The Nine

Chapter 3: Goodbye Canada

The bus came to a slow stop at the Greyhound Bus Stop in Pembroke, Ontario. Heyyou stood up, and walked to the back of the bus, only to find that his five passengers had fallen asleep. He conjured up a bucket of freezing water and held it by the handle. With an evil grin on his face, he emptied the bucket over them. All at once, the five of them screamed and jumped up. As quick as they'd waken up, he magically dried their clothes. "You may want a jacket," he suggested as he pointed out the window.

The five peered out the window, still half asleep. Cora jumped. "Is that snow? My god, I haven't seen snow since I was a kid..."

Heyyou laughed. "Yes b'y, that's snow. And it's rather cold outside, so yeh's better get a coat on." He snapped his finger, and their coats appeared in the seat in front of them. The four girls had identical black trench coats. Chris had a black winter coat that seemed a little too big for him. Cora had her scarlet gloves, Nakuru with her blue mittens, Gwen with her pink mittens, and Kiera had her bare hands. Chris pulled a toque from his very large pocket. At the top of it, was a fluffy pom-pom. Heyyou stared blankly at it. "I worry about you..."

Chris smiled. "I gotta have my toque!"

Nakuru smiled. "Yes, Chris. We know..."

The five disembarked the bus, and stepped into the heaping three feet of snow. Heyyou smiled. "Have fun," he said with a chuckle.

Cora blinked. "So much snow..."

Nakuru turned to the driver. "Uhm, where's the portkey, Heyyou?"

He smiled. "It's at Walmart."

Gwen turned around and stared at Heyyou. "What's a Walmart?" she asked, sounding like a regular Paris Hilton.

Heyyou laughed to himself. "Big store. Seph though it would be funny. Yer supposedly looking for a Hawaiian alien. Don't ask me, I'm just a bus driver. That's all I can tells yeh. Now I must be off... I gots teh be in Port Aux Basques in two hours."

The five said goodbye, and looked around them. They were surrounded by snow. Gwen and Cora were having fun building a snowman, while Kiera made snow angels. Chris sighed. "Alright you three- we need to get to Walmart now. The portkey is set to eight thirty, and it's already six. We need to find Walmart, and find the Hawaiian alien. We don't have time for games right now."

Nakuru grinned. "Well then, let's get going." With that, she walked into the bus station, which appeared to be a small shoe store. She greeted the man behind the counter. "Excuse me, but could you tell me how to get to Walmart? My friends and I are from out of town."

The man gave clear directions. "Continue down Lake Street until the street curves. Right at the curve, there will be a big McDonald's. Turn left onto Pembroke Street West, and then continue until you see Walmart. There will be an intersection there. You turn right, and then you're there. It's that simple."

Nakuru paused a moment before continuing. "How long do you suppose it will take on foot?"

The man chuckled. "By foot? Ma'am, there's two or more feet of snow outside, it's fifteen below zero, and you're new to the area. And by the looks of your attire, I can clearly see that you're not dressed for the weather."

Nakuru looked at her coat and blue mittens. "It isn't that cold out, sir."

He smiled. "I can call a taxi for you if you'd like?"

Nakuru grinned. "I don't have any money, sir. Thanks anyways. And thank you for your directions."

The man raised an eyebrow as she walked out of the small store, and then went back to business.

Chris walked over to Nakuru. "So where is it?"

She bowed her head and pointed in random directions. "It's that way then that way then that way...then that way again."

Chris smiled. "That's it? That's easy! Straight, then left, then straight, then right! Thank you Nak."

Cora looked confusedly at Chris. "Only you could decipher those directions, yanno." She smiled, stood up, and wiped the snow from her coat. She looked over at Kiera and Gwen who were still in the midst of having fun. "And as for you two, we need to get to that portkey. We've been at this bus stop for fifteen minutes. I'm getting cold."

Gwen smiled. "Alright Core. No more fun for us." She snapped her fingers, and the snowman Kiera and she had been building quickly turned to a puddle.

"Hey! What was that for?" cried Kiera as she sulked over her loss.

"Let's go already," suggested Chris.

The four continued walking, for about fifteen minutes. When they reached McDonald's, they quickly noticed that Nakuru was standing several feet behind them- she was laughing. Kiera looked confusedly at Nakuru, then to the others. "I think she's finally cracked."

Nakuru stopped laughing, and looked at the others, who were shivering from the cold. "No, no, no! Guys I'm fine!"

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Then what's so funny?"

She began to giggle again. "The lot of us are acting like a bunch of Muggles! Think about it..."

Chris looked at the others with a stupid grin on his face. "We're idiots."

Cora punched Chris playfully on the arm. "Idiots, eh? What exactly do you mean by that?"

