Chapter Two
Mary was standing in the courtyard in front of the main entrance doors of Hogwarts. The sky was clear and the temperature was just right. Mary felt a smile as she looked around her; the courtyard was full of life. Tiny first years ran around playing games and laughing with faces full of innocent happiness. Students of all years were scattered about doing homework or studying. Groups of girls sat basking in the sun and giggling as they spoke about boys. Groups of boys roughhoused and laughed, some even going to the groups of girls and flirting. Mary's smile grew wider as she watched the people around her and as a group of first years ran circles around her feet.
Something flashed.
It was far too fast for Mary to spot but not enough for her not to notice it. It flashed again, slow enough for Mary to feel a pain so crippling it brought her to her knees. Frantic and scared, she tried to look past the skipping first years that now blocked her vision. Their giggles began to echo and fade from Mary's ears, and they soon began to disappear. The pain that had only flashed before was back, sending ripples of pain through her body. A scream burned her throat as she looked around.
It was hell. The sky was black, and the only light was from great, orange fires that burned the castle she called home. The courtyard around her was ruined. Rubble surrounded her, the arched that bordered the courtyard were all but destroyed, and a wall just behind the entrance doors was in shambles. As Mary sat there, doubled over and gasping, she heard her name being called. Only then did she notice that, all around her, wizards of nearly all ages surrounded her. There wasn't a single person that wasn't dueling. She heard her name again just as a body fell dead next to her. Mary turned her head to see who it was when she...
...woke up.
Mary shot up in her bed panting as she pushed a hand through her hair.
"Finally! I was about to give up on you!" Mary looked towards to voice to so Nymphadora standing next to her bed with her hands on her hips.
Taking a glance around the dorm, Mary sighed as she pulled the covers off of her and sat on the edge of her bed.
Everyone arrived at Hogwarts last night and the welcome feast had gone off without a hitch as usual. There were, of course, some new additions to the Hufflepuff house. The only thing out of place was that Bill Weasley, who sat next to his brother at the Gryffindor table, spent nearly the whole feast trying to spot the mystery girl that had congratulated him on the train so he could point her out to Charlie to no avail.
Now, Mary sits in her dorm that she shares with Nymphadora and two other girls with shoulders tense from the rough nightmare.
"Sorry, Dora." Mary sighed, standing and stretching, "What time is it?"
"Nearly six thirty, you got an hour until you see Professor Sprout about your O.W.Ls!" Nymphadora told her.
Mary's tired eyes shot open and she gave a censored curse before rushing to her trunk. Nymphadora, now seated on the panicked girl's bed, watched amusedly as she picked out an outfit and bolted to the bathroom. The petite girl rushed through her morning routine, speeding through brushing her teeth, ripping her brush through her long hair, and applying deodorant while standing on her tip-toes in order to see herself in the mirror. Since it was only Nymphadora in the dorm, she changed out next to her bed.
After dressing and adjusting her hair, she looked to her friend for approval. She was adorned in a black, long-sleeved, scoop-neck dress that fitted her torso and flowed loosely from her waist until just above her knees, dark pantyhose that made her fair-skinned legs look considerably darker, black ballet flats, and a silver, heart-shaped locket that Nymphadora gave her last Christmas that rested just below her collarbone.
The matamorphmagus gave a quick nod of approval before grabbing her best friend's hand and dragging her out of the dorm.
"Come on, Mar! If we hurry now, we'll still be able to eat breakfast." Nymphadora said as she drug along the tiny girl.
"Dora, you know I don't like to-" Nymphadora threw her a look that could silence Professor Snape himself.
"Mary Annabelle Ramstein you are going to eat breakfast even if I have to shove a banana down your throat!" Nymphadora growled at her and she squeaked out a "Yes, ma'am" in response.
Nymphadora shoved Mary in a seat at the Hufflepuff table and sat down next to her. Grabbing the first fruit she could, which happened to be a banana, she set it in front of her, crossed her arms, and stared at her tiny friend.
