So, here is my second fan fic and I hope you like it!
Okay, forget the fact that Dumbledore had the Elder Wand, okay? This takes place from Harry’s fifth year to who knows when. I’m not sure of the ending yet.
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns everything I wish I did. That includes Harry Potter. The only thing that truly is mine is the pencil I bought at the school Student Store.
Chapter 1
Julia Matthews was not a happy child. It would be extremely impressive if someone who had been raised like her were happy even the slightest bit. Not even a pinch. In fact, in most cases of kids like Julia, if they were even shown the slightest sign of love or happiness, they would have found it strange and confusing. That’s what Julia got for living on her own for eight years.
She knew something wasn’t right when Dumbledore had summoned her to his office and offered to keep her safe. She didn’t know how to react when he told her that it was extremely important that she didn’t give her father’s wand to the cloaked man who had asked to see it the other day, or when he asked if she would like to meet her cousin. But, it would be more helpful if this story didn’t begin at the meeting. It would make more sense if it started the day before…
***
Julia had been walking for hours. Her feet were cramped, her ribs ached, her Converse had worn out, her long brown hair was tangled, and she was hungry. Very hungry. Every step she took set off a loud grumble from her stomach, giving her pains. She should have gotten something to eat from that muggle’s garden a few hours back.
“Food for the poor?” an old beggar was calling from the streets. He was holding a cardboard sign that read, ‘Need money to survive’. “Food for the poor?” He asked as he walked up to Julia. “A kind donation from the pretty girl?” Julia just walked faster.
It always pained her to see people like that. They were even worse versions of her; dirty, hungry and homeless. If she had held any money in her pocket she would have dropped a muggle coin into his filthy coffee mug.
But she had no money. No pocket money from a parent jingling in her pants. No parent to give it to her. Had those stupid neighbors not experimented with a muggle bomb… Everyone assumed her dead as well. The explosion that had killed her parents had failed to kill her, for she had been on the way to a friend’s that day. Her friend and the Ministry of Magic had figured that she had not yet left home, and Julia became invisible. According to everyone in the world, she didn’t exist.
The beggar’s calls grew faint as Julia walked farther and farther away. The crowd surrounding her grew thin, and soon it was just her walking up the street. She kept on walking alone, stopping every once in a while to pick up a dropped coin. But strangely, every time she stopped another set of footsteps would stop a few moments after hers. But when she would turn around, no one would be there. As a safety precaution, Julia drew her father’s wand out of her pocket. It was the only memory of her parents she had. It was the only thing that belonged to her or her parents that had not been destroyed by the explosion, since her father had given it to her to show her friend. Lucky she had a wand…
Without warning, she turned around, and saw a cloaked figure a few yards away. He froze.
“Who are you?” she asked, brushing a piece of wavy hair out of her eyes.
The cloaked figure did not answer at first. It walked up to her slowly. It stopped two feet away. Julia could just make out a sneer underneath the hood.
“I said, ‘Who are you?’ And why are you following me?” She pointed her wand at the person, prepared for an attack.
The person did not answer the questions, but simply said, “May I see your wand?”
“What do you want to see my wand for?”
The figure ignored her.
“May I see it?”
“Show yourself first.” Her wand hand shook. Whoever this guy was, he wasn’t good.
“May I see the wand?”
“No!” Julia shouted. She started to back away. “I don’t know who you are, but you aren’t going to look at this wand.” She stumbled, and fell to the ground. She got up as quickly as she could, but the wand still rested on the street. The person stepped towards her, and then stopped when he looked down at it.
There was a moment of silence between the two beings, before there was a shout of “Accio!” The wand began to make its way towards the hooded man, but a flash of red and a big bang interrupted its trip.
The flash momentarily blinded Julia, and when she could finally look up she saw an old man with a long beard. The hooded man was lying on the ground ten yards away, clearly unconscious. The old man had a red bird resting upon his shoulder. He looked down at Julia who was staring in both awe and confusion.
“Julia Matthews?” he asked. Julia nodded. He crouched down to look at her clearly. “Yes… Yes… She has her grandmother’s eyes…” he muttered to no one in particular. Maybe he was talking to his bird. Without warning, he grabbed hold of her sleeve, and grabbed hold of the bird. With another flash of red light, both the old man and Julia were gone.
***
Julia stumbled away from the man, falling on the carpeted floor of the room she had appeared in. She looked around, marveling at the many instruments surrounding her, and the portraits that were pointing at her. Her eyes directed once more at the old man.
“Who are you?” She stared at his hand, which was holding her wand. “Give me back my wand.”
The man merely smiled. He walked up to one of the portraits, and said, “Go to your other portrait and warn the Order about her.” The man in the painting nodded, and then walked out of it, leaving just a canvas behind. The old man turned back to Julia.
“I am Albus Dumbledore,” he said. “I am headmaster here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This,” he spread his arms wide to signify the room, “is my office.”
Julia stared at him.
“Why did you take me here?”
Dumbledore gave her a sad smile. “So many questions, such sad answers… Well, Julia-…”
“And how do you know my name? The world doesn’t think I exist.”
“Sad…” Dumbledore walked up to Julia and put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched. “You have been living on the streets, am I right?” Julia cautiously nodded her head. Why was she here?”
“You see,” Dumbledore started, “a year before you were born, your father and mother were members of a anti-Voldemort group called the Order of the Phoenix. You do know who Voldemort is, don’t you?”
Julia nodded her head. “He ordered his servants to kill people, muggleborns, blood-traitors, Death Eaters who had betrayed him…”
“Exactly. Your parents were stationed next to a couple we had suspected were allies of Voldemort. We had no idea that they were just an innocent couple that had liked to experiment with muggle weapons. When they got hold of that muggle bomb, they set it off, and your parents made sure you were out of the house. They went over to try and stop them, but it was much too late. They perished in the explosion, and you too were determined dead by the Ministry of Magic. I assume that you have figured that part out already?” Julia nodded. “Good. Now, the Order of the Phoenix knew that you were still out there somewhere, and we tried to alert the Ministry of this. But sadly, they would not bother to look for you, so the Trace that had been put on you was lifted, and you became invisible to the wizarding world.
“For the next two years the Order tried to find you, but you were always out of our reach. It was very impressive for a small child. After a long time of searching, we decided we would sit back, and hope for any signs. As you can see, that was an effective method, as you are standing right in front of me!”
Julia was getting angry with this old man. He just gave up searching for her! She could have lived in a nice house that had food, and water, and nice clothes, but he just sat back and waited for her to show up right in front of him!
“Okay, look ‘Dumbledore.’ I don’t see why this is so important to tell me! I still don’t have a place to live, or any relatives to take me in! Can’t you just send me off to some ‘Order’ member and leave me alone!”
Dumbledore looked sympathetic, making Julia feel worse. She wanted to get him frustrated or mad, to get him to stop being so happy!
“Well, you do have one relative left. He is not an adult, and he is about your age. I have decided that it would be best for you to attend Hogwarts, and this way you could have him to talk to, to guide you.”
“I have a relative?”
“Yes.”
“What’s his name?”
Dumbledore took a deep breath and said, “Harry Potter.”
***
So, should I go live like a hermit and give up or keep on going? Please give me a review!
The link to feedback is here
Full Version: Potter, Matthews, Voldemort And The Elder Wand
Okay, this chapter is longer than the previous one. You will get to know how old Julia is, but I'm saving the stuff about her and Harry for the next chapter. I'm sorry if that disappoints you!
Chapter 2
“Wait, isn’t Harry Potter that nut job in the paper who says Voldemort’s back?”
Dumbledore frowned at Julia.
“He is not a ‘nut job’. The ministry simply believes that Voldemort has not returned, so they are convincing the public that Harry and I are lying. Who do you believe?”
Julia was horrified that she had just called this man a nut job. He could do horrible things to her if he wanted to. Plus, he had her wand.
“I’m sorry, Dumbledore…” she mumbled while staring at her beat up shoes. She looked back up at him. “May I have my wand back?”
Dumbledore smiled. “Not just yet. I’m going to need to examine it for a few days. Then you may have it back. Until then,” he snapped his fingers, and a small house elf appeared in the center of the room. “Dobby!” he called. “I would like for you to take young Miss Matthews to a room! I suggest that you take her to the one underneath Gregory the Smarmy’s statue.” He motioned for Julia to go to the tiny house elf.
The house elf stared at her quizzically, with big eyes. He grabbed on to her sleeve, snapped his fingers, and disappeared, appearing again by a statue in a wide-open hallway. Dobby walked up to it and knocked on it three times. The statue moved across the floor, revealing a huge hole.
“Miss shall go in first, and Dobby will follow her,” said the house elf. “Is that alright with you, Miss?”
Julia did not answer. She stepped down the hole, and entered a candle-lit tunnel. Dobby closed the hole behind her.
“We shall go now,” Dobby said. “Follow me, Miss.” He led her down the passage. More and more candles appeared, brightening the way.
“Are we there yet?”
“Almost there, Miss.”
He stopped at a stone door. He pushed a small knot in the lower left corner, and the door swung open, revealing a huge, brightly lit room. Dobby was grinning.
“Dobby has always loved this room, Miss. Dobby is sure that you will enjoy it too. I will come back for you soon.” The house elf left Julia standing in the doorway, and made its way back up the passageway, at soon was out of sight.
Julia sighed. This looked like those muggle hotel suites. She took everything in, from the king sized bed, to the table across the room that had the table wear set out, to the beige walls, to the high ceiling, and to the pile of fresh clothes in the corner. This was… too much. This was unnatural. It was… weird. No person had ever given her this much… Not a person she had just met a half hour ago.
She walked in, her shoes making muddy prints on the carpet. But the prints… They would fade away. The carpet would look just as clean as before. She walked to a door, wondering what was behind it. Turned out, it was just a bathroom.
Julia looked in the six-foot tall mirror. It had been a long time she had looked in a mirror. Last time had been a year ago, when she had gone to that dance studio with the walls covered in mirrors.
She light brown, wavy hair that came all the way down to her waist, emerald eyes, and was about 5’ 2”. Her clothes were oversized and dirty, her hair was un-brushed, and her shoes were coming off at the soles. Not the image a beauty pageant winner would have at all. Her reflection made Julia frown. She walked out of the bathroom, and went to the corner of the room. She slid down the wall and brought her knees to her chest.
This is so weird, she thought. After eight years I find myself being stalked my a man who wants to see my wand, have an old man drag my fifteen year old self to a strange school, am shown ‘kindness’, and am told that I’m related to a nut case.
What is wrong with this place?
Why were these people so nice to her? It was strange. It was a whole new thing to her, and she didn’t know if she liked it.
She wanted her wand back.
***
Dumbledore paced his office, Julia’s wand in hand.
“How could this be? How could the Elder wand possibly be in her possession?” he mumbled. “This wand has such a history… A bloody past… Yet it ended up in the hands of a fifteen year old girl…” He stopped pacing. “Her father was the last owner… And no one murdered him. It was an accident… The Elder wand is just an ordinary wand.” He walked over to his chair and sat down. “Does Voldemort know that? Did he know that Gregory Matthews possessed the Elder wand? And passed it down to his son? Who gave it to his daughter?” He froze. “Voldemort knows she’s alive and has the wand. That explains the man following her…”
He got up, and trotted over to a portrait. “Armando!” The man in the portrait woke up from a nap.
“I was in the middle of a power nap, you know!”
“I am deeply sorry, Armando. Anyways, I would like you to go down to Severus’ office and ask him if Voldemort knows about Julia Matthews.”
The man nodded, and left, leaving Dumbledore looking at a brown and green canvas. He walked back to his chair.
“If Voldemort knows… The Order will have to protect her. She could attend Hogwarts, the safest place to be. But, she does not know most of the magic the average fifth year does… She will be trained for the rest of the summer. Yes… And we could teach her Occlumency so Voldemort doesn’t penetrate her mind. Should Severus teach her? … “
“Dumbledore!” Armando was back in his portrait.
“What did Professor Snape say?”
“He says that it is too late, and that Voldemort is perfectly aware that she is alive.”
Dumbledore shook his head sadly.
“I must get Severus to tell him the wand is just an ordinary wand now, not the Deathstick.” He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote:
Severus,
Meet me in my office at 8:00
-Dumbledore
He pointed his wand at the paper, and it disappeared in a flash of red. Once it had gone, Dumbledore reached out a hand and stroked his Phoenix’s head.
“I do not know if there is a safe place for Miss Matthews and her wand,” he said sadly. “With Voldemort aware of her survival, he will stop at nothing to get her.”
***
Julia had fallen asleep, so when Dobby entered her room, he shook her awake. When she had awoken, she fidgeted when she realized how close he was to her. She had never liked people that close to her.
“Dobby has been told to bring Miss to Professor Dumbledore.”
“Okay…” Julia started to get up, but stopped when Dobby motioned to help her. “Please, Dobby. Don’t… Touch me.”
“Sorry, Miss. Miss’ name is Julia, is it not?” Dobby asked.
“Yes.”
“Then, should Dobby address you by Miss, or Julia?”
“Julia.”
“Very well, Julia. Come with me.” Dobby led Julia out the door, and back into the tunnel.
“Dobby has been told that you’s very important. Dobby wishes he knew more about the subject, but Dobby’s old master taught him to never question in one’s private business.”
“That’s… Very nice,” said Julia, really wishing she could stop talking. “Er… Dobby? How big is this, Hogwarts?”
“Hogwarts ‘tis very big. Dobby got lost several times when he first got here.”
“Oh…” Julia was getting an idea. An idea that would get her out of this place. If she could just lose Dobby when they got out of the tunnel…
“We is here, Julia!”
This was her chance! She watched as Dobby climbed up the hole. It was now her turn. She climbed out. Only Dobby was here to stop her.
“Sorry, Dobby,” she said as she took off running.
She ran down the hall as fast as she could, occasionally stumbling, but got back up. She turned a corner, still sprinting. If she could just find a way out…
No! Someone was coming down the hall! She couldn’t stop… They were going to get her and she was going to be trapped in this accursed castle!
“Miss Matthews?”
In a last effort to stop, Julia tripped herself, and slid across the floor on her stomach, stopping at the person’s feet.
“I believe that you are supposed to be in Professor Dumbledore’s office, isn’t that right?”
Julia looked up at the person. It was a greasy haired man with a long nose. He had a drawling smile on his face.
“What do you care?” Julia answered rudely.
The man leaned down to her height.
“Professor Dumbledore had asked me to meet with you at eight ‘o clock. Right now it is,” he looked at a watch on his wrist, “seven forty-five.” He grabbed the back of her shirt, and pulled her up. He started to drag her with him back the way she had come.
“Professor Dumbledore has brought you for one reason, and that one reason solely. He is giving you protection from the Dark Lord. If you wish to perish at the Dark Lord’s feet, be my guest, but Dumbledore wishes that does not happen to you.”
“But why,” Julia asked as she struggled against this man, “is my protection so important? And why didn’t he give my wand back?”
“That is a question that you can ask the headmaster, for he has not given me the information. Well, here we are,” he said as he stopped at two stone gargoyles. “Blood pops.”
The two gargoyles jumped aside, revealing a wide staircase.
“After you,” the man said mockingly as he pushed Julia in. The staircase started to move upwards. A frustrated Julia waited to arrive at the top, and when she did, the man pushed her into the office.
“I found her, headmaster.”
Dumbledore was sitting at his desk. “Alas, Miss Matthews! When Dobby alerted me that you had run from him, I was very worried.”
Julia stared at Dumbledore’s hands, which held her wand.
“I see that Professor Snape here has found you,” he said, nodding towards the man. He twiddled the wand in his fingers. Julia could not take this any longer.
“GIVE ME BACK MY WAND!”
Dumbledore frowned at her.
“In good time, Julia. In good time. Now, sit down right there,” he waved her wand, and a squishy armchair appeared. Julia reluctantly moved over to the chair and sat down.
“I suspect that you wish to know why I have brought you here, don’t you?”
Julia clenched her teeth and nodded. Get to the point already! Dumbledore leaned across his desk and gave her a serious look.
“I am going to tell you something that you must not repeat to anyone else. This is a matter between the other teachers, you, and myself. Do you understand?”
Julia nodded.
“Good.”
***
Okay, I didn't particularly enjoy this chapter that much, but I hope you people reading it liked it better than I did. And, now you know what Julia looks like! And I'm sorry I didn't give you all that secret information Dumbledore was about to tell! Um... review! The link's in my signature.
Chapter 2
“Wait, isn’t Harry Potter that nut job in the paper who says Voldemort’s back?”
Dumbledore frowned at Julia.
“He is not a ‘nut job’. The ministry simply believes that Voldemort has not returned, so they are convincing the public that Harry and I are lying. Who do you believe?”
Julia was horrified that she had just called this man a nut job. He could do horrible things to her if he wanted to. Plus, he had her wand.
“I’m sorry, Dumbledore…” she mumbled while staring at her beat up shoes. She looked back up at him. “May I have my wand back?”
Dumbledore smiled. “Not just yet. I’m going to need to examine it for a few days. Then you may have it back. Until then,” he snapped his fingers, and a small house elf appeared in the center of the room. “Dobby!” he called. “I would like for you to take young Miss Matthews to a room! I suggest that you take her to the one underneath Gregory the Smarmy’s statue.” He motioned for Julia to go to the tiny house elf.
The house elf stared at her quizzically, with big eyes. He grabbed on to her sleeve, snapped his fingers, and disappeared, appearing again by a statue in a wide-open hallway. Dobby walked up to it and knocked on it three times. The statue moved across the floor, revealing a huge hole.
“Miss shall go in first, and Dobby will follow her,” said the house elf. “Is that alright with you, Miss?”
Julia did not answer. She stepped down the hole, and entered a candle-lit tunnel. Dobby closed the hole behind her.
“We shall go now,” Dobby said. “Follow me, Miss.” He led her down the passage. More and more candles appeared, brightening the way.
“Are we there yet?”
“Almost there, Miss.”
He stopped at a stone door. He pushed a small knot in the lower left corner, and the door swung open, revealing a huge, brightly lit room. Dobby was grinning.
“Dobby has always loved this room, Miss. Dobby is sure that you will enjoy it too. I will come back for you soon.” The house elf left Julia standing in the doorway, and made its way back up the passageway, at soon was out of sight.
Julia sighed. This looked like those muggle hotel suites. She took everything in, from the king sized bed, to the table across the room that had the table wear set out, to the beige walls, to the high ceiling, and to the pile of fresh clothes in the corner. This was… too much. This was unnatural. It was… weird. No person had ever given her this much… Not a person she had just met a half hour ago.
She walked in, her shoes making muddy prints on the carpet. But the prints… They would fade away. The carpet would look just as clean as before. She walked to a door, wondering what was behind it. Turned out, it was just a bathroom.
Julia looked in the six-foot tall mirror. It had been a long time she had looked in a mirror. Last time had been a year ago, when she had gone to that dance studio with the walls covered in mirrors.
She light brown, wavy hair that came all the way down to her waist, emerald eyes, and was about 5’ 2”. Her clothes were oversized and dirty, her hair was un-brushed, and her shoes were coming off at the soles. Not the image a beauty pageant winner would have at all. Her reflection made Julia frown. She walked out of the bathroom, and went to the corner of the room. She slid down the wall and brought her knees to her chest.
This is so weird, she thought. After eight years I find myself being stalked my a man who wants to see my wand, have an old man drag my fifteen year old self to a strange school, am shown ‘kindness’, and am told that I’m related to a nut case.
What is wrong with this place?
Why were these people so nice to her? It was strange. It was a whole new thing to her, and she didn’t know if she liked it.
She wanted her wand back.
***
Dumbledore paced his office, Julia’s wand in hand.
“How could this be? How could the Elder wand possibly be in her possession?” he mumbled. “This wand has such a history… A bloody past… Yet it ended up in the hands of a fifteen year old girl…” He stopped pacing. “Her father was the last owner… And no one murdered him. It was an accident… The Elder wand is just an ordinary wand.” He walked over to his chair and sat down. “Does Voldemort know that? Did he know that Gregory Matthews possessed the Elder wand? And passed it down to his son? Who gave it to his daughter?” He froze. “Voldemort knows she’s alive and has the wand. That explains the man following her…”
He got up, and trotted over to a portrait. “Armando!” The man in the portrait woke up from a nap.
“I was in the middle of a power nap, you know!”
“I am deeply sorry, Armando. Anyways, I would like you to go down to Severus’ office and ask him if Voldemort knows about Julia Matthews.”
The man nodded, and left, leaving Dumbledore looking at a brown and green canvas. He walked back to his chair.
“If Voldemort knows… The Order will have to protect her. She could attend Hogwarts, the safest place to be. But, she does not know most of the magic the average fifth year does… She will be trained for the rest of the summer. Yes… And we could teach her Occlumency so Voldemort doesn’t penetrate her mind. Should Severus teach her? … “
“Dumbledore!” Armando was back in his portrait.
“What did Professor Snape say?”
“He says that it is too late, and that Voldemort is perfectly aware that she is alive.”
Dumbledore shook his head sadly.
“I must get Severus to tell him the wand is just an ordinary wand now, not the Deathstick.” He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote:
Severus,
Meet me in my office at 8:00
-Dumbledore
He pointed his wand at the paper, and it disappeared in a flash of red. Once it had gone, Dumbledore reached out a hand and stroked his Phoenix’s head.
“I do not know if there is a safe place for Miss Matthews and her wand,” he said sadly. “With Voldemort aware of her survival, he will stop at nothing to get her.”
***
Julia had fallen asleep, so when Dobby entered her room, he shook her awake. When she had awoken, she fidgeted when she realized how close he was to her. She had never liked people that close to her.
“Dobby has been told to bring Miss to Professor Dumbledore.”
“Okay…” Julia started to get up, but stopped when Dobby motioned to help her. “Please, Dobby. Don’t… Touch me.”
“Sorry, Miss. Miss’ name is Julia, is it not?” Dobby asked.
“Yes.”
“Then, should Dobby address you by Miss, or Julia?”
“Julia.”
“Very well, Julia. Come with me.” Dobby led Julia out the door, and back into the tunnel.
“Dobby has been told that you’s very important. Dobby wishes he knew more about the subject, but Dobby’s old master taught him to never question in one’s private business.”
“That’s… Very nice,” said Julia, really wishing she could stop talking. “Er… Dobby? How big is this, Hogwarts?”
“Hogwarts ‘tis very big. Dobby got lost several times when he first got here.”
“Oh…” Julia was getting an idea. An idea that would get her out of this place. If she could just lose Dobby when they got out of the tunnel…
“We is here, Julia!”
This was her chance! She watched as Dobby climbed up the hole. It was now her turn. She climbed out. Only Dobby was here to stop her.
“Sorry, Dobby,” she said as she took off running.
She ran down the hall as fast as she could, occasionally stumbling, but got back up. She turned a corner, still sprinting. If she could just find a way out…
No! Someone was coming down the hall! She couldn’t stop… They were going to get her and she was going to be trapped in this accursed castle!
“Miss Matthews?”
In a last effort to stop, Julia tripped herself, and slid across the floor on her stomach, stopping at the person’s feet.
“I believe that you are supposed to be in Professor Dumbledore’s office, isn’t that right?”
Julia looked up at the person. It was a greasy haired man with a long nose. He had a drawling smile on his face.
“What do you care?” Julia answered rudely.
The man leaned down to her height.
“Professor Dumbledore had asked me to meet with you at eight ‘o clock. Right now it is,” he looked at a watch on his wrist, “seven forty-five.” He grabbed the back of her shirt, and pulled her up. He started to drag her with him back the way she had come.
“Professor Dumbledore has brought you for one reason, and that one reason solely. He is giving you protection from the Dark Lord. If you wish to perish at the Dark Lord’s feet, be my guest, but Dumbledore wishes that does not happen to you.”
“But why,” Julia asked as she struggled against this man, “is my protection so important? And why didn’t he give my wand back?”
“That is a question that you can ask the headmaster, for he has not given me the information. Well, here we are,” he said as he stopped at two stone gargoyles. “Blood pops.”
The two gargoyles jumped aside, revealing a wide staircase.
“After you,” the man said mockingly as he pushed Julia in. The staircase started to move upwards. A frustrated Julia waited to arrive at the top, and when she did, the man pushed her into the office.
“I found her, headmaster.”
Dumbledore was sitting at his desk. “Alas, Miss Matthews! When Dobby alerted me that you had run from him, I was very worried.”
Julia stared at Dumbledore’s hands, which held her wand.
“I see that Professor Snape here has found you,” he said, nodding towards the man. He twiddled the wand in his fingers. Julia could not take this any longer.
“GIVE ME BACK MY WAND!”
Dumbledore frowned at her.
“In good time, Julia. In good time. Now, sit down right there,” he waved her wand, and a squishy armchair appeared. Julia reluctantly moved over to the chair and sat down.
“I suspect that you wish to know why I have brought you here, don’t you?”
Julia clenched her teeth and nodded. Get to the point already! Dumbledore leaned across his desk and gave her a serious look.
“I am going to tell you something that you must not repeat to anyone else. This is a matter between the other teachers, you, and myself. Do you understand?”
Julia nodded.
“Good.”
***
Okay, I didn't particularly enjoy this chapter that much, but I hope you people reading it liked it better than I did. And, now you know what Julia looks like! And I'm sorry I didn't give you all that secret information Dumbledore was about to tell! Um... review! The link's in my signature.
Chapter 3
Dumbledore gave her a serious look. “I hope I can trust you.”
Will you just tell me what’s going on? Julia thought. This old man was extremely annoying. He always just held things back until she completely exploded at him. She was NOT going to go to school here…
“I see you are extremely annoyed with me,” he said.
“What do you expect?” she snapped. “You take me to this place, and you won’t even tell me why!”
“I am sorry, Julia.”
“And stop saying you’re sorry!”
Dumbledore sighed. “I apologize for whatever I have done to you, but keep in mind it is for your well being.”
Julia fell silent. The more she talked, the longer it would take for her to find out what was wrong with this guy.
“You see,” said Dumbledore, “this is a very difficult matter to discuss. It would be best to first tell you about the history of the Elder Wand.
“Many years before you were born, a wand was created. This wand was not like any regular wand, and it was deadly to any person who dueled against it. Antioch Peverell, an extremely powerful wizard, made this wand. The story of Mr. Peverell and his brothers has been determined as legend, but in reality it is truth.
“In the legend Antioch boasted about this wand, which was said to be invincible. During the night, another wizard slit his throat, and became the new master of the wand. Do you understand?”
Julia nodded her head.
“Excellent. Now, this wand has had a very bloody past, wizard after wizard defeating each other to get possession of this wand. After many years, this wand ended up in the hands of a certain man. This man was-…”
“What does all of this have to do with me?” Julia asked. “All of this seems interesting, but where do I come in?”
Dumbledore tried to be patient with her. “Well,” he said, “if you had let me finish you would know. Anyways, the man who got hold of it was named Gregory Matthews.”
“My grandfather?” Julia asked.
“Yes, your grandfather. Incidentally, he died undefeated, and this wand was no longer had a master. The wand went to your father, and now it has come to be in your possession.”
Julia was shocked. Her father’s wand… It had belonged to Antioch Peverell… This wand had such a horrible past. All of those wizards who had died…
“Is that why that man was following me?” she asked quietly.
“Yes,” Dumbledore said. “Yes it was. Lord Voldemort is not aware that the wand has lost its invincibility. He sent one of his servants to retrieve it from you. Now that he knows you are still alive and have the wand, he will stop at nothing to get you and kill you.”
“Wants to kill me…” she said quietly. After all of those years of being invisible, she actually wished she were unnoticed again.
“This is why the Order of the Phoenix and I would like to offer you our protection. Hogwarts is the safest place you can be, so if you want you could attend the school.”
“But I don’t know how to do a lot of magic! How am I supposed to keep up with other students?”
“We could give you lessons this summer,” said Dumbledore. “We could give you all the knowledge you need, and Professor Snape here,” he nodded towards Snape, who was still standing at the entrance, “has agreed to giving you Occlumency lessons, which will help you keep Voldemort from penetrating your mind.”
Julia stared at the ground. “Why would Voldemort want to get into my head?”
“He might try to trick you into meeting him somehow, and we wish for that not to happen.”
Julia looked back up at Dumbledore and said quietly, “What about Harry Potter? You said I was related to him. How?”
Dumbledore smiled at her. “I thought you might ask about that. You see, your grandmother was related to Lily Potter’s mother. Lily Potter was Harry’s mother. He was not told of your existence because we weren’t sure if you were still alive after a while. I assure you that he will be told when he comes back to Hogwarts.”
Julia thought about this. Her cousin was Harry Potter… If she had been foretold of this she would have found whoever told her crazy. If she had been told that she was going to be stalked by a Death Eater, she would have laughed in the person’s face. If she had been told anything that had gone on today, she would have walked away amused. But here she was. In a few short hours she had been told about her family, her wand’s past, and why she needed to be protected. And Dumbledore expected her to be fine with this?
“Can I leave now?” she asked. Dumbledore shook his head.
“I have one last thing to say to you.” He bent down and came back up with a small book. “This book can be used as a journal,” he said. “If you wish, you may write in it, and only you will be able to read it unless you permit another to do so.” He handed it to her. “I hope you use it well.”
Julia nodded. “Can I go now?”
Dumbledore nodded. “Yes you may.”
Julia stood up and walked past Professor Snape. With a last look at Dumbledore, she turned and left, walking down the stairs to meet Dobby, who would take her back to her room. She looked down at the journal. Maybe she would fill its blank pages.
***
Back in her room, Julia sat at her desk with the journal open to its first page, pencil in hand. “If you wish, you may write in it, and only you will be able to read it unless you permit another to do so.” She repeated Dumbledore’s words. She was going to be the only one who would be able to read it? That would be useful considering the story she was about to put on its pages. She began to write.
When I was seven, my parents sent me over to a friend’s house. I asked why they were sending me at last minute, but they didn’t tell me why. My father gave me his wand to show my friend, and when I asked what he would do if he needed it, he said he had a spare. I was at the muggle bus stop when my parents died, and I heard a voice on the intercom saying that everyone needed to get out so the ‘police’ could check for any bombs. They said that a bomb had been set off at 3925 Wellington Way, and I realized that was my neighbor’s address. I left the station and ran back home. I saw the neighbor’s house in ruins, and the right side of my house looked just like it. My parents’ bodies were gone, but I knew that I wasn’t going to see them again.
I was scared, so I went to the park, it being my only source comfort. I sat next to the woman who fed the pigeons. She saw my father’s wand, and asked if my parents were wizards. Turned out, she was a squib. She asked me why I was crying, and I told her that my parents were dead. She cried with me, and offered to take me in for a few days while she talked to the Ministry. I went to her house, and fell asleep in her living room. Right before I fell asleep she told me she was going to go to the Ministry, but her house wasn’t hooked up to the floo network. She didn’t have a muggle car, so she said she was going to walk to the visitor entrance.
The next morning I woke up, and turned on the T.V. It was the news, and it said that the night before an old woman had been found dead in the streets. They showed her picture, and it was the pigeon lady.
I lived in her house for a few days, and ate food from her refrigerator. When I ran out, I knew I had to go. I looked for a few coins, muggle or wizard, and left. I planned on going to my grandparents’ house, but it was too far away, and I didn’t know how to get there. I tried walking, but I ended up in a dark alleyway with people with strange piercings. With the events of that night my seven-year-old self completely lost it, and I ran. I don’t know for how long, but I ended up somewhere in the countryside. A muggle farmer found me and took me back to the city and had the police deal with me. He thought I was a runaway.
When the police found out I had no parents, they tried to send me to a foster home. They tried, but I didn’t want to live my life in a strange place with muggle children. I had started showing signs of magic around that time, and the man driving me to the home unexpectedly was found unconscious in the street. I disappeared for good.
I was scared that if anyone found me that they would send me to another foster home, so I stayed out of sight that year, getting food from street vendors with the money I made from singing in the streets, sleeping in houses I knew were empty and getting clothes from the dollar store. It was strangely easy for a seven-year-old to handle.
The next two years were about the same, but I started to train myself to use magic. In about a few months I had taught myself the summoning charm, healing charm and a few jinxes. I was always sure I was alone before I practiced, though. I didn’t want any muggles reporting a person performing magic to the authorities, or getting my picture, since the whole world would then start looking for me.
When I turned eleven, I was smart enough to sneak into someone’s house and figure out their ‘computer’. I put in the address of my father’s parents’ house on ‘mapquest’ and got directions to their place. It took me about five days to get there, and when I did I knocked on the door. My grandparents did not answer the door, but a young woman did. I told her that I was a friend, and she let me in. Turned out that she was a healer who had been given the assignment of caring for my grandparents. They were not in physical or mental health to recognize who I was. Instead of recognizing who I was, they thought I was an imposter who was trying to kill them. They didn’t realize I was just an eleven-year-old girl. When they started to scream, I left. I knew that they were never going to realize who I was, and that I should not go back.
As far as I knew, my mother’s whole family was dead, and I knew that my father had no siblings, so I had no other relatives to visit.
About a year later I was walking through London and I saw a boy. I had an odd feeling that we were connected somehow, but I didn’t know how. I realized that we had the same color eyes: Emerald Green. I wanted to walk up to him and say hi, but I didn’t have the guts. Instead I followed him into a bookshop. A man was signing books there, and he had dragged the boy up front. By the look of the man, the boy was very important, and I’m sure that he said his name. But, even if he had, I didn’t hear it over the cheers of the crowd.
A week later I got hold of the wizard magazine, ‘The Daily Prophet’ and I learned that the boy’s name was Harry Potter, and that he had been the reason of Voldemort’s downfall. I had learned about Voldemort from a previous magazine, and I was amazed at the thought of this boy defeating him at such a young age.
I never saw the boy again, but I kept on reading about him in the papers I had gotten hold of. In the start of this summer, I read a paper that said he claimed that Voldemort was back. The people who were running the paper would say that he was a nutter, and that a man named Albus Dumbledore was as well. I actually came to believe it at some point. But, the man who had followed me today changed my mind, and I don’t know what to think anymore. The newspapers or Dumbledore?
The events of today have really confused me. According to Dumbledore I have possession of a wand that was once invincible to its master, was stalked by one of Voldemort’s servants, need to be protected, and will start attending school in September. I haven’t been to school since the first grade, so I’m not that educated. I listened in on a class a few times, so I know how to do muggle stuff, like math, science and reading, but I don’t know anything about what wizards do. All I know I can do that wizards can is read. I don’t know if I like what’s happening to me or not. All I can really do is see what happens to me, and hope for the best.
***
Julia stopped writing and read what she had written. For the first time in a long time, she started to cry. She didn’t know why she was crying, but for some reason reading about her horrible past was especially depressing at this very moment. She bit her lip. She had gone through so much, and now she was being given more than she had ever had in a long time. Clothes that weren’t from a dollar store, good food, a room, a private bathroom, and a person who actually seemed concerned for her. And she had a family member who wasn’t going to yell at her because they thought she was going to kill them. This was weird, but maybe she could get used to this. She was about to set her pencil down when she remembered something she could write down.
That night I was seven and in the alley, a man came towards me with a knife.
***
I hope that cleared up your questions of how she survived alone. Review!
Dumbledore gave her a serious look. “I hope I can trust you.”
Will you just tell me what’s going on? Julia thought. This old man was extremely annoying. He always just held things back until she completely exploded at him. She was NOT going to go to school here…
“I see you are extremely annoyed with me,” he said.
“What do you expect?” she snapped. “You take me to this place, and you won’t even tell me why!”
“I am sorry, Julia.”
“And stop saying you’re sorry!”
Dumbledore sighed. “I apologize for whatever I have done to you, but keep in mind it is for your well being.”
Julia fell silent. The more she talked, the longer it would take for her to find out what was wrong with this guy.
“You see,” said Dumbledore, “this is a very difficult matter to discuss. It would be best to first tell you about the history of the Elder Wand.
“Many years before you were born, a wand was created. This wand was not like any regular wand, and it was deadly to any person who dueled against it. Antioch Peverell, an extremely powerful wizard, made this wand. The story of Mr. Peverell and his brothers has been determined as legend, but in reality it is truth.
“In the legend Antioch boasted about this wand, which was said to be invincible. During the night, another wizard slit his throat, and became the new master of the wand. Do you understand?”
Julia nodded her head.
“Excellent. Now, this wand has had a very bloody past, wizard after wizard defeating each other to get possession of this wand. After many years, this wand ended up in the hands of a certain man. This man was-…”
“What does all of this have to do with me?” Julia asked. “All of this seems interesting, but where do I come in?”
Dumbledore tried to be patient with her. “Well,” he said, “if you had let me finish you would know. Anyways, the man who got hold of it was named Gregory Matthews.”
“My grandfather?” Julia asked.
“Yes, your grandfather. Incidentally, he died undefeated, and this wand was no longer had a master. The wand went to your father, and now it has come to be in your possession.”
Julia was shocked. Her father’s wand… It had belonged to Antioch Peverell… This wand had such a horrible past. All of those wizards who had died…
“Is that why that man was following me?” she asked quietly.
“Yes,” Dumbledore said. “Yes it was. Lord Voldemort is not aware that the wand has lost its invincibility. He sent one of his servants to retrieve it from you. Now that he knows you are still alive and have the wand, he will stop at nothing to get you and kill you.”
“Wants to kill me…” she said quietly. After all of those years of being invisible, she actually wished she were unnoticed again.
“This is why the Order of the Phoenix and I would like to offer you our protection. Hogwarts is the safest place you can be, so if you want you could attend the school.”
“But I don’t know how to do a lot of magic! How am I supposed to keep up with other students?”
“We could give you lessons this summer,” said Dumbledore. “We could give you all the knowledge you need, and Professor Snape here,” he nodded towards Snape, who was still standing at the entrance, “has agreed to giving you Occlumency lessons, which will help you keep Voldemort from penetrating your mind.”
Julia stared at the ground. “Why would Voldemort want to get into my head?”
“He might try to trick you into meeting him somehow, and we wish for that not to happen.”
Julia looked back up at Dumbledore and said quietly, “What about Harry Potter? You said I was related to him. How?”
Dumbledore smiled at her. “I thought you might ask about that. You see, your grandmother was related to Lily Potter’s mother. Lily Potter was Harry’s mother. He was not told of your existence because we weren’t sure if you were still alive after a while. I assure you that he will be told when he comes back to Hogwarts.”
Julia thought about this. Her cousin was Harry Potter… If she had been foretold of this she would have found whoever told her crazy. If she had been told that she was going to be stalked by a Death Eater, she would have laughed in the person’s face. If she had been told anything that had gone on today, she would have walked away amused. But here she was. In a few short hours she had been told about her family, her wand’s past, and why she needed to be protected. And Dumbledore expected her to be fine with this?
“Can I leave now?” she asked. Dumbledore shook his head.
“I have one last thing to say to you.” He bent down and came back up with a small book. “This book can be used as a journal,” he said. “If you wish, you may write in it, and only you will be able to read it unless you permit another to do so.” He handed it to her. “I hope you use it well.”
Julia nodded. “Can I go now?”
Dumbledore nodded. “Yes you may.”
Julia stood up and walked past Professor Snape. With a last look at Dumbledore, she turned and left, walking down the stairs to meet Dobby, who would take her back to her room. She looked down at the journal. Maybe she would fill its blank pages.
***
Back in her room, Julia sat at her desk with the journal open to its first page, pencil in hand. “If you wish, you may write in it, and only you will be able to read it unless you permit another to do so.” She repeated Dumbledore’s words. She was going to be the only one who would be able to read it? That would be useful considering the story she was about to put on its pages. She began to write.
When I was seven, my parents sent me over to a friend’s house. I asked why they were sending me at last minute, but they didn’t tell me why. My father gave me his wand to show my friend, and when I asked what he would do if he needed it, he said he had a spare. I was at the muggle bus stop when my parents died, and I heard a voice on the intercom saying that everyone needed to get out so the ‘police’ could check for any bombs. They said that a bomb had been set off at 3925 Wellington Way, and I realized that was my neighbor’s address. I left the station and ran back home. I saw the neighbor’s house in ruins, and the right side of my house looked just like it. My parents’ bodies were gone, but I knew that I wasn’t going to see them again.
I was scared, so I went to the park, it being my only source comfort. I sat next to the woman who fed the pigeons. She saw my father’s wand, and asked if my parents were wizards. Turned out, she was a squib. She asked me why I was crying, and I told her that my parents were dead. She cried with me, and offered to take me in for a few days while she talked to the Ministry. I went to her house, and fell asleep in her living room. Right before I fell asleep she told me she was going to go to the Ministry, but her house wasn’t hooked up to the floo network. She didn’t have a muggle car, so she said she was going to walk to the visitor entrance.
The next morning I woke up, and turned on the T.V. It was the news, and it said that the night before an old woman had been found dead in the streets. They showed her picture, and it was the pigeon lady.
I lived in her house for a few days, and ate food from her refrigerator. When I ran out, I knew I had to go. I looked for a few coins, muggle or wizard, and left. I planned on going to my grandparents’ house, but it was too far away, and I didn’t know how to get there. I tried walking, but I ended up in a dark alleyway with people with strange piercings. With the events of that night my seven-year-old self completely lost it, and I ran. I don’t know for how long, but I ended up somewhere in the countryside. A muggle farmer found me and took me back to the city and had the police deal with me. He thought I was a runaway.
When the police found out I had no parents, they tried to send me to a foster home. They tried, but I didn’t want to live my life in a strange place with muggle children. I had started showing signs of magic around that time, and the man driving me to the home unexpectedly was found unconscious in the street. I disappeared for good.
I was scared that if anyone found me that they would send me to another foster home, so I stayed out of sight that year, getting food from street vendors with the money I made from singing in the streets, sleeping in houses I knew were empty and getting clothes from the dollar store. It was strangely easy for a seven-year-old to handle.
The next two years were about the same, but I started to train myself to use magic. In about a few months I had taught myself the summoning charm, healing charm and a few jinxes. I was always sure I was alone before I practiced, though. I didn’t want any muggles reporting a person performing magic to the authorities, or getting my picture, since the whole world would then start looking for me.
When I turned eleven, I was smart enough to sneak into someone’s house and figure out their ‘computer’. I put in the address of my father’s parents’ house on ‘mapquest’ and got directions to their place. It took me about five days to get there, and when I did I knocked on the door. My grandparents did not answer the door, but a young woman did. I told her that I was a friend, and she let me in. Turned out that she was a healer who had been given the assignment of caring for my grandparents. They were not in physical or mental health to recognize who I was. Instead of recognizing who I was, they thought I was an imposter who was trying to kill them. They didn’t realize I was just an eleven-year-old girl. When they started to scream, I left. I knew that they were never going to realize who I was, and that I should not go back.
As far as I knew, my mother’s whole family was dead, and I knew that my father had no siblings, so I had no other relatives to visit.
About a year later I was walking through London and I saw a boy. I had an odd feeling that we were connected somehow, but I didn’t know how. I realized that we had the same color eyes: Emerald Green. I wanted to walk up to him and say hi, but I didn’t have the guts. Instead I followed him into a bookshop. A man was signing books there, and he had dragged the boy up front. By the look of the man, the boy was very important, and I’m sure that he said his name. But, even if he had, I didn’t hear it over the cheers of the crowd.
A week later I got hold of the wizard magazine, ‘The Daily Prophet’ and I learned that the boy’s name was Harry Potter, and that he had been the reason of Voldemort’s downfall. I had learned about Voldemort from a previous magazine, and I was amazed at the thought of this boy defeating him at such a young age.
I never saw the boy again, but I kept on reading about him in the papers I had gotten hold of. In the start of this summer, I read a paper that said he claimed that Voldemort was back. The people who were running the paper would say that he was a nutter, and that a man named Albus Dumbledore was as well. I actually came to believe it at some point. But, the man who had followed me today changed my mind, and I don’t know what to think anymore. The newspapers or Dumbledore?
The events of today have really confused me. According to Dumbledore I have possession of a wand that was once invincible to its master, was stalked by one of Voldemort’s servants, need to be protected, and will start attending school in September. I haven’t been to school since the first grade, so I’m not that educated. I listened in on a class a few times, so I know how to do muggle stuff, like math, science and reading, but I don’t know anything about what wizards do. All I know I can do that wizards can is read. I don’t know if I like what’s happening to me or not. All I can really do is see what happens to me, and hope for the best.
***
Julia stopped writing and read what she had written. For the first time in a long time, she started to cry. She didn’t know why she was crying, but for some reason reading about her horrible past was especially depressing at this very moment. She bit her lip. She had gone through so much, and now she was being given more than she had ever had in a long time. Clothes that weren’t from a dollar store, good food, a room, a private bathroom, and a person who actually seemed concerned for her. And she had a family member who wasn’t going to yell at her because they thought she was going to kill them. This was weird, but maybe she could get used to this. She was about to set her pencil down when she remembered something she could write down.
That night I was seven and in the alley, a man came towards me with a knife.
***
I hope that cleared up your questions of how she survived alone. Review!
Chapter 4
In the morning Julia woke up in her king sized bed, not knowing how she had gotten there considering the fact that she had fallen asleep at the desk. She got up and walked over to the pile of fresh clothes that had remained untouched since her arrival. Out from the pile came a green short sleeve shirt and a nice pair of jeans. They looked like they would fit Julia perfectly. She looked down at the shoes besides the clothes. She saw a selection way better than the one at the dollar store… But she didn’t choose a pair to wear, wanting to keep her Converse on. This place wasn’t going to get her to completely change…
She put on the clothes, brushed her hair (which was extremely hard to do) and looked into the bathroom mirror. She was a bit surprised by what she saw.
Her hair was actually smooth and untangled, the ratty clothes were gone and replaced by clean ones, and for once she actually looked pretty. Pretty… Julia smiled at the thought. Some might even had said that she was beautiful. The only feature getting in the way would be her tired and frustrated expression.
“Miss Julia!” a voice said from behind her. Dobby. Julia turned around.
“What do you want, Dobby?”
“Dobby has been told to tell Miss Julia about her first lesson!”
Already? She had been here one day and she already had to start doing stuff. No time to relax…
“What about it?”
“It is now!”
“Now?”
“Yes! Dobby must take Miss Julia there!” He took her hand to pull, and Julia flinched. “Oh… Dobby forgot Miss Julia does not want to be touched.” He dropped her hand. He led her out the familiar tunnel, got out of the hole, and watched Julia do the same. He grabbed the end of her sleeve, and with a loud crack he disappeared, appearing once more in Dumbledore’s office.
***
Dobby gave a low bow and left, leaving Julia standing alone in front of all those teachers. Dumbledore nodded his head at her.
“Julia! You didn’t attempt to escape this time. Well, I thought I should introduce you to the witches and wizards who will be teaching you all you need to know to start in fifth year here at Hogwarts.” He pointed to the teachers standing in a line. He walked up to the first one. “This is Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress. She is the transfiguration teacher here at Hogwarts, and the Gryffindor head.” He walked to the next. “This is Professor Sprout, Herbology teacher and Hufflepuff head.” Next. “Professor Flitwick, Charms teacher and Ravenclaw head, Professor Binns,” a ghost, “the History of Magic teacher, Professor Trelawney, who teaches Divination,”
Next.
“Professor Sinistra.”
Next.
Next.
Next.
Dumbledore reached the end of the line. “And you know Professor Snape, our Potions master and head of Slytherin house.”
Julia stared at him coldly, and he returned the icy glare.
“I’m sure we will all get on excellently.”
“Right…” Julia muttered under her breath. She had a feeling that Snape heard her say that.
“Well,” said a cheerful Dumbledore, “I thought that you could go to each professor for two hours, and the ones you don’t get to today you will go to tomorrow. Understand?”
Julia slowly nodded her head. Then she realized something. “Sir, you still have my wand.”
“Oh! Yes… Very well…” He went over to his desk and picked up the thin stick. He handed it back to Julia. She smiled. She had missed this wand.
“You will be starting with Professor McGonagall. She will take you to her classroom.”
The teachers left, leaving McGonagall, Julia and Dumbledore in the office.
“Let’s go, Miss Matthews.” McGonagall left the office, and Julia followed.
***
The week went by pretty fast, Julia mastering every spell she had to do. The teachers were surprised she could handle magic that well without going to school. To Julia, the classes were pretty simple, except for Divination. In Divination she had to interpret her dreams, read her tea leaves (which Professor Trelawney often said warned of a bad omen), and act as if she could see anything in the crystal balls. The only classes that was really challenging because the teacher didn’t pity her were Potions and Occlumency,
In potions, Professor Snape found something wrong in every potion she made, saying it smelled bad or was off color by one shade. Occlumency was worse, where he would not let up on his attempts to break into her mind…
“Keep focus!” Snape shouted. “The Dark Lord is much more powerful than I am, and he will not give you a break!”
“Please! Stop it!” she yelled. “Stop doing that!”
“The Dark Lord will not stop penetrating your mind if you ask him to stop! Legilimens!”
Julia was five, and she was sneaking into her dad’s office… She was six and learning how to ride a bike… She was at the bus stop, listening to the intercom… She was talking to the pigeon lady…
“Stop!”
Julia fell to the floor. She couldn’t take this anymore! She clenched her hand around her wand. Snape walked up to her.
“Pathetic,” he said. “You do not put the least bit of effort into these lessons. I’m wasting my time here.”
“I’m trying.”
“Not hard enough. Get up. We’re trying again.”
Julia eased herself up from the ground. Her ankle hurt from having twisted it when she fell.
“On my count. One, two, three… Legilimens!”
Julia watched her memories again. She was watching the news and saw the pigeon lady… She was running into the alley… The man with the knife walked up to her… He raised his weapon…
“NO!” The memories stopped. Julia opened her eyes. She looked over at Snape who was lying on the floor. Oh no… Did she kill him? Wait, he was breathing. She took advantage of this moment to regain her energy.
Why wouldn’t Snape go easy on her? She sure wasn’t going to get better at this if he kept on working her to the death. This was hard! He was making her relive those moments she didn’t want to remember… And he had almost seen the man with the knife...
She heard Snape get up a few moments later. He didn’t sound too happy.
“That was… better. You managed to knock me unconscious. But,” he walked up to Julia, “if you tell anyone about today, you won’t be getting any easier work next time. Now, leave. You’re dismissed.”