He looked over at Nakuru, who was smiling broadly. "She's right... We should be ashamed to call ourselves Witches and Wizards."

Gwen smacked her forehead. "Duh! I get it now!"

Cora still seemed utterly clueless. "What? Get what?"

Gwen walked over to her and patted her on the head. "Poor, poor, Core. You know, with our six years of experience, you'd think we could remember one of Prof Young's classes."

"Conjuring?" she asked as if she still had no clue what she was talking about.

Nakuru sighed. "Think Cora, think. Last year. Professor Young's class. Us in the front row..."

Cora shrugged. The four others all gave a big sigh before shouting, "Apparition!"

Cora smiled. "Oh! Apparition! Okay! I get it now! We're going to apparate in front of Walmart?"

"Yes, you freak!" yelled Gwen before disappearing completely. The four others did likewise, after making sure no one was watching.

The five of them appeared in front of an incredible building, with a massive blue siding and huge white letters proclaiming that where they were about to go was the Mecca for their materialistic generation...Walmart. Nakuru smiled. "Heh heh heh... Now remember guys, we're looking for a Hawaiian alien."

Chris smiled as they walked into the over-crowded store. "Our best bet is the toy section. But remember, hands off!"

Gwen chuckled to herself as she spotted the stuffed animals. "I like this place," she said quietly. She hobbled over to the display of fluffy things. "Are bears considered Hawaiian aliens?"

Cora smiled. "No, Gwen. Bears are not aliens..." She walked over to a big display of Barbie dolls. "I remember these," she said with a shudder. "Evil things! Their hair would never stay straight and brushable!"

Chris looked at Cora as if she'd suddenly gone mad. "Barbies?"

"My mom would buy them. I didn't play with them much," Cora replied, defending her image as an 'I-never-played-with-Barbies' girl. Chris laughed, eyeing Cora suspiciously. "And I suppose you never played with G.I. Joe's?" she demanded.

Chris buried his nose in the nearest book, Lord of the Rings.

Nakuru was busy scanning the shelves. She looked at the large electrical clock on the wall behind the cash registers. Seven thirty, she thought to herself as she looked back to the shelves of Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon action figures and toys. She shuddered as she scanned the shelves, giving evil glances at the odd Pikachu or Goku. That's when she heard it...

"Aloha!"

Startled, she jumped back and looked around. She spotted the fluffy blue alien-like creature that had just spoken. She picked up the box and read the instructions. Say 'Aloha Stitch'. She smiled profusely. "Aloha Stitch," she said watchfully.

No sooner than she's greeted it, it replied. "Yeah?"

She giggled uncontrollably, and read the instructions below. 'Sing me a song', she read to herself. "Sing me a song."

All of a sudden, Stitch burst into song. "Aloha oy! Aloha oy!"

Nakuru began laughing, and continued her conversation with the stuffed toy. "Tell me a joke."

It replied promptly, "Knock, knock."

Nakuru had a broad smile on her face. "Who's there?"

"Island..."

"Island, who?" she asked with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Island on Earth five days ago!"

She hugged the toy. "Aww! This is so cute! I wannit!" She looked around. "Hey guys! Get over here! You have to see this!" The four came rushing over. Nakuru smiled and showed them the toy. "This is Stitch. Watch this." She held Stitch close to her face, so he could hear her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The five of them mauled the toy, grabbing at him with excitement. They all wanted a turn with the cutest toy on Earth. All of a sudden, there was a flash of light, and the five found themselves surrounded by swirling colours. As quickly as they'd been flung into the blur, it ended, and they found themselves standing outside a building called The Three Broomsticks. Chris looked around confusedly. "Where'd the toys go?"

"Where'd the teddies go?" demanded Gwen, who sat down angrily on a nearby bench. "And where are we?"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. "Yer in Hogsmeade," it said calmly.

***

Chapter 4: Acquaintances and Greetings

Nakuru and Cora turned around, only to come face-to-face with an extremely tall man. Cora let out a shrill shriek. "Ah! Who're you and what do you want?" she asked as she shivered from the cold.

"I'm Hagrid. Keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts." He smiled warmly. "Well I'm sure you five must be freezing. After all, it's getting' late, and it's fairly cold out. Whadda yeh say we head on over to the school and get yeh's warmed up?"

Chris looked as though he'd won the lottery. "You mean...heat?"

Nakuru snickered a bit, and introduced herself and the others. "I'm Nakuru Summers. And these," she said pointing out each of the others, "are Christian Shazzar, Cora Whisp, Gwen Tomoe, and Kiera Darwin."

Hagrid shook each of their hands and grinned. He looked over at Nakuru. "Summers... You're not Allan and Melody's girl are yeh?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Nakuru bowed her head. "Yeah... I am..."

