Lucy's POV:
I stayed in bed all day. I really was feeling terrible. The full moon had hit me hard as always, just great.
Some time in the late afternoon, the Weas- leys and Harry came back from Diagon Alley.
"How are you feeling?" Harry asked when he came in.
"Better than this mornin'" I answered, sitting up straight. "How was Diagon Alley? Have you seen Hermione?"
Harry chuckled lightly. "It was fun. Ginny got her stuff and I got you yours. Hermione was very worried when we told her you're ill..." he chuckled again. "We also saw Hagrid. And that morron Malfoy and his dad."
He started telling me about a fight in Flourish & Blotts between Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy.
"Awesome man, Mr. Weasley is," I said satisfied. "Y'know what? I feel fine, I'll come downstairs!"
I ushered my brother out and got dressed. I went downstairs to meet the Weasleys and Harry there.
Mrs. Weasley was very happy to see I was OK and tried to fuss over me the rest of the day, in a sweet way.
Ginny and I talked the night away and laughed our heads off. I only ever had this kind of fun with Vannessa.
"You two should meet!" I said, when Ginny asked about my other friend. "She's awe- some, you'll be great friends too! We've pulled so many pranks on the bullies at my old Muggle school."
"Maybe we can all prank together!" Ginny suggested excited. "I can't wait to meet her really!"
Harry and Ron spent the night hanging out as well. The two best friends were reunited and great. They played quidditch with the twins too, again leaving me and Ginny out. But we didn't mind.
"I've got something for that," Ginny whispered mysteriously to me. I smirked at her mischievous grin and thought about Ginny's idea.
That night, I was woken up by Ginny. We shared a room now, after the full moon. "Come on," she whispered. I got up with a grin, knowing this was her plan.
We went downstairs and out, to the shed, where all the brooms lay. Ginny opened it, looking at me in excitement. My eyes widened when I realised what we were gonna do.
"Which one do you want to try?" Ginny asked triumphantly. I grinned widely, taking one.
"That's Fred's," Ginny said with a smile. "It's a great one. The twins have quite good ones, even though they're nothing like a Nimbus 2000..."
I took Harry's broom out, which he had also stalled in here, with the other boys. "Wanna try one?"
Ginny gasped and took it carefully from me. "Are you sure? I mean-"
"Yes, I'm sure! Harry won't know, and he wouldn't mind it anyway!" Ginny was beyond excited when she mounted the broom.
I'd seen Harry do it many times now and I knew I could do it as well. I could do this. I was however, a bit nervous. What if I was crappy at it?
Nevertheless, I mounted and I followed Ginny, up into the sky. It was a thrilling feeling. I felt so... free. I could really see why Harry liked this so much.
"Whoo-hoo!" I cried and Ginny and I flew around, totally free. Free of worries, free of overprotective brothers, free of a name we were stuck with, free of everything.
But alas, to that freedom came an end after all, when hours had gone by. We'd flown, sat in the grass, talking and flown again. But if we didn't want to look like zombies to- morrow, we had to sleep some more. So we did.
Next morning, Mrs. Weasley woke us up cheerful as ever. Today was our last day before going to Hogwarts.
"Are you nervous?" George asked me and Ginny. "When we were in our first year, the sorting was awful too!" Ginny shivered a little at first, but I smirked.
"I bet it was, but you're forgetting something guys." The twins shared a questioning and surprised look.
"What?"
"While you boys are babies at heart when 11, us girls are already half grown-up." I said cheekily. "Oh wait, nevermind the age, boys are always babies at heart."
Ginny laughed and the twins stared at me in awe.
"Did we just get it... back?" Fred asked George. "We did." They looked at each other. "Damn..."
Ginny and I laughed, while Harry and Ron looked at us in surprise. "How did you do that?" Ron asked perplexed. "No one has ever outsmarted them this easily!"
I smirked at him and winked. "That's something you'll never know..." Harry snor- ted at my behaviour and Ron looked pretty scared.
"Never mind Slytherins," he whispered to Harry. "We should watch out for her." He shivered and Ginny and I laughed.
Vanessa's POV:
I honestly couldn't wait to leave and see Lucy again. This. place. was. boring.
