point out the permanent words etched into the back of my red freckled neck. I am beginning to love Tillie.
"Wow! What is it of?"
"When did you get it?"
"I can't see!"
Now I have to laugh for real. All the students around me are staring in awe. "Umm well, I actually have four tattoos." The 1st years to the left sit with jaws dropped. "I got them all in the last year… somehow." I sigh, putting a strand of my black hair behind my freckled ear.
"Does it hurt? Wow! I can't believe you have one. I don't know, I guess it's harder to get anything personalized on your body when you are at boarding school for about all of the year… Where are the other ones?" Clara asks, lifting up my sleeve, searching.
I push her away softly. "Stop, you won't find them right there…" I smile. "Errr check the other arm."
Everyone watches without a sound while Clara pulls up the sleeve of my left arm all the way up to my shoulder. A thick black treble clef shows, about the size of my small ear. "My boyfriend convinced me to get this when I was in his band."
"Oh my god, really? This is so cool! You have a boyfriend who is in a band? What did you do in it?" Clara coos, examining it closer.
My whole face looses its color when I realize what I've said. "He's not- not really my boyfriend anymore." Clara, Al, Beatrice, Tillie, Karl, and the little 1st years look to me in amazement and new found respect. So I tell them more. "Well… their lead guitarist/one of the main singers baled on them about a year ago. The band is called 'Dexter with the Sundays'." I laugh sadly while remembering how long it took us to come up with a band name. Dexter had finally given up completely, going to and picking the first name the website generated for him. I still don't really understand why 'the Sundays' is very alternative rock… but if the internet thought it worked, we were fine with it. "Dexter said that I should replace Ben… so I did."
Sighing, I stare down at the pretty much empty platters in front of everyone. I miss home.
"Was he really talented?" I look up again, meeting Tillie and her question.
"Who?"
"I don't know… Dexter… what ever, I just wanted to know if he was the leader…"
"Oh, yeah Dexter is extremely talented. He started Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts last month." I close my eyes for a couple of seconds while I feel everyone's eyes on me.
"Yum!!!! Dessert!"
My huge black eyes open, but just barely, coming face to face with chocolate, cream, and fruit filled plates in front of me.
"My favorite is this one. Here, try it?" Beatrice asks, although she does not wait for an answer. Moments later she has spooned blackberry roulade onto the half of my plate that does not have the maroon napkin and salad. I frown as she smiles encouragingly to me, handing me a clean fork and new napkin. "It's good. You don't trust me?"
I force a smile while my insides feel nauseous and my outsides feel log-like. Concentrating hard on stabbing the fork into the cake and cream dessert, I manage to miss the powdered sugar and whipped cream. Coughing slightly, I push a dime sized amount of the spongy and textured cake onto my raw tongue and chew, barely getting by without gagging.
"Oh yeah, I've got to agree with Beatrice. That one is my favorite, too," Clara says perkily while smiling and licking her whipped cream covered spoon daintily. I nod, although feeling extremely left left-out, as if I am on a cloud, watching everyone around me live their lives while mine had ended a month ago, when Mom and I shut our Wrentham home door for the very last time. They talk to me, but know one knows anything about me anymore.
. . . .
I feel disoriented as my five scents absorb my body. Everything is different, and it freaks me out.
At first I thought I had woken in my mom's room, but even her bed is more familiar than what I feel now. The mattress that my limbs are pounding onto is a cloud compared to the mattress at my old home; the silk sheets that cover it are heated at the exact temperature my organs want it at, and although the mattress is so soft and forms to my body, it is anything but comfortable.
I hear light '' all around my head while I lye still. My huge eyes are open wide, not understanding that I only got three hours of sleep last night as they take in the creepy surroundings.
Grayish red curtain on all three with grayish black stone on top is what I stare up at. The face of my hands rub onto the rough grayish white cotton lying over my dead and wide awake body like linen bandages for those soulless bodies.
Pale yellow and white is crusted on each corner of my eye, the cracks on the sides of my small nose, and all along the lines of my pale pink and overly planned out lips with the scent of dried salt and the taste of a bad lemon; not sour, but bitter in all of the wrong ways.
Awareness is all around me. A ticking of the clock to the left. Lime water straight on. A shot of water squirting onto a porcelain bowl to the right. Chatter, whisper; gossip if I point back there.
