┌────── ∘°❉°∘ ──────┐
.·:*¨༺𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛❷⇻𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛②②༻¨*:·.
𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝙳𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝙼𝚊𝚗 𝙷𝚘𝚎 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝙷𝚎 𝙸𝚜
└────── °∘❉∘° ──────┘
✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧
❀。• *₊°❀°。❀。• *₊° ❀
➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶
✯¸.•'*¨'*•✿ ✿•*'¨*'•.¸✯✯¸.•'*¨'*•✿ ✿•*'¨*'•.¸✯
╔⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤╝❀╚⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤╗
❝𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚕.❞
╚⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤╗❀╔⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤╝
I spun around at one. There, his black robes rippling in a cold breeze stood Severus Snape.
"Follow me," said Snape. Snape led us away from the warmth and light, down a narrow stone staircase into the dungeons.
"In!" he said almost specifically to Ron and Harry, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing.
We entered Snape's office, shivering as he closed the door and turned to look at us.
"So," he said softly, "the train isn't good enough for the famous Harry Potter and his faithful sidekick Weasley. Wanted to arrive with a bang, did we, boys?"
"No, sir, it was the barrier at King's Cross, it –"
"Silence!" said Snape coldly. Snape unrolled today's issue of the Evening Prophet and waved it at our faces.
"You were seen," he hissed, showing us the headline: FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES. "By no less than seven muggles!"
'Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower ... at noon in Norfolk, Mrs Hetty Bayliss, while hanging out her washing ... Mr Angus Fleet, of Peebles, reported to police' ...
"Not to mention the damageyou inflicted on a Whomping Willowthat has been on these grounds forhundreds of years." Snape went on.
"Honestly, Professor Snape, I thinkit did more damage to us." Ron blurted out.
"Silence!" snapped Snape again. "I assure you, were you in Slytherin and your fate rested with me, the both of you would beon the train home tonight. I shall go and fetch the people who do have that happy power. You will wait here." Harry, I, and Ron stared at each other, white-faced.
Ten minutes later, Snape returned, and sure enough, it was Professor McGonagall who accompanied him. McGonagall had almost run into the room.
For a second, her eyes were searching the room desperately until she saw me. When she did, she leapt towards me. Surprised, I took a step back, thinking that she would fight me, but instead, she embraced me.
"Huh?"
"Oh, you foolish girl! How you could've been hurt!" She yelled, caressing the back of my head tenderly. Harry, I, and Ron stared at each other, but I felt bad for the old Professor so I hugged her back.
"Well, at least nothing happened to me, right?" I said to her, in, weirdly, an older sister type of tone.
"You say that now and then you'd come back with bruises and scars all over your body!" She whined, like a caring younger sister.
"Oh, you silly girl, you think too much of things," Harry and Ron looked at each other weirdly as the words rolled off my tongue easily. McGonagall looked at me in shock and said her next words carefully.
"Don't call me silly when you're the one who did something so reckless," She said warily, almost as if she was testing me.
"Reckless? Maybe. But fun? Bloody hell, yeah." I said, McGonagall smiled softly.
"Oh, how nice it is to see you again, hear you, speak to you," The switch in my brain turned off, and I saw McGonagall as nothing but my professor again.
"Gee, didn't know you missed me that much, Professor." I joked.
McGonagall stood up dangerously and turned to Harry and Ron.
I had seen Professor McGonagall angry on several occasions, but either I had forgotten just how thin her mouth could go, or I had never seen her this angry before. She raised her wand the moment she turned to Harry and Ron.
Harry and Ron both flinched, but she pointed it at the empty fireplace, where flames suddenly erupted.
"Sit," she said, Harry and Ron made their way over to the fireplace when McGonagall suddenly interrupted, "Not you two!" She shouted at them, she turned to me and her expression changed instantly, "You go and take a seat next to the fireplace, dear." She said, softly.
"What? Why do I get to sit and they don't?" I argued. McGonagall gulped for a moment,
"Well- You see- Different circumstances." That was all she said.
"Either I sit with them or I don't sit at all," I stated,
"Still just as chivalrous as before, I guess," She sighed, "Go on then," And so we backed into chairs by the fire.
"Explain," she said to Ron and Harry, her glasses glinting ominously. Ron launched into the story, starting with the barrier at the station refusing to let us through.
"... so we had no choice, Professor, we couldn't get on the train."
"Why didn't you send us a letter by owl? I believe you have an owl?" Professor McGonagall said coldly to Harry. Harry gaped at her. Now she said it, that seemed the obvious thing to have done.
"I – I didn't think –"
"That," said Professor McGonagall, "is obvious." She glared at Harry.
"I too have an owl!" McGonagall ignored me.
