Harry Potter and the Ones to Finish It

Chapter Seven

London

The next morning Jess, Lina and Emma had breakfast in bed and didn't get up until past midday. They bought a butter beer at the Leaky Cauldron before quickly making a trip to Gringotts to change their wizard money into pounds. Then they ventured out into the streets of London.

On either side of the pub we're large shops. Hurried men and women wearing suits strode past in all directions on their lunch breaks.

'This way first?' suggested Lina, pointing down the street past a big bookshop. They made their way through the crowds slowly, looking into the shops, which weren't nearly as interesting as those in Diagon Alley, but were different from those back home none-the-less.

'What ever happened to Aqua, you know, the band?' said Emma, and she began to sing 'Barbie Girl.'

'What!?' said Lina, raising her hands in awe of her friend's randomness.

'Guys, check it out!' said Emma who had already moved on and was now pointing excitedly across the street. A bus went past blocking their view briefly, but when it had passed they saw what Emma was looking at; it was an underage disco.

'Mz, it's closed,' said Jess as Emma dragged them across the street.

'Yea, but we can come tonight. It's Friday right? On Fridays it's open from seven-thirty until one. Let's go, please!'

'Could be fun...' said Jess. Lina agreed and Emma jumped up and down clapping.

'Wait...' said Lina. 'Did either o you bring any disco-like clothes?'

'No...' said Jess. 'I left them all at home.'

'Same,' said Emma, 'but we can go shopping!'

Jess said that she needed to find a bank to change some New Zealand dollars into Euro dollars. Emma and Lina hadn't thought of bringing any, and so had to use their suitcase money.

The girls were relieved to find that there were lots of clothing stores in the street the Leaky Cauldron was situated on, so they wouldn't have to stray too far.

English clothes on the whole were a lot skimpier than New Zealand clothes, but they each managed to find something they liked. They decided that it didn't matter if they looked a bit skanky because no-one there knew them, and so agreed to all wear mini skirts. Between the three of them they had plenty of make-up and hair products and they spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready in their room, completely forgetting that they were meant to buy suitcases.

At six o'clock Emma rushed downstairs in a miniskirt and halter top to ask Tom where she could find a shower and bathroom. Being Friday, the Leaky Cauldron was quite packed but strangely no-one seemed to notice what Emma's inappropriate ensemble. Tom told her that there was a three-sink ensuite in their room. Embarrassed at their lack of observation, she hurried back upstairs and had a shower.

At seven-thirty they hurried out of the Leaky Cauldron. London on a Friday night was a scary place to be. They only had a short distance to go, but in the time it took them to get to the disco they passed two groups of drunken men and six hookers. Outside the club was a large burly bouncer checking people for drugs or alcohol. He made them show him what was in their pockets before letting them inside. The club was full and noisy. Loud dance music throbbed all around them and compared with what everyone else was wearing, they hardly looked skanky at all. The made their way into the crowd and started dancing, being careful to not lose each other.

They soon got tired. There were lots of guys dancing around them, and instead of asking them to dance they just sort of came at them, not that the girls complained of course.

'CAN WE GET A DRINK?' yelled Emma.

Jess shook her head to show she couldn't hear. Emma made drinking motions and Jess nodded. They all held hands as they struggled through the sweaty masses of teenagers to the bar. Each of them ordered a Pepsi and gulped it down. They waited at the bar for a while to catch their breath. Emma spotted a really hot guy and went over to dance with him. Jess and Lina chose to stay at the bar for a bit longer. Watching the dance floor the girls started to notice a large circle forming, and many people stopped dancing. The DJ noticed too and the music stopped. Curious, Jess and Lina made their way to the middle of the circle, where Emma lay unconscious. The guy she had been dancing with was crouched over her.

'I-I don't know what happened,' he said. 'One minute we were dancing, then I went to kiss her, and the lights flashed and then she feel down.'

'What colour light?' asked Lina urgently.

'Green...' said the boy. 'What is she allergic to certain coloured lights?'

Lina didn't answer, she felt for Emma's pulse.

'Shit, her heart's not beating,' she whispered to Jess in a frightened voice then she looked at the guy Emma had been dancing with. 'Can you help us carry her outside?'

The boy nodded and slung Emma's limp body effortlessly over his shoulder. It was a good thing Emma went for strong guys. The crowd parted as they made their way to the door. The bouncer was smoking a cigarette.

