The Saga Continues

Chapter Three-September 1, 2017

Charlie sat in the basement, scribbling furiously at the parchment with his pastels. His face was scrunched in concentration and the sleeves of his robes were rolled up to his elbows. He could feel the sweat dripping down the back of his neck as he struggled to finish the drawing before his family left for Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

But a curious feeling in the pit of his stomach made him stop and look up from the parchment. He looked toward the stairs, waiting to see a pair of feet coming down it. Sure enough, a few seconds later, his mother was practically flying down the steps, hair a mess, her robes swinging to and fro.

Charlie grinned a bit as her eyes found his and she gave him a smile. She quickly moved around her hands, signing to him, but he already knew what she was saying. She was saying they'd be leaving for the platform soon. He stood up and held out his drawing. His mother took the parchment and stood up on tiptoe to give him a peck on the cheek. She handed it back to him, nodding in approval, and dashed back up the steps.

Charlie sat back down and picked up a dark blue pastel and began smudging it along the already black and grey color that was supposed to be the smoke steaming from the Hogwarts Express.

It was a tradition in the Weasley and Potter household to travel together to the Hogwarts Express on September 1 of each year. It had been this way ever since Katarina's first year. Charlie could still remember it, very clearly in fact, for it was the only time he had ever traveled onto the platform.

Charlie sat at the kitchen table, hurriedly finishing the scrapbook. He tried to make it perfect, but he knew it wasn't. For Katarina's leaving, he had decided to fix her a scrapbook of her times at home so she could feel better if she ever got homesick. In it were different pictures; she and Charlie flying on broomsticks, her teaching Ronnie to read, her playing dolls with Molly.

Suddenly, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and he jumped, even though he had sensed her come in. Very upset that she had come in before he was finished, he leaned back and crossed his arms, blowing a strand of red hair from his face.

Katarina walked in front of him, and gave him a searching look, then her eyes dropped to the scrapbook and she smiled. Charlie had always thought his sister had a wonderful smile, one that made you feel special. Her smile faded slightly as she sat down next to him at the kitchen table and lost herself in the book.

Charlie stared at her curiously as she flipped through the pages. When she was done, she slowly lifted her eyes from the scrapbook, fixed them on Charlie and then flung herself at him. He hugged her back, and when she pulled away her face was glowing.

He was still disgruntled, but less so. Molly strolled in then, dressed in polka dotted robes and struggling to put on huge boots that most likely belonged to Ron. Katarina laughed, Charlie could tell by the way her mouth was held open. He wondered, as he so often did, what it would be like to actually hear someone laugh.

Charlie bent down and scooped little Molly into his arms, and set her down on the kitchen table, tickling her stomach a bit. She squirmed in his arms; she was very ticklish. Charlie could sense another person step into the kitchen and saw that it was his father. He ruffled Charlie's hair, twirled Molly around twice, and then began to speak with Katarina. She nodded happily.

Ron cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled something upstairs, then picked up one of the boots Molly had been trying on. He tapped it softly on the top of her head and then put it on his own foot, Molly all smiles.

Hermione walked in just then with Ronnie flung over her right shoulder. He was kicking and screaming about something, Charlie knew, because Molly clasped her hands over her ears.

Charlie looked at Katarina thoughtfully. Wasn't she going to miss it here, at home? Wasn't she going to miss all the things they did as a family?

He wondered this the whole way to the Platform. They drove in the car that had belonged to his mum ever since she was twenty, and when they arrived, everyone piled out excitedly.

Hermione grabbed Katarina's hand, Ron grabbed Ronnie's and Charlie grabbed Molly's. Charlie's parents led them to a place between platforms nine and ten and he saw them exchange smiles. Charlie's heart began to pound; he knew what was next. All you had to do was walk through the barrier between nine and ten and you were ready to go to Hogwarts.

Charlie could see his mum say something to Katarina, and she nodded. She then straightened and ran through the barrier. Charlie, though he knew that she would disappear beforehand, still felt a little feverish when she was suddenly gone. He took it upon himself to travel through next, running with Katarina's trunk. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, his heart leapt.

The Hogwarts Express was the most beautiful thing Charlie had ever seen in his entire life. It was magnificent, gleaming red with smoke billowing from it. Charlie simply stared for a few seconds, before a hand waving in front of his face captured his attention. The hand belonged to Katarina, and she was smiling.

Her smile was contagious, and Charlie smiled as well, but he felt a little jealous. Why wasn't he able to go to Hogwarts? He was smart enough. Being deaf seemed like a stupid excuse. Surely there were other deaf wizards? Why was Katarina able to go? It wasn't like she needed to go; she knew so many spells and history and all about magic already. She always had her face in a book! His smile slowly faded to form a frown, and he shook his head, as though trying to rid himself of these bad thoughts. He was supposed to be happy for his sister, wasn't he?

He didn't notice that the rest of his family had come through the barrier. His mother was tying Molly's boots, which she had deliberately untied, and his dad was looking around, lost in memories.

