Guardians Of The Watchtowers

Guardians Of The Watchtowers

Part One: The Life Before It All

Chapter One

A loon cried out into the morning air, its exact location hidden within the dense, foggy forests of the Island of Newfoundland. Its haunting cries reverberated through the air, until they struck the scaling stone walls of a square castle, and echoed back. The castle looked out of place, isolated as it was amongst the conifers and marshes. It was a gigantic edifice, and as the sun rose, the people within this castle began to stir.

"Salinas! Stop harassing the cat!!!"

Such was the beginning of a typical day at Burgeo Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which had the reputation of being the most wild and spirited magic school in the world, as well as one of the most academically prevalent. But it was Salinas Wilson, Mica Quartz, Aubrey Wolff, and Eve Hallow who seemed to be the driving force behind the high spirits.

The girls were in their eighth year of Burgeo's ten-year program, and for eight years their day had begun in much the same way: Salinas would harass Aubrey's cat, Orroko; Mica would yell at Salinas to leave the cat alone; and Eve and Aubrey would have to find the cat.

"Mica, you know I hate cats!" Salinas yelled, donning her halfmoon glasses, then shaking out her long black hair and swiftly tying it into a topknot bun. She searched for her uniform tie, stepping over Aubrey and Eve. "And I especially hate that thing."

"Oh come on," Aubrey joked. "Orroko loves you!"

Mica and Eve laughed while Salinas stood on her bed, tying her tie. "Yeah, yeah." She whistled quickly, looking round the room. "You know, we'd better hurry up. We have a double class of Divination and Magic Philosophy first thing, then the Quidditch practise. . ."

"Did you say Quidditch? Hynes is pulling us out of class again?" Eve said, with a lilt of a French Canadian accent, as the three others dressed, washed, and headed to Burgeo's Grandesalle. The Grandesalle was where all Burgeo students gathered for feasts, assemblies, and meals. The four girls headed to the Centauria table and sat down.

Burgeo's student body was divided into four houses: Centauria, Orcinium, Ursis, and Diamante. Students did everything as houses, attend classes, go on outings and eat.

The Grandesalle was impressive, four long tables set parallel to one another, one for each house. At the head of the room, on a raised platform, was the staff table, behind which were displayed two strikingly similar school crests, that of Burgeo, and its sister school in Britain: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They had a shared history, and resembled each other greatly in appearance and organization. Such was the affiliation between the two that even the houses of Burgeo could be paired with those of Hogwarts: Centauria and Gryffindor, Orcinium to Ravenclaw, Ursis to Hufflepuff, and Diamante to Slytherin. Legend had it that the four people who founded Hogwarts each had a twin, who, with correspondence from their siblings, journeyed across the Atlantic to set up a school in the same style as Hogwarts.

"She's making us practise for that exhibition again?" Aubrey asked.

"Maybe Hynes just wants to prove our worth to the European teams," Mica noted.

The exhibition was being held at Burgeo's sister school. It featured top school level Quidditch teams from all over the world. Britain, France, Germany, Romania, and many more were to be there. It was the very first time it was being held in Europe and the first year that Burgeo, Canada's only free-entry wizarding school, had enough faith in a team to send it off anywhere. The all-female Centauria team was one of the favourites going into the competition, even if they were a bit overworked.

"She has reason to make us practise so much," Eve said, helping herself to some toast. "We're the very first Canadian school level team to compete in anything international."

"It doesn't mean that Hynes has to keep us out of Charms again," Salinas muttered, chewing on a piece of fried bologna. Though incredibly enthusiastic about Quidditch, she'd always kept her studies in mind, and missing yet another afternoon of classes was in no way worth it.

"We should feel honoured that St. Croix is letting us actually get away with that." Mica spoke of Bradford St. Croix, the Headmaster of Burgeo. He was a man with a very strict bearing and a legendary temper. It was only the success of the Centauria team over the past four years that kept him from suspending the four on several occasions.

"True, true," Aubrey said, "but don't forget, we're going for the Wizarding Levels this year." The girls were all fifteen and sixteen, and were now eligible to take the standard OWLs in order to become qualified witches.

"But for now," Eve said quietly, "we should try to get to Hogwarts. We still have to pass the qualifier before their headmaster will let us participate."

Salinas spoke up again. "Dumbledore's a kind man, he'd let us go even if we lost."

The three others looked at Salinas strangely. "How do you know the Hogwarts Headmaster?" Aubrey asked.

Salinas fumbled for an answer. "My parents... they know him well. I met him two summers ago..." She munched on another hardbread biscuit. "He seemed the kind of man who rewards persistence." She smiled, hoping that had satisfied her friends. When they nodded, she knew she had.

"Anyway," Mica said, standing up. "It's off to Divination."

"Right." The three others stood up also and exited the Grandesalle.

"Am I the only one who really hates this class?" Salinas said to the others. The four girls shared all their classes, being in the same year and the same house.

"It wouldn't be so bad," Aubrey muttered, "if Professor Gillam didn't teach it." The four girls laughed as they trudged up the stairs on their way to the classroom.

Professor Gillam, a plump, multi-chinned witch, was standing at the head of the classroom. She greeted Eve, Salinas, Mica, and Aubrey warmly.

The problem with Gillam was her lack of enthusiasm for the subject. While half the class was snoozing its way through the class, Gillam reluctantly plodded through the curriculum in what seemed like a horrifyingly official fashion.

"So what are we doing today, Professor?" Eve asked.

Gillam regarded her in a suddenly bored fashion. "Introduction to Zodiac," she mumbled.

Aubrey and Eve looked slightly interested, Mica and Salinas mildly entertained throughout the ninety minutes that composed a double dose of Divination, which ended with Gillam giving no homework.

The girls got themselves out of the class as quickly as their feet allowed them, and into their Magic Philosophies class, one which they actually enjoyed.

Upon entering into the class, they fell into a giggling fit.

Their teacher, Professor Devoe, was sitting in the middle of his desk cross-legged, wearing a wild tye-dye shirt.

"Professor," Aubrey said between giggles, "exactly WHAT are you doing?"

Devoe smiled at his students, his bushy eyebrows arching up in a comical fashion. "I figured we'd study some of the Muggle philosophy of the nineteen-sixties. Muggles started to acknowledge magic back then."

Mica suddenly burst out laughing. "You mean hippies?!"

"Why, yes." Devoe spoke innocently as he picked up a daisy. "Hippies."

"Why does this scare me?" Aubrey said as they all sat down.

Philosophies class was rather amusing (Devoe insisted on playing the sitar), and lunch was rather filling (classic Newfoundland beef stew, reheated). So by the time that Mica, Eve, Aubrey, and Salinas headed to Burgeo's Quidditch pitch (armed with broomsticks), they were in a good mood.

The Quidditch pitch was simply a large clearing amongst the thick pine trees, just one more place for the early morning fog to settle and remain until late afternoon. It was muddy and misty, but in fairly good condition, and as the girls plowed their way through the fog, three more bodies became visible. The rest of the Centauria house team was waiting for them: Mira Summer, Laine Zorander, and their captain, Sara Hynes.

"Glad to see you could make it, guys." Hynes was in her ninth year, and she was incredibly serious about the game which was sending the seven of them to Britain. This often meant that she had a way of treating the other six like her subordinates. But the others didn't really mind.

"We tried, Sara, but Devoe and his sitar was too interesting," Salinas said as she flashed Hynes a toothy grin.

"Anyway," Mira, a seventh year, said, "what are we doing today?"

"Well," Hynes said, "I figured we'd just have a practise, with everyone on the field. We're gonna use everything today--" she gestured toward a trunk that lay by her feet-- "and just score some goals, beat some Bludgers." Aubrey and Eve, the team's Beaters, smiled smugly.

"Catch a Snitch, too." Salinas, the team's Seeker, added. Catching that tiny Golden Snitch was her specialty.

"Right, Salinas," Hynes said, smiling. She bent over the trunk and opened it up. She produced the red Quaffle and handed it to Laine and Mira, who were the Chasers along with her. Then Hynes took her attention to the two temperamental Bludgers, which were tied down with chains. "Ready, guys?" she asked Aubrey and Eve, who brandished their bats with ease.