There was a knock on the office door and Snape, now looking happier than ever, opened it. There stood the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore.
My whole body went numb. Dumbledore was looking unusually grave. He looked at me with worried eyes and turned to Professor McGonagall in a hurry.
"It's alright, Albus. She's uninjured." She said, calmly. Professor Dumbledore calmed down and looked at Harry and Ron.
He stared down his very crooked nose at the two.
There was a long silence. Then Dumbledore said,
"Professor McGonagall, please carefully escort Miss Darlington back to her dormitory." My brows furrowed as Professor McGonagall walked towards me.
"What? Why?"
"Because it is bedtime, Dear"
"Then what about Harry and Ron?"
"They will need to stay for further questioning,"
"Professor, if my memory is correct, I was also with them in the flying car, so if anything: I should stay here with them too, or they come back to the Gryffindor common room with me," Professor Dumbledore sighed.
"Just as thoughtful as before, I see," He said, "Alright, you may stay." He said. He turned to Ron and Harry,
"Please explain why you did this." It would have been better if he had shouted. I could tell Harry and Ron hated the disappointment in his voice. Even when Dumbledore's disappointment wasn't directed at me even a bit, I still found myself feeling slightly guilty.
For some reason, Harry was unable to look Dumbledore in the eyes and spoke instead to his knees. He told Dumbledore everything except that Mr Weasley owned the bewitched car, making it sound as though he, I, and Ron had happened to find a flying car parked outside the station.
I knew Dumbledore would see through this at once, but Dumbledore asked no questions about the car. When Harry had finished, he merely continued to peer at them through his spectacles.
"We'll go and get our stuff," said Ron in a hopeless sort of voice.
"What are you talking about, Weasley?" barked Professor McGonagall.
"Well, you're expelling us, aren't you?" said Ron. I looked quickly at Dumbledore.
"Not today, Mr Weasley," said Dumbledore. "But I must impress upon both of you the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to both of your families tonight. I must also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you."
I gave a little cough as to remind Dumbledore that I too was involved in this mix, but he pretended to not hear me.
Snape looked as though Christmas had been cancelled. He cleared his throat and said,
"Professor Dumbledore, these boys-"
"I'm here too!" I yelled. Once again, ignored.
"-have flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry, caused serious damage to an old and valuable tree ... surely acts of this nature ..."
"It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on these boys' punishments' Severus," said Dumbledore calmly.
"They are in her house and are therefore her responsibility." He turned to Professor McGonagall. "I must go back to the feast, Minerva, I've got to give out a few notices. Come, Severus."
Snape shot a look of pure venom at Harry and Ron and then turned to me, looking softly at my face, before gulping and looking elsewhere.
"No injuries I hope Darlington?" he asked, avoiding eye contact with me, staring at anything that wasn't near me.
"Good as gold, I guess..." I said and he nodded as he allowed himself to be swept out of his office, leaving us alone with Professor McGonagall, who was still eyeing Harry and Ron like a wrathful eagle.
She then turned to me and bent down to my level.
"Y/n, dear, you'd better go to the hospital wing right now to check for any injuries,"
"Professor, I told you, I'm fine."
"You can never be too careful, head off to the hospital wing and Madame Pompfrey can tell me whether you're alright or not,"
"Actually-" I turned to look at Ron who had a great big slash on his forehead with blood dripping down his eyebrow, "I think I should take Ron up to the hospital wing to get him healed" McGonagall looked at Ron for a short second and back at me,
"That's nothing, it's you who needs to get checked up," She insisted
"Minnie," I said in a strict tone, my brows ever so slightly furrowed.
Ron and Harry clapped their hands to their mouths while McGonagall rolled her eyes.
"Oh, alright, alright," She said, "Go to the hospital wing, though, please. For my sake."
"Fine. And what about Ron?" McGonagall had a look of slight carelessness on her face almost saying 'I really could not give two fucks about that boy when you are standing in front of me right now with possible injuries,'
"Oh, aright, just take him you, I guess..."
"We'd better get along to the hospital wing, Ron, you're bleeding."
"Not much," said Ron, hastily wiping the cut over his eye with his sleeve. "Professor, I wanted to watch my sister being Sorted –"
"The Sorting Ceremony is over," said Professor McGonagall. "Your sister is also in Gryffindor."
"Oh, good," said Ron.
"And speaking of Gryffindor –" Professor McGonagall said sharply, but I cut in:
"Professor, when we took the car, the term hadn't started yet, so – so Gryffindor shouldn't have points taken from it, should it?" I finished like a haggling businesswoman, watching her anxiously.
Professor McGonagall gave me a soft smile, but I was sure I almost heard her mutter under her breath something along the lines of 'Y/n Potter. Still the same,'.