Hagrid laid his hand on her shoulder. "I knew yer parents. Lovely folk, they were. I'm sorry for yer loss."

Nakuru smiled. "It's okay. Thanks."

With this, the five new students hobbled over to an awaiting stagecoach. Hagrid smiled. "There should be room enough fer five in there." The five of them thanked him, and said goodbye. "See yeh's inside," Hagrid said warmly.

The five hopped into the stagecoach and closed the door. In a matter of moments, the castle came into view. Chris' jaw dropped as he estimated how many students there would be. "I can't even imagine how many students are in there!"

Nakuru and Cora chuckled. "Oh, I'm guessing there's over two thousand," Nakuru said with a playful grin on her face.

"I wouldn't doubt it," added Kiera, who'd been silent since Walmart had disappeared. "I mean look at the size of it! You could fit Meridian in there with room to spare..."

The castle looked fabulous. The snow glimmered in the light, and it made the five wish they'd spent more time at home in the winter. Meridian never got any snow, which seemed like a shame after them having such a blast at the Pembroke bus stop. The stagecoach pulled up to the front steps of the enormous castle, and Cora gasped. The four looked at her as if she was retarded. "Sorry, I thought the gasp would have a cool effect." She laughed silently, and followed the others as they exited the stagecoach, and headed up the steps to the large doors.

Gwen stared up at the castle in awe. "We're going to school here? This is awesome..."

Nakuru stood flabbergasted beside Chris. "Can you believe...?"

He stared blankly up at the doors. "No..."

Hagrid came up behind them and nudged them towards the doors. "Go on, they're expecting yeh's."

The five walked into the Entrance Hall nervously, and stopped as they spotted a smiling witch wearing dark robes and a pointy hat. She stepped forward and smiled at the transfer students kindly. "I am Professor McGonagall. Welcome to Hogwarts."

The five stood silently and nodded. Nakuru smiled. Professor McGonagall reminded her of Prof Helyx back at Meridian. I miss home, she thought to herself.

The thin woman grinned. "We've been waiting for you," she said calmly. "You will be sorted into your houses tonight, preferably. Unless you'd prefer otherwise."

Nakuru stepped up. "Tonight will be fine, Professor," she said kindly. "But, may I ask, isn't it a little late?"

McGonagall laughed quietly. "Oh heavens no! This is a perfect time."

The five smiled as they were led towards the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall turned and smiled. "Now, when you enter, you will follow me to the front of the Hall."

Chris grinned. "Easy enough."

With this, the five of them walked into the Great Hall, following closely behind McGonagall. All around them were students, ranging from the ages of eleven to seventeen. The large staff table at the head of the hall stood out copiously. Cora felt as though she was being sized up for execution. Gwen, with her experience in telepathy, insisted it would be over soon. Nakuru and Chris smiled as they watched the ceiling and floating candles. Kiera smiled as she spotted some cute guys, and kept in line behind the others. They stopped in front of a few steps. Sitting on a stool was a ragged, old hat.

Nakuru could feel the hundreds of eyes that were on the five of them. She was overwhelmed. McGonagall introduced the five of them to the school. "Due to current events, we are pleased to be accepting five new transfer students from Meridian Academy in Canada. We would like everyone to make them feel at home as much as possible here at Hogwarts."

Gwen was fighting to stay awake, while Cora felt sick from exposure. She was never one for crowds. Chris, however, loved the attention. He grinned mischievously as he surveyed the room. I can have fun here, he thought to himself as he studied the staff table and the Professors.

Nakuru had a knot growing in her stomach. She couldn't pay attention to Professor McGonagall. In only a matter of seconds, she could hear her name being called. "Nakuru Summers...?"

She stepped up to the stool, and sat down as McGonagall removed the hat. The rugged hat was placed on her head, and Nakuru could hear a strange voice almost whispering in her ear. "Hmm, very interesting... I know exactly where to put you..." In a matter of seconds, she heard the voice call out for the entire room to hear, "Gryffindor!"

Nakuru hopped off the stool, and walked over to the crowded Gryffindor table. She smiled as she was greeted by a multitude of student. She shook hands with a few people, two being twins. She could tell by their identical bright reddish-orange hair, and freckly faces. She sat down timidly. Beside her sat a puffy-haired girl, whom she greeted happily. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I'm Hermione Granger." Nakuru introduced herself and smiled.

A few seats down, a girl with black hair and blue eyes looked down towards Nakuru. "Summers? Yeh wouldn't be related to a Mira Summers, would yeh?" The girl raised an eyebrow.

Nakuru looked bemusedly at the girl. "Yeah- she's my cousin," she replied suspiciously. "Do you know her?"