Hynes flipped the chains and the Bludgers shot up into the air. Aubrey and Eve mounted their broomsticks and shot after them, keeping them from hitting the other players. Finally, Hynes produced a tiny silver box and handed it to Salinas.

Salinas lifted the lid and regarded the tiny Snitch in its dormant phase. Under ordinary circumstances, the miniscule ball of gold would be impossible to see on account of the fog. But the Centauria team had gotten around that. Salinas picked up the Snitch from the box and placed it in the palm of her right hand. Immediately it sprang to life. Tiny gossamer wings sprouted from its sides, and it seemed to sense the thick fog. Salinas watched as it took flight right in her face. The designs on the ball resembled a cartoonish insect face, and the Snitch seemed to regard her fully before fluttering its wings and glowing a pale green colour.

The Snitch then sped off, barely visible because of its speed, and hidden in the dark trees and fog. Salinas shrugged and mounted her locally crafted Terra Nova 2000 broom, and sped off in pursuit.

As she circled the pitch, watching Aubrey and Eve battle the Bludgers, Mica take her position as the Keeper, and Laine, Mira and Hynes control the Quaffle, Salinas kept a constant lookout for the Snitch. Its ability to glow didn't make it any easier to find, it just set it apart from the fog and trees.

"Salinas!" Aubrey yelled. "Bludger!"

Salinas inverted on her broom, hanging upside-down from it. She felt the whoosh of air at her feet as the Bludger whizzed by, followed by Aubrey, who tried to get in front of it to hit it back to Eve. As Salinas turned herself upright, she saw Aubrey get hit by the Bludger and go sailing into a pine tree. She giggled; Aubrey was a good Beater, until she tried some insane stunt like that.

As Laine, Mira, and Hynes stopped their play to check on Aubrey, it was up to Salinas to catch the Snitch and for Mica to help Eve control the Bludgers and get everything back in the trunk.

At once Salinas saw the pale green glow hovering about one of the goal posts. She accelerated on the broom, banked around the post and snatched it up with one hand. Floating back to the ground, she helped Eve and Mica put everything away and then went to the pine trees to check on Aubrey.

"She's okay," Mira yelled from somewhere in the fog. "She missed the tree."

"Um, Sara?" Mica yelled back toward the voices, "I think we can go to Hogwarts now. Despite that, we're good enough."

Chapter Two

"I would like to welcome you all to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the Seventh Annual Quidditch exhibition." a witch dressed in dark robes and wearing a pointed hat announced to the seventy-or-so international students who huddled before the staff table in the Great Hall. Most of them looked intimidated. Frightened.

But Salinas, Eve, Aubrey, Mica, Mira, Laine and Hynes were flabbergasted.

"It looks almost exactly like the Grandesalle at Burgeo!" they whispered to each other while trying to look interested in Professor Minerva McGonagall's monotone speech. It sounded like one of St Croix's lectures.

"Salinas," Mira poked her in the ribs, "that old guy is waving to you."

"That's not just an old guy," a Russian player whispered. "That's the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore! They say he's really powerful."

Salinas pointedly ignored the others and gave Dumbledore a kind wave. The elderly wizard winked at her, and she smiled, returning her attention to McGonagall's speech. She noticed Mica was braiding her long blonde hair. Aubrey was leaning against Mica, half asleep, and Eve was twiddling her thumbs at a nervous pace.

"...The Forbidden Forest is completely off limits to all participants. Anyone caught there will have their team disqualified. Also, we'd like to remind you that we have spaces in our classes for those of you who are more, eh, academically driven."

Everyone murmured at that. Salinas remained quiet, she was inspecting her surroundings. Hogwarts, from the inside anyway, looked amazingly like Burgeo. This Great Hall was amazing... the sister crests were there behind the staff table, and -- she looked behind her -- there they sat. The four houses. She smiled, looking toward the Gryffindor table. The Burgeo team would be rooming with the Gryffindors as a result of their schools' affiliation. She was dying to meet these students. Doing some quick math, she placed herself at the same age as the sixth years. She grinned, excited at the notion.

"...Now I'd like to introduce our team for this exhibition. Our Gryffindor house team has done remarkably well for the past couple of years, and they are well deserving of this honour. So, here they are!"

Finally, it was the moment all of the visitors were waiting for. Everyone wanted to see what this Gryffindor team was made of.

They walked out, all seven of them. Two of the players Salinas assumed to be twins, with their identically shocking red hair. There were a couple of unassuming girls, and then there was the boy everyone was pointing at. He had a disheveled mop of dark hair, and brilliant green eyes behind a pair of round glasses. She'd heard the stories about this young boy, how he'd defeated that evil Voldemort as an infant. But she'd never expected him to be so... she nearly punched herself for thinking this... cute. She looked to her left to the Russian player to distract her mind.

"Hey," their Russian know-it-all friend whispered. "That's Harry Potter. They say--"

"We know!" Hynes whispered, annoyed. "Everyone knows."

"He's some cute, eh?" Laine whispered to Salinas, who now could have punched her.

"By the lard tundrin', he's just a normal kid, me boyz," she replied, losing control of her thick Newfoundland accent, which happened whenever she was stressed or flustered. "And I thinks I needs a drink." She left the Great Room in search of a bathroom, leaving her teammates scratching their heads.

She'd gone to look for a bathroom, but she was now so lost that she didn't care how thirsty she was. She figured she'd missed some speeches, and maybe her team was on its way to the Gryffindor common room. Wherever that was.

As she was turning around to retrace her steps, she bumped into a girl about her age, wearing the Gryffindor crest.

"Are you Salinas Wilson?" the girl asked.

"Uh, yeah," Salinas said.

"I'm Hermione Granger," came the reply. "Your team is rooming with us, and we noticed you were missing. So they sent me to look for you. What happened, anyway?"

Salinas stammered. "I was goin' for a drink o' water, and I just got lost, s' all."

Hermione gave her a very stern look. "Well, the castle is big. You should have asked someone to help you." They started walking through the immense corridors, and Salinas was in awe at how expertly Hermione navigated the halls. Burgeo was big, but it wasn't this big.

Traversing a moving stairway, going through corridors, around turns, up a few steps here and there and then turning to the right, they arrived at a large portrait of a fat woman.

"You're going to have to remember this," Hermione said. "It's the password to get into our common room. You should know that you're the only team to be rooming in the castle itself."

"Really, b'y?" Salinas rolled her eyes slightly. Was there anything this girl didn't know?

Hermione turned her attention to the painting. "Fairy lights," she said clearly. The portrait swung open to reveal the spacious and cozy Gryffindor common room. Salinas stepped up and walked through the hole behind the portrait to get inside the room.

"This is gorgeous," Salinas said, "but. . ."

"It's like we never left!" Aubrey, Mica, and Eve came up to greet their friend.

"No kidding!" Laine piped up. "It's almost exactly like our common room at Burgeo. Except ours is more. . ."

"Homey," the six other members of the Canadian Quidditch team said before collapsing in giggles.

Hermione was left regarding them with a very strange look.

Eve looked at the girl. "What?" she said, before plunking down on a couch in front of the fire with her team-mates.

"It's just, well, odd."

"What's odd, Hermione?" a voice said from behind all of them.

Salinas turned around to the sound of the voice. It was that Harry Potter kid again. She forced herself to smile and nod to him.

"The school in Canada, according to these girls, is almost exactly like Hogwarts."

Salinas grinned evilly and then addressed Hermione. "Well, now, me dear. Haven't you ever read the book East and West: The Combined History of Hogwarts and Burgeo? It explains a lot, like how each of the Hogwarts founders is rumoured to have had a twin, who traversed the Atlantic and established Burgeo, inspired by the work of their siblings?"

Harry laughed. "I reckon she knows just as much as you do, Hermione."

"Well, I try." Salinas laughed as well. Like a little smitten school-girl, she thought grumpily. She had to get over this. And fast. Quidditch started tomorrow. "So," Salinas said to Harry, "I hear that you're the Seeker."