"Eat, Mary."
Mary gave a nod and timidly ate the banana that was forced on her. Giving an approving nod, Nymphadora dug into her own breakfast, neither girl noticed the eldest Weasley starring at them from across the Great Hall.
Bill had watched the whole scene between the two girls and was now trying to get a look at the blonde girl's, whom he and his brother had subconsciously dubbed the "Mystery Girl", face. He was absolutely astonished that she could still hide her face form him even when she wasn't even aware he was looking at her. At least he could tell Charlie what house the girl was in and who she most likely hung around with.
After finishing breakfast, Mary was again being drug out to the greenhouses where Professor Pomona Sprout told Mary to meet her at seven thirty. Agreeing to meet in the common room, the girls separated.
Mary stepped into the greenhouse and smiled at the numerous plants. She, like most Hufflepuffs, had always liked Herbology. She was fascinated on how all the plants could be so helpful yet so dangerous, like how a mandrake's creams could kill you, but they're one of the most essential parts to most antidotes. Mary's fascination for Herbology caused her to grow quite close to Professor Sprout, who was the Herbology teacher and Head of Hufflepuff House.
"Oh, Mary, dear. You're early!" Professor Sprout's voice pulled Mary's attention to the other end of the greenhouse where the professor was setting out a large number of potted mandrakes on the center table.
"Good morning, Professor Sprout. Setting up for classes tomorrow?" Mary greeted her, making her way over to the table and adjusting the pots into a straight line.
"Yes, ma'am, starting off my second years with re-potting mandrakes. Oh, thank you, dear!" Professor Sprout thanked her student as she saw her fixing the pots, "Now, you wish to discuss your O.W.Ls, yes?"
"Yes, ma'am, I don't know what classes I need to take." Mary timidly responded, grabbing the empty pots she spotted and setting them beside the filled ones.
"Well, do you know what you want to do for a living once you leave Hogwarts?" Professor Sprout asked.
"Kind of...I can't decide between being a magizoologist or a healer..." Mary admitted, starring down at the empty pots.
The professor though for a moment before her smile returned to her face, "Why not shoot for both?"
Mary's head snapped up, "Both, professor?"
"Yes, both! A magizoologist only adds one extra class onto a healer's requirements, and that's Care of Magical Creatures, which I hear you're a star at!" Professor Sprout told her gleefully.
Mary nodded her head, "Then I'd love to do both." She gave a happy smile at her professor.
"Wonderful!" Professor Sprout began searching for a quill and a piece of some parchment. Once she found some, she began to tell Mary her classes, "Now, a healer's requirements are Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions. All of those, along with History of Magic, are the classes we're going to require for you anyway. Now, a magizoologist requires Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. Now that that's taken care of, I need you to pick a class from Divination, Arithmacy, Study of Ancient Runes, or Muggle Studies."
"Divination, please." Mary said almost instantly, she found Divination quite easy.
"Alright, there we go! You know, dear, I usually have to start my career counseling after everyone's already taken their O.W.Ls." Sprout pointed her quill as her with a smile as she stood up straight.
Mary shrugged, "Want an early start, I guess."
"Of course. Now, go enjoy your day off, dear, I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and thank you for your help setting up!" The professor waved at her student with her quill.
Mary bade goodbye to her professor as she left the greenhouse, and she began to make her way neck to the common room. She walked with her gaze pointed toward the floor slightly, one of her arms settling across her waist, and her hand fidgeting with the locket around her neck. Her mind began to wander, and, of course, they wandered to Charlie Weasley. She actually was kind of tankful that she gave her congratulations to Charlie's brother instead of Charlie himself because she would have more than likely been a stuttering, blushing mess.
In the midst of Mary's thinking, she never noticed the body heading her was until they collided with each other. The other person was holding a book-probably the reason they weren't paying attention- and it fell to the ground as Mary stumbled back from the force of the collision.