Julia left, leaving Snape alone. He walked over to his desk and sat down. That last memory he had seen… The man raising the knife. What was that about? He was raising it close to that small girl. The girl must have been Julia. Another strange thing… The headmaster had told him that she didn’t like to be touched. Did the man have to do with it? He could only find out their next lesson.
***
Julia returned to her room. She no longer needed Dobby to take her everywhere since now Dumbledore trusted that she would stay put. Occlumency had been the last class of the day. She went over to her desk and opened up her journal. She went to a new page and started to write.
In Occlumency class today Snape got really far back in my memory to that time in the alley. He saw the man who had walked towards me with the knife. I’m glad he didn’t see the whole thing. I bet he’s wondering what happened that night. The man raising the knife over the little girl. He won’t be reading this, so I might as well write it down here.
The night I had run into the alley, a man had walked up to me. He asked me why a little girl liked me was in his territory. I told him I didn’t know this place belonged to him, and he told me that he would give me a way to remember. He took out a pocketknife and opened up the blade. He had raised it up high, and then he had it come hurtling down, right into my arm. I started to scream, and he was laughing. At that moment I started using my young uncontrollable magic, and I accidentally killed him. I had made him fly back and knock against a brick wall. He fell to the ground not breathing or moving. Realizing what I had done, I ran, the knife still in my arm. I couldn’t believe I had just killed that guy. For a while I had hid because I was afraid someone would find out.
I have a scar from that night. It’s a reminder of what I had done, and I can’t let anyone see that memory because of that… They’ll start feeling really bad for me, and I just can’t have that. They’ll say things like, “I’m so sorry!” or, “How could he do that to you?” or “You couldn’t help it!” and they’ll start to cry. They would probably try to give me a hug as well, but whenever people try to get that close I remember the man standing next to me. I should have gotten over it by now, or toughened up, but I still remember that knife.
No one’s going to see that memory. Or read this journal.
Julia put down her pencil and walked to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror as she lifted her sleeve up. Right below her shoulder was a long, thin white line, the mark of a knife in a small girl’s arm. Julia took her wand and tried to conceal the mark. When that failed, she just pulled the sleeve back down. She decided to go back to bed, and fell asleep to dreams of Snape stabbing her in the arm.
***
I hope you liked that chapter... I don't know if you'll like what I did for the guy with the knife, or how I explained it. Maybe you'll like it better than I did... Review! The link's in my signature.
In the morning Julia woke up in her king sized bed, not knowing how she had gotten there considering the fact that she had fallen asleep at the desk. She got up and walked over to the pile of fresh clothes that had remained untouched since her arrival. Out from the pile came a green short sleeve shirt and a nice pair of jeans. They looked like they would fit Julia perfectly. She looked down at the shoes besides the clothes. She saw a selection way better than the one at the dollar store… But she didn’t choose a pair to wear, wanting to keep her Converse on. This place wasn’t going to get her to completely change…
She put on the clothes, brushed her hair (which was extremely hard to do) and looked into the bathroom mirror. She was a bit surprised by what she saw.
Her hair was actually smooth and untangled, the ratty clothes were gone and replaced by clean ones, and for once she actually looked pretty. Pretty… Julia smiled at the thought. Some might even had said that she was beautiful. The only feature getting in the way would be her tired and frustrated expression.
“Miss Julia!” a voice said from behind her. Dobby. Julia turned around.
“What do you want, Dobby?”
“Dobby has been told to tell Miss Julia about her first lesson!”
Already? She had been here one day and she already had to start doing stuff. No time to relax…
“What about it?”
“It is now!”
“Now?”
“Yes! Dobby must take Miss Julia there!” He took her hand to pull, and Julia flinched. “Oh… Dobby forgot Miss Julia does not want to be touched.” He dropped her hand. He led her out the familiar tunnel, got out of the hole, and watched Julia do the same. He grabbed the end of her sleeve, and with a loud crack he disappeared, appearing once more in Dumbledore’s office.
***
Dobby gave a low bow and left, leaving Julia standing alone in front of all those teachers. Dumbledore nodded his head at her.
“Julia! You didn’t attempt to escape this time. Well, I thought I should introduce you to the witches and wizards who will be teaching you all you need to know to start in fifth year here at Hogwarts.” He pointed to the teachers standing in a line. He walked up to the first one. “This is Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress. She is the transfiguration teacher here at Hogwarts, and the Gryffindor head.” He walked to the next. “This is Professor Sprout, Herbology teacher and Hufflepuff head.” Next. “Professor Flitwick, Charms teacher and Ravenclaw head, Professor Binns,” a ghost, “the History of Magic teacher, Professor Trelawney, who teaches Divination,”
Next.
“Professor Sinistra.”
Next.
Next.
Next.
Dumbledore reached the end of the line. “And you know Professor Snape, our Potions master and head of Slytherin house.”
Julia stared at him coldly, and he returned the icy glare.
“I’m sure we will all get on excellently.”
“Right…” Julia muttered under her breath. She had a feeling that Snape heard her say that.
“Well,” said a cheerful Dumbledore, “I thought that you could go to each professor for two hours, and the ones you don’t get to today you will go to tomorrow. Understand?”
Julia slowly nodded her head. Then she realized something. “Sir, you still have my wand.”
“Oh! Yes… Very well…” He went over to his desk and picked up the thin stick. He handed it back to Julia. She smiled. She had missed this wand.
“You will be starting with Professor McGonagall. She will take you to her classroom.”
The teachers left, leaving McGonagall, Julia and Dumbledore in the office.
“Let’s go, Miss Matthews.” McGonagall left the office, and Julia followed.
***
The week went by pretty fast, Julia mastering every spell she had to do. The teachers were surprised she could handle magic that well without going to school. To Julia, the classes were pretty simple, except for Divination. In Divination she had to interpret her dreams, read her tea leaves (which Professor Trelawney often said warned of a bad omen), and act as if she could see anything in the crystal balls. The only classes that was really challenging because the teacher didn’t pity her were Potions and Occlumency,
In potions, Professor Snape found something wrong in every potion she made, saying it smelled bad or was off color by one shade. Occlumency was worse, where he would not let up on his attempts to break into her mind…
“Keep focus!” Snape shouted. “The Dark Lord is much more powerful than I am, and he will not give you a break!”
“Please! Stop it!” she yelled. “Stop doing that!”
“The Dark Lord will not stop penetrating your mind if you ask him to stop! Legilimens!”
Julia was five, and she was sneaking into her dad’s office… She was six and learning how to ride a bike… She was at the bus stop, listening to the intercom… She was talking to the pigeon lady…
“Stop!”
Julia fell to the floor. She couldn’t take this anymore! She clenched her hand around her wand. Snape walked up to her.
“Pathetic,” he said. “You do not put the least bit of effort into these lessons. I’m wasting my time here.”
“I’m trying.”
“Not hard enough. Get up. We’re trying again.”
Julia eased herself up from the ground. Her ankle hurt from having twisted it when she fell.
“On my count. One, two, three… Legilimens!”
Julia watched her memories again. She was watching the news and saw the pigeon lady… She was running into the alley… The man with the knife walked up to her… He raised his weapon…
“NO!” The memories stopped. Julia opened her eyes. She looked over at Snape who was lying on the floor. Oh no… Did she kill him? Wait, he was breathing. She took advantage of this moment to regain her energy.
Why wouldn’t Snape go easy on her? She sure wasn’t going to get better at this if he kept on working her to the death. This was hard! He was making her relive those moments she didn’t want to remember… And he had almost seen the man with the knife...
She heard Snape get up a few moments later. He didn’t sound too happy.
“That was… better. You managed to knock me unconscious. But,” he walked up to Julia, “if you tell anyone about today, you won’t be getting any easier work next time. Now, leave. You’re dismissed.”
Julia left, leaving Snape alone. He walked over to his desk and sat down. That last memory he had seen… The man raising the knife. What was that about? He was raising it close to that small girl. The girl must have been Julia. Another strange thing… The headmaster had told him that she didn’t like to be touched. Did the man have to do with it? He could only find out their next lesson.
***
Julia returned to her room. She no longer needed Dobby to take her everywhere since now Dumbledore trusted that she would stay put. Occlumency had been the last class of the day. She went over to her desk and opened up her journal. She went to a new page and started to write.
In Occlumency class today Snape got really far back in my memory to that time in the alley. He saw the man who had walked towards me with the knife. I’m glad he didn’t see the whole thing. I bet he’s wondering what happened that night. The man raising the knife over the little girl. He won’t be reading this, so I might as well write it down here.
The night I had run into the alley, a man had walked up to me. He asked me why a little girl liked me was in his territory. I told him I didn’t know this place belonged to him, and he told me that he would give me a way to remember. He took out a pocketknife and opened up the blade. He had raised it up high, and then he had it come hurtling down, right into my arm. I started to scream, and he was laughing. At that moment I started using my young uncontrollable magic, and I accidentally killed him. I had made him fly back and knock against a brick wall. He fell to the ground not breathing or moving. Realizing what I had done, I ran, the knife still in my arm. I couldn’t believe I had just killed that guy. For a while I had hid because I was afraid someone would find out.
I have a scar from that night. It’s a reminder of what I had done, and I can’t let anyone see that memory because of that… They’ll start feeling really bad for me, and I just can’t have that. They’ll say things like, “I’m so sorry!” or, “How could he do that to you?” or “You couldn’t help it!” and they’ll start to cry. They would probably try to give me a hug as well, but whenever people try to get that close I remember the man standing next to me. I should have gotten over it by now, or toughened up, but I still remember that knife.
No one’s going to see that memory. Or read this journal.
Julia put down her pencil and walked to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror as she lifted her sleeve up. Right below her shoulder was a long, thin white line, the mark of a knife in a small girl’s arm. Julia took her wand and tried to conceal the mark. When that failed, she just pulled the sleeve back down. She decided to go back to bed, and fell asleep to dreams of Snape stabbing her in the arm.
***
I hope you liked that chapter... I don't know if you'll like what I did for the guy with the knife, or how I explained it. Maybe you'll like it better than I did... Review! The link's in my signature.
Here is my next chapter. I spent a bit of time writing it by hand, and then typed it up on the computer just a few minutes ago. Enjoy!
***
Chapter 5
Two more days of lessons passed, and once again, Julia ended up back in Occlumency. Snape had definitely lied when he said he wouldn’t make it harder if she didn’t tell anyone about her knocking him unconscious. If it was anything, it was harder. Snape seemed extra determined to see her memories, like there was something he wanted to know…
“Legilimens.”
Julia was looking at the ruins of her and the neighbors’ house… She was saying goodbye to the pigeon lady… She was eating from the lady’s refrigerator… She was running in the alley… The man was raising his knife…
No, Julia thought. You aren’t going to see this! She tried pushing him out, but Snape was using all of his power to see this.
The man was bringing the knife down… The knife was sticking out of her arm… She was screaming… The man flew back and hit the brick wall... He wasn’t moving…
“STOP IT!”
The flashback stopped, and Julia fell to her knees. “What,” she managed to spit out, “is wrong with you?”
Snape did not answer. He walked over to Julia and lifted her sleeve, staring at the long scar.
“You killed that man, didn’t you?” he asked coldly. “You killed that man in the alley. Then you ran. Not even caring to move him. All you cared about was getting out of there… No respect for the dead.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Why not?” he sneered. “You know it’s true.”
Julia flinched. “Don’t touch me,” she said.
“I will be informing the headmaster of this. He would want to hear about this.”
Julia returned his icy glare.
“If you tell him, I will…”
“What?” Snape asked mockingly. “Kill me? I doubt that you would have the courage to do that.” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “What do you not understand? Professor Dumbledore is trying to help you, and all you do is show what an annoying brat you are!”
“DON’T SAY THAT!”
Snape flew backwards, crashing into his many jars of liquid. He fell to the floor with glass stuck in his back, moaning in pain.
“Oh no…” Julia whispered. “Not again…” She had to get out of here. If anyone were to find out what she had just done to him… She ran out as Snape was slowly coming to his feet.
This time, she knew a way outside. Not the way to the main entrance, but a way outside. She started to run down the staircase, ignoring the portraits’ calls of, “Stop running!” and, “You’re going to hurt someone!”
Julia jumped the last step to the ground floor, and ran to the door that led outside. Once out, she tripped over something, falling flat on her face. Looking up, she learned it was a cat. A tabby with markings that looked somewhat like spectacles…
She got back up, picking up her fallen wand. With a last look at the cat, she returned to her sprinting. Only this time, she limped slightly from her now scraped knee.
Another minute of running led her to the lake. Julia had never seen it until then, only heard about it, but it looked like a nice place to stop. She sat down, letting the water fill up her shoes. She started to think back to what had just happened.
Snape had really wanted to see that memory. How could he do that? He had completely taken advantage of his power! Didn’t he understand that she didn’t want anyone to see what had happened that night? He had watched her kill that guy, and once he recovered from her attack, he would tell Dumbledore. Dumbledore would decide that she was too dangerous to teach, and that she would be a danger to her cousin, and would send her away to some Order member. She wasn’t going to attend Hogwarts, or have people her age to talk to (even though she had no clue what she would say), and it would all be because of that stupid memory…
A wave of water landing on her head brought Julia out of her thoughts. Looking up, she saw a huge squid. She wiped the water out of her face to be sure that it was really there. Yep… It was real. And it wasn’t looking too friendly.
“Um… How’re you doing?” she asked nervously.
Of course, the squid didn’t answer. Instead, it took a long tentacle and wrapped it around her. It began to bring it back into the water. Realizing what was about to happen, Julia started to scream for help.
“SOMEONE HELP ME!”
Her feet were grazing the water now…
“ANYONE? PLEASE!”
The squid had dragged her down waist deep, and it was squeezing her. She wished she had listened in on a muggle class of how to make it let go…
“Help!” she gasped.
The water was up to her neck and she was losing feeling of her body.
“Help…”
Julia was underwater, and the water was getting darker. No wonder they called it the black lake… The dry world was getting farther and farther away. So this is what drowning is like, Julia thought. I never thought I would go like this…
Her eyes were closing, the water was filling her lungs, and her brain was starting to shut off.
Funny… Dumbledore said the squid was friendly. He was wrong… I wonder if anyone’s going to find my body…
Someone above the water was looking down at her. The weren’t very clear, but Julia could almost swear that they were pointing a wand at her. Hmm… Her wand was still up there… That person was going to watch her die… She didn’t really care, though. This was kind of pleasant. It wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t get her out of here.
Julia was so tired… She didn’t notice that the squid had let go of her, and that she was slowly moving back up to the ground.
***
“Miss Julia! Miss Julia must wake up!”
“Be quiet, Dobby…”
“Miss Julia has spoken! She is alive!”
Julia opened an eye, and looked over at Dobby. He was a few inches away from her face, his eyes popping out of his head.
“Oh… Sorry Miss.” He moved away a bit.
Looking around, Julia assumed that this was the Hospital Wing. She had never been here before, but she could already tell. The rows of cots, the white paint. She looked back at Dobby.
“This is the Hospital Wing, isn’t it, Dobby?”
“Yes. Miss Julia has been here for many hours. Professor Dumbledore is very mad at the squid, you see. He has given it a good talking. He told Dobby to watch you to see if you would wake up any time soon. And you has!”
Julia sighed. “Who fished me out of the lake?”
“That would be Professor Snape. He was in his office when Professor McGonagall told him you were outside. He went to the lake and did some great magic to get you out, Miss. He did!”
“I’m sure he did…” Julia murmured.
Snape had saved her? She was so sure that he would have left her to die. It would have brought him so much joy and pleasure to watch the squid drag her to the bottom of the lake. She could only imagine his face when he learned that she had drowned. That horrible, smirking face…
“Miss Julia?”
“Yes, Dobby?”
“Professor Dumbledore is wishing to see you.”
Dumbledore? Why couldn’t that old man just leave her alone?
“Let him in, then.”
Dobby gave her a low bow, and then rushed off to the door at the end of the hall. He jumped to reach the doorknob, and pulled the door open. Dumbledore walked in, his silver hair swishing behind him.
“Julia!” he said warmly. “I see that you have awoken!”
“Obviously,” she responded quite rudely.
Dumbledore made his way over to Julia’s hospital bed. He frowned in thought.
“I see that the squid has not done too much damage. I apologize for what it did to you. The giant squid… Has not attacked anyone for some time now, and it was a great surprise to everyone when he dragged you underwater.”
Julia wished he would just stop talking… It would make everything so much better…
“It was a good thing that you tripped over Professor McGonagall as you were running from the castle. If you hadn’t…”
The cat was Professor McGonagall? She’d have to ask someone later… And wasn’t Dumbledore going to say something about the memory yet? If he was going to avoid it, she was going to make him get to the point.
“Professor, am I going to be taken from Hogwarts, or what?”
Dumbledore looked taken aback. “Taken from Hogwarts? What would make you think…?”
Julia sighed. “You know what I’m talking about. The memory Professor Snape saw.”
“Oh yes… That.”
We’ve finally gotten to the point, thought Julia.
“I have no intentions of removing you from Hogwarts, Julia.”
“Really?” asked a shocked Julia. She hadn’t expected that. “But, Professor Snape… The memory… The man… I attacked Professor Snape!”
Dumbledore gave her a knowing look. “I am perfectly aware that you attacked Professor Snape. I understand what was going through your head at the time, and I forgive you. As for the memory, that is a thing of the past. You are not a danger to your cousin, Julia.”
That was a relief… Sort of.
“But, there is another matter that I wish to discuss with you. You see, Professor Snape saved your life back at the lake. When a wizard saves another wizard’s life, there is a magical bond between the two.”
“But,” spluttered Julia, “I don’t want to have a bond with Snape!”
“Professor Snape,” corrected Dumbledore. “Your cousin had a similar reaction to this when I spoke to him of his bond between him and Peter Pettigrew.”
“Wait, isn’t he dead?”
Dumbledore shook his head. “No, and we shall speak of that another time. Anyways, because Professor Snape saved your life, you owe him a life debt.”
“A life debt?” Julia asked confusedly. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well,” said Dumbledore, “an example would be if someone were trying to kill Professor Snape, and you could repay the debt by saving his life. But, I highly doubt that you will have to do that any time soon.”
“Oh… Umm… Professor? Could you, go, and leave me to think?”
Dumbledore nodded. “Of course. I will be seeing you tomorrow.” He left the Hospital Wing, leaving Julia all alone.
Finally, she thought. No Dobby hovering over her, no Dumbledore, just her, and this nice bed. Right as she was starting to relax, a woman bustled over to her.
“I am Madame Pomfrey,” she said. “As long as you are here, you will be under my care. Do you understand, Dear?”
Julia nodded. Great, another annoying person to bother her. The woman shoved a piece of chocolate into Julia’s mouth. Not expecting this, she started to gag. This was going to be a long stay…
***
Oh... I feel bad for my character. Maybe I shouldn't have had a peice of chocolate shoved in her mouth, but hey! Chocolate cures everything! Review! The link's in my siggy.
***
Chapter 5
Two more days of lessons passed, and once again, Julia ended up back in Occlumency. Snape had definitely lied when he said he wouldn’t make it harder if she didn’t tell anyone about her knocking him unconscious. If it was anything, it was harder. Snape seemed extra determined to see her memories, like there was something he wanted to know…
“Legilimens.”
Julia was looking at the ruins of her and the neighbors’ house… She was saying goodbye to the pigeon lady… She was eating from the lady’s refrigerator… She was running in the alley… The man was raising his knife…
No, Julia thought. You aren’t going to see this! She tried pushing him out, but Snape was using all of his power to see this.
The man was bringing the knife down… The knife was sticking out of her arm… She was screaming… The man flew back and hit the brick wall... He wasn’t moving…
“STOP IT!”
The flashback stopped, and Julia fell to her knees. “What,” she managed to spit out, “is wrong with you?”
Snape did not answer. He walked over to Julia and lifted her sleeve, staring at the long scar.
“You killed that man, didn’t you?” he asked coldly. “You killed that man in the alley. Then you ran. Not even caring to move him. All you cared about was getting out of there… No respect for the dead.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Why not?” he sneered. “You know it’s true.”
Julia flinched. “Don’t touch me,” she said.
“I will be informing the headmaster of this. He would want to hear about this.”
Julia returned his icy glare.
“If you tell him, I will…”
“What?” Snape asked mockingly. “Kill me? I doubt that you would have the courage to do that.” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “What do you not understand? Professor Dumbledore is trying to help you, and all you do is show what an annoying brat you are!”
“DON’T SAY THAT!”
Snape flew backwards, crashing into his many jars of liquid. He fell to the floor with glass stuck in his back, moaning in pain.
“Oh no…” Julia whispered. “Not again…” She had to get out of here. If anyone were to find out what she had just done to him… She ran out as Snape was slowly coming to his feet.
This time, she knew a way outside. Not the way to the main entrance, but a way outside. She started to run down the staircase, ignoring the portraits’ calls of, “Stop running!” and, “You’re going to hurt someone!”
Julia jumped the last step to the ground floor, and ran to the door that led outside. Once out, she tripped over something, falling flat on her face. Looking up, she learned it was a cat. A tabby with markings that looked somewhat like spectacles…
She got back up, picking up her fallen wand. With a last look at the cat, she returned to her sprinting. Only this time, she limped slightly from her now scraped knee.
Another minute of running led her to the lake. Julia had never seen it until then, only heard about it, but it looked like a nice place to stop. She sat down, letting the water fill up her shoes. She started to think back to what had just happened.
Snape had really wanted to see that memory. How could he do that? He had completely taken advantage of his power! Didn’t he understand that she didn’t want anyone to see what had happened that night? He had watched her kill that guy, and once he recovered from her attack, he would tell Dumbledore. Dumbledore would decide that she was too dangerous to teach, and that she would be a danger to her cousin, and would send her away to some Order member. She wasn’t going to attend Hogwarts, or have people her age to talk to (even though she had no clue what she would say), and it would all be because of that stupid memory…
A wave of water landing on her head brought Julia out of her thoughts. Looking up, she saw a huge squid. She wiped the water out of her face to be sure that it was really there. Yep… It was real. And it wasn’t looking too friendly.
“Um… How’re you doing?” she asked nervously.
Of course, the squid didn’t answer. Instead, it took a long tentacle and wrapped it around her. It began to bring it back into the water. Realizing what was about to happen, Julia started to scream for help.
“SOMEONE HELP ME!”
Her feet were grazing the water now…
“ANYONE? PLEASE!”
The squid had dragged her down waist deep, and it was squeezing her. She wished she had listened in on a muggle class of how to make it let go…
“Help!” she gasped.
The water was up to her neck and she was losing feeling of her body.
“Help…”
Julia was underwater, and the water was getting darker. No wonder they called it the black lake… The dry world was getting farther and farther away. So this is what drowning is like, Julia thought. I never thought I would go like this…
Her eyes were closing, the water was filling her lungs, and her brain was starting to shut off.
Funny… Dumbledore said the squid was friendly. He was wrong… I wonder if anyone’s going to find my body…
Someone above the water was looking down at her. The weren’t very clear, but Julia could almost swear that they were pointing a wand at her. Hmm… Her wand was still up there… That person was going to watch her die… She didn’t really care, though. This was kind of pleasant. It wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t get her out of here.
Julia was so tired… She didn’t notice that the squid had let go of her, and that she was slowly moving back up to the ground.
***
“Miss Julia! Miss Julia must wake up!”
“Be quiet, Dobby…”
“Miss Julia has spoken! She is alive!”
Julia opened an eye, and looked over at Dobby. He was a few inches away from her face, his eyes popping out of his head.
“Oh… Sorry Miss.” He moved away a bit.
Looking around, Julia assumed that this was the Hospital Wing. She had never been here before, but she could already tell. The rows of cots, the white paint. She looked back at Dobby.
“This is the Hospital Wing, isn’t it, Dobby?”
“Yes. Miss Julia has been here for many hours. Professor Dumbledore is very mad at the squid, you see. He has given it a good talking. He told Dobby to watch you to see if you would wake up any time soon. And you has!”
Julia sighed. “Who fished me out of the lake?”
“That would be Professor Snape. He was in his office when Professor McGonagall told him you were outside. He went to the lake and did some great magic to get you out, Miss. He did!”
“I’m sure he did…” Julia murmured.
Snape had saved her? She was so sure that he would have left her to die. It would have brought him so much joy and pleasure to watch the squid drag her to the bottom of the lake. She could only imagine his face when he learned that she had drowned. That horrible, smirking face…
“Miss Julia?”
“Yes, Dobby?”
“Professor Dumbledore is wishing to see you.”
Dumbledore? Why couldn’t that old man just leave her alone?
“Let him in, then.”
Dobby gave her a low bow, and then rushed off to the door at the end of the hall. He jumped to reach the doorknob, and pulled the door open. Dumbledore walked in, his silver hair swishing behind him.
“Julia!” he said warmly. “I see that you have awoken!”
“Obviously,” she responded quite rudely.
Dumbledore made his way over to Julia’s hospital bed. He frowned in thought.
“I see that the squid has not done too much damage. I apologize for what it did to you. The giant squid… Has not attacked anyone for some time now, and it was a great surprise to everyone when he dragged you underwater.”
Julia wished he would just stop talking… It would make everything so much better…
“It was a good thing that you tripped over Professor McGonagall as you were running from the castle. If you hadn’t…”
The cat was Professor McGonagall? She’d have to ask someone later… And wasn’t Dumbledore going to say something about the memory yet? If he was going to avoid it, she was going to make him get to the point.
“Professor, am I going to be taken from Hogwarts, or what?”
Dumbledore looked taken aback. “Taken from Hogwarts? What would make you think…?”
Julia sighed. “You know what I’m talking about. The memory Professor Snape saw.”
“Oh yes… That.”
We’ve finally gotten to the point, thought Julia.
“I have no intentions of removing you from Hogwarts, Julia.”
“Really?” asked a shocked Julia. She hadn’t expected that. “But, Professor Snape… The memory… The man… I attacked Professor Snape!”
Dumbledore gave her a knowing look. “I am perfectly aware that you attacked Professor Snape. I understand what was going through your head at the time, and I forgive you. As for the memory, that is a thing of the past. You are not a danger to your cousin, Julia.”
That was a relief… Sort of.
“But, there is another matter that I wish to discuss with you. You see, Professor Snape saved your life back at the lake. When a wizard saves another wizard’s life, there is a magical bond between the two.”
“But,” spluttered Julia, “I don’t want to have a bond with Snape!”
“Professor Snape,” corrected Dumbledore. “Your cousin had a similar reaction to this when I spoke to him of his bond between him and Peter Pettigrew.”
“Wait, isn’t he dead?”
Dumbledore shook his head. “No, and we shall speak of that another time. Anyways, because Professor Snape saved your life, you owe him a life debt.”
“A life debt?” Julia asked confusedly. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well,” said Dumbledore, “an example would be if someone were trying to kill Professor Snape, and you could repay the debt by saving his life. But, I highly doubt that you will have to do that any time soon.”
“Oh… Umm… Professor? Could you, go, and leave me to think?”
Dumbledore nodded. “Of course. I will be seeing you tomorrow.” He left the Hospital Wing, leaving Julia all alone.
Finally, she thought. No Dobby hovering over her, no Dumbledore, just her, and this nice bed. Right as she was starting to relax, a woman bustled over to her.
“I am Madame Pomfrey,” she said. “As long as you are here, you will be under my care. Do you understand, Dear?”
Julia nodded. Great, another annoying person to bother her. The woman shoved a piece of chocolate into Julia’s mouth. Not expecting this, she started to gag. This was going to be a long stay…
***
Oh... I feel bad for my character. Maybe I shouldn't have had a peice of chocolate shoved in her mouth, but hey! Chocolate cures everything! Review! The link's in my siggy.
Ok... This will be one of my shortest chapters. It's basically Julia's dream. I thought I would put it in so you could see what troubled her most... I hope you like it!
***
Chapter 6
In her bed in the Hospital Wing that night, Julia was tossing in turning, enduring one of the strangest dreams in her lifetime…
“Julia!” a voice from above said. “Julia! Look at me!” Julia looked up, and she saw the pigeon lady, surrounded by golden light. “Julia! Listen to me!”
“I thought you were dead!” said Julia. Well, she thought it. Her mouth hadn’t moved. This was a dream, after all.
“I am very well alive,” said the pigeon lady. “Now, I’m going to go to the Ministry. They’ll know what to do with you.”
“But, I don’t need you to do that! I’m fifteen now, not seven, and someone knows I exist!”
“I don’t have a car,” continued the lady, “so I’m going to walk…”
“Don’t go!” Julia pleaded.
“I’ll see you in the morning…” The woman’s face started to change. Her hair straightened out and darkened, her nose got longer…
Severus Snape’s head was now resting on the old woman’s body. It looked pretty gruesome.
“Julia! Look at me!” Snape/Pigeon Lady said. “Look me in the eye. You killed that man in the alley, didn’t you? You killed that man. And you didn’t even bother to move his body. You just wanted to get yourself out of there. No respect for the dead…
The Snape with the old woman’s body disappeared, and Julia was transported to the alley. The man with the knife was walking towards her.
“Remember me?” he asked. But, he had Snape’s voice. “You killed me, Julia. And you didn’t even bother to put me somewhere safe. You just left me to rot.”
“No!” insisted Julia. “I didn’t! I was afraid.”
“I didn’t deserve to die,” the man said. “What was a little stab in the arm? It wouldn’t take your life. But, even so, you took mine. What did I do to deserve that?”
“I didn’t try to!” Julia cried out. “I didn’t want to…”
“Professor Snape should have left you to die. He should have let the squid drown you. You are not worthy of his presence!”
Dumbledore appeared next to Julia. “He’s right, you know,” he said. “He’s right, you know.” He repeated the words over and over again. “He’s right, you know. He’s right, you know.”
“STOP IT!” Julia screamed. The man and Dumbledore flew back, smashing into a brick wall. They were unmoving…
A stabbing pain in her arm caused Julia to look down. A knife was sticking out of it. She began to run, getting farther and farther away from the two men. She tripped, and looking up, she saw that it was a tabby cat with those strange spectacle markings that had caused her to fall over. She got back up, and kept on running.
She stopped at the lake. But, it wasn’t made of dark water anymore. It was made out of that chocolate that Madame Pomfrey had shoved into her mouth. It made her want to gag just looking at the stuff…
The giant squid rose out of the chocolate. It stared hungrily down at Julia. It took a chocolate-soaked tentacle out of the liquid and started to wrap it around her. It was suffocating her, and it dragged her into the chocolate lake.
Julia was gagging on it… Drowning in chocolate, she thought. Such a strange thing. I never thought I was going to die like this…
Someone above chocolate was pointing his or her wand down at her. They were going to watch her drown in chocolate. Haha… That sounded funny. They were going to watch her drown in chocolate… The squid let go of Julia, and she started to head back towards land.
When she got out of the chocolate, Julia saw that instead of Snape saving her, it was Dumbledore, miraculously having survived his smash into the brick wall.
“I never thought the squid would attack you,” he said.
“That’s okay,” said Julia. “Professor? Can I go now?”
Instead of smiling and nodding, Dumbledore shook his head slowly.
“Can I see your wand?” he asked. He put his hood over his head.
“Show yourself,” Julia commanded, though she knew perfectly well that Dumbledore was under the cloak.
“May I see your wand?” he asked again.
“No!” Julia stumbled backwards. Dumbledore lowered his hood again, but instead of the old man looking at her, Julia’s father was. Strangely, he was holding her wand.
“Take it,” he said as he thrust it towards her.
“But what happens if you need it?” she asked like she had so many years ago.
“I’ll use a spare,” he said. “Take it.” Julia took the wand. “Goodbye, Julia,” her father said. “Goodbye.”
He exploded.
“Dad!” Julia yelled. “Come back!”
He didn’t come back. Instead, the squid rose from the chocolate lake, and wrapped another tentacle around her. It lifted her up high in the air, and then brought her slamming back into the ground.
***
Julia woke up in a cold sweat. She looked around. No giant squid. But her dad… That dream had brought so much to mind. More than those Occlumency lessons with Snape could. It just made her want to… Scream? No… To die? Not at all… She just wanted to…
Julia broke down sobbing. She didn’t know why, but this just seemed like a good time. Her tears streamed down her face, trickling into her mouth and falling into her lap. She wished she could just stop crying… The fact that she was crying just made her sob harder.
Madame Pomfrey rushed in from her office, having heard Julia’s great, racking sobs.
“Drink some of this,” she said. She handed over a cup full of a light blue liquid. Julia took it, and tried too swallow without choking on her tears. When she had gotten it all down, she immediately stopped crying.
“What was that stuff?” she gasped.
“Tear-evaporation draught,” replied Pomfrey. “Now, drink some of this as well.” She gave her another cup filled with a dark green potion. Julia just stared at it. She didn’t know if she wanted to drink something green.
“Take it!”
Julia took the cup, and poured the potion down her throat. It made her woozy, and she started to sway. Madame Pomfrey took her cup as Julia’s eyes were drooping closed. Julia fell back against her pillows, asleep once more.
***
So, there it was. I hope you liked the dream. Please give me a review! The link's in my signature.
***
Chapter 6
In her bed in the Hospital Wing that night, Julia was tossing in turning, enduring one of the strangest dreams in her lifetime…
“Julia!” a voice from above said. “Julia! Look at me!” Julia looked up, and she saw the pigeon lady, surrounded by golden light. “Julia! Listen to me!”
“I thought you were dead!” said Julia. Well, she thought it. Her mouth hadn’t moved. This was a dream, after all.
“I am very well alive,” said the pigeon lady. “Now, I’m going to go to the Ministry. They’ll know what to do with you.”
“But, I don’t need you to do that! I’m fifteen now, not seven, and someone knows I exist!”
“I don’t have a car,” continued the lady, “so I’m going to walk…”
“Don’t go!” Julia pleaded.
“I’ll see you in the morning…” The woman’s face started to change. Her hair straightened out and darkened, her nose got longer…
Severus Snape’s head was now resting on the old woman’s body. It looked pretty gruesome.
“Julia! Look at me!” Snape/Pigeon Lady said. “Look me in the eye. You killed that man in the alley, didn’t you? You killed that man. And you didn’t even bother to move his body. You just wanted to get yourself out of there. No respect for the dead…
The Snape with the old woman’s body disappeared, and Julia was transported to the alley. The man with the knife was walking towards her.
“Remember me?” he asked. But, he had Snape’s voice. “You killed me, Julia. And you didn’t even bother to put me somewhere safe. You just left me to rot.”
“No!” insisted Julia. “I didn’t! I was afraid.”
“I didn’t deserve to die,” the man said. “What was a little stab in the arm? It wouldn’t take your life. But, even so, you took mine. What did I do to deserve that?”
“I didn’t try to!” Julia cried out. “I didn’t want to…”
“Professor Snape should have left you to die. He should have let the squid drown you. You are not worthy of his presence!”
Dumbledore appeared next to Julia. “He’s right, you know,” he said. “He’s right, you know.” He repeated the words over and over again. “He’s right, you know. He’s right, you know.”
“STOP IT!” Julia screamed. The man and Dumbledore flew back, smashing into a brick wall. They were unmoving…
A stabbing pain in her arm caused Julia to look down. A knife was sticking out of it. She began to run, getting farther and farther away from the two men. She tripped, and looking up, she saw that it was a tabby cat with those strange spectacle markings that had caused her to fall over. She got back up, and kept on running.
She stopped at the lake. But, it wasn’t made of dark water anymore. It was made out of that chocolate that Madame Pomfrey had shoved into her mouth. It made her want to gag just looking at the stuff…
The giant squid rose out of the chocolate. It stared hungrily down at Julia. It took a chocolate-soaked tentacle out of the liquid and started to wrap it around her. It was suffocating her, and it dragged her into the chocolate lake.
Julia was gagging on it… Drowning in chocolate, she thought. Such a strange thing. I never thought I was going to die like this…
Someone above chocolate was pointing his or her wand down at her. They were going to watch her drown in chocolate. Haha… That sounded funny. They were going to watch her drown in chocolate… The squid let go of Julia, and she started to head back towards land.
When she got out of the chocolate, Julia saw that instead of Snape saving her, it was Dumbledore, miraculously having survived his smash into the brick wall.
“I never thought the squid would attack you,” he said.
“That’s okay,” said Julia. “Professor? Can I go now?”
Instead of smiling and nodding, Dumbledore shook his head slowly.
“Can I see your wand?” he asked. He put his hood over his head.
“Show yourself,” Julia commanded, though she knew perfectly well that Dumbledore was under the cloak.
“May I see your wand?” he asked again.
“No!” Julia stumbled backwards. Dumbledore lowered his hood again, but instead of the old man looking at her, Julia’s father was. Strangely, he was holding her wand.
“Take it,” he said as he thrust it towards her.
“But what happens if you need it?” she asked like she had so many years ago.
“I’ll use a spare,” he said. “Take it.” Julia took the wand. “Goodbye, Julia,” her father said. “Goodbye.”
He exploded.
“Dad!” Julia yelled. “Come back!”
He didn’t come back. Instead, the squid rose from the chocolate lake, and wrapped another tentacle around her. It lifted her up high in the air, and then brought her slamming back into the ground.
***
Julia woke up in a cold sweat. She looked around. No giant squid. But her dad… That dream had brought so much to mind. More than those Occlumency lessons with Snape could. It just made her want to… Scream? No… To die? Not at all… She just wanted to…
Julia broke down sobbing. She didn’t know why, but this just seemed like a good time. Her tears streamed down her face, trickling into her mouth and falling into her lap. She wished she could just stop crying… The fact that she was crying just made her sob harder.
Madame Pomfrey rushed in from her office, having heard Julia’s great, racking sobs.
“Drink some of this,” she said. She handed over a cup full of a light blue liquid. Julia took it, and tried too swallow without choking on her tears. When she had gotten it all down, she immediately stopped crying.
“What was that stuff?” she gasped.
“Tear-evaporation draught,” replied Pomfrey. “Now, drink some of this as well.” She gave her another cup filled with a dark green potion. Julia just stared at it. She didn’t know if she wanted to drink something green.
“Take it!”
Julia took the cup, and poured the potion down her throat. It made her woozy, and she started to sway. Madame Pomfrey took her cup as Julia’s eyes were drooping closed. Julia fell back against her pillows, asleep once more.
***
So, there it was. I hope you liked the dream. Please give me a review! The link's in my signature.
Okay, I'm sorry I haven't updated for a week... My teachers weren't exactly giving my class time to get re-adjusted to homework... And I hadn't written for a while, so this chapter may not be that good... I hope you like it!
***
Chapter 7
The day that followed Julia’s dream was boring. Very boring, indeed. Madame Pomfrey had insisted she stay another day to get her nerves settled. In her opinion, waking up from a dream and starting to cry was not a good sign. Basically, all Madame Pomfrey would let Julia do that day was talk to Dobby.
Julia really was getting annoyed with Dobby and his happy-perky ways. He should act like the other house elves, she thought. They would leave me alone willingly if I asked them too…
“Has Miss Julia ever heard of the Come and Go room?”
“Wa…?” Julia broke away from her daydream about killing the squid. “What did you say?”
Dobby grinned, pleased that he could bestow her with this information. “The Come and Go room, Miss! It is a room in this castle that will appear for a person in need!”
Ooh… A room that would give her whatever she needed… Julia needed to find out more.
“Well, Dobby, where can I find this, ‘Come and Go room?” Julia asked as unsuspicious as possible. Dobby did not understand that she was up to something.
“Well, Miss… It is on the seventh floor opposite to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy! Walk past it three times thinking about what you wish to uses it for, and it will show up!”
Julia gave a mischievous grin. “Thanks, Dobby…”
“You is welcome, Miss.” Dobby gave her a low bow, and then skipped away from her bed, and out the door.
“Yes…” Julia mumbled to herself. “Thank you so much, Dobby…”
Julia checked to make sure that Madame Pomfrey was still in her office. Good, she was asleep. She got up, put on her shoes, and walked over to the office door. Her wand was balanced on top. Pomfrey had taken her wand so she couldn’t escape with magic. Stupid person… What did she think Julia was? Four years old? She had pretended to be asleep as she watched Madame Pomfrey hide her wand up there.
She reached up and grabbed the wand. It was a bit dusty from all that had gathered there, but it was back in her hand. Now to get to the Come and Go room…
Julia slowly opened the door, taking care not to make any sudden noises that would wake Madame Pomfrey. If she found out she was trying to get out… Not a pretty thought. When the gap between the doors became large enough to fit through, Julia ran out, her feet pounding against the floor. An old man in a portrait was following her, getting into different portraits to keep her in sight.
“You should not be leaving!” he yelled after her. “You and your ways of the devil will be punished!”
Julia found it very strange that a portrait was taking so much care to shout that she and her ‘ways of the devil’ would be punished. He must’ve been one of those wizards from the medieval times. Well, anyways, he wasn’t important. She just needed to get up the stairs with no one seeing her.
That was, if the medieval man didn’t tell anyone she was out of the Hospital Wing.
If he didn’t tell Madame Pomfrey.
Who would kill her while she was sleeping if she found out where she was.
Or keep her imprisoned in the Hospital Wing.
She needed to find that room.
***
Far away from where Julia was running, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron and Ginny Weasley sat on the floor of a room. The room could be found at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. The four were crowded around a letter, staring at what it said.
“Wow… What does Dumbledore want with you in the middle of the summer, Ginny?” Ron asked. “Are you really that important?”
“Shut up, Ron,” Ginny snapped. She stared down at the letter once more, reading what it said.
Dear Miss Weasley,
I am requesting that you join me at Hogwarts a few weeks early to discuss a serious matter regarding a subject that I believe you can help me with. I am asking for you alone, and for you not to bring your friends with you. This is a private matter, so I will ask that you will not repeat anything that I tell you to anyone. Mr. Potter, Weasley and Miss Granger, I expect that you are reading this as well, and I shall ask of you all that you do not pressure Miss Weasley into telling you anything about the subject when she returns.
Best wishes for you all,
Albus Dumbledore
(Sorry people, I know that letter kind of sucked, but I’ve never been good at writing letters, even in the real world.)
“An important matter?” Hermione asked no one in particular. “Has Dumbledore ever said anything unusual to you, Ginny?”
Ginny shook her head no. “Nothing I can remember.”
“Well,” Hermione said, “it must be important if he doesn’t want you to tell us. But, it still is strange that he wants to talk to you. He’s always wanted to talk to Harry about private matters…”
“That’s the strange part,” said Ginny. “He thinks I can help him with something. Harry would always to a better job…”
Harry was still standing there, going a bit red from all of this talk of him doing such a great job at things. “Um… You guys? Can we stop with the flattery? Let’s just focus on when Ginny has to go. The letter didn’t say when she had to meet Dumbledore.”
“Oh yeah,” Ron put in. “He didn’t say when she should come to Hogwarts… I wonder if he forgot –“
At that very moment an owl flew through the window, dropping a letter on Ron’s head. The owl circled around the room, and flew back out the window, leaving as fast as it had come.
“Well, that was a coincidence,” said Hermione. “Ginny, open the letter.”
Ginny grabbed the envelope from atop Ron’s head and ripped it open.
Miss Weasley,
Meet me at my office at noon Wednesday afternoon. It is possible for you to reach my office by Floo Network, for I have hooked it up in the fireplace in the dining room. Do not be late. Miss Granger, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, please do not come with Miss Weasley.
Best wishes,
Albus Dumbledore
“Well,” Ginny looked down at her watch, “today is Monday, so I should go in about two days…”
Another owl swooped through the window, dropping another letter on Ron’s head.
“What is wrong with these bloody owls?” Ron exclaimed as he retrieved the letter from the top of his head.
“Give me that,” Ginny said as she grabbed the letter away. She opened it.
Miss Weasley,
I must warn you that Peeves has gotten into a habit of throwing people down the stairs, so I advise that you stay clear of him on the way to my office.
Best wishes,
Albus Dumbledore
“Well,” Hermione said, “that was a bit random.”
“It’s Dumbledore. What else can you expect?”
The four friends shrugged, agreeing. Without another word about the subject, they picked up the Extendable Ears they had been using before, and returned to their eavesdropping of the Order meeting.
***
Julia reached the seventh floor, panting from running up the stairs. She walked over to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, and stared at the opposite wall. No door. There was only one way to find out if Dobby had lied just to please her.
I want a place that no one will be able to find me, somewhere that Pomfrey won’t shove chocolate in my mouth and Dobby won’t annoy me, somewhere that has everything I’ve missed since I was seven.
She repeated this in her head three times, walking past the wall where the door should have been. After the third time, she looked up at the wall. No door. She tried again.
I need the door to appear, revealing anyone inside, and kick the person out so I can get inside to relax.
Julia repeated this two more times, walking past the wall. She looked up. Still no door.
“What is wrong with you?” She pounded on the wall, hoping that something would happen. When all she heard was the thump of her fists against the wood, a new idea came to mind.
She grabbed her wand from her pocket and pointed it at the wall. She didn’t know any spells that would make it explode, or any that would show her the room, but she could always say some nonsense words until something happened…
“Explodicus!” Nothing. “Dorricus Appearus!” Nope. “Expulsonus!” Not going to happen…
“Work! Work, you stupid wand!” Julia waved it around randomly. “Make the stupid door appear!”
The medieval portrait man had found its way into a painting nearby and started yelling at her again.
“You and your devil ways shall burn in the depths of hell!”
“Shut up!” Julia yelled at the man. “What is wrong with you?”
“Befouling these halls. What kind of beast has the headmaster brought to this castle?"
This guy was really annoying. Maybe she should try a random word on him… But, what word? She could try that spell she faintly heard her mother use once…
“Abraexpluda!”
(Um, yeah… I got that from an English to Portuguese translation thing, since I’m really bad at making up spells… But this one sounded pretty cool!)
The man gave a loud yelp as the painting he was in cracked in two and caught on fire. The person who had already been occupying the painting ran out just in time as the painting exploded, the medieval wizard destroyed in the process.
“Cool…” Julia said, smiling. That was going to be a fun spell. She turned back to the wall and pointed her wand at it.
“Abraexpluda!”
The wall caught fire, the wood peeling upwards and slowly blackening. After a few seconds of burning, it exploded, revealing just another layer of wood.
“Argh!” She kicked the wall. “Why- Won’t- You- Open- Up?” Each word was matched with a kick at the wood. Julia didn’t notice as a door appeared, and someone was stepping out of it. The person’s knees buckled, and Julia turned around, staring down at them.
“Professor Trelawney?” she asked confusedly. “What were you doing in there?”
“I… Cards… Bottles…”
Trelawney looked and sounded drunk. She was clutching as sherry bottle in her hand.
“Er… I’ll just leave you here,” Julia said, and she turned back to the door.
I need a place where no person will find me and I can relax. Somewhere that Snape can’t invade my personal thoughts and I can reconnect with the things I’ve missed out on since I was seven.
She repeated this two more times, hoping desperately that the door would stay there. She opened her eyes. Yes! It was there!
With a last look at Professor Trelawney, Julia stepped inside, the door disappearing behind her.
***
So, there it was! Please leave feedback. The link is in my signature. And please review this time, people!
***
Chapter 7
The day that followed Julia’s dream was boring. Very boring, indeed. Madame Pomfrey had insisted she stay another day to get her nerves settled. In her opinion, waking up from a dream and starting to cry was not a good sign. Basically, all Madame Pomfrey would let Julia do that day was talk to Dobby.
Julia really was getting annoyed with Dobby and his happy-perky ways. He should act like the other house elves, she thought. They would leave me alone willingly if I asked them too…
“Has Miss Julia ever heard of the Come and Go room?”
“Wa…?” Julia broke away from her daydream about killing the squid. “What did you say?”
Dobby grinned, pleased that he could bestow her with this information. “The Come and Go room, Miss! It is a room in this castle that will appear for a person in need!”
Ooh… A room that would give her whatever she needed… Julia needed to find out more.
“Well, Dobby, where can I find this, ‘Come and Go room?” Julia asked as unsuspicious as possible. Dobby did not understand that she was up to something.
“Well, Miss… It is on the seventh floor opposite to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy! Walk past it three times thinking about what you wish to uses it for, and it will show up!”
Julia gave a mischievous grin. “Thanks, Dobby…”
“You is welcome, Miss.” Dobby gave her a low bow, and then skipped away from her bed, and out the door.
“Yes…” Julia mumbled to herself. “Thank you so much, Dobby…”
Julia checked to make sure that Madame Pomfrey was still in her office. Good, she was asleep. She got up, put on her shoes, and walked over to the office door. Her wand was balanced on top. Pomfrey had taken her wand so she couldn’t escape with magic. Stupid person… What did she think Julia was? Four years old? She had pretended to be asleep as she watched Madame Pomfrey hide her wand up there.
She reached up and grabbed the wand. It was a bit dusty from all that had gathered there, but it was back in her hand. Now to get to the Come and Go room…
Julia slowly opened the door, taking care not to make any sudden noises that would wake Madame Pomfrey. If she found out she was trying to get out… Not a pretty thought. When the gap between the doors became large enough to fit through, Julia ran out, her feet pounding against the floor. An old man in a portrait was following her, getting into different portraits to keep her in sight.
“You should not be leaving!” he yelled after her. “You and your ways of the devil will be punished!”
Julia found it very strange that a portrait was taking so much care to shout that she and her ‘ways of the devil’ would be punished. He must’ve been one of those wizards from the medieval times. Well, anyways, he wasn’t important. She just needed to get up the stairs with no one seeing her.
That was, if the medieval man didn’t tell anyone she was out of the Hospital Wing.
If he didn’t tell Madame Pomfrey.
Who would kill her while she was sleeping if she found out where she was.
Or keep her imprisoned in the Hospital Wing.
She needed to find that room.
***
Far away from where Julia was running, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron and Ginny Weasley sat on the floor of a room. The room could be found at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. The four were crowded around a letter, staring at what it said.
“Wow… What does Dumbledore want with you in the middle of the summer, Ginny?” Ron asked. “Are you really that important?”
“Shut up, Ron,” Ginny snapped. She stared down at the letter once more, reading what it said.