"Uh, yeah. I am." He seemed to be quite modest about the fact.

"Salinas is the best damn Seeker we've ever seen at Burgeo," Mira said suddenly. "We timed her one time, it took her under a minute. She always seems to know where the Snitch is."

"Yeah, well, Harry's not that bad either." A red headed boy seemed to come out of nowhere and regarded the Burgeo team with a look of suspicion. "We've won the Quidditch Cup for two years now."

"We shall see when the games begin," Hynes said a bit too pompously.

"Oh guys, stop being so sour." Salinas laughed at her friends, then offered her hand to the redhead. "I'm Salinas Wilson, from Burgeo Academy."

"Ron Weasley." He shook her hand voluntarily, which surprised Salinas.

"And these--" Salinas looked around her , at her teammates perched beside her on the back of the couch, "are my team mates. Aubrey Wolff, Eve Hallow, Mica Quartz, Sara Hynes, Laine Zorander, and Mira Summer." Each of the other girls waved sincerely.

"We're crazy, so don't mind us," Hynes said with a laugh.

"True, we're only snobby at first, and then we get comfortable," Mica said.

"And the next thing you know, we'll have Centauria all over again, guys." Eve joined in with a laugh. "The seven of us more or less invaded Burgeo. The school didn't know what hit it. We began pep rallies and stuff for our Quidditch games."

The three from Hogwarts looked slightly stunned.

"But, doesn't your Headmaster keep you in check?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Believe it or not, St Croix lets us do it. As long as it doesn't involve fire." Aubrey said.

"Fire?" Harry asked. "What's so bad about fire?"

"When you're Aubrey...." Mica trailed off.

"Fire is deadly in her hands, mostly because she has this unique ability to set the Quidditch pitch on fire with one spell." Mira laughed.

"Took us a year and a half to grow that bugger back," Salinas laughed.

Aubrey looked crestfallen. "But you have to admit. . .it was an awesome light show."

The seven Canadians murmured agreement.

"You set your pitch on FIRE?" Ron was laughing hard now. "Crazy Canucks!"

"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "That wasn't very nice."

"But it's TRUE!" Salinas was laughing just as hard as Ron. "We are crazy."

Suddenly the laughter of most of the Gryffindor house came to the ears of the girls from Burgeo. The entire house stood rapt at their hyperactive storytelling. Some of the younger students looked at the Burgeo team in adoration.

"So," Aubrey said once the laughter died down, "how does this tournament work?"

"I've heard that you draw for the first round, and you move up by process of elimination." Hermione said.

"So basically, if you lose, you're out." Hynes nodded to her team. "We can deal with that."

"And," Harry noted, "it seems that you are playing the team from Russia, tomorrow morning at ten. There's a notice in the Great Hall, explaining everything."

"Good." Eve said, yawning.

Salinas checked her watch. It was almost midnight. If they were to play the next morning at ten, they'd have to be in bed soon. "Where do we sleep?" she asked.

"You and Aubrey are in my dormitory, and the others..." Hermione trailed off as a few other girls crowded around the remainder of the team. "They'll figure it out. Anyway, I'll show you the room."

"Awesome," Aubrey yawned so loudly her jaw made a cracking noise. "I'm beat."

"Good night," Salinas waved to the rest of the house. Then, with Hermione in the lead, they trudged up a few stairs to a spacious dormitory room. It had five four-poster beds, and two extra ones off to the side, intended for her and Aubrey. Their trunks and belongings were already at the foot of these beds.

"This is nice," Aubrey said.

"Now this isn't like Burgeo. It's a refreshing change." Salinas looked over at Hermione. "So what's the deal with this 'taking classes' thing?"

"The tournament is two weeks long. You don't have to take classes, but it is open to any competitors who wish to keep their studies in mind."

"Good. I was worried about Charms. Back at Burgeo, we'd practise in the afternoons before the fog rolled in, which meant we missed that class." She shrugged. "I've always been somewhat of a nerd. Ask Aubrey." Salinas turned to her friend, who was already asleep on her bed, fully clothed and on top of the covers, clutching a little plush cow wearing a Christmas hat.

"She seems a bit incapacitated," Hermione said, laughing.

With a resigned sigh, Salinas sat down on her bed. "If you don't mind, I think I'm going to join her. Thanks for showing us round -- and for retrieving me."

Hermione smiled, as though suppressing extreme excitement. "Alright then. Good night, and good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks," Salinas whispered to the other girl's departing back.

She walked over to the wall and extinguished the single candle that lit the room before quickly dressing into a pair of light blue pyjamas and getting under the warm, thick covers of the bed. She slept soundly, thinking of a glorious victory against Russia and a certain Seeker with round glasses and bright green eyes....

Chapter Three: Russia vs Canada

"I can't eat!" Aubrey wailed the next morning at the Gryffindor table. She poked at her thick, steaming porridge wistfully, despite the fact that it looked terribly appetizing.

"Just f-f-forget that it's our v-very first international match, a-and you'll b-be fine," a trembling Hynes said. "Are y-you ready to c-catch today, S-Salinas?" Mira was quiet, trembling with nervousness as well.

Salinas eyed her team mates bemusedly. "Yup." She spoke simply and ate her fifth sausage with steak sauce. "I just forget that if we lose, we're out, and that calms me nerves right down."

"You guys will do fine," Hermione appeared out of nowhere and plunked down beside Salinas. "Of course, everyone's going to be watching you. Russia versus Canada is the only game today. Round One lasts all week." She pointed to the Standings chart at the head of the room, just in front of the staff table.

"Yay," Mica said calmly. "A whole week to chew over who we're playing next."

"Actually," Eve said, looking at the chart, "it'll be either the USA or Luxembourg."

"Hope it's the USA," Laine said. "Be nice to kick their butts."

"But you guys have to beat Russia first," Hermione pointed out.

"We've done our homework and know exactly what we gotta do to get round them," Salinas said matter-of-factly. "We have reason to be confident."

Before they could say much more they heard McGonagall's voice echoing through the castle. "Canadian students are to report to the Quidditch Pitch in fifteen minutes. That's Burgeo students, at the pitch in fifteen minutes."

"W-well, looks l-like we gotta go!" Hynes said shakily.

"Snap out of it, Sara. We have - to - do - well." Eve said, gripping her team captain by the shoulders, shaking her to emphazise her words.

"We'd better go." Salinas said, walking a few paces before turning around to Hermione. "You, uh, wouldn't mind showin' us the way to the commons, would ya?"

**

"Oh my good lord," Hynes said, peeking out the curtain that separated the Burgeo team from the Quidditch pitch, where they stood not ten minutes later. "There must be a thousand or more out there."

Salinas looked over Hynes' shoulder and saw the waving fabric covering the stands, and the hundreds of heads sticking out of them. They were mostly Hogwarts students, but there were a few people here and there from the other countries. Salinas noticed two Burgeo professors and a single student in the crowd. "Yup. More than a thousand."

"Keep it together, Sara," Mica said. "We--"

"--have to do well. I know." Hynes looked behind at her team. "Well guys, I just want to say that we're the best damn team Canada's ever had at this level, and we're gonna go out there and win this one for the gipper."

Salinas leaned over to Aubrey. "Who's the gipper?" she asked.

Aubrey giggled, but didn't have a chance to reply, because one of the Hogwarts professors, clad in black and white refereeing robes, blew her whistle, signaling time for the teams to mount their brooms and head out into the pitch.

Salinas licked her lips and straddled her Terra Nova 2000 broom, gripping it tightly with the aid of some hockey tape she'd put near the top of the handle. She watched Hynes take flight, then Aubrey, then Eve.... and she kicked off from the ground, finally bursting into the blazing Monday morning sunlight, her candy-red-and-silver robes billowing out behind her. With the rest of her team she did a lap of the pitch before braking in mid-air, directly across from Russia's Seeker. She looked at him. He was the know-it-all kid who wouldn't shut his mouth at the opening speech. She grinned evilly at him, trying to seem intimidating.