Suddenly a small girl with her choppy blonde hair in messy pigtails ran up to them, her cheeks flushed. Charlie recognized her vaguely as Emily Patil, one of Katarina's friends. She was speaking a mile a minute, though Charlie heard none of it, her hands flying in all directions. Katarina watched her earnestly, and both their heads turned to a broad shouldered boy with dark hair. Charlie raised his eyebrows at the dreamy expression that was floating across Emily's face, and Katarina was as well. When Emily started to walk toward the boy, Katarina grabbed the back of her pink robes and pulled her back, shaking her head.

A man approached. He was dressed in grey trousers and a long purple shirt and had an earring in his left ear. His face was kind and he had a wide smile that seemed to stretch his face so that he had many wrinkles. Charlie saw his mother and father exchange greetings with the man. The man gestured to Emily and then led her away from them. Charlie knew he was Emily's father; Peter Patil was a Squib and his wife, Grace, was a Muggle. Charlie looked around to find her, and sure enough, she was aways from them, waving around a handkerchief and chatting with Parvati and Dean Thomas. They didn't have any children, of course, but they were there to support Emily's going off to Hogwarts.

Through the barrier came Harry, Ginny, their daughter Raven, and their son Danny. Harry waved his hand in greeting, and appeared to be telling off Raven for something; she was ignoring him, arms crossed in front of her, head held high, staring off somewhere else. Ginny was holding her son's hand, and the two of them rushed forward. Ginny greeted her brother and sister-in law first, then gave Charlie a hug. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment, and felt a happy feeling in the pit of his stomach. When Ginny released him, she moved on to Molly, then Ronnie, and last Katarina. Charlie stood back, just watching.

Hermione was embracing Harry, who looked tired, and was pushing his glasses on his nose. Ron was bent over slightly, attempting to talk to Raven about whatever had gone between her and her father, Charlie figured. She was ignoring him as well, and he gave up. Charlie felt a tug on his jacket, and his eyes found Katarina's; she motioned to Raven and walked over to her, no doubt going to talk about Quidditch.

Danny had pulled something out of the pocket of his jeans and handed it to Molly. Upon closer inspection, Charlie saw that it was a Sugary Stick. She grinned and took it, sucking on it happily. Ronnie was staring around the station, seeking out possible recipients of a prank.

And then suddenly everyone turned toward the train simultaneously; the famous steam whistle must have sounded, telling the students it was time to board. Just then, a woman with dirty blonde hair and a pretty face stumbled through the barrier, followed by her four daughters. Eleanor was the oldest, eleven, and was starting her first year at Hogwarts as well; her sisters gave her a kiss on each cheek and so did her mother, then Eleanor made her way towards Emily and Katarina.

The girls all waved good bye and blew kisses to their families; Emily and Eleanor boarded the train, but Katarina lingered. She held up the scrapbook Charlie had made for her. 'Bye Charlie' she mouthed to him, smiling happily, eyes shining with tears. Charlie tried to say 'Bye', but the sound that escaped was like a gurgle, and he couldn't even hear that. Tears of frustration welled in his eyes as his sister stepped onto the train, dark hair blowing in the wind.

Charlie watched as the train disappeared from, view, then turned to his parents. His mum was crying into his dad's shoulders. Charlie felt his chest tighten as they said good bye to Mr. Patil, the Potters, and the Midgens, and walked through the barrier.

He had never felt so alone.

Charlie pulled himself out of the memory and made the final touches to his drawing, and looked at it approvingly. Just as he signed his initials at the bottom, he felt her presence in the room. Looking up, he saw Katarina at the bottom of the steps, her long hair not in a ponytail as usual, but was worn out. Her Hogwarts robes were already on, but he could see her maroon jumper underneath. She approached him cautiously.

Charlie let out a breath and picked up the drawing of the Hogwarts Express from the table, then held it out to her. Katarina took it, and looked at it briefly, then back at Charlie. She nodded at him, saying thank you in her usual way. Charlie nodded back, then stood up to plant a kiss on her forehead.

'Where are you going?' she signed, as he walked across the room and retrieved his cloak.

'I'm taking the truck to Diagon Alley.'

With that, Charlie turned his back on her and climbed the steps out of the basement and headed out of the house, merely waving at Molly when she raced into the living room, a confused look on her face.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Ellie, go help Mandy please...whatever she needs help with...Anna, get out of the shower so Lola can take one!"

"Mum, do you know how much I despise being called 'Ellie'?" said Eleanor with a sigh, but Eloise didn't hear over the barking of their two dogs, Jackson and Jean.

"Oy, mutts! Shut up!" she said to the rottweilers, but they paid no mind. Eleanor left the room quietly, trudging upstairs to help her sister find her turtle. "Oh shit!" exclaimed Eloise, because just as she had opened the window to let in her owl, clutching the Daily Prophet in his beak, a squirrel came through. Eloise reached out to grab it, but the animal dashed across the kitchen table, jumped down, and headed for the living room.

In about five seconds, her living room was a total wreck; the dogs were chasing the squirrel around the room, overturning lamps and grabbing at couch pillows and blankets in the pursuit. The dogs were barking wildly, tails wagging frantically, and then the sound of Anna and Mandy screaming added to the noise; then the doorbell rang.