Her mouth looked less thin, anyway.
"I will not take any points from Gryffindor," she said, and my heart lightened considerably. "But you will both get a detention."
"I hope you mean all three of us?"
"Y/n, dear, I'm not giving you detention."
"Why not? I was also in the flying car."
"Just take it, Y/n. You won't receive detention." I stood there like a stone and crossed my arms, "Fine." She said, I smiled.
"Good girl, Minnie," I ruffled her hair as little as I walked out of the classroom, amazing both Harry and Ron and also Professor McGonagall all for different reasons.
It was better than I had expected. As for Dumbledore's writing to the Dursleys, that was nothing. I knew perfectly well they'd just be disappointed that the Whomping Willow hadn't squashed me flat.
Professor McGonagall raised her wand again and pointed it at Snape's desk. A large plate of sandwiches, three silver goblets and a jug of iced pumpkin juice appeared with a pop.
"Y/n, come back and eat something before bed," She called out to my leaving figure. I stopped at once and ran back, smelling the food.
"You will eat in here and then go straight up to your dormitory," she said. "I must also return to the feast." When the door had closed behind her, Ron let out a long, low whistle.
"I thought we'd had it," he said, grabbing a sandwich.
"So did I," said Harry, taking one too.
"Can you believe our luck, though?" said Ron thickly through a mouthful of chicken and ham. "Fred and George must've flown that car five or six times and no Muggle ever saw them." He swallowed and took another huge bite.
"It's a good thing they favour Y/n, or we'd be out of here in no time," Said harry referring to Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore.
"Yeah, why do you think that is?" I asked, staring up at the ceiling,
"Dunno, maybe she's got a daughter that you remind her of?" Said, Ron.
"No, She doesn't have a kid,"
"How do you know?" I shrugged. It was just knowledge that resided in my brain. Maybe I heard McGonagall telling me about it once, but I forgot.
"Why couldn't we get through the barrier?" I shrugged.
"We'll have to watch our step from now on, though," Harry said, taking a grateful swig of pumpkin juice.
"Wish we could've gone up to the feast ..."
"She didn't want us showing off," said Ron sagely. "Doesn't want people to think it's clever, arriving by flying car." When we had eaten as many sandwiches as we could (the plate kept re-filling itself) we rose and left the office, treading the familiar path to Gryffindor Tower.
We reached the passage where the secret entrance to Gryffindor Tower was hidden, behind an oil painting of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" she said, as we approached.
"Er –" said Harry.
"Marmalade?" I guessed, but it was not quite right,
"Good guess," Said Ron patting my shoulder,
"GoOd GuEsS," Harry silently mocked him. Ron looked at Harry angrily.
We didn't know the new year's password, not having met a Gryffindor Prefect yet, but help came almost immediately; we heard hurrying feet behind us and turned to see Hermione dashing towards us.
"There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumours – someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car."
"Well, we haven't been expelled," I assured her.
"You're not telling me you did fly here?" said Hermione, sounding almost as severe as Professor McGonagall.
"Skip the lecture," said Ron impatiently, "and tell us the new password."
"It's 'wattlebird'," said Hermione impatiently, "but that's not the point –" Her words were cut short, however, as the portrait of the fat lady swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping.
It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor house was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on the lop-sided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for us to arrive.
Arms reached through the portrait hole to pull me, Harry, and Ron inside, leaving Hermione to scramble in after us.
"What's up all my fellas!" I yelled joyously, entering the common room.
"Brilliant!" yelled Lee Jordan. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years!"
"Good on you," said a fifth-year I had never spoken to; someone was patting me on the back as though I'd just won a marathon. Fred and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd and said together,
"Why couldn't you've called us back, eh?" Ron was scarlet in the face, grinning embarrassedly, but I could see one person who didn't look happy at all.
Percy was visible over the heads of some excited first-years, and he seemed to be trying to get near enough to start telling us off. I nudged Hermione in the ribs and nodded in Percy's direction. Hermione got the point at once.
"Got to get upstairs – bit tired," She said, and the two of us started pushing our way towards the door on the other side of the room, which led to a spiral staircase and the dormitories. "Night," I called back to Harry, who was wearing a scowl just like Percy's, probably because I left him with Percy.
We managed to get to the other side of the common room, still having our backs slapped, and gained the peace of the staircase. We hurried up it, right to the top, and at last reached the door of our old dormitory, which now had a sign on it saying "second-years".
We entered the familiar, circular room, with its four four-posters hung with red velvet and its high, narrow windows. Our trunks had been brought up for us and placed at the ends of our beds. Hermione grinned guiltily at me.
