MUGGLEBORN

1 | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

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MUGGLEBORN:
CHAPTER ONE
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It had been a year since Esther had been surrounded by the pure magic of Diagon Alley, and the girl couldn't contain her excitement to return. She bounced lightly on the balls of her feet as the brick wall in front of her revealed the street of shops.

Esther pulled the list of supplies from her pocket and unfolded the parchment. Instantaneously, a name popped out from the page: Gilderoy Lockhart. "Who's Gilderoy Lockhart?" She mumbled to herself. Whoever he was, it seemed that his books would be influencing her Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Esther shrugged, keeping her list in hand as she set off towards Flourish and Blotts.

The girl's eyebrows furrowed as her gaze landed on the shop. Even amongst the bustling street, there was a noticeably condense crowd around the bookstore - and at the edge of it all stood two familiar faces.

"Who in God's name is Gilderoy Lockhart?" Esther said over the multitude of conversations as she approached her two best friends, Terry and Amanda. They turned to greet her, and Amanda instantly enveloped her in a hug.

"Esther! We weren't sure if you were going to come today!" The girl beamed, embracing her friend tightly.

"Hey, Esther." Terry grinned.

"It's good to see y'all too. But really, what's the fuss about here?" The blonde asked as she pulled away from her friend.

"You've never heard of Gilderoy Lockhart?" Amanda asked with surprise dancing in her tone.

"I'm not surprised. She hadn't even heard of The Weird Sisters before she got here." Terry mused.

"Hey, it's not my fault." Esther giggled. "Just tell me who he is!"

"Gilderoy Lockhart is one of the most famous authors in the world. My mum is somewhere inside; she's trying to get his autograph. Apparently, he'll be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year." Terry explained.

Amanda nodded excitedly. "I can't believe it: an actual celebrity! I don't know how I'll be able to focus in class."

"I don't really care who he is, quite frankly, as long as he isn't connected to Voldemort and he can teach," Esther remarked.

"Hopefully Potter won't get this one killed." A voice scoffed. Esther pressed her lips together: Draco Malfoy.

The blonde-haired boy had just left the shop when he decided to interject. Truthfully, Esther was surprised he was even speaking to her after he and his friends spent the majority of last year pretending that she simply didn't exist.

She saw Amanda wrinkle her nose. "Harry Potter did more than just that. He saved the school and the rest of the world from He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. That includes you, Malfoy."

Esther exchanged an awkward glance with Terry. The amount of distaste between Draco and Amanda seemed to never cease.

Draco opened his mouth to respond when an older, very serious-looking man with long platinum hair the boy's shoulder. "Draco, what did I tell you about leaving without my permission?"

Draco's sneer dropped at the sight of the man. "But father..." He paused to come up with an excuse, and his gaze landed on Esther. "This is the girl I told you about! The mudblood from America who was sorted into Slytherin." Esther glanced down at her feet. She noticed Terry shift defensively towards her and Amanda's fists clench.

His father didn't say anything for a moment. "What did you say her name was?"

Esther's looked back up. "I'm Esther Somers, sir."

"How... interesting." The man studied her for a few seconds, before turning on his heels. "Come along, Draco." Draco didn't say anything to the three friends before following.

No one spoke for a moment, but Amanda eventually broke their silence. "Well, that was creepy." Terry and Esther nodded in agreement.

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Riding the Hogwarts Express after a long summer of books, letters from her friends, and awkward conversations with her father made Esther happy beyond compare. She sat across from Terry, and they were both racing to see who could finish reading Gilderoy Lockhart's Wanderings with Werewolves before the train arrived at school. Amanda sat cross-legged on the ground, painting her nails with a yellow polish.

"The two of you are such nerds, you know that, right?" The girl said without moving her gaze from her nails.

Esther smiled, and she heard Terry let out a small laugh. "It's not my fault she thinks she can read faster than I can. I'm merely setting her straight." He said matter-of-factly. Esther rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure." Amanda hummed. "Anyone want their nails done?"

"No, thanks." Esther shook her head.

"Yellow would look awful with my robes," Terry joked.

"Suit yourselves." Amanda shrugged, blowing on and shaking her nails. "I'm gonna go get something from the trolley - don't have too much fun while I'm gone." She joked, then shut the compartment door behind her.

Esther and Terry shared an amused look, before continuing on their books. Minutes passed before anyone spoke, and the two were so caught up in their reding that they barely noticed the time passing. "It's awfully quiet, don't you think? I'm surprised that Malfoy and Potter haven't caused a scene yet. And where's Amanda?" Esther asked.

Terry shrugged, and the girl put down her book and stood. "I'm going to go check on her."

"Have fun." The boy mused as she slid out of the compartment.

Not far down the hall stood her friend, and she didn't seem happy. Amanda's arms were crossed as she argued with three unfortunately familiar students in black and green robes. Esther pressed her lips together but approached them nonetheless to retrieve her friend.

"The mudblood actually came back this year." Pansy laughed.

Amanda fumed. "Don't you dare-"

"I've got this, Amanda," Esther assured her. "It probably wouldn't be smart for me to miss school." She stated plainly, trying to avoid the instigation of a conflict. Esther had shared a room with Pansy Parkinson for the entirety of the last school year, so as much as she hated to cause tension, she had grown accustomed to the girl's sour personality and knew there was no way to avoid it.

"I'm surprised you haven't charmed your robes to be something other than green, Somers, since you clearly don't belong in Slytherin," Blaise commented coolly. He carried his wand in his hand, and he spun it with his fingers as he spoke. Draco smirked, seemingly amused, and Pansy's nettlesome snicker sounded once again.

"Are we really still having this argument?" Esther sighed, straightening her emerald tie for dramatic effect, despite the fact that her fingers were shaking with nerves about the confrontation. "I'm a Slytherin whether you like or not, Zabini. I suggest you get used to it. C'mon, Amanda." She said, grabbing her friend by the hand and tugging her away from the group. Amanda huffed, and Esther couldn't help but smile when she saw the girl in black and yellow robes tauntingly stick her tongue out at the group of bullies as they retreated. She heard Draco grumble something about not having seen Harry Potter on the train yet.

Esther and Amanda re-entered their compartment, both taking a seat across from Terry, who was sprawled out across one of the seats with his book held over his head.

"At this rate, I'm definitely going to finish Wanderings with Werewolves before you," Terry said as they entered, not moving his focus.

"We'll see about-" Esther was interrupted by the loud, low squeal of a whistle and the train's gentle roll to a stop. The three students popped out of their seats. Esther beamed; they were back.

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