'She alright?' he said, motioning towards Emma's floppy body with his cigarette, and not sounding like he really cared.

Jess nodded. They walked down the road a bit then Lina told the boy to put Emma down. He wouldn't leave until they reassured him that she was ok, and then he gave them his name and phone number and told them to call tomorrow.

When he was out of sight Jess and Lina started to panic.

'Oh my god, oh my god,' muttered Jess, desperately trying to find a pulse. Emma's face was pale and her fingers were very cold.

'Wait, calm down, Dumbledore said to call if we needed him.'

'I don't think Dumbledore can resurrect the dead!' said Jess, panicking.

Lina began yelling his name. It echoed around the street and light rain started falling. The streetlight above them flickered threateningly. It was the only light they had.

Suddenly Dumbledore apparated beside them, his eyes stern and steely.

He knelt down over Emma.

'What happened?' he asked quickly. Lina explained what they knew. Dumbledore pulled out his wand and muttered 'Resurrecto'

Emma stirred and sat up. Lina and Jess squealed and hugged her.

'Whoa what happened?' Emma asked. 'How'd we get out here?'

'I was hoping you knew what happened,' said Dumbledore.

'I was just dancing, then Jeff was uh...I don't know.' She blushed. 'I'm ok now though, can we go back inside?'

'Whoever did this may still be in there, I don't think that would be a very wise idea,' said Dumbledore.

'You think a person did this?' asked Jess, shocked. 'I thought she'd just been dancing too much.'

'The curse used was the Avada Kedavra curse.' said Dumbledore.

'I thought so,' said Lina. 'But doesn't that kill?'

'I expect that some of the effect of the curse was absorbed by others around her, or else yes, she would be dead.' Emma raised her eyebrows.

'Why would someone want to kill me?' she said, offended.

'It is no secret why you are to attend Hogwarts,' replied Dumbledore. 'I knew it was only a matter of time before Lord Voldemort found out.'

'So Voldie tried to kill me, huh?'

'Probably not himself, but I believe he was behind this attack. I would prefer if you did not return to London.'

'We have to buy suitcases,' muttered Jess, still shaken.

Dumbledore waved his wand.

'No need,' he said. 'Now I must be going.' With a pop he disappeared.

Jess started to hum 'Kiss the girl' from the little mermaid and they decided it was time to go home.

As Emma was undressing back in room eleven of the Leaky Cauldron she noticed something on her chest, just under her right collarbone - a thin lightning bolt shaped scar. She ran her finger over it slowly and decided not to show the others just yet.

'Wow, how did you do that?' said the mirror airily.

'Do what?' asked Lina. Emma quickly pulled her top down over her scar.

'No idea,' she said, climbing into bed, 'crazy mirror.'

'I heard that,' said the mirror.

Chapter Eight

The Hogwarts Express

The days passed, spent by the girls in Diagon Alley, talking to Olli in his shop and sitting in the sun outside Florean Fortescue's Ice-cream Parlour checking out the hot wizards. One day they saw Fred and George Weasley, walking toward Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, no doubt to check on progress. They looked very important, wearing flash robes and sunglasses on their heads. Emma's scar was still there, slightly less prominent that before, yet still very visible, and still secret.

The night before their journey the girls packed up all their things, which were strewn all around their room, into the suitcases that had appeared the night Dumbledore had come. They shut the door of Stevie's cage as he had developed a habit of staying away for several nights in a row and they weren't sure he could find his own way to Hogwarts. Jess met Olli in the Leaky Cauldron for dinner and Emma and Lina ate at a nearby table. Halfway through their final meal Lina got quite emotional and got everyone in the bar singing 'I Will Always Love You,' by Whitney Housten.

They woke early the next morning and pulled on some clothes sleepily. A taxi had been arranged to take them to the station, and at 10 o'clock, after having a quick breakfast and thanking Tom, they loaded their suitcases into the boot of that taxi and set off, Emma holding Stevie's cage on her lap. Stevie squawked loudly for the whole trip, obviously irritating the taxi driver, who kept sighing impatiently. They found platforms nine and ten just before ten-thirty. They decided to go for the 'casual lean' approach to getting through. All of them successfully made it through the barrier, proving to them finally that they did indeed have powers. They stood by the barrier on platform nine and three-quarters, talking excitedly. This wasn't the wisest of moves. Suddenly a boy with a trolley came crashing through the barrier, hitting right into Emma's trunk, which then knocked into Emma, who fell over. The boy flew over the handlebars of his trolley and landed on top of Emma. Nose to nose with her, he grinned and said:

'Well, as painful falls go, this has to be one of my better ones.'