Dear Miss Weasley,
I am requesting that you join me at Hogwarts a few weeks early to discuss a serious matter regarding a subject that I believe you can help me with. I am asking for you alone, and for you not to bring your friends with you. This is a private matter, so I will ask that you will not repeat anything that I tell you to anyone. Mr. Potter, Weasley and Miss Granger, I expect that you are reading this as well, and I shall ask of you all that you do not pressure Miss Weasley into telling you anything about the subject when she returns.
Best wishes for you all,
Albus Dumbledore
(Sorry people, I know that letter kind of sucked, but I’ve never been good at writing letters, even in the real world.)
“An important matter?” Hermione asked no one in particular. “Has Dumbledore ever said anything unusual to you, Ginny?”
Ginny shook her head no. “Nothing I can remember.”
“Well,” Hermione said, “it must be important if he doesn’t want you to tell us. But, it still is strange that he wants to talk to you. He’s always wanted to talk to Harry about private matters…”
“That’s the strange part,” said Ginny. “He thinks I can help him with something. Harry would always to a better job…”
Harry was still standing there, going a bit red from all of this talk of him doing such a great job at things. “Um… You guys? Can we stop with the flattery? Let’s just focus on when Ginny has to go. The letter didn’t say when she had to meet Dumbledore.”
“Oh yeah,” Ron put in. “He didn’t say when she should come to Hogwarts… I wonder if he forgot –“
At that very moment an owl flew through the window, dropping a letter on Ron’s head. The owl circled around the room, and flew back out the window, leaving as fast as it had come.
“Well, that was a coincidence,” said Hermione. “Ginny, open the letter.”
Ginny grabbed the envelope from atop Ron’s head and ripped it open.
Miss Weasley,
Meet me at my office at noon Wednesday afternoon. It is possible for you to reach my office by Floo Network, for I have hooked it up in the fireplace in the dining room. Do not be late. Miss Granger, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, please do not come with Miss Weasley.
Best wishes,
Albus Dumbledore
“Well,” Ginny looked down at her watch, “today is Monday, so I should go in about two days…”
Another owl swooped through the window, dropping another letter on Ron’s head.
“What is wrong with these bloody owls?” Ron exclaimed as he retrieved the letter from the top of his head.
“Give me that,” Ginny said as she grabbed the letter away. She opened it.
Miss Weasley,
I must warn you that Peeves has gotten into a habit of throwing people down the stairs, so I advise that you stay clear of him on the way to my office.
Best wishes,
Albus Dumbledore
“Well,” Hermione said, “that was a bit random.”
“It’s Dumbledore. What else can you expect?”
The four friends shrugged, agreeing. Without another word about the subject, they picked up the Extendable Ears they had been using before, and returned to their eavesdropping of the Order meeting.
***
Julia reached the seventh floor, panting from running up the stairs. She walked over to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, and stared at the opposite wall. No door. There was only one way to find out if Dobby had lied just to please her.
I want a place that no one will be able to find me, somewhere that Pomfrey won’t shove chocolate in my mouth and Dobby won’t annoy me, somewhere that has everything I’ve missed since I was seven.
She repeated this in her head three times, walking past the wall where the door should have been. After the third time, she looked up at the wall. No door. She tried again.
I need the door to appear, revealing anyone inside, and kick the person out so I can get inside to relax.
Julia repeated this two more times, walking past the wall. She looked up. Still no door.
“What is wrong with you?” She pounded on the wall, hoping that something would happen. When all she heard was the thump of her fists against the wood, a new idea came to mind.
She grabbed her wand from her pocket and pointed it at the wall. She didn’t know any spells that would make it explode, or any that would show her the room, but she could always say some nonsense words until something happened…
“Explodicus!” Nothing. “Dorricus Appearus!” Nope. “Expulsonus!” Not going to happen…
“Work! Work, you stupid wand!” Julia waved it around randomly. “Make the stupid door appear!”
The medieval portrait man had found its way into a painting nearby and started yelling at her again.
“You and your devil ways shall burn in the depths of hell!”
“Shut up!” Julia yelled at the man. “What is wrong with you?”
“Befouling these halls. What kind of beast has the headmaster brought to this castle?"
This guy was really annoying. Maybe she should try a random word on him… But, what word? She could try that spell she faintly heard her mother use once…
“Abraexpluda!”
(Um, yeah… I got that from an English to Portuguese translation thing, since I’m really bad at making up spells… But this one sounded pretty cool!)
The man gave a loud yelp as the painting he was in cracked in two and caught on fire. The person who had already been occupying the painting ran out just in time as the painting exploded, the medieval wizard destroyed in the process.
“Cool…” Julia said, smiling. That was going to be a fun spell. She turned back to the wall and pointed her wand at it.
“Abraexpluda!”
The wall caught fire, the wood peeling upwards and slowly blackening. After a few seconds of burning, it exploded, revealing just another layer of wood.
“Argh!” She kicked the wall. “Why- Won’t- You- Open- Up?” Each word was matched with a kick at the wood. Julia didn’t notice as a door appeared, and someone was stepping out of it. The person’s knees buckled, and Julia turned around, staring down at them.
“Professor Trelawney?” she asked confusedly. “What were you doing in there?”
“I… Cards… Bottles…”
Trelawney looked and sounded drunk. She was clutching as sherry bottle in her hand.
“Er… I’ll just leave you here,” Julia said, and she turned back to the door.
I need a place where no person will find me and I can relax. Somewhere that Snape can’t invade my personal thoughts and I can reconnect with the things I’ve missed out on since I was seven.
She repeated this two more times, hoping desperately that the door would stay there. She opened her eyes. Yes! It was there!
With a last look at Professor Trelawney, Julia stepped inside, the door disappearing behind her.
***
So, there it was! Please leave feedback. The link is in my signature. And please review this time, people!
Okay... I haven't posted in a really long time... It was killing me, because I really wanted to update, but I've gotten really bored of writing for a while, and I wanted to focus on this new story I'm writing. And I had really bad writers block. And maybe the fact that I only got one review for my last chapter really downed my spirits... Well, here's chapter 8
Chapter 8
“Wow…”
Julia stared at the room in front of her, not knowing how to react. It was… It was… Um… Not…easy to describe.
There was a T.V. hanging on a wall, a microwave, and packages of foods that Julia had decided she liked after tasting samples at grocery stores. There were two big armchairs, blankets, there were drawers good for hiding things, and boxes she had no idea what was in.
She walked over to a chair, and threw herself down, staring at the ceiling.
“This place is so weird,” she said to herself. “So, so weird…” She stopped talking to herself and looked at the boxes. What was inside them?
She walked over and crouched down, staring at them. Be something that I’ve missed. If this room can give me all of this, maybe it can give me something from my house. I don’t know how much was destroyed in the explosion.
She opened a box.
There were just a bunch of little kid’s clothes. Stupid, small, plaid dresses, like the ones she had used to wear when she was small. Like the ones she had… Wait… She lifted one outfit out of the box, and stared at it. It was, so familiar… She took the collar and looked at the tag, staring at it.
JM
Those initials there. The initials that her parents had always put on her clothes, not wanting anyone to mistake it for someone else’s clothes, which was pretty ridiculous to think, the clothes only leaving the house when worn. This was her outfit when she was small.
Julia hugged the small dress, wishing she could have seen it much longer ago. She opened another box. This time, photos.
Each photograph was put into its own individual frame, all of them packed neatly and carefully inside that box.
One picture: The family’s trip to California in the United States, at the theme park “Disneyland”. Everyone was wearing Mickey Mouse hats, holding cotton candies. Julia’s mouth was sticky, and they were all wet, having been on a water ride, waving at the camera.
Another: A family get-together at Christmas, twenty people total in the photo, all on Julia’s mother’s side. Little kids were jumping around, opening presents, and balancing on her uncles’ shoulders. Where were they now? What had happened to her younger cousin Jordan, who had wanted to be just like Julia? She had wanted to change her name, clothes and attitude, the four year old wanting to be just like her cousin. Was she still thinking of her today?
Julia couldn’t help crying, remembering each moment in time each picture depicted. What was wrong with her? She had cried more at her stay here than she had the past eight years. It was just so unnatural. Nobody could cry this much in such a short amount of time. This was all Dumbledore’s fault… If he could have let her be, and didn’t bother her, she could be living her un-tearful life without him. Her life without Dumbledore or her “amazing” cousin. He would probably tell the whole world she existed soon, and everyone would be crowding around her, either not knowing who she was or shocked into insanity that she was alive. Her family would go nuts, having given her a funeral. Her aunts would probably stress over the money they had spent to pay for her memorial service, then start crying their eyes out how they had missed her so much, and would beg her to tell them every single waking moment of her life while she was missing. How fun that would be to explain…
I wish my journal were here, she thought, turning back to the armchairs. She had just sat down when she noticed the dresser, a book on top of it. Smiling slightly, she retrieved it, and opened it. Yes. It was the journal.
She opened it, prepared to write.
***
“Ginny! Hurry up! You have to go now! Leave! Right now! Or you’ll be late! And Professor Dumbledore won’t like that! And it must be important! And you need to leave, now! Just, go!”
“I’m going as fast as I can!”
“It’s not fast enough!”
“It’s not possible to go any faster!”
“It should be!”
Ginny ran down the stairs, a piece of toast in her mouth, attempting to yell, “I overslept! You could have bothered to wake me up!”
“You should have been able to wake up on time! Now, we forgot to buy some more Floo Powder…”
Mrs. Weasley had been rushing all morning, Ginny sleeping in not helping her get things done. It being Wednesday, Ginny had her appointment with Dumbledore. It was already 11:45, and Ginny was not ready. She had been asleep up until fifteen minutes ago, and it had taken her greatest effort to brush her teeth, hair and get dressed in so little time.
Unfortunately, there was not enough Floo Powder to make a trip to Hogwarts by the Floo Network, so Tonks had taken the time to apparate Ginny outside the boundaries of Hogwarts. She would then get to the castle, and hopefully get to Dumbledore’s office on time.
“…So we’ll have Tonks take you there. When you get outside the boundaries, just run as fast as you can, okay? You could have walked if you didn’t sleep so long…”
“I was tired!”
“I’m sure you were, Dear. Now, go!”
Tonks walked over to Ginny and took her by the arm. “This may take a while,” she said, before walking outside, she turned on the spot, disappearing with a loud popping noise.
It was like being pressed into a way-too-small box, the pressure squeezing Ginny’s lungs. After five second’s worth of the sensation, she was able to gasp for air, having appeared where the carriages usually would take the students to the castle, Hogsmeade station. The castle loomed overhead, not looking too close.
“I’m sorry I can’t take you any closer, Ginny,” Tonks said. “This is as far as I can go. Maybe you can…” she looked around, “…take one of them Thestrals right there!” She pointed to a spot nearby, no creature visible.
“What are you talking about?” asked a confused Ginny.
“Thestrals. You can only see them if you’ve seen someone die. They pull the carriages here at Hogwarts. They’re the invisible horses.”
“Wait, you’ve seen someone die?”
Tonks nodded her head sadly. “More than I would like. Now, I’ll lead you to it, and it can run you over to Hogwarts in about ten minutes. You’ll be on your own after that. Come on.”
Tonks grabbed Ginny’s arm and led her over to a spot nearby, taking her hand and pulling it forwards. Ginny felt an odd sensation of something breathing right near it, fighting the temptation to bite her. Tonks pulled her hand a little further, and Ginny felt something. She jumped back.
“That’s a Thestral?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Um… I dunno if I want to ride something I can’t see.”
“Don’t worry!” Tonks said brightly. “They’re very friendly. Just climb on to its back,” she lifted Ginny up, and placed her on to what felt like a horse, “and it will take you there. Try to hold on to it. “She took Ginny’s hands and put them around the Thestral’s neck. “Don’t fall off!” she said, as she pushed the creature off, a freaked-out Ginny on its back.
***
Julia had fallen asleep in her armchair, her journal resting face down on her chest. A pencil lay on the floor, the led worn down by the words it had written.
The day Julia had first found the room was Monday, two days ago. It was now Wednesday, and she had not left the room. Madame Pomfrey was stressing over how horrible it was that she escaped, but Dumbledore stayed calm. He probably knew where she was, but was giving her time to relax in private. The only times she had actually left the room was to get some food from the kitchens, which Dobby had let slip would open if she tickled the pear in a portrait somewhere near the Hufflepuff common room, which he had given the location to as well.
The journal had proved to be a big help, being the only thing Julia could actually put feelings down in, as little as she wanted to admit she had them. She had even started to talk to it, it being the only friend she had… Well… That is, if books counted.
I’m stuck at Hogwarts, Dumbledore won’t let me know when I can talk to someone who’s my age, I have annoying little house elves watching me, and horrible teachers who like to invade my personal thoughts. Not exactly what I was hoping for. When I first came here, I thought that even though this place was unnaturally great, I was going to have a good time, exploring and meeting a family member who didn’t think I was dead, even though he doesn’t know I exist. Now, I just want to go back to my old life. I mean, the Come and Go room is cool, but I just want to go back to practicing spells in peoples’ backyards while they were gone and trying not to be noticed. I miss thinking in private about what life could have been like, even though I knew it wasn’t going to happen. I miss running from old beggars with their filthy coffee mugs and picking up spending money on the street. I miss the quilt I found a year ago in that garage sale and stole, the pillow I got from the homeless shelter, the pair of shoes that some rich person had decided were horrible because one of the shoes had a scratch on it. I miss what I had, and now it’s gone, and I’m not going to see it again, unless Dumbledore wants to risk my life by letting me go back outside the grounds. I know he’s not going to let me. He would say that my wellbeing is way too important to risk, and would tell me to feel better. Snape would tell me to suck up and stop crying over what was gone.
When people finally come to Hogwarts in September, I wonder what things will be like. I haven’t actually talked to someone in a very long time… Let alone kids my age. They’ll probably all laugh at me, saying how I’m a dirty buffoon who can’t perform magic and doesn’t have parents to go to during the holidays. I could lie to them, telling them a bunch of lies that would make me look good, but if they found out, they’d just be disgusted with me, or Dumbledore would tell them. They might feel pity, which would make me feel horrible, and when I tell them to go away they would think I’m an ungrateful brat. No matter what I do, everyone’s going to hate me, including my cousin.
My cousin, Harry, is what I’ve thought about a lot. Everyone knows him as “The Boy Who Lived,” or something like that, or “The Boy Who Lied,” after what I read in that newspaper article Madame Pomfrey was reading in the Hospital Wing. I don’t know what to think of him. He could be some unfortunate guy with a sad past like me, with only a few friends who actually like him and believe his story, or he could be some arrogant freak who is popular with everyone, and doesn’t care about his long-lost cousin. I don’t know if he’ll like me or not, or if I’ll like him. We’ve grown up completely different, haven’t seen each other at all in our lifetimes, even if our mothers were cousins. He’s gone to Hogwarts the past four years, learning magic and completely unaware that he has any living relatives, and I’ve been taking care of myself, wondering if any of my relatives know I’m still alive.
When school starts, and I’m fully trained, I’m going to find my family, whether some dark wizard is out to get me or not.
***
Ginny had been clutching on to the Thestral’s invisible neck for ten minutes both terrified and amazed at its speed. When they pulled the carriages, they made sure the ride was smooth and at a safe pace, but here… Oh wow… She was going way faster than she wanted to go, but she was going to get to the castle soon.
Another minute had passed, and the castle was so close, the front doors visible. The Thestral used a last burst of energy, stopping at the grand doors, throwing Ginny off its back. She landed on the ground on her back, moaning.
“You take me here, then throw me off?” she asked it.
The Thestral just turned, running into the forest. Ginny got up, staring at the doors, which were opened a crack, as if waiting for her. Dumbledore had probably known she was not coming by the Floo Network.
She pulled open the door wide enough to slip through, then made her way inside the castle.
It looked so empty without the many students making their way around the castle, moving up stairs and racing each other to classes. She walked up the Grand Staircase, her shoes making the once silent hall filled with an echoing thud. Each time her feet made a noise, Ginny cringed, fearing someone would pop out at any moment, asking what she was doing at the castle.
Once at the top of the flight of stairs, Ginny stared up, watching Peeves, who had heard her coming inside. He zoomed around, cackling madly.
“What is Miss Weaselby doin’ here? Doesn’t she know that mean little Miss Julia doesn’t like strangers? If she finds ya, she’ll hurt ya! Peevsie knows that for certain, he does! Miss Weaselby should leave right now, she should! But, if she stays, Peevsie would like to have the honors of throwin’ her down the steps of this grand staircase!”
“Shut up, Peeves!”
“Miss Weaselby isn’t too nice, now, is she? Peevsie should let Miss Julia attack her with that fiery exploding spell, he should!”
“Who’s Miss Julia, Peeves?”
“She’s no one, Weaselby! Now, Peevsie wants the honors of throwin’ you down the steps!”
Ginny had reached the top of another flight of stairs, Peeves starting to swoop down besides her, laughing, trying to grab her.
“Stop it! I need to talk to Professor Dumbledore!”
“Professorhead wouldn’t mind if little old Peevsie threw one wee student down the steps! Professorhead wouldn’t mind the slightest!” He caught hold of the back of Ginny’s shirt, stopping her from moving. He gave her a mischievous grin, staring her right in the face.
“Let go, Peeves,” Ginny said, trying to stay calm. He was going to throw her down the stairs… How pleasant.
“Does Miss Weaselby have any words before I throw her down?” Peeves said. “If she does not wake up, it’ll be best to have some last words for Peevsie to tell everyone.”
“Sure,” Ginny said, sarcastically, dreading what was about to happen. “How about, ‘get rid of Peeves’?”
Peeves didn’t seem to notice the sarcasm, and merely said, “Here we go!”
He grabbed Ginny’s sleeve, lifted her up, and threw, sending her screaming down the stairs, landing with a thud at the bottom. Ginny was barely moving, the only thing showing she was alive was the rise and fall of her chest, and the occasional twitch of her fingers.
“NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”
***
Well, there it was. I don't know if you people liked it or not, and the only way I'll know is if you give me a review. Old people out there, small people out there, normal people out there, strange people out there, new readers, frequent readers, please give me a review, or my head will explode like my P.E. teacher's did when a student copied the mile times in the wrong places!
Chapter 8
“Wow…”
Julia stared at the room in front of her, not knowing how to react. It was… It was… Um… Not…easy to describe.
There was a T.V. hanging on a wall, a microwave, and packages of foods that Julia had decided she liked after tasting samples at grocery stores. There were two big armchairs, blankets, there were drawers good for hiding things, and boxes she had no idea what was in.
She walked over to a chair, and threw herself down, staring at the ceiling.
“This place is so weird,” she said to herself. “So, so weird…” She stopped talking to herself and looked at the boxes. What was inside them?
She walked over and crouched down, staring at them. Be something that I’ve missed. If this room can give me all of this, maybe it can give me something from my house. I don’t know how much was destroyed in the explosion.
She opened a box.
There were just a bunch of little kid’s clothes. Stupid, small, plaid dresses, like the ones she had used to wear when she was small. Like the ones she had… Wait… She lifted one outfit out of the box, and stared at it. It was, so familiar… She took the collar and looked at the tag, staring at it.
JM
Those initials there. The initials that her parents had always put on her clothes, not wanting anyone to mistake it for someone else’s clothes, which was pretty ridiculous to think, the clothes only leaving the house when worn. This was her outfit when she was small.
Julia hugged the small dress, wishing she could have seen it much longer ago. She opened another box. This time, photos.
Each photograph was put into its own individual frame, all of them packed neatly and carefully inside that box.
One picture: The family’s trip to California in the United States, at the theme park “Disneyland”. Everyone was wearing Mickey Mouse hats, holding cotton candies. Julia’s mouth was sticky, and they were all wet, having been on a water ride, waving at the camera.
Another: A family get-together at Christmas, twenty people total in the photo, all on Julia’s mother’s side. Little kids were jumping around, opening presents, and balancing on her uncles’ shoulders. Where were they now? What had happened to her younger cousin Jordan, who had wanted to be just like Julia? She had wanted to change her name, clothes and attitude, the four year old wanting to be just like her cousin. Was she still thinking of her today?
Julia couldn’t help crying, remembering each moment in time each picture depicted. What was wrong with her? She had cried more at her stay here than she had the past eight years. It was just so unnatural. Nobody could cry this much in such a short amount of time. This was all Dumbledore’s fault… If he could have let her be, and didn’t bother her, she could be living her un-tearful life without him. Her life without Dumbledore or her “amazing” cousin. He would probably tell the whole world she existed soon, and everyone would be crowding around her, either not knowing who she was or shocked into insanity that she was alive. Her family would go nuts, having given her a funeral. Her aunts would probably stress over the money they had spent to pay for her memorial service, then start crying their eyes out how they had missed her so much, and would beg her to tell them every single waking moment of her life while she was missing. How fun that would be to explain…
I wish my journal were here, she thought, turning back to the armchairs. She had just sat down when she noticed the dresser, a book on top of it. Smiling slightly, she retrieved it, and opened it. Yes. It was the journal.
She opened it, prepared to write.
***
“Ginny! Hurry up! You have to go now! Leave! Right now! Or you’ll be late! And Professor Dumbledore won’t like that! And it must be important! And you need to leave, now! Just, go!”
“I’m going as fast as I can!”
“It’s not fast enough!”
“It’s not possible to go any faster!”
“It should be!”
Ginny ran down the stairs, a piece of toast in her mouth, attempting to yell, “I overslept! You could have bothered to wake me up!”
“You should have been able to wake up on time! Now, we forgot to buy some more Floo Powder…”
Mrs. Weasley had been rushing all morning, Ginny sleeping in not helping her get things done. It being Wednesday, Ginny had her appointment with Dumbledore. It was already 11:45, and Ginny was not ready. She had been asleep up until fifteen minutes ago, and it had taken her greatest effort to brush her teeth, hair and get dressed in so little time.
Unfortunately, there was not enough Floo Powder to make a trip to Hogwarts by the Floo Network, so Tonks had taken the time to apparate Ginny outside the boundaries of Hogwarts. She would then get to the castle, and hopefully get to Dumbledore’s office on time.
“…So we’ll have Tonks take you there. When you get outside the boundaries, just run as fast as you can, okay? You could have walked if you didn’t sleep so long…”
“I was tired!”
“I’m sure you were, Dear. Now, go!”
Tonks walked over to Ginny and took her by the arm. “This may take a while,” she said, before walking outside, she turned on the spot, disappearing with a loud popping noise.
It was like being pressed into a way-too-small box, the pressure squeezing Ginny’s lungs. After five second’s worth of the sensation, she was able to gasp for air, having appeared where the carriages usually would take the students to the castle, Hogsmeade station. The castle loomed overhead, not looking too close.
“I’m sorry I can’t take you any closer, Ginny,” Tonks said. “This is as far as I can go. Maybe you can…” she looked around, “…take one of them Thestrals right there!” She pointed to a spot nearby, no creature visible.
“What are you talking about?” asked a confused Ginny.
“Thestrals. You can only see them if you’ve seen someone die. They pull the carriages here at Hogwarts. They’re the invisible horses.”
“Wait, you’ve seen someone die?”
Tonks nodded her head sadly. “More than I would like. Now, I’ll lead you to it, and it can run you over to Hogwarts in about ten minutes. You’ll be on your own after that. Come on.”
Tonks grabbed Ginny’s arm and led her over to a spot nearby, taking her hand and pulling it forwards. Ginny felt an odd sensation of something breathing right near it, fighting the temptation to bite her. Tonks pulled her hand a little further, and Ginny felt something. She jumped back.
“That’s a Thestral?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Um… I dunno if I want to ride something I can’t see.”
“Don’t worry!” Tonks said brightly. “They’re very friendly. Just climb on to its back,” she lifted Ginny up, and placed her on to what felt like a horse, “and it will take you there. Try to hold on to it. “She took Ginny’s hands and put them around the Thestral’s neck. “Don’t fall off!” she said, as she pushed the creature off, a freaked-out Ginny on its back.
***
Julia had fallen asleep in her armchair, her journal resting face down on her chest. A pencil lay on the floor, the led worn down by the words it had written.
The day Julia had first found the room was Monday, two days ago. It was now Wednesday, and she had not left the room. Madame Pomfrey was stressing over how horrible it was that she escaped, but Dumbledore stayed calm. He probably knew where she was, but was giving her time to relax in private. The only times she had actually left the room was to get some food from the kitchens, which Dobby had let slip would open if she tickled the pear in a portrait somewhere near the Hufflepuff common room, which he had given the location to as well.
The journal had proved to be a big help, being the only thing Julia could actually put feelings down in, as little as she wanted to admit she had them. She had even started to talk to it, it being the only friend she had… Well… That is, if books counted.
I’m stuck at Hogwarts, Dumbledore won’t let me know when I can talk to someone who’s my age, I have annoying little house elves watching me, and horrible teachers who like to invade my personal thoughts. Not exactly what I was hoping for. When I first came here, I thought that even though this place was unnaturally great, I was going to have a good time, exploring and meeting a family member who didn’t think I was dead, even though he doesn’t know I exist. Now, I just want to go back to my old life. I mean, the Come and Go room is cool, but I just want to go back to practicing spells in peoples’ backyards while they were gone and trying not to be noticed. I miss thinking in private about what life could have been like, even though I knew it wasn’t going to happen. I miss running from old beggars with their filthy coffee mugs and picking up spending money on the street. I miss the quilt I found a year ago in that garage sale and stole, the pillow I got from the homeless shelter, the pair of shoes that some rich person had decided were horrible because one of the shoes had a scratch on it. I miss what I had, and now it’s gone, and I’m not going to see it again, unless Dumbledore wants to risk my life by letting me go back outside the grounds. I know he’s not going to let me. He would say that my wellbeing is way too important to risk, and would tell me to feel better. Snape would tell me to suck up and stop crying over what was gone.
When people finally come to Hogwarts in September, I wonder what things will be like. I haven’t actually talked to someone in a very long time… Let alone kids my age. They’ll probably all laugh at me, saying how I’m a dirty buffoon who can’t perform magic and doesn’t have parents to go to during the holidays. I could lie to them, telling them a bunch of lies that would make me look good, but if they found out, they’d just be disgusted with me, or Dumbledore would tell them. They might feel pity, which would make me feel horrible, and when I tell them to go away they would think I’m an ungrateful brat. No matter what I do, everyone’s going to hate me, including my cousin.
My cousin, Harry, is what I’ve thought about a lot. Everyone knows him as “The Boy Who Lived,” or something like that, or “The Boy Who Lied,” after what I read in that newspaper article Madame Pomfrey was reading in the Hospital Wing. I don’t know what to think of him. He could be some unfortunate guy with a sad past like me, with only a few friends who actually like him and believe his story, or he could be some arrogant freak who is popular with everyone, and doesn’t care about his long-lost cousin. I don’t know if he’ll like me or not, or if I’ll like him. We’ve grown up completely different, haven’t seen each other at all in our lifetimes, even if our mothers were cousins. He’s gone to Hogwarts the past four years, learning magic and completely unaware that he has any living relatives, and I’ve been taking care of myself, wondering if any of my relatives know I’m still alive.
When school starts, and I’m fully trained, I’m going to find my family, whether some dark wizard is out to get me or not.
***
Ginny had been clutching on to the Thestral’s invisible neck for ten minutes both terrified and amazed at its speed. When they pulled the carriages, they made sure the ride was smooth and at a safe pace, but here… Oh wow… She was going way faster than she wanted to go, but she was going to get to the castle soon.
Another minute had passed, and the castle was so close, the front doors visible. The Thestral used a last burst of energy, stopping at the grand doors, throwing Ginny off its back. She landed on the ground on her back, moaning.
“You take me here, then throw me off?” she asked it.
The Thestral just turned, running into the forest. Ginny got up, staring at the doors, which were opened a crack, as if waiting for her. Dumbledore had probably known she was not coming by the Floo Network.
She pulled open the door wide enough to slip through, then made her way inside the castle.
It looked so empty without the many students making their way around the castle, moving up stairs and racing each other to classes. She walked up the Grand Staircase, her shoes making the once silent hall filled with an echoing thud. Each time her feet made a noise, Ginny cringed, fearing someone would pop out at any moment, asking what she was doing at the castle.
Once at the top of the flight of stairs, Ginny stared up, watching Peeves, who had heard her coming inside. He zoomed around, cackling madly.
“What is Miss Weaselby doin’ here? Doesn’t she know that mean little Miss Julia doesn’t like strangers? If she finds ya, she’ll hurt ya! Peevsie knows that for certain, he does! Miss Weaselby should leave right now, she should! But, if she stays, Peevsie would like to have the honors of throwin’ her down the steps of this grand staircase!”
“Shut up, Peeves!”
“Miss Weaselby isn’t too nice, now, is she? Peevsie should let Miss Julia attack her with that fiery exploding spell, he should!”
“Who’s Miss Julia, Peeves?”
“She’s no one, Weaselby! Now, Peevsie wants the honors of throwin’ you down the steps!”
Ginny had reached the top of another flight of stairs, Peeves starting to swoop down besides her, laughing, trying to grab her.
“Stop it! I need to talk to Professor Dumbledore!”
“Professorhead wouldn’t mind if little old Peevsie threw one wee student down the steps! Professorhead wouldn’t mind the slightest!” He caught hold of the back of Ginny’s shirt, stopping her from moving. He gave her a mischievous grin, staring her right in the face.
“Let go, Peeves,” Ginny said, trying to stay calm. He was going to throw her down the stairs… How pleasant.
“Does Miss Weaselby have any words before I throw her down?” Peeves said. “If she does not wake up, it’ll be best to have some last words for Peevsie to tell everyone.”
“Sure,” Ginny said, sarcastically, dreading what was about to happen. “How about, ‘get rid of Peeves’?”
Peeves didn’t seem to notice the sarcasm, and merely said, “Here we go!”
He grabbed Ginny’s sleeve, lifted her up, and threw, sending her screaming down the stairs, landing with a thud at the bottom. Ginny was barely moving, the only thing showing she was alive was the rise and fall of her chest, and the occasional twitch of her fingers.
“NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”
***
Well, there it was. I don't know if you people liked it or not, and the only way I'll know is if you give me a review. Old people out there, small people out there, normal people out there, strange people out there, new readers, frequent readers, please give me a review, or my head will explode like my P.E. teacher's did when a student copied the mile times in the wrong places!
Chapter 9
Right around the time Ginny had gotten up from bed, Julia had woken up as well, grabbing her journal from the floor. She stared at the last page she had written, reading it over several times, agreeing with what it said over and over again.
A thought from a couple of years came to mind when she read the part about to photos, the one with the family party. She bent down off the chair and searched for her pencil, finding it underneath another chair.
She picked it up, and looked back at her journal, prepared to write yet another memory.
I remember on my seventh birthday, I had one of the biggest parties a kid could have. There were fireworks some of my cousins had bought in Hogsmeade, there were birthday hats that sang happy birthday to me whenever someone put one on, and every single one of relative of mine from my mother’s side had come, or at least, as far as I knew.
We were having a really great time, and everyone was laughing. I was hanging out with my cousin Helen, who had started attending Hogwarts the year before, and she was telling me and my four-year-old cousin Jordan all about it. I completely forgot about the party, or what Hogwarts was until I got into this room.
We got off topic when Helen mentioned secret compartments and rooms, and we decided that there was a secret room suddenly in the building. We started to look, and the adults just laughed, asking us why we would need a secret compartment. We told them that it would be useful if we ever wanted to hide in a game, or something like that.
After about an hour, we found this patch of peeling paint over it the corner. Jordan decided that this was too tiring, and stopped looking, so she sat down in that corner. She leaned backwards against the patch of peeling paint, and the wall caved in a bit. Surprised, she jumped up as fast as she could. The wall went back to its original form. We knew that we had found something.
I poked at it, and my whole hand went through. Smiling, Helen went completely inside, and disappeared. A few moments later, her head came out, so it looked like she had been decapitated. She told Jordan and me to come on in.
After a few moments of wondering whether this was going to be worth it, and hoping I wouldn’t get stuck in the wall, I plunged through, getting into a hidden room about the size of a closet.
I could see out of the room, and it was like looking through the window. None of the adults knew we were in the wall, and none of them could see us. We all started giggling madly.
We stayed in that room for half an hour, and we decided to get out to get some food. Jordan had gotten out halfway when the men in masks broke down the door.
I now know that they were Death Eaters. Helen and I pulled Jordan back in and clamped our hands over her mouth, hoping she wouldn’t scream. We weren’t sure whether the room kept noise secret.
My parents had left to get some more chips, so they weren’t there when everyone started running around and screaming. I closed my eyes, so I didn’t see anything, but I know Jordan and Helen did see it all.
When all of the noise stopped, I opened my eyes. Helen and Jordan were gone. They weren’t sitting next to me. I looked out the compartment. No one was there. Everyone was gone.
At first, I thought it was all a cruel joke to scare me. I climbed out of the compartment, and stood, in sight, right there in front of the paint. That’s all I can remember, because right then, someone smashed a chair on my head.
I think that a Death Eater did it. One that had stayed behind to make sure no one had escaped. Good for the Death Eaters, bad for me. Maybe that explains why I couldn’t remember anything until Dumbledore took me to Hogwarts. He could have restored my memory during the night, or something like that, and when I saw that picture of Jordan, I remembered.
I’m not sure if Helen or Jordan died that day or not. My parents never said anything about that day. They claimed it didn’t happen. They said that it was all a dream. After they assured me it hadn’t happened, I asked if I could go see everyone the next day. They told me that they had all moved to the United States of America. Stupidly, I actually believed them without a doubt in mind.
So, one day, I’m going to go find Helen or Jordan. I don’t know what’s going to happen after that, but I’ll have to wait until then. Hopefully, they will be safe, and won’t end up like everyone else, and didn’t end up like me. Maybe they ended up in nice Foster homes, or an orphanage, where they could be happy.
Julia looked up from her writing, and stared at a clock that had just appeared on the wall she was staring at. Ten minutes. Ten minutes of writing.
She started to feel a bit hungry right then. She got up, leaving her journal on the chair, and left the room, heading down the stairs. She could hear Peeves yelling, laughing, and sounding like he was tormenting someone. It sounded fun, but she could swear that he was saying her name.
She ran down the stairs, Peeves yells getting louder, hoping that a teacher wouldn’t come out and see her. She got down the flight of stairs, heading down another. She could see Peeves if she looked down, staring over the banister. He was swooping around, annoying some person she couldn’t make out. Curious to find out what was going on, she made her way down the steps, coming closer and closer to the scene.
“Does Miss Weaselby have any words before I throw her down?” she heard Peeves say. “If she does not wake up, it’ll be best to have some last words for Peevsie to tell everyone.”
“Sure,” a voice was saying. A girl’s voice. “How about, ‘get rid of Peeves’?”
“Here we go!”
Julia heard the girl scream, and ran, stopping at the top of the flight of stairs where the action had occurred.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” she yelled at Peeves, staring down at the bottom of the steps. A girl with flaming red hair was lying there, barely moving.
“Peevsie was only doing a joke! And look! This is FUNNY!!! HAHA”
“THIS ISN’T FUNNY!” Julia screamed. “YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HER!” She ran down, stopping at the girl’s side, and tried to pull her up. The girl’s weight was hard to carry, but she managed, and started to drag her up the stairs. She held her wand between her teeth, using both hands to hook beneath the girl’s arms.
Wait… She let go of the girl with one hand, and grabbed her wand out of her mouth. She knew a spell that would make this so much easier!
“Locomotor Mortis,” she said, and the girl started to hover in midair, making the job much easier. Julia kept her wand pointed at the girl, and made her way back up the stairs, finally reaching the floor of the Hospital Wing.
The girl’s eyes opened, and directed at Julia, staring.
“Um… Hi,” Julia said. “You should just… stay like that until I get you to the Hospital Wing.
The girl closed her eyes, just as Julia ran into the Hospital Wing, Madame Pomfrey looking at her in awe.
***
Ginny slowly opened an eye, trying to make out the blurred figure in front of her. Her focus suddenly sharpened, revealing Dumbledore, who was standing at the foot of her bed.
“Professor…?” she asked, her voice barely loud enough to be heard.
“How do you feel, Miss Weasley?” he replied, completely aware that she felt terrible.
“My head hurts.”
“I would assume it would.”
Ginny managed to pull herself up, propping herself up against her pillows. A lump the size of a golf ball stuck out at the back of her head, and a scrape ran across her arm where she had slid across the floor. “Why did Peeves do that?” she asked Dumbledore.
“Alas,” Dumbledore said. “During the summer, when there are no students to harass, he gets a bit, well, restless. If you can recall, I wrote about his habit of throwing people down the stairs in one of the letters I sent you.
“Oh yeah,” Ginny said, remembering. “I forgot.”
“Unfortunately, you did,” said Dumbledore. “Now, I brought you here to discuss an important matter, or, an important person, but it seems you have already met…” he nodded his head towards a girl, who was sitting on a cot behind him.
As far as Ginny could tell, she didn’t look like the friendly type. Well, she was friendly enough to get her here. She had nice long, brown hair, and her eyes… Her eyes. They looked a lot like Harry’s!
“This is Julia,” the headmaster said. The girl nodded slowly, like she was agreeing to who she was.
“Um… Hi,” Ginny said.
The girl didn’t answer, and looked away, staring at Dumbledore instead. “Who is this? Is she one of my cousin’s friends?” she asked him.
What did she mean, ‘one of my cousin’s friends’? Who was her cousin?
“I’m Ginny Weasley,” Ginny said carefully. “I don’t know who exactly your cousin is, but it’s nice to meet you.”
The ‘nice to meet you’ was not returned, and instead was replaced by an emotionless stare.
“Julia has been recently placed here at Hogwarts,” said Dumbledore. “She would have been here sooner, but, ah… several obstacles came up. She is Harry’s cousin.”
“Wait. You’re Harry’s cou –“
“Eight years ago, her parents were killed in an accidental explosion.”
“They were killed,” said Julia, speaking for the first time. “Don’t call it an accidental explosion. They were killed.”
Dumbledore closed his eyes, sighing slightly. When he opened them, he looked over at Julia. “Would you like to explain to her?”
She nodded, and got herself a more comfortable position on the cot.
“My parents,” she said, “sent me to a friend’s house when I was seven, and when I got there, I found out that the wizarding couple next door had set off a muggle bomb. They left me this,” she took a wand out from behind her, showing the thin piece of wood to Ginny, “but nothing else. I was alone for eight years. Alone. Do you know what it’s like to have almost all of your relatives die on your mother’s side, and then –“
“I see you remembered that,” Dumbledore interrupted. “It’s good to see that some of your memories have come back.
The girl stared at him, silently giving him the message that she knew what he had done, and then continued. “And then…” she said, “…Your parents are killed? I lived on my own for a long time, making money by performing, surviving on food that I either bought from the street vendors or stole. I snuck into empty houses, slept next to dumpsters, tried to teach myself magic. And now, Dumbledore,” she pointed at the headmaster, “takes me to this place, and tells me that my cousin is Harry Potter. Now, I’m completely exited with this, until I learn that until I meet him, I have to stay here. No going to someone’s house to live during the holidays. No time to relax. Only recently have I managed to escape to get some time to myself. But now, you’re here. I don’t know what’s going to happen now. New things keep on coming up.” She leaned back against the pillows, finally done.
“Wow…” Ginny said. “I thought Harry didn’t have anyone except the Dursleys.”
“So did everyone else!” Julia said loudly.
Dumbledore looked calmly at Julia again, motioning with his hand for her to be quiet. Julia didn’t look like she wanted to cooperate, but she became silent anyways.
“So,” Ginny said. “Why am I here, exactly?”
“Well, I was hoping that you would agree to talk with Julia for a while. Just until September, and you return to Hogwarts. My first choice would have been Miss Granger, but she could accidentally let something slip to Harry or your brother. I want Harry to remain at Headquarters until school starts once more, just to be safe. When he arrives, I will have him meet his cousin. But until then,” Dumbledore stuck a hand in his pocket, and dug around for a bit, searching for something. Out of his robes came two small mirrors, perfect for carrying around in a pocket.
“These are two way mirrors,” he said. “I got the idea from Sirius, who it turns out had a mirror just like these ones. If you speak the name of the person you wish to talks to into the mirror, and if the person on the receiving end has their mirror with them, their face will appear, and you will be able to talk to them. Understand?”
Ginny nodded. She hoped she would be able to keep this a secret. If she even acted the slightest bit suspicious, Harry would make it his job to find out what was up.
“I understand,” she said.
“Very good,” the headmaster said. “Now, I will leave you two to talk.”
Dumbledore turned on his heels, his long beard swishing. He walked out of the Hospital Wing, leaving Ginny and Julia looking at each other in wonder.
***
I hope you liked this chapter. I enjoyed it... I give it an 8... Tell me what you think... In... a review... the link... is in my signature............................. REVIEW!!!
Right around the time Ginny had gotten up from bed, Julia had woken up as well, grabbing her journal from the floor. She stared at the last page she had written, reading it over several times, agreeing with what it said over and over again.
A thought from a couple of years came to mind when she read the part about to photos, the one with the family party. She bent down off the chair and searched for her pencil, finding it underneath another chair.
She picked it up, and looked back at her journal, prepared to write yet another memory.
I remember on my seventh birthday, I had one of the biggest parties a kid could have. There were fireworks some of my cousins had bought in Hogsmeade, there were birthday hats that sang happy birthday to me whenever someone put one on, and every single one of relative of mine from my mother’s side had come, or at least, as far as I knew.
We were having a really great time, and everyone was laughing. I was hanging out with my cousin Helen, who had started attending Hogwarts the year before, and she was telling me and my four-year-old cousin Jordan all about it. I completely forgot about the party, or what Hogwarts was until I got into this room.
We got off topic when Helen mentioned secret compartments and rooms, and we decided that there was a secret room suddenly in the building. We started to look, and the adults just laughed, asking us why we would need a secret compartment. We told them that it would be useful if we ever wanted to hide in a game, or something like that.
After about an hour, we found this patch of peeling paint over it the corner. Jordan decided that this was too tiring, and stopped looking, so she sat down in that corner. She leaned backwards against the patch of peeling paint, and the wall caved in a bit. Surprised, she jumped up as fast as she could. The wall went back to its original form. We knew that we had found something.
I poked at it, and my whole hand went through. Smiling, Helen went completely inside, and disappeared. A few moments later, her head came out, so it looked like she had been decapitated. She told Jordan and me to come on in.
After a few moments of wondering whether this was going to be worth it, and hoping I wouldn’t get stuck in the wall, I plunged through, getting into a hidden room about the size of a closet.
I could see out of the room, and it was like looking through the window. None of the adults knew we were in the wall, and none of them could see us. We all started giggling madly.
We stayed in that room for half an hour, and we decided to get out to get some food. Jordan had gotten out halfway when the men in masks broke down the door.
I now know that they were Death Eaters. Helen and I pulled Jordan back in and clamped our hands over her mouth, hoping she wouldn’t scream. We weren’t sure whether the room kept noise secret.
My parents had left to get some more chips, so they weren’t there when everyone started running around and screaming. I closed my eyes, so I didn’t see anything, but I know Jordan and Helen did see it all.
When all of the noise stopped, I opened my eyes. Helen and Jordan were gone. They weren’t sitting next to me. I looked out the compartment. No one was there. Everyone was gone.
At first, I thought it was all a cruel joke to scare me. I climbed out of the compartment, and stood, in sight, right there in front of the paint. That’s all I can remember, because right then, someone smashed a chair on my head.
I think that a Death Eater did it. One that had stayed behind to make sure no one had escaped. Good for the Death Eaters, bad for me. Maybe that explains why I couldn’t remember anything until Dumbledore took me to Hogwarts. He could have restored my memory during the night, or something like that, and when I saw that picture of Jordan, I remembered.
I’m not sure if Helen or Jordan died that day or not. My parents never said anything about that day. They claimed it didn’t happen. They said that it was all a dream. After they assured me it hadn’t happened, I asked if I could go see everyone the next day. They told me that they had all moved to the United States of America. Stupidly, I actually believed them without a doubt in mind.
So, one day, I’m going to go find Helen or Jordan. I don’t know what’s going to happen after that, but I’ll have to wait until then. Hopefully, they will be safe, and won’t end up like everyone else, and didn’t end up like me. Maybe they ended up in nice Foster homes, or an orphanage, where they could be happy.
Julia looked up from her writing, and stared at a clock that had just appeared on the wall she was staring at. Ten minutes. Ten minutes of writing.
She started to feel a bit hungry right then. She got up, leaving her journal on the chair, and left the room, heading down the stairs. She could hear Peeves yelling, laughing, and sounding like he was tormenting someone. It sounded fun, but she could swear that he was saying her name.
She ran down the stairs, Peeves yells getting louder, hoping that a teacher wouldn’t come out and see her. She got down the flight of stairs, heading down another. She could see Peeves if she looked down, staring over the banister. He was swooping around, annoying some person she couldn’t make out. Curious to find out what was going on, she made her way down the steps, coming closer and closer to the scene.
“Does Miss Weaselby have any words before I throw her down?” she heard Peeves say. “If she does not wake up, it’ll be best to have some last words for Peevsie to tell everyone.”
“Sure,” a voice was saying. A girl’s voice. “How about, ‘get rid of Peeves’?”
“Here we go!”
Julia heard the girl scream, and ran, stopping at the top of the flight of stairs where the action had occurred.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” she yelled at Peeves, staring down at the bottom of the steps. A girl with flaming red hair was lying there, barely moving.
“Peevsie was only doing a joke! And look! This is FUNNY!!! HAHA”
“THIS ISN’T FUNNY!” Julia screamed. “YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HER!” She ran down, stopping at the girl’s side, and tried to pull her up. The girl’s weight was hard to carry, but she managed, and started to drag her up the stairs. She held her wand between her teeth, using both hands to hook beneath the girl’s arms.
Wait… She let go of the girl with one hand, and grabbed her wand out of her mouth. She knew a spell that would make this so much easier!
“Locomotor Mortis,” she said, and the girl started to hover in midair, making the job much easier. Julia kept her wand pointed at the girl, and made her way back up the stairs, finally reaching the floor of the Hospital Wing.
The girl’s eyes opened, and directed at Julia, staring.
“Um… Hi,” Julia said. “You should just… stay like that until I get you to the Hospital Wing.
The girl closed her eyes, just as Julia ran into the Hospital Wing, Madame Pomfrey looking at her in awe.
***
Ginny slowly opened an eye, trying to make out the blurred figure in front of her. Her focus suddenly sharpened, revealing Dumbledore, who was standing at the foot of her bed.
“Professor…?” she asked, her voice barely loud enough to be heard.
“How do you feel, Miss Weasley?” he replied, completely aware that she felt terrible.
“My head hurts.”
“I would assume it would.”
Ginny managed to pull herself up, propping herself up against her pillows. A lump the size of a golf ball stuck out at the back of her head, and a scrape ran across her arm where she had slid across the floor. “Why did Peeves do that?” she asked Dumbledore.
“Alas,” Dumbledore said. “During the summer, when there are no students to harass, he gets a bit, well, restless. If you can recall, I wrote about his habit of throwing people down the stairs in one of the letters I sent you.
“Oh yeah,” Ginny said, remembering. “I forgot.”
“Unfortunately, you did,” said Dumbledore. “Now, I brought you here to discuss an important matter, or, an important person, but it seems you have already met…” he nodded his head towards a girl, who was sitting on a cot behind him.
As far as Ginny could tell, she didn’t look like the friendly type. Well, she was friendly enough to get her here. She had nice long, brown hair, and her eyes… Her eyes. They looked a lot like Harry’s!
“This is Julia,” the headmaster said. The girl nodded slowly, like she was agreeing to who she was.
“Um… Hi,” Ginny said.
The girl didn’t answer, and looked away, staring at Dumbledore instead. “Who is this? Is she one of my cousin’s friends?” she asked him.
What did she mean, ‘one of my cousin’s friends’? Who was her cousin?
“I’m Ginny Weasley,” Ginny said carefully. “I don’t know who exactly your cousin is, but it’s nice to meet you.”
The ‘nice to meet you’ was not returned, and instead was replaced by an emotionless stare.
“Julia has been recently placed here at Hogwarts,” said Dumbledore. “She would have been here sooner, but, ah… several obstacles came up. She is Harry’s cousin.”
“Wait. You’re Harry’s cou –“
“Eight years ago, her parents were killed in an accidental explosion.”
“They were killed,” said Julia, speaking for the first time. “Don’t call it an accidental explosion. They were killed.”
Dumbledore closed his eyes, sighing slightly. When he opened them, he looked over at Julia. “Would you like to explain to her?”
She nodded, and got herself a more comfortable position on the cot.
“My parents,” she said, “sent me to a friend’s house when I was seven, and when I got there, I found out that the wizarding couple next door had set off a muggle bomb. They left me this,” she took a wand out from behind her, showing the thin piece of wood to Ginny, “but nothing else. I was alone for eight years. Alone. Do you know what it’s like to have almost all of your relatives die on your mother’s side, and then –“
“I see you remembered that,” Dumbledore interrupted. “It’s good to see that some of your memories have come back.
The girl stared at him, silently giving him the message that she knew what he had done, and then continued. “And then…” she said, “…Your parents are killed? I lived on my own for a long time, making money by performing, surviving on food that I either bought from the street vendors or stole. I snuck into empty houses, slept next to dumpsters, tried to teach myself magic. And now, Dumbledore,” she pointed at the headmaster, “takes me to this place, and tells me that my cousin is Harry Potter. Now, I’m completely exited with this, until I learn that until I meet him, I have to stay here. No going to someone’s house to live during the holidays. No time to relax. Only recently have I managed to escape to get some time to myself. But now, you’re here. I don’t know what’s going to happen now. New things keep on coming up.” She leaned back against the pillows, finally done.
“Wow…” Ginny said. “I thought Harry didn’t have anyone except the Dursleys.”
“So did everyone else!” Julia said loudly.
Dumbledore looked calmly at Julia again, motioning with his hand for her to be quiet. Julia didn’t look like she wanted to cooperate, but she became silent anyways.
“So,” Ginny said. “Why am I here, exactly?”
“Well, I was hoping that you would agree to talk with Julia for a while. Just until September, and you return to Hogwarts. My first choice would have been Miss Granger, but she could accidentally let something slip to Harry or your brother. I want Harry to remain at Headquarters until school starts once more, just to be safe. When he arrives, I will have him meet his cousin. But until then,” Dumbledore stuck a hand in his pocket, and dug around for a bit, searching for something. Out of his robes came two small mirrors, perfect for carrying around in a pocket.