What also didn't help, was how my dad wouldn't normally look me in the eyes anymore.
You might wonder why. Well, there are two reasons: one, I was so mad at him for upasetting Lucy that day, I started a fight and he won't admit he's wrong.
The second reason was much worse: the fact that I was a witch.
Sure, now we had an explination for my oddness, but Dad had always dreamed of the perfect daughter: one who did well in school, graduated with outstanding marks and later studied and succeeded to become a nurse. Or perhaps a doctor.
But now I was a witch and I'd go to a totally new world, with a completely other future. One we didn't yet understand, one that was still very unsure. It meant unstability and Dad doesn't handle unstability well.
Luckily, Mom was okay with me being a witch now, though it had been quite a shock at first.
"Sweety, are you OK, honey?" Mom's sweet voice came from the other end of my bedroom door. I'd locked myself in again, not knowing what to do. There wasn't much fun around here without Lucy.
"Yes, I'm fine Mom," I answered her. "Just bored..." quiet. No answer.
"I know honey," she sighed sadly. "Shall we do something today?"
I got up from my bed and opened the door. "Like what? Not shopping again, right?" Mom laughed softly at my slight panic.
"No... we can go get ice cream," she brain- stormed. "Or go see a friend-"
"Mom, those are your friends, not mine. Lucy's my friend, but she's gone off somewhere for the summer..."
Mom sighed at my sad face. "I know it's hard... maybe we could go back to that magic place Professor McGonnagall took us to?" She asked. "We know where it is now. Maybe we could go see if we can find books to read about their world..."
I groaned at the mention. "Not more books!" I cried. "Haven't I read enough? It's the holidays!"
"No, I meant for me. And your father, so we get to understand certain things as well. Like your future possibilities, education, history, common knowledge other useful information."
"Dad's not gonna read it," I said. "He's still in denial. And angry 'cause I won't let him be."
"For now. I'm sure he'll come around, sweety. He loves you and... he just wants a good life for you, OK? He's mostly afraid for your future."
"I know, but can't he just accept it?!" I cried exasperated.
"He should, but it's hard. Maybe some books will help him." I thought about it and realised she was right.
"Let's go," I said getting my stuff and going downstairs. "Maybe Johnny wants to come too?"
"Yes, definitely!" He called out enthusiatic- ally.
"Were you eavesdropping?!" Mom asked angry. "Yup," he answered, half proud, but also a bit scared.
"Let's go, just the 3 of us," I said cheerful, changing the subject. Sure, my brother was annoying, but I didn't mind today and wanted to go.
"Yes!" He yelled in relief, following me and shooting me a "thanks".
Diagon Alley was crowded with magical folk again, like the time we went with McGon- nagall. But where was the book store again?
"Let's get ice cream!" Johnny said, pointing at an ice cream store.
"Later maybe," Mom said to him. "First books and other stuff."
"Can we go meet kids?" Johnny asked hopefully. "We could make friends and contacts already!"
"Why would you need those, bro?" I asked, a bit afraid of the answer.
"I want it for you, sis," he answered. "And I'm also curious, so I can ask questions!"
With that, he ran into a store, forcing me and my mom to follow him. Apparantly, it was our lucky day, because this was the book store we were looking for.
But the entrance was blocked by a few people. One tall, blond person, with long hair, I'd say a woman. Next to her was a just as blond kid, around my age, hair neatly done with hair gel, backs to us.
The people they were talking to were all kids and almost all gingers, like Lucy. I saw a girl and I almost thought she was Lucy. One boy wasn't ginger though.
"Harry, right?!" Mom suddenly said happy. Harry indeed looked up and smiled, but it was a strained smile.
"I see you've found even more of your fans, Potter!" The blond boy called out hatefully. The parent was, I then realised, a man.
"Shut up, Malfoy!" The boy next to Harry hissed back.
"How are you doing? Vanessa said you and Lucy left for the summer," Mom continued like nothing happened.
"Mom, let's get going..." I muttered to her when I saw Harry's discomfort. Was he ashamed of us?
"Oh so you know these people?" The adult blonde said. "What's your name? I don't think I recognise you."
"Vanessa Wilson," I said to him coldly. I had an idea from Harry I shouldn't trust him so easily.
