*this has been edited*
TW: Mentions of abuse
Dear Hermione,
I hope you are doing well. I'm writing to you to request for you to bring some extra supplies with you to Hogwarts this year. You see, it seems as if I'd become more clumsy over the summer, and would greatly appreciate some extra bandages and a healing spell or potion here or there. I figured that by now, you'll be staying with the Weasleys at the Leaky Cauldron, so I was hoping that for somethings you could ask Molly for, seeing as she's had plenty of experience using them due to raising the Twins, Bill,, Charlie, and Ron. Knowing Harry, he'll probably end up staying with you guys after doing something stupid (or at least I hope he does, I made a bet with Ginny on the train back). Anyways, before you can lecture me on how I mustn't waste my money on something like betting, please say hi to Thunder-head for me. Oh, and also Gred and Forge, Ron, and Ginny please (and tell them that I want to write them back, but if I do, I'll be punished for it). Oh well. They;re hosting a ball tonight, which I'm sure you can only imagine my excitement for. I hope to see you in less than a week.
-Amara Eve
P.S. if you don't mind, please keep Specks with you, as I don't want my "parents" to find out that I wrote to you
Finishing my letter to Hermione, I quickly put it in the quickest envelope I can find, and hand it to Specks, who flies out of my window and to Hermione and the rest of my friends, who are without a doubt having a better end to their summer than I am (except if Harry stays at the Dursleys, then we would be even). I flop back on my bed after shutting my window when my foster "mother" barges into my room.
"Your father and I have decided-"
"He is most certainly not my father, and you are not my mother." I cut her off.
She raises her wand. "I suggest that you obey my commands, or I'll show you how much we aren't your parents."
I don't react, just stand there staring her down and trying to focus on anything else, like going back to Hogwarts in less than a week now.
"Anyways, we've decided that you will attend dinner, and then you are to spend the rest of your night in your room, where no one will notice you're there or there will be consequences. Understand?" I give a slight nod. "Good, I'll have Rodger bring you your gown, and you are expected to be downstairs in no less than ten minutes." And with that, she leaves, and our house elf Rodger brings me my gown.
Oh goody, I get to dress up like them, I think as I assess it. It's a deep emerald green gown, with sleeves that cling onto my shoulders. I quickly put on the gown, put on some light makeup, and brush out my hair before I head downstairs.
"Amara, so glad you could join us this evening," Mr. Bonavich exclaims as I take my assigned seat at the table as I process everyone that's here. Seeing as the Bonavich's only approves of pureblood wizards, only those of the sacred 29 receive invitations to their "fantastic" dinner parties and balls. If you ask me though, you're really not missing anything other than stuck up brats dancing around like it's medieval times for six hours straight. All my life I've done everything I could to get out of them, even if it meant punishment.
Looking to the right of Mrs. Bonavich, I see the Malfoys, looking as constipated as usual. Narcisssa's actually quite nice, but she puts on this whole "pureblood supremacist" act and sucks up to her abusive husband. Her son Draco does the same thing. Seeing as just the thought of talking to them was aggravating me, I decided just not to acknowledge anyone else, and ate my dinner quickly and quietly, answering only when spoken to. When I finished, I said a small thank you and left for my room.
Now for the real fun, I thought. I quickly change out of my dress and put on a pair of leggings and one of my spare Gryffindor jumpers and a pair of red converse, and open my window. I look and make sure the coast is clear, and I climb down the vines on the side of the house, heading to the woods behind the Bonavich mansion. I make my way to the small lake, and sit down.
After a beautiful sixteen minutes of skipping stone across the lake, I hear the bushes begin to ruffle behind me. Cursing myself for not covering up my tracks like I usually do, I grab a stone and hold it defensively as I move closer to the bushes. Right before I was about to throw the stone to where the movement was coming from, a shaggy black dog leaps out of them, causing me to fall back.
"Dear Merlin," I pant "where'd you come from? I know that no one in there cares about anything other than their looks and money to invest in a pet, and last time I asked the Bonavich's for a pet I was crucio-ed."
The dog snarled. I shrugged.
"Eh, I'm fine, I've gotten used to it. First time they used it on me I was five or six I think? Mrs. Bonavich called me downstairs and I was running so fast I ran into an end table and broke a vase. Since then it's become a normal custom. Speak too quiet? You're a goner. Room so messy the house elves can't find something? Might as well give yourself up there. Try hiding from punishment? Yikes. It always hurts, don't get me wrong, but that time almost had me taking a good ol' fashion dirt nap. Sometimes they do more than just the cruciatus curse, like diffindo, or a physical beating. But it's whatever. I'm going back to my real home in less than a week. To be exact, the Hogwarts Express leaves in five days, twelve hours, thirty minutes, and-fifty one seconds. My real family's there too. My Mum died-I think? I'm not allowed to ask about my old family, I don't remember any of them. My Dad's Sirius Black, mass murder." The dog started to whimper and laid its head in my lap.