"Why me?" muttered Eloise, as she ran for the door. Opening it, she came face to face with Milton, Sally, and their son Darryl. "Come in," she said, and she ran up the stairs to see what her daughters were up to, leaving them bewildered at the sight at her dogs on rampage, ready to murder the squirrel.

"You are so sensitive, you big crybaby! It's just a damn shirt!" thirteen year old Anna was yelling at fifteen year old Mandy, who was blinking back tears, very red in the face.

"You have no right to take my things without asking, you know it's not fair!" screamed Mandy.

"Girls, cut it out! Anna, give her back the shirt!" interjected Eleanor.

"But I want to wear it, Mandy never does!" shrieked Anna.

"Anna, give her back the shirt, it isn't yours," said Lola, dressed in a robe, ready to take a shower.

"Stay out of it, Lola!" Anna yelled.

"Give me my shirt!" Mandy lunged for the shirt. Anna ran down the stairs, Mandy racing after her.

"What the bloody hell," whispered Eloise to herself, and she exchanged an exasperated look with Eleanor, then charged down the steps after the two teens. Sally was trying to pull Mandy off of Anna, all three of them yelling. Darryl, who didn't like noise, began to cry. The dogs were still running around the room, looking for the squirrel.

"ANNA AND MANDY, STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" bellowed Eloise at the top of her lungs. Sally jumped in surprise, and the two girls looked toward their mother. Mandy was whimpering and Anna looked furious.

"She ripped my shirt," said Mandy, holding up the shirt, now with a large rip at the bottom. Eloise winced; it was the baby blue shirt with a golden snitch fluttering across the front that had cost 50 sickles.

"No, I didn't - you did," Anna mumbled, crossing her arms. "Shut up Jean and Jackson!"

"Don't yell at my dogs, you cretin!" Mandy shot back, crying as she threw the ruined shirt in her sister's face. She pushed her shoulder length dark hair from her face, and whistled to the dogs, who came to her immediately, forgetting about the squirrel.

"Anna," Eloise started in what she thought was a reasonable tone, "don't ever touch things that don't belong you. Leave your sister alone."

"You only like her better than me because she's older!" Anna said loudly, then she jumped off the sofa and ran up the stairs to her bedroom and slammed the door so that the house shook.

Eloise turned to Sally and Milton. "Teenagers. What a pain in the arse." She smiled weakly, then sank onto the sofa as Mandy, still sniffing, walked into the kitchen to give the dogs some treats.

"Goodness, it's only nine in the morning. Are they always like this?" inquired Sally.

"Worse," said Milton. "But I never behaved like Anna."

Darryl opened his mouth. "Auntie, El, your house is loud. I don't like loud."

Eloise grinned at him, ruffling his dark brown hair. "I know you don't, darling, but that's the way it is. Why don't you go pet the dogs in the kitchen?" Darryl grinned slightly and went into the kitchen. Then Eloise turned to Milton and Sally.

"We wanted to see the girls off to the station," shrugged Milton, as Eleanor came down the stairs. Eloise focused her attention on her daughter for a moment, really taking her in. Eleanor was plain looking with a long face and a serious expression; her skin was lighter than most, but Eloise knew that was expected. Eleanor's hair was shoulder blade length and light brown, currently pulled back in a clip. She wore brown robes that brought out the color in her deep eyes. A prefect badge was clasped in her hand, as well as her trunk; in the other hand was her Thunderclap100. She had been made Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain this year. Eloise was so proud of her daughter; she had received three Os in her O.W.L.S. and the rest had been E's. But with that pride came pain. The pain of knowing that her daughter only had-

"Mum, do you mind my Apparating early to the station? Amos and I wanted to...well, catch up."

"Isn't that the whole point of riding the train to Hogwarts?" asked Milton with a grin. Amos Diggory Jr. was Eleanor's boyfriend, and had been ever since they were fifteen. Amos was Hufflepuff Seeker as well, and looked very much like his deceased brother Cedric, whom Eloise still remembered clearly from her time at Hogwarts.

"Well, there you are Milton. I've been waiting for a sarcastic comment from you all summer," Eleanor said, but a small smile touched her lips. She went to hug her brother and kissed Sally on the cheek. "Good bye mum," she added to Eloise, walking to the couch and kissing her forehead. "See you at Christmas?"

Eloise nodded; when Eleanor had been young, Eloise had worked at Hogwarts as the nurse after Madam Pomfrey had retired. But when she became pregnant two years later with Anna, she told Dumbledore that she couldn't handle both children and Healing, no matter how much she wanted to stay. "Bye sweetums," she said, and Eleanor gripped her trunk, broom, and badge, and Apparated out of the house.

There was a knock at the door, but Eloise didn't want to move from the couch. She was already so exhausted. Milton turned and opened the door. "Who is it mum?" asked Mandy, emerging from the kitchen, Darryl trailing behind her with the dogs.

Lola dashed down the steps, dressed in soft pink pants and a yellow shirt, her hair wet from her shower. Her face lit up, as did Mandy's. "Mr. Thomas!" Lola ran toward Dean and hugged him.

"Hey, Lola," said Dean, "I brought this for you." He pulled a puzzle out from behind his back and handed it to her.