Mom however, did not see this and smiled kindly at him, offering her a hand.
"Not one of the sacred 28," I heard him mutter under his breath. "What do you do, Ms. Wilson?" He turned to Mom, while Johnny just came to us.
"I don't have a job, but my husband's a banker."
The man smirked snobbish and the gingers and Harry stared him down hatefully. "I see, Muggles..."
He turned to me. "And you must be a muggleborn as well then," he asked me and I nodded coldly again.
"Mr. Potter has apparantly made a habit of befriending muggleborns, I see."
"That's none of your business," I said to him. "Now, my family and I need to get books, good day. See ya Harry."
With that, I pushed through the crowd of people with my brother and Mom. It was in time, because a bit later, I heard them fight: Blonde senior and the ginger family's dad.
"What was all that about, just now?" Johnny asked, looking back at the two families, who were being asked to leave the store right now.
"Not sure, but it'll be fine."
"What about this book?" Mom asked me, steering the subject away. My mom was a sweet person, who saw the best in everyone, but it also made her a bit naive and foolish at times.
However, she was adult and understood something had been going on with the snobs and she was protecting her son from it now.
The book was all about random facts and rules and history. Perfect. "Yes, this is great!" I said and Johnny got distracted and looked at the book.
"More on futures?" Mom asked me and I nodded. "And common knowledge things, probably..."
And so, we went on, peacefully buying books for me and my parents as prepar- ation.
Afterwards, we finally got ice cream, as Johnny had wanted and we had an amazing day.
"That Harry was Lucy Potter's brother, right?" Johnny asked me and Mom eventually.
"Yup. You've met him, haven't you?" Johnny nodded silently.
"Why have we never met their parents?" I swallowed hard. I of course, knew that they were orphans.
"Well, their parents are dead Johnny," I said carefully. "They died when Lucy was only a few months old." Johnny looked at me surprised.
"Really? But Lucy always seems so happy..." I smiled at him. "Yes, she does. She misses them, but she isn't gloomy all the time because of it!"
"Maybe she is," Mom said. "You don't know, maybe it's just a front." That was true, I'd never thought about this.
"But she doesn't live in an orphanage..." Johnny continued.
"She lives with her aunt and uncle. I've met her aunt before, just briefly."
"Why haven't they come over yet?"
"Well, I don't think they like that sort of thing, to be honest..." Something about this didn't feel right, I knew it. But what?
The day went by quickly and we went home. Dad was quiet when we showed him the books, but Johnny swore he saw him read one that night.
Maybe he would indeed come around. I hoped he would do so soon, because Hog- warts wasn't far away now.
*~*
Harry's POV:
The big day had finally come: Hogwarts. Lucy and Ginny were very nervous at the looks of it. I couldn't blame them.
The Burrow was in full stress-mode, with people running all over the place. I almost fell down the stairs three times!
After a lot of stress, we'd finally all made it into Mr. Weasley's bewitched car and we were on the road. Only not for long.
Every time we were finally gone, someone shouted they'd forgotten something and had to go back: the twins forgot their 'home- work' which was actually firecrackers. Ron forgot Scabbers, Ginny hadn't packed her diary...
So, when we were finally at King's Cross, we were quite late. To be exact, we only had 8 minutes to get on the train.
"Hurry up, kids!" Mrs. Weasley called, all stressed out. "Percy, you first!" Percy sped through.
Then Fred and George, then Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Only Lucy, Ginny Ron and I were left. "Go on!" I said to the girls, who ran at the wall. Ginny first, she got through.
Only when Lucy went, she didn't go through. She hit the wall, hard.
"What the hell?!" She groaned. She'd hit the wall too, flying right over her kart with the trunk.
"Are you OK?!" I asked, helping her up. She had no bad injuries, luckily. The clock ticked 11.
"We missed the train!" Ron cried out. "It's left! What do we do?!"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Lucy yelled back in panic.
"Calm down!" I said exasperated. "We should just... I don't know, wait for your parents and... let's go to the car, they'll-"
"The car!" Ron suddenly said. "Brilliant! C'mon! We can go by car!"
"What?!" "Are you crazy?!"
"What other choice do we have?" Ron asked us impatiently.
He was kind of right though...
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