"Awh, it's alright, I don't need him anyways. Took eleven torturous years, but I've made friends that are my family by everything but blood. Who shall we start with first?" I didn't realize what I did until I asked the dog the question, but he seemed to understand and shrug.
"Well, first, there's Hermione. She's a muggleborn-not that it matters, she's the best in our class, and I'd even bet she's one of Hogwarts' most brilliant witches, or if not the most brilliant witch Hogwarts has ever seen. I met her on the train in first year when she came into the compartment Harry, Ron, and I were sitting in. It took a bit for the four of us to get perfectly along-Halloween to be exact, but I'll get to that part later-but since then, we've been inseparable. In fact, Fred and George-or George and Fred, George hates feeling like second best-started calling the four of us the Golden Quartet. Anyways, Hermione's my sister by everything but blood. So are the Weasleys; which brings me to them.
"The oldest out of the amazing seven Weasley children are Bill, Charlie, and Percy. I've written to Charlie and Bill quite a few times, Charlie's working with Dragons in Romania, and Bill's working for Gringotts in Egypt. Percy's the third oldest, he's graduating this year. We don't get along very well, he's very-how do I say this-a goody two shoes. If there's a rule to be followed, Percy's there. In fact, I'm holding a bet with Ron that he'll become Head Boy this year. Percy gets on my nerves a lot, but I'm still close with him. Kinda a "tough love" thing, you know?
"The next two are the two put of the four that I'm closest with; Gred and Forge. They're the twins, and they're brilliant at jokes and pranks. We've been working together since after the feast in the first year. We're really close too, they're like my protective older brothers; and I tend to tell them everything, and they do the same to me. Don't tell anyone, but they're planning to open a joke shop after they graduate, and between you and me, I think they'll do great. In fact, I think that they've out-pranked the Marauders, which is a huge accomplishment. We still thank them for everything though, there's this map that shows everyone in Hogwarts, 24/7. I have them to thank for more than just Fred and George's success, but well get to that.
"The two youngest Weasleys are Ron, who's in my year, and Ginny, who's in the year below us. Ron's just like the twins in his whole "protective brother" state. It's kind of annoying, but it's kinda cool at the same time. Don't tell anyone this either, but I think that he fancies Hermione, and I totally ship it. It just works. And finally, there's amazing Ginny Weasley. I'm as close to her as I am any of the other Weasleys, and if not I'm closer to her seeing as she's a girl and all. She's like my little sister, and I'd die before watching her get hurt, and that's a promise.
"Anyways, the next is Harry Potter." the dog's ears perk up at this, as if recognizing the name, not that I'd doubt him, poor Harry's face is plastered in nearly every paper in the Wizarding World, which makes it difficult for him to live. "We met at the platform in the first year. He wasn' watching where he was going and accidentally ran his trolley into mine, the dork. Since then, we haven't left the other side unless we're forced to, and even then we find a way. Minnie likes to say that Potter and Black are at it again, but I disagree. I like to think that we were always at it, we just didn't know it yet. He's a doofus, believe me, but he's my doofus, and I love him for it. Come to think of it, I really don't know where I'd be without my good old two-eyed partner in crime.
"Okay, three more people to go. Back to what I was saying about the Marauders, I have them to thank for three of the best people you will ever meet. Without the map, I wouldn't have met Regan, which means that I wouldn't have met Annaleigh or Ophelia.
"The first I met is Regan Pennison, she's in my year. I met her after the feast and in the Gryffindor dorms, and we've been close since. She's as good as a sister as any of the other girls in this list. From there, Regan introduced me to her half sister, Ophelia-Jade Cottagore. Her parents died during the first war, which led to her growing up with Reg, so they're like sisters, much like how she is to me. She and Anna are Slytherins, but they're so much more than the stereotypical ones like most of my family. That brings me to Annaleigh Reninson, the third and final member of our group. She doesn't speak about her family much, but she'd give her life if it meant saving someone else's. The four of us are as close as sisters can get, which we are by everything but blood. Anyways, that's the scoop, I guess. Nothing much more to it." I chuckle, and begin to hear voices outside, which causes me to jump up and dust myself off.
"That's my cue to get my butt back inside before they find out I left in the first place. Anyways, it was nice meeting you, little guy. I think you might need a name though...how about Snuffles?" he snarls and shakes his head no. I shrug. "Sorry bud, but I'm not much more creative with names other than that, so Snuffles it is. Cya!" I sprint back as quietly as I can, climb up back into my room, change into my pajamas, and drift off to sleep.
Thanks for reading! QOTD: what's your favorite Harry Potter book/movie? Be sure to comment and vote!
~Potterhead