"All right," she heard the referee say loudly. "Let's have a good game, not a lot of fouls." She turned to a chest beside her, opened it, flipped two switches, and the Bludgers shot up straight into the air.

Salinas kept her eyes on the referee. Any minute now...

"AND THE SNITCH IS OUT!" she heard someone commentating as the tiny gold ball flitted in front of her face before zipping off in another direction. Salinas stayed rooted. She couldn't move till the Quaffle was out.

Finally, the large red ball was thrown into the air and the fourteen players zoomed into action. Typically, the Seeker would stay clear of the game play and only risk joining the fray when in pursuit of the Snitch.

However, this was not the Centauria Team's strategy. Having Salinas move only when the Snitch was visible made it easier for the opposing Seeker to spot it as well. Instead, she was to constantly zoom in and out of play, feinting here and there, all the while keeping an eye out for the Snitch. Experience -- five years' worth -- had told her that the Snitch tended to lurk round the other players, and that this is where she needed to be.

At the moment, Salinas was flying right next to Laine, who had the Quaffle tucked under her left arm, going for the Russian team's goalpoasts. She broke off from Laine, feinting for the Snitch and heading in the other direction.

"Canadian Chaser Zorander with the Quaffle now," the commentator said. "Pass to Hynes -- back to Zorander, around the Russian Keeper Ivanov, Zorander to Hynes -- CANADA SCORE!!!!"

"Right ON!" Salinas yelled, having to invert to dodge a Bludger. She then darted in and out of the action, kicking at an errant Bludger every now and then.

"And it looks like the Russians are in possession. Chaser Gagarin on his way -- intercepted by Summer -- oh, no, Summer fumbles, Novavic has it now -- pass to Gagarin -- shoot -- GREAT SAVE BY QUARTZ!"

Aubrey darted in front of Salinas suddenly. "Bludger," she panted, and Salinas got out of the way, taking a break high above the game play. She hovered above it all, cheering as Canada scored twice more, and Russia scored once.

"And Canadian Beater Wolff keeps the Bludgers off Seeker Wilson. These ladies know how to handle themselves out on the pitch -- Russia in possession again -- it's a clear shot -- COME ON, WHERE ARE THE CANADIAN CHASERS?!? -- Chaser Grinkova is all alone out there, just her and Quartz -- she shoots -- RUSSIA SCORE!!"

"What was THAT?" Eve yelled. "Let's keep it together, guys!"

"So our score now is Canada 30, Russia 20. Canada finally in possession of the Quaffle. Looking good, Summer! It's a pass to Hynes -- ooh, nearly hit by a Bludger there, but Beater Hallow took care of that -- pass to Zorander, back to Summer, then to -- OH! Hynes knocked off course by a Bludger -- but Zorander is picking up the slack -- pass to Summer -- Summer shoots

-- CANADA SCORE!!!"

Salinas, who was focussing on the play, just barely noticed the tiny Snitch glinting near one of the stands. She kept her eyes locked on it, and slowly began to follow it, not wanting to alert Russia's know-it-all Seeker.

"And the Russian Seeker Petrov is going for -- I think it's the Snitch!"

The commentary made Salinas bolt. She shot through the air, dodging the Quaffle, both the Bludgers and a Russian, finally making her way over to the speedy Petrov. She flew beside him for awhile, and then he stopped suddenly to look at her. She stared at him intently.

"And Petrov has stopped his pursuit, and he and Canadian Seeker Wilson seem to be having -- " there was a laugh here, " -- a staring contest."

"Hah!" Salinas' eyes went wide suddenly and, fast as lightning, her hand grasped at something right behind Petrov's left ear.

"What -- " Petrov seemed awestruck.

Salinas flew away from him, laughing as she gained altitude, and raised her hand into the air. "SURPRISE!!" she yelled.

Between her fingers was the Golden Snitch.

"AND IT'S OVER!!" the commentator yelled. "FINAL SCORE: CANADA 180, RUSSIA 20! CANADA ADVANCE!!"

Salinas was suddenly overcome by flashes of red and silver robes on all sides.

"We did it!" Hynes yelled, near tears.

"That was awesome, Salinas!" Mica said.

"You did a great job yourself, 'Keeper Quartz'," Salinas giggled.

"That was awfully short though," Aubrey remarked.

"He was on it," Salinas said, breathing hard. "He knew it was somewhere near him, so I didn't take chances with it." She dismounted her broom with the others and walked over to Petrov. She offered him her hand. "That was a great game," she said sincerely. "Hope to see you here next time."

Petrov nodded glumly and walked off, not even bothering to take Salinas' hand.

And Team Canada rode high on its first international Quidditch victory ever.

**

"That was ruddy INCREDIBLE!"

Salinas, Aubrey, Mica, and Eve were almost bowled over by Ron when they entered the common room that afternoon. "I mean, I've never seen a school level team play that well! And Salinas, that inversion to dodge the Bludger ... that was wicked!"

"Stop it, Ron." Salinas said sharply. "You have your own team to cheer for."
"Aah, but you guys are so much better," Ron said eagerly.

"You won't be saying that if we end up playing the Gryffindors, now will you?" Eve said.

"If that happens, it'll be a damn good match."

Salinas grinned at Ron. "If that happens, I'll end up catching the Snitch."

Chapter Four

(AN: Since a lot of the Gryffindor Quidditch team members were in their last year come the third and fourth books, I'm simply not going to refer to them by name.)

The Burgeo team did extremely well after defeating Russia. They went on to defeat Luxembourg one hundred and eighty points to thirty, and in the semi-finals, they managed to beat Sweden (with a lot of difficulty) in a four-hour game, which ended with the Burgeo students winning, two hundred and seventy points to one hundred and twenty. On the other hand, the Gryffindors were turning out to be the biggest competition for the Canadian team, having won all their games as well.

The final game was to be between England and Canada, (or simply Gryffindor and Centauria, as they became known by all spectators) just as they'd all predicted the previous week.

So when the last day of the Quidditch exhibition dawned, there was a lot of animosity against the Burgeo students. Ron, who had at first been one of their greatest fans, now shot icy looks at each of the team members as they went to the Great Hall for breakfast before their game. No doubt he was incensed over having his house team's rivals sleeping in the same tower as him.

As usual, Aubrey refused to eat, Salinas ate like a horse, Hynes stammered her way through meager conversations, and everyone else remained calm.

"It's my last chance to eat you know," Salinas said sarcastically in response to Mica's strange looks. "I could get hit and killed by a Bludger today, you know." She shoveled another forkful or fried potatoes in her mouth.

"Don't s-say that!" Hynes went pale.

"You guys both get so nervous, it's pathetic," Mira chided them.

No sooner had they finished than they heard McGonagall's voice again, telling both teams to go to the pitch to get ready. "And good luck to the Gryffindor team," she said emotionally. "Goodness knows we need this victory."

"Well," Eve said to Hermione, who was sitting a few seats down, "may the best house win."

"Yeah," the bushy-haired girl replied as she left the Great Hall, leaving the Burgeo team to their own devices.

The seven girls walked out to the change rooms and silently donned their candy-red and silver robes, festooned with silver maple leaves. The Canadian Ministry of Magic had even splurged and gotten their surnames written on the back of the robes, just like the World Cup teams. They looked incredibly professional, and were heading out to the waiting area when Aubrey suddenly yelled, "Whoa!"

"What?" the others yelled, looking alarmed.

Aubrey sank to her knees and clasped her hands as though praying.

"Why are you doing that?" Laine asked.

"Good luck," she said simply. "We're gonna need it. They're incredible."

The others shrugged, and the team continued on its way.

"Oh, Sara?" Salinas asked suddenly. "Who's the gipper?"

Hynes shot both Salinas and Aubrey stern looks and opened her mouth to speak, but didn't. The referee blew her whistle and the seven girls went airborne, streaking around the pitch to wild cheers -- which they all assumed were for England.