“These are two way mirrors,” he said. “I got the idea from Sirius, who it turns out had a mirror just like these ones. If you speak the name of the person you wish to talks to into the mirror, and if the person on the receiving end has their mirror with them, their face will appear, and you will be able to talk to them. Understand?”
Ginny nodded. She hoped she would be able to keep this a secret. If she even acted the slightest bit suspicious, Harry would make it his job to find out what was up.
“I understand,” she said.
“Very good,” the headmaster said. “Now, I will leave you two to talk.”
Dumbledore turned on his heels, his long beard swishing. He walked out of the Hospital Wing, leaving Ginny and Julia looking at each other in wonder.
***
I hope you liked this chapter. I enjoyed it... I give it an 8... Tell me what you think... In... a review... the link... is in my signature............................. REVIEW!!!
I am putting in a very short chapter here. I thought I would just add something to keep you reading, and hopefully to give you another chance to review. ONE REVIEW PEOPLE! AND IT WAS LIKE, A WEEK AFTER I UPDATED!! THAT HAS GOT TO BE AN ALL TIME PUT DOWN!!!! well, anyways, this will be short, but i'm going to try to put up another chapter tomorrow. The next chapter will be, like, the end of august, because I'm really sick of leading up to Julia's meeting with Harry. I'm sure that most of you feel the same way. Well, here is my shortest chapter ever, the long awaited Julia/Ginny conversation. Enjoy.
***
Chapter 10
Julia stared down at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with this girl. She still didn’t know how exactly she was connected to her cousin, and without that knowledge, she was just another stranger.
The girl, Ginny was her name, right? She opened and closed her mouth several times, attempting to start a conversation. Julia wanted to laugh in her face. She didn’t need anyone trying to talk to her at the moment. If she could just go back to the Come and Go Room…
“So, you’re Harry’s cousin?” Ginny asked her nervously.
Julia looked up and stared at the girl. “Yeah.”
“How long have you known?”
“I dunno… Two weeks.”
“Oh… How do you like Hogwarts?”
“It’s fine…”
“Have you been learning magic?”
Julia didn’t answer, but stared at Ginny instead. This small talk was useless, and they weren’t going to get anywhere if they continued. She got straight to the point she wanted. “How exactly do you know my cousin?”
Ginny pulled herself up from her slumping position and leaned forwards, her elbows resting on her knees. “My brother’s his best mate,” she said.
Julia was a bit disappointed. When she had first found out about Harry Potter, she imagined that his friends would be important, or that they would have done something remembered in history. But, this girl, she was just some average person. Not anything special, but just average.
Ginny obviously noticed her disappointment, and tried to think of a way to make up for it. Wait… That was easy.
“There’s another thing,” she said. Julia looked back at her, her eyes lit up. She knew that she looked way too eager to talk to someone, but she didn’t hide her curiosity. Wait… Why did she want to know so much about her cousin? It was like some strange obsession… Almost like a normal person… Was that a good thing?
“What?”
“Well, at my first year of Hogwarts…” Ginny stopped. She seemed to regret starting to say anything. Just by reading her expression, Julia could tell that this was a painful subject, and she was one of the few to have the information confided in. But, this was not out of friendship. It was out of pity.
Ginny cleared her throat, and continued. “At my first year of Hogwarts… I sort of came upon a diary, that was controlled by…” she trailed off.
Who? Controlled by whom, exactly? Why couldn’t this girl just get on with it?
“By Voldemort,” Ginny finally said. “And, he led me down into the Chamber of Secrets, which is somewhere underneath the girls’ bathroom, and tried to kill me to bring his memory to life. And, Harry got down there with my brother, and saved me.” Ginny stopped, and smiled. Not to Julia, but at the thought. She must like Harry a lot, Julia thought. She tried not to smile at the fact that Ginny did not realize how much she was giving away in that smile.
Ginny snapped back to reality, and looked back at Julia. “So,” she said. “What about you? Anything interesting? I’d like to know so much… I could tell you so much about Harry… And Hogwarts! I could tell you about the teachers…”
“No.” Julia had just realized how much she had just talked to this girl. She had even acted… friendly. That was not natural… She couldn’t let Dumbledore and his school change her completely. They could make her take magic lessons, or pamper her as much as they wanted, but they were not going to change how she was. That’s why he had brought Ginny. To soften her up, so he could change how she acted. How could she have fallen for this? She was not going to talk to Ginny, no matter how much it would hurt. She would not answer the mirror calls… Nothing. No chance of getting a friend.
Julia leaped off the bed, and gave Ginny a look of confusion before running off, out the Hospital Wing doors.
As she started to make her way back up the steps, she stopped, one foot resting on the third step, the other on the second. She slowly turned around, and made her way back down the Grand Staircase, on her way to the room that she was supposed to stay in. The Come and Go room could wait.
***
I told you it was short. now, please don't get me depressed again like you got me with the amount of reviews for the last chapter. Please review!
***
Chapter 10
Julia stared down at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with this girl. She still didn’t know how exactly she was connected to her cousin, and without that knowledge, she was just another stranger.
The girl, Ginny was her name, right? She opened and closed her mouth several times, attempting to start a conversation. Julia wanted to laugh in her face. She didn’t need anyone trying to talk to her at the moment. If she could just go back to the Come and Go Room…
“So, you’re Harry’s cousin?” Ginny asked her nervously.
Julia looked up and stared at the girl. “Yeah.”
“How long have you known?”
“I dunno… Two weeks.”
“Oh… How do you like Hogwarts?”
“It’s fine…”
“Have you been learning magic?”
Julia didn’t answer, but stared at Ginny instead. This small talk was useless, and they weren’t going to get anywhere if they continued. She got straight to the point she wanted. “How exactly do you know my cousin?”
Ginny pulled herself up from her slumping position and leaned forwards, her elbows resting on her knees. “My brother’s his best mate,” she said.
Julia was a bit disappointed. When she had first found out about Harry Potter, she imagined that his friends would be important, or that they would have done something remembered in history. But, this girl, she was just some average person. Not anything special, but just average.
Ginny obviously noticed her disappointment, and tried to think of a way to make up for it. Wait… That was easy.
“There’s another thing,” she said. Julia looked back at her, her eyes lit up. She knew that she looked way too eager to talk to someone, but she didn’t hide her curiosity. Wait… Why did she want to know so much about her cousin? It was like some strange obsession… Almost like a normal person… Was that a good thing?
“What?”
“Well, at my first year of Hogwarts…” Ginny stopped. She seemed to regret starting to say anything. Just by reading her expression, Julia could tell that this was a painful subject, and she was one of the few to have the information confided in. But, this was not out of friendship. It was out of pity.
Ginny cleared her throat, and continued. “At my first year of Hogwarts… I sort of came upon a diary, that was controlled by…” she trailed off.
Who? Controlled by whom, exactly? Why couldn’t this girl just get on with it?
“By Voldemort,” Ginny finally said. “And, he led me down into the Chamber of Secrets, which is somewhere underneath the girls’ bathroom, and tried to kill me to bring his memory to life. And, Harry got down there with my brother, and saved me.” Ginny stopped, and smiled. Not to Julia, but at the thought. She must like Harry a lot, Julia thought. She tried not to smile at the fact that Ginny did not realize how much she was giving away in that smile.
Ginny snapped back to reality, and looked back at Julia. “So,” she said. “What about you? Anything interesting? I’d like to know so much… I could tell you so much about Harry… And Hogwarts! I could tell you about the teachers…”
“No.” Julia had just realized how much she had just talked to this girl. She had even acted… friendly. That was not natural… She couldn’t let Dumbledore and his school change her completely. They could make her take magic lessons, or pamper her as much as they wanted, but they were not going to change how she was. That’s why he had brought Ginny. To soften her up, so he could change how she acted. How could she have fallen for this? She was not going to talk to Ginny, no matter how much it would hurt. She would not answer the mirror calls… Nothing. No chance of getting a friend.
Julia leaped off the bed, and gave Ginny a look of confusion before running off, out the Hospital Wing doors.
As she started to make her way back up the steps, she stopped, one foot resting on the third step, the other on the second. She slowly turned around, and made her way back down the Grand Staircase, on her way to the room that she was supposed to stay in. The Come and Go room could wait.
***
I told you it was short. now, please don't get me depressed again like you got me with the amount of reviews for the last chapter. Please review!
IT'S A NEW CHAPTER 
Well, I guess we made some progress with the last chapter. Here's a new one, and I think you'll enjoy it. It's not my favorite, but it's okay. Make sure you review when you're done! I'll know if you don't review... POWER OF THE AMOUNT OF VIEWS!!! 
um... that was weird... okay, enjoy!
***
Chapter 11
It was three weeks after Julia had first met Ginny. Three weeks since she had talked to anyone but a teacher. Three weeks since she had talked about her cousin. She would not admit this, but she kind of missed talking to someone about her age. Ginny had attempted to contact her on the mirror, but Julia hadn’t answered, and had made sure she didn’t have to look at it by hiding it in a strange room she had found when walking into the Come and Go room, wishing she had a place to hide it.
According to Dumbledore, she had almost caught up with all of the lessons a fifteen-year-old should know. That was good, considering that term started in just a week. The only thing she had not been successful with was defense against the dark arts, which she did not have a permanent teacher for. Dumbledore and Snape had been taking turns giving her lessons, but neither of them had taken the time to teach her any advanced things. Snape mainly focused on nonverbal spells, and Dumbledore the theory. There were no dark creatures to handle, and the most she ever saw of a magical creature were the Thestrals that Hagrid, the gamekeeper showed her when she took Care of Magical Creatures with him.
“Julia?” Dumbledore had said to her on Friday, calling her from her daydream of flying away from Hogwarts on a Thestral. “Are you up to something challenging today?”
“Sure,” Julia had said, confused, not knowing what “challenging” meant to Dumbledore. Another painful Occlumency lesson, perhaps? She had gotten pretty good at those, but she wasn’t sure whether Dumbledore knew that or not.
“Professor Snape has recently found a Boggart in the Gryffindor Common Room. I thought that it would be a good idea if you assisted me in destroying it.”
“Okay…” Julia had no idea whatsoever what a Boggart was. But, it sounded simple enough. It wasn’t like anything she had done so far had been that challenging.
“Very well, then!” Dumbledore clapped his hands together. “If you could just follow me…” he ushered Julia out the room, leading her to the Grand Staircase. “After you,” he said. Julia headed on up, listening to Dumbledore’s footsteps behind her.
***
“Here we are!” Dumbledore said happily, once they had reached the Gryffindor Common Room. “I believe that Professor Snape said the Boggart was…” Dumbledore looked around, “right there.” He pointed at a drawer over in the corner.
“Uh… Professor?” Julia asked quietly. “What’s a Boggart?”
“Oh!” Dumbledore exclaimed. “Didn’t I tell you? Well, no one knows what a Boggart truly looks like. It will change form to become the thing a person fears most.”
“Oh…”
“But” he said, “ Someone can destroy it with laughter, or by changing it into something humorous by saying, ‘Riddikulus’. Just imagine a way to turn the creature into something funny while saying that spell, and soon it will be destroyed.”
Oh. That was simple. Just think of something funny.
“Are you ready?” Dumbledore asked her. He walked over to the drawer. “I will open the drawer on three. One. Two. Three!”
The drawer was pulled open. Right there, Julia stood, her wand in her hand. She braced herself. What was she most afraid of? How was she going to make it seem funny?”
What am I afraid of?
Something was emerging from the drawer. She couldn’t tell what it was yet.
What am I afraid of?
A face had come out. What was it? She didn’t recognize it.
What am I afraid of?
Someone was standing in front of her, a hood over his or her head.
What was that?
The hood lowered. What was that…thing?
It looked like some strange mixture of the man in the alley, with the unshaven face, the hooded man who had been following her, the pigeon lady, with her shoulder length gray hair, and Harry Potter, with the lightning bolt scar. This strange combination of things did not seem to happen often, as Dumbledore was clapping his hands in surprise.
“Now, think of something funny, Miss Matthews!”
How could she make this funny? What was so funny about this? A longhaired, lightning bolt scarred, unshaved thing was staring at her, was staring right at her! And it was holding a knife? How was this funny? Julia wanted to scream.
“I can’t make this funny!” she managed to say to Dumbledore.
“Yes you can!” he assured her. “Think of something!”
“I can’t!”
“Yes you can!”
“I can’t!”
The strange, mutant person was stepping towards her slowly, its shoes printing marks into the carpet.
Dumbledore could tell that Julia wasn’t going to do anything. He sighed. “Think of him slipping on something, or falling down in a humorous way.” He waved his hand, encouraging Julia to use his idea.
“I can’t!”
Julia had already decided that she was NOT going to raise her wand, and she was NOT going to shout ‘Riddikulus!’ and attempt to think of something funny.
Dumbledore shook his head in disappointment. “Move out of the way,” he said, and Julia stepped back.
Dumbledore looked very reluctant to step in front of the Boggart. Why was that? She wanted to know. Why did he not want to step in front of the thing? What could a man so powerful possibly be afraid of?
When Dumbledore took Julia’s place in front of the Boggart. It immediately changed, and it was no longer a strange, mixed up person. Instead, it was just a girl.
Julia could see tears in her professor’s eyes as he raised his wand, shouting “Riddikulus!”
The girl disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Dumbledore’s hands were shaking.
“Professor?” Julia stepped forwards. “Who was that girl?”
“My sister, Miss Matthews. My sister.”
“Why are you afraid of her?” Julia knew she shouldn’t be invading Dumbledore’s personal life, but this was all much too interesting to be left alone.
“That is a matter I might choose to discuss with you in the future.” Dumbledore dabbed at the corner of his eye with his sleeve. “That is all for today’s lesson. You may return to your room.”
Dumbledore turned, his robes swishing around his ankles, and left.
***
Ginny took the mirror out from her trunk, and looked around to see if everyone was gone. Good. “Julia,” she said to the mirror.
Like many times before, all Ginny could see was the ceiling of Julia’s room. Typical. She wasn’t exactly the friendly type. Why was that? Oh well… She could find out later.
“Julia?” she said again. “Are you there? Please just talk to me.”
‘Fine…” Ginny heard Julia’s voice for the first time in three weeks. That was a good sign. At least she bothered to say something this time.
“What?” Julia appeared in the mirror. She looked annoyed. “What do you want?”
“I wanted to talk!” Ginny said. “Sort of like I’ve wanted to for the past three weeks.”
“Oh. Sorry,” Julia said sarcastically. “Why did you want to talk to me?”
“Just to see what you’re doing. You’re having lessons, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Snape teaches you Potions?”
Julia’s face grew angry at the mention of Snape. She obviously liked him no more than Harry did. “Yes. Unfortunately.”
“He’s tough on you?”
“Yes.”
Ginny knew that Julia was going to stop the connection soon. She needed to think of something to say. Like what? She couldn’t ask about family, or friends…
“So, Harry’s your cousin?” Ginny asked desperately. She wanted to smack herself. OF COURSE SHE’S HARRY’S COUSIN! DUMBLEDORE SAID SO! “I didn’t know his parents had any relatives.”
Julia sighed impatiently. “According to Dumbledore, my dad’s mum was Lily Evan’s sister, and Lily Evans was Harry’s mum. So, we’re second cousins.” Ginny heard Julia drum her fingers on a desk for a few seconds. “Can I get off the mirror, now?” she asked like a little kid.
“Okay,” Ginny started, but she stopped when Julia started to back away from the mirror. She was wearing a sleeveless top, revealing a long, white scar underneath her shoulder.
“Hey!” she said. “Where’d you get that –“?
Julia hung up.
***
Okay, there it was! I hope you liked it. Now, to have a little fun, I'm going to have a tiny contest. If you review, please give me an idea that you would think is a good idea to put in my fic, and the best one might appear in a future chapter... Contest ends on the last day of March... Review! The link's in my signature.
Well, I guess we made some progress with the last chapter. Here's a new one, and I think you'll enjoy it. It's not my favorite, but it's okay. Make sure you review when you're done! I'll know if you don't review... POWER OF THE AMOUNT OF VIEWS!!! um... that was weird... okay, enjoy!***
Chapter 11
It was three weeks after Julia had first met Ginny. Three weeks since she had talked to anyone but a teacher. Three weeks since she had talked about her cousin. She would not admit this, but she kind of missed talking to someone about her age. Ginny had attempted to contact her on the mirror, but Julia hadn’t answered, and had made sure she didn’t have to look at it by hiding it in a strange room she had found when walking into the Come and Go room, wishing she had a place to hide it.
According to Dumbledore, she had almost caught up with all of the lessons a fifteen-year-old should know. That was good, considering that term started in just a week. The only thing she had not been successful with was defense against the dark arts, which she did not have a permanent teacher for. Dumbledore and Snape had been taking turns giving her lessons, but neither of them had taken the time to teach her any advanced things. Snape mainly focused on nonverbal spells, and Dumbledore the theory. There were no dark creatures to handle, and the most she ever saw of a magical creature were the Thestrals that Hagrid, the gamekeeper showed her when she took Care of Magical Creatures with him.
“Julia?” Dumbledore had said to her on Friday, calling her from her daydream of flying away from Hogwarts on a Thestral. “Are you up to something challenging today?”
“Sure,” Julia had said, confused, not knowing what “challenging” meant to Dumbledore. Another painful Occlumency lesson, perhaps? She had gotten pretty good at those, but she wasn’t sure whether Dumbledore knew that or not.
“Professor Snape has recently found a Boggart in the Gryffindor Common Room. I thought that it would be a good idea if you assisted me in destroying it.”
“Okay…” Julia had no idea whatsoever what a Boggart was. But, it sounded simple enough. It wasn’t like anything she had done so far had been that challenging.
“Very well, then!” Dumbledore clapped his hands together. “If you could just follow me…” he ushered Julia out the room, leading her to the Grand Staircase. “After you,” he said. Julia headed on up, listening to Dumbledore’s footsteps behind her.
***
“Here we are!” Dumbledore said happily, once they had reached the Gryffindor Common Room. “I believe that Professor Snape said the Boggart was…” Dumbledore looked around, “right there.” He pointed at a drawer over in the corner.
“Uh… Professor?” Julia asked quietly. “What’s a Boggart?”
“Oh!” Dumbledore exclaimed. “Didn’t I tell you? Well, no one knows what a Boggart truly looks like. It will change form to become the thing a person fears most.”
“Oh…”
“But” he said, “ Someone can destroy it with laughter, or by changing it into something humorous by saying, ‘Riddikulus’. Just imagine a way to turn the creature into something funny while saying that spell, and soon it will be destroyed.”
Oh. That was simple. Just think of something funny.
“Are you ready?” Dumbledore asked her. He walked over to the drawer. “I will open the drawer on three. One. Two. Three!”
The drawer was pulled open. Right there, Julia stood, her wand in her hand. She braced herself. What was she most afraid of? How was she going to make it seem funny?”
What am I afraid of?
Something was emerging from the drawer. She couldn’t tell what it was yet.
What am I afraid of?
A face had come out. What was it? She didn’t recognize it.
What am I afraid of?
Someone was standing in front of her, a hood over his or her head.
What was that?
The hood lowered. What was that…thing?
It looked like some strange mixture of the man in the alley, with the unshaven face, the hooded man who had been following her, the pigeon lady, with her shoulder length gray hair, and Harry Potter, with the lightning bolt scar. This strange combination of things did not seem to happen often, as Dumbledore was clapping his hands in surprise.
“Now, think of something funny, Miss Matthews!”
How could she make this funny? What was so funny about this? A longhaired, lightning bolt scarred, unshaved thing was staring at her, was staring right at her! And it was holding a knife? How was this funny? Julia wanted to scream.
“I can’t make this funny!” she managed to say to Dumbledore.
“Yes you can!” he assured her. “Think of something!”
“I can’t!”
“Yes you can!”
“I can’t!”
The strange, mutant person was stepping towards her slowly, its shoes printing marks into the carpet.
Dumbledore could tell that Julia wasn’t going to do anything. He sighed. “Think of him slipping on something, or falling down in a humorous way.” He waved his hand, encouraging Julia to use his idea.
“I can’t!”
Julia had already decided that she was NOT going to raise her wand, and she was NOT going to shout ‘Riddikulus!’ and attempt to think of something funny.
Dumbledore shook his head in disappointment. “Move out of the way,” he said, and Julia stepped back.
Dumbledore looked very reluctant to step in front of the Boggart. Why was that? She wanted to know. Why did he not want to step in front of the thing? What could a man so powerful possibly be afraid of?
When Dumbledore took Julia’s place in front of the Boggart. It immediately changed, and it was no longer a strange, mixed up person. Instead, it was just a girl.
Julia could see tears in her professor’s eyes as he raised his wand, shouting “Riddikulus!”
The girl disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Dumbledore’s hands were shaking.
“Professor?” Julia stepped forwards. “Who was that girl?”
“My sister, Miss Matthews. My sister.”
“Why are you afraid of her?” Julia knew she shouldn’t be invading Dumbledore’s personal life, but this was all much too interesting to be left alone.
“That is a matter I might choose to discuss with you in the future.” Dumbledore dabbed at the corner of his eye with his sleeve. “That is all for today’s lesson. You may return to your room.”
Dumbledore turned, his robes swishing around his ankles, and left.
***
Ginny took the mirror out from her trunk, and looked around to see if everyone was gone. Good. “Julia,” she said to the mirror.
Like many times before, all Ginny could see was the ceiling of Julia’s room. Typical. She wasn’t exactly the friendly type. Why was that? Oh well… She could find out later.
“Julia?” she said again. “Are you there? Please just talk to me.”
‘Fine…” Ginny heard Julia’s voice for the first time in three weeks. That was a good sign. At least she bothered to say something this time.
“What?” Julia appeared in the mirror. She looked annoyed. “What do you want?”
“I wanted to talk!” Ginny said. “Sort of like I’ve wanted to for the past three weeks.”
“Oh. Sorry,” Julia said sarcastically. “Why did you want to talk to me?”
“Just to see what you’re doing. You’re having lessons, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Snape teaches you Potions?”
Julia’s face grew angry at the mention of Snape. She obviously liked him no more than Harry did. “Yes. Unfortunately.”
“He’s tough on you?”
“Yes.”
Ginny knew that Julia was going to stop the connection soon. She needed to think of something to say. Like what? She couldn’t ask about family, or friends…
“So, Harry’s your cousin?” Ginny asked desperately. She wanted to smack herself. OF COURSE SHE’S HARRY’S COUSIN! DUMBLEDORE SAID SO! “I didn’t know his parents had any relatives.”
Julia sighed impatiently. “According to Dumbledore, my dad’s mum was Lily Evan’s sister, and Lily Evans was Harry’s mum. So, we’re second cousins.” Ginny heard Julia drum her fingers on a desk for a few seconds. “Can I get off the mirror, now?” she asked like a little kid.
“Okay,” Ginny started, but she stopped when Julia started to back away from the mirror. She was wearing a sleeveless top, revealing a long, white scar underneath her shoulder.
“Hey!” she said. “Where’d you get that –“?
Julia hung up.
***
Okay, there it was! I hope you liked it. Now, to have a little fun, I'm going to have a tiny contest. If you review, please give me an idea that you would think is a good idea to put in my fic, and the best one might appear in a future chapter... Contest ends on the last day of March... Review! The link's in my signature.
ANOTHER CHAPTER!!!! 
Please give me at least two reviews, people. PLEASE!!! Like, i had a bunch of people review my first few chapters, but now I'm basically getting one. Please review! The link is in my signature.
***
Chapter 12
Julia laid her head on the table, wanting to go to sleep. She had come from Occlumency right before going to Dumbledore for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Snape had basically extracted every memory she had from her brain, and had yelled at her afterwards for not being able to stop him.
Of course, being the person she was, she had yelled back, and the rest of the lesson had been a shouting match. Snape would yell what a horrible student she was, and Julia would shout how disgusting and vile a person he was, and it would go back and forth.
Julia still hadn’t forgiven him for purposely getting the memory of the man with the knife, so she did not give up as easily as she would have in their first lesson.
But then, of course, time ran out, and they didn’t finish their lesson. Julia then had the guilt of not being able to perform Occlumency, and would have to walk around for the next few days thinking that she was a failure, and if she hadn’t yelled she might have been able to learn more about keeping Snape out of her mind.
But, she knew, that when she returned to an Occlumency class with Snape, all of that guilt would leave, and be replaced by a new anger. An anger that had to do with the fact that he was no help in improving her skills as an Occlumens.
Dumbledore probably knew about her constant shouting matches with Snape, but Julia couldn’t be sure, since he didn’t mention the subject during her classes with him.
“Julia, I have some important matters to discuss with you,” Dumbledore said to Julia, right before he dismissed her. “It’s a matter of which house you will be in while you attend Hogwarts. As you know, classes start in just under a week, and we need to decide when you will be taking your classes. I understand if you want to be in the same house as your cousin, but I think it’s best if you put on the Sorting Hat.”
“Whatever…” Julia had mumbled. Truthfully, she didn’t care if she was in the same house as her cousin. She didn’t know him yet, so it was possible that it would be best to be separate from him.
Dumbledore turned his back on her, and reached up on a shelf to retrieve a ragged, old hat.
Julia knew enough to know that the hat was not what it seemed, and was a lot more impressive than it looked.
Dumbledore handed Julia the hat, and she put it on.
Ah, yes… I see… The hat was whispering to her. Julia couldn’t see the hat’s face, or whatever facial features it had, but she could tell that it was smirking at her. Why?
Definitely not Hufflepuff, no… I don’t see any signs of that there… Ravenclaw perhaps? You definitely have brains for that, especially with that wand of yours… Gryffindor could work… A lot of bravery, I see. You have nerve, a lot of it, and a lot of pride… Oh, but Slytherin! You would do greatly in Slytherin… But is it the right place to put you? I wonder…
So scratch Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff… Just Gryffindor and Slytherin left, but where to put you? You are even harder than your cousin to place…
CHOOSE! Julia wanted to yell. JUST PUT ME SOMEWHERE!
Slytherin? What would happen if I put you there? You would do well… But are you a true Slytherin? Your father was a pureblood, I see… But he was in Ravenclaw, wasn’t he? And your mother was a half-blood… But she was in Gryffindor…
You would do well in Gryffindor as well… I see that you are brave, and have many of the qualities of a Gryffindor, but you have many of the qualities of a Slytherin as well.
This has never happened before… How hard is it to place a child? Why must you be so hard to place? I believe that I cannot decide… Gryffindor or Slytherin? Take me off, and I will let YOU choose…
Julia slid the hat off her head, staring at Dumbledore. “It wants me to choose,” she muttered.
“Interesting,” Dumbledore breathed. I don’t believe that in all of Hogwarts history, the Sorting Hat has not been able to choose where to put a student.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Julia asked, not knowing how to react.
“No, not a bad thing, but very unusual.” Dumbledore clapped his hands together. “So, Miss Matthews. Which house do you wish to be in?”
Julia just stood there like an idiot. How was she supposed to choose? If that hat couldn’t decide, how could she? Gryffindor sounded nice, but Slytherin seemed to be darker, and no one would care about her secrets as much, would they?
But Gryffindor! Her mother! She couldn’t just be in Slytherin, the opposing house. Okay… That settled it. Julia hoped she wasn’t making the wrong decision.
“Gryffindor?” she said weakly, and she started to fiddle around with her wand.
“Excellent!” Dumbledore exclaimed. “Very well. You may go, now.”
He walked over to where his Phoenix was perched, and started to stroke it.
Julia turned, and slowly walked out of the office, counting her steps as she made her way towards her room.
I’m in Gryffindor now… I wonder what that will be like…
One step
What if that wasn’t the right choice, though? Maybe I should have said Slytherin.
Two steps from the office.
What am I supposed to do now? I might have just put myself in the wrong house!
Three steps.
Darn it… Now I’m going to be stuck as a Gryffindor…
Four steps.
What if they don’t like me?
Running. Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen. Reached the corner.
Wait… Why do I care? I haven’t even met them!
Turned to the left. The fat statue is in sight. Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen.
Great, now I’m getting soft, and that’s going to give Snape an easier time to break into my mind.
Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, Thirty…
Wonderful. Just wonderful. Now I’m a soft freak with no parents who’s going to have to socialize with a bunch of people who are going to want to know who I am…
Thirty-one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
What am I going to then?
Falling, hit the ground. Ow. Why do I keep falling right here?
I hate this place.
Got back up. Thirty-Eight, nine, Forty, Forty-One, two, three, four, five… Reached the statue.
Wait, Forty-Five steps… That’s a coincidence. The number you get when you add my age and the age my parents were when they died…
I hate this place.
Why did I count my steps? That was stupid. What am I, five? Dumbledore really is softening me up.
I can’t wait until I’m seventeen…
***
Julia Matthews. You don’t realize who I am, but I know very well who you are. You know what I want, and that old man has convinced you not to give it to me. Do not trust the old man. He’s a liar, and a fool. I will not lie to you. I will not keep secrets from you. I’ll even introduce you to your cousin, which I know you have been longing deeply for. Why has Dumbledore been keeping him from you all of this time?
I know the reason, but you have to come here to know the reason.
Dumbledore did not bring you to Hogwarts to protect you. He brought you there to destroy you. To soften you up, so those who are against him will bring you down even easier. He doesn’t really care about your wellbeing. He just wants to weaken you for when you will need your strength most.
He’s not to be trusted. I can be trusted though. Come to me, Julia. Come to us. Come to all of us. We will make sure to keep Dumbledore from hurting you any more than he has already had.
Isn’t that what you want?
To get away from Dumbledore?
I will come for you, Julia Matthews, and your wand.
Join me, and you will stay strong and powerful.
Isn’t that what everyone wants?
I will come for you.
Soon.
The Dark Lord awaits you.
***
Julia’s eyes opened, the word ‘you’ still ringing in her ears. The hooded man from the street… He was there. Who was that man talking to her? He seemed familiar. Maybe he had been in a newspaper… She didn’t know.
What had he said to her? That Dumbledore was weakening her, and in the time that she would need her strength most it would have left her? When exactly would she need her time of strength?
Maybe that hooded man was right… Maybe Dumbledore was plotting against her! Maybe he wasn’t really going to let her go to Hogwarts, and was going to send her back to the street once he had turned her into a soft, useless corpse. Yeah, that seemed right. Yes. She would wait for that man in the hood, and he would come for her and her wand…
Why exactly did he say, ‘and your wand’? What did he like so much about her wand?
It’s just a stupid piece of wood, she thought to herself. Yeah, it did some horrible things a long time ago, but now it’s just like any other wand. Wooden, pointy at the end, and used for magic.
Didn’t Dumbledore say something about keeping her wand out of the hands of the wrong people at the beginning of her stay?
Julia climbed out of bed, and pulled on a sweatshirt over her pajamas. She didn’t bother to put any shoes on, or brush her hair. She just got up, and left the room.
***
Julia climbed out of the hole beneath Gregory the Smarmy’s statue, and looked around to make sure no one was making his or her way down the hall.
Good. No one to see her sneak around.
Julia started to run down the hall, making sure to avoid the one spot on the floor where she kept on slipping. She knew Dumbledore was probably talking to one of the staff about her right now, and she wanted to know about what.
She slowed down, and stopped, looking around the corner for any teachers. No… No one there… She started to keep on going, when she heard footsteps coming her way. Uh oh.
Julia looked around for something to hide behind. NO! The hall was clear! Where could she… THE DISILLUSIONMENT CHARM!!!
Julia clumsily pulled her wand from her sweatshirt pocket, and pointed it at the top of her head. She muttered the spell, and felt the strange sensation of having an egg cracked over her head.
She put the wand back into her pocket, and turned, bracing herself.
Snape stood behind her, smirking slightly.
“Miss Matthews,” he sneered. “I know that you’re here somewhere. I may not be able to see you, but I can definitely hear you. Are you,” he looked ahead, “in front of me?” He stepped forwards a few steps, and reached an arm out, swiping at the air. “No. I guess not. Are you,” he looked to the wall opposite of where Julia stood, “here? No. Definitely not. Ah… Now I see. You have decided to stand there,” he pointed at the exact spot where Julia was standing. “Did you really think you could fool me with a Disillusionment charm? I can see much more than you know, Miss Matthews. Now, I will give you three options. You can either go back to your room, or reveal yourself right now, or you can stay out, stay Disillusioned, but still inside the castle.
“If I even see you once before your lessons start today, I will inform the Headmaster of your actions this morning. I am very merciful, Julia, and I am giving you this one chance to stay out of everyone’s way. Now, good day.”
Snape gave her another smirk before continuing to walk through the hall. Julia let out a sigh of relief. That was close. Why was Snape being so nice to her? It was like he knew something that she didn’t… Oh well. She could go listen in on Dumbledore to find out.
Julia looked around to check for any more teachers. No one… Could they all see through her charm? She didn’t want to take any more chances. She returned to running down the hall.
***
Please give me at least two reviews, people. PLEASE!!! Like, i had a bunch of people review my first few chapters, but now I'm basically getting one. Please review! The link is in my signature.***
Chapter 12
Julia laid her head on the table, wanting to go to sleep. She had come from Occlumency right before going to Dumbledore for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Snape had basically extracted every memory she had from her brain, and had yelled at her afterwards for not being able to stop him.
Of course, being the person she was, she had yelled back, and the rest of the lesson had been a shouting match. Snape would yell what a horrible student she was, and Julia would shout how disgusting and vile a person he was, and it would go back and forth.
Julia still hadn’t forgiven him for purposely getting the memory of the man with the knife, so she did not give up as easily as she would have in their first lesson.
But then, of course, time ran out, and they didn’t finish their lesson. Julia then had the guilt of not being able to perform Occlumency, and would have to walk around for the next few days thinking that she was a failure, and if she hadn’t yelled she might have been able to learn more about keeping Snape out of her mind.
But, she knew, that when she returned to an Occlumency class with Snape, all of that guilt would leave, and be replaced by a new anger. An anger that had to do with the fact that he was no help in improving her skills as an Occlumens.
Dumbledore probably knew about her constant shouting matches with Snape, but Julia couldn’t be sure, since he didn’t mention the subject during her classes with him.
“Julia, I have some important matters to discuss with you,” Dumbledore said to Julia, right before he dismissed her. “It’s a matter of which house you will be in while you attend Hogwarts. As you know, classes start in just under a week, and we need to decide when you will be taking your classes. I understand if you want to be in the same house as your cousin, but I think it’s best if you put on the Sorting Hat.”
“Whatever…” Julia had mumbled. Truthfully, she didn’t care if she was in the same house as her cousin. She didn’t know him yet, so it was possible that it would be best to be separate from him.
Dumbledore turned his back on her, and reached up on a shelf to retrieve a ragged, old hat.
Julia knew enough to know that the hat was not what it seemed, and was a lot more impressive than it looked.
Dumbledore handed Julia the hat, and she put it on.
Ah, yes… I see… The hat was whispering to her. Julia couldn’t see the hat’s face, or whatever facial features it had, but she could tell that it was smirking at her. Why?
Definitely not Hufflepuff, no… I don’t see any signs of that there… Ravenclaw perhaps? You definitely have brains for that, especially with that wand of yours… Gryffindor could work… A lot of bravery, I see. You have nerve, a lot of it, and a lot of pride… Oh, but Slytherin! You would do greatly in Slytherin… But is it the right place to put you? I wonder…
So scratch Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff… Just Gryffindor and Slytherin left, but where to put you? You are even harder than your cousin to place…
CHOOSE! Julia wanted to yell. JUST PUT ME SOMEWHERE!
Slytherin? What would happen if I put you there? You would do well… But are you a true Slytherin? Your father was a pureblood, I see… But he was in Ravenclaw, wasn’t he? And your mother was a half-blood… But she was in Gryffindor…
You would do well in Gryffindor as well… I see that you are brave, and have many of the qualities of a Gryffindor, but you have many of the qualities of a Slytherin as well.
This has never happened before… How hard is it to place a child? Why must you be so hard to place? I believe that I cannot decide… Gryffindor or Slytherin? Take me off, and I will let YOU choose…
Julia slid the hat off her head, staring at Dumbledore. “It wants me to choose,” she muttered.
“Interesting,” Dumbledore breathed. I don’t believe that in all of Hogwarts history, the Sorting Hat has not been able to choose where to put a student.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Julia asked, not knowing how to react.
“No, not a bad thing, but very unusual.” Dumbledore clapped his hands together. “So, Miss Matthews. Which house do you wish to be in?”
Julia just stood there like an idiot. How was she supposed to choose? If that hat couldn’t decide, how could she? Gryffindor sounded nice, but Slytherin seemed to be darker, and no one would care about her secrets as much, would they?
But Gryffindor! Her mother! She couldn’t just be in Slytherin, the opposing house. Okay… That settled it. Julia hoped she wasn’t making the wrong decision.
“Gryffindor?” she said weakly, and she started to fiddle around with her wand.
“Excellent!” Dumbledore exclaimed. “Very well. You may go, now.”
He walked over to where his Phoenix was perched, and started to stroke it.
Julia turned, and slowly walked out of the office, counting her steps as she made her way towards her room.
I’m in Gryffindor now… I wonder what that will be like…
One step
What if that wasn’t the right choice, though? Maybe I should have said Slytherin.
Two steps from the office.
What am I supposed to do now? I might have just put myself in the wrong house!
Three steps.
Darn it… Now I’m going to be stuck as a Gryffindor…
Four steps.
What if they don’t like me?
Running. Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen. Reached the corner.
Wait… Why do I care? I haven’t even met them!
Turned to the left. The fat statue is in sight. Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen.
Great, now I’m getting soft, and that’s going to give Snape an easier time to break into my mind.
Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, Thirty…
Wonderful. Just wonderful. Now I’m a soft freak with no parents who’s going to have to socialize with a bunch of people who are going to want to know who I am…
Thirty-one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
What am I going to then?
Falling, hit the ground. Ow. Why do I keep falling right here?
I hate this place.
Got back up. Thirty-Eight, nine, Forty, Forty-One, two, three, four, five… Reached the statue.
Wait, Forty-Five steps… That’s a coincidence. The number you get when you add my age and the age my parents were when they died…
I hate this place.
Why did I count my steps? That was stupid. What am I, five? Dumbledore really is softening me up.
I can’t wait until I’m seventeen…
***
Julia Matthews. You don’t realize who I am, but I know very well who you are. You know what I want, and that old man has convinced you not to give it to me. Do not trust the old man. He’s a liar, and a fool. I will not lie to you. I will not keep secrets from you. I’ll even introduce you to your cousin, which I know you have been longing deeply for. Why has Dumbledore been keeping him from you all of this time?
I know the reason, but you have to come here to know the reason.
Dumbledore did not bring you to Hogwarts to protect you. He brought you there to destroy you. To soften you up, so those who are against him will bring you down even easier. He doesn’t really care about your wellbeing. He just wants to weaken you for when you will need your strength most.
He’s not to be trusted. I can be trusted though. Come to me, Julia. Come to us. Come to all of us. We will make sure to keep Dumbledore from hurting you any more than he has already had.
Isn’t that what you want?
To get away from Dumbledore?
I will come for you, Julia Matthews, and your wand.
Join me, and you will stay strong and powerful.
Isn’t that what everyone wants?
I will come for you.
Soon.
The Dark Lord awaits you.
***
Julia’s eyes opened, the word ‘you’ still ringing in her ears. The hooded man from the street… He was there. Who was that man talking to her? He seemed familiar. Maybe he had been in a newspaper… She didn’t know.
What had he said to her? That Dumbledore was weakening her, and in the time that she would need her strength most it would have left her? When exactly would she need her time of strength?
Maybe that hooded man was right… Maybe Dumbledore was plotting against her! Maybe he wasn’t really going to let her go to Hogwarts, and was going to send her back to the street once he had turned her into a soft, useless corpse. Yeah, that seemed right. Yes. She would wait for that man in the hood, and he would come for her and her wand…
Why exactly did he say, ‘and your wand’? What did he like so much about her wand?
It’s just a stupid piece of wood, she thought to herself. Yeah, it did some horrible things a long time ago, but now it’s just like any other wand. Wooden, pointy at the end, and used for magic.
Didn’t Dumbledore say something about keeping her wand out of the hands of the wrong people at the beginning of her stay?
Julia climbed out of bed, and pulled on a sweatshirt over her pajamas. She didn’t bother to put any shoes on, or brush her hair. She just got up, and left the room.
***
Julia climbed out of the hole beneath Gregory the Smarmy’s statue, and looked around to make sure no one was making his or her way down the hall.
Good. No one to see her sneak around.
Julia started to run down the hall, making sure to avoid the one spot on the floor where she kept on slipping. She knew Dumbledore was probably talking to one of the staff about her right now, and she wanted to know about what.
She slowed down, and stopped, looking around the corner for any teachers. No… No one there… She started to keep on going, when she heard footsteps coming her way. Uh oh.
Julia looked around for something to hide behind. NO! The hall was clear! Where could she… THE DISILLUSIONMENT CHARM!!!
Julia clumsily pulled her wand from her sweatshirt pocket, and pointed it at the top of her head. She muttered the spell, and felt the strange sensation of having an egg cracked over her head.
She put the wand back into her pocket, and turned, bracing herself.
Snape stood behind her, smirking slightly.
“Miss Matthews,” he sneered. “I know that you’re here somewhere. I may not be able to see you, but I can definitely hear you. Are you,” he looked ahead, “in front of me?” He stepped forwards a few steps, and reached an arm out, swiping at the air. “No. I guess not. Are you,” he looked to the wall opposite of where Julia stood, “here? No. Definitely not. Ah… Now I see. You have decided to stand there,” he pointed at the exact spot where Julia was standing. “Did you really think you could fool me with a Disillusionment charm? I can see much more than you know, Miss Matthews. Now, I will give you three options. You can either go back to your room, or reveal yourself right now, or you can stay out, stay Disillusioned, but still inside the castle.
“If I even see you once before your lessons start today, I will inform the Headmaster of your actions this morning. I am very merciful, Julia, and I am giving you this one chance to stay out of everyone’s way. Now, good day.”
Snape gave her another smirk before continuing to walk through the hall. Julia let out a sigh of relief. That was close. Why was Snape being so nice to her? It was like he knew something that she didn’t… Oh well. She could go listen in on Dumbledore to find out.
Julia looked around to check for any more teachers. No one… Could they all see through her charm? She didn’t want to take any more chances. She returned to running down the hall.
***
I think I'll do another chapter later, but I'm doing this one for the time being. I haven't updated in a long time...
Chapter 13
Severus stood in front of the headmaster, sneering. "Why do you insist on showing kindness to the girl?" he asked. "She obviously doesn't understand that it's a good thing. She just assumes it's another plot to make her weak. Did you know that, Headmaster? I passed her on my way here. I had to lie to her, and tell her that I could not see her. I know you're against it, but I used Legilimency on her at the moment, to see why she wasn't in her room. She's been dreaming, Headmaster. She-"
"Of course she's dreaming," Dumbledore laughed. "She's a child. All children dream! It's a thing of life!"
"Not ordinary dreams," Severus hissed. Dumbledore could be so misunderstanding at some points. "I believe the Dark Lord has been sending her these 'visions' to persuade her to join him. She had one just last night."
Dumbledore frowned. This wasn't a good thing. Wasn't this why he had wanted her to have Occlumency lessons? So this exact thing wouldn't happen?
"Has she been doing well in her Occlumency lessons?" he asked. Severus shook his head.
"She makes only the slightest bit of progress each lesson. It still takes her several minutes to defend herself. Maybe if she's having a good day she'll use her wand to knock me unconscious, but that's only happened once." He bowed his head in regret. He had sworn to himself never to tell anyone of that incident. Too late to take it back.
If he found what Severus had said amusing, Dumbledore didn't show it. He got up, and began to pace the room.
"Miss Matthews finds it hard to stay here, at Hogwarts, where she is safe. If the Dark Lord is able to convince her that he will let her do whatever she wants, she will join him after some consideration... She may want to see Mr. Potter before she goes... If we can just keep her here after she sees him-"
By now Severus had realized that the Headmaster was talking to himself. "Headmaster," he interrupted. "What will happen to her if she does go to find the Dark Lord?"
The headmaster stood still. He looked up at Severus, the twinkle in his eyes gone. "He will kill her. Whether he knows the wand is still effective or not, she will die. Once he succeeds in doing that, all we have done for her up until this point will be useless."
Dumbledore waved his hand at Severus Snape, dismissing him. Severus bowed, and turned on his heel, his robe swishing behind him.
"All we have done for her up until this point will be useless."
Severus was not going to let a girl he had reluctantly taught for the past month just die, and not pay him back in return. She was going to live.
***
Okay, I'll try to update again later. That's it for now... Review! The link's in my siggy!
Here is the second part of chapter 13! It isn't a very long chapter, but my dad's kicking me off the computer, and this is all I've written. I'm going to try to update this week, since I've been really bad about that.
***
Julia stopped at the two gargoyles that guarded Dumbledore’s office. Now, if she could just get up the stairs without anyone noticing…
Without anyone noticing.
Without anyone noticing.
Julia kicked the wall. She bit her lip to keep herself from yelling in pain as she made contact. OW! She clutched her foot, and started to hop around on one foot to keep her balance. That was stupid, she scolded herself. You aren’t wearing any shoes!
Of course she wouldn’t be able to get up the stairs without anyone noticing! Dumbledore would probably be able to see past the charm. Even if he couldn’t, he would still think something was up if the revolving stairs came up, and no visible person came with them.
“The headmaster wanted to see me… Why would he want that? Not like I’m important… No, he has to give all of the glory to the magical ones, not me, the squib… He doesn’t have any reason to talk to me… I’m just the one who cleans, and tries to keep the rotten kids in line… But does he tell them to stop being brats? No… He doesn’t defend me…”
Julia held her breath. Who was that? She slowly turned around, and stared at the sight before her.
Filch shuffled through the hall. “Stupid kids,” he muttered. “I remember the old days, where I could tie them up by their ankles… This year will be different, they’ll see… No more Fanged Frisbees through the hall, or mud on my nice, clean floors in the winter… Yes… This is a new year… I’ll hear their screaming as they hang from their ears in the dungeon…” He lets out a shrill laugh.
Julia smirked at him. What power did he have over the students? She had learned a lot about him in just on day. He was a squib. A useless squib. What was he even doing at Hogwarts?
“New year…” Filch said as he walked up to the stone gargoyles that guarded Dumbledore’s office. “Blood Pops,” he muttered. The two gargoyles jumped aside, letting him in.
Perfect. Julia took advantage of the moment, and jumped behind the man. He couldn’t levitate a feather, let alone see through a Disillusionment charm. He could be her cover while she went up the stairs. This way, no one would ever know that she had come up. They would all suspect that it was just Filch. She would just hide behind a door once she reached the top of the steps.
This is so simple, she thought. Why didn’t I think about this before I kicked the wall?
Filch was still talking to himself, even as the stairs stopped, and he walked out into Dumbledore’s office. Wait… Something was different here. Something was different in the office.
She was still behind Filch, but Julia could see the complete office.
A woman in a pink cardigan (such a horrible shade of pink that Julia felt like gagging) stood in the center of the room, with Dumbledore at her side.
“This is Dolores Umbridge,” Dumbledore said to Filch, motioning towards the woman. “She is going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher.”
No… How could this horribly dressed woman possibly be Julia’s teacher?
She had to listen to this conversation…
***
I told you it was short. Maybe if peope review I'll write longer chapters... And of better quality!!! Uh, I don't know about that, but I'm serious about the longer chapter thing!!!
Please review! The link's in my signature.
Chapter 13
Severus stood in front of the headmaster, sneering. "Why do you insist on showing kindness to the girl?" he asked. "She obviously doesn't understand that it's a good thing. She just assumes it's another plot to make her weak. Did you know that, Headmaster? I passed her on my way here. I had to lie to her, and tell her that I could not see her. I know you're against it, but I used Legilimency on her at the moment, to see why she wasn't in her room. She's been dreaming, Headmaster. She-"
"Of course she's dreaming," Dumbledore laughed. "She's a child. All children dream! It's a thing of life!"
"Not ordinary dreams," Severus hissed. Dumbledore could be so misunderstanding at some points. "I believe the Dark Lord has been sending her these 'visions' to persuade her to join him. She had one just last night."
Dumbledore frowned. This wasn't a good thing. Wasn't this why he had wanted her to have Occlumency lessons? So this exact thing wouldn't happen?
"Has she been doing well in her Occlumency lessons?" he asked. Severus shook his head.
"She makes only the slightest bit of progress each lesson. It still takes her several minutes to defend herself. Maybe if she's having a good day she'll use her wand to knock me unconscious, but that's only happened once." He bowed his head in regret. He had sworn to himself never to tell anyone of that incident. Too late to take it back.
If he found what Severus had said amusing, Dumbledore didn't show it. He got up, and began to pace the room.
"Miss Matthews finds it hard to stay here, at Hogwarts, where she is safe. If the Dark Lord is able to convince her that he will let her do whatever she wants, she will join him after some consideration... She may want to see Mr. Potter before she goes... If we can just keep her here after she sees him-"
By now Severus had realized that the Headmaster was talking to himself. "Headmaster," he interrupted. "What will happen to her if she does go to find the Dark Lord?"
The headmaster stood still. He looked up at Severus, the twinkle in his eyes gone. "He will kill her. Whether he knows the wand is still effective or not, she will die. Once he succeeds in doing that, all we have done for her up until this point will be useless."
Dumbledore waved his hand at Severus Snape, dismissing him. Severus bowed, and turned on his heel, his robe swishing behind him.
"All we have done for her up until this point will be useless."
Severus was not going to let a girl he had reluctantly taught for the past month just die, and not pay him back in return. She was going to live.
***
Okay, I'll try to update again later. That's it for now... Review! The link's in my siggy!
Here is the second part of chapter 13! It isn't a very long chapter, but my dad's kicking me off the computer, and this is all I've written. I'm going to try to update this week, since I've been really bad about that.
***
Julia stopped at the two gargoyles that guarded Dumbledore’s office. Now, if she could just get up the stairs without anyone noticing…
Without anyone noticing.