I have to plunge deep if I want to survive. But then I am fully sensitive to feel. Standing on a huge mattress, my ears go to extensive work and my eyes spin and spin and spin! Where am I? I know where I am, but I can't be where I am, because it does not make any sense! No it does not, no, no, no, no!
Life. My life. Everything is my life, so complicated, so twisted, so revolting all over my porcelain white and dirt splotched skin. It used to be bad; it used to be crazy and intertwined with different beliefs and confusing alibis, but now? I fall back now.
Hitting my head on that hard grey stone and speckled wall, order follows. But who said order makes sense?
"Jackie? What was that? Did you fall? Were you standing? Are you alright?" It must be Clara… or Beatrice or Tillie. One of them, I am almost positive… I think.
When I answer whoever it is, I don't answer at all. I say "Yeoahh?!." And that is when those red curtain panels force open from the strength of a tiny Tillie. But maybe it is Beatrice. I can not tell, god dam it, this is scary! They are two different people, or are they just two different nicknames…? Oh I don't know, I don't, stop asking!
"Oh my god Jackie, are you alright?" asks a woman. I know that for sure. Her voice cracks and squeals and yells for someone. "Shit, Beatrice, get some water. Tillie get McGonagall!"
Alien eyes. Six of them, all different colors. "You're green. Are-were you like this when you woke up? Did she hit her head? What the hell happened???" someone says hysterically. Yes, good question. What happened?
I curl up and lay here, shivering, as movement continues, getting louder. People mutter and whisper and shuffle, but nothing is in focus. All of that focus is centered to my stomach, which churns and bubbles and gurgles while my face turns pastier and pastier.
My eyes are open, but just a crack. Even those small slits make me feel as if I am spinning, transporting, even my new known sense, apporation. Dizziness hits me from every direction so those cracks disappear while I squeeze them shut.
"Jackie, stop. Stay awake! I know that people are supposed to stay conscious when these kinds of things happen. God dam it, Jackie, stay conscious!" to the right commands. But what if I don't want to, or what if I can't?
. . . .
"Is-"
"Shhh!"
"I think-"
"Shhh!"
"Jack-"
"SHHHH!!!"
"But-"
"Shut the fuck up, JAMES!!!" Four girls and one guy all punch James Sirius Potter furiously on the shoulder.
"Ouch!!! I just wanted to know if-"
"Leave! Now!" An old woman with white hair and many wrinkles snaps at James and his black and untamed head. "And do not come back!"
"Fine," he says sadly, slumping his shoulders as he walks away from the metal framed and white sheeted bed that I occupy, although not exactly leaving the white room. No one knows just yet that I am awake. I am not sure myself that I am awake… "But I saw Jackie's eyes open slightly a minute ago, so you should probably check-"
"I wonder why she woke up…? Hmmmm… It isn't as if anyone was talking." I open my eyes a crack and notice Rose's hands on her waist while her light eyes are on fire, glaring at James horribly. Beatrice and Clara glance from Tillie to James, but back at me quickly.
"Jackie? Are you alright?" Clara whispers softly as she sees my open eyes.
"Mwhat happened?" I feel very tired and very disoriented and very, very embarrassed. Much fun lies in front of me.
"You had a panic attack and hit your head on the wall behind you. There was a combination of fainting and getting knocked out. I am Madam Pomfrey, Marshall," she tells me briskly. "Now it's only been the first day you are here, and you've already visited me. Please don't make this a regular occurrence!"
"Umm yeah sure. It's the first time I've ever been unconscious! Well, unless you count sleeping…"
"That's good. Just be extra careful here in Hogwarts. Were you frightened about where you were, this morning?"
"Errr I think so… Yeah, I was. I can't really remember anything besides waking up though…" I say, thinking hard to earlier in the morning.
"Don't worry, that's natural. You can leave if you'd like. I patched up your head, and you can take off the bandages tonight at 8'oclock."
"We'll show you around the castle. Maybe we should start with the outside… to clear your head?" Beatrice says while helping me up off the thin mattress. Shakily, I balance on the hard white tile as my roommates, plus the Potter brothers, crowd around me. "We changed you into your uniform and Tillie couldn't resist fixing up your hair, incase you're wondering," she whispers to me. "We shooed the boys out while you were changing, of course."
"Are you alright?" Rose asks.
"Yeah." I bite my lip, concentrating on my breathing. "I'm okay. Alright, let's go. Thank you for fixing me up, Madam Pomfrey."