"Thanks, Mr. Thomas," said Lola, grinning.

"Did you bring me something?" asked Mandy shyly.

"'Course I did, you're my best girl Mandy. Here you go." He handed her a turtle. "Found him by the creek."

"Oh, thanks, Mr. Thomas, I thought I had lost him for good!" said Mandy, tears of joy welling in her eyes as she kissed the shell of her beloved turtle. He gave her a pack of Jet Jubilees, a type of gum that zoomed inside your mouth; actually being able to chew it was something of a miracle.

"You're welcome. I brought a necklace for Anna."

"Why are you here, you great big oaf?" Eloise asked, but she was grinning. Dean removed his gloves and placed them in his coat pockets as he walked into her kitchen, and then reappeared with a Butterbeer.

"Why do you think?" he asked.

"Ah," Eloise said. "Let me guess, you and Parvati got in another row."

"Yup," said Dean.

"Go get me the Prophet, will you? Then we'll all head to the station when Anna gets her arse back down here." Louder she said, "Anna, get ready and get your arse down here!"

"I don't want to!" was her reply.

Eloise sat up on the couch and looked at her two other daughters. "Get your cloaks, why don't you? Sally, my shoes are in the basement." Sally nodded and set off to find the shoes, while Milton was in the process of fixing the living room back up. Dean tossed Eloise the Daily Prophet and she skimmed the front page.

"Sickening," she said, as she saw a picture of Raven Potter in the corner. "Perverts, all of them."

"Well," said Dean, as she gave him back the paper and he examined Raven's picture himself, "she's a dish, isn't she?"

Eloise glared at him with disgust and said, "Anna, if you don't come here right now-" A loud crash interrupted this would be intimidating statement and Eloise whirled around. Jackson and Jean had just knocked over the lamp that Milton had just mended, obviously having spotted the squirrel again.

Eloise sighed and shook her head. "Blast it, why couldn't we have got a toad?"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Danny Potter looked around the station, which was beginning to fill with people. He spotted the Longbottoms coming his way; Mr. Neville Longbottom was being told off by his wife for forgetting to bring the kids' trunks. He shrugged apologetically and Apparated back home, while his wife and kids wandered around the station.

"Mrs. Longbottom!" called Danny, waving. Padma, upon seeing the dark haired boy, was a bit startled but she made her way over to them.

"Hello, Daniel," she said. "Where are your mum and dad?"

Danny pointed over to where the Weasleys and Potters were talking. Molly kept shooting glances in his direction, but he was in no mood to speak her yet. The result was talking to Ms. Longbottom and her four kids; Howard was the oldest at twelve; then came Hailey, who was 11; then Henry, 10; and Hugh, a little tyke with a round face who was only 5.

"I see. Are you excited about starting Hogwarts this year?" Danny nodded politely. "Hailey is as well, aren't you darling?"

The brunette nodded, "I'd like to be in Ravenclaw," she said. Daniel nodded; Hailey Longbottom was like her mother in every respect, down to the way she looked. She had long dark hair and high cheekbones and lively, bright eyes. The only part of her father she had in her was her love of Herbology and his innocent face.

"Here," came Mr. Longbottom's voice, as he emerged from the barrier with two large trunks. He set them down, panting a bit.

"Thanks very much, Neville, dear," said Padma composedly.

"Trevor, come back!" moaned Neville, as he ignored his wife and darted after his toad. Danny tried not to laugh.

Padma sighed. "That's my husband for you," she said, smiling weakly.

"Padma!" said a voice, and Danny watched Parvati Patil come toward her sister.

"Where's Dean?" asked Padma.

"I don't know!" said Parvati. "We got into a row."

What else is new? thought Danny. The Thomas' were always at each other, even worse than his uncle Ron and aunt Hermione.

Danny looked around the station, eyes not lingering on the train like most of the other kids, because he'd seen it loads of times before. He took in the sights of students kissing and hugging their parents good bye, students catching up with friends, and, in his cousin Ronnie's case, eyeing a seventh year boy with delight; no doubt he'd play a prank on him before the day was over. Katarina was looking a bit sullen, and Emily Patil ran to her, choppy blonde hair flying out behind her. Eleanor Midgen and her boyfriend, Amos, strolled over to them, hand in hand.

Danny spotted a group of what could only be classified as Slytherins huddled in a group, making snide comments about random people coming onto the platform. Danny watched them, curiously. Barry Higgs and Alana Zabini were at the throng of the group, laughing hysterically. The Malfoys were as well, especially Lindsey and Lucius. Lydia Malfoy, however, sniggered every so often, then shut up. Raven Potter was there as well, a smirk plastered on her face as she inspected each and every person critically.

Danny's head went to the barrier. Mandy Midgen had just come through the barrier, and was clutching her turtle and owl in both hands. Anna was behind her, shooting daggers at everyone, especially the Slytherins, who were making fun of her hairstyle. Their mum came after them, looking tired. And then came Lola, holding the hand of the elder Dean Thomas.

"Ms. Thomas, there's your husband," said Danny, pointing Dean out to Parvati. Parvati smiled, and walked quickly to him. She spoke in what seemed to be a low voice, and he paused for a moment, then gave her a hug.