"I know I should be mad at you, but –" The dormitory door flew open and in came the other second-year Gryffindor girls, Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown.
"Unbelievable!" beamed Lavender.
"Amazing," said Parvati, awestruck. I couldn't help it. I grinned, too.
"Hermione helped in the planning of this whole thing, y'know?" I whispered to Lavender, enjoying the view as Hermione turned as red as her brown skin would allow her.
Lavender walked over to Hermione and they started chatting.
"That was brilliant, Y/n..!" Parvati said, breathlessly, as we walked to our beds,
I grinned widely.
Yes, brilliant...
🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌘
"... RONALD WEASLEY- HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR!? I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED, YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME...
...STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT HAD GONE!
LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE BEEN HURT! YOU COULD'VE HURT Y/N! SHE COULD HAVE DIED!
NOT A SINGLE THOUGHT ON WHAT HARM MIGHT HAPPEN TO THE POOR GIRL! RONALD WEASLEY IF I FIND THAT SHE HAS EVEN A SINGLE SCRATCH ON HER, YOU WILL SEE WRATH IN ME LIKE NEVER BEFORE... " A ringing silence fell as the envelope turned to face me.
"Y/n dear, I hope you're alright. Please go and check with Madame Pompfrey, we don't want you to walk around with unnoticed injuries, dear." the letter said in Mrs Weasley's normal cheerful tone, then the envelope turned to little Ginny.
"Oh, and Ginny dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor, your father and I are so proud," Ginny turned bright and buried her face in the arms in hopes of disappearing. The red envelope, which had dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes.
Harry, I, and Ron sat stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over us. A few people laughed and gradually, a babble of talk broke out again.
Professor McGonagall was moving along the Gryffindor table, handing out timetables. I took mine and saw that we had double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first.
🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌘
"Greenhouse Three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout, who was looking distinctly disgruntled, not at all her usual cheerful self.
Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. Harry and I were about to follow Ron and Hermione inside when Lockhart's hand shot out. From where he had so suddenly appeared from, I had no idea, but there he was.
"Harry! Y/n! I've been wanting a word with you two - you don't mind if they're a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?" Judging by Professor Sprout's scowl, she did mind, but Lockhart said, "That's the ticket," and closed the greenhouse door in her face.
"Harry, Y/n," said Lockhart, his large white teeth gleaming in the sunlight as he shook his head.
"Harry, Harry, Harry, Y/n, Y/n, Y/n." Completely nonplussed, I said nothing. "When I heard - well, of course, it was all my fault. Could have kicked myself." I had no idea what he was talking about. I was about to say so when Lockhart went on,
"Don't know when I've been more shocked. Flying a car to Hogwarts! Well, of course, I knew at once why you'd done it. Stood out a mile. Harry, Harry, Harry, Y/n, Y/n, Y/n." It was remarkable how he could show every one of those plastic teeth even when he wasn't talking.
"Gave you a taste for publicity, didn't I?" said Lockhart. "Gave you the bug. You got onto the front page of the paper with me and you couldn't wait to do it again."
"Oh - no, Professor, see -"
"Harry, Harry, Harry, Y/n, Y/n, Y/n," said Lockhart, reaching out and grasping our shoulders.
"Professor, there's no need to say our names so many times, we know what we're called," I said coldly.
"Y/n, I've been altered of your - erm - situation. With all that- er - I'm afraid I can't say, but I understand. Natural to want a bit more once you've had that first taste - and I blame myself for giving you that, because it was bound to go to your head - And Y/n," He turned to me,
"I understand Harry is famous and all now and you too want in on the fame, but see here, young man and young lady, you can't start flying cars to try and get yourself noticed.
Just calm down, all right? Plenty of time for all that when you're older. Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking! 'It's all right for him, he's an internationally famous wizard already!'
But when I was twelve, I was just as much of a nobody as you are now. In fact, I'd say I was even more of a nobody! I mean, a few people have heard of you, haven't they? All that business with He Who Must Not Be Named!"
He glanced at the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, "And all that business with Potter, Black, and Lupin and all that Quidditch fame." He said, practically scratching my scar with his eyes.
"I know, I know, it's not quite as good as winning Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award five times in a row, as I have - but it's a start, you two, it's a start." He gave us a hearty wink and strode off.
Harry and I stood stunned for a few seconds.
"Well, I'm burning these clothes," I said, remembering how Lockhart had touched them. Harry gave a little laugh, then, remembering we were supposed to be in the greenhouse, we opened the door and slid inside.
"What the fuck was that man-hoe going on about?" I whispered to Harry.
"Beats me,"
🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌘
A/n: I'm gonna enjoy having Y/n bully the living shit out of Lockhart.