The girl smiled. "Yes b'y, I know Mira! I went teh school with her at Burgeo." The girl held out her hand for Nakuru to shake. "I'm Salinas Dumbledore."

Nakuru shook her hand gladly. "She mentioned a Salinas Wilson... Are you related to Albus Dumbledore by any chance?" she asked confusedly.

Salinas grinned. "Yea', he's me granddad. Wilson was my name b'fore he took me in. Why d'you ask?"

"Well, Mira mentioned Wilson, that's all." Nakuru smiled. "Do you live with your granddad?"

Salinas chuckled. "I do now."

Nakuru turned around and faced the front of the hall. Chris was sitting on the stool, awaiting the hat's decision. Nakuru could see Chris smiling beneath the hat. Knowing him, he'd want one after the Sorting Ceremony. Cora was twiddling her fingers nervously beside Gwen, who was looked like she was fast asleep and had her head resting on Cora's shoulder. Kiera was still scanning the tables for guys and friendly looking people. Nakuru strained her ears anxiously, wanting to find out if Chris would be with her.

"Ravenclaw!" yelled the old hat. Chris shrugged at Nakuru as he stepped down and joined the others at his table. He was introduced to Jeimu, a lively girl, as well as another named Cho. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely with the multitude of people wanting to introduce themselves.

Cora stood anxiously beside Gwen, who, every now and then, would smack herself to stay awake. "Cora Whisp", called McGonagall from beside the four-legged stool. Cora walked up apprehensively, and sat down. The hat spoke into her ear. "Very shy- but talented. Hmm...you'd do very well in..." The hat paused for a moment. "Hufflepuff!"

Cora walked nervously over to the table of Hufflepuffs. She was quickly introduced to the house's livewire, Eve. Noticing the girl's timid nature right off the bat, Eve shook her head and got her involved in a heated discussion about Quidditch.

Chris, Cora, and Nakuru, from their new house tables, looked up to the front and watched as Gwen was called up the stool. Gwen smiled as she sat down. She winked at Nakuru, and then resumed her fatigued expression. "Gryffindor!" exclaimed the hat. Gwen hopped down, and sat excitedly beside Nakuru and Hermione.

Nakuru introduced those who she'd already met. Nakuru looked down the table at Salinas, who mouthed the words 'meet outside', unable to speak over the noise. Nakuru nodded, then turned to Hermione. "Hermione, who's that beside Salinas?" she asked, singling out a black-haired boy.

Hermione smiled. "Oh, that's Harry. Harry Potter."

"He's Harry Potter?" she asked animatedly. She looked at Harry and raised her eyebrow. "He's Harry Potter? He's the all-powerful one who lived? He stood up against 'He Who Shall Not Be Named'?" she asked sarcastically.

Hermione laughed. "Yes, Nakuru. He is Harry Potter." She looked down the table. "Hey Harry!" The boy turned around, revealing his vibrant green eyes and round glasses. Hermione waved. "Meet Nakuru. Harry, this is Nakuru. Nakuru, this is Harry." She introduced the two, and grinned amusedly as Nakuru punched her arm.

Nakuru smiled. "Hey," she said sheepishly.

"Nice to meet you," he added. "Where are you from?"

Nakuru smiled, then looked to Gwen. Gwen made a snobbish look at Harry. "Now if you'd paid attention to McGonagall up there," she said, pointing at the Professor, "you'd know exactly where we're from." With this, she crossed her arms, and turned to a boy named Ron, who introduced himself and his family.

Salinas was laughing. "She's right y'know, Harry," she said grinningly.

Nakuru bowed her head and laughed. "I'm from Meridian Academy...in Canada," she admitted. She smiled at him, and turned back to the front. Kiera was getting off the stool. She was in Ravenclaw.

With this, the ceremony ended, and the Hall slowly emptied. Professor McGonagall asked the five to come to the front, and wait for Professor Dumbledore. "He will be with you in a moment," she added as she followed the other teachers.

Chris hopped up behind Nakuru, and the five began talking. "We're not together," whined Cora as she wrestled with the buttons on her coat.

Then, a slightly tall man with a long white beard came up the five of them. He smiled warmly, and looked at Nakuru sympathetically. "You must be Nakuru," he said with a grin.

"Yes, sir," she replied calmly.

Dumbledore looked at the others. "And these are your comrades, no doubt." He shook their hands and adjusted his glasses. "If you four don't mind, I need to speak with Nakuru alone for a moment. You may go ahead to your Common Rooms." The four nodded, and said goodbye to Nakuru, who stood silently. After they left, Dumbledore returned to his seat behind the staff table. He looked at Nakuru and smiled. "Now, Ms. Summers... I think we need to discuss a few things. The most important being... Who is to assume custody over you at the end of the school year?"