Suddenly, a loud wail was heard from the Slytherins. Lindsey Malfoy had just pointed out a thin boy with brown hair in the style of a bowl cut, who was clutching a book to his chest possessively. His face was pale, and he looked ill. He wore tan dress pants and a white dress shirt, as well as a maroon tie. Danny almost laughed out loud himself; where did he think he was headed? Catholic School? He was obviously Muggle born.

"Hey, do you think they'll give us uniforms like that?" commented Lindsey loudly to her classmates, all of whom laughed. Raven continued to smirk; Lydia smiled nervously. The thin boy paled even further, giving off a vampire complexion. Feeling sorry for him, and not knowing what else to do that wouldn't make him bored, and because he wanted to irritate his annoying sister, Danny walked over to the boy.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

What a Gryffindor, thought Raven nastily as her brother walked over to the Muggleborn boy. He was talking to the boy, who looked surprised to be addressed without ridicule. Raven cringed slightly and thought that the boy should be surprised; he looked like a very uninteresting person. Most likely, he'd be in Hufflepuff. Normally, the suck ups went either to Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, but this bloke wasn't brave from the looks of him--he was practically trembling--and he probably didn't have the brains to fill an eggcup.

"Raven, why the hell is your brother going over there?" asked Alana, disgust ever so clear in her voice.

Because he's a thick little golden boy, she thought in her head. Out loud, she responded, "Why don't you ask him Alana?" her voice dripping with sarcasm. Alana gave her an appalled look - she'd never go within three feet of anyone who was Gryffindor material. "I'm going to say good bye to my parents," Raven said dully. No one objected to this, like they would have if it had been someone else. But Raven was someone every Slytherin, older and younger, held respect for. To insult her would be like asking for the Cruciatus Curse.

Raven walked briskly to her parents, trying desperately not to look at her brother and his silly little...friend. Her mother and father were saying good bye to him, telling him to brush his teeth, owl, the same old rubbish. Raven saw that her aunt and uncle were doing the same with Katarina, Ronnie, and Molly. Finally, Danny bumped into Raven. "Watch it, you fool!" said Raven, and Danny smirked. He had done that on purpose.

"Raven, meet Andy," he said to her, gesturing to the thin boy. Danny looked absolutely delighted to be getting on her nerves.

Raven turned to the other boy, ignoring her idiot brother. "Do always walk around with Hogwarts, a History clutched to your chest?" asked Raven in a falsely sweet voice. "It'd be a dead giveaway to the Muggles, wouldn't it?" The boy called Andy gulped.

"See you around, Raven," said Danny, giving her a sarcastic wave, and a wink. She could have hit him. He walked away, offering Andy what Raven knew was a Sugary Stick.

"Raven, take care of your brother," her mother said, and she looked away from Danny's retreating form to focus on her.

Raven fought the urge to laugh, but said, "Of course I will. I'll be the best big sister I can be. I'll help him with his work, guide him to the loo and protect him from the big bad Slytherins." Her voice was as dull as ever.

"Good, but you could've done without the sarcasm," Ginny said to her, then handed her a knapsack. "That's snacks for the train to share with your friends."

"Splendid," Raven answered, and her mother gave her a hug. Raven didn't normally allow people to show her affection, but her mother was always permitted to give her a hug at the beginning of each school year. She pulled away and smiled at Raven.

Raven turned to her father, and saw her mum shoot anxious glances between them. Harry's jaw was clenched and he forced a small smile. "See you at Christmas," he said, stepping forward to give her a hug, like he always did. Raven stepped back three times, as she always did in response. Her father was not allowed to touch her, and he knew she didn't like it. Instead, Raven held out her hand. Harry stared at it and took a breath, then shook it.

Raven walked away, flinging the knapsack over her shoulder and stepped onto the train, which was ready to leave the station. When on the train, she turned to her parents; Harry was running a hand through his hair, Ginny was waving, Hermione was sniffing into Ron's shoulder, Eloise was leaning against the barrier, and the Longbottoms were already escorting the rest of their kids toward the barrier.

The train began to move and Raven began walking to the front of the train, prepared to sit on the most boring thing in the world.

A prefect meeting.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Katarina immediately made her way toward the front of the train, where she would address the prefects. She walked quickly, straightening the Head Girl badge pinned on her robes every so often. She pulled out her Hogwarts Letter, which was complete with a list of all the prefects and the duties that would need to be divided among them.

She stepped into the compartment, closing the door behind her, absorbed in the list, nodding every so often. "Hey Krum," said a voice.

Katarina groaned as she looked from her parchment to see James Wood sitting there, Head Boy badge gleaming on his robes. "Good morning, Wood. I hope the rest of your summer was well?"

He nodded. "Got your list of prefects?" He asked.

"Of course I do," she snapped, dangling the paper in his view. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Just conversation, Krum. Not out to rile you up."

Katarina snorted and took her seat beside him. "We need to lay out all the rules," she said."

"I know that," said Wood, rolling his eyes.

Katarina smiled very slightly, still looking at the list. "Just conversation, Wood. Not out to rile you up."

