(not me drinking hot chocolate while writing)
"What happened?" I ask Fred as I approach him. "Mr. Malfoy was mocking Dad, so he punched him," Fred begins, with George chiming in, "And then Hagrid dragged them both out of the shop."
"Alright, if everyone's bought their books, shall we head out?" I suggest, already making my way to the door. Mrs. Weasley scans the group, including Harry, Hermione, and myself, and asks, "Does everyone have everything they need?" "Good! Let's all head home," she declares, reaching into her bag for floo powder.
After we return to the Burrow (although I haven't yet called it as my home, having only been here for three months), we gather for lunch. "I'm going down to the lake to finish my DADA homework," I inform Mrs. Weasley after helping with the dishes. Racing downstairs, I spot Cedric and call out excitedly, "Ced!"
"Hey, Maya, how was Diagon Alley?" Cedric asks with a smile. "It was fun, got to catch up with friends and snagged some candy," I reply, tossing him a chocolate frog. "You want one?" I offer, watching his eyes light up as he nods. "I got Helga Hufflepuff," I say cheerfully, revealing my card. "And I got Ignatia Wildsmith, the inventor of floo powder," Cedric responds, showing his own card.
"Need a hand with that?" Cedric offers, pointing to my neglected homework. "Could you please help me with History of Magic? I couldn't care less about goblins and their inventions," I plead, pulling out the assignment. "Sure thing," Cedric chuckles. While he tackles my History homework, I focus on completing my DADA assignment.
"Maya, are you trying out for Quidditch again this year?" Cedric asks, already halfway done in just 20 minutes. "Absolutely! What about you?" I inquire, beaming at the thought.
"Amaya, Mrs. Weasley needs you home, so—" Harry's voice interrupts us, causing Cedric to glance at me for guidance. "Harry, this is Cedric, the Hufflepuff seeker. Ced, meet Harry, I'm sure you know who he is," I introduce, observing the exchange between the two boys. "Hi," Cedric says tentatively, seeking my reassurance. "Ced, I've got to run, but I'll catch up with you later?" I ask, stowing away my homework. "Sure, just give me your number," he requests, pulling out his phone as I share my contact information. "Bye," I wave, allowing my brother to pull me along.
"What was that about?" Harry demands as he pulls me back toward the Weasleys. "Listen, Harry, we may be siblings, but we have different circles of friends. Besides, Cedric's a nice guy," I retort, irritated that Harry keeps questioning my choice of companions. "He's better than your school friends," Harry argues. "And just because we haven't told almost anyone doesn't mean I'm your brother. I'm still going to look out for you," he adds after a pause.
"Maya, there you are! I've been searching everywhere for you," Ginny says, joining us and turning crimson when she sees Harry. "Hello," Harry greets, bewildered as Ginny blushes even deeper before darting away. "What did I do?" he asks, utterly confused. "Boys," I sigh, heading into the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley awaits.
"Amaya, there you are! You need to start packing; we're leaving for Hogwarts in a week," Mrs. Weasley announces with a smile. "Gosh, I forgot," I exclaim before heading upstairs to gather my things.
"FRED, IS MY JUMPER IN YOUR ROOM?" I holler after tidying up my belongings from Ginny's room. "FIND IT YOURSELF!" Fred yells back. "How did I manage to misplace a third of my clothes, my jumper, and my tie?" I mutter, entering the twins' room in search of my belongings. "Why is so much of my stuff in your room?" I inquire, gesturing at the scattered clothes. "Because you practically live here half the time," Fred replies, searching for his books.
"I'm not looking forward to going back to school, especially not History of Magic," I groan, discovering my half-written history homework on the floor. "At least there'll be Quidditch again," Fred remarks, with George chiming in, "And we'll beat you in both the Quidditch matches and the house cup," prompting me to tackle him. "DINNER'S READY!" Mrs. Weasley's voice echoes from the kitchen. I collect my scattered clothes and head downstairs, stopping by Ginny's room to drop off my belongings before joining everyone for dinner.
"-they make you fight a troll to get sorted, and depending on what you do, they place you into a house," Fred tells Ginny as I enter the room. "Gin, they put a hat on your head that reads your mind to determine your house," I interject, settling down with a plate. "Personally, I'd prefer the troll," I add with a smirk.
"Has everyone finished packing?" Mrs. Weasley inquires as she takes her seat. Percy, Fred, and Ron nod, while the rest of us shake our heads. "I'll finish after dinner," I announce, already tucking into my meal, Ginny nodding in agreement.
I stirred from slumber to the frantic insistence of Ginny's hand on my shoulder, her urgency waking me through the haze of sleep. Mrs. Weasley's voice drifted up the stairs, punctuating the morning air with a call to action. "What's happening?" I mumbled, my voice thick with sleep. "We need to hurry, or we'll miss the train," Ginny urged, her words cutting through the drowsiness and waking me up.As we all shuffled into the enchanted car that Mr. Weasley had enchanted to expanded to accommodate our large group, Mrs. Weasley cast a wry glance over her shoulder at the snug seating arrangements in the back. "Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they?" she remarked with a hint of wryly. Ginny slid into the front seat beside her mother, as Mrs.Weasley adds, "I mean, you'd never guess it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"In the panic of last-minute preparations, we found ourselves darting back to the house three times. First for George's stash of fireworks, then for Fred's prized broomstick, and finally for Ginny's misplaced diary. Each detour made us increasingly tardy, adding to the mounting tension of the impending departure.
Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch, a flicker of anxiety crossing his face before he turned to his wife with a hopeful expression. "Molly, dear—""No, Arthur—""But no one would see," he persisted, his voice carrying a hint of excitement. "This little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed. We could soar above the clouds and be there in ten minutes. No one would be any the wiser—""I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight—"Their debate came to an impasse as they arrived at King's Cross, the clock ticking relentlessly toward departure. Mr. Weasley darted across the road to fetch trolleys for their luggage, urgency propelling him forward as they all hustled into the bustling station.
"Percy, you go first," Mrs. Weasley instructed, casting a quick glance at the clock as she ushered him forward. Percy nodded, striding confidently through the barrier, followed closely by Fred and George."Amaya, Ginny, you two come with me, and boys go after us," Mrs. Weasley directed, her tone brisk but gentle, as she led us toward the wall. With a shared nod, Ginny and I followed her lead, stepping through the solid barrier into the bustling platform beyond.As we emerged on the other side, I exchanged a brief farewell with Mrs. Weasley before turning my attention to the waiting Hogwarts Express.When we get to the other side, I say goodbye to Mrs Weasley and get onto the Hogwarts Express to go and look for my friends.
"Pansy!" I call, spotting the brunette walking down the corridor. "Pans, Maya over here" Theo (Riddle) calls out, leading me and Pansy over to a private compartment. "Hey Theo, how was your summer break" I say, sitting next to the window. "Quiet, we didn't really do much" He says, before we hear more footsteps. "Hey Draco" Tom says, sitting in the corner next to the corridor. He nods his head in return before sitting down, and nodding to the boy standing. "Hey, I'm Theodore Nott" he says smiling, "Do you mind if I sit here, Crabbe and Goyle are following me around" he says, looking grateful when Theo nods. "Hey everyone" Blaise says, walking in at last, sitting next to Pansy, "Hey Nott" he says, motioning to the seat across for him, for Nott to sit down at. "Blaise, did you get your ears pierced" I gasp, pointing to them."Oh my merlin, you did" Pansy gasps, looking at them. "My mum let me, after me begging forever" he says happily.
"Pansy!" I called out eagerly, spotting her familiar brunette locks. "Pans, over here!" Theo's voice chimed in, beckoning us towards a secluded compartment, where he sat."Hey Theo, how was your summer break?" I greeted warmly, taking a seat by the window, eager to sit down, and talk to him"Quiet, we didn't really do much," he replied with a nonchalant shrug.Before long, footsteps let us know the arrival of another familiar face. "Hey Draco," Tom greeted him, finally talking.Draco offered a nod in return, before sitting down."Hey, I'm Theodore Nott," a new voice chimed in, breaking the silence as a smile graced the newcomer's features. "Do you mind if I sit here? Crabbe and Goyle are following me around," he explained, his gratitude evident as Theo granted him permission with a nod."Hey everyone," Blaise's voice announced his arrival at last, his charismatic presence filling the compartment as he settled in beside Pansy."Hey Nott," he greeted, motioning for Theodore to take the vacant seat across from him."Blaise, did you get your ears pierced?" I exclaimed, my eyes widening in astonishment as I pointed to his ears, which now have small diamond earring on them."Oh my Merlin, you did!" Pansy echoed my thoughts, her own gaze fixed on Blaise's newly pierced ears."My mum finally relented after my begging," Blaise admitted with a grin, his pride evident in the gleaming studs adorning his ears.
In a couple minutes which was filled with chatter, the train starts. "Does anyone want anything from the trolley" Pansy asks getting up. While the boys shake their heads, I get up and follow Pansy to the trolley. After getting back to the compartment, the boys decided they do want something to eat, and while most of them go and get something, Blaise and Theo steal food from me and Pansy. "Hey" I complain after Theo stole another Fizzing Whizbee. "I'm hungry" he argues, as I smack his hand away. "Maya, you wanna go change into our robes" Pansy suggests after a minute. "Yeah, let's go" I say, gathering up my robes, before walking to the loo.
As we disembarked from the train and made our way onto the grounds of Hogwarts, our eyes fell upon the horseless carriages awaiting us. Theo's voice broke the uneasy silence as he whispered, "These are creepy," his words echoing the thoughts that undoubtedly lurked in all our minds."And crowded," I chimed in, a hint of discomfort tingeing my voice as we attempted to squeeze seven of us into the confined space of the carriage. Once we get off the carriage, we stop in front of the castle, where Mcgonagall is waiting for us.
(To make sure no one is confused, Mattheo's nickname is Theo, and Theodore's is Nott)
Question of the day
Do you have your ears pierced, if yes, what's your favorite earring style?
(I do, and my favorite are my silver cat earrings)