"Oh, you're welcome. Just remember to be very careful here!" she tells me as she walks away from us and to another bed, although that one has a curtain around it so I can't see who lies there.
"Come on, let's go," Al mutters to the group while I waddle next to Tillie and Rose. They have their arms out for me, and every time I loose balance they grab onto my waist. Beatrice walks in front of us, in between James and Al.
We walk out of a white door that leads into the hallways from the nurse's office. This hall is brighter than the others I have been in, surprisingly, but then I realize there is a window straight ahead. There are a few moving paintings on the walls that we pass, all original and funny, moving their eyes in my direction.
"So I think we should show her the Forbidden Forest first. What about you guys?" James says loudly, turning his head to stare straight at me and then chuckle loudly.
I stare at him in confusion. "You just said forbidden. Why should I go to a forest that is forbidden? We aren't allowed!" I sound stupid, but whatever. I apparently fainted and got knocked out just an hour or so ago. They cannot judge.
"Yeah, I think that's a bit mean," Al disagrees with him while James rolls his bright green eyes. "Why don't we just go to the Black Lake? The beach'd be warm, right?" he asks Clara. Al walks slower so that he can walk with her.
"The weather is really good this month, so yeah, let's go there."
"And I'm all done with my homework, so we can hangout there for a while!"
"No one cares, Rose."
Rose rolls her eyes at James, kicking him lightly on his calf in annoyance. "You are such a moody boy."
"I am not a boy!" James tells everyone angrily.
"Oh, we know that!" Beatrice says, giggling because James has just tripped over his own feet as we walk down a flight of stairs.
"Well thank Merlin that at least Beatrice has logic!"
"I think we know perfectly well that you have grown into a beautiful young lady, right?" Beatrice says lightly while Al, Rose, and Clara nod and then crack up.
"Oh, shut up!" James heatedly groans while pouting and crossing his arms, his face turning to a light pinkish shade.
"You tell us to quiet up only because you know that it is true!" Al snorts, punching James friendlily when he sees James' glaring eyes. "Calm down, we're only kidding!" he adds when James punches him back, although not as lightly.
Clara laughs at the two pathetic brothers while I watch in amusement, not exactly sure what I am supposed to say or do. I'm not exactly friends… I hopefully I will be, but right now I am just a friendly acquaintance.
Sadly, so far I don't think I have set a good example of myself. It is my first day here, and I have already gotten hurt. Touching my swollen red back of my head and bandaged scalp lightly, I sigh.
"Does it hurt?" Rose asks, eyeing the top of my head nervously.
"No. It's just a little itchy, these bandages-"
"These are the front doors to Hogwarts!" James interrupts me, making all of us stare in front of him. Huge metal front doors with many locks stare down at me that must be three stories high at least! There are four sand clocks in the corner of the room, about two times my height. They have gems instead of sand in them, one of them green, another red, the next one blue, and the last gold. "I can't believe Neville didn't let you go through the front doors yesterday! Its way better than the back entrance…"
"Oh, well… I'm surprised now! So that's good…" I drift off while lifting my head up to stare at the top of the doors. On the right side of us is the Great Hall, so I don't understand how could have missed them. Maybe I was too caught up in the moment? Oh, who knows.
"Well, come on then…" James tells us uninterestedly. He looks back at me, who still looks up at the colorful entrance of Hogwarts. "Ugh!" James grabs my arm and pulls me away from Rose and Clara, walking us to the door.
"Be careful with her, James! She isn't a rag doll! Remember that we just carried her unconscious body to Madam Pomfrey's an hour ago!" Tillie tells him seriously from behind me while James opens the door's huge handle forcefully.
"Don't you trust me, 'lie?" James asks her playfully as he grabs my other arm also. What is he doing?
"No actually I don't, surprisingly enough," Tillie says to him, annoyed.
"And why's that?" He looks at me while smiling wickedly at her. Oh no, what is he going to do? In an instant he picks me up and cradles my body in his arm.
From shock, I scream. But that's all I really can muster before my brain goes fuzzy. Why is he doing this? I've only been picked up by one person since my toddler years, and that was my boyfriend! Even then, it was only because I had sprained my ankle and could not walk. Now my whole brain feels as if it sloshes around in my head as my stomach lurches and jolts. I bite down on my lip tightly and painfully, urging myself to not throw up.