The door opened. Katarina looked up and Wood looked away from her to see that some prefects had arrived. "Come on in and take a seat. Once everyone's assembled here, we'll begin the meeting."

There was a nod of approval. "Katarina, you must have jumped for joy upon seeing that badge in your envelope," said Raven, sitting next to her. Katarina grinned, Raven knew her very well.

Over the next ten minutes, people came into the compartment, taking their seats. When everyone had come in, Katarina stood up. Wood remained seated, until she looked at him pointedly. Rolling his eyes, he stood. "I'm your Head Girl, Katarina Krum and this--"

"Aren't you the daughter of the late Viktor Krum?" asked a blonde boy.

Katarina turned to him. "Yes I am. You are?"

"Jamie Stewart, fifth year Hufflepuff prefect," the boy said proudly.

"Congratulations on making prefect, Jamie. Being a prefect is an honor, but most importantly, a privilege. There are rules you need to follow, and the first is to not speak when someone else is. If you wish to speak with me personally, do so after meetings. This goes for all of you, is that clear?"

"Crystal," said Raven. Jamie Stewart nodded, blushing.

Katarina fought a smile. "Now this is James Wood, Head Boy. If there's ever anything you need help with, come to one of us and we'll help you. Raise your hand when I call your name, please, and you'll need to write down your duties." There was a scramble for quill and parchment after this announcement. Katarina withdrew another piece of parchment with the duties matched with their respective person, and cleared her throat.

"Hold on, what's that?" interrupted Wood.

"The list of duties for each prefect," said Katarina as though she was explaining this to a three-year-old. How had someone like him ever become Head Boy?

"No," he said shaking his head, grinning and pulling something from his pocket, "this is the list of duties. I made it."

"Good for you," said Katarina, not quite aware where this was headed.

"You don't get it. This is the list of duties."

Katarina smiled at the joke. "No, this is the list, Wood. This is the one I'm using."

"What about mine?" asked Wood.

"What about yours?" The prefects looked on curiously during this exchange; Raven seemed to be quite entertained. Some, like Jamie Stewart, looked on nervously. "I understand you made a list, but we won't be using it, Wood."

"Yeah, we will," he said stubbornly, then he turned to the prefects. "All right, fifth year prefects raise your hands. Tonight you'll be leading the first years to their respective dorms. Also, from six to seven, you'll be patrolling the corridors of your House. You won't have to worry about those out of bed after hours, but you are in a position to remind the first years they must be in their common rooms at seven thirty."

The fifth years nodded, jotting down the notes, Raven looked a bit miffed at seeing Katarina cut off so rudely, and Eleanor's eyebrows were raised so high they disappeared into her hair. This was nothing to how Katarina felt; Wood had been competing with her ever since they met, which Katarina could now clearly remember being at a party when they were seven. She felt angry, humiliated... She opened her mouth and said, "Hang on a minute--", but he plowed on as though he hadn't heard it.

"Sixth years, you'll be patrolling from seven to eight. By eight, second years should be in their common rooms. Seventh years, patrol duty for you is from eight to nine. At eight thirty, third years should be in their common rooms. At nine, fourth and fifth years should be in their Houses as well.

No excuses, no exceptions. If you see someone out when they aren't supposed to be, record their name and year on a piece of parchment, and see either Katarina or myself when your shift ends. Let it be known that being late to your shift won't be tolerated, and if you're late more than five times, your badge shall be taken from you. If you know you'll be late, once again, contact Katarina or myself and we'll find a replacement. Am I understood?"

"Who will patrol the corridors from nine to ten, sir?" asked Jamie.

"Katarina, Filch, and myself."

Katarina's mouth was hanging open and she looked down at her list. All of what he had just said was written down on her piece of parchment. Feeling heat rise to her cheeks in embarrassment, she sat down. "Katarina, is there anything you'd like to add?" he asked, turning to her.

She mouthed wordlessly and he grinned. "Very well. Next meeting is next week at five in the usual spot, empty room on the fifth floor. See you there. Dismissed."

One by one, the prefects filed out. Raven left last, and before she did, she said, "Well, Wood, I have a question to ask. Do you have a hat?" Katarina could sense a sarcastic remark coming.

He looked a bit startled. "No, I haven't. Not with me."

"Purchase one. Your abnormally large head is obstructing my vision." All of this was stated in her usual slow voice, every word pronounced clearly, her tone bored and weary sounding. She walked out of the carriage, Wood looking after her confused.

Katarina stood up, and slowly ripped her list of duties up slowly and tossed it in the bin in the corner, which spit it out all over the floor. Wood stared at her, amusement written on his face. "See, Krum? I'm not stupid."

She stared at him, her blood still boiling at having been humiliated like that in front of the people who were supposed to respect her. "No, Wood, you're not stupid. You're just an insensitive wart with the emotional range of a teaspoon." She walked out, slamming the door.

Wood glanced after her and scratched his head. "What is that supposed to mean?" he muttered.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"It means...that I can catch up on the novel I was reading," Hermione answered with a grin.

"You're kidding, right?" said Ron. "Because that's not what I was talking about when I said, 'Honey, all the kids are out of the house. You know what that means?' Now, do you know what I was trying to say, or do you enjoy taunting me?"