Immediately, Mary crouched down to grab the book, "I-I-I am s-s-so sorry!" She squeaked standing and handing the book over to the stranger.
"No need to apologize, I was the one not paying attention." Mary glanced up towards the voice and froze. There stood Charlie Weasley, towering over her as she stared at him like a deer in headlights. She felt the familiar heat of a blush on her cheeks as she tried to speak. Resulting in only a squeak, she made sure he had the book in his hands before rushing past him with her head down.
She needed to tell Nymphadora what just happened.
Mary always loved the Hufflepuff common room. It was the perfect picture of cozy and inviting. It was a round room that had a low ceiling and it always felt was and sunny. Circular windows that viewed rippling grass and dandelions bordered to common room and had a potted plant in each windowsill. Some other plants hung from the ceiling and sat on table and the wooden mantel piece. The mantel piece had badgers carved into it and was located under a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff. There was a multitude of overstuffed sofas and armchairs colored in yellow and black. There were many underground tunneled that leas from the common room through circular doors and two of which led to the boys' and girls' dorms. Each dorm had four-poster beds adorned with patchwork quilts, copper lamps illuminating with a warm light, and copper bed warmers that hung on the wall in case you had cold feet. Mary can remember w time in her first year when she got doused in vinegar because she tapped the wrong barrel while trying to get into the common room.
Tapping the barrels, Mary crawled into the common room and immediately made here was over to one of the couches where her best friend was seated.
Feeling her friends sink down next to her, Nymphadora turned and sat on the sofa sideways with her legs crisscrossed, "So, how'd it go?" she asked with an excited smile.
"Wonderful, turned out I could take classes for both Magizoologist and Healer." Mary answered, pushing a hand through her hair as she tried to catch her breath. "Did you check when quidditch tryouts were?"
Nymphadora gave her a look like the answer was obvious, which it was, "Of course I did! Friday after classes. Why are you so out of breath?" She furrowed her eyebrows curiously at the tiny girl.
Mary gave a sigh, pushing her hand through her hair again as she rested her head on the back of the sofa, "I ran into Charlie...literally!"
"What?" Nymphadora shouted with eyes wide and the biggest smile you could imagine.
Mary shushed her as many heads turned their way from the sudden loudness.
"Not so loud, Dora!" Mary hissed at her.
"Sorry, but you ran into Charlie? What happened? What did you do? Did he fall in love with you?" Nymphadora bombarded Mary with questions,-although the last one was a bit more on the joking side- gently and excitedly bouncing in her seat.
Mary rolled her eyes, "Yes, I ran into him. I wasn't paying attention and we ran into each other. I gave him his book back, starred at him like a bloody deer in headlights, and practically ran away from him. Of course he didn't fall in love with me, Dora! What would even possess you to ask that?"
"What do you mean 'of course he didn't fall in love with me'?" Nymphadora crossed her arms.
"Dora, you know exactly what I mean." Mary answered glumly.
"Mary Annabelle Ramstein, you are not plain. You are not invisible. You are not unextraordinary. You want to know what you are? You are gorgeous. You are outstanding. You are one of a kind." Nymphadora's hair had a red tint as she spoke sternly to her friend.
"You're just saying that because-"
"Do not make me grab some random stranger and have them tell you how beautiful you are!"
Mary sighed and didn't speak any further. I stead she just laid down on the sofa and put her head in Nymphadora's lap. "I'm sorry, Dora." She muttered.
"Don't worry about it, but if we have this conversation again, I will grab a stranger, and I just might grab Charlie himself." Nymphadora told her gently, her hair back to normal and she played with Mary' blonde hair.
Mary gave a small laugh as she closed her eyes. At this moment, she couldn't be more thankful that she had Nymphadora Tonks by her side.
This gave a good look at Mary's personality and her relationship with Dora, Hope it wasn't too boring!
- Ginger