Trying to concentrate on the task at hand, Salinas didn't dare look over at Harry, who was hovering opposite her. She stared down at the referee, and watched as the Bludgers were released. Then she saw the Snitch and jerked her head round in order to see where it had gone. She noticed that it flew around the pitch once then disappeared. As soon as the Quaffle was out, and she watched Harry go above the play (as was expected), she launched herself in the direction of where the Snitch had been.

"And it's Gryffindor in possession of the Quaffle," Salinas heard the commentary as she whipped past a Gryffindor Chaser. "But it's a daring steal by Centauria chaser Summer. Summer passes to Zorander, reverse pass back to Summer -- that sent the Keeper into a daze, no doubt, and here comes Hynes out of nowhere, gets the Quaffle from Summer, she's heading for a score -- and it's in. CENTAURIA SCORES!"

Salinas suddenly hovered beside Aubrey. "I can get the Snitch at almost any time," she muttered. "Keep the Seeker distracted as much as possible. I knows that if he sees me move, he's on me tail and the game is as good as lost for us."

"So what do you want me to do?" Aubrey asked.

Salinas' eyebrow twitched. "Bludge him."

Aubrey looked at Salinas strangely. "I'll do what I can," she said meekly, "but I'm not letting them get penalties."

"That's fine, just keep him on his toes. I'll feint him into play and then ye can have at it."

"And Centauria has gotten possession -- but the Quaffle is immediately taken by the Gryffindors, and they're on a bee-line for the goal posts. Seems like the Centauria Keeper is all alone -- OH! Two Bludgers get in the way of the Gryffindor team, that's some fine Beater work we're seeing -- but -- oh Lord! The Quaffle went through! Ten points for Gryffindor!"

After another forty or so minutes of play, with the teams tied at thirty points apiece, Salinas saw the Snitch suddenly . . . it was right behind Harry, just as it had been for the Seeker in the Russian match. If she came toward him, he'd know. There was only one thing for her to do.

"And the Centauria Seeker is suddenly taking a deep dive, right down the middle of the pitch. She seems to be going for the Snitch!"

Salinas looked behind her and saw Harry gaining on her. Perfect. She dived relentlessly, watching the green grass of the pitch getting closer and closer to her. At the last possible second, she pulled up on her broom and rose sharply, leaving Harry behind just above the ground, looking a little dazed. The crowd gasped in horror, then cheered.

"It was a Wronski Feint, everybody! The Centauria Seeker just performed the Wronski Feint! Good thing the Gryffindor Seeker was able to level out in time, those falls can hurt."

"Yeah, yeah, Wronski Feint, blah blah," she muttered to herself as she rose into the air, searching frantically for a shine of gold.

She saw it, it was fluttering in the grass of the centre circle. Salinas wheeled her broom around and dived once again. When she saw Harry go for it without even looking at her, she knew he'd seen it. This was going to be close.

The Snitch hovered gently, barely moving. . .the two of them were careening towards it as fast as their brooms would let them . . .then suddenly Salinas was aware of a whooshing behind her. The Snitch flew off, out of her field of view.

"BLUDGER!"

She heard Eve's yell and inverted, but unfortunately Harry wasn't so lucky. The Bludger hit the tail of his broom and sent him off into the wrong direction. As Salinas tried to re-orient herself, she was lost in the hubbub of a Gryffindor Beater coming right in front of her, to send the Bludger back in the Centaurias' direction. She didn't notice what had flown up her sleeve until she couldn't bend her elbow as she tried to grip her broom to turn. Cursing, she reached up her sleeve to retrieve whatever it was.

"Oh my God. . ." she whispered as she pulled it out.

There was the Snitch. Shakily, she placed it in her right hand and held it high.

"The Centaurias have won the final! The score is Gryffindor thirty, Centauria 180! The champion of the Quidditch exhibition is Team Canada!"

The roar was deafening as the fourteen players fluttered to the ground. Salinas figured that the students knew good playing when they saw it, and that their cheers were simply because it was a well-played game.

The Centaurias whirled together in a huge red-and-silver blur. Hynes was crying, Eve was cheering at the top of her lungs, and the rest were smiling so wide their faces might have cracked.

"My God, how did you do that?" Aubrey asked Salinas.

"I don't know. Must have flown up me sleeve!"

Suddenly Hynes caught them all in a group hug, which they shared, then disbanded. Each member of the team sought their Gryffindor counterparts and they shared handshakes.

"That was awesome," Salinas said as she shook Harry's hand.

"It was." Harry said, seeming only slightly disappointed.

"Ye played well. Good game." Salinas smiled widely at him before heading out with her team.

*

The seven Canadians spent that evening packing up in the common room and, on their way out the door to catch a Portkey back to Burgeo, accepting lukewarm congratulations from the Gryffindors.

Ron, as per normal, wouldn't keep quiet about Salinas' Wronski Feint, and she finally had to give in and sign her autograph for him, and apologize repeatedly to Hermione for not coming to any classes. Aubrey walked into at least seven walls while being mobbed by first-years, and the five others put up with their share of mobbing as they wormed their way through the Entrance Hall. Several teachers were waiting to bid them goodbye, most notably McGonagall and the Headmaster, Dumbledore.

"Won't you stay for the feast?" Dumbledore asked them, smiling warmly at Salinas. The others looked to him, and then to Salinas, who was smiling back, with odd looks on their faces.

"No, we have to go get our Portkey out of here. There won't be another one till after school resumes," Aubrey said.

"I have a feeling, though," Dumbledore said gently, "that we will be meeting some of you again, perhaps sooner than you think."

Six members of the team looked at each other oddly, but Salinas just grinned again as they headed outside into the clear night.

Chapter Five

The halls of Burgeo buzzed with beginning-of-year excitement, and Salinas, Aubrey, Eve, and Mica were right in the thick of it, beginning their ninth and next-to-last year of studies. The sprawling, bog-ridden grounds were unusually dry and sunny for the start of August (school began on the first), and the entire school, students and staff alike, were in good spirits. The Centauria house was especially raucous, coming off the spectacular win their Quidditch team pulled off at Hogwarts.

As the Grandesalle filled with the seven hundred or so students that made up the student body, and the four girls were huddling over the first dinner of the school year, a single screech owl fluttered in from a window high among the rafters. It soared through the cathedral-like hall and circled a few times before swooping down and dropping an official-looking letter directly onto Salinas' plate.

She grabbed the letter. "Now who the jeez--" As she turned it over and was ready to open it, Amherst, her own owl, flew in and delivered another, much more informal letter to her plate.

"Who's sending you mail right away?" Eve asked.

"I'm not. . . sure," Salinas said, stroking Amherst around the beak and using her butter knife to slit open the first letter. She took the letter out of its envelope, and her eyes roamed over the Canadian Coat of Arms and the words 'Canadian Ministry of Magic' written on the letterhead. She unfolded the note and instantly went pale.

"What's wrong, Salinas?" Mica said quietly.

Mutely, she shook her head, telling Mica to wait, and read:

Salinas M. Wilson,

We regret to inform you that at approximately 11:29 PM, on 31 July of this year,

the Dark Mark was conjured over your home residence, 731 St Fintan's Road, Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland. Upon investigation of your home and its adjoining property, the bodies of your parents Ellis and Veronica Wilson were found by the Newfoundland Magical Constabulary. Both were victims to the 'avada kedavra' killing curse, which, as you may well be aware, is an illegal activity. The conjuring of the Dark Mark, of course, is a symbol of the work of a Death Eater. The NMC and the Canadian and International Magic Ministries are hard at work to find the one responsible.

Arrangements have been made for you. You should recieve them shortly.

Yours sincerely.

Jann O'Flaherty, Head, Canadian Department of Magical Law Enforcement

Salinas drew in a breath and handed the letter to her friends and calmly, despite the storm of emotions within her

fighting to get out, opened the other one.

Dearest Salinas, [it read]

No doubt you are aware of the passing of your mother and father. As soon as the news reached me here in Britain, I thought of you immediately. It has been cleared with the Ministry-- I am now your legal guardian.