"James, put her down!"
"She looks as if she's gonna be sick. Just set her down, you asshole!"
"Jackie, slap him."
"Jesus, James, don't you remember what Mum said to you last month? I am pretty sure this is detention-worthy."
James rolls his eyes as he places me softly on a gravel filled pathway outside the main doors. "Sorry about that, Jackie. Could not control myself."
"I think this is why we don't trust you," Tillie mutters.
I look at him while trying not to be sick. I've never met such an annoyingly jerk-ish person in my entire life!
My face floods with red blotches from embarrassment and my eyes fill with salty water. I am just too stressed out right now, and he has to do that? Sniffing slightly, I breathe in deeply and beg myself not to cry.
Clara walks over to where we are and rubs my arm soothingly. "Are you alright, Jackie? You're dizzy again?"
"No. Yes. Maybe…? I don't know. Can we sit down somewhere though?" I ask shakily. They all nod their heads at me, full of concern as they walk me along the wide path (even James –bipolar much?).
It leads us to a grassy hill, which once you reach you can see a shore and the Black Lake. There are two tall beech trees that stand close to the shore, although still on the grass, with bright white and yellow daisies covering patches of the yellowish green field. In this view, the lake is not so scary… but then Beatrice dares Al to poke the giant squid.
It's so peaceful around Hogwarts. I am still a bit frightened by the insides (maybe not Gryffindor Tour), but once we are outside all I want to do is close my eyes and breathe in the fresh fall air.
Hogwarts reminds me of visiting my grandparent's farm in the south of Massachusetts. Everything is calm there, even though I know that a ton of workers are farming in the lands all around me.
"Race you to the furthest tree," Clara yells over to Al.
"You're on!" he says dramatically while pushing her lightly to the right –slowing her down as he runs over to the tall light brown and green tree.
"Cheater!" she squeals because she makes it to the tree a second after Al. Tillie and Rose roll their eyes at the couple, while Beatrice runs to the other tree, tugging James along by his huge hand.
"Somersault contest?"
"We can't break a tradition, I guess."
I watch as Rose's long red hair flies everywhere when she sits down on the grassy hill, where Tillie follows.
"On your mark… get set… Go!" Beatrice yells to them from the tree.
I watch in astonishment as they tilt their heads on the slightly wet grass and push off the firm ground with their hands, forcing them to roll down the hill. It isn't just astonishment, but filled with confusion and annoyance. And just sadness!
I know nothing about these people's lives, and I will never truly fit in. Just because I am a so-called witch does not mean that I belong here. Maybe if I had come sooner… If I had started Hogwarts at the same time as them I would be sharing their moment of weird child-ness… and enjoy it too!
And they seem like a huge family also. Not just a family either, a perfect one! With a mother and father and just the right amount of brothers and sisters, who all have their weekly trips to the beach and the nightly homemade dinners together. Everyone is envious of them, and then I showed up.
The students at the Great Hall looked at me as if I was adopted into a royal family. But that just doesn't happen! A gawking stare filled the room last night, showing curious and dilated eyes. They wanted to know why I walked in with Clara. Why Rose automatically sat next to me. They all wanted to ask why this weird, unusual, and imperfect girl sat in the spot they had been dreaming of placing their rear ends on since first year. Why her?
Oh trust me, I am not quite sure.
I guess that the students at Hogwarts will just have to wait and find out for themselves. In the meantime, I will hopefully adapt to my new lifestyle at this bizarre and perfect boarding school.
I hope you liked it! I don't know though... was it confusing? Or was it not? Haha okay, well why don't you answer me that?
It would be really nice if you'd review, because then I will know that people are actually reading this fanfic!!!
I have a question for you. How cool would it be if the Beatles wrote I song about you? What if you inspired them to write one of their life-changing songs? Oh my god, I would be the happiest human alive! But of course, that's only me :)
I have another question for you, although this one not as amazing, and really has nothing to do with you changing anyone's life through music. Too bad :) Okay, here it goes... Have any of you seen Arrested Development? If so, do any of you know where I could watch season 3 on-line? They have 1 and 2 on Hulu, but I've already seen both of those!!! Argh!!! Alright, thanks! It would be much appreciated if you'd answer me if you know :)
PLEASE REVIEW!!! I AM BEGGING YOU *on my knees while salty tears drip down onto the computer screen*
-Maia