Without anyone noticing.
Julia kicked the wall. She bit her lip to keep herself from yelling in pain as she made contact. OW! She clutched her foot, and started to hop around on one foot to keep her balance. That was stupid, she scolded herself. You aren’t wearing any shoes!
Of course she wouldn’t be able to get up the stairs without anyone noticing! Dumbledore would probably be able to see past the charm. Even if he couldn’t, he would still think something was up if the revolving stairs came up, and no visible person came with them.
“The headmaster wanted to see me… Why would he want that? Not like I’m important… No, he has to give all of the glory to the magical ones, not me, the squib… He doesn’t have any reason to talk to me… I’m just the one who cleans, and tries to keep the rotten kids in line… But does he tell them to stop being brats? No… He doesn’t defend me…”
Julia held her breath. Who was that? She slowly turned around, and stared at the sight before her.
Filch shuffled through the hall. “Stupid kids,” he muttered. “I remember the old days, where I could tie them up by their ankles… This year will be different, they’ll see… No more Fanged Frisbees through the hall, or mud on my nice, clean floors in the winter… Yes… This is a new year… I’ll hear their screaming as they hang from their ears in the dungeon…” He lets out a shrill laugh.
Julia smirked at him. What power did he have over the students? She had learned a lot about him in just on day. He was a squib. A useless squib. What was he even doing at Hogwarts?
“New year…” Filch said as he walked up to the stone gargoyles that guarded Dumbledore’s office. “Blood Pops,” he muttered. The two gargoyles jumped aside, letting him in.
Perfect. Julia took advantage of the moment, and jumped behind the man. He couldn’t levitate a feather, let alone see through a Disillusionment charm. He could be her cover while she went up the stairs. This way, no one would ever know that she had come up. They would all suspect that it was just Filch. She would just hide behind a door once she reached the top of the steps.
This is so simple, she thought. Why didn’t I think about this before I kicked the wall?
Filch was still talking to himself, even as the stairs stopped, and he walked out into Dumbledore’s office. Wait… Something was different here. Something was different in the office.
She was still behind Filch, but Julia could see the complete office.
A woman in a pink cardigan (such a horrible shade of pink that Julia felt like gagging) stood in the center of the room, with Dumbledore at her side.
“This is Dolores Umbridge,” Dumbledore said to Filch, motioning towards the woman. “She is going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher.”
No… How could this horribly dressed woman possibly be Julia’s teacher?
She had to listen to this conversation…
***
I told you it was short. Maybe if peope review I'll write longer chapters... And of better quality!!! Uh, I don't know about that, but I'm serious about the longer chapter thing!!!
Please review! The link's in my signature.
***
Chapter 14
Even though he had been walking out of the headmaster's office just minutes ago, Severus Snape was now stationed outside of the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. He looked around, making sure that no one was there to see him enter the building.
Good. No one. They were all enjoying the last few days of vacation.
He went forwards, marching up the steps. He took the door and flung it open. An anoying murmur made him look down at his feet.
Kreacher, that annoying house elf, was at his feet. "What would my mistress say? Once a Death Eater, now working for Dumbledore? Disrespect for the original master... No, Kreacher is faithful to his mistress... He would never turn against his mistress..."
Severus stepped around Kreacher in disgust. Stupid house-elf. Couldn't he just hide in a cupboard somewhere?
He passed the many heads of the past house-elves. This had never bothered him before, but now it seemed like they were staring at him, watching his every move. That was not exactly the most comfortable sensation.
Walking into the kitchen, Severus found what he was looking for. "Black!" he called. "Where are the others?"
He stared at the black dog impatiently. The dog just sat on the floor, acting innocent, but Snape knew better. This was just a plot to get him angry.
"I said," he started slowly, "where are the others?" He tried to stay calm. Dumbledore had warned him about letting Black get to his head. Just wait patiently, he thought to himself. Just wait for it.
Finally, the dog got up, and transformed back into his natural self. "Why do you want to know where the others are?" he said, once he had returned to being a man. "There's not another Order meeting, is there? We had one already just two days ago. Is it about the girl, isn't it?"
Severus sneered. Why did Sirius Black have to be so childish at times? It would help everyone if he would just act like an adult.
"Well," Black continued, "Nymphadora, Kingsley and Arthur are at the Ministry. Bill is in Egypt, doing some research on the Dark Lord's use of Goblins in the past, Charlie is still in Romania, taking care of his dragons. Fred and George are in Hogsmeade, buying joke materials. Molly, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Harry are the only ones here. Everyone else is out."
Severus sighed. Unless he waited for everyone to return, he had only one thing to do here. "Bring me Miss Weasley, then."
Severus sat down in a chair while Black went up the stairs. He could hear him muttering, "Why couldn't he just go get her? He has legs..."
A minute later, Black brought down Ginny Weasley.
"Black?" he asked.
"What?"
"Go away right now."
"Fine. As you wish, Professor," he said sarcastically, right before walking out.
Severus watched to make sure that Black was really gone, and not listening behind the wall. Very well. He was gone.
He turned to Ginny. "Do you still have the mirror the headmaster gave you, the day you met Miss Matthews?"
Ginny nodded, looking confused. Severus didn't need Legilimency to know what she was thinking. It was something along the lines of, "Why did he bring me down here? Why does he care that I have that mirror?"
"Yeah," she said cautiously, as if trying not to say the wrong thing. "But I don't use it often. She doesn't like to answer it that much."
Of course. Severus couldn't expect anything other than that from the girl. She didn't like the thought of friendship, did she?
"I need you to try and talk to her as much as you can," he told her. "She has been thinking about trying to leave Hogwarts, and join the Dark Lord. I need you to try to convince her to stay at the castle. If she does succeed in finding the Dark Lord, he will kill her. If you cannot keep her at Hogwarts, we will have to use the Order to guard the castle. Do you understand what I am telling you? Keep her there. Convince her that Hogwarts is a good place. Use any means possible. Just keep her there."
Ginny nodded. She stood silently for a while, looking at her shoes. When she finally did look up, she stared at Severus. "She'll die if she escapes?"
Severus nodded. "She'll die." He waved his hand, dismissing her. "Go."
Ginny ran up the stairs. Severus stood up, and smoothed out the wrinkles of his robe, created from sitting in the chair for those few minutes.
He left headquarters. When he got outside, he stared at Headquarters for a few moments. Why did we have to go and try to find the girl? He thought, right before disapparating to the boundaries of Hogwarts.
***
So I thought that I'd do a little Snape POV before going on back to Julia. I've been having a hard time with her parts... It's sort of easier with Snape... I don't really know why.
Well, I finally have 1000 hits! That's a start. I still only have one reviewer, but just knowing that people are actually reading is good. Please review! The link is in my signature! Just go to POTTER, MATTHEWS, VOLDEMORT AND THE ELDER WAND and go to the right, and click on FEEDBACK!!
I know it's short, but it's the best I can do, typing on my dad's laptop here in this awesome hotel in Arizona... I can't wait to get back to California... I'll try to update tomorrow. And if I don't, you have permission to be mad at me for lying.
Chapter 14
Even though he had been walking out of the headmaster's office just minutes ago, Severus Snape was now stationed outside of the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. He looked around, making sure that no one was there to see him enter the building.
Good. No one. They were all enjoying the last few days of vacation.
He went forwards, marching up the steps. He took the door and flung it open. An anoying murmur made him look down at his feet.
Kreacher, that annoying house elf, was at his feet. "What would my mistress say? Once a Death Eater, now working for Dumbledore? Disrespect for the original master... No, Kreacher is faithful to his mistress... He would never turn against his mistress..."
Severus stepped around Kreacher in disgust. Stupid house-elf. Couldn't he just hide in a cupboard somewhere?
He passed the many heads of the past house-elves. This had never bothered him before, but now it seemed like they were staring at him, watching his every move. That was not exactly the most comfortable sensation.
Walking into the kitchen, Severus found what he was looking for. "Black!" he called. "Where are the others?"
He stared at the black dog impatiently. The dog just sat on the floor, acting innocent, but Snape knew better. This was just a plot to get him angry.
"I said," he started slowly, "where are the others?" He tried to stay calm. Dumbledore had warned him about letting Black get to his head. Just wait patiently, he thought to himself. Just wait for it.
Finally, the dog got up, and transformed back into his natural self. "Why do you want to know where the others are?" he said, once he had returned to being a man. "There's not another Order meeting, is there? We had one already just two days ago. Is it about the girl, isn't it?"
Severus sneered. Why did Sirius Black have to be so childish at times? It would help everyone if he would just act like an adult.
"Well," Black continued, "Nymphadora, Kingsley and Arthur are at the Ministry. Bill is in Egypt, doing some research on the Dark Lord's use of Goblins in the past, Charlie is still in Romania, taking care of his dragons. Fred and George are in Hogsmeade, buying joke materials. Molly, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Harry are the only ones here. Everyone else is out."
Severus sighed. Unless he waited for everyone to return, he had only one thing to do here. "Bring me Miss Weasley, then."
Severus sat down in a chair while Black went up the stairs. He could hear him muttering, "Why couldn't he just go get her? He has legs..."
A minute later, Black brought down Ginny Weasley.
"Black?" he asked.
"What?"
"Go away right now."
"Fine. As you wish, Professor," he said sarcastically, right before walking out.
Severus watched to make sure that Black was really gone, and not listening behind the wall. Very well. He was gone.
He turned to Ginny. "Do you still have the mirror the headmaster gave you, the day you met Miss Matthews?"
Ginny nodded, looking confused. Severus didn't need Legilimency to know what she was thinking. It was something along the lines of, "Why did he bring me down here? Why does he care that I have that mirror?"
"Yeah," she said cautiously, as if trying not to say the wrong thing. "But I don't use it often. She doesn't like to answer it that much."
Of course. Severus couldn't expect anything other than that from the girl. She didn't like the thought of friendship, did she?
"I need you to try and talk to her as much as you can," he told her. "She has been thinking about trying to leave Hogwarts, and join the Dark Lord. I need you to try to convince her to stay at the castle. If she does succeed in finding the Dark Lord, he will kill her. If you cannot keep her at Hogwarts, we will have to use the Order to guard the castle. Do you understand what I am telling you? Keep her there. Convince her that Hogwarts is a good place. Use any means possible. Just keep her there."
Ginny nodded. She stood silently for a while, looking at her shoes. When she finally did look up, she stared at Severus. "She'll die if she escapes?"
Severus nodded. "She'll die." He waved his hand, dismissing her. "Go."
Ginny ran up the stairs. Severus stood up, and smoothed out the wrinkles of his robe, created from sitting in the chair for those few minutes.
He left headquarters. When he got outside, he stared at Headquarters for a few moments. Why did we have to go and try to find the girl? He thought, right before disapparating to the boundaries of Hogwarts.
***
So I thought that I'd do a little Snape POV before going on back to Julia. I've been having a hard time with her parts... It's sort of easier with Snape... I don't really know why.
Well, I finally have 1000 hits! That's a start. I still only have one reviewer, but just knowing that people are actually reading is good. Please review! The link is in my signature! Just go to POTTER, MATTHEWS, VOLDEMORT AND THE ELDER WAND and go to the right, and click on FEEDBACK!!
I know it's short, but it's the best I can do, typing on my dad's laptop here in this awesome hotel in Arizona... I can't wait to get back to California... I'll try to update tomorrow. And if I don't, you have permission to be mad at me for lying.
Well, I have returned to Julia's POV. I promised I would write her part in this chapter! I need to get away from Snape. Here's another chapter! and please review!!! I mean it!
***
Chapter 15
Dolores Umbridge gave Filch a smile. Julia could tell it was fake. No person could smile like they were that happy. Definitely not a person who looked like a toad who had just swallowed a big fly.
"Hello!" Umbridge said. She gave a small wave of her hand, cupping it slightly, like a queen would. "Professor Dumbledore has told me so much about you! I'm sure we will come to be good friends!"
At the mention of his name, and what followed, a look of amusement passed over Dumbledore's face. He obviously hadn't told her anything about Filch.
Julia wanted to laugh.
Filch didn't respond, but merely shuffled his feet. He suddenly seemed very intent on scratching a patch of dirt off of his shoe.
Dumbledore saved Filch from having to say anything. "Ms. Umbridge here is going to be Hogwarts' new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," he repeated. "She was previously the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic."
Julia stared at Dumbledore while he spoke. He hasn't told me much about the Ministry, she thought to herself. A look of loathing passed over the headmaster's face as he spoke of the Minister. Why was that?
"Yes," said Umbridge. "Professor Dumbledore decided to let Cornelius - I mean, the minister - choose who would be appointed the position. I guess I was the lucky winner!" She gave off a high-pitched giggle. Julia wanted to gag.
As the conversation went on, with Umbridge saying how happy she was to be the new DADA teacher, and Dumbledore smiling, and occasionally saying how Hogwarts was lucky to have her, Julia started to get bored. This wasn't exactly what she was hoping for. Now she just wanted to find a place to sit down.
Filch had been staring at his shoes the whole time. Once Julia stopped paying attention to the other two, she focused on him.
Filch was mumbling to himself, probably saying how he wished he had never come to the office. In those few minutes, he had managed to scrape all of the dirt off of his right shoe, leaving a mound right next to it. He had long since stopped listening to the headmaster and Umbridge. Why did he even bother coming if he wasn't going to listen? Julia thought. Filch was such a strange person...
Julia remembered that she had wanted to hide behind a door to avoid being seen. No! Dumbledore had probably seen her already! Why didn't she pay attention to if he was looking right at her? Could Umbridge see her too?
She looked around for something to hide behind. The room wasn't exactly filled with hiding places. There were plenty of tables, with silver objects on them. But those just offered protection from above. Dumbledore's desk would work pretty well, but if Dumbledore wanted to sit down, her cover would be blown.
Why did this office have to be so... so... Not good for hiding?
Julia made sure Dumbledore was focused on Umbridge before she tiptoed off to a table. She climbed underneath, and brought her knees to her chest. As long as he didn't look to his right, and down, she would be hidden. Why would he want to look under a table anyways?
As the conversation was mainly about how Umbridge was so happy to be hired, Julia slowly began to lose patience. She had come here for something exciting! Something that Dumbledore had not been planning on telling her. She began to listen to Umbridge's tone of voice.
Umbridge sounded so happy and girlie that it sounded fake. What she said sounded rehearsed and forced. She didn't sound at all convincing, though Dumbledore seemed to believe what she said.
Occasionally she would straighten the bow on her head, or omit a shrill giggle. How long will this torture last? Julia thought. Go! Leave the office! No one wants to hear you talk any more!
"The ministry simply believes that Voldemort has not returned, so they are convincing the public that Harry and I are lying."
Julia remembered that first day with Dumbledore, when he had told her of her connection to Harry Potter. Umbridge was from the Ministry, wasn't she? Why was she here if the Ministry didn't like Dumbledore?
Julia soon lost focus on the whole conversation, occasionally catching a few words, not meaning much when put together.
"The Ministry... So glad... Make Hogwarts... So happy... Professor... Fudge... Progress's sake..."
Professor Dumbledore had a forced smile on. He was probably thinking, Be patient. Soon you will be able to leave.
Filch looked like he was half asleep, swaying on the spot he had failed to move from for the whole meeting.
Umbridge was completely oblivious to the fact that no one was listening to her. How can a person talk for so long? When will she stop? Julia thought. Why did I even come here?
After what seemed like hours, Dumbledore finally interrupted. "Thank you," he said, "for those...enlightening words, Madame Umbridge. I will be looking forwards to seeing you this year." He took Umbridge to the door, where she would find the revolving staircase. Seconds later, she was gone.
Filch looked at Dumbledore anxiously. "Yes," said Dumbledore. "You are dismissed." Filch shuffled out, muttering how pointless that had been.
Julia slowly got up to go. Dumbledore returned to his desk. Once she had reached the door, she heard him speak.
"Miss Matthews?"
No! He had seen her! She was so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. She hadn't wanted to be seen!
Julia bit her lip, and then pulled out her wand. She removed the Disillusionment charm. Once visible again, she looked at Dumbledore.
"Let me guess," she started, rolling her eyes. "You're in big trouble, Miss Matthews. You should have known better than to sneak into my office. We have treated you very well here at Hogwarts, and this is how you pay us back? I am very, very disappointed in you Julia. Go to your room, while I think of a suitable punishment."
Before the headmaster could say anything in return, Julia left the office.
***
Instead of returning to her room, Julia went to the Come and Go room. It was better to know that no one was able to get in there if she didn't want them to. Besides, she had left her journal there. She needed to write something. Anything. Just something to remind herself how mad she was at Dumbledore.
Julia grabbed the journal. She ripped it open, and grabbed a pencil off of the ground.
Pencil... Julia realized that she wouldn't be using one while attending Hogwarts. Well, the short while she would be attending Hogwarts. Dumbledore wasn't going to keep her there for that long. She needed a quill...
Right on time, a quill appeared right beside her, along with a bottle of ink. She grabbed the quill and dipped it into the ink.
Why does Dumbledore have to be like he is? I snuck into his office, trying to be unnoticed, but all I get is him ruining it by saying, "Miss Matthews?" He could have at least pretended not to see me! Why do all of the teachers have to be able to see through Disillusionment charms? It's like you can't hide anything from them.
How did Dumbledore get to be headmaster anyways? Don't the students get annoyed with him at all? How did he even get this powerful? He has way too many secrets. If I could find out what they were, I could use them against him. I could show the world what he has been keeping from everyone. Like, who was the girl his Boggart turned into? I know she was his sister, but how could she scare him like that? He wouldn't even tell me about her.
Why is he so important? In most of the books in the library that Madame Pince actually let me read - she doesn't trust me with books. Is she scared of me? - there is a list of the headmasters, but it doesn't say a lot about them. But, if you want to read about Dumbledore, you can get page after page.
I'm going to find out his secrets, whether he wants me to or not.
***
Haha... I am really showing the curious, yet horrible side of Julia right now, aren't I? I feel sort of bad about it, though... Well, Hogwarts starts really soon, so don't be surprised if Harry finally appears in the next chapter or the one after it. Please review! Please! Please! Please!!! Feedback is REALLY REALLY appreciated.
Plus, I'm going to try and write longer chapters from now on. This one is longer than most have been in a while. Not as long as when I first started writing, but long enough.
***
Chapter 15
Dolores Umbridge gave Filch a smile. Julia could tell it was fake. No person could smile like they were that happy. Definitely not a person who looked like a toad who had just swallowed a big fly.
"Hello!" Umbridge said. She gave a small wave of her hand, cupping it slightly, like a queen would. "Professor Dumbledore has told me so much about you! I'm sure we will come to be good friends!"
At the mention of his name, and what followed, a look of amusement passed over Dumbledore's face. He obviously hadn't told her anything about Filch.
Julia wanted to laugh.
Filch didn't respond, but merely shuffled his feet. He suddenly seemed very intent on scratching a patch of dirt off of his shoe.
Dumbledore saved Filch from having to say anything. "Ms. Umbridge here is going to be Hogwarts' new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," he repeated. "She was previously the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic."
Julia stared at Dumbledore while he spoke. He hasn't told me much about the Ministry, she thought to herself. A look of loathing passed over the headmaster's face as he spoke of the Minister. Why was that?
"Yes," said Umbridge. "Professor Dumbledore decided to let Cornelius - I mean, the minister - choose who would be appointed the position. I guess I was the lucky winner!" She gave off a high-pitched giggle. Julia wanted to gag.
As the conversation went on, with Umbridge saying how happy she was to be the new DADA teacher, and Dumbledore smiling, and occasionally saying how Hogwarts was lucky to have her, Julia started to get bored. This wasn't exactly what she was hoping for. Now she just wanted to find a place to sit down.
Filch had been staring at his shoes the whole time. Once Julia stopped paying attention to the other two, she focused on him.
Filch was mumbling to himself, probably saying how he wished he had never come to the office. In those few minutes, he had managed to scrape all of the dirt off of his right shoe, leaving a mound right next to it. He had long since stopped listening to the headmaster and Umbridge. Why did he even bother coming if he wasn't going to listen? Julia thought. Filch was such a strange person...
Julia remembered that she had wanted to hide behind a door to avoid being seen. No! Dumbledore had probably seen her already! Why didn't she pay attention to if he was looking right at her? Could Umbridge see her too?
She looked around for something to hide behind. The room wasn't exactly filled with hiding places. There were plenty of tables, with silver objects on them. But those just offered protection from above. Dumbledore's desk would work pretty well, but if Dumbledore wanted to sit down, her cover would be blown.
Why did this office have to be so... so... Not good for hiding?
Julia made sure Dumbledore was focused on Umbridge before she tiptoed off to a table. She climbed underneath, and brought her knees to her chest. As long as he didn't look to his right, and down, she would be hidden. Why would he want to look under a table anyways?
As the conversation was mainly about how Umbridge was so happy to be hired, Julia slowly began to lose patience. She had come here for something exciting! Something that Dumbledore had not been planning on telling her. She began to listen to Umbridge's tone of voice.
Umbridge sounded so happy and girlie that it sounded fake. What she said sounded rehearsed and forced. She didn't sound at all convincing, though Dumbledore seemed to believe what she said.
Occasionally she would straighten the bow on her head, or omit a shrill giggle. How long will this torture last? Julia thought. Go! Leave the office! No one wants to hear you talk any more!
"The ministry simply believes that Voldemort has not returned, so they are convincing the public that Harry and I are lying."
Julia remembered that first day with Dumbledore, when he had told her of her connection to Harry Potter. Umbridge was from the Ministry, wasn't she? Why was she here if the Ministry didn't like Dumbledore?
Julia soon lost focus on the whole conversation, occasionally catching a few words, not meaning much when put together.
"The Ministry... So glad... Make Hogwarts... So happy... Professor... Fudge... Progress's sake..."
Professor Dumbledore had a forced smile on. He was probably thinking, Be patient. Soon you will be able to leave.
Filch looked like he was half asleep, swaying on the spot he had failed to move from for the whole meeting.
Umbridge was completely oblivious to the fact that no one was listening to her. How can a person talk for so long? When will she stop? Julia thought. Why did I even come here?
After what seemed like hours, Dumbledore finally interrupted. "Thank you," he said, "for those...enlightening words, Madame Umbridge. I will be looking forwards to seeing you this year." He took Umbridge to the door, where she would find the revolving staircase. Seconds later, she was gone.
Filch looked at Dumbledore anxiously. "Yes," said Dumbledore. "You are dismissed." Filch shuffled out, muttering how pointless that had been.
Julia slowly got up to go. Dumbledore returned to his desk. Once she had reached the door, she heard him speak.
"Miss Matthews?"
No! He had seen her! She was so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. She hadn't wanted to be seen!
Julia bit her lip, and then pulled out her wand. She removed the Disillusionment charm. Once visible again, she looked at Dumbledore.
"Let me guess," she started, rolling her eyes. "You're in big trouble, Miss Matthews. You should have known better than to sneak into my office. We have treated you very well here at Hogwarts, and this is how you pay us back? I am very, very disappointed in you Julia. Go to your room, while I think of a suitable punishment."
Before the headmaster could say anything in return, Julia left the office.
***
Instead of returning to her room, Julia went to the Come and Go room. It was better to know that no one was able to get in there if she didn't want them to. Besides, she had left her journal there. She needed to write something. Anything. Just something to remind herself how mad she was at Dumbledore.
Julia grabbed the journal. She ripped it open, and grabbed a pencil off of the ground.
Pencil... Julia realized that she wouldn't be using one while attending Hogwarts. Well, the short while she would be attending Hogwarts. Dumbledore wasn't going to keep her there for that long. She needed a quill...
Right on time, a quill appeared right beside her, along with a bottle of ink. She grabbed the quill and dipped it into the ink.
Why does Dumbledore have to be like he is? I snuck into his office, trying to be unnoticed, but all I get is him ruining it by saying, "Miss Matthews?" He could have at least pretended not to see me! Why do all of the teachers have to be able to see through Disillusionment charms? It's like you can't hide anything from them.
How did Dumbledore get to be headmaster anyways? Don't the students get annoyed with him at all? How did he even get this powerful? He has way too many secrets. If I could find out what they were, I could use them against him. I could show the world what he has been keeping from everyone. Like, who was the girl his Boggart turned into? I know she was his sister, but how could she scare him like that? He wouldn't even tell me about her.
Why is he so important? In most of the books in the library that Madame Pince actually let me read - she doesn't trust me with books. Is she scared of me? - there is a list of the headmasters, but it doesn't say a lot about them. But, if you want to read about Dumbledore, you can get page after page.
I'm going to find out his secrets, whether he wants me to or not.
***
Haha... I am really showing the curious, yet horrible side of Julia right now, aren't I? I feel sort of bad about it, though... Well, Hogwarts starts really soon, so don't be surprised if Harry finally appears in the next chapter or the one after it. Please review! Please! Please! Please!!! Feedback is REALLY REALLY appreciated.
Plus, I'm going to try and write longer chapters from now on. This one is longer than most have been in a while. Not as long as when I first started writing, but long enough.
***
Chapter 16
In the days that followed Julia’s journal entry, things at Hogwarts did not become any easier.
Julia spent every moment that she could spare to search for any secrets Dumbledore was keeping from her. It had finally gotten into her head that he wasn’t telling her half of the things about him. If he wasn’t going to tell her, she would find out. He knew everything about her, so why couldn’t she know about him?
She searched the Restricted Section of the library at night, with the help of a flashlight provided by the Come and Go room. It was possible that a book in that section could give her a spell that would protect her from being seen by a wizard as powerful as Dumbledore.
Julia no longer paid attention to her lessons to the dismay of her teachers. Instead, she would think of ways to get Dumbledore to tell her something he shouldn’t of. Professor McGonagall had discussed Julia’s attention problem with the headmaster, and now she had Dobby following her wherever she went, keeping the headmaster informed of her actions.
Dumbledore had ordered Snape to give Julia Occlumency lessons every day that week, to keep her from having any more dreams of Voldemort trying to convince her to leave Hogwarts. This turned out to be no help, and instead led to daily fights between student and teacher.
As for Dumbledore, he left the school for those few days, and didn’t bother to tell Julia about it. She didn’t find out about that until he came back. All of the events in those five days only led to Julia losing her trust in the school more and more. Plus, the dreams didn’t leave her. Instead, they returned every night, always saying the same thing.
“Dumbledore did not bring you to Hogwarts to protect you. He brought you there to destroy you. To soften you up, so those who are against him will bring you down even easier. He doesn’t really care about your wellbeing. He just wants to weaken you for when you will need your strength most.
He’s not to be trusted. I can be trusted though. Come to me, Julia. Come to us. Come to all of us. We will make sure to keep Dumbledore from hurting you any more than he has already had.
Isn’t that what you want?
To get away from Dumbledore?
I will come for you, Julia Matthews, and your wand.
Join me, and you will stay strong and powerful.
Isn’t that what everyone wants?
I will come for you.
Soon.
The Dark Lord awaits you.”
She had finally stopped going to the Come and Go Room, since Dobby monitored her every move. She would no longer be safe in there if he told a teacher. Her only choice was to go back to her room. The room given to her by Dumbledore.
So when Julia woke up on the morning of September the First, she had no desire to go to school. She had no desire to see the faces of students rushing in through the doors. She didn’t want to get up from bed. She just wanted to sleep, and wish that Dumbledore would be honest with her.
Of course, Julia got up, no matter how reluctant she was to do it. If she stayed in bed, someone would send Dobby to go and get her. Dobby would beg for her to get up, telling her that she couldn’t stay in bed all day, or else he would have to go get McGonagall.
She walked to the corner of the room where all of her clothes had been kept. Someone had gone and gotten her a robe and tie for the school year, in some attempt at kindness. It would have worked had not Julia’s trust for the whole school began to slowly slip away.
Once dressed, Julia had to sit around her room and wait for Dobby. The staff had obviously realized that she was no longer to be trusted alone, and she was to be led around the castle by Dobby once again.
Julia heard a buzzing noise coming from behind her. She turned around, and saw the mirror Dumbledore had given her when she first met Ginny. She grabbed the mirror.
“What?” she sighed. Ginny stared at her from the mirror. She had been trying to talk to Julia for the past five days, always coming to the subject of how safe Hogwarts. Julia suspected that someone had put her up to it, and learned to tune the girl out.
“Are you excited for your first day at Hogwarts?” Ginny asked her.
“I guess.”
“What house are you in? I forgot.”
“Gryffindor.”
“Did you put on the Sorting Hat?”
“Yeah.”
“Was one of your parents in Gryffindor?”
“Yes.”
“Which one?”
“My mother.”
“What house was your dad in?”
“Ravenclaw.”
“He was really smart, then?”
“I guess.”
Suddenly, a strange look passed over Ginny’s face. Her face cracked into a grin.
“Wait! I remembered! Be prepared for –”
“Ginny?” Julia interrupted. “I think… I think that I hear Dobby coming. I have to go.” She hung up, Ginny’s disappointed face disappearing.
She had lied about hearing Dobby coming. She just wanted to stop talking. The more she talked to people, the more vulnerable Julia felt. It was like telling the world all of her secrets, and they were going to use them against her. Ever since that dream told her Dumbledore was softening her up so he could bring her down, Julia tried to push people out. If they couldn’t connect to her, they couldn’t soften her. It was wrong to come to Hogwarts. Once she saw Harry, she was leaving. That was the only reason she was still at Hogwarts. It was the only thing that kept her from attacking anyone who got in her way. The thought that there was actually someone related to her that she was sure was alive.
Dobby opened the door to her bedroom. “Miss?” he called. “It is time for you to come down to the Great Hall! Everyone is wishing to tell you something!”
The tiny house-elf looked like he was hiding something important, though it didn’t look like it was a bad thing. But then, he thought almost everything was a good thing. But what did everyone have to say to her at eleven ‘o clock?
Julia crossed her arms over her chest, and bit her lip. This wasn’t going to be fun. She cautiously followed Dobby out the door, and into the passage. Dobby suddenly turned around, stopping in his tracks.
“Miss Julia?” he asked her. “Why do you not trust Professor Dumbledore?” He looked at her quizzically for a second, before a look of horror passed over his face. He ran over to the wall of the passage, and started to bang his head against it. “Bad Dobby! Dobby should not ask Miss Julia that question! Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!”
As much as Julia found this amusing, she took the back of Dobby’s shirt and pulled him away from the wall.
“Why are you hitting yourself?” she asked him. “I don’t want to have to pull you away from a wall again!”
Dobby nodded his head, and then clutched his forehead in pain.
“Dobby’s old master told him never to ask about why one does not trust another. Dobby’s old master said ‘tis rude.”
Julia sighed. Why was Dobby chosen to accompany her everywhere? She was going to need to keep him away from every hard object in sight.
Dobby turned around and continued to walk down the rest of the passage. He climbed out of the hole underneath the statue, and waited for Julia to climb out. He grabbed the end of her sleeve and snapped.
The two disappeared, and reappeared once more in the Great Hall. All of the teachers stood in a line at one end of the room. Dobby let go of Julia’s sleeve. “They is wishing to give you a present.” He was smiling ear to ear. He then backed away, and stepped behind her, leaving the whole room in view.
Dumbledore stepped up in front of her.
“Miss Matthews!” he exclaimed. “The rest of the staff and I have decided that you have been waiting much too long for this. It has been a month since you have arrived here, and you have been awaiting this ever since then. I didn’t think I should keep you waiting much longer, so I decided to do this a little earlier than I originally intended. Perhaps this will get you to understand that we are not trying to hurt you, here at Hogwarts.”
How did he know about her lack of trust? He knew everything…
“You can come out now!”
The teachers stepped aside, revealing a person who had been hidden up until that point.
He had messy black hair that stuck up on all ends and glasses. He was already in his Hogwarts robe. There was a faint line on his forehead.
“Hello,” said the boy.
“Harry Potter,” Julia whispered.
***
Haha.. Another chapter! That's three chapters in three days! Yay! I hope you liked this one. I did, though I had a few problems with the beginning. Notice how much Julia has changed in a week... Think about what I can do in a month! Haha... I have a few things in store. Don't worry. The story has a happy ending... Maybe. MUAHAHAHAHA! Review!
Chapter 16
In the days that followed Julia’s journal entry, things at Hogwarts did not become any easier.
Julia spent every moment that she could spare to search for any secrets Dumbledore was keeping from her. It had finally gotten into her head that he wasn’t telling her half of the things about him. If he wasn’t going to tell her, she would find out. He knew everything about her, so why couldn’t she know about him?
She searched the Restricted Section of the library at night, with the help of a flashlight provided by the Come and Go room. It was possible that a book in that section could give her a spell that would protect her from being seen by a wizard as powerful as Dumbledore.
Julia no longer paid attention to her lessons to the dismay of her teachers. Instead, she would think of ways to get Dumbledore to tell her something he shouldn’t of. Professor McGonagall had discussed Julia’s attention problem with the headmaster, and now she had Dobby following her wherever she went, keeping the headmaster informed of her actions.
Dumbledore had ordered Snape to give Julia Occlumency lessons every day that week, to keep her from having any more dreams of Voldemort trying to convince her to leave Hogwarts. This turned out to be no help, and instead led to daily fights between student and teacher.
As for Dumbledore, he left the school for those few days, and didn’t bother to tell Julia about it. She didn’t find out about that until he came back. All of the events in those five days only led to Julia losing her trust in the school more and more. Plus, the dreams didn’t leave her. Instead, they returned every night, always saying the same thing.
“Dumbledore did not bring you to Hogwarts to protect you. He brought you there to destroy you. To soften you up, so those who are against him will bring you down even easier. He doesn’t really care about your wellbeing. He just wants to weaken you for when you will need your strength most.
He’s not to be trusted. I can be trusted though. Come to me, Julia. Come to us. Come to all of us. We will make sure to keep Dumbledore from hurting you any more than he has already had.
Isn’t that what you want?
To get away from Dumbledore?
I will come for you, Julia Matthews, and your wand.
Join me, and you will stay strong and powerful.
Isn’t that what everyone wants?
I will come for you.
Soon.
The Dark Lord awaits you.”
She had finally stopped going to the Come and Go Room, since Dobby monitored her every move. She would no longer be safe in there if he told a teacher. Her only choice was to go back to her room. The room given to her by Dumbledore.
So when Julia woke up on the morning of September the First, she had no desire to go to school. She had no desire to see the faces of students rushing in through the doors. She didn’t want to get up from bed. She just wanted to sleep, and wish that Dumbledore would be honest with her.
Of course, Julia got up, no matter how reluctant she was to do it. If she stayed in bed, someone would send Dobby to go and get her. Dobby would beg for her to get up, telling her that she couldn’t stay in bed all day, or else he would have to go get McGonagall.
She walked to the corner of the room where all of her clothes had been kept. Someone had gone and gotten her a robe and tie for the school year, in some attempt at kindness. It would have worked had not Julia’s trust for the whole school began to slowly slip away.
Once dressed, Julia had to sit around her room and wait for Dobby. The staff had obviously realized that she was no longer to be trusted alone, and she was to be led around the castle by Dobby once again.
Julia heard a buzzing noise coming from behind her. She turned around, and saw the mirror Dumbledore had given her when she first met Ginny. She grabbed the mirror.
“What?” she sighed. Ginny stared at her from the mirror. She had been trying to talk to Julia for the past five days, always coming to the subject of how safe Hogwarts. Julia suspected that someone had put her up to it, and learned to tune the girl out.
“Are you excited for your first day at Hogwarts?” Ginny asked her.
“I guess.”
“What house are you in? I forgot.”
“Gryffindor.”
“Did you put on the Sorting Hat?”
“Yeah.”
“Was one of your parents in Gryffindor?”
“Yes.”
“Which one?”
“My mother.”
“What house was your dad in?”
“Ravenclaw.”
“He was really smart, then?”
“I guess.”
Suddenly, a strange look passed over Ginny’s face. Her face cracked into a grin.
“Wait! I remembered! Be prepared for –”
“Ginny?” Julia interrupted. “I think… I think that I hear Dobby coming. I have to go.” She hung up, Ginny’s disappointed face disappearing.
She had lied about hearing Dobby coming. She just wanted to stop talking. The more she talked to people, the more vulnerable Julia felt. It was like telling the world all of her secrets, and they were going to use them against her. Ever since that dream told her Dumbledore was softening her up so he could bring her down, Julia tried to push people out. If they couldn’t connect to her, they couldn’t soften her. It was wrong to come to Hogwarts. Once she saw Harry, she was leaving. That was the only reason she was still at Hogwarts. It was the only thing that kept her from attacking anyone who got in her way. The thought that there was actually someone related to her that she was sure was alive.
Dobby opened the door to her bedroom. “Miss?” he called. “It is time for you to come down to the Great Hall! Everyone is wishing to tell you something!”
The tiny house-elf looked like he was hiding something important, though it didn’t look like it was a bad thing. But then, he thought almost everything was a good thing. But what did everyone have to say to her at eleven ‘o clock?
Julia crossed her arms over her chest, and bit her lip. This wasn’t going to be fun. She cautiously followed Dobby out the door, and into the passage. Dobby suddenly turned around, stopping in his tracks.
“Miss Julia?” he asked her. “Why do you not trust Professor Dumbledore?” He looked at her quizzically for a second, before a look of horror passed over his face. He ran over to the wall of the passage, and started to bang his head against it. “Bad Dobby! Dobby should not ask Miss Julia that question! Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!”
As much as Julia found this amusing, she took the back of Dobby’s shirt and pulled him away from the wall.
“Why are you hitting yourself?” she asked him. “I don’t want to have to pull you away from a wall again!”
Dobby nodded his head, and then clutched his forehead in pain.
“Dobby’s old master told him never to ask about why one does not trust another. Dobby’s old master said ‘tis rude.”
Julia sighed. Why was Dobby chosen to accompany her everywhere? She was going to need to keep him away from every hard object in sight.
Dobby turned around and continued to walk down the rest of the passage. He climbed out of the hole underneath the statue, and waited for Julia to climb out. He grabbed the end of her sleeve and snapped.
The two disappeared, and reappeared once more in the Great Hall. All of the teachers stood in a line at one end of the room. Dobby let go of Julia’s sleeve. “They is wishing to give you a present.” He was smiling ear to ear. He then backed away, and stepped behind her, leaving the whole room in view.
Dumbledore stepped up in front of her.
“Miss Matthews!” he exclaimed. “The rest of the staff and I have decided that you have been waiting much too long for this. It has been a month since you have arrived here, and you have been awaiting this ever since then. I didn’t think I should keep you waiting much longer, so I decided to do this a little earlier than I originally intended. Perhaps this will get you to understand that we are not trying to hurt you, here at Hogwarts.”
How did he know about her lack of trust? He knew everything…
“You can come out now!”
The teachers stepped aside, revealing a person who had been hidden up until that point.
He had messy black hair that stuck up on all ends and glasses. He was already in his Hogwarts robe. There was a faint line on his forehead.
“Hello,” said the boy.
“Harry Potter,” Julia whispered.
***
Haha.. Another chapter! That's three chapters in three days! Yay! I hope you liked this one. I did, though I had a few problems with the beginning. Notice how much Julia has changed in a week... Think about what I can do in a month! Haha... I have a few things in store. Don't worry. The story has a happy ending... Maybe. MUAHAHAHAHA! Review!
I have decided that long waits for chapters deserve long chapters! This is my longest chapter ever, and probably my favorite. I really like what I did in the last part... Well, sorry for the long wait! Here's chapter seventeen!
***
Chapter 17
***
When Ginny Weasley woke up September First, she was not thinking of Julia Matthews at all. She had been wondering about what she was doing for a long time. How many times had she tried to contact her through the mirrors? How many times had she hoped for the girl to stay at Hogwarts? How many times had she hit herself for not being able to convince Julia that Hogwarts was the best place for her to be, and Dumbledore was not out to get her?
A hundred times.
How many times had she almost told Harry about Julia? How many times had she wished she could tell her brother’s best friend that he wasn’t the only person left in his family?
A million times.
How many times had she sent an owl to Professor Dumbledore, asking him if she could come to Hogwarts and talk to Julia face to face for the first time in a month?
A lot of times.
And how many times had she worried about this girl who cared for no person on the planet besides those who were already gone?
So many times.
It was interesting that she didn’t think of her that morning. Maybe she was too focused on getting up and dressed so she could make it to the station on time. Maybe her fourteen-year-old brain had just forgotten about it. Maybe she would never figure out why. But she did remember once her mirror started to vibrate.
“Miss Weasley!” a voice called out from the mirror. “Come to your mirror!”
Ginny tried to figure out who was using the mirror. The voice definitely wasn’t Julia’s. But who else could contact the mirror? Did one of the teachers have one? She walked over to the dresser and picked up the mirror.
“Professor?” she asked as she looked at the face in the mirror. Professor Dumbledore stared right up at her. What he was thinking, she couldn’t exactly tell. But she did know that he didn’t look happy.
“Miss Weasley?” he repeated. “I understand that your attempts to persuade Miss Matthews to stay at Hogwarts haven’t been completely successful.”
“You could say that again,” Ginny muttered.
“Well, according to the staff, she is no longer paying attention to her lessons. She has been spending her time daydreaming. Professor Snape discovered that she is planning to join Voldemort.
“No!” Ginny shouted. “She can’t do that! She’ll die!”
“Exactly,” Dumbledore said sadly. “She has no idea what Voldemort plans to do with her. He has managed to convince her that I am weakening her.”
“But Hogwarts it the safest place for her!” Ginny cried out. “How could she let Voldemort get to her like this? How can she believe him?”
Dumbledore shook his head in the mirror. “She has not liked me since the day we met. She does not know what kindness is. All she knows is suffering. What Voldemort is telling her makes sense in her mind. She now thinks that what kindness she has been shown is an attempt to weaken her. Voldemort seems to be very friendly in her opinion.”
“But what are we going to do? Are you just going to let her run away?”
“No,” Dumbledore assured her. “I have decided to let you tell Harry about Julia. Go now. Tell him. I’m going to need his help.”
Ginny nodded before running out of the room.
***
“Harry! Come here! I need to tell you something!” Ginny ran through Grimmauld Place, trying to find him. “Please!
“What?” a voice called back.
“Come here!” Ginny screamed.
“Where are you?”
Ginny looked around. She hadn’t noticed where she was standing. “Uh…” she thought for a moment while she clutched her ribs. “In the kitchen! Come here!”
Footsteps thudded down the stairs and led up to the doorway. A boy with messy black hair stood there, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. “What?” he asked. “Who died?”
“She’s going to try to escape!” Ginny gasped. “Dumbledore said… Dumbledore said…to find you. You need to stop her! Please! She needs to stay at Hogwarts!” Whether this was out of exhaustion from running or just concern for Julia, Ginny started to cry.
“I don’t know what to do!” she cried. “I tried! I tried to be her friend! But she just won’t understand kindness!”
Harry walked up to Ginny and grabbed her shoulders.
“Whom exactly are you talking about?” he asked her sternly. “Who’s at Hogwarts?
“Julia,” Ginny whispered. “I’m talking about Julia.” She looked up at Harry. “Your cousin. Julia’s your cousin.”
“I don’t have a cousin,” Harry whispered back. “My family’s dead, remember?”
“She’s not dead, Harry,” Ginny replied. “She’s real. She’s at Hogwarts. Has been for a while. She’s been missing for eight years.”
Harry shook his head. He didn’t have a cousin. Dumbledore would have told him earlier. Wouldn’t he have? Besides, he could have met her before she disappeared.
“You have to believe me,” Ginny said. “Dumbledore wants to talk to you.”
Harry took his hands off of Ginny’s shoulders. “Tell me exactly who Julia is,” he said. “Tell me now.”
So Ginny told him.
“Her parents worked for the Order of the Phoenix. They were living next to some wizards who liked to play around with muggle things.” Ginny cringed when she remembered that her father was one of those few wizards who liked muggles things too much. “They thought the wizards worked for Voldemort. They sent Julia to a friend’s house with her father’s wand. There was a bomb. It exploded, and Julia’s parents were killed. She was seven! I don’t know much about what happened after that. She won’t tell anyone. Not me. Not any of the teachers. Not Dumbledore. They found her in the summer. They couldn’t find her any earlier since the Ministry removed the Trace since they thought she was dead. They erased her name from all records. Dumbledore took her to Hogwarts, and they were teaching her magic. Remember that letter he sent me?”
Harry nodded.
“He wanted me to meet Julia. I went to the castle, and I was on my way up the stairs when Peeves thought it would be funny to throw me down the steps. Julia was walking down. I don’t know where she had come from. I just know that she started screaming at Peeves. She got me to the Hospital Wing.
“Dumbledore told me a bit about her but let her take over after a while. After Julia left he gave me more of the details. She doesn’t know how to make a friend. She thinks everyone’s out to get her. Dumbledore said that Voldemort’s been communicating with her somehow. She thinks that Voldemort wants to help her, and Dumbledore’s trying to help kill her. He sent me down here to tell you about her. He’s waiting for you upstairs.” And that was the end. Ginny bit her lip as she waited for Harry’s reaction.
“Wow…” he whispered. “How old is she?”
“Dumbledore said she turned fifteen two months back. Before they took her to Hogwarts.
“And she’s been living on her own since she was seven?” Harry asked. He waited for no response. “I thought that I was unlucky…” He let out a small laugh.
“Don’t laugh! This is serious!” Ginny shouted as she smacked Harry’s shoulder. “Come on. You have to talk to Dumbledore.”
***
Harry walked into Ginny’s room at Grimmauld Place. “Where is he?” he asked Ginny. “He’s not in your room. How do you talk to him?”
Ginny sighed. She walked over to a desk and picked up a small mirror. She looked at it. “Hi Professor,” she murmured. “I brought him up.” Ginny motioned with her hand for Harry to come over to the mirror. When he just stood where he was, Ginny put down the mirror. She walked over to him. “You’re supposed to talk into the mirror,” she told him.
“Why do I talk to the mirror?”
“He’s in the mirror, idiot.”
“Don’t call me an idiot.”
“Then don’t act like one!”
“How was I supposed to know that Dumbledore was in a mirror? I’m not psychic!”
“I dunno how you would know! Just…go talk to him, okay? Just go.”
Harry walked over to the dresser and picked up the small mirror. “Professor?” he asked as he looked at the face.
“Yes, Mr. Potter. I’m in the mirror.”
Harry felt the heat rise to his face. “You heard that?” he murmured.
Dumbledore smiled at him. “Only a little,” he replied. “Enough to figure out what was going on.” His smile soon faded. “Has Miss Weasley told you about Julia?”
“Yes,” Harry said. “Why didn’t you tell me about her earlier? Were you planning on telling me before I got to Hogwarts?”
Dumbledore shook his head no. “I was planning on it being a welcome back to Hogwarts present. It was going to be a bit of a surprise. Things have changed, so I am telling you now.”
“Okay then,” Harry said. “But why are you telling me right now, instead of at school?”
Dumbledore shook his head sadly. Why was he doing that? Harry wanted to know. It wasn’t like he couldn’t keep this girl from escaping Hogwarts. He was Dumbledore! If anyone could stop a person, he could!
“Julia Matthews has proved herself to be much stronger than I originally thought. If anyone can escape from Hogwarts, she can. There is only one way I can think of at the moment that I am assured will keep her safe.
“And what’s that, exactly?”
“You come to Hogwarts and try to convince her.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” Harry asked, confused. “How am I supposed to talk to a person I’ve never even heard of until today?”
“You’ll know once you have to speak,” Dumbledore assured him. “I have arranged that you will be able to use the Floo Network to arrive hear. You will be able to enter my office through the fireplace. I expect you in one hour.” Dumbledore’s face then faded away, leaving just Harry’s reflection staring back.
“That was helpful,” the boy muttered. He listened as Ginny’s footsteps came closer to him and the mirror. He turned around just as she stopped behind him. “Now what?” he asked her. “I have to go meet this person in an hour! And I need to get the rest of my stuff packed!”
Ginny looked at him in disbelief. “You didn’t finish packing yesterday?” she exclaimed. “Didn’t you listen to my mum, Sirius, Kingsley, Tonks and Lupin when they told us to?”
Harry’s face started to burn. “I listened,” he muttered. “I just didn’t finish.”
Ginny put her fingers to her temple. “I’ll just,” she murmured, “leave you to your problems. Don’t ask me for help.” She ushered Harry out of her room. “Tell Julia I say hi!” she called after him as he walked away.
***
A bit over one hour later he stood behind several members of the Hogwarts staff. He listened as footsteps became louder and louder, coming to a stop in the Great Hall. Harry took in a deep breath.
“Miss Matthews!” he heard Dumbledore exclaim. “The rest of the staff and I have decided that you have been waiting much too long for this. It has been a month since you have arrived here, and you have been awaiting this ever since then. I didn’t think I should keep you waiting much longer, so I decided to do this a little earlier than I originally intended. Perhaps this will get you to understand that we are not trying to hurt you, here at Hogwarts.”
Harry squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.
“You can come out now!” Dumbledore said. This was it. Harry opened his eyes just as the teachers parted, revealing him standing there in the room. He took a step forwards.
“Hello,” he said nervously, not knowing what else to say. He looked at the girl in front of him.
She didn’t look that much like what he thought she would look like. He had been imagining some sort of evil look to her, like spiky black hair and ripped robes. Was it a good thing that she didn’t look like that? She had long brown hair, and was a few inches shorter than he. She had the same emerald eyes as he. She was wearing her Hogwarts robes. In fact, she looked a bit familiar, like someone he had seen a long time ago, but couldn’t quite remember. Harry didn’t think she looked like she had been living on her own for eight years. She looked more sad and lonely than tough.
“Harry Potter,” he heard the girl whisper. “I’ve been waiting to see you for a long time.”
Harry took another step forwards. Was he supposed to say something else? Was he supposed to shake her hand or give her a hug? He looked at Dumbledore for an answer, but the old man merely shook his head, as if saying “No. Sorry. Not going to help you.”
Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers slowly filed out of the room, leaving the two teens alone to find a solution to the awkward silence.
Once all of the adults had gone, the girl started to walk towards Harry. Her eyebrows furrowed. She stopped right in front of Harry.
“How much do you know?” she asked him. Harry raised an eyebrow. What kind of greeting was this? How much do you know? Was that a hello?
“How much do I know about what?” he asked.