As your grandfather, I believe that the safest place for you at the moment is in Britain, where I can keep you safe. I have sent a letter to your Headmaster St Croix informing him that you will be transfering to my school as soon as possible. I know you may not like it, but it is for your own good. Enclosed is a list of school supplies you may need for your first term here, as well as tickets to the school train. Our school year starts 1 September.

Love and Cookies,

Grandad Albus

"He can't be SERIOUS!" Salinas yelled rather loudly.

The three others looked up. "Huh?"

"He wants me . . .well, he wants me to go to Hogwarts. Guys," she blinked. "I lied when I told you how I knew the Hogwarts Headmaster. He's actually my grandfather. I has a month to get meself out of here and to Britain." She sniffed. She was not going to cry, she told herself.

"No way," Aubrey snatched the letter from her and read it quickly. Her face fell. "Oh no. No, no, no. You can't leave, Sal."

Eve snatched the second letter from Aubrey. "Or should we say," she said, her different-coloured eyes twinkling behind her glasses, "you can't leave without us."

"Whaa?" Salinas and Mica leaned over Albus' letter. Sure enough, as a postscript, he had written,

I believe you would be most uncomfortable without your friends Misses Hallow, Quartz, and Wolff. Hence I have arranged it so that they too have the opportunity to transfer with you. --A

"So," Salinas said shakily, "What are you guys going to do?"

"We're coming, of course," Aubrey said stubbornly.

"I'm all for it," said Eve. "What about you, Mica?"

The light-haired girl seemed to snap out of a trance. "Oh. Yes. Definitely."

Salinas smiled slightly at her friends before wordlessly rushing out of the Grandesalle. She didn't want any of them to

see her cry. She loved her parents, even though she wasn't close to them, and to hear that they were dead. . . They hadn't raised her, but they had still been an integral part of her life. They'd miss her seventeenth birthday, which was on the twenty-eighth of August, they'd miss her graduation from Burgeo. . .and she wasn't even going to finish at Burgeo. Because of that Voldemort, whatever he was, getting that Death Eater to kill her parents. Because of him, she had to leave all her friends and take her best ones across the ocean with her to a school that, to the best of her knowledge, she'd only spent two weeks in as a guest. Being closer to her grandfather -- the man whom she was closest to, was of little relief.

She ducked behind a marble statue of a phoenix in one of the more deserted hallways, sat down, and cried angrily. It wasn't the transfer that made her angry, it was the idea that this Death Eater, whomever he was, had torn apart her family in the blink of an eye.

"Why," she whispered to herself. "Why me?" Her eyes traveled up to the statue she'd ducked behind.

"I don't know why," said a soft voice from behind her.

Salinas turned to face Aubrey. "How'd ya know I was here?" she asked.

"You've run and hidden behind this statue when you were upset ever since you got here. I remember you hiding behind it when my Shrinking Solution exploded in first year Potions and got on your hands. You didn't want Professor Muise and the rest of the class to see it."

"It reminds me of something," Salinas went on. "Grandad Albus, he's got a phoenix, named Fawkes. Anyway, when I was three, I was playing with Fawkes and he, well, went up in flames right in front o' me. I got all freaked out and went cryin' to Grandad, saying something like, 'I didn't break him', and then he showed me the new chick coming out of the ashes, and explained it all to me. Told me to always find a way to rise above all the horrid stuff that may happen in your life."

"And that's exactly what you've always done. It's why we love you, Sal. And you're going to do it this time. Show that Voldemort and his Death Eaters that he can't beat you down!" Strangely, Aubrey said the last sentence with ample passion.

"I intends to," Salinas said. "Trust me."

**

News of the four girls' transfering spread like wildfire around the castle, and there were several attempts to botch up their leaving. Unfortunately for them however, there was nothing to stop them leaving Burgeo and taking the ferry to Nova Scotia, and then the Portkey to London. It was a rather uneventful trip; even Mica, who was the only one of the four not well accustomed to ocean travel, found the journey relaxing.

They reached London on the twenty-eighth of August.

"Happy belated seventeenth, Sal," Mica said loudly over their table two days later in The Leaky Cauldron. Dumbledore had recommended it as a good place to stay while they waited out the few days leading up to school. Apparently it also housed Diagon Alley, where they had purchased everything they needed for the seventh year at Hogwarts. The bulk of Salinas' inheritance was also housed in the Alley, at the Gringotts' bank.

"Thanks, guys," she said meekly as a giant birthday cake was placed in front of her. She didn't like being the centre of attention, especially after what had happened. Traumatic as it was, she was getting on with her life.

"Least we could do. You've had a rough time, and we're here for you," Eve said, and Aubrey nodded.

"Worried about tomorrow?" Mica asked.

"Nope," Salinas said. To tell you the truth, I'm actually excited. I loves that school."

"That's more than I can say," Aubrey said. Everyone noticed she hadn't touched her slice of birthday cake, and laughed.

"It's not like we're total strangers to them," Eve said. "We did room with the Gryffindors for two weeks. We even signed autographs for some of them!"

"True, we were mobbed as we left," Salinas said, picking at her piece of cake.

"And that red-headed kid, he looked like he was in love with you," Mica said.

Salinas snorted a laugh, and nearly choked on her cake. "Only the fact that I got the best of that Potter kid with me Wronski Feint," she said, coughing.

"That was awesome, we never expected you to pull that off." Eve said.

"I 'spose," Salinas mumbled. "I just wants to get there, so we can get back to normal, y'know?"

"So where do we have to be tomorrow?" Aubrey asked.

Mica pulled out their tickets. "The train leaves the King's Cross station at eleven AM, and we have to be on platform nine and three-quarters."

"Nine and what?" Everyone else looked confused.

"That's what it says," Mica sighed and put the tickets back in her bag. "We'll find it. Just keep on the lookout for anyone we met at the exhibition."

"Good idea," Eve said.

The Leaky Cauldron was slowly starting to empty as the clock struck midnight. Several people muttered a birthday greeting to Salinas as they left, until finally it was only the four of them and Tom, the bartender.

"Well," Mica said, "I think we should go upstairs."

"Yeah," Salinas said, packing up her cake and handing it to Tom. "Give it away," she said to him. He nodded and took it into the kitchen.

The four trudged upstairs and into their separate rooms. Salinas closed the door behind her, slipped into her beloved pyjamas (with little hedgehogs printed over the fabric), and underneath the covers. She blinked a few times in the pale light of the candle by the nightstand, then sat up to blow it out. Now completely in darkness, she lay back down, pulling the warm, knit blankets up to her chin. She didn't even have time to think about anything before she fell asleep.

**

She was woken by the ray of bright sunlight that streamed in through the window. With a resigned mutter under her breath, Salinas got up and rummaged for some clothing. Obviously the new school robes would have to wait until she got on the train, but for the time being she slipped into a blue shirt and a pair of jeans. She packed the rest of her belongings up and brought them out into the hall.

Aubrey was in the doorway opposite, struggling with her trunk. "'Morning," she said, closing the latch after what seemed to be a struggle.

"'Mornin'," Salinas replied, leaning on her trunk and seeing Eve and Mica out in the hall as well. "So are we ready t'go?" she said, smiling nervously.

"I'm all for it," Mica said. Behind her, Eve nodded as she stifled a yawn.

They all stood up, and, heaving their trunks out of the way, stepped into the sunlight outside the Leaky Cauldron.

Chapter Six

"Platform nine....."

"There's ten!"

"OK, so how d'we..."

Such was the conversation between the four girls upon arriving at King's Cross station. Hopelessly, they stared at the sign reading "Platform 9" and then the one reading "Platform 10".

Salinas looked at her watch. It was ten-fifty. They had ten minutes to find this invisible platform. The people around them were staring, not at their clothes, but at the strange luggage they carried; owl cages, heavy trunks and tote bags with the Burgeo crest emblazoned on them. It was becoming increasingly claustrophobic. "D'ya see anyone who might be goin' where we's goin'?" she said to Mica.

"Not....really. WAIT! There's that redheaded kid you gave an autograph to!"

"Where?"

They watched as the tall boy ran toward the wall between the platforms...and vanished.

