Harry Potter and the Levitating Ch'iyun: Part One

Harry Potter and the Levitating Ch’iyun: Part One

Chapter One

“So hear me now
I’ll scream out loud
Can’t figure out how you
Entered into my world and I fall down..
And you crash into me.” – Michelle Branch “Fall”

“Gotta be careful now. That ruddy house elf…” Mad-Eye Moody muttered more to himself than anyone else in the traveling party. Ron rolled his eyes, wondering if the madness would ever end. He, Ginny, and Hermione were being escorted to the train that would take them to their sixth year at Hogwarts and Moody had taken every alleyway and scenic route he could find in London. Ron was also anxious, as was Hermione of course, to see his best friend Harry Potter, who had to stay at his aunt and uncle’s for the summer to remain safe (Dumbledore’s orders). He had made it to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix for his birthday, but the escape was bittersweet.

Since Harry’s godfather’s death in June, the Black family house elf, Kreacher, had taken the opportunity to spill all of the Order’s secrets and their hideout was ruined. Everyone almost didn’t escape the Death Eaters sent to crash Harry’s very first birthday party, and Harry had to flee to the safety of the large square house on Privet Drive and obviously wasn’t very happy about it.

Finally, Moody, Tonks, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione arrived at the barrier between gates nine and ten. Tonks began chattering noiselessly to a listening Hermione and Ginny and they slipped seamlessly through the magical wall. Moody had a different method. He roughly shoved Ron’s trunk into its owner’s abdomen and similarly shoved him through the barrier, following close behind.

So, Ron’s first glimpse of the Hogwarts Express was from the ground until his new dress robes and a twittering Pigwidgeon obscured his vision. Grumbling vaguely about mad ex-Aurors and what he would do if he had the proper training, he got to his feet.

“I missed you,” Hermione was saying awkwardly to Harry. He looked slightly angry, but his aura was drenched with sadness. Harry attempted to give her a brusque look, failed, and instead said “hi” and gave her a hug.

“Hey mate,” Ron said, shaking his best friend’s hand, “Did they treat you rotten?” Harry shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned ironically.

“I would have been highly disappointed and slightly suspicious if they hadn’t,” he replied.

The three looked over at the scarlet-red engine as the whistle blew for last-minute boarding.

“I guess we’d better board,” Hermione said, again slightly awkwardly. Ron noticed that she was acting a bit strangely in Harry’s presence, an observation he didn’t usually make, but it had struck him so powerfully in that odd moment. She nervously tucked her hair behind her ears and began to drag her trunk onto the train.

Because Harry, Hermione, and Ron had not tried to get on the train sooner, almost all of the compartments were filled. They walked straight to the back of the train, though, in hopes of finding their usual compartment empty. Unfortunately, a strange-looking girl was occupying their favorite traveling haunt reading a newspaper written in Chinese. Harry was about to move on to another compartment when Ron flung out an arm to stop him. Ron’s ears had gone red and he had an odd look on his face.

“This one’s okay mate. Ask her if we can join her,” Ron said with a bizarrely flat tone.

“Wha-?” Harry started to ask, but Hermione just rolled her eyes and reached around him to yank open the compartment door.

“Mind if we join you?” she asked the girl. The girl looked up from her newspaper and smiled.

“Oh sure, come on in,” she said in a decidedly American accent. As the three friends entered the compartment, she smiled sweetly at each one in turn (Ron’s ears turned a even more vibrant shade of magenta) and went back to her reading.

“So,” Hermione said once they were settled, “are you…new?”

“Yep,” said the girl, “just got transferred from Salem.”

“Wow- I’ve read all about Salem. Is it true your school is right were the muggles used to hang witches?” Hermione asked, slightly in awe.

“Oh yeah- I used to always do my homework under the noose,” the girl joked. Hermione laughed.

“I’m Hermione Granger,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Lizzy Aurore,” the girl replied, shaking Hermione’s hand.

“Is that French?” Hermione asked cautiously. Lizzy nodded, tucking her long dark hair behind her ears.

“Yeah. My parents left France for the U.S. because they hated their parents for some reason,” Lizzy looked thoughtful for a moment. “They never told me why. It’s amazing that they even let me come here. But, your headmaster…uh...”

“Dumbledore,” Hermione finished.

“-Right, Dumbledore insisted,” Lizzy said.

“What year are you in?” Hermione asked. Ron and Harry glanced at each other, wondering if they were ever going to be introduced. Lizzy look confused.

“Year? Oh right- you mean grade…” Lizzy reached into her back pocket and brought out a crumpled piece of parchment and squinted closely at it. “Sixth.”

“Great- us too,” Harry put in. Hermione slapped her forehead.

“Sorry, this is Harry Potter and Ron Weasley,” Hermione said apologetically.

“Nice to meet you both,” Lizzy said smiling. She didn’t even double-take at the sound of Harry’s name.

“Do you know house you’re in?” Ron asked, finally finding his voice. Lizzy looked down at her paper again. She shook her head.

“Doesn’t say,” Lizzy replied, and then ripped off a small note that was attached to the back of the larger paper. She read it carefully, and then handed it to Harry. “It’s a note from Dumbledore,” she explained. “We’re supposed to meet him in his office after the feast.” Harry took it and read it.

“He didn’t give me a note at all,” Harry said irritably. Lizzy shrugged.

“Maybe he knew we were going to meet before we got to school,” she suggested.

When Lizzy went back to her newspaper, the door to their compartment slid open noisily. Malfoy stood in the doorway, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.

“Oy, scar head, made a new friend?” Malfoy asked stupidly, eyeing the Chinese newspaper.

“Bug off, Malfoy,” Harry said coolly. Lizzy looked up, saw Malfoy, and sat silently staring at him. Malfoy gulped and fled for the safety of his own compartment. Hermione jumped up and closed and locked the door behind him.

Ron gazed at Lizzy in awe. “Whoa- you handled Malfoy like a pro! How’d you just make him leave like that?” Lizzy shrugged.

“Zen power,” she stated, and went back to her newspaper. Seeing that she wasn’t looking, Ron messed up his hair to look as though he had just come off the quidditch pitch.

“You don’t need to do that to look cute, you know,” Lizzy told him, never looking up from her paper.

Ron never did it again.

…to be continued.