Hermione merely walked out of the foyer and into the living room, where she shrugged off her cloak and placed it on the rack. Ron followed her, waiting for her to answer. "I know what it means, Ron," she said, lying down on the sofa. "But I really want to...er...catch up on that novel." Then she started laughing at the look on his face.

He grabbed one of the couch cushions and smacked her with it. "I knew you were taking the mickey out of me," he grumbled, but he couldn't stop the smirk that spread across his face.

She threw the pillow back at him and said, "Well, the look on your face was priceless. I just couldn't resi--" She was cut off as Ron leaned forward and kissed her, then brought his hands to tangle in her hair. She made a soft, encouraging sound in the back of her throat and he gently eased his tongue through her lips, his body warming slowly but surely.

The door slammed.

Ron jumped off of Hermione so fast that he landed on his back on the floor, groaning in pain. Hermione looked from her husband on the floor to the redheaded man hovering in the doorway. 'Where were you Charlie?' she signed.

Ron sat up and looked at his son as well. Charlie was always leaving, and he never told anyone where he was going. Whenever they asked him, he shrugged, but Ron knew his son would never do anything stupid or go anywhere dodgy. Hermione was a lot more uptight about the matter.

Charlie shrugged and walked over to the basement door, opened it, then went down the steps. Ron said, "Where were we?"

"Oh honestly, Ron," said Hermione irritably, getting off the couch.

"What?" Ron said, but he had a feeling he knew what was coming.

"Aren't you worried about him, Ron?" she said, looking worried. "What if he's doing drugs or..." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Having sex?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Hermione, he's probably already done that a couple times by now."

"What?" shrieked Hermione. "Did he tell you? Why didn't you tell me? He could get into serious trouble, having sex so early in life!"

"Hermione, he's nineteen."

"So? He's only three years older than we were when we...er..." She trailed off, and her eyes stayed on a painting Charlie had made of her, as though it would give her wisdom.

"Hermione, be reasonable."

"Reasonable!" she said in a loud whisper. "How am I supposed to be reasonable? Oh, I can't look at him, I'll probably have a horrid vision of some tart baring herself..."

"Hermione, stop!" yelled Ron, so loudly that Hermione actually stopped talking.

"Keep your voice down!" she said a couple of moments later.

"Who's going to hear me?"

"That's not the point, Ron, the point is..."

"Hermione, there's a way we can find out if Charlie's had sex or not," Ron said calmly.

"How?"

"You mean you don't know?" He stared at her, mouth open in mock horror.

"Don't patronize me Ron Weasley."

"I'm not patro--"

"Wait a moment, is there a book on this?"

"Are you sure you want to know, Hermione?" asked Ron cautiously. She paused.

Ron crossed his arms. Hermione Granger was the epitome of the perfect mother, the kind that played with you, helped you with school assignments, took you on trips to fun (and educational) places. Normally, she didn't dare betray her children's privacy. It was something that all of them loved about her, and Ron could tell by the struggling expression on her face that she wasn't quite sure she wanted to go through with anything that would destroy that.

She sighed and bit her lip, as though she knew she was going to regret the words that would come out of her mouth. "Tell me."

Ron fought down a smirk. "I'll tell you, if..."

Hermione smiled slightly. "Insufferable little--"

Once again, he cut her off by kissing her. All rational thoughts were blown from her mind.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Think rationally, Molly thought to herself for the tenth time since settling herself on the train. She looked at the wand in her hand and scratched her red head. Just because your wands are different doesn't mean anything. Just because the wands were supposed to fight against each other didn't mean that they will. Danny probably feels awful, and all you can think about is your former friendship. These wands aren't going to ruin that. You should have realized that a long time ago, Mahra Molly Weasley, you twit.

"Hey, Molly, is this seat taken? Good," said a voice, and she looked up. Frances, Bill's son, and Ronnie had just opened the compartment door.

"What did you do?" asked Molly knowingly.

"Showing Frances the ropes, Mol," Ronnie answered lightly. "Now shush." He and Frances hid under the bench, where the trunks were kept. They were absolutely still.

The door opened again and a snobby looking Slytherin prefect entered. "Where are they?" she said through gritted teeth.

"Who?" Molly said innocently.

"The two boys, red hair, one had an earring. I know they're in here!"

Molly shook her head. "You must be mistaken. I'm the only one in here. Sorry."

The prefect walked toward her and brought her face very close. "Listen here," she snarled, "I know you're lying and when I prove myself right, you'll be in serious trouble." She stalked out of the compartment, slamming the door so hard that glass shattered.

Molly pointed her wand at the glass. "Reparo," she said automatically. The glass came together.

Frances and Ronnie emerged from under the bench. "Honestly, how thick could you get?" said Ronnie.

"Very thick, apparently," said Molly, sniggering. "What did you two do, anyway?"

"Let off dungbombs in a compartment where these two Slytherins were snogging," Ronnie said. "I think she was one of them."

Frances had a disgusted look on his face. "It was disgusting, they were all into it, like this..." He proceeded to make sloppy kissing noises and move his mouth in an odd way. "Mmm...ugly Slytherin...oh baby..."