“How much has Dumbledore told you about me?” she stated simply, like the question was obvious. She began to walk in a circle around him. “Has he told you all of the details, like why he couldn’t find me, how he finally found me, and what he’s been trying to do to me?”
Harry felt nervous under her gaze as she circled him. It was like he was a little kid. He suddenly remembered Dudley and his gang slowly walking around him, prepared to attack. Was Julia – this girl – going to attack him?
“Don’t worry,” Julia said as she read his facial expression. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to see what you know. Because, if Dumbledore told you too much, I’m going to be pretty mad.”
“He told me,” Harry said slowly, “that you’ve been here for about two months. He said that he was going to let us meet as a welcome back to Hogwarts present.” He closed his mouth, like that was all.
“No,” Julia said. “You know more. I bet that Dumbledore didn’t tell you, though. You don’t look like a liar. I bet that Ginny told you. So, assuming that she did, what did she say?”
“Um…”
“Just tell me. I’m not going to hurt her if she did tell you anything. You were bound to know eventually.”
“She said that your parents worked for the Order of the Phoenix. She said that you don’t have the Trace on you since your name is no longer one of someone underage. Your parents were killed in an explosion, so you ran off into the streets. Dumbledore couldn’t find you without the Trace or any witnesses of your escape, so he had to wait until you showed up. It took them eight years to find you, and when they did they found out that you were pretty good at magic since you had practice with your dad’s wand. And you’ve been hear for a while, trying to catch up.”
Julia gave him a surprised smile. “Maybe I’ll have to be mad at Ginny after all. You know an awful lot. Now,” she said as her smile disappeared, “what aren’t you telling me?”
Harry shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Julia gave him an annoyed look. “Dumbledore didn’t just decide that he wanted us to meet a few hours earlier,” she said. She suddenly looked angry as she mentioned Dumbledore. “He had a reason. I know you know that reason.”
“There isn’t a reason,” Harry insisted. Maybe his first impression of Julia had been wrong. She wasn’t as sad and pathetic as she looked.
Julia sighed. “Very well, then. I guess I’ll just have to tell you the reason why you’re here so early.” She stopped circling around and stood right in front of him. “You’re here,” she said slowly, “because Dumbledore wants you to keep me from trying to leave Hogwarts.” She smirked at Harry’s surprised look. “Yes,” she said. “I know the reason. I’m not as dumb as I look.”
“I never said you were dumb,” Harry said quickly.
“No,” Julia said as she began to circle Harry again. “You didn’t think I was dumb. You thought I looked sad and lonely, like I needed some company or a friend.”
Harry was both nervous and impressed that she knew so much about what he was thinking. What was she thinking about? She had lost all of her look of innocence and sadness. Now she just looked angry.
“Both you and Dumbledore underestimated me when you first saw me. You thought I was a sad little thing. Dumbledore thought I could be trained to obey. But I won’t be trained,” she said. “Dumbledore’s probably listening in on us right now, to make sure that you convince me to stay where I am.” She looked over at the door. “Sorry Dumbledore,” she shouted. “I guess your plan didn’t work.”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?” he asked her. “What plan?”
“The plan to keep me here and soften me up,” she said quietly. “The plan to make me believe that every person at this school cares about me.”
“Don’t they?” Harry asked. “They’ve been keeping you safe here, and you’ve been living better here than you would in the streets.”
“But someone has been telling me the truth,” Julia said, ignoring Harry. “That’s why I’m going to go and meet them. That’s why I’m getting away from here. I’ll do better outside of the castle than I do inside.”
“You are not leaving this castle,” Harry said. “Yeah, Dumbledore told me to convince you to stay here, okay? You’re going to die if you leave! Voldemort’s going to kill you if you leave!”
“No he won’t,” Julia said confidently. “I know he won’t.”
“Don’t you know what Voldemort’s done to people for no reason?” Harry said, this time his turn to get angry. “Why d’you think you’re so different to him than any other person?”
Julia shot him a nasty look. “Because.”
“Because what?”
“Because I said so!” Julia stamped her foot hard on the ground. Harry watched in amazement as the wood rippled where she had stamped the floor. Julia watched the floor as well, the anger in her expression gone. “I didn’t mean to do that,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“How did you…? How…? The floor… Wow!” Harry couldn’t find the words to describe what she had just done. That was not natural. No person could make the floor do that!
“I have to go,” Julia said quietly. “I don’t want to do anything like that anymore. I could hurt someone again…” She slowly began to back away. Right before she started to turn around to run she gave Harry a pained look. “I thought this would be different,” she said. And that was all Harry saw before she ran out the doors.
***
Didn't you like that part where the two met? I had been planning on doing it a bit differently, but I totally got into the anger zone... I had a lot of fun! Please review! If I get two reviews I might be more encouraged to update again... Please! The link is in my signature.
***
Chapter 17
***
When Ginny Weasley woke up September First, she was not thinking of Julia Matthews at all. She had been wondering about what she was doing for a long time. How many times had she tried to contact her through the mirrors? How many times had she hoped for the girl to stay at Hogwarts? How many times had she hit herself for not being able to convince Julia that Hogwarts was the best place for her to be, and Dumbledore was not out to get her?
A hundred times.
How many times had she almost told Harry about Julia? How many times had she wished she could tell her brother’s best friend that he wasn’t the only person left in his family?
A million times.
How many times had she sent an owl to Professor Dumbledore, asking him if she could come to Hogwarts and talk to Julia face to face for the first time in a month?
A lot of times.
And how many times had she worried about this girl who cared for no person on the planet besides those who were already gone?
So many times.
It was interesting that she didn’t think of her that morning. Maybe she was too focused on getting up and dressed so she could make it to the station on time. Maybe her fourteen-year-old brain had just forgotten about it. Maybe she would never figure out why. But she did remember once her mirror started to vibrate.
“Miss Weasley!” a voice called out from the mirror. “Come to your mirror!”
Ginny tried to figure out who was using the mirror. The voice definitely wasn’t Julia’s. But who else could contact the mirror? Did one of the teachers have one? She walked over to the dresser and picked up the mirror.
“Professor?” she asked as she looked at the face in the mirror. Professor Dumbledore stared right up at her. What he was thinking, she couldn’t exactly tell. But she did know that he didn’t look happy.
“Miss Weasley?” he repeated. “I understand that your attempts to persuade Miss Matthews to stay at Hogwarts haven’t been completely successful.”
“You could say that again,” Ginny muttered.
“Well, according to the staff, she is no longer paying attention to her lessons. She has been spending her time daydreaming. Professor Snape discovered that she is planning to join Voldemort.
“No!” Ginny shouted. “She can’t do that! She’ll die!”
“Exactly,” Dumbledore said sadly. “She has no idea what Voldemort plans to do with her. He has managed to convince her that I am weakening her.”
“But Hogwarts it the safest place for her!” Ginny cried out. “How could she let Voldemort get to her like this? How can she believe him?”
Dumbledore shook his head in the mirror. “She has not liked me since the day we met. She does not know what kindness is. All she knows is suffering. What Voldemort is telling her makes sense in her mind. She now thinks that what kindness she has been shown is an attempt to weaken her. Voldemort seems to be very friendly in her opinion.”
“But what are we going to do? Are you just going to let her run away?”
“No,” Dumbledore assured her. “I have decided to let you tell Harry about Julia. Go now. Tell him. I’m going to need his help.”
Ginny nodded before running out of the room.
***
“Harry! Come here! I need to tell you something!” Ginny ran through Grimmauld Place, trying to find him. “Please!
“What?” a voice called back.
“Come here!” Ginny screamed.
“Where are you?”
Ginny looked around. She hadn’t noticed where she was standing. “Uh…” she thought for a moment while she clutched her ribs. “In the kitchen! Come here!”
Footsteps thudded down the stairs and led up to the doorway. A boy with messy black hair stood there, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. “What?” he asked. “Who died?”
“She’s going to try to escape!” Ginny gasped. “Dumbledore said… Dumbledore said…to find you. You need to stop her! Please! She needs to stay at Hogwarts!” Whether this was out of exhaustion from running or just concern for Julia, Ginny started to cry.
“I don’t know what to do!” she cried. “I tried! I tried to be her friend! But she just won’t understand kindness!”
Harry walked up to Ginny and grabbed her shoulders.
“Whom exactly are you talking about?” he asked her sternly. “Who’s at Hogwarts?
“Julia,” Ginny whispered. “I’m talking about Julia.” She looked up at Harry. “Your cousin. Julia’s your cousin.”
“I don’t have a cousin,” Harry whispered back. “My family’s dead, remember?”
“She’s not dead, Harry,” Ginny replied. “She’s real. She’s at Hogwarts. Has been for a while. She’s been missing for eight years.”
Harry shook his head. He didn’t have a cousin. Dumbledore would have told him earlier. Wouldn’t he have? Besides, he could have met her before she disappeared.
“You have to believe me,” Ginny said. “Dumbledore wants to talk to you.”
Harry took his hands off of Ginny’s shoulders. “Tell me exactly who Julia is,” he said. “Tell me now.”
So Ginny told him.
“Her parents worked for the Order of the Phoenix. They were living next to some wizards who liked to play around with muggle things.” Ginny cringed when she remembered that her father was one of those few wizards who liked muggles things too much. “They thought the wizards worked for Voldemort. They sent Julia to a friend’s house with her father’s wand. There was a bomb. It exploded, and Julia’s parents were killed. She was seven! I don’t know much about what happened after that. She won’t tell anyone. Not me. Not any of the teachers. Not Dumbledore. They found her in the summer. They couldn’t find her any earlier since the Ministry removed the Trace since they thought she was dead. They erased her name from all records. Dumbledore took her to Hogwarts, and they were teaching her magic. Remember that letter he sent me?”
Harry nodded.
“He wanted me to meet Julia. I went to the castle, and I was on my way up the stairs when Peeves thought it would be funny to throw me down the steps. Julia was walking down. I don’t know where she had come from. I just know that she started screaming at Peeves. She got me to the Hospital Wing.
“Dumbledore told me a bit about her but let her take over after a while. After Julia left he gave me more of the details. She doesn’t know how to make a friend. She thinks everyone’s out to get her. Dumbledore said that Voldemort’s been communicating with her somehow. She thinks that Voldemort wants to help her, and Dumbledore’s trying to help kill her. He sent me down here to tell you about her. He’s waiting for you upstairs.” And that was the end. Ginny bit her lip as she waited for Harry’s reaction.
“Wow…” he whispered. “How old is she?”
“Dumbledore said she turned fifteen two months back. Before they took her to Hogwarts.
“And she’s been living on her own since she was seven?” Harry asked. He waited for no response. “I thought that I was unlucky…” He let out a small laugh.
“Don’t laugh! This is serious!” Ginny shouted as she smacked Harry’s shoulder. “Come on. You have to talk to Dumbledore.”
***
Harry walked into Ginny’s room at Grimmauld Place. “Where is he?” he asked Ginny. “He’s not in your room. How do you talk to him?”
Ginny sighed. She walked over to a desk and picked up a small mirror. She looked at it. “Hi Professor,” she murmured. “I brought him up.” Ginny motioned with her hand for Harry to come over to the mirror. When he just stood where he was, Ginny put down the mirror. She walked over to him. “You’re supposed to talk into the mirror,” she told him.
“Why do I talk to the mirror?”
“He’s in the mirror, idiot.”
“Don’t call me an idiot.”
“Then don’t act like one!”
“How was I supposed to know that Dumbledore was in a mirror? I’m not psychic!”
“I dunno how you would know! Just…go talk to him, okay? Just go.”
Harry walked over to the dresser and picked up the small mirror. “Professor?” he asked as he looked at the face.
“Yes, Mr. Potter. I’m in the mirror.”
Harry felt the heat rise to his face. “You heard that?” he murmured.
Dumbledore smiled at him. “Only a little,” he replied. “Enough to figure out what was going on.” His smile soon faded. “Has Miss Weasley told you about Julia?”
“Yes,” Harry said. “Why didn’t you tell me about her earlier? Were you planning on telling me before I got to Hogwarts?”
Dumbledore shook his head no. “I was planning on it being a welcome back to Hogwarts present. It was going to be a bit of a surprise. Things have changed, so I am telling you now.”
“Okay then,” Harry said. “But why are you telling me right now, instead of at school?”
Dumbledore shook his head sadly. Why was he doing that? Harry wanted to know. It wasn’t like he couldn’t keep this girl from escaping Hogwarts. He was Dumbledore! If anyone could stop a person, he could!
“Julia Matthews has proved herself to be much stronger than I originally thought. If anyone can escape from Hogwarts, she can. There is only one way I can think of at the moment that I am assured will keep her safe.
“And what’s that, exactly?”
“You come to Hogwarts and try to convince her.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” Harry asked, confused. “How am I supposed to talk to a person I’ve never even heard of until today?”
“You’ll know once you have to speak,” Dumbledore assured him. “I have arranged that you will be able to use the Floo Network to arrive hear. You will be able to enter my office through the fireplace. I expect you in one hour.” Dumbledore’s face then faded away, leaving just Harry’s reflection staring back.
“That was helpful,” the boy muttered. He listened as Ginny’s footsteps came closer to him and the mirror. He turned around just as she stopped behind him. “Now what?” he asked her. “I have to go meet this person in an hour! And I need to get the rest of my stuff packed!”
Ginny looked at him in disbelief. “You didn’t finish packing yesterday?” she exclaimed. “Didn’t you listen to my mum, Sirius, Kingsley, Tonks and Lupin when they told us to?”
Harry’s face started to burn. “I listened,” he muttered. “I just didn’t finish.”
Ginny put her fingers to her temple. “I’ll just,” she murmured, “leave you to your problems. Don’t ask me for help.” She ushered Harry out of her room. “Tell Julia I say hi!” she called after him as he walked away.
***
A bit over one hour later he stood behind several members of the Hogwarts staff. He listened as footsteps became louder and louder, coming to a stop in the Great Hall. Harry took in a deep breath.
“Miss Matthews!” he heard Dumbledore exclaim. “The rest of the staff and I have decided that you have been waiting much too long for this. It has been a month since you have arrived here, and you have been awaiting this ever since then. I didn’t think I should keep you waiting much longer, so I decided to do this a little earlier than I originally intended. Perhaps this will get you to understand that we are not trying to hurt you, here at Hogwarts.”
Harry squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.
“You can come out now!” Dumbledore said. This was it. Harry opened his eyes just as the teachers parted, revealing him standing there in the room. He took a step forwards.
“Hello,” he said nervously, not knowing what else to say. He looked at the girl in front of him.
She didn’t look that much like what he thought she would look like. He had been imagining some sort of evil look to her, like spiky black hair and ripped robes. Was it a good thing that she didn’t look like that? She had long brown hair, and was a few inches shorter than he. She had the same emerald eyes as he. She was wearing her Hogwarts robes. In fact, she looked a bit familiar, like someone he had seen a long time ago, but couldn’t quite remember. Harry didn’t think she looked like she had been living on her own for eight years. She looked more sad and lonely than tough.
“Harry Potter,” he heard the girl whisper. “I’ve been waiting to see you for a long time.”
Harry took another step forwards. Was he supposed to say something else? Was he supposed to shake her hand or give her a hug? He looked at Dumbledore for an answer, but the old man merely shook his head, as if saying “No. Sorry. Not going to help you.”
Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers slowly filed out of the room, leaving the two teens alone to find a solution to the awkward silence.
Once all of the adults had gone, the girl started to walk towards Harry. Her eyebrows furrowed. She stopped right in front of Harry.
“How much do you know?” she asked him. Harry raised an eyebrow. What kind of greeting was this? How much do you know? Was that a hello?
“How much do I know about what?” he asked.
“How much has Dumbledore told you about me?” she stated simply, like the question was obvious. She began to walk in a circle around him. “Has he told you all of the details, like why he couldn’t find me, how he finally found me, and what he’s been trying to do to me?”
Harry felt nervous under her gaze as she circled him. It was like he was a little kid. He suddenly remembered Dudley and his gang slowly walking around him, prepared to attack. Was Julia – this girl – going to attack him?
“Don’t worry,” Julia said as she read his facial expression. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to see what you know. Because, if Dumbledore told you too much, I’m going to be pretty mad.”
“He told me,” Harry said slowly, “that you’ve been here for about two months. He said that he was going to let us meet as a welcome back to Hogwarts present.” He closed his mouth, like that was all.
“No,” Julia said. “You know more. I bet that Dumbledore didn’t tell you, though. You don’t look like a liar. I bet that Ginny told you. So, assuming that she did, what did she say?”
“Um…”
“Just tell me. I’m not going to hurt her if she did tell you anything. You were bound to know eventually.”
“She said that your parents worked for the Order of the Phoenix. She said that you don’t have the Trace on you since your name is no longer one of someone underage. Your parents were killed in an explosion, so you ran off into the streets. Dumbledore couldn’t find you without the Trace or any witnesses of your escape, so he had to wait until you showed up. It took them eight years to find you, and when they did they found out that you were pretty good at magic since you had practice with your dad’s wand. And you’ve been hear for a while, trying to catch up.”
Julia gave him a surprised smile. “Maybe I’ll have to be mad at Ginny after all. You know an awful lot. Now,” she said as her smile disappeared, “what aren’t you telling me?”
Harry shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Julia gave him an annoyed look. “Dumbledore didn’t just decide that he wanted us to meet a few hours earlier,” she said. She suddenly looked angry as she mentioned Dumbledore. “He had a reason. I know you know that reason.”
“There isn’t a reason,” Harry insisted. Maybe his first impression of Julia had been wrong. She wasn’t as sad and pathetic as she looked.
Julia sighed. “Very well, then. I guess I’ll just have to tell you the reason why you’re here so early.” She stopped circling around and stood right in front of him. “You’re here,” she said slowly, “because Dumbledore wants you to keep me from trying to leave Hogwarts.” She smirked at Harry’s surprised look. “Yes,” she said. “I know the reason. I’m not as dumb as I look.”
“I never said you were dumb,” Harry said quickly.
“No,” Julia said as she began to circle Harry again. “You didn’t think I was dumb. You thought I looked sad and lonely, like I needed some company or a friend.”
Harry was both nervous and impressed that she knew so much about what he was thinking. What was she thinking about? She had lost all of her look of innocence and sadness. Now she just looked angry.
“Both you and Dumbledore underestimated me when you first saw me. You thought I was a sad little thing. Dumbledore thought I could be trained to obey. But I won’t be trained,” she said. “Dumbledore’s probably listening in on us right now, to make sure that you convince me to stay where I am.” She looked over at the door. “Sorry Dumbledore,” she shouted. “I guess your plan didn’t work.”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?” he asked her. “What plan?”
“The plan to keep me here and soften me up,” she said quietly. “The plan to make me believe that every person at this school cares about me.”
“Don’t they?” Harry asked. “They’ve been keeping you safe here, and you’ve been living better here than you would in the streets.”
“But someone has been telling me the truth,” Julia said, ignoring Harry. “That’s why I’m going to go and meet them. That’s why I’m getting away from here. I’ll do better outside of the castle than I do inside.”
“You are not leaving this castle,” Harry said. “Yeah, Dumbledore told me to convince you to stay here, okay? You’re going to die if you leave! Voldemort’s going to kill you if you leave!”
“No he won’t,” Julia said confidently. “I know he won’t.”
“Don’t you know what Voldemort’s done to people for no reason?” Harry said, this time his turn to get angry. “Why d’you think you’re so different to him than any other person?”
Julia shot him a nasty look. “Because.”
“Because what?”
“Because I said so!” Julia stamped her foot hard on the ground. Harry watched in amazement as the wood rippled where she had stamped the floor. Julia watched the floor as well, the anger in her expression gone. “I didn’t mean to do that,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“How did you…? How…? The floor… Wow!” Harry couldn’t find the words to describe what she had just done. That was not natural. No person could make the floor do that!
“I have to go,” Julia said quietly. “I don’t want to do anything like that anymore. I could hurt someone again…” She slowly began to back away. Right before she started to turn around to run she gave Harry a pained look. “I thought this would be different,” she said. And that was all Harry saw before she ran out the doors.
***
Didn't you like that part where the two met? I had been planning on doing it a bit differently, but I totally got into the anger zone... I had a lot of fun! Please review! If I get two reviews I might be more encouraged to update again... Please! The link is in my signature.
Sorry it's been such a long time since I've last updated. With two weeks of testing, and two weeks of prep for testing, I haven't had much time to write. I finally had the time today and yesterday, so I finall ygot a chapter done. I'll try to get another one up sometime again this month (no guarantees that the chapter comes within this next week), and finish this cliffhanger I'll be leaving.
Ohyeah... And I know that a bunch of you are reading this, but not bothering to review. Do you know how sad that makes me? If you can't review because you're not a member, get an account! Please! Support makes my chapters better! Enjoy this chapter.
***
Chapter 18
Harry sat in Dumbledore’s office. Fawkes perched on the headmaster’s shoulder. Dumbledore was shaking his head.
“So she hit the ground really hard, and the floor rippled,” Harry finished his explanation of what had happened. “How did she do that, Professor? I didn’t know anyone could do that.”
Dumbledore stood up, the sudden motion sending Fawkes flying away. He walked over to a bookcase in the back of the office, pulling an especially thick volume out. Flipping through the pages of the book, Dumbledore murmured things like, “Ah…” and, “I see,” to himself. He marked his page by sticking his finger in the book, and walked over to Harry.
Closer up, Harry saw that the book had been read many times; the binding was peeling off and pages were torn out. The once green shade of the book’s cover had been changed to the color of moldy cheese. Harry couldn’t understand how Dumbledore could bear to hold it.
“Do you see this man?” Dumbledore asked, pointing to an ancient portrait of a man with shaggy hair and a ragged beard.
“Yeah,” Harry muttered. “Edward Barker. Born 1689 and died 1732… Why’s he so important?”
Dumbledore took a strand of his long beard and twisted in his fingers. He used his other hand to point out a specific passage on the page. “Read this, Mr. Potter. Then you can tell me why he’s so important.”
Harry reluctantly took the book from the headmaster’s hands and set it down on the desk. He began to read out loud. “Edward Barker’s father left his mother before he was born, and his mother was killed shortly after his birth. Left an orphan, Barker spent his youth living in the streets of London, not being trained to control his magic properly. This lack of control led to random outbursts of power that could cause mayhem and destruction. The government eventually agreed that Barker needed to be destroyed, so they eventually hung him on October 22, 1732.” Harry looked up at Dumbledore. “So, since she wasn’t trained, Julia ended up having the weird outbursts, like this guy?”
Dumbledore nodded. “That is what I suspect. Perhaps she is just one of the few who have an unusually large amount of power, but the best guess is the first option. I have been trying to train that magic, but she has been very resistant so far. I don’t know what will happen when we have all of the students in the castle. We only have a few hours remaining until they all arrive, and I unfortunately have to be leave for a few days after receiving a message from the Ministry.”
Harry looked at Dumbledore in alarm. “You’re leaving? You can’t do that! What about Julia? Who are you going to put in charge?”
“Harry,” Dumbledore stopped him. “You are perfectly aware that I will keep Julia in the castle, and not let her escape. Besides, I will be back in time for the feast.”
Harry wanted to talk back and say how wrong the headmaster was, but he knew that Dumbledore was right. As much as Julia thought she would be able to escape, she wouldn’t stand a chance against all of the staff, and possibly some of the students if she attempted to leave too late.
“So…who are you leaving in charge while you’re gone?” he finally asked. Dumbledore grimaced, like he had been dreading that moment.
“Well…”
***
Ginny had her face pressed against the cool glass of the window on the Hogwarts Express. She watched Fred and George playing Exploding Snap out of the corner of her eye. Ron was stuffing himself with sweets that the twins had bought him from the Trolley Lady. Hermione’s nose was in a book.
Having been extremely bored for the past few hours, Ginny slowly pulled herself away from the glass. She reached under the seat for her bag. Making sure that no one was watching, she slid the mirror Dumbledore had given her out of the bag. She knew that if she spoke into it everyone would notice, but she just had an urge to hold it. She leaned back against the window, letting all of her surroundings disappear. She was the only thing that existed at that moment. Just her and the mirror…
She fell asleep soon after that. It had only been a few minutes when Hermione started to shake her awake. Ginny could sense the confusion in her voice.
“Ginny! Wake up! You’re going to need to explain this to us.” Hermione shook her again. “Wake up now, Ginny. Wake up.”
Ginny was vaguely aware that there was a small vibration coming from her hand. She drowsily opened her eyes and looked down at her mirror. Oh, she thought. Julia called. She tried to ignore Hermione shaking her.
Her eyes shot open. Julia called the mirror. She shot out of her seat. “Uh…” She began to wring out her hands and bit her lip so hard that it bled. “I – I can… This is…”
Hermione put a hand up. Fred and George stood on opposite sides of her. Ron was staring at her from his seat. Her brothers looked just as confused as Hermione did. Hermione stared at the mirror for a few moments. “Ginny?” she said quietly. “Who’s the girl in the mirror?”
Ginny stared at the ground. “Julia.”
“And who is Julia?”
“Harry’s cousin.”
“And who gave you the mirror?”
“Dumbledore.”
“And for how long have you had it?”
“A while.”
“And does Harry know?”
Ginny looked up. “Why do you think he went to Hogwarts earlier than usual this year?”
Hermione nodded, like she had been expecting that answer. “I think you should talk to her now,” she said softly. “I think she wants to talk to you.”
Ginny laughed nervously. She lifted the mirror so she could see Julia’s face. Julia didn’t look very happy to see her.
“You were asleep,” she said roughly. “That other girl was staring at me like I’m a freak of nature.”
“Sorry about that,” Ginny replied. “That was Hermione. She didn’t know I had the mirror.”
“Figures,” Julia grimaced. “Dumbledore wanted to keep me a surprise. Like a birthday present, or something. Not that I would be an expert on those.”
“What do you want, Julia?” Ginny asked. She was confused by Julia’s behavior. Usually she didn’t want to talk. Usually. Something was different this time.
“You’re very straight-to-the-point today, aren’t you?” Julia snapped.
“And you are very not.”
Julia’s eyebrows furrowed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have called after all.” She crossed her arms. “Maybe I should have just left without letting anyone know. I thought it was nice of me to let one person have a head start.”
“Head start – “ Ginny thought for a moment. Then it hit her. “No! Julia, what don’t you understand? Voldemort’s going to kill you! Do you really think your plan is going to work?”
Julia sighed. “I was expecting that. Oh well. If those are your parting words, I’ll be going now.” She started to stand up, her face starting to disappear from view.
“Wait!” Ginny stopped her. Thankfully, Julia returned to her seat.
“What?”
Ginny thought for a few seconds. “What about Harry?” she managed to say. “You’re going to leave him? You’re going to leave him and go join forces with his worst enemy? What kind of person would do that to their cousin? If this were…your favorite cousin in the whole world…if this were somebody you would hate to lose, would you still do this?”
This had seemed to hit a nerve. “You don’t know anything about my cousins,” Julia retorted angrily. “You know nothing.” She took a second to regain her composure. She pressed her face into her hand. Julia looked at Ginny through her fingers. “Bye, Ginny.” She whispered the words. “It’s been nice to know that someone actually knows I exist.”
She disappeared. Ginny’s hand was shaking, and she dropped the mirror. It clattered to the ground, a crack forming on the glass.
“She…” Ginny struggled to find the words, “Is so…” Her hands clenched into fists, “STUPID! WHY CAN’T SHE UNDERSTAND WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING? DOES SHE EVEN HAVE A BRAIN?” She collapsed onto a seat. She put her face in her hands. “After all that Dumbledore has done for her,” Ginny murmured, her voice muffled. “After he tried to get her to stay by bringing Harry to school. After he gave her all she needed. After he let her skip those lessons so she could have fun in that weird little room. How is Dumbledore going to tell Harry…?” Ginny lifted her face out of her hands and moaned. “Oh my gosh. Harry! What’s he going to do when she gets caught? How is he going to be able to deal with her? He was expecting someone who could handle things so much better, since she had lived on her own all that time!” She began to pound her seat with her fist. “She is so brainless!” She put her face back into her hands. Hermione sat down beside her. Fred and George did not feel like they belonged in the situation, so they quickly slipped out of the compartment. Ron was still staring at her.
“Ginny,” Hermione said quietly, “you’re going to explain this to me very slowly. You’re going to listen to everything I say without interruptions once you finish. Then we’re going to get our robes on, and we’re going to get into one of those carriages that will take us to Hogwarts.
“I wasn’t supposed to say anything,” Ginny’s muffled voice responded.
“It’s a little to late for that,” Ron mumbled.
***
Julia had removed her Hogwarts robe, and was in the clothes she had been wearing when she had first come to the castle. Unfortunately for her, she had to leave her shoes behind, since they had almost fallen apart and squeaked horribly against the floor. She had taken one of the pairs Dumbledore had given her in disgust.
She had left everything she had found in the Come and Go room where they belonged. She didn’t need all of those memories floating around in her head when she was gone. She wished that Dumbledore hadn’t given her that memory of her birthday party back.
Julia had no desire to take any of her new things with her on her way out. She would leave Hogwarts with the same things she had when she had entered. It would be just her and the clothes on her back.
She grabbed her wand from her dresser, and quickly walked out the door that would lead her to the tunnel. She ran through the passage as fast as she could, and stopped when she had made it underneath the statue. Julia stared up at it. Once she got out of there she would run, and she wouldn’t be able to slow down until she was out the doors and far away from the castle. If someone caught her, her plan would be ruined. They would all watch her carefully for the rest of her time at Hogwarts. She would never be able to do something out of her own free will until she graduated. She had a new thought. Maybe they would be watching her for the rest of her life! They would make her live in the magical world until she died! She would never go back to her previous life.
Julia shuddered before tapping the bottom of the statue twice with her wand. She watched as a hole slowly formed above her head. Once it was big enough, she clambered out. A small movement dragged her eyes to the window.
She cupped her hands against the glass and looked through to make sure that she wasn’t imagining things. She wasn’t. Students were filing out of the carriages that were pulled by the Thestrals that the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Hagrid had told her about. One specific student caught her eye. She looked closely. Red hair. Thin. Followed by another red–head and a girl with bushy hair. Ginny and that girl named Hermione. If they saw her, there was no hope. She knew how fast Ginny would be able to alert someone in the staff. At least Dumbledore wasn’t in the castle at the moment. That would give her a bit more of an advantage. They would be looking for Dumbledore, not for anyone else.
Julia pulled herself away from the glass and started to run down the hall. She could already hear the murmurs of the students coming from down the stairs. If she were lucky, she would be able to slip into the crowd and be able to get out of the castle unnoticed.
Suddenly she stopped, her feet skidding along the floor for a few moments before coming to a halt. She pointed her wand at herself and muttered the disillusionment spell, just to make sure no one saw her coming down the grand staircase. She would remove it once she was safely in the middle of the pack.
She made it to the staircase and ran down as fast as she could, skipping two steps at a time. Julia could see the mass of black robes moving through the halls, their excited whispers coming together to sound like one giant buzz. She raised an eyebrow. There were more of them then she thought there would be. She shrugged, and continued to go down the steps. Once she neared the last step, she realized that she would need to remove the Disillusionment charm. People would panic if an invisible force was pushing against them, and it wasn’t a ghost. Ghosts weren’t invisible. Julia had seen them.
She reached the bottom, and squeezed herself in between a few students who looked about her age before removing her charm. No one seemed to notice that she had appeared out of nowhere, let alone that she wasn’t wearing a Hogwarts robe.
She moved against the crowd, getting odd looks from some of the others, but they just shrugged and looked away, not interested. Things were going well.
At least, up to the point where she saw Ginny coming through the doors. Julia drew in her breath sharply. She tried to grab her wand, but the students surrounding her pressed her arms to her sides unintentionally. She could feel herself being swept away in the wrong direction.
Julia managed to wiggle her way out of the group by stepping on the foot of the kid to her right. They had let out a gasp of pain, and had stopped to clutch their foot. His friends had not noticed him stop, so there was a gap she could go through to escape to a wall.
Once securely pressed against the wall, Julia watched as Ginny and the others walked past, not noticing her. She let out a sigh of relief. She was safe. She looked at her wand. She was thankful that it was still in her hand. Julia quickly went back to moving against the crowd. The crowd was thinning, but it was possible that she would be able to make it to the door without standing out.
Julia reached the doorway and took a last look at the inside of the castle. She hadn’t realized how fancy everything was until then. It’s too bad I’m not coming back, she thought to herself. Everything here is much prettier than it was in the streets. She turned around, bumping into a student coming through the doorway.
“Watch it!” he said angrily. “What are you doin’, trying to go out the doors? You’re supposed to go the other way, aren’t you?”
Ginny had not gotten too far away from the doorway in the few seconds from when Julia had seen her. Her head snapped around, and she stared at the doorway. Julia could see Ginny’s eyes boring into her in shock and anger. She pushed the boy aside and ran out the door.
***
So there it was. Like it? Hate it?
Ohyeah... And I know that a bunch of you are reading this, but not bothering to review. Do you know how sad that makes me? If you can't review because you're not a member, get an account! Please! Support makes my chapters better! Enjoy this chapter.
***
Chapter 18
Harry sat in Dumbledore’s office. Fawkes perched on the headmaster’s shoulder. Dumbledore was shaking his head.
“So she hit the ground really hard, and the floor rippled,” Harry finished his explanation of what had happened. “How did she do that, Professor? I didn’t know anyone could do that.”
Dumbledore stood up, the sudden motion sending Fawkes flying away. He walked over to a bookcase in the back of the office, pulling an especially thick volume out. Flipping through the pages of the book, Dumbledore murmured things like, “Ah…” and, “I see,” to himself. He marked his page by sticking his finger in the book, and walked over to Harry.
Closer up, Harry saw that the book had been read many times; the binding was peeling off and pages were torn out. The once green shade of the book’s cover had been changed to the color of moldy cheese. Harry couldn’t understand how Dumbledore could bear to hold it.
“Do you see this man?” Dumbledore asked, pointing to an ancient portrait of a man with shaggy hair and a ragged beard.
“Yeah,” Harry muttered. “Edward Barker. Born 1689 and died 1732… Why’s he so important?”
Dumbledore took a strand of his long beard and twisted in his fingers. He used his other hand to point out a specific passage on the page. “Read this, Mr. Potter. Then you can tell me why he’s so important.”
Harry reluctantly took the book from the headmaster’s hands and set it down on the desk. He began to read out loud. “Edward Barker’s father left his mother before he was born, and his mother was killed shortly after his birth. Left an orphan, Barker spent his youth living in the streets of London, not being trained to control his magic properly. This lack of control led to random outbursts of power that could cause mayhem and destruction. The government eventually agreed that Barker needed to be destroyed, so they eventually hung him on October 22, 1732.” Harry looked up at Dumbledore. “So, since she wasn’t trained, Julia ended up having the weird outbursts, like this guy?”
Dumbledore nodded. “That is what I suspect. Perhaps she is just one of the few who have an unusually large amount of power, but the best guess is the first option. I have been trying to train that magic, but she has been very resistant so far. I don’t know what will happen when we have all of the students in the castle. We only have a few hours remaining until they all arrive, and I unfortunately have to be leave for a few days after receiving a message from the Ministry.”
Harry looked at Dumbledore in alarm. “You’re leaving? You can’t do that! What about Julia? Who are you going to put in charge?”
“Harry,” Dumbledore stopped him. “You are perfectly aware that I will keep Julia in the castle, and not let her escape. Besides, I will be back in time for the feast.”
Harry wanted to talk back and say how wrong the headmaster was, but he knew that Dumbledore was right. As much as Julia thought she would be able to escape, she wouldn’t stand a chance against all of the staff, and possibly some of the students if she attempted to leave too late.
“So…who are you leaving in charge while you’re gone?” he finally asked. Dumbledore grimaced, like he had been dreading that moment.
“Well…”
***
Ginny had her face pressed against the cool glass of the window on the Hogwarts Express. She watched Fred and George playing Exploding Snap out of the corner of her eye. Ron was stuffing himself with sweets that the twins had bought him from the Trolley Lady. Hermione’s nose was in a book.
Having been extremely bored for the past few hours, Ginny slowly pulled herself away from the glass. She reached under the seat for her bag. Making sure that no one was watching, she slid the mirror Dumbledore had given her out of the bag. She knew that if she spoke into it everyone would notice, but she just had an urge to hold it. She leaned back against the window, letting all of her surroundings disappear. She was the only thing that existed at that moment. Just her and the mirror…
She fell asleep soon after that. It had only been a few minutes when Hermione started to shake her awake. Ginny could sense the confusion in her voice.
“Ginny! Wake up! You’re going to need to explain this to us.” Hermione shook her again. “Wake up now, Ginny. Wake up.”
Ginny was vaguely aware that there was a small vibration coming from her hand. She drowsily opened her eyes and looked down at her mirror. Oh, she thought. Julia called. She tried to ignore Hermione shaking her.
Her eyes shot open. Julia called the mirror. She shot out of her seat. “Uh…” She began to wring out her hands and bit her lip so hard that it bled. “I – I can… This is…”
Hermione put a hand up. Fred and George stood on opposite sides of her. Ron was staring at her from his seat. Her brothers looked just as confused as Hermione did. Hermione stared at the mirror for a few moments. “Ginny?” she said quietly. “Who’s the girl in the mirror?”
Ginny stared at the ground. “Julia.”
“And who is Julia?”
“Harry’s cousin.”
“And who gave you the mirror?”
“Dumbledore.”
“And for how long have you had it?”
“A while.”
“And does Harry know?”
Ginny looked up. “Why do you think he went to Hogwarts earlier than usual this year?”
Hermione nodded, like she had been expecting that answer. “I think you should talk to her now,” she said softly. “I think she wants to talk to you.”
Ginny laughed nervously. She lifted the mirror so she could see Julia’s face. Julia didn’t look very happy to see her.
“You were asleep,” she said roughly. “That other girl was staring at me like I’m a freak of nature.”
“Sorry about that,” Ginny replied. “That was Hermione. She didn’t know I had the mirror.”
“Figures,” Julia grimaced. “Dumbledore wanted to keep me a surprise. Like a birthday present, or something. Not that I would be an expert on those.”
“What do you want, Julia?” Ginny asked. She was confused by Julia’s behavior. Usually she didn’t want to talk. Usually. Something was different this time.
“You’re very straight-to-the-point today, aren’t you?” Julia snapped.
“And you are very not.”
Julia’s eyebrows furrowed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have called after all.” She crossed her arms. “Maybe I should have just left without letting anyone know. I thought it was nice of me to let one person have a head start.”
“Head start – “ Ginny thought for a moment. Then it hit her. “No! Julia, what don’t you understand? Voldemort’s going to kill you! Do you really think your plan is going to work?”
Julia sighed. “I was expecting that. Oh well. If those are your parting words, I’ll be going now.” She started to stand up, her face starting to disappear from view.
“Wait!” Ginny stopped her. Thankfully, Julia returned to her seat.
“What?”
Ginny thought for a few seconds. “What about Harry?” she managed to say. “You’re going to leave him? You’re going to leave him and go join forces with his worst enemy? What kind of person would do that to their cousin? If this were…your favorite cousin in the whole world…if this were somebody you would hate to lose, would you still do this?”
This had seemed to hit a nerve. “You don’t know anything about my cousins,” Julia retorted angrily. “You know nothing.” She took a second to regain her composure. She pressed her face into her hand. Julia looked at Ginny through her fingers. “Bye, Ginny.” She whispered the words. “It’s been nice to know that someone actually knows I exist.”
She disappeared. Ginny’s hand was shaking, and she dropped the mirror. It clattered to the ground, a crack forming on the glass.
“She…” Ginny struggled to find the words, “Is so…” Her hands clenched into fists, “STUPID! WHY CAN’T SHE UNDERSTAND WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING? DOES SHE EVEN HAVE A BRAIN?” She collapsed onto a seat. She put her face in her hands. “After all that Dumbledore has done for her,” Ginny murmured, her voice muffled. “After he tried to get her to stay by bringing Harry to school. After he gave her all she needed. After he let her skip those lessons so she could have fun in that weird little room. How is Dumbledore going to tell Harry…?” Ginny lifted her face out of her hands and moaned. “Oh my gosh. Harry! What’s he going to do when she gets caught? How is he going to be able to deal with her? He was expecting someone who could handle things so much better, since she had lived on her own all that time!” She began to pound her seat with her fist. “She is so brainless!” She put her face back into her hands. Hermione sat down beside her. Fred and George did not feel like they belonged in the situation, so they quickly slipped out of the compartment. Ron was still staring at her.
“Ginny,” Hermione said quietly, “you’re going to explain this to me very slowly. You’re going to listen to everything I say without interruptions once you finish. Then we’re going to get our robes on, and we’re going to get into one of those carriages that will take us to Hogwarts.
“I wasn’t supposed to say anything,” Ginny’s muffled voice responded.
“It’s a little to late for that,” Ron mumbled.
***
Julia had removed her Hogwarts robe, and was in the clothes she had been wearing when she had first come to the castle. Unfortunately for her, she had to leave her shoes behind, since they had almost fallen apart and squeaked horribly against the floor. She had taken one of the pairs Dumbledore had given her in disgust.
She had left everything she had found in the Come and Go room where they belonged. She didn’t need all of those memories floating around in her head when she was gone. She wished that Dumbledore hadn’t given her that memory of her birthday party back.
Julia had no desire to take any of her new things with her on her way out. She would leave Hogwarts with the same things she had when she had entered. It would be just her and the clothes on her back.
She grabbed her wand from her dresser, and quickly walked out the door that would lead her to the tunnel. She ran through the passage as fast as she could, and stopped when she had made it underneath the statue. Julia stared up at it. Once she got out of there she would run, and she wouldn’t be able to slow down until she was out the doors and far away from the castle. If someone caught her, her plan would be ruined. They would all watch her carefully for the rest of her time at Hogwarts. She would never be able to do something out of her own free will until she graduated. She had a new thought. Maybe they would be watching her for the rest of her life! They would make her live in the magical world until she died! She would never go back to her previous life.
Julia shuddered before tapping the bottom of the statue twice with her wand. She watched as a hole slowly formed above her head. Once it was big enough, she clambered out. A small movement dragged her eyes to the window.
She cupped her hands against the glass and looked through to make sure that she wasn’t imagining things. She wasn’t. Students were filing out of the carriages that were pulled by the Thestrals that the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Hagrid had told her about. One specific student caught her eye. She looked closely. Red hair. Thin. Followed by another red–head and a girl with bushy hair. Ginny and that girl named Hermione. If they saw her, there was no hope. She knew how fast Ginny would be able to alert someone in the staff. At least Dumbledore wasn’t in the castle at the moment. That would give her a bit more of an advantage. They would be looking for Dumbledore, not for anyone else.
Julia pulled herself away from the glass and started to run down the hall. She could already hear the murmurs of the students coming from down the stairs. If she were lucky, she would be able to slip into the crowd and be able to get out of the castle unnoticed.
Suddenly she stopped, her feet skidding along the floor for a few moments before coming to a halt. She pointed her wand at herself and muttered the disillusionment spell, just to make sure no one saw her coming down the grand staircase. She would remove it once she was safely in the middle of the pack.
She made it to the staircase and ran down as fast as she could, skipping two steps at a time. Julia could see the mass of black robes moving through the halls, their excited whispers coming together to sound like one giant buzz. She raised an eyebrow. There were more of them then she thought there would be. She shrugged, and continued to go down the steps. Once she neared the last step, she realized that she would need to remove the Disillusionment charm. People would panic if an invisible force was pushing against them, and it wasn’t a ghost. Ghosts weren’t invisible. Julia had seen them.
She reached the bottom, and squeezed herself in between a few students who looked about her age before removing her charm. No one seemed to notice that she had appeared out of nowhere, let alone that she wasn’t wearing a Hogwarts robe.
She moved against the crowd, getting odd looks from some of the others, but they just shrugged and looked away, not interested. Things were going well.
At least, up to the point where she saw Ginny coming through the doors. Julia drew in her breath sharply. She tried to grab her wand, but the students surrounding her pressed her arms to her sides unintentionally. She could feel herself being swept away in the wrong direction.
Julia managed to wiggle her way out of the group by stepping on the foot of the kid to her right. They had let out a gasp of pain, and had stopped to clutch their foot. His friends had not noticed him stop, so there was a gap she could go through to escape to a wall.
Once securely pressed against the wall, Julia watched as Ginny and the others walked past, not noticing her. She let out a sigh of relief. She was safe. She looked at her wand. She was thankful that it was still in her hand. Julia quickly went back to moving against the crowd. The crowd was thinning, but it was possible that she would be able to make it to the door without standing out.
Julia reached the doorway and took a last look at the inside of the castle. She hadn’t realized how fancy everything was until then. It’s too bad I’m not coming back, she thought to herself. Everything here is much prettier than it was in the streets. She turned around, bumping into a student coming through the doorway.
“Watch it!” he said angrily. “What are you doin’, trying to go out the doors? You’re supposed to go the other way, aren’t you?”
Ginny had not gotten too far away from the doorway in the few seconds from when Julia had seen her. Her head snapped around, and she stared at the doorway. Julia could see Ginny’s eyes boring into her in shock and anger. She pushed the boy aside and ran out the door.
***
So there it was. Like it? Hate it?
Originally the conversation between Ginny and Julia was much shorter. But then I realized that what I had written would be better if I made it much longer. So I transfomed a two paged conversation into a six paged one. There was a lot to be said between them. I hope you people like the chapter!
***
Chapter 19
Ginny watched as Julia ran out. She put her hand in her mouth and bit down on a few of her nails. She removed her fingers and tugged on Hermione’s sleeve.
“Go get the first teacher you can find,” she told her. “Once you do, bring them outside. I’m going to keep Julia here. I don’t know whether I can stop her or not. She’s a lot stronger then most people.”
Hermione looked worried. “What do you mean by that?” she asked. “How powerful is she?”
Ginny shook her head. “I don’t know. You would know if you saw her.”
Hermione seemed to find that an acceptable answer. She turned around and started running away. She figured that almost all of the teachers would be in the Great Hall.
Ginny sighed and got her wand out from her robes. She hadn’t been expecting to use it like she was prepared to do. She ran back to the door and pushed the boy Julia had pushed out of her way. He didn’t seem to get what was going on. He didn’t seem to understand that something important was happening. He was just standing where he was like an idiot.
“Julia!” Ginny screamed when she emerged into the open air. “Come back here!”
She could see a dark figure dashing away, getting close to the Forbidden Forest. She shouldn’t be going in there, she thought to herself. Something might get to her before I do.
Ginny wished that she could Apparate. She could have just appeared right in front of Julia, making things so much easier.
Ginny ran as fast as she could. “Stop!” she screamed again. “Stop it!” She fumbled to get her wand pointed at the figure. “INCARCEROUS!”
Ropes flew out of her wand, and soared through the air before hitting their target. The figure tripped, and fell down at the base of the first tree of the forest. Ginny let out a sigh of relief.
She kept on running. Ginny stopped when she finally got over to the struggling person.
“I told you to stop,” she said to Julia. “Did you think I was going to let you run away?”
Julia’s eyes were bloodshot, and a piece of rope that pressed down on her neck was making her face red.
“I hate you,” Julia whispered. “I hate all of you and that stupid school. Why can’t you just let me go?”
Ginny felt horrible for the girl. But it had all been done to keep her safe. “Julia?” she said softly. “Why do you think Dumbledore’s out to get you?”
Julia twisted around on the ground. Ginny watched as she struggled to reach her wand, which was a few millimeters below her fingers. She bent over and slipped the wand out of Julia’s pocket.
“Give me the wand,” Julia said angrily. “Don’t touch it.”
“Would your dad want you to use this wand in the way that you’re planning to use it?” Ginny said. “This was his wand. He probably wanted you to use it to help those he loved. I don’t think he and Voldemort were on the best terms.”
“Shut up. You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I think I do,” Ginny snapped at her. “If you expect me to hand you this wand and let you run off to join the cruelest wizard in history, you’re crazier then I thought.” She kneeled down on the ground, and stared Julia in the face. “What were you thinking?”
“When he talked to me, at least he sounded nice,” Julia said, struggling to remove the rope at her throat. “Dumbledore just said that I needed to be trained to use my magic, and I needed to be watched so I don’t do anything stupid.”
“Wait…” Ginny stopped her. “What do you mean, he talked to you?”
“He talked to me in my sleep!” Julia said loudly. Her breathing was getting quicker. “He told me that Dumbledore was going to hurt me after he trained me. He said that he could help me!”
“Julia.” Ginny said her name with sympathy. “Did you really believe him?”
“At first. But then Harry told me about how he would kill me, and after thinking about it I thought that made a lot of sense. Now I just want to go back home!” She clawed at the rope. “Get this thing off my throat! I can’t breathe!”
Ginny muttered a spell under her breath. The ropes removed themselves from everywhere but Julia’s wrists and feet. She wasn’t getting away that easily.
The blood slowly drained out of Julia’s face. She relaxed, and jut lay there on the ground, breathing.
“I don’t belong at Hogwarts,” she said.
“Why don’t you?” Ginny asked.
“All the people,” Julia said quietly. “All the people who act like they care about me. I don’t like it. I don’t want people feeling sorry for me.” She turned on to her side. “And I’m sick of trying to explain that to people. I’ve said it too often.”
“So you were going to run away so you don’t have to face that?”
“Yeah. And find people who didn’t care about what I did so much. Maybe I could go and give myself a new identity. I’ve met people who did that before. Maybe I could move somewhere far away, and wait until I’m old enough to learn how to drive a muggle car. Then I could just drive away, and I wouldn’t have to stick around in one place to wait until someone finds me and throws me in a foster home. I could start performing in streets again to get some money for gas. It’s pretty easy if you just plan it out.”
“That’s really what you want?” Ginny asked sadly. “For no one to find you?
“Yes.”
“But what happens if I let you go?” Ginny asked. “You could be lying to me, and still go and try to join the Death Eaters. You could still try to do something stupid. Why do you think you had to come here? That Death Eater you met in the beginning of the summer probably would have killed you if Dumbledore hadn’t found you. He’s really not a bad person. Yes, he’s stranger than most people, but he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to practically everyone alive.”