Emma laughed and pushed him off her, hiding her ring from Jess and Lina which turned bright orange as she looked at the boy.

'I'm really sorry,' she said. 'We forgot other people would be coming through.'

'Not a problem,' said the boy, picking up his trolley. 'I did the exact same thing in my first year. I'm Logan, have I seen you before, you look too old for first year...'

'Yea,' Emma replied. 'I'm fifth, but I'm only starting this year. My name's Emma.'

Logan gave her a quizzical look.

'How does that work?'

Emma shrugged and explained about the owl they'd gotten, and the conversation led on to their families back home. Emma found out that Logan was from southern Ireland, which explained the hot accent, and had a younger brother also at the school, but hadn't come with him because Logan lived with his dad but his brother lived in London with his Mum. She got so carried away with the conversation that Emma didn't realise that Jess and Lina had gotten bored ten minutes ago and boarded the train until a whistle blew signalling time to leave. Logan was fifth year as well, and was a Gryffindor. He suggested that Emma come and sit with him and his friends on the train, but she said that she should find her friends and might see him later. She finally found Lina and Jess, who were in a compartment with two fifth year Ravenclaw boys.

'Damn, these Hogwarts guys are hot!' Emma whispered to Jess, eyeing the fifth years as she sat down.

Lina seemed very interested in one of the guys, Steven, who had light brown hair, and tanned skin. His eyes were brilliant green and he had a cheeky smile. He reminded Lina of the ever popular Hot Bus Stop Guy, affectionatly referred to as HBSG back in New Zealand. The other Ravenclaw was very quiet, and spoke only when spoken too, but stunningly good-looking. He had black hair and olive skin, he looked as if he might be part Indian or Middle-Eastern, and certainly model material. Emma found out his name was Derek from Jess, who kept glancing in his direction when she was talking.

'What about Olli?' demanded Emma.

'What about Olli?' Jess replied calmly.

They chatted to the guys for a while, and although they were both really hot, Emma couldn't stop thinking of Logan's cute smile and floppy brown hair.

'Guy's, I'm gunna go find Logan ok?' she said, standing up.

'Logan Llewellyn?' asked Steven.

'I don't know,' said Emma, 'he's fifth year Gryffindor.'

'Yea, that's Llewellyn, is he your boyfriend?'

'No,' said Emma, and she left mumbling 'unfortunatly' under her breath. Logan was sitting at the back of the train with a few friends who all went 'WOOO' when Emma walked in.

'Sorry about them, they're immature,' said Logan, pulling a face at his friends.

'Sit down.'

Emma sat down next to him and was introduced to Logan's Gryffindor friends: Jack, Todd and 'Duggers,' as well as Jacks rather butch girlfriend Helen, who was fourth year.

Back in the other compartment Lina and Steven were engrossed in a conversation with each-other about writing. They had a lot in common, both enjoying the same things and having similar up-bringing.

'Yea, my Dad died before I was born, and Mum left me at my Auntie's when I was four, couldn't handle me,' explained Steven.

'I grew up with my Aunty too!' said Lina

They spent the rest of the trip talking happily. Jess, however, tried to make Derek loosen up, but after a while she got sick of his monosyllabic answers and pulled out a copy of The Daily Prophet.

Emma came back just before they got to Hogwarts.

'Oh my god I love him!' she said when she walked in, ignoring the raised eyebrows from Steven and Derek. 'He is SO funny, my spleen hurts from laughing.' She collapsed into the seat.

'We should get changed,' said Jess. They stared at Steven and Derek until they left the compartment. Steven seemed quite reluctant, and suggested that since they were all mature adults that they could change in front of each other. Lina pushed him into the hall. Too absorbed in Logan, Emma totally forgot her scar, and as she took of her top, Jess said:

'Mz, what's that?'

Emma had no choice but to explain.

'Oh my god Mz, that's serious! You're like, the next Harry Potter.' said Lina. Emma took great offence to this and angrily continued changing. Why it was offensive no-one could figure out. The train slowed to a stop and they let Steven and Derek back in to get their things. They left their things on the train as they had been instructed and followed the crowds of students to the horseless carriages. None of them could see the thestrals that pulled them. They got in a carriage with Steven and Derek, and felt themselves slowly roll up to the castle.