"Guys," Aubrey said. "We just walk through it!"

"Can we take that chance, though?" Eve muttered.

"I'm going for it." Mica wheeled her luggage trolley around and ran straight through the wall.

"OK, it works. Let's go 'fore we're late." Salinas followed suit with Mica. Running for the wall, half expecting to crash into it, she drew in a breath of air and held it as she reached the wall... and passed through it, like it didn't exist. She looked and saw a brilliant scarlet steam engine, framed from above by a hanging sign reading "Platforn Nine and Three-Quarters: Hogwarts Express". She could see the redheaded kid... Ron was his name, she remembered... talking to Hermione, the bushy-haired girl who'd found her in the castle the previous year... and there was Harry Potter. Salinas coughed discreetly, looked the other way deliberately, and turned to Aubrey, Eve, and Mica, who were now all through the barrier.

"Let's get on it." Aubrey rushed toward the train and claimed the first spare compartment, and beckoned the others to follow.

They all stowed their luggage and got onto the train, each bearing an odd expression of fear and excitement.

"So what time is it now?" Eve asked.

Mica looked at her watch. "Almost elev--"

The train started with a huge shoving motion, picked up speed, and soon they were streaking through the British countryside, at such a fast speed that none of them could admire if they wanted to.

Hours passed by with the four girls not saying much as they meddled in their thoughts. Some people -- not many -- recognized them from the Quidditch exhibition, but for the most part they were left alone. Eve put an Acoustic spell on the compartment so that the shrieks of the younger students couldn't be heard, and they slept for most of the journey.

**

It was only when there was a curt knock on their door that they awoke. It was dark out; the train had stopped... and they hadn't even changed yet.

"Damn it," Salinas said as the four of them fought to get dressed in the tiny train compartment. "I will NOT have to wear a skirt and knee socks...." She gave a shudder before quickly Transfiguring her skirt into a pair of casual pants. "You guys all ready?"

"Yup." Aubrey shook out her new robes.

"As always," Mica fastened her cloak.

"Sure am." Eve opened the door to the compartment and they followed the older students toward the multitudes of stagecoaches that waited nearby. They climbed into the nearest empty one they could find and within minutes were rolling along the way to the magnificent castle of Hogwarts.

"Compared to this place," Mica said, "Burgeo is like... like..."

"A box in a bog?" Salinas put in helpfully.

"This is impressive," Eve said.

They exchanged nervous smiles as the coaches pulled up to the stairway that led to the door of the castle. As soon as they got out, they were under the distinct impression that they were in the wrong place.

"Salinas!" someone cried. It was the dark-haired teacher, Professor McGonagall.

They all turned in her direction.

"You're to come with me," she said crisply. Salinas was reminded strongly of Headmaster St. Croix back at Burgeo. The four girls followed McGonagall down a hall, to a chamber slightly off the Great Hall. It was filled with eleven-year-old first year students, whom she addressed immediately. Eve, Salinas, Aubrey and Mica stood near the back as the teacher spoke. ". . .be sorted into your houses."

This made Eve jump. "Shouldn't we already be in. . ."

"I don't know," Aubrey shrugged.

The line of first years moved towards a pair of huge French doors, and they all entered the Great Hall.

Once more, Salinas was reminded of Burgeo. From the enchanted ceiling to the floating candles, it was as though, for a brief moment, nothing had happened and she'd never left her home. She was brought back to reality when McGonagall brought out a stool and a ragged hat.

"You will come when I call your name," she began, "and I will put the Sorting Hat on your head. It will decide for you, what house you will be in." She read through student after student, and the crowd around the four became smaller and smaller until they were standing all alone, being stared at by hundreds of eyes.

"And now," McGonagall said, "due to an. . .event at our sister school across the Atlantic, we have four transfer students from Burgeo Academy, who will be entering seventh year, to Sort." She glanced at the four of them. "Salinas Dumbledore!" she said clearly.

Salinas stood fixed for a moment. Just when had she assumed her grandfather's last name? As if being a transfer student wasn't bad enough, now everyone knew that she was the granddaughter of the Headmaster.

"Salinas?" McGonagall asked again.

Aubrey shoved Salinas in the back. "Go."

She walked up to the stool, and the hat was placed on her head. She was sent into darkness, and a nagging little voice could be heard behind her ear. "Ah. I see. . . you have something. . . something very, very interesting here, in your head. I know just where to put you. Gryffindor!" The hat shouted the last word for all to hear and Salinas took off the hat and grinned to one table in the room that was cheering and standing up. She walked over to it and sat down.

"Welcome," someone said, shaking her hand.

She turned to face that redheaded boy. "Hey. . . you're . . .Ron, is it?"

He nodded and smiled. "Yeah, that's me. Those your teammates?"

"Yeah, I hope that they're all in---"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The Hat was shouting again, and Eve smiled and walked to another table.

"Well, that's not good, is it?" Ron said, looking concerned.

"Naw, there's always. . ." Salinas looked as Mica was Sorted into. . .

"RAVENCLAW!"

Then McGonagall said, "Aubrey Riddle!"

"Riddle?" Salinas looked at Ron. "That's not her last name, at least I don't think so."

But Ron was looking over at someone who was sitting right beside Salinas. She turned to face him and nearly fell out of her chair. It was Harry Potter.

"Riddle. . ." the boy said, looking a tad alarmed.

"Salinas," Ron said, "d'you think she'd be in . . ."

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat said finally.

"Ouch," Harry said quietly.

"What," Salinas asked.

"Well. . .Slytherin isn't exactly what you'd call . . .anti-Dark," he said lamely.

"Oh, for God's sake, I knows all 'bout that! 'Bout how Slytherin was this crazy feller who was against part Muggle kids comin' to the school. His sister helped build my ol' school, but she wasn't like that."

"Okay, then." Harry looked at Salinas, slightly intimidated.

There was a sudden hush; Professor Dumbledore was now rising from his seat at the Head Table, which, Salinas realized, she hadn't noticed until now.

"Welcome to our new students, especially my granddaughter, Salinas," he said, looking right at her while she made cutting gestures with her finger across her throat. "As usual, there are always a few notices to give before we eat, and here they are. First off, the Forbidden forest is off limits to all students. Secondly, this year we are reinstating Hogsmeade weekend visits for all third years and above."

While everyone cheered this news, Salinas asked Ron, "Why were they cancelled?"

"There was a fear that the Death Eaters would target the students. I wonder if something happened."

Salinas was going to ask more, but Dumbledore continued. "Also, given the success of last year's Quidditch exhibition, I am pleased to announce that this year's Quidditch Cup winner will be representing our school at the exhibition this year."

"That's usually always us, you know," Ron said, grinning. "You should try out, Salinas."

She leaned over the table and grinned. "Call me Sal."

"And now," Dumbledore continued, "it is time we had a good bite to eat. Tuck in." He clapped his hands once, and the food appeared out of nowhere onto the tables.

"What is this?" Ron said in disgust, pointing to a tray of round slabs of what looked like fried ham.

"Jees, Ron, it's only fried bologna! It won't kill ye." Salinas chuckled as she helped herself to some. It looked as though her Grandad Albus had it cooked specially for her, as it was her favourite dish.

"Fried what?" someone else said.

"Bolo- Hermione! Hey, how are ya?" Salinas nodded at the girl who was a few seats over. "It's fried bologna. And don't ask what it's made of."

The other girl laughed, but picked up a slice all the same.

Although easily getting along with the other students in her house, Salinas felt odd. Back at Burgeo, she and Eve, Aubrey, and Mica were all in the same house. And now they were separated.

But there wasn't time to think about that, she reasoned. School was starting tomorrow.

**

"Hey, Sal!" Aubrey waved to Salinas from across the Great Hall the next morning.

"Aubrey!" Salinas waved back. "How's it goin' for ye?"

"It's alright, I suppose. But listen, I've just gotten my timetable--" she nodded as someone passed Salinas hers-- "--and I guess I've got Potions with you." She squinted at the paper, and read, "'Advanced Potions'. Wonder how come they've got me in that?"