Julia shook her head. “I’m not going to do anything stupid, Ginny.” She looked up at her. “Dumbledore told you that I lived by myself for eight years. You know that I can take care of myself. You know that I can tell the difference between right and wrong. That’s how I’ve lived for so long. That Death Eater, if I hadn’t tripped, he would have woken up a few hours later floating in a lake. I…” she trailed off. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she looked urgently at Ginny.
“If you don’t believe me,” she said quickly, “tell Dobby to bring you to my room. Look for a journal. You should be able to find it. It should be on my desk. You should be able to read it. Dumbledore said that no one would be able to read it except for people I give permission. I’m giving you permission. Read it, and you’ll understand why I have to leave anyways, whether Dumbledore’s trying to help me or not. Read it to anyone you want. I don’t care anymore.”
Ginny bit her lip. “Everyone’s tried so hard to make you happy. I spent so much time hoping that you would decide to stay. I thought that maybe we could be friends, and you and Harry could talk to each other some more…”
Julia’s expression showed a mix of guilt and regret. “I’m sorry about that. But Harry doesn’t need me! He was fine when he didn’t know I existed. Everything was better when I was invisible.”
“But now you aren’t invisible,” Ginny told her. “Now that everyone knows you were… are here, we won’t be able to forget you. Harry has wished that he could have some relatives. I know that. He won’t be able to forget that he could have had his cousin nearby. He won’t forget that you didn’t feel the same way about having a cousin and ran off to do whatever you wanted to do. He’s going to be crushed that you ran away from him.”
Julia sighed. “I’m sorry.”
Ginny shook her head. “I’m sorry too. And I’m sorry that we’ve talked more in these few minutes than we have in the whole time we’ve known each other.”
Julia twisted over on to her back. “I was right in a way. Dumbledore did want to soften me up. He tried to get me to be a little less hard towards everyone. I have to give him credit. He did a good job of it. I haven’t even used that spell I remembered in the beginning of my time at Hogwarts. In fact…” She turned over on to her stomach. “Can you hand me my wand for a moment?”
Ginny stared at her.
Julia smiled slightly. “If I use it to escape, you can hit me with all of the curses you want to stop me.”
Ginny handed her the wand. Julia held on to it the best she could with her wrists connected.
“And my wrists?”
Ginny removed the ropes from her wrists.
Julia grabbed the wand. “You see that rock over there?” She pointed to a stone a few feet away. “Abraexpluda.”
Ginny watched as the stone broke into pieces and burst into flames.
“Aguamenti,” Julia whispered, and the flames were extinguished with a burst of water. She handed her wand back to Ginny. “You can put the ropes back on if you want.”
Ginny shook her head, but took the wand. “That was cool,” she said.
Julia nodded. “I know. I think my mom used it once when she got mad at my dad. They were fighting a lot around that time. The spells they used were getting more and more dangerous. She used that spell. I wasn’t watching, but I remember her saying the spell. She missed. I walked into the kitchen a few hours later and one of the walls had a hole in it that was smoking.”
Ginny smiled a bit. She stopped when she remembered Hermione. “Hermione should be coming soon with a teacher.”
“Please let me go!” Julia said. “Please!”
“We have three options,” Ginny said softly. “You stay here, and you get so mad at me that you never talk to me again. I let you go, and I have to face the wrath of Dumbledore. Or I let you go, and they catch you before you can escape, and they get mad at both of us.”
“Please let me leave!” Julia begged. “Just let me try to escape! I don’t know what I’ll do if I stay here! I don’t belong here. I don’t belong with these people. I just need to leave.”
“I don’t know… What happens to me if they know that I let you out of here?”
“Please!” Julia grabbed Ginny’s leg. Ginny instantly regretted not putting the ropes back on her wrists. “Please let me go!”
Ginny turned around the best she could with someone holding on to her leg. She could see Hermione and McGonagall emerging from the castle. She turned back to Julia.
“Have you seen someone die before?” she asked quickly. “Anyone?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“Answer me!” Ginny said desperately. “Have you?”
“Um… yeah. My grandfather. When I was five. My parents didn’t know I was watching.”
Ginny sighed. “Good… I mean, not good… I mean… Just go find a Thestral! Ride it! Ride it as far away from here as you can!”
Julia looked at her in shock and let go of Ginny’s leg in surprise. “Seriously? You’re letting me go?”
Ginny squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, she removed the ropes from Julia’s ankles. “Just go before I change my mind.”
Julia got up from the ground. “My wand?” she asked. Ginny handed her the wand. She grabbed it quickly as if it would disappear if she didn’t grab it as soon as possible. Julia looked at Ginny. “Thanks,” she whispered. “I’ll remember this.” She reached into a pocket. “And I have this.”
“Your mirror?” Ginny asked. “I would have thought that you didn’t want to talk to anyone.”
“Yeah… But this way I know how mad you are at me.”
Ginny smiled. “This way you can check up on how everyone’s doing.”
“That too…”
Ginny heard Hermione and McGonagall’s footsteps getting louder. “Enough talk,” she said. “Go.”
She turned around and ran into the forest. Ginny wondered how she was going to find a Thestral. Maybe Hagrid had shown her.
She could hear Hermione screaming at her. Ginny didn’t want to have to look at her face. Or McGonagall’s.
“Ginny!”
“I’m over here!” she yelled back. Ginny heard two sets of feet walking over to where she stood. A hand was put on her shoulder.
“I see that Miss Matthews got away.”
Ginny slowly turned around. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.
“I think it would be best if we went to discuss this matter with the headmaster.”
“I think we should,” Ginny agreed.
Ginny slowly began to walk back to the castle, with Hermione and Professor McGonagall behind her.
***
so does that chapter deserve a review? I hope it does. over 100 people view this fan fiction each time I write a new chapter. Only 1 bothers to review. Maybe this time will be different. I know it will make me very happy if more than 1 reviews. The link is in my signature!
***
Chapter 19
Ginny watched as Julia ran out. She put her hand in her mouth and bit down on a few of her nails. She removed her fingers and tugged on Hermione’s sleeve.
“Go get the first teacher you can find,” she told her. “Once you do, bring them outside. I’m going to keep Julia here. I don’t know whether I can stop her or not. She’s a lot stronger then most people.”
Hermione looked worried. “What do you mean by that?” she asked. “How powerful is she?”
Ginny shook her head. “I don’t know. You would know if you saw her.”
Hermione seemed to find that an acceptable answer. She turned around and started running away. She figured that almost all of the teachers would be in the Great Hall.
Ginny sighed and got her wand out from her robes. She hadn’t been expecting to use it like she was prepared to do. She ran back to the door and pushed the boy Julia had pushed out of her way. He didn’t seem to get what was going on. He didn’t seem to understand that something important was happening. He was just standing where he was like an idiot.
“Julia!” Ginny screamed when she emerged into the open air. “Come back here!”
She could see a dark figure dashing away, getting close to the Forbidden Forest. She shouldn’t be going in there, she thought to herself. Something might get to her before I do.
Ginny wished that she could Apparate. She could have just appeared right in front of Julia, making things so much easier.
Ginny ran as fast as she could. “Stop!” she screamed again. “Stop it!” She fumbled to get her wand pointed at the figure. “INCARCEROUS!”
Ropes flew out of her wand, and soared through the air before hitting their target. The figure tripped, and fell down at the base of the first tree of the forest. Ginny let out a sigh of relief.
She kept on running. Ginny stopped when she finally got over to the struggling person.
“I told you to stop,” she said to Julia. “Did you think I was going to let you run away?”
Julia’s eyes were bloodshot, and a piece of rope that pressed down on her neck was making her face red.
“I hate you,” Julia whispered. “I hate all of you and that stupid school. Why can’t you just let me go?”
Ginny felt horrible for the girl. But it had all been done to keep her safe. “Julia?” she said softly. “Why do you think Dumbledore’s out to get you?”
Julia twisted around on the ground. Ginny watched as she struggled to reach her wand, which was a few millimeters below her fingers. She bent over and slipped the wand out of Julia’s pocket.
“Give me the wand,” Julia said angrily. “Don’t touch it.”
“Would your dad want you to use this wand in the way that you’re planning to use it?” Ginny said. “This was his wand. He probably wanted you to use it to help those he loved. I don’t think he and Voldemort were on the best terms.”
“Shut up. You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I think I do,” Ginny snapped at her. “If you expect me to hand you this wand and let you run off to join the cruelest wizard in history, you’re crazier then I thought.” She kneeled down on the ground, and stared Julia in the face. “What were you thinking?”
“When he talked to me, at least he sounded nice,” Julia said, struggling to remove the rope at her throat. “Dumbledore just said that I needed to be trained to use my magic, and I needed to be watched so I don’t do anything stupid.”
“Wait…” Ginny stopped her. “What do you mean, he talked to you?”
“He talked to me in my sleep!” Julia said loudly. Her breathing was getting quicker. “He told me that Dumbledore was going to hurt me after he trained me. He said that he could help me!”
“Julia.” Ginny said her name with sympathy. “Did you really believe him?”
“At first. But then Harry told me about how he would kill me, and after thinking about it I thought that made a lot of sense. Now I just want to go back home!” She clawed at the rope. “Get this thing off my throat! I can’t breathe!”
Ginny muttered a spell under her breath. The ropes removed themselves from everywhere but Julia’s wrists and feet. She wasn’t getting away that easily.
The blood slowly drained out of Julia’s face. She relaxed, and jut lay there on the ground, breathing.
“I don’t belong at Hogwarts,” she said.
“Why don’t you?” Ginny asked.
“All the people,” Julia said quietly. “All the people who act like they care about me. I don’t like it. I don’t want people feeling sorry for me.” She turned on to her side. “And I’m sick of trying to explain that to people. I’ve said it too often.”
“So you were going to run away so you don’t have to face that?”
“Yeah. And find people who didn’t care about what I did so much. Maybe I could go and give myself a new identity. I’ve met people who did that before. Maybe I could move somewhere far away, and wait until I’m old enough to learn how to drive a muggle car. Then I could just drive away, and I wouldn’t have to stick around in one place to wait until someone finds me and throws me in a foster home. I could start performing in streets again to get some money for gas. It’s pretty easy if you just plan it out.”
“That’s really what you want?” Ginny asked sadly. “For no one to find you?
“Yes.”
“But what happens if I let you go?” Ginny asked. “You could be lying to me, and still go and try to join the Death Eaters. You could still try to do something stupid. Why do you think you had to come here? That Death Eater you met in the beginning of the summer probably would have killed you if Dumbledore hadn’t found you. He’s really not a bad person. Yes, he’s stranger than most people, but he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to practically everyone alive.”
Julia shook her head. “I’m not going to do anything stupid, Ginny.” She looked up at her. “Dumbledore told you that I lived by myself for eight years. You know that I can take care of myself. You know that I can tell the difference between right and wrong. That’s how I’ve lived for so long. That Death Eater, if I hadn’t tripped, he would have woken up a few hours later floating in a lake. I…” she trailed off. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she looked urgently at Ginny.
“If you don’t believe me,” she said quickly, “tell Dobby to bring you to my room. Look for a journal. You should be able to find it. It should be on my desk. You should be able to read it. Dumbledore said that no one would be able to read it except for people I give permission. I’m giving you permission. Read it, and you’ll understand why I have to leave anyways, whether Dumbledore’s trying to help me or not. Read it to anyone you want. I don’t care anymore.”
Ginny bit her lip. “Everyone’s tried so hard to make you happy. I spent so much time hoping that you would decide to stay. I thought that maybe we could be friends, and you and Harry could talk to each other some more…”
Julia’s expression showed a mix of guilt and regret. “I’m sorry about that. But Harry doesn’t need me! He was fine when he didn’t know I existed. Everything was better when I was invisible.”
“But now you aren’t invisible,” Ginny told her. “Now that everyone knows you were… are here, we won’t be able to forget you. Harry has wished that he could have some relatives. I know that. He won’t be able to forget that he could have had his cousin nearby. He won’t forget that you didn’t feel the same way about having a cousin and ran off to do whatever you wanted to do. He’s going to be crushed that you ran away from him.”
Julia sighed. “I’m sorry.”
Ginny shook her head. “I’m sorry too. And I’m sorry that we’ve talked more in these few minutes than we have in the whole time we’ve known each other.”
Julia twisted over on to her back. “I was right in a way. Dumbledore did want to soften me up. He tried to get me to be a little less hard towards everyone. I have to give him credit. He did a good job of it. I haven’t even used that spell I remembered in the beginning of my time at Hogwarts. In fact…” She turned over on to her stomach. “Can you hand me my wand for a moment?”
Ginny stared at her.
Julia smiled slightly. “If I use it to escape, you can hit me with all of the curses you want to stop me.”
Ginny handed her the wand. Julia held on to it the best she could with her wrists connected.
“And my wrists?”
Ginny removed the ropes from her wrists.
Julia grabbed the wand. “You see that rock over there?” She pointed to a stone a few feet away. “Abraexpluda.”
Ginny watched as the stone broke into pieces and burst into flames.
“Aguamenti,” Julia whispered, and the flames were extinguished with a burst of water. She handed her wand back to Ginny. “You can put the ropes back on if you want.”
Ginny shook her head, but took the wand. “That was cool,” she said.
Julia nodded. “I know. I think my mom used it once when she got mad at my dad. They were fighting a lot around that time. The spells they used were getting more and more dangerous. She used that spell. I wasn’t watching, but I remember her saying the spell. She missed. I walked into the kitchen a few hours later and one of the walls had a hole in it that was smoking.”
Ginny smiled a bit. She stopped when she remembered Hermione. “Hermione should be coming soon with a teacher.”
“Please let me go!” Julia said. “Please!”
“We have three options,” Ginny said softly. “You stay here, and you get so mad at me that you never talk to me again. I let you go, and I have to face the wrath of Dumbledore. Or I let you go, and they catch you before you can escape, and they get mad at both of us.”
“Please let me leave!” Julia begged. “Just let me try to escape! I don’t know what I’ll do if I stay here! I don’t belong here. I don’t belong with these people. I just need to leave.”
“I don’t know… What happens to me if they know that I let you out of here?”
“Please!” Julia grabbed Ginny’s leg. Ginny instantly regretted not putting the ropes back on her wrists. “Please let me go!”
Ginny turned around the best she could with someone holding on to her leg. She could see Hermione and McGonagall emerging from the castle. She turned back to Julia.
“Have you seen someone die before?” she asked quickly. “Anyone?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“Answer me!” Ginny said desperately. “Have you?”
“Um… yeah. My grandfather. When I was five. My parents didn’t know I was watching.”
Ginny sighed. “Good… I mean, not good… I mean… Just go find a Thestral! Ride it! Ride it as far away from here as you can!”
Julia looked at her in shock and let go of Ginny’s leg in surprise. “Seriously? You’re letting me go?”
Ginny squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, she removed the ropes from Julia’s ankles. “Just go before I change my mind.”
Julia got up from the ground. “My wand?” she asked. Ginny handed her the wand. She grabbed it quickly as if it would disappear if she didn’t grab it as soon as possible. Julia looked at Ginny. “Thanks,” she whispered. “I’ll remember this.” She reached into a pocket. “And I have this.”
“Your mirror?” Ginny asked. “I would have thought that you didn’t want to talk to anyone.”
“Yeah… But this way I know how mad you are at me.”
Ginny smiled. “This way you can check up on how everyone’s doing.”
“That too…”
Ginny heard Hermione and McGonagall’s footsteps getting louder. “Enough talk,” she said. “Go.”
She turned around and ran into the forest. Ginny wondered how she was going to find a Thestral. Maybe Hagrid had shown her.
She could hear Hermione screaming at her. Ginny didn’t want to have to look at her face. Or McGonagall’s.
“Ginny!”
“I’m over here!” she yelled back. Ginny heard two sets of feet walking over to where she stood. A hand was put on her shoulder.
“I see that Miss Matthews got away.”
Ginny slowly turned around. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.
“I think it would be best if we went to discuss this matter with the headmaster.”
“I think we should,” Ginny agreed.
Ginny slowly began to walk back to the castle, with Hermione and Professor McGonagall behind her.
***
so does that chapter deserve a review? I hope it does. over 100 people view this fan fiction each time I write a new chapter. Only 1 bothers to review. Maybe this time will be different. I know it will make me very happy if more than 1 reviews. The link is in my signature!
Well, now I don't know whether I should be happy or disappointed. I mean, I got a lot of views, like, almost 200, but not a single review... Maybe I should give up asking and just leave it to you people to decide whether you want to or not and not have to listen (i mean read) to me beg.
Here's chapter 20: Hope you like it...
***
Chapter 20
Julia sprinted through the trees, feeling twigs scratch at her face painfully and drops of blood slowly dripping down her cheeks. She was sure that she had seen someone or something following her, and she didn’t want to take any chances.
Breathing heavily, she once again pointed her wand at her face, muttering a spell that closed up the cuts that made her cringe every time she grimaced or made some sort of expression that could only be created if she moved her face.
Suddenly, Julia’s foot caught itself in a tree root, and she fell, landing in the dirt with a loud thump. There was a horrible crack, and she bit her lip to keep from screaming. She lifted herself slightly off the ground to glance at the foot that was still stuck underneath the root.
Her foot stuck out at a strange angle. “Shoot,” she whispered to herself. “Why did I have to go and break my ankle now?”
Julia reached over and pointed her wand at the root. The root slowly pulled itself out of the ground, pulling itself away from her foot. Once her foot was free, she eased herself off of the ground, putting all of her weight on the other foot. She began to hop, still getting farther and farther away from the castle.
It must have been an amusing sight, a fifteen-year-old girl hopping on one foot through the trees, but when Julia thought about it, it was more miserable than one could imagine. It had been hard enough running through the forest on two feet, let alone one.
Julia stopped to rest, leaning against a tree for support. She had a bit more distance to go before she would reach the Thestrals. Hagrid had brought her to place where the Thestrals resided while they didn’t pull the carriages full of students to Hogwarts. They had been the only creatures Julia had even cared about that Hagrid had shown her.
She put her broken foot down on the ground, testing how much weight it could handle. She put only the slightest amount of weight on the foot and immediately returned the weight back to the unharmed one. It was broken. Badly. Julia scolded herself for not knowing how to fix it.
She returned to her hopping careful to stay on flat ground to avoid falling. Julia thought she was doing very well until she heard something from behind her.
“Stop, trespasser!”
Julia screamed as she fell down, falling on to her bad ankle. The pain was so horrible, like someone had dropped a car on it. She screamed again, and rolled over on to her back. Her ankle throbbed horribly and she started to feel sick. She looked around for the source of the noise.
She had only a limited area of vision, and could not see where the voice had come from. All she could hear was what sounded like the clopping of horse hooves.
“Oh no,” she whispered as she squeezed her eyes shut. “No…”
Julia opened her eyes, and stared up at the sight before her.
Several centaurs crowded around her, and looking through one’s legs, she could see many others behind them. They towered over her, and she feared that they would feel the urge to step on her and crush her. The one nearest to her head had blonde hair and a palomino body. She noticed how blue his eyes were, though they looked angry at the moment.
“Um… Hello,” she said meekly.
The centaur’s face relaxed. “It’s just a child,” he said to the others. “She didn’t mean any harm. Probably just a student.”
On one side of her she could see a red-haired centaur with a chestnut colored horse’s body and a long, red tail. On her other side she could see one with dark hair and a dark body. Both of them looked at the blonde one in frustration.
“If it’s a student,” the dark haired one said, “she should know better than to wander this far into the woods.”
“Why would a student be in the forest while they could be at the Hogwarts feast, anyhow?” the red haired one asked.
The blonde one looked down curiously at Julia. “I think I know who this one is. Hagrid has told me many things about a girl at Hogwarts. A new student. Child, is it possible that your name is Julia Matthews?”
Before Julia could answer, the dark haired centaur looked sternly at the blonde one. “We have warned you about talking to the half-giant. It is not wise to talk with him. You know that the centaurs prefer to keep a distance from those at Hogwarts, Firenze.”
Firenze shook his head, ignoring the dark haired centaur. “Is Julia Matthews your name, child?”
Julia nodded slowly.
Firenze looked up at the other centaurs. “She arrived at the castle not too long ago, Bane. She is harmless. Not a threat.”
Julia tried her best not to look offended. Not a threat? It would have felt a little bit better if he hadn’t said that.
“It has been agreed with Dumbledore that this area of the forest belongs to the centaurs. Is this girl a centaur? I think not. She is trespassing in our area. We have the rights to do something about that!”
“She is just a child, Bane! We cannot hurt a child! And she is hurt, as well!”
Firenze walked over to Julia’s foot and nudged it with one of his hooves. Julia cringed.
“Fine, then,” said Bane angrily. “But don’t expect the rest of us to pick her up and bring her to the safety of the castle! She has come this far, she can continue on her own, without our help.” Bane turned around in a huff, and the red-haired centaur followed. Julia watched as they joined the rest of the herd. They motioned for Firenze to come with them.
Firenze looked down at Julia sadly. “Very well,” he said to himself. “Be on your way,” he said softly to Julia. “Let us pray that we don’t meet again.” He trotted away, and he and the centaur herd slowly disappeared back into the forest.
Julia lied there on the ground for a while, breathing in and out. She tried to ignore her ankle, which was starting to swell.
After a while she stood up, and started to hop. Each time she landed, her ankle hurt a bit more. She finally gave up, and leaned against a tree. Julia began to hum to herself, giving herself something to do as she thought about how she would get to the Thestrals.
“Burnt out ends of smoky days. The stale cold smell of morning. The streetlamp dies, another night is over. Another day is dawning,” she sang to herself. She slid down to the base of the tree, propping her leg up on the other knee.
Julia stopped humming, and listened to her surroundings. She could still faintly hear the sounds of the centaurs. She wondered what they would do if they came back.
The sound of clopping became louder and louder, though this time it didn’t sound like the whole herd was returning. It was a single centaur. Julia couldn’t see the centaur, but she was sure of whom it was.
A blonde head with blue eyes peeked out from behind a tree. “Miss Matthews?” it asked. “Are you here?”
Julia cocked her head to the side. “Over here,” she said softly. Firenze still looked around.
“Miss Matthews?”
“Over here,” she said loudly. Firenze turned and saw her sitting at the base of the tree. He trotted over to where she sat.
“You cannot walk,” he stated. It was not a question.
“My ankle’s broken,” Julia said cautiously. “I fell.”
Firenze looked around; making sure that none of the centaurs had followed. Once sure that they were alone, he looked back at Julia. “Some of us centaurs do not always follow the herd rules. If you like, you can ride on my back, and I will take you where you wish to go.”
Julia shook her head. “No. I can’t do that.”
Firenze nodded fiercely. “I insist.”
Julia looked at him. “What happens if the others find out you let me ride you?”
The centaur didn’t respond. “Try to stand up. Swing your leg over my back. Where do you wish to go?”
Julia pulled herself up and hopped over to Firenze. She put a leg over his back and he used his arms to set her upright. “The Thestrals.”
Firenze nodded and began to canter forwards, giving Julia time to get a grip on him and hold on. Once secured to his back, he went into a full gallop, going faster and faster, going at a pace Julia had not planned on going at.
Julia clung to Firenze’s waist tightly, scared of what would happen if she let go. “Maybe you’re going a little too fast,” she murmured, but if Firenze heard her, he didn’t care. He continued at the same pace, finally stopping in a clearing. There were Thestrals roaming about, eating raw meat and playing with each other.
“This is your stop,” he said quietly. Julia was reluctant to step back on to her feet, but began to do so when a voice called out from behind a tree.
“Firenze!” a voice shouted angrily. “What have you done?”
Bane stepped out from the trees. Firenze was surprised, and he twisted around as Julia was sliding off of his back, sending her down to the ground and on top of her ankle.
Julia gasped in pain. That time it had been worse falling on to her ankle, and it hurt more than she had ever imagined it could. The pain was too much, and she threw up. She moaned in disgust and wiped her mouth on her sleeve.
Firenze winced in front of her when he saw what she had done. “Was that really necessary, Miss Matthews?” He turned back to Bane nervously.
Bane was seething with anger. Julia crawled away from Firenze as quickly as possible as Bane rushed forwards, galloping towards Firenze. He reared back, and kicked Firenze in the chest with his hoof.
Firenze cried out and stumbled backwards, a hoof-shaped mark remaining on his chest. Bane reared back and prepared to repeat his actions.
“Stop!” Julia screamed right before Bane kicked Firenze. “Stop it!”
Bane stopped, and stared at Julia. His eyebrows furrowed, and he took a step towards her.
“Why did you help the girl?” he asked calmly. It was that exact calmness that scared Julia the most. “She was perfectly fine on her own.”
“She needed help,” Firenze managed to say. The effort of talking was too much for him, and his knees buckled. He fell down into the dirt.
Bane looked down at Firenze. “You are no longer welcome in the herd, Firenze. You are not to return. If you come back, you will be killed.” Bane turned away in disgust, and trotted back through the trees.
Once Bane was gone, Julia crawled back over to where Firenze was lying. “Firenze?” she asked quietly. “Are you okay?”
Firenze turned his head and looked at her. “Go,” he whispered. “I will be fine. Go get a Thestral. Do whatever you want. I will be fine.”
Julia bit her lip and stood up. She hopped over to where a Thestral was standing, still watching the scene that had occurred. “Um… Can you take me to London?” she asked nervously.
The Thestral didn’t answer. Julia hadn’t expected it to. Instead, it lowered its back, signaling for Julia to hop on. She slid her leg over its bony back, and it lifted her off the ground with unexpected ease. It waited for Julia to wrap her arms around its neck before beginning to run, flapping its wings.
The Thestral lifted into the air, and Julia watched as the ground got farther and farther away. The last thing she saw before the clearing disappeared was Firenze slowly picking himself up from the ground, watching as she disappeared from sight.
Julia looked away from the trees and focused on the world in front of her. Soon she would be out of the boundary lines, and she would be free to do whatever she wanted.
Free to live however she wanted.
Free to choose how she wanted to live.
Julia took a deep breath, trying to find a way to remember the moment without having to remember her ankle.
She let go of the Thestral with one hand, and carefully touched her wand, which was sticking out of her pocket, and her mirror, which was right next to it. In a strange way, she would miss Hogwarts.
But she didn’t want to focus on that at the moment. All she wanted to remember was the wind in her face, and the thrill of finally escaping from the place that she had disliked the most.
She was going home.
***
So there it is... Like it? Hate it? I hope you review. Seriously, I'm starting not to care for this fic.
Here's chapter 20: Hope you like it...
***
Chapter 20
Julia sprinted through the trees, feeling twigs scratch at her face painfully and drops of blood slowly dripping down her cheeks. She was sure that she had seen someone or something following her, and she didn’t want to take any chances.
Breathing heavily, she once again pointed her wand at her face, muttering a spell that closed up the cuts that made her cringe every time she grimaced or made some sort of expression that could only be created if she moved her face.
Suddenly, Julia’s foot caught itself in a tree root, and she fell, landing in the dirt with a loud thump. There was a horrible crack, and she bit her lip to keep from screaming. She lifted herself slightly off the ground to glance at the foot that was still stuck underneath the root.
Her foot stuck out at a strange angle. “Shoot,” she whispered to herself. “Why did I have to go and break my ankle now?”
Julia reached over and pointed her wand at the root. The root slowly pulled itself out of the ground, pulling itself away from her foot. Once her foot was free, she eased herself off of the ground, putting all of her weight on the other foot. She began to hop, still getting farther and farther away from the castle.
It must have been an amusing sight, a fifteen-year-old girl hopping on one foot through the trees, but when Julia thought about it, it was more miserable than one could imagine. It had been hard enough running through the forest on two feet, let alone one.
Julia stopped to rest, leaning against a tree for support. She had a bit more distance to go before she would reach the Thestrals. Hagrid had brought her to place where the Thestrals resided while they didn’t pull the carriages full of students to Hogwarts. They had been the only creatures Julia had even cared about that Hagrid had shown her.
She put her broken foot down on the ground, testing how much weight it could handle. She put only the slightest amount of weight on the foot and immediately returned the weight back to the unharmed one. It was broken. Badly. Julia scolded herself for not knowing how to fix it.
She returned to her hopping careful to stay on flat ground to avoid falling. Julia thought she was doing very well until she heard something from behind her.
“Stop, trespasser!”
Julia screamed as she fell down, falling on to her bad ankle. The pain was so horrible, like someone had dropped a car on it. She screamed again, and rolled over on to her back. Her ankle throbbed horribly and she started to feel sick. She looked around for the source of the noise.
She had only a limited area of vision, and could not see where the voice had come from. All she could hear was what sounded like the clopping of horse hooves.
“Oh no,” she whispered as she squeezed her eyes shut. “No…”
Julia opened her eyes, and stared up at the sight before her.
Several centaurs crowded around her, and looking through one’s legs, she could see many others behind them. They towered over her, and she feared that they would feel the urge to step on her and crush her. The one nearest to her head had blonde hair and a palomino body. She noticed how blue his eyes were, though they looked angry at the moment.
“Um… Hello,” she said meekly.
The centaur’s face relaxed. “It’s just a child,” he said to the others. “She didn’t mean any harm. Probably just a student.”
On one side of her she could see a red-haired centaur with a chestnut colored horse’s body and a long, red tail. On her other side she could see one with dark hair and a dark body. Both of them looked at the blonde one in frustration.
“If it’s a student,” the dark haired one said, “she should know better than to wander this far into the woods.”
“Why would a student be in the forest while they could be at the Hogwarts feast, anyhow?” the red haired one asked.
The blonde one looked down curiously at Julia. “I think I know who this one is. Hagrid has told me many things about a girl at Hogwarts. A new student. Child, is it possible that your name is Julia Matthews?”
Before Julia could answer, the dark haired centaur looked sternly at the blonde one. “We have warned you about talking to the half-giant. It is not wise to talk with him. You know that the centaurs prefer to keep a distance from those at Hogwarts, Firenze.”
Firenze shook his head, ignoring the dark haired centaur. “Is Julia Matthews your name, child?”
Julia nodded slowly.
Firenze looked up at the other centaurs. “She arrived at the castle not too long ago, Bane. She is harmless. Not a threat.”
Julia tried her best not to look offended. Not a threat? It would have felt a little bit better if he hadn’t said that.
“It has been agreed with Dumbledore that this area of the forest belongs to the centaurs. Is this girl a centaur? I think not. She is trespassing in our area. We have the rights to do something about that!”
“She is just a child, Bane! We cannot hurt a child! And she is hurt, as well!”
Firenze walked over to Julia’s foot and nudged it with one of his hooves. Julia cringed.
“Fine, then,” said Bane angrily. “But don’t expect the rest of us to pick her up and bring her to the safety of the castle! She has come this far, she can continue on her own, without our help.” Bane turned around in a huff, and the red-haired centaur followed. Julia watched as they joined the rest of the herd. They motioned for Firenze to come with them.
Firenze looked down at Julia sadly. “Very well,” he said to himself. “Be on your way,” he said softly to Julia. “Let us pray that we don’t meet again.” He trotted away, and he and the centaur herd slowly disappeared back into the forest.
Julia lied there on the ground for a while, breathing in and out. She tried to ignore her ankle, which was starting to swell.
After a while she stood up, and started to hop. Each time she landed, her ankle hurt a bit more. She finally gave up, and leaned against a tree. Julia began to hum to herself, giving herself something to do as she thought about how she would get to the Thestrals.
“Burnt out ends of smoky days. The stale cold smell of morning. The streetlamp dies, another night is over. Another day is dawning,” she sang to herself. She slid down to the base of the tree, propping her leg up on the other knee.
Julia stopped humming, and listened to her surroundings. She could still faintly hear the sounds of the centaurs. She wondered what they would do if they came back.
The sound of clopping became louder and louder, though this time it didn’t sound like the whole herd was returning. It was a single centaur. Julia couldn’t see the centaur, but she was sure of whom it was.
A blonde head with blue eyes peeked out from behind a tree. “Miss Matthews?” it asked. “Are you here?”
Julia cocked her head to the side. “Over here,” she said softly. Firenze still looked around.
“Miss Matthews?”
“Over here,” she said loudly. Firenze turned and saw her sitting at the base of the tree. He trotted over to where she sat.
“You cannot walk,” he stated. It was not a question.
“My ankle’s broken,” Julia said cautiously. “I fell.”
Firenze looked around; making sure that none of the centaurs had followed. Once sure that they were alone, he looked back at Julia. “Some of us centaurs do not always follow the herd rules. If you like, you can ride on my back, and I will take you where you wish to go.”
Julia shook her head. “No. I can’t do that.”
Firenze nodded fiercely. “I insist.”
Julia looked at him. “What happens if the others find out you let me ride you?”
The centaur didn’t respond. “Try to stand up. Swing your leg over my back. Where do you wish to go?”
Julia pulled herself up and hopped over to Firenze. She put a leg over his back and he used his arms to set her upright. “The Thestrals.”
Firenze nodded and began to canter forwards, giving Julia time to get a grip on him and hold on. Once secured to his back, he went into a full gallop, going faster and faster, going at a pace Julia had not planned on going at.
Julia clung to Firenze’s waist tightly, scared of what would happen if she let go. “Maybe you’re going a little too fast,” she murmured, but if Firenze heard her, he didn’t care. He continued at the same pace, finally stopping in a clearing. There were Thestrals roaming about, eating raw meat and playing with each other.
“This is your stop,” he said quietly. Julia was reluctant to step back on to her feet, but began to do so when a voice called out from behind a tree.
“Firenze!” a voice shouted angrily. “What have you done?”
Bane stepped out from the trees. Firenze was surprised, and he twisted around as Julia was sliding off of his back, sending her down to the ground and on top of her ankle.
Julia gasped in pain. That time it had been worse falling on to her ankle, and it hurt more than she had ever imagined it could. The pain was too much, and she threw up. She moaned in disgust and wiped her mouth on her sleeve.
Firenze winced in front of her when he saw what she had done. “Was that really necessary, Miss Matthews?” He turned back to Bane nervously.
Bane was seething with anger. Julia crawled away from Firenze as quickly as possible as Bane rushed forwards, galloping towards Firenze. He reared back, and kicked Firenze in the chest with his hoof.
Firenze cried out and stumbled backwards, a hoof-shaped mark remaining on his chest. Bane reared back and prepared to repeat his actions.
“Stop!” Julia screamed right before Bane kicked Firenze. “Stop it!”
Bane stopped, and stared at Julia. His eyebrows furrowed, and he took a step towards her.
“Why did you help the girl?” he asked calmly. It was that exact calmness that scared Julia the most. “She was perfectly fine on her own.”
“She needed help,” Firenze managed to say. The effort of talking was too much for him, and his knees buckled. He fell down into the dirt.
Bane looked down at Firenze. “You are no longer welcome in the herd, Firenze. You are not to return. If you come back, you will be killed.” Bane turned away in disgust, and trotted back through the trees.
Once Bane was gone, Julia crawled back over to where Firenze was lying. “Firenze?” she asked quietly. “Are you okay?”
Firenze turned his head and looked at her. “Go,” he whispered. “I will be fine. Go get a Thestral. Do whatever you want. I will be fine.”
Julia bit her lip and stood up. She hopped over to where a Thestral was standing, still watching the scene that had occurred. “Um… Can you take me to London?” she asked nervously.
The Thestral didn’t answer. Julia hadn’t expected it to. Instead, it lowered its back, signaling for Julia to hop on. She slid her leg over its bony back, and it lifted her off the ground with unexpected ease. It waited for Julia to wrap her arms around its neck before beginning to run, flapping its wings.
The Thestral lifted into the air, and Julia watched as the ground got farther and farther away. The last thing she saw before the clearing disappeared was Firenze slowly picking himself up from the ground, watching as she disappeared from sight.
Julia looked away from the trees and focused on the world in front of her. Soon she would be out of the boundary lines, and she would be free to do whatever she wanted.
Free to live however she wanted.
Free to choose how she wanted to live.
Julia took a deep breath, trying to find a way to remember the moment without having to remember her ankle.
She let go of the Thestral with one hand, and carefully touched her wand, which was sticking out of her pocket, and her mirror, which was right next to it. In a strange way, she would miss Hogwarts.
But she didn’t want to focus on that at the moment. All she wanted to remember was the wind in her face, and the thrill of finally escaping from the place that she had disliked the most.
She was going home.
***
So there it is... Like it? Hate it? I hope you review. Seriously, I'm starting not to care for this fic.
Here's another chapter. My dad's probably going to wake up any second and get really mad at me for being on the computer at this time, so I'm putting up this chapter really quick. So... Yeah. I like this chapter. I hope people enjoy it as much as I did... Or not...
***
Chapter 21
***
“You let the girl go?”
Ginny winced as Snape slammed his hands down on the desk. She wished that Dumbledore would leave the feast and come to help her. He probably would be just as mad, but he wouldn’t be as harsh about it.
“Professor, maybe we should wait for Professor Dumbledore to…” Hermione’s voice faltered as Snape stared coldly at her.
“Was I speaking to you, Miss Granger?” he snapped. “You will speak only when you are spoken to, understood?”
“Yes,” she squeaked.
Snape huffed, and opened his mouth to say some more when Dumbledore walked through the doors. Ginny couldn’t help but sigh in relief. The old man walked past Snape and sat down at the desk. He folded his hands in front of himself, and stared at Ginny blankly.
“Is it true?” he asked her. “Is Miss Matthews no longer on Hogwarts grounds?” He did not speak loudly, but Ginny could sense the frustration and urgency in his voice.
“Yes,” she said quietly. She bit her lip and twisted a strand of hair around her finger. “I can explain.”
Dumbledore sighed. “Please. Give us your explanation.” He sat back and waited.
“Well…”
“See!” Snape said loudly. “The girl has no explanation! She will merely create a false tale to escape punishment! I dedicated myself to keeping her safe, and she just –”
“Severus!” Dumbledore interrupted. “Let the child speak.” He turned back to Ginny. “Continue.”
Ginny stared coldly at Snape before speaking again. “I did catch her, you know. I was going to keep her there until Hermione brought someone to help, but she started to talk to me…”
“What did she say?”
“Well, after she told me that she hated me, you and the rest of the teachers, she told me that…Voldemort’s been talking to her in her sleep.” She glanced at Hermione, whose eyes widened in surprise. Dumbledore and Snape showed no change in emotion. They had probably already known. “She said that she believed him at first, and he sort of turned her against you people, but after you had Harry talk to her, a lot of things made sense to her, and she stopped believing everything he said.”
She looked over at Dumbledore. “That makes sense,” she said quietly. “That’s why Harry came to the castle earlier than everyone else.”
The Headmaster nodded. “Yes,” he said. “That was the reason.”
Ginny nodded in understanding. “She didn’t leave the castle tonight because she wants to join the Death Eaters. She went because she just wants to go home.”
“Hogwarts became her new home,” Snape said. “She should have accepted the new terms and been happy with them.”
“But that isn’t fair!” Ginny protested. “Sure, she didn’t have a house, or a bed, or proper training in magic where she lived before, but it was what she was familiar with! You can’t just pluck someone out of their home, or where they live, put them somewhere completely new and strange and expect them to like it! You made things too different. You gave her lessons and nice things, and it made her uncomfortable. You gave her a mirror and pretty much forced her to make a friend. You kept secrets, you wouldn’t let her see her cousin for a long time, and you wouldn’t even let her go back home to get some of her old stuff.” She looked over at Snape. “And some of you didn’t even try to make her feel welcome in the first place.”
She looked over at Dumbledore. “That’s why I let her go. You can’t keep someone locked up against her own will. That’s something Voldemort would do. She needed to go back home. I don’t even know what she would have done if she had been there any longer.”
Dumbledore sighed, and leaned back in his chair. “Perhaps my approach to making Miss Matthews safe was not the best way to go.”
Ginny was a bit surprised at the Headmaster’s response. She had been right?
Dumbledore stood up and began to pace. There was no noise in the office except for the sound of his shoes making contact with the floor. After a few moments he walked over to Fawkes, who had been sitting on his perch for the whole conversation, watching. When Dumbledore came near he perked up and stared at him intently.
“Go to the Order. Inform them that Miss Matthews is on her way home. They will need to search for her, but once she is found, they cannot capture her. I want them to only watch her, making sure that she remains safe. She will not be returning to Hogwarts.”
Ginny tried not to smile when she heard Dumbledore’s orders to the Phoenix. Julia had won. Sort of.
The Phoenix disappeared in a flash of red, and Dumbledore turned back to Ginny.
“There is one thing you will be doing for me, Miss Weasley,” he said calmly. “Don’t worry!” he said when seeing Ginny’s scared expression. “It is not a punishment. At least, I do not think it is. You will be visiting Miss Matthews once a month, to see how she is doing. The rest of the time you will be in contact with the mirrors. Is that understood?”
Ginny nodded. “Understood,” she repeated.
Dumbledore looked at Hermione, who had been standing in the back of the room for the whole time. “Miss Granger?” he asked. “Would you be so kind as to take Miss Weasley to the Gryffindor Common Room? I believe that you know the password.”
Ginny got up from her chair and began to walk out of the office with Ginny. One step away from the revolving staircase she remembered something that Julia had said.
“Professor!” she shouted. She ran back to the desk, where Dumbledore had been watching them leave.
“Yes, Miss Weasley?”
“Julia told me about this journal in her room, and she wanted me to take it. Can I… You know… Go there now?”
Dumbledore smiled and nodded. “Yes.” He snapped his fingers, and Dobby appeared in the room.
“Dobby?” he asked, and the house-elf whipped around to look at him. “Would it be so kind of you as to take Miss Weasley to Julia’s room?”
“Yes, sir, yes!” the house-elf squeaked. He walked over to Ginny. He stared at her with his huge eyes before grabbing her hand and snapping.
Ginny felt a small squeezing sensation before appearing in a hall a second later. The familiar statue of Gregory the Smarmy towered over her, and she stared at it.
“This is Julia’s room?” she thought out loud. Dobby shook his head in what looked like amusement, and touched the base of the statue. Ginny understood immediately when the statue began to slide away, revealing a hole underneath it.
“After you, Miss,” Dobby said, waiting for Ginny to climb down into the hole. He clambered in after her, and led her down the tunnel. He stopped at the end, touching the knot in the corner.
“Wow,” Ginny muttered when the door swung open. “This is where they kept her prisoner?”
She stepped into the room, marveling at its size and features. The rug was soft, and everything was clean and neat. The bed was huge. The desk was gleaming and shiny. It was beautiful.
Ginny understood completely why Julia hated it.
She ran over to the desk and looked for a small booklet. Anything. She overturned several textbooks, knocked a bottle of ink over, and scratched herself on a quill before finding it. Without opening she could tell that about half of the pages had been written in. She slipped it into her robes before turning around and following Dobby out.
***
The Thestral landed smoothly on the empty street, and Julia silently slid off of its back.
“Thanks,” she whispered before it flew off into the night.
Once the creature had gone, Julia looked around. She had gotten off on the same street that she had been on right before Dumbledore took her to Hogwarts. Julia began to run, trying to find the spot where she had fallen. It felt odd to run in her old shoes, since she had been wearing the ones provided by Hogwarts for a while. The shoes felt like they were falling apart.
“A kind donation from the pretty girl?” a croaky voice called out from behind a trashcan. Julia stopped, and looked over at the pathetic lump lying next to the garbage.
“I still can’t help you,” she whispered. “I’ve gone off, and I’ve been given nice stuff, but I still can’t give you anything.”
“A donation?” the voice called out again.
Julia looked at her pockets. All she had was the mirror and her wand. There was no money. She grabbed the mirror and studied it closely.
It was mainly made of glass, but the frame of it looked like it was worth something. Maybe it was metal. She didn’t know. Julia wasn’t sure if wizards used metal. Maybe it was silver. It didn’t really matter to her. She just wanted to know if it was worth anything.
Julia dropped the mirror on the ground. Her foot lifted off the ground, and she thought about what she was about to do. She remembered what she had said to Ginny about staying in contact. Which did she care about more? Giving the old beggar something, or talking to a friend?
The wizards were bound to send someone to go and visit her eventually.
She brought her foot down hard on the mirror, and felt the glass crunch underneath the sole of her shoe. Julia bent down and picked up the mirror, shaking the broken glass away. All that remained intact was the silver frame of what had been her contact to the wizarding world.
She quickly walked over to the lump next to the garbage, and set the frame down next to it. “Here you go,” she said softly. “Go sell it. It’s all I can give you.” She sighed and walked away.
Julia knew that she would regret getting rid of the mirror later, but she felt like she would explode if she didn’t do at least one nice thing. After getting rid of the mirror, though, she felt like she was going to cry. She would need to think of a new way to talk to Ginny and Harry now.
She stopped walking and stared down at her feet. Instinct was not the reason why she stopped right there. Yes, it was the same spot she had been standing on before going to Hogwarts, but she would not have known that had one specific feature not been there on the ground.
Right next to her feet was a red feather, pressed into the ground by the shoes of many tourists and pedestrians. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought it was a drawing, made by a street artist. But she knew what it really was.
It was one of Fawkes’ feathers.
Julia knelt down and stretched her fingers forwards, touching the feather. It was soft for a moment, but a sudden burning sensation caused her to jump back. The feather was burning, and quickly reduced itself to ash. Julia leaned forwards and blew away the ashes, and saw that a dark scorch mark in the shape of the feather remained.
Julia wasn’t sure of what exactly had just happened. She found it even more confusing when she wondered how hundreds of people could have walked on top of that feather, and when she touched it, it happened to burn away.
Maybe it had something to do with being a witch.
There was so many questions that she wished she had the answers to.
Julia remembered that the spot where she had been living was a few miles away. She had walked for a few hours to get where she was standing at the moment.
She turned around, and began to walk back home.
***
Well, there was the chapter. Like it? Hate it? I won't know unless you review.
***
Chapter 21
***
“You let the girl go?”
Ginny winced as Snape slammed his hands down on the desk. She wished that Dumbledore would leave the feast and come to help her. He probably would be just as mad, but he wouldn’t be as harsh about it.
“Professor, maybe we should wait for Professor Dumbledore to…” Hermione’s voice faltered as Snape stared coldly at her.
“Was I speaking to you, Miss Granger?” he snapped. “You will speak only when you are spoken to, understood?”
“Yes,” she squeaked.
Snape huffed, and opened his mouth to say some more when Dumbledore walked through the doors. Ginny couldn’t help but sigh in relief. The old man walked past Snape and sat down at the desk. He folded his hands in front of himself, and stared at Ginny blankly.
“Is it true?” he asked her. “Is Miss Matthews no longer on Hogwarts grounds?” He did not speak loudly, but Ginny could sense the frustration and urgency in his voice.
“Yes,” she said quietly. She bit her lip and twisted a strand of hair around her finger. “I can explain.”
Dumbledore sighed. “Please. Give us your explanation.” He sat back and waited.
“Well…”
“See!” Snape said loudly. “The girl has no explanation! She will merely create a false tale to escape punishment! I dedicated myself to keeping her safe, and she just –”
“Severus!” Dumbledore interrupted. “Let the child speak.” He turned back to Ginny. “Continue.”
Ginny stared coldly at Snape before speaking again. “I did catch her, you know. I was going to keep her there until Hermione brought someone to help, but she started to talk to me…”
“What did she say?”
“Well, after she told me that she hated me, you and the rest of the teachers, she told me that…Voldemort’s been talking to her in her sleep.” She glanced at Hermione, whose eyes widened in surprise. Dumbledore and Snape showed no change in emotion. They had probably already known. “She said that she believed him at first, and he sort of turned her against you people, but after you had Harry talk to her, a lot of things made sense to her, and she stopped believing everything he said.”
She looked over at Dumbledore. “That makes sense,” she said quietly. “That’s why Harry came to the castle earlier than everyone else.”
The Headmaster nodded. “Yes,” he said. “That was the reason.”
Ginny nodded in understanding. “She didn’t leave the castle tonight because she wants to join the Death Eaters. She went because she just wants to go home.”
“Hogwarts became her new home,” Snape said. “She should have accepted the new terms and been happy with them.”
“But that isn’t fair!” Ginny protested. “Sure, she didn’t have a house, or a bed, or proper training in magic where she lived before, but it was what she was familiar with! You can’t just pluck someone out of their home, or where they live, put them somewhere completely new and strange and expect them to like it! You made things too different. You gave her lessons and nice things, and it made her uncomfortable. You gave her a mirror and pretty much forced her to make a friend. You kept secrets, you wouldn’t let her see her cousin for a long time, and you wouldn’t even let her go back home to get some of her old stuff.” She looked over at Snape. “And some of you didn’t even try to make her feel welcome in the first place.”
She looked over at Dumbledore. “That’s why I let her go. You can’t keep someone locked up against her own will. That’s something Voldemort would do. She needed to go back home. I don’t even know what she would have done if she had been there any longer.”
Dumbledore sighed, and leaned back in his chair. “Perhaps my approach to making Miss Matthews safe was not the best way to go.”
Ginny was a bit surprised at the Headmaster’s response. She had been right?
Dumbledore stood up and began to pace. There was no noise in the office except for the sound of his shoes making contact with the floor. After a few moments he walked over to Fawkes, who had been sitting on his perch for the whole conversation, watching. When Dumbledore came near he perked up and stared at him intently.
“Go to the Order. Inform them that Miss Matthews is on her way home. They will need to search for her, but once she is found, they cannot capture her. I want them to only watch her, making sure that she remains safe. She will not be returning to Hogwarts.”
Ginny tried not to smile when she heard Dumbledore’s orders to the Phoenix. Julia had won. Sort of.
The Phoenix disappeared in a flash of red, and Dumbledore turned back to Ginny.
“There is one thing you will be doing for me, Miss Weasley,” he said calmly. “Don’t worry!” he said when seeing Ginny’s scared expression. “It is not a punishment. At least, I do not think it is. You will be visiting Miss Matthews once a month, to see how she is doing. The rest of the time you will be in contact with the mirrors. Is that understood?”
Ginny nodded. “Understood,” she repeated.
Dumbledore looked at Hermione, who had been standing in the back of the room for the whole time. “Miss Granger?” he asked. “Would you be so kind as to take Miss Weasley to the Gryffindor Common Room? I believe that you know the password.”
Ginny got up from her chair and began to walk out of the office with Ginny. One step away from the revolving staircase she remembered something that Julia had said.
