Never have I written a whole Harry Potter story, but I thought I'd have a crack at it. I hope I do this story justice. It's an amazing series, and I recommended both the stories and the movies. Srsly. JK Rowling is the epitome of badassery, and I bow to her writing skills. That is all.
This story takes place after the war.
Narcissa stood at the head of the room, a notebook and a quill in her hands, a pair of glasses pressed into her neatly tied bun, and a sharp gleam in her eyes. The room we were in was another one of their many spare rooms, and had been converted into some kind of classroom, with a board at the front, and a chalk-drawn picture of what I had come to understand to be phoenix.
"First of all, you are to label this creature. Its name and the properties of each part of its body."
It was a swan-sized, ruby feathered, golden tailed bird only found in exotic countries such as Egypt, India and China. It had golden talons, with crimson and gold plumage, coupled with sharp, black eyes. The scarlet feathers gave off a faint glow in the dark, whereas the golden feathers are warm to the touch - to ward off predators.
They are known for nestling on mountain ranges, eating from the foliage and forestry surrounding them. They are well-known herbivores, and therefore aren't necessarily dangerous or known for their especially violent nature, however as it is uncommon for people to be able to domesticate them. They are of the Ministry's highest classification due to this fact.
After doing as I was told, within a few minutes, I had completely filled the designated spots full of information on these beautiful, majestic beasts. Their tears had healing properties, that could mend even the most fatal of injuries. They have the ability to regenerate themselves, periodically, throughout their lifetimes, meaning that, really, they never do 'die'. They are immune to most toxins, poisons and attacking spells that would usually kill other creatures similar to it.
Once I was done, I reclined backwards, crossing my arms over my chest, and placed the chalk on the table, before retiring to the only stool in the room.
"I will ask you a series of questions, and you are to answer them to the best of your ability," she said, regally, "It is an oral assessment, and you will be graded on your skills of verbal understanding."
Nodding, understandingly, I felt the temperature in the room plummet, and I realised the test had already begun. My palms were clasped together, to stop myself from fidgeting under her intense inspection, and she raised an inquisitive eyebrow at me, before settling her glasses on her sharp nose, and asked, "What are salamanders used for?"
Without skipping a beat, I replied, "Their blood has strong regenerative properties, so it can be used in healing potions and balms."
She nodded, not giving anything away, and scribbled something down, calmly, and continued, "The Ministry classification of these creatures is what?"
"Triple X."
Mercilessly, she asked, "And this means?"
Chewing my bottom lip, I answered, "The creature is aggressive, and can cause a lot of damage to property if not handled correctly."
She moved on, "What's a Kneazle?"
"It's a type of cat, it has a lions tail," I recalled, without breaking a sweat.
"Why are they interbred with another species?"
I recollected, calmly, "They are naturally violent, and therefore, similar to that of the salamander, they have a classification of triple X. A Kneazle on its own could cause irreparable damage to a person's estate and others around them. They are interbred to quell their more violent urges and make them more domesticated."
She enquired, "What are Nifflers used for?"
"Treasure-hunting."
She asked, "Where are they located, usually?"
Pausing, momentarily, I answered, somewhat unsurely, "In lairs, twenty feet below ground?"
As professionally as she could, she grinned, "Last question, and you're through," she paused, before asking, "Describe a Hippogriff's appearance, and why they are designed in such a way."
Taking a second to evaluate the question, I answered, slowly, yet confidently, "Similar to that of a Griffin, a Hippogriff had an eagle's head, and used its sharp beak for hunting smaller animals, like ferrets and birds. It had the hide and hind legs of a horse, for speed, strength and power, to travel over long distances without damage to its feet. It had wings, for obvious reasons, like flying, as well as protecting their young to give them warmth while they hatch."
"It's front legs are that of an eagle, with sharp talons for claws for catching food, mid-air. Its eyes are beady, and orange, for tracking creatures in the dark and intimidating other creatures. Its ears are flat against its head, to reduce surface area, and keep heat inside of its body for longer periods of time. Its pelt and feathers are both the same shade throughout, usually gray, for stealth and camouflage."
She finished scrawling down whatever she needed to, and stated, after a tense moment of waiting, "Well done, you've passed."
Exhaling, deeply, I breathed, "Sweet Jesus, thank God," to which she simply grinned, and ushered me away, before continuing, "You've got Herbology to start now."
My groan of denial was her only response.
-0-
After just barely passing Herbology by the skin of my teeth, after a poorly-timed mishap of using frog dung instead of lizard dung as fertiliser for what would have been a relatively simple Aconite plant turned out to be a Lhotse root, which causes hallucinations and hysteria, usually resulting in suicide, so yeah.. Not exactly the best of plants to create, however upon realising my mistake, the scent of the dung reacting with the mountain ash wasn't what I was expecting, conveying my mishap, I corrected it, quickly, just about making my deadline, and I was sent on to Defense Against the Dark Arts.
That was where all Hell broke loose.
"This is a duel, between yourself, and I," Valencia said, her perfectly curled hair let loose down the length of her curved back, a tight, knee-length skirt clothed her tanned, long legs, and a rouge smile on her face.
The audience - Blaise, Draco, Lucius and Narcissa, along with a few of the house-elves who had taken to overseeing my trials, were seated on the far right side, out of the confrontation zone. My 10" cherry wood wand felt heavy in my slick hands, as she regarded me, coolly, not a hair out of place. Lucius stated, firmly, "Begin," and bedlam ensued. She initiated the duel, by sending me a sharp, quick-witted Stupefy, of which I barely blocked. It seemed throughout this battle, it was like I was being mocked by CiCi, who was clearly far more advanced in the dark arts, which made me wonder what exactly her background in this field was. She seemed calm and collected on the surface, but during the chaos, there was a vivacious streak in her eyes, clearly showing how much she was enjoying herself. She was having fun, and that made me happy. Well, it would have, had she not been sending jinxes thundering my way.
Every single spell I sent her way, she would simply dodge or block, and it was infuriating, however the worst, or best, moment in this entire debacle, depending on your opinion, was when she sent me an Immobulus, and I hadn't had enough time to verbally cast the spell, and simply slashed my wand through the air, effectively blocking the attack, as well as firing off a Expelliarmus, and saw her wand fly through the air, clattering against the cobbled stone tiles beneath the thin, rectangular stage we had been duelling on.
A house-elf, Tillie, alerted us, "Winner.. Evelyn," and, along with her colleagues, she popped away.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I grinned at CiCi, who curtsied, respectfully, and went to collect her own wand, but not before congratulating, "You win, fair and square. Molto ben fatto!"
Without realising it, I bowed back, equally as respectful, and said, "Grazie," and hopped off the platform, only to be gathered in a large, warm hug by my mates.
"You did brilliantly today, Evie," Blaise said, admiringly, and I flushed at the statement. Draco kissed my temple, and whispered, quietly, "We're so proud of you."
I didn't know whether it was all of the adrenaline that was coursing through my veins at that moment, but something inside of me keened at the appraisals of these two men, and I mewled, slightly, before kissing both of their smooth, cool cheeks, in return. They stared at me, blankly, for a second, before giving me two heart-breaking, identically wide smiles of their own.
"You are experienced enough to join Hogwarts, and we know you will do us, as a family, proud, Evelyn," Lucius drawled, from the seating area, where he was standing, leaning on his shiny, black cane, where his wand was hidden inside. Smart, stylish and pretty fucking James Bond of him, if I were being honest.
"Thanks," I sighed, "I cant wait to start now."
Chapter 30, and she's finally ready to go! Review, review, review guys!