"Gee, I dunno," Salinas said in mock stupidity, "'Cause you're good at it? Now let me eat me breakfast."

She returned to the Gryffindor table, where she was quickly surrounded by muttering students, who yawned and wheedled over their new timetables.

"Advanced Potions? You nuts or something?" a short haired girl of oriental origin asked incredulously.

"Nah, I'm fairly good at it, so I figured it wouldn't hurt." Salinas smiled at the girl, and recognized her as the person with whom she shared a dorm room. "Don't think I've introduced meself before. I'm Salinas, but ye can call me Sal."

"My name's Jeimu. You can call me Jay. Everyone else does." The short haired girl shook Salinas' hand before wandering off for some toast.

"Did she just say you were taking Advanced Potions?" Ron said as he sat down across from Salinas. "I hope you know what you're getting into."

"Should I be worried?" she grinned at Ron, and pushed her halfmoon glasses further up on her nose.

"I would be. Professor Snape is a mean bastard."

"Bastard, eh?" She chuckled again. "I guess I'll have to go see for myself."

She finished her toast and headed down to the dungeons, smirking.

**

". . .Ron says he's not very nice, but I has reasons to think differently." Salinas whispered to Aubrey as they sat together in the exact middle of the dungeon classroom, their cauldrons alight and ready. They were waiting to meet this Professor whom they had heard so much about.

"Really? Well, I hope he's like Professor Muise at Burgeo. He was always ni--"

The door at the back of the class banged open, and a thin man wearing solid black robes burst through the way and swept up toward the head of the classroom. Evidently, this was Professor Snape. He didn't look at Salinas and Aubrey, who now realized that they were the only two students in the class.

"Good morning, Professor," Aubrey said, politely but timidly.

Snape said nothing.

"Well, FINE, then, don't say hi." Salinas grinned at him.

Aubrey elbowed Salinas. "Are you out of your frickin' tree? He doesn't seem. . .very friendly," she whispered.

"Don't worry 'bout it," Salinas said, still grinning like mad.

"So," Snape finally spoke. "Just you two, is it then? Hopefully, you're worth my time."

They both nodded silently as he strode toward them, suddenly not looking half as threatening as he did when he came in. "You've been educated where, Miss Dumbledore?"

"Burgeo Academy. Professor Ken Muise taught us Potions." Salinas said, still smirking.

"And you were on a ten-year programme there?" Snape was looking slightly amused.

"Yes sir." Aubrey nodded.

"So it won't be a problem if I ask you to make for me a sample of the Draught of Living Death?"

"Well that depends, Professor." Aubrey said, smiling.

His black eyes flickered maliciously. "What do you mean, Miss Riddle?"

"Depending on the concentration of your asphodel and your wormwood, you can alter the strength of the potion." she said, while Salinas nodded beside her. This was the sort of thing they'd covered last year with Professor Muise.

Snape raised an eyebrow, looking just a bit impressed, and they continued.

"You see, changing the ratio of those two ingredients can alter the amount of time the effects are felt." Aubrey finished with a nod.

"Or ye can add different ingredients to substitute for part of the wormwood infusion, which can induce different states of sleep. Just as an example, for dreamless sleep, ye could add a bit of scio plant, but I think that's only native to Newfoundland. Ye might use something a tad different on this side of the ocean." Salinas finished her explanation and sat back, arms folded.

Snape smirked. "Impressive," he said. "Quite impressive. Five points to each of you. I've never had a student before you who could tell me that much about one potion. Who knows," he said as he swished back to his desk, "you just may pass this class."

"So, Professor," Aubrey said, peering into her cauldron.

"Yes, Riddle?"

"How did you want it made?"

"We has some scio plant on us," Salinas put in, "we could show ye how we does that version of it."

"All right, then." He came back and sat in front of them. "Go ahead."

Few people knew how well Salinas and Aubrey worked together in Potions class. They both had excellent memories for lists and ingredients, and were efficient workers. Their old Potions teacher often remarked that occasionally, they would teach him a thing or two that they would discover by accident.

As they measured and inspected the contents of their cauldron, they were also rattling off all the modifications to the potion they'd learned the previous year at Burgeo to Snape. He was now watching them, wearing an expression that made him look as if he was restraining an urge to smile.

". . .and if ye managed to get some moose horn-- and they are magical, at least the Newfoundland subspecies-- ye could work that in there too, which could halt any sleepwalking tendencies." Salinas said, stirring the potion briskly.

"And I think it's done," Aubrey smiled, pouring it into a large glass bottle. "So who's the lucky one to try it?"

"Don't look at me, I have three more classes," Salinas muttered as she cleaned up.

They both looked at Snape. "You wouldn't. . ." Aubrey said questioningly.

"Keep it here," Snape said, his features turning to stone again. "If I'm here tomorrow, it worked."

The bell rang, and they got up to leave.

**

"YOU GOT POINTS FROM SNAPE!?!" Ron cried back at the Gryffindor table at supper time.

"And he's trying a potion you made in thirty minutes on himself?" Harry looked flabbergasted.

"Well, ye can't complain in a class of two," Salinas said. "I think we impressed him when we asked him how he wanted it made. He said he'd never had someone ask him that before."

"In any other class, he'd take points off of you for not paying attention," Ron said.

"In any other class, there ain't two people who've studied Potions for nine years!" Salinas said. "I'm even wonderin' why I'm takin' classes here. Seems like they've had to make a lot of custom classes just for us."

Harry snickered. "You're Dumbledore's granddaughter. Why wouldn't they go out of their way to make you comfortable?"

Salinas shrugged and took a long sip of pumpkin juice. "All I know is that I'm here 'cause some crazy Death Eater killed me parents at th' end of July. Grandad wants to keep an eye on me, 's all."

Ron and Harry looked at each other. "Are you serious?" Harry said quietly.

Salinas nodded. "I am."

The two boys apologized quickly, flushed and embarrassed. They changed the subject quickly. "So d'you think that potion you made will work on him?" Ron asked.

"I dunno. If he can wake up, it should be okay. I mean, it's strong, but we modified it so it wouldn't last so long." Salinas rearranged her glasses again. "Where's your friend Hermione?" she asked suddenly.

"Probably in the library. I think she's trying to figure out how you knew all that stuff in Potions. Someone must have told her about it. Now she wants to out-do you." Harry laughed slightly, but Salinas got up from her seat, still chewing, and ventured off to the library.

"I'm gonna go see her. Catch ye later, boys!"

Damn, she thought as she exited the Great Hall. News travels fast round here. She walked down the stone corridors, looking at everything in the hallways. Some of the paintings waved at her from their frames, and she was stopped by a chatty suit of armour just shy of the library entrance. When she finally did get away from it and walked into the library, she wasn't surprised to see Hermione in there, poring over three or four huge books.

"Hello, 'Mione," she said quietly, pulling up a chair. "Ron and Harry told me that you'd be in here. Whatcha doin', lookin' through all this?"

"I'm trying to find out how to modify potions. Snape was gloating about you and Aubrey Riddle this afternoon." Hermione looked strangely disappointed for some reason.

"Was he, now?" Salinas smiled. "And what'd he say?"

"He told us that you two were the most impressive student's he's ever taught," Hermione said with a sigh. "And I. . ."

"Ye wants to know how I does it, eh?"

Hermione nodded silently.

"Well, first of all," Salinas took the book out of Hermione's hand. "Ye don't need that. I've been goin' to school for almost four years more than you have. Trust me, by this time next year, ye'll be rattlin' off every known modification to a Shrinkin' Solution. It's experience ye gains through just doin' it. Second of all, Snape's biased."

Hermione looked up. "I know that. Every single Slytherin--"

"No, no. That's not what I means, b'y. But let me just tell you for now that he's got his reasons."

"Um, alright," Hermione looked confused.

Salinas smirked. "So don't get discouraged 'cause you can't do what someone with four years' experience over you can. Now let's git back to the Great Hall and eat, me dear."

"Sure."

The two girls walked through the corridors together, and Salinas noted that Hermione was smiling a lot more.