“Professor!” she shouted. She ran back to the desk, where Dumbledore had been watching them leave.
“Yes, Miss Weasley?”
“Julia told me about this journal in her room, and she wanted me to take it. Can I… You know… Go there now?”
Dumbledore smiled and nodded. “Yes.” He snapped his fingers, and Dobby appeared in the room.
“Dobby?” he asked, and the house-elf whipped around to look at him. “Would it be so kind of you as to take Miss Weasley to Julia’s room?”
“Yes, sir, yes!” the house-elf squeaked. He walked over to Ginny. He stared at her with his huge eyes before grabbing her hand and snapping.
Ginny felt a small squeezing sensation before appearing in a hall a second later. The familiar statue of Gregory the Smarmy towered over her, and she stared at it.
“This is Julia’s room?” she thought out loud. Dobby shook his head in what looked like amusement, and touched the base of the statue. Ginny understood immediately when the statue began to slide away, revealing a hole underneath it.
“After you, Miss,” Dobby said, waiting for Ginny to climb down into the hole. He clambered in after her, and led her down the tunnel. He stopped at the end, touching the knot in the corner.
“Wow,” Ginny muttered when the door swung open. “This is where they kept her prisoner?”
She stepped into the room, marveling at its size and features. The rug was soft, and everything was clean and neat. The bed was huge. The desk was gleaming and shiny. It was beautiful.
Ginny understood completely why Julia hated it.
She ran over to the desk and looked for a small booklet. Anything. She overturned several textbooks, knocked a bottle of ink over, and scratched herself on a quill before finding it. Without opening she could tell that about half of the pages had been written in. She slipped it into her robes before turning around and following Dobby out.
***
The Thestral landed smoothly on the empty street, and Julia silently slid off of its back.
“Thanks,” she whispered before it flew off into the night.
Once the creature had gone, Julia looked around. She had gotten off on the same street that she had been on right before Dumbledore took her to Hogwarts. Julia began to run, trying to find the spot where she had fallen. It felt odd to run in her old shoes, since she had been wearing the ones provided by Hogwarts for a while. The shoes felt like they were falling apart.
“A kind donation from the pretty girl?” a croaky voice called out from behind a trashcan. Julia stopped, and looked over at the pathetic lump lying next to the garbage.
“I still can’t help you,” she whispered. “I’ve gone off, and I’ve been given nice stuff, but I still can’t give you anything.”
“A donation?” the voice called out again.
Julia looked at her pockets. All she had was the mirror and her wand. There was no money. She grabbed the mirror and studied it closely.
It was mainly made of glass, but the frame of it looked like it was worth something. Maybe it was metal. She didn’t know. Julia wasn’t sure if wizards used metal. Maybe it was silver. It didn’t really matter to her. She just wanted to know if it was worth anything.
Julia dropped the mirror on the ground. Her foot lifted off the ground, and she thought about what she was about to do. She remembered what she had said to Ginny about staying in contact. Which did she care about more? Giving the old beggar something, or talking to a friend?
The wizards were bound to send someone to go and visit her eventually.
She brought her foot down hard on the mirror, and felt the glass crunch underneath the sole of her shoe. Julia bent down and picked up the mirror, shaking the broken glass away. All that remained intact was the silver frame of what had been her contact to the wizarding world.
She quickly walked over to the lump next to the garbage, and set the frame down next to it. “Here you go,” she said softly. “Go sell it. It’s all I can give you.” She sighed and walked away.
Julia knew that she would regret getting rid of the mirror later, but she felt like she would explode if she didn’t do at least one nice thing. After getting rid of the mirror, though, she felt like she was going to cry. She would need to think of a new way to talk to Ginny and Harry now.
She stopped walking and stared down at her feet. Instinct was not the reason why she stopped right there. Yes, it was the same spot she had been standing on before going to Hogwarts, but she would not have known that had one specific feature not been there on the ground.
Right next to her feet was a red feather, pressed into the ground by the shoes of many tourists and pedestrians. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought it was a drawing, made by a street artist. But she knew what it really was.
It was one of Fawkes’ feathers.
Julia knelt down and stretched her fingers forwards, touching the feather. It was soft for a moment, but a sudden burning sensation caused her to jump back. The feather was burning, and quickly reduced itself to ash. Julia leaned forwards and blew away the ashes, and saw that a dark scorch mark in the shape of the feather remained.
Julia wasn’t sure of what exactly had just happened. She found it even more confusing when she wondered how hundreds of people could have walked on top of that feather, and when she touched it, it happened to burn away.
Maybe it had something to do with being a witch.
There was so many questions that she wished she had the answers to.
Julia remembered that the spot where she had been living was a few miles away. She had walked for a few hours to get where she was standing at the moment.
She turned around, and began to walk back home.
***
Well, there was the chapter. Like it? Hate it? I won't know unless you review.
Okay... I haven't updated in a while. That's bad. I know. But it should be expected for me to have a delayed update, shouldn't it?
Well.. Okay. Here's chapter 22. I think. Yeah. It's 22.
***
Chapter 22
All of the other students had gone to bed. Ginny was curled up in an armchair, staring at Harry’s back as he looked in to the fireplace. Her mirror was in her hands. Julia’s white booklet was on top of her stomach. She had finished her story of the events of the past few hours, and she waited for him to make any kind of a reaction.
Harry just sat there. He was silent. He didn’t move. Ginny wanted to go over and check to see if he was still breathing.
“So…” he finally said, “…she’s not coming back to Hogwarts?” He turned to look at Ginny.
She shook her head. “No,” she said quietly. “She’s not.”
Harry turned back to the fireplace. “That sucks.”
Ginny nodded. “Yeah. It does.” She turned the small mirror over in her fingers, staring at the glass, and sighed. “But it’s not like we won’t be able to talk to her.”
Harry’s mood did not seem to brighten the slightest bit. He fell silent once more, and Ginny was starting to get tired of people not talking to her.
She fidgeted in her chair, not sure whether to leave him and go to bed. She was tired, and lessons would start the next day. Staying up past midnight was not a wise choice the night before classes started.
Ginny’s impatience finally got to her, and she stood up from her chair and walked over to Harry.
“Look,” she said. “Would you rather have her stay here, where she’s going to be mad at everyone, including you, or do you want her to go and be happy? Because, if it’s the first option, I reckon you must be really selfish.” She turned to leave, and was about to go up the stairs to the girls’ dormitory, when Harry’s voice behind her stopped her.
“You’re calling me selfish?”
Ginny slowly turned around. “No…” she said through her teeth. She had a feeling that the conversation was not going to end well. “I just said that you would be selfish if you said that you wanted her to stay here.” She unclenched her jaw and prepared to start back up the stairs again when Harry stopped her once more.
“You think it’s selfish of me to want to see my only living family member in a way other than through a mirror?”
“That’s not what I said,” she snapped.
“I’m pretty sure it is.”
“Oh, shut up, will you? It’s not my fault she’s gone.”
“According to what you have told me, you’re the one who let her go.”
Ginny’s hands were clenched into fists. She began to grind her teeth. “I wouldn’t have had to let her go if you had done a better job of getting her to stay!”
Harry took a step forwards, staring his eyes wild. “So you’re saying that it’s MY fault she’s gone?”
Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. “Well,” she said coldly, “it’s not mine. If you’re going to blame me for her wanting to go home, then I can blame you.” With that, she turned back around and ran up the stairs. Harry felt like he wasn’t finished with her, and had an urge to go follow her, but he knew that the stairs would immediately turn into a stone slide if he touched it.
All of the stairs.
Grinning, he walked over to the stairs and tapped them with his shoe. There was a yelp of surprise from above, and seconds later Ginny came sliding down, looking at Harry like she wanted to kill him.
“How am I supposed to go to bed, now?” Ginny asked, her voice strained. “Now I can’t get up the stairs until the slide’s gone!” She stood up and pushed Harry before going to sit in an armchair.
She threw herself on to the chair, and let her legs hang over one of the arms. She huffed. “Why did you do that?” she asked angrily. “You’re not going to get anything pleasant out of depriving me of sleep.”
Harry sighed from behind her. “I dunno why I did it. I just felt like it.”
Ginny wrinkled her nose. “If you’re going to do that every time you ‘feel like it’, you’re going to wake up with maggots in your bed.”
“Sorry.”
“You should be.”
Harry noticed that the white booklet was at the base of the stone slide. He went over to where it had landed, and picked it up. “What’s this?” he asked.
“Julia’s notebook. She wrote things in it. I haven’t gotten around to reading anything yet.”
“Can I read it?”
“You can’t unless I give you permission.”
“Do I have permission?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Because you got me stuck down here.”
“Fair enough.”
They were silent. Ginny adjusted her position several times, waiting for the stairs to return. Minutes passed. The longer she sat, the more she wanted revenge.
Finally, Ginny had to groan. “Ugh! Make the stairs come back!”
Harry had sat down in the chair across from her. “I’ll tell you when they come back,” he muttered.
“Make them come back now!”
“I can’t!”
Ginny began to mumble a string of un-comprehendible words, and Harry was pretty sure that he did not want to know what she was saying.
Once she stopped, she sat up in her chair, and crossed her legs. She picked at her pajama pants for a few seconds before grabbing her mirror out from the pocket. “Do you think Julia’s awake?” she asked. The question was more for her than it was for Harry.
“I dunno. Maybe.”
Ginny brought the mirror closer to her mouth and said Julia’s name. She waited for her friend to appear, or at least something that was near her.
But nothing happened.
Maybe it was broken. “Julia,” Ginny repeated.
Still nothing.
“Er… Harry?” Ginny asked quietly, though panic could be heard clearly in her voice. Her hands began to shake. “Something’s wrong with the mirror.”
Harry shot up out of his seat and walked over to where she sat. “What do you mean,” he asked nervously, “that the mirror isn’t working?” He grabbed the mirror and held it up to his face.
“By saying that the mirror’s not working, I mean that nothing’s showing up whenever I say her name.”
Harry said his cousin’s name clearly into the mirror. Still, nothing happened.
“Maybe it’s only activated to my voice,” Ginny suggested. “I don’t think anything will happen if you use it. If it isn’t working for either of us, I suppose that it’s not going to work at all.”
Harry looked both confused and frustrated. “So… The mirror’s not with her, then?”
Ginny shook her head no. “I don’t think that it’s just not with her. I think she destroyed it.” She stopped and frowned. “It’s strange, really. I don’t feel like killing her.”
Harry tried hard to keep from laughing, and he silently scolded himself for having an urge to do such a thing with the circumstance that they were in.
Ginny sighed. “I really should be screaming right now.”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Is now a good time for me to cover my ears while you scream as loud as possible?”
Ginny shrugged. “No. I don’t feel up to damaging my vocal chords at the moment.”
She turned, and glanced past Harry to the way up to the girls’ dormitory. The stairs had returned. “Wait here,” she commanded, and she stood up, and went up the stairs. Seconds later she was gone.
Harry stood in the Common Room, not sure of what to do. He stared down at his feet and rocked back and forth on his heels for a few moments, trying to figure out why he was all alone in the room, waiting for his best friend’s sister to come back.
He was sure that he heard a thud from somewhere above the ceiling.
Ginny came rushing down the stairs, with Julia’s white booklet in one hand, her wand in the other. She quickly got over to the portrait hole, and stopped, with one foot already extended out in front of her.
“Are you coming?” she asked.
“Don’t you want Hermione to come?” he asked.
“Nah,” Ginny replied, shaking her head. “She should sleep. Besides, she really doesn’t have much to do with this.”
Harry shrugged, and followed her out of the Common Room.
***
“And then Harry tried to get the mirror to work, but still, nothing happened. I think she broke it somehow.” Ginny finished her story, and waited for the Headmaster’s response.
Dumbledore sat at his desk with his fingers intertwined while Harry and Ginny stood up in front of him. His head was bowed in thought, and his half-moon spectacles slid partly down the bridge of his crooked nose.
“You will go visit her today, when the dawn arrives, Miss Weasley. You as well, Mr. Potter,” he said glancing at Harry for a second. “Both of you will be excused from your lessons.”
Harry resisted the temptation to shout, “Yes!” at the top of his lungs. He had been scheduled for Double Potions for the first day of the term.
“Miss Weasley?” Dumbledore asked, his head slowly coming up to stare at Ginny. “I will need your mirror for a moment. It is necessary in the process of making Julia a new one.”
Ginny handed over the mirror, looking reluctant to do so.
“What happens if she breaks her new one?” she asked nervously.
“We will make another one.”
“So, you’ll just keep on making new ones for her?”
“Until the time comes when we have to stop,” Dumbledore assured her.
Harry watched Ginny’s face as the whole conversation went on. She showed no sign of being reassured when Dumbledore said his final sentence. Harry was sure that she was not going to forgive Julia that easily. From what he had experienced in the time he had known Ginny, and from the stories that the Weasleys had told him, she was someone who could hold a grudge for a very, very long time.
“Now, it would be best if the both of you received a good night’s rest while you can,” Dumbledore said. He nodded towards the revolving staircase.
Harry and Ginny quickly made their way out of the office, and into the halls. Their footsteps echoed loudly in the empty hallway.
“You going to sleep?” Ginny asked, walking sideways to look at Harry.
“No. You?”
“No. I’d probably have nightmares about how the mirror could have been destroyed.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s not fun…”
“Not fun at all.” Ginny turned back to face forwards.
“So…” Harry tried to think of something to say to keep their surroundings from sounding so empty. “What’re we going to do once we get to wherever she is? How are we even going to find her?”
“Leave that to Dumbledore,” Ginny said, sounding tired. “He’s probably put some tracking spell on her. He doesn’t want to lose her again.”
Harry silently agreed. Dumbledore was expecting her to go home eventually. Maybe he had acted like she was going to stay at Hogwarts, but when Harry thought about it, Dumbledore was smarter than that. Was he?
“Maybe I will go to bed,” Ginny yawned. “I don’t want to fall asleep in the middle of the day and embarrass myself.” She glanced at Harry. “What about you?”
“I dunno. I’m not really tired.”
“Suit yourself.”
The reached the Fat Lady’s Portrait and said the password in unison. The two quickly stepped inside the common room and felt calmer once they were in the warmer environment.
Ginny rubbed her eyes sleepily. She sighed. “I guess I should say I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” Harry asked, clearly confused.
Ginny looked at him strangely, as if it was obvious for why she was sorry.
“If you hadn’t turned the stairs into a slide, I wouldn’t have found out that the mirror was destroyed.”
Harry was taken aback. It was good that he had taken revenge on her? That was a first. She wasn’t going to take revenge on him… His body flooded with relief. “Well…” he said slowly, “…You’re welcome.”
“Night,” Ginny said softly. She ran up the stairs to the Girls’ Dormitory, leaving Harry alone in the Common Room.
Once she was gone, he realized that he was tired after all. Harry walked over to an armchair, and let his body sag into it. His eyes closed, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.
***
So... Review. Or don't. It doesn't matter. As long as I get views, I'm happy. But a review would be nice... Wait... Forget I said that. It' your decision.
Well.. Okay. Here's chapter 22. I think. Yeah. It's 22.
***
Chapter 22
All of the other students had gone to bed. Ginny was curled up in an armchair, staring at Harry’s back as he looked in to the fireplace. Her mirror was in her hands. Julia’s white booklet was on top of her stomach. She had finished her story of the events of the past few hours, and she waited for him to make any kind of a reaction.
Harry just sat there. He was silent. He didn’t move. Ginny wanted to go over and check to see if he was still breathing.
“So…” he finally said, “…she’s not coming back to Hogwarts?” He turned to look at Ginny.
She shook her head. “No,” she said quietly. “She’s not.”
Harry turned back to the fireplace. “That sucks.”
Ginny nodded. “Yeah. It does.” She turned the small mirror over in her fingers, staring at the glass, and sighed. “But it’s not like we won’t be able to talk to her.”
Harry’s mood did not seem to brighten the slightest bit. He fell silent once more, and Ginny was starting to get tired of people not talking to her.
She fidgeted in her chair, not sure whether to leave him and go to bed. She was tired, and lessons would start the next day. Staying up past midnight was not a wise choice the night before classes started.
Ginny’s impatience finally got to her, and she stood up from her chair and walked over to Harry.
“Look,” she said. “Would you rather have her stay here, where she’s going to be mad at everyone, including you, or do you want her to go and be happy? Because, if it’s the first option, I reckon you must be really selfish.” She turned to leave, and was about to go up the stairs to the girls’ dormitory, when Harry’s voice behind her stopped her.
“You’re calling me selfish?”
Ginny slowly turned around. “No…” she said through her teeth. She had a feeling that the conversation was not going to end well. “I just said that you would be selfish if you said that you wanted her to stay here.” She unclenched her jaw and prepared to start back up the stairs again when Harry stopped her once more.
“You think it’s selfish of me to want to see my only living family member in a way other than through a mirror?”
“That’s not what I said,” she snapped.
“I’m pretty sure it is.”
“Oh, shut up, will you? It’s not my fault she’s gone.”
“According to what you have told me, you’re the one who let her go.”
Ginny’s hands were clenched into fists. She began to grind her teeth. “I wouldn’t have had to let her go if you had done a better job of getting her to stay!”
Harry took a step forwards, staring his eyes wild. “So you’re saying that it’s MY fault she’s gone?”
Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. “Well,” she said coldly, “it’s not mine. If you’re going to blame me for her wanting to go home, then I can blame you.” With that, she turned back around and ran up the stairs. Harry felt like he wasn’t finished with her, and had an urge to go follow her, but he knew that the stairs would immediately turn into a stone slide if he touched it.
All of the stairs.
Grinning, he walked over to the stairs and tapped them with his shoe. There was a yelp of surprise from above, and seconds later Ginny came sliding down, looking at Harry like she wanted to kill him.
“How am I supposed to go to bed, now?” Ginny asked, her voice strained. “Now I can’t get up the stairs until the slide’s gone!” She stood up and pushed Harry before going to sit in an armchair.
She threw herself on to the chair, and let her legs hang over one of the arms. She huffed. “Why did you do that?” she asked angrily. “You’re not going to get anything pleasant out of depriving me of sleep.”
Harry sighed from behind her. “I dunno why I did it. I just felt like it.”
Ginny wrinkled her nose. “If you’re going to do that every time you ‘feel like it’, you’re going to wake up with maggots in your bed.”
“Sorry.”
“You should be.”
Harry noticed that the white booklet was at the base of the stone slide. He went over to where it had landed, and picked it up. “What’s this?” he asked.
“Julia’s notebook. She wrote things in it. I haven’t gotten around to reading anything yet.”
“Can I read it?”
“You can’t unless I give you permission.”
“Do I have permission?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Because you got me stuck down here.”
“Fair enough.”
They were silent. Ginny adjusted her position several times, waiting for the stairs to return. Minutes passed. The longer she sat, the more she wanted revenge.
Finally, Ginny had to groan. “Ugh! Make the stairs come back!”
Harry had sat down in the chair across from her. “I’ll tell you when they come back,” he muttered.
“Make them come back now!”
“I can’t!”
Ginny began to mumble a string of un-comprehendible words, and Harry was pretty sure that he did not want to know what she was saying.
Once she stopped, she sat up in her chair, and crossed her legs. She picked at her pajama pants for a few seconds before grabbing her mirror out from the pocket. “Do you think Julia’s awake?” she asked. The question was more for her than it was for Harry.
“I dunno. Maybe.”
Ginny brought the mirror closer to her mouth and said Julia’s name. She waited for her friend to appear, or at least something that was near her.
But nothing happened.
Maybe it was broken. “Julia,” Ginny repeated.
Still nothing.
“Er… Harry?” Ginny asked quietly, though panic could be heard clearly in her voice. Her hands began to shake. “Something’s wrong with the mirror.”
Harry shot up out of his seat and walked over to where she sat. “What do you mean,” he asked nervously, “that the mirror isn’t working?” He grabbed the mirror and held it up to his face.
“By saying that the mirror’s not working, I mean that nothing’s showing up whenever I say her name.”
Harry said his cousin’s name clearly into the mirror. Still, nothing happened.
“Maybe it’s only activated to my voice,” Ginny suggested. “I don’t think anything will happen if you use it. If it isn’t working for either of us, I suppose that it’s not going to work at all.”
Harry looked both confused and frustrated. “So… The mirror’s not with her, then?”
Ginny shook her head no. “I don’t think that it’s just not with her. I think she destroyed it.” She stopped and frowned. “It’s strange, really. I don’t feel like killing her.”
Harry tried hard to keep from laughing, and he silently scolded himself for having an urge to do such a thing with the circumstance that they were in.
Ginny sighed. “I really should be screaming right now.”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Is now a good time for me to cover my ears while you scream as loud as possible?”
Ginny shrugged. “No. I don’t feel up to damaging my vocal chords at the moment.”
She turned, and glanced past Harry to the way up to the girls’ dormitory. The stairs had returned. “Wait here,” she commanded, and she stood up, and went up the stairs. Seconds later she was gone.
Harry stood in the Common Room, not sure of what to do. He stared down at his feet and rocked back and forth on his heels for a few moments, trying to figure out why he was all alone in the room, waiting for his best friend’s sister to come back.
He was sure that he heard a thud from somewhere above the ceiling.
Ginny came rushing down the stairs, with Julia’s white booklet in one hand, her wand in the other. She quickly got over to the portrait hole, and stopped, with one foot already extended out in front of her.
“Are you coming?” she asked.
“Don’t you want Hermione to come?” he asked.
“Nah,” Ginny replied, shaking her head. “She should sleep. Besides, she really doesn’t have much to do with this.”
Harry shrugged, and followed her out of the Common Room.
***
“And then Harry tried to get the mirror to work, but still, nothing happened. I think she broke it somehow.” Ginny finished her story, and waited for the Headmaster’s response.
Dumbledore sat at his desk with his fingers intertwined while Harry and Ginny stood up in front of him. His head was bowed in thought, and his half-moon spectacles slid partly down the bridge of his crooked nose.
“You will go visit her today, when the dawn arrives, Miss Weasley. You as well, Mr. Potter,” he said glancing at Harry for a second. “Both of you will be excused from your lessons.”
Harry resisted the temptation to shout, “Yes!” at the top of his lungs. He had been scheduled for Double Potions for the first day of the term.
“Miss Weasley?” Dumbledore asked, his head slowly coming up to stare at Ginny. “I will need your mirror for a moment. It is necessary in the process of making Julia a new one.”
Ginny handed over the mirror, looking reluctant to do so.
“What happens if she breaks her new one?” she asked nervously.
“We will make another one.”
“So, you’ll just keep on making new ones for her?”
“Until the time comes when we have to stop,” Dumbledore assured her.
Harry watched Ginny’s face as the whole conversation went on. She showed no sign of being reassured when Dumbledore said his final sentence. Harry was sure that she was not going to forgive Julia that easily. From what he had experienced in the time he had known Ginny, and from the stories that the Weasleys had told him, she was someone who could hold a grudge for a very, very long time.
“Now, it would be best if the both of you received a good night’s rest while you can,” Dumbledore said. He nodded towards the revolving staircase.
Harry and Ginny quickly made their way out of the office, and into the halls. Their footsteps echoed loudly in the empty hallway.
“You going to sleep?” Ginny asked, walking sideways to look at Harry.
“No. You?”
“No. I’d probably have nightmares about how the mirror could have been destroyed.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s not fun…”
“Not fun at all.” Ginny turned back to face forwards.
“So…” Harry tried to think of something to say to keep their surroundings from sounding so empty. “What’re we going to do once we get to wherever she is? How are we even going to find her?”
“Leave that to Dumbledore,” Ginny said, sounding tired. “He’s probably put some tracking spell on her. He doesn’t want to lose her again.”
Harry silently agreed. Dumbledore was expecting her to go home eventually. Maybe he had acted like she was going to stay at Hogwarts, but when Harry thought about it, Dumbledore was smarter than that. Was he?
“Maybe I will go to bed,” Ginny yawned. “I don’t want to fall asleep in the middle of the day and embarrass myself.” She glanced at Harry. “What about you?”
“I dunno. I’m not really tired.”
“Suit yourself.”
The reached the Fat Lady’s Portrait and said the password in unison. The two quickly stepped inside the common room and felt calmer once they were in the warmer environment.
Ginny rubbed her eyes sleepily. She sighed. “I guess I should say I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” Harry asked, clearly confused.
Ginny looked at him strangely, as if it was obvious for why she was sorry.
“If you hadn’t turned the stairs into a slide, I wouldn’t have found out that the mirror was destroyed.”
Harry was taken aback. It was good that he had taken revenge on her? That was a first. She wasn’t going to take revenge on him… His body flooded with relief. “Well…” he said slowly, “…You’re welcome.”
“Night,” Ginny said softly. She ran up the stairs to the Girls’ Dormitory, leaving Harry alone in the Common Room.
Once she was gone, he realized that he was tired after all. Harry walked over to an armchair, and let his body sag into it. His eyes closed, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.
***
So... Review. Or don't. It doesn't matter. As long as I get views, I'm happy. But a review would be nice... Wait... Forget I said that. It' your decision.
I know! I'm an extremely unreliable person when it comes to updating my fanfics, I admit it. This has probably been...no, this has been an all time low in my fanfiction writing history. I will give no excuses this time. I've actually had most of the chapter written for a month now, but I never got around to finishing it. Don't review if you really don't want to. I'll understand if you're mad.
***
Chapter 23
It had taken a few hours, but Julia finally made it back to her…home. Grinning, she threw herself down on to the blankets, looking at her surroundings with complete happiness. She never thought that she’d be glad to be back. The dumpster seemed strangely inviting, and the rotting food smelled almost good.
She laughed when she realized that the last time she was there, she would have been wishing to be anywhere else.
Julia took her wand, and stared at it. It was the only thing at the moment that worried her. What if more than one Death Eater was sent after her? As much as she had learned about magic, she knew that she was un-capable of defeating more than one enemy by herself.
Suddenly, she sensed something moving out of the corner of her eye, interrupting her train of thought. Turning slowly, she stood, walking over to where she had seen the interruption. There was a large lump underneath the blankets that she couldn’t remember ever seeing before.
It moved, making a soft moaning sound.
Eyes wide, she stepped forwards quietly and brought her leg back. Swinging it forwards, she caught one side of the lump, turning it over with a kick. There was a squeal of pain, and something—or someone—sat up with a yell.
“Ow!” he yelled at her.
Julia stared. It was a boy. He looked to be about six, but she couldn’t just make assumptions. It was always harder to judge someone’s age when they were half-starved. His blonde hair was messy and stuck up in all directions, reminding her of Harry. His dark eyes bore into her with a great intensity, making her want to use her wand and make him disappear. Pale, thin arms still hugged the blankets around him, and his shirt hung off one shoulder, the neckline bigger than the distance between his bony shoulder blades.
“Who are you?” Julia asked carefully.
“Lewis.”
“Why are you sleeping in my blankets?”
“I didn’t know they were yours.” His voice was slightly squeaky. It reminded Julia of a mouse.
“Well… They are. This is my place. I live here.”
Lewis looked around. “You weren’t here before. I’ve been here for a week, and I’ve never seen you before. Why is that?” His eyes were wide as he stared up in curiosity. “Are you sure that these blankets are yours?”
Julia nodded slowly. “I’m sure. So, how old exactly are you?”
Lewis cocked his head to the side. “Eight.”
“Where’s your mum?”
“I dunno.”
Julia cringed. “So… She’s…Dead?”
Lewis shook his head furiously. “No. Not dead. Just missing. Big men in cloaks took her away. They didn’t see me, so they didn’t take me away. I ran, so I’m here now… Those big men weren’t very nice, you know.”
Julia knelt down in front of him, her hair falling in front of her shoulders. “Lewis. I’m going to ask you something very important. Did these men wear masks?”
He nodded.
“Did they have wands? Did they carry sticks with them?”
Another nod.
“Did your mum have a wand right then, too?”
He shook his head.
“Did she own a wand?”
Lewis nodded.
Julia sighed in relief. At least the boy wasn’t a muggle. That made things a tiny bit easier. She couldn’t just make an eight-year-old leave, so as long as Lewis knew about magic, she would be able to let him know what was going on. Even though she had unwelcome company, as long as he would be able to perform magic at some point, it would be that much safer for him to be with her.
“Do you have a wand, Lewis?”
Lewis smiled brightly, and dug down into the blankets. He pulled out a wand, holding it out for Julia to see. “It was my mum’s,” he said contentedly. “Right before the men in masks came, my mum told me that if anything happened, she wanted me to have her wand. So, here it is!” He waved the thin rod around randomly, listening to the swishing noises it made.
Julia reached forwards, grabbing the wand in mid-air. “Don’t mess around with the wand,” she said sternly. “You don’t want it to break, do you?”
Lewis shook his head no. Letting the blankets fall down to the ground, he leaned forwards. “Do you have a wand like my mum’s?” he asked.
Julia nodded, showing him her wand. “It’s not mine,” she said quietly. “It was my dad’s. He gave it to me, just like your mum gave you your wand.” She stared at her wand blankly. “But, maybe mine’s a bit different from yours.”
Like, maybe a crazy death-happy wizard was after hers.
“Where’re your mum and dad?” Lewis asked.
Julia looked up. “Gone,” she said quietly.
“Are they missing, too?”
“No. They’re dead.”
“Oh… That’s too bad… Did the men in masks take them?”
She shook her head. “No. It was just a wizard couple. They were doing some bad experiments.”
“Oh. Okay.” Lewis looked up at the sky. “I’m looking for my mum, you know. I’m going to be big and brave, and go rescue her.”
Julia couldn’t look at him. She turned her head away, staring at the dumpster. He obviously didn’t understand what was going to happen to his mother. She was gone. He would never be able to get her back. Lewis’s mother was either dead, or in Azkaban, ready to die in a few weeks. Days, even. What would he do when he figured that out? Would he keep on tagging on to her, following her around while the Death Eaters were after her? Would she send him to Dumbledore so that he could deal with him? Having Lewis around wasn’t going to be helpful to either of them.
“Look, Lewis. I don’t think it would be best if you stayed here. You can sleep in my blankets for a while, but eventually you’ll have to go. I can’t be your nanny.
Lewis looked at her strangely. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m only going to be here until I go find my mum. She’ll be waiting for me.”
“I…” Julia’s voice faltered. “I’m sure she will be.” What was she supposed to do? Tell him that he would never see his mum again? He could figure that out on his own.
It was silent. The two looked out at the street in silence, each waiting for the other to speak first. The silence wasn’t awkward at all. Nothing needed to be said. Nothing needed to be done. They were just two people at the moment. Not an underage witch and wizard with nowhere to go. They were just there.
“I forgot to ask you what your name is,” Lewis said quietly.
“It’s Julia.”
“That’s a nice name.”
“Er…Thanks.”
Lewis glanced over at Julia. “The men in masks thought so, too. They came by a few days ago. I was hiding over there.” He pointed across the street, to a run down apartment with shattered windows. “They were looking through everything here, looking for someone named Julia. They said things about how they needed to find you real soon, and take you to… to You-Know-Who… Why would they be looking for someone with the same name as you?”
Julia’s eyes widened slightly as she continued to stare ahead. “Did they come back again?” she said softly.
“No. They haven’t come back yet.”
“I don’t think they were looking for any other Julia, Lewis. I think I’m the one they’re looking for.”
“Why would they be looking for you? Did you do something wrong?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“I’m smart. I could figure it out if you told me.”
“I… I… Ask me to tell you tomorrow. I need to go to sleep.”
Julia got up, and grabbed a blanket from the ground. She walked over to the wall that the dumpster was pushed up against, leaning against it. Staring at Lewis, her eyes narrowed. He was still looking out at the street, not moving.
“Night,” he said without looking back at her.
She didn’t respond. She simply closed her eyes, and went to sleep.
***
Ginny hit the ground hard with a groan. Harry did the same as he landed a few moments later, a few feet away from where she lay. The portkey rolled innocently away from the two.
Sitting up, Ginny glared at the quill that had transported her to the hard ground. “That hurt,” she mumbled, before getting up to her feet. Looking down the road to her right, she could see a small group of buildings that were all run down and beaten.
“How could anyone want to live over here?” she asked.
“I dunno. Ask Julia,” Harry muttered. He began to walk down the road, heading towards the buildings. He looked over his shoulder. “You coming?” he asked.
Ginny nodded. “Yeah. Sure.”
She walked down the dirt road, watching the road ahead of her at all times. As much as she walked, it seemed that the buildings didn’t get any bigger. Was it her imagination, or did they get smaller? Maybe she was going insane. Maybe she was still too tired to actually understand what her eyes were trying to tell her. It was possible that the buildings were right there in front of her, and she was too out of it to notice.
“Ginny,” Harry finally said, waving a hand in her face. “Stop walking. She can see us.”
“What?” she asked groggily. She looked up from her feet. Wow. He was right. There was a small space of blankets right between a dumpster and a wall, and there was Julia. Did she look happy to see her? Disappointed? Did she know what was going on? Was she angry?
“Hey,” Ginny said weakly. She grabbed the mirror in her pocket. “I have a mirror for you.” She walked over to where Julia sat.
A look of amusement passed over Julia’s face. “I knew it,” she said. She understood why they were there. “Dumbledore had a tracking spell on me, right?”
Ginny nodded. She looked over Julia’s shoulder, staring at a second person in confusion. It was a small boy. He looked completely comfortable lying there with two complete strangers right in front of him. What was he even doing there? Did Julia let him stay there?
“Oh,” said Julia, glancing over at the boy. “That’s Lewis. His mum’s…missing.”
Ginny nodded. She held out the mirror in her hand. “I’m supposed to give this to you,” she said. “What happened to your other one?”
A smile passed over Julia’s face. “I broke it.”
“Why? How?”
“I smashed the glass with my foot and gave the silver frame to a homeless guy.”
“Er…Why?”
“I dunno. I felt like it.”
Lewis got up from his spot against the wall, and walked over to where Ginny stood. “Did the men in masks take your mum, too?” he asked quietly.
Ginny was taken by surprise. “No!” she exclaimed. Realizing that she had been shouting, she lowered the volume of her voice. “No. She’s fine.”
Lewis shrugged, and sat right down in front of her. “Has she told you that I’m going to go rescue my mum?” he asked, looking up. “I’m going to go find her, you know. Then I’ll take her back home and everything will be alright.”
Ginny stared at Julia. This was unexpected. One night out by herself and she had already let a little kid stay at her… place.
Julia understood Ginny’s expression. She shooed Lewis away, and leaned in towards Ginny. “I couldn’t make him leave,” she said quietly. “He’s eight. There’s nowhere else for him to go, and I don’t think there are any other wizards out there who can teach him about magic.”
“He’s a wizard? Where’d he get his wand?”
“It’s his mum’s. She gave it to him before the Death Eaters came for her. I didn’t want to tell him, but she’s probably dead by now. He’s been out here for a week. I don’t know what I’m going to do about that. I’ll probably give him to Dumbledore. What do you think?”
Ginny shrugged. “I guess that’s the best option. Do you want me to take him when Harry and I leave?”
“No…not…yet… I think there’re some things I need to tell him before he goes. Stuff that Dumbledore won’t teach him.”
“Like what?”
“Stuff. Just stuff.” Julia looked past Ginny, at Harry. “Can I talk to him for a while?” she asked. “I think I need to say a few things before you leave.” She took the mirror from Ginny’s hand and put it beside her. Nodding her head for Ginny to leave, she motioned Harry over with her hand.
Ginny walked away slowly. She passed Harry, who looked confused. He walked over to where Julia sat. Ginny could just make out what they were saying.
“So… You’re not coming back to Hogwarts?”
“No. I don’t belong there.”
“Where do you belong, then?”
“Out here. But, it’s not like I’m going to be alone. Dumbledore’s going to send you or Ginny out here every once in a while, right?”
“Well, I guess… I was kind of hoping that you’d be at Hogwarts, though. We could get to know each other better.”
“We can get to know each other better out here. I wouldn’t be able to do anything if I was cooped up at Hogwarts… But… Maybe I’ll come back. Sometime. Not soon, though. Let’s think of it as a surprise.”
“A surprise? I don’t really like surprises.”
“I guess that’s too bad for you, then.” Julia was smiling slightly. A friendly smile. “Ginny won’t even know. I’ll just show up one day, and I’ll do what I want from then on.”
“Will Dumbledore let you come back and do whatever?”
“Probably not… But there are a few ways that I can have my own sort of fun.”
“Like how?”
“I’ll tell you some other time.”
“How about the next time I come?”
“Hmm… I’ll have to think about that one.”
“You’re not easy to bargain with, are you?”
“No. Not at all.” Julia looked over at Ginny. “You’d better go, now. Dumbledore probably wouldn’t want you to miss too many lessons.”
Harry stared at her for a moment, and then backed away. He turned towards Ginny, smiling. “That was sort of nice,” he said.
Ginny nodded. “I bet it was,” she replied, neglecting to tell him that she had been listening the whole time. She stared over at Julia, who didn’t seem to notice that she and Harry were still there. She was focusing instead on Lewis, who was messing with the blankets in the back. He had one over his head, and his armed flailed, waving his wand—most likely his mother’s wand—around. Julia went over to him and grabbed the blanket, throwing it on the ground. She said something quietly, but Ginny couldn’t hear. Lewis sat down, disappointment in his face.
“Do you think we should leave him with her?” Harry asked, pointing to Lewis.
“They’ll be fine,” Ginny replied. She looked back at the two, not knowing what to think, and turned. As she and Harry moved farther away from the site, Ginny looked up, staring at Harry’s expression. He looked a bit disappointed.
“You knew that she wouldn’t be coming back, right?” she asked him.
He shook his head, as if shaking the thoughts out of his head. “Yeah,” he assured her. “I was just checking.”
Ginny looked back to the road ahead. Without another word, she kept on walking, worrying that things would just go downhill during the time they were gone.
***
Chapter 23
It had taken a few hours, but Julia finally made it back to her…home. Grinning, she threw herself down on to the blankets, looking at her surroundings with complete happiness. She never thought that she’d be glad to be back. The dumpster seemed strangely inviting, and the rotting food smelled almost good.
She laughed when she realized that the last time she was there, she would have been wishing to be anywhere else.
Julia took her wand, and stared at it. It was the only thing at the moment that worried her. What if more than one Death Eater was sent after her? As much as she had learned about magic, she knew that she was un-capable of defeating more than one enemy by herself.
Suddenly, she sensed something moving out of the corner of her eye, interrupting her train of thought. Turning slowly, she stood, walking over to where she had seen the interruption. There was a large lump underneath the blankets that she couldn’t remember ever seeing before.
It moved, making a soft moaning sound.
Eyes wide, she stepped forwards quietly and brought her leg back. Swinging it forwards, she caught one side of the lump, turning it over with a kick. There was a squeal of pain, and something—or someone—sat up with a yell.
“Ow!” he yelled at her.
Julia stared. It was a boy. He looked to be about six, but she couldn’t just make assumptions. It was always harder to judge someone’s age when they were half-starved. His blonde hair was messy and stuck up in all directions, reminding her of Harry. His dark eyes bore into her with a great intensity, making her want to use her wand and make him disappear. Pale, thin arms still hugged the blankets around him, and his shirt hung off one shoulder, the neckline bigger than the distance between his bony shoulder blades.
“Who are you?” Julia asked carefully.
“Lewis.”
“Why are you sleeping in my blankets?”
“I didn’t know they were yours.” His voice was slightly squeaky. It reminded Julia of a mouse.
“Well… They are. This is my place. I live here.”
Lewis looked around. “You weren’t here before. I’ve been here for a week, and I’ve never seen you before. Why is that?” His eyes were wide as he stared up in curiosity. “Are you sure that these blankets are yours?”
Julia nodded slowly. “I’m sure. So, how old exactly are you?”
Lewis cocked his head to the side. “Eight.”
“Where’s your mum?”
“I dunno.”
Julia cringed. “So… She’s…Dead?”
Lewis shook his head furiously. “No. Not dead. Just missing. Big men in cloaks took her away. They didn’t see me, so they didn’t take me away. I ran, so I’m here now… Those big men weren’t very nice, you know.”
Julia knelt down in front of him, her hair falling in front of her shoulders. “Lewis. I’m going to ask you something very important. Did these men wear masks?”
He nodded.
“Did they have wands? Did they carry sticks with them?”
Another nod.
“Did your mum have a wand right then, too?”
He shook his head.
“Did she own a wand?”
Lewis nodded.
Julia sighed in relief. At least the boy wasn’t a muggle. That made things a tiny bit easier. She couldn’t just make an eight-year-old leave, so as long as Lewis knew about magic, she would be able to let him know what was going on. Even though she had unwelcome company, as long as he would be able to perform magic at some point, it would be that much safer for him to be with her.
“Do you have a wand, Lewis?”
Lewis smiled brightly, and dug down into the blankets. He pulled out a wand, holding it out for Julia to see. “It was my mum’s,” he said contentedly. “Right before the men in masks came, my mum told me that if anything happened, she wanted me to have her wand. So, here it is!” He waved the thin rod around randomly, listening to the swishing noises it made.
Julia reached forwards, grabbing the wand in mid-air. “Don’t mess around with the wand,” she said sternly. “You don’t want it to break, do you?”
Lewis shook his head no. Letting the blankets fall down to the ground, he leaned forwards. “Do you have a wand like my mum’s?” he asked.
Julia nodded, showing him her wand. “It’s not mine,” she said quietly. “It was my dad’s. He gave it to me, just like your mum gave you your wand.” She stared at her wand blankly. “But, maybe mine’s a bit different from yours.”
Like, maybe a crazy death-happy wizard was after hers.
“Where’re your mum and dad?” Lewis asked.
Julia looked up. “Gone,” she said quietly.
“Are they missing, too?”
“No. They’re dead.”
“Oh… That’s too bad… Did the men in masks take them?”
She shook her head. “No. It was just a wizard couple. They were doing some bad experiments.”
“Oh. Okay.” Lewis looked up at the sky. “I’m looking for my mum, you know. I’m going to be big and brave, and go rescue her.”
Julia couldn’t look at him. She turned her head away, staring at the dumpster. He obviously didn’t understand what was going to happen to his mother. She was gone. He would never be able to get her back. Lewis’s mother was either dead, or in Azkaban, ready to die in a few weeks. Days, even. What would he do when he figured that out? Would he keep on tagging on to her, following her around while the Death Eaters were after her? Would she send him to Dumbledore so that he could deal with him? Having Lewis around wasn’t going to be helpful to either of them.
“Look, Lewis. I don’t think it would be best if you stayed here. You can sleep in my blankets for a while, but eventually you’ll have to go. I can’t be your nanny.
Lewis looked at her strangely. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m only going to be here until I go find my mum. She’ll be waiting for me.”
“I…” Julia’s voice faltered. “I’m sure she will be.” What was she supposed to do? Tell him that he would never see his mum again? He could figure that out on his own.
It was silent. The two looked out at the street in silence, each waiting for the other to speak first. The silence wasn’t awkward at all. Nothing needed to be said. Nothing needed to be done. They were just two people at the moment. Not an underage witch and wizard with nowhere to go. They were just there.
“I forgot to ask you what your name is,” Lewis said quietly.
“It’s Julia.”
“That’s a nice name.”
“Er…Thanks.”
Lewis glanced over at Julia. “The men in masks thought so, too. They came by a few days ago. I was hiding over there.” He pointed across the street, to a run down apartment with shattered windows. “They were looking through everything here, looking for someone named Julia. They said things about how they needed to find you real soon, and take you to… to You-Know-Who… Why would they be looking for someone with the same name as you?”
Julia’s eyes widened slightly as she continued to stare ahead. “Did they come back again?” she said softly.
“No. They haven’t come back yet.”
“I don’t think they were looking for any other Julia, Lewis. I think I’m the one they’re looking for.”
“Why would they be looking for you? Did you do something wrong?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“I’m smart. I could figure it out if you told me.”
“I… I… Ask me to tell you tomorrow. I need to go to sleep.”
Julia got up, and grabbed a blanket from the ground. She walked over to the wall that the dumpster was pushed up against, leaning against it. Staring at Lewis, her eyes narrowed. He was still looking out at the street, not moving.
“Night,” he said without looking back at her.
She didn’t respond. She simply closed her eyes, and went to sleep.
***
Ginny hit the ground hard with a groan. Harry did the same as he landed a few moments later, a few feet away from where she lay. The portkey rolled innocently away from the two.
Sitting up, Ginny glared at the quill that had transported her to the hard ground. “That hurt,” she mumbled, before getting up to her feet. Looking down the road to her right, she could see a small group of buildings that were all run down and beaten.
“How could anyone want to live over here?” she asked.
“I dunno. Ask Julia,” Harry muttered. He began to walk down the road, heading towards the buildings. He looked over his shoulder. “You coming?” he asked.
Ginny nodded. “Yeah. Sure.”
She walked down the dirt road, watching the road ahead of her at all times. As much as she walked, it seemed that the buildings didn’t get any bigger. Was it her imagination, or did they get smaller? Maybe she was going insane. Maybe she was still too tired to actually understand what her eyes were trying to tell her. It was possible that the buildings were right there in front of her, and she was too out of it to notice.
“Ginny,” Harry finally said, waving a hand in her face. “Stop walking. She can see us.”
“What?” she asked groggily. She looked up from her feet. Wow. He was right. There was a small space of blankets right between a dumpster and a wall, and there was Julia. Did she look happy to see her? Disappointed? Did she know what was going on? Was she angry?
“Hey,” Ginny said weakly. She grabbed the mirror in her pocket. “I have a mirror for you.” She walked over to where Julia sat.
A look of amusement passed over Julia’s face. “I knew it,” she said. She understood why they were there. “Dumbledore had a tracking spell on me, right?”
Ginny nodded. She looked over Julia’s shoulder, staring at a second person in confusion. It was a small boy. He looked completely comfortable lying there with two complete strangers right in front of him. What was he even doing there? Did Julia let him stay there?
“Oh,” said Julia, glancing over at the boy. “That’s Lewis. His mum’s…missing.”
Ginny nodded. She held out the mirror in her hand. “I’m supposed to give this to you,” she said. “What happened to your other one?”
A smile passed over Julia’s face. “I broke it.”
“Why? How?”
“I smashed the glass with my foot and gave the silver frame to a homeless guy.”
“Er…Why?”
“I dunno. I felt like it.”
Lewis got up from his spot against the wall, and walked over to where Ginny stood. “Did the men in masks take your mum, too?” he asked quietly.
Ginny was taken by surprise. “No!” she exclaimed. Realizing that she had been shouting, she lowered the volume of her voice. “No. She’s fine.”
Lewis shrugged, and sat right down in front of her. “Has she told you that I’m going to go rescue my mum?” he asked, looking up. “I’m going to go find her, you know. Then I’ll take her back home and everything will be alright.”
Ginny stared at Julia. This was unexpected. One night out by herself and she had already let a little kid stay at her… place.
Julia understood Ginny’s expression. She shooed Lewis away, and leaned in towards Ginny. “I couldn’t make him leave,” she said quietly. “He’s eight. There’s nowhere else for him to go, and I don’t think there are any other wizards out there who can teach him about magic.”
“He’s a wizard? Where’d he get his wand?”
“It’s his mum’s. She gave it to him before the Death Eaters came for her. I didn’t want to tell him, but she’s probably dead by now. He’s been out here for a week. I don’t know what I’m going to do about that. I’ll probably give him to Dumbledore. What do you think?”
Ginny shrugged. “I guess that’s the best option. Do you want me to take him when Harry and I leave?”
“No…not…yet… I think there’re some things I need to tell him before he goes. Stuff that Dumbledore won’t teach him.”
“Like what?”
“Stuff. Just stuff.” Julia looked past Ginny, at Harry. “Can I talk to him for a while?” she asked. “I think I need to say a few things before you leave.” She took the mirror from Ginny’s hand and put it beside her. Nodding her head for Ginny to leave, she motioned Harry over with her hand.
Ginny walked away slowly. She passed Harry, who looked confused. He walked over to where Julia sat. Ginny could just make out what they were saying.
“So… You’re not coming back to Hogwarts?”
“No. I don’t belong there.”
“Where do you belong, then?”
“Out here. But, it’s not like I’m going to be alone. Dumbledore’s going to send you or Ginny out here every once in a while, right?”
“Well, I guess… I was kind of hoping that you’d be at Hogwarts, though. We could get to know each other better.”
“We can get to know each other better out here. I wouldn’t be able to do anything if I was cooped up at Hogwarts… But… Maybe I’ll come back. Sometime. Not soon, though. Let’s think of it as a surprise.”
“A surprise? I don’t really like surprises.”
“I guess that’s too bad for you, then.” Julia was smiling slightly. A friendly smile. “Ginny won’t even know. I’ll just show up one day, and I’ll do what I want from then on.”
“Will Dumbledore let you come back and do whatever?”
“Probably not… But there are a few ways that I can have my own sort of fun.”
“Like how?”
“I’ll tell you some other time.”
“How about the next time I come?”
“Hmm… I’ll have to think about that one.”
“You’re not easy to bargain with, are you?”
“No. Not at all.” Julia looked over at Ginny. “You’d better go, now. Dumbledore probably wouldn’t want you to miss too many lessons.”
Harry stared at her for a moment, and then backed away. He turned towards Ginny, smiling. “That was sort of nice,” he said.
Ginny nodded. “I bet it was,” she replied, neglecting to tell him that she had been listening the whole time. She stared over at Julia, who didn’t seem to notice that she and Harry were still there. She was focusing instead on Lewis, who was messing with the blankets in the back. He had one over his head, and his armed flailed, waving his wand—most likely his mother’s wand—around. Julia went over to him and grabbed the blanket, throwing it on the ground. She said something quietly, but Ginny couldn’t hear. Lewis sat down, disappointment in his face.
“Do you think we should leave him with her?” Harry asked, pointing to Lewis.
“They’ll be fine,” Ginny replied. She looked back at the two, not knowing what to think, and turned. As she and Harry moved farther away from the site, Ginny looked up, staring at Harry’s expression. He looked a bit disappointed.
“You knew that she wouldn’t be coming back, right?” she asked him.
He shook his head, as if shaking the thoughts out of his head. “Yeah,” he assured her. “I was just checking.”
Ginny looked back to the road ahead. Without another word, she kept on walking, worrying that things would just go downhill during the time they were gone.
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