Molly laughed, Ronnie rubbed his hands together. "See you Molly," he said, and he left the compartment, Frances waved to her on his way out.

Molly looked at her wand again. Think rationally. Uncle Harry's wand was brother to the most evil wizard in the world and he turned out just fine. His daughter's a bit...unlike him, but Danny is a perfectly nice person...

"Look, guys, it's Bucktooth Weasley!" said a cruel voice. Molly's head shot up and saw Lindsey, Lydia, and Lucius Malfoy in the doorway. The voice had come from Lydia Malfoy, the twelve-year-old. Molly was hardly surprised they'd decided to drop by, or that they called her 'Bucktooth Weasley.' The Malfoys had cruel names for every single Weasley. Ronnie was 'Forgotten Weasley', which title spoke for itself. Even though she had been expecting their arrival, she was still angry.

"Sod off!" Molly snapped. "Don't you have anything better to do with your time?"

"Like reading a book?" Lucius said innocently, gesturing the pile of three large books beside Molly. Molly eyed her books protectively, and scooted them closer to her. Lindsey chuckled.

"Yeah, like reading a book," Molly said. "You know, whatever your parents have at home. One Hundred and One Ways to be Nasty Little Buggers or The Guide To Being a Git to name a few."

"There's books on that?" asked Lydia softly. Lindsey looked at her disgustedly and elbowed her in the stomach.

"So Bucktooth, where's DDS Weasley?" asked Lindsey maliciously. Molly's jaw clenched and she stood up, wand pointed at the older girl, her eyes blazing. Lucius had his wand out in a flash, and Lydia searched for hers, then pointed it at Molly as well.

"Don't ever call him that," Molly said coldly.

"Or what?"

"Or you'll have to deal with us," spoke up a voice. Molly's heart nearly stopped. She smiled through the tears welling in her eyes and looked at Danny. His wand was pointed at Lindsey as well, his face stony; Ronnie and Frances had their wands on Lucius, looking as furious as Molly felt. A thin, pale boy had his wand at Lydia, a nervous expression on his face as his eyes darted back to Danny.

"What's going on?" came the voices of Fred and Angelina's thirteen-year-old twins, Sara and Mark. "Did I hear something about DDS Weasley?" said Mark warningly, lifting his wand as well.

"I hope DDS doesn't mean what we all think it means. It better mean Delightful, Divine, Serene Weasley unless you want your faces shoved in," Ronnie said forcefully, his voice shaking.

"Lay off!" said Lucius.

"What's this?" came another voice, and Molly groaned only slightly. "Put your wands down, all of you!" It was Katarina, looking very red in the face. Molly was concerned. Were her sister's cheeks tear stained?

"But, Kat--" Ronnie started in their defense.

"I don't want to hear it, Ronnie! Wands away! You three, get out of here," she added to Malfoys. They left, though Lucius and Lindsey looked extremely put out.

"They called him DDS Weasley!" shouted Ronnie at Katarina, obviously not noticing that she had already been crying.

"Ronnie, lay off," said Molly, pocketing her wand.

"Or don't you two care when they call Charlie deaf, dumb, and stupid?" he said angrily.

Molly's jaw dropped. Katarina looked like she had been slapped. "Twenty points from Gryffindor!" she said, shaking a finger in his face.

"What? Why?"

"For defying the Head Girl."

"You can't take points off me. We're not yet at Hogwarts," said Ronnie, his voice softer. "Besides, it was the Malfoys who..."

"A detention then," Katarina said, walking out of the room with a hard face.

The tension lingered in the room, as all of them stared at one another in silent anger. They could honestly not care for the points that had been taken, but the DDS insult had burned them all. The Malfoys had only called Charlie that a handful of times, but whenever they did, the Weasleys all got offended.

One by one the Weasleys filed out of the compartment, except for Danny and the pale boy. Molly looked up and saw Danny staring at her. "Sorry," they said at the same time, then gave small smiles.

"Who are you?" asked Molly to the other boy.

"Oh," said Danny, as the boy dropped the book he'd been clutching, and scrambled to pick it up, "that's Andrew Parton, but you can call him Andy."

Molly took in the boy's state of dress. "Muggleborn, are you Andy?" she said, not rudely. He nodded. "Can I call you Drew?"

"I'd prefer you didn't," he said, his voice coming out in a little squeak.

"Well, Drew, I'm Molly Weasley. Nice to meet you."

"Her real name's Mahra," Danny said with a smirk.

Molly glared at him, then turned to Andy, sticking out her hand. "Yes, but only because I wasn't named by my mother, but by my aunt, who has a weird taste in names. I prefer just Molly."

Andy smiled, and was rather nice looking when he did so. "Well, Mahra, it's nice meeting you too." He shook her hand. Molly raised her eyebrows slightly, then pulled out her wand again, testing him. His was out in a flash as well.

"It's really nice meeting you," she said admirably, tucking away her wand.

Danny rolled his eyes, just as the trolley cart rolled by. "Anything off the trolley, dears?" said a plump woman.

"Yeah," he said, digging in his pocket. "We'll take the lot." He produced a handful of Galleons.

"Woah."

Molly and Danny looked at Andy, then at each other, and grinned.