Bang!
Amisty leaped out bed, staring at the ceiling. What on earth were the twins doing this time?
"What a lovely thing to wake up to in the morning," Hermione yawned from her own bed, peering out the window in watch of Hedwig.
"Tell me about it," Ginny groaned, standing up on her bed and pounding her fists on the ceiling in retaliation.
They got dressed quickly, double-checking their trunks and looking after their animals. Echo hooted from inside her cage sleepily, ruffling her feathers to wake herself up.
Hermione scooped up Crookshanks -- he didn't seem very happy about it -- and they left the room.
They rushed downstairs, dragging their trunks down the steps as Amisty keeping her ears open for whatever the twins were scheming.
"Duck!" She shrieked, the familiar sound of levitated objects flying toward them.
Hermione managed to get down in time, but Ginny, being the one closest to the attack, went flying.
"Sorry, Gin!" George called.
"Oh, sweet Merlin..." Amisty whispered.
"Ginny!" Hermione shouted, and the two of them raced down the remaining steps to where she was lying, her brown eyes dazed.
"FRED -- GEORGE -- " Mrs. Weasley bellowed, and Amisty took it upon herself to get out of the room as quickly as possible before the painting started screeching as well.
Hermione and she abandoned their trunks at the front hall and hurried off to the kitchen, finding Tonks, Moody, Lupin, Mr. Weasley, and Sirius waiting in the kitchen, handing out haphazardly made slices of toast and coffee.
" -- COULD HAVE DONE HER SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS -- "
" -- FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS -- "
So the painting had awoken.
Yay.
"Where is Sturgis?" Moody growled, checking his watch irritably. "We can't leave without him, the guard'll be one short."
Mrs. Weasley was walking Ginny into the kitchen, setting her down at the table and pulling out her wand, "We'll have to leave without him, Alastor, or we'll miss the train!"
Hedwig flew into the kitchen, landing on Hermione's shoulder with a letter tied to her leg.
"Oh, hi, Hedwig," Hermione unrolled the string, turning to Amisty. "I'm gonna go drop her off to Harry."
" -- HALF-BREEDS, MONSTERS, TRAITORS -- "
Amisty winced, "Yeah, go on ahead."
Hermione rushed away, Hedwig on her shoulder and Crookshanks still squirming in her arms.
"Sorry about the painting, Amisty," Lupin smiled apologetically. "There's just no use in closing the curtains with all the noise."
She nodded grudgingly.
"Honestly, those two..." Mrs. Weasley was muttering crossly under her breath, healing Ginny's bruises as the girl's dazed expression slowly faded and disappearing out the kitchen door again.
Just as she left the twins entered, throwing sheepish grins at their sister.
Amisty jumped as a wet nose pressed against the back of her knee.
"Sirius?" She exclaimed, spinning around to stare at the now massive dog sitting behind her.
He wagged his tail and winked, tongue hanging out of his mouth.
It was a strange thing to see. A dog winking.
"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Mrs. Weasley shouted from the front hall. Sirius wagged his tail one last time and trotted out the door to where Harry would be.
Ron and Hermione raced into the kitchen.
"MUDBLOODS! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT!"
The front door slammed shut, and Moody turned to them.
"Alright, you three," He turned to Amisty, Ron, and Hermione, "are with Arthur, and the rest of you are with Lupin. Off you go."
Mr. Weasley ushered them off to the street, and they walked as quickly as they could to King's Cross Station.
Moody was taking care of the luggage and animals, so they just looked like a rather strange family off on a rush to the train.
Amisty took a deep breath, relishing in the feeling of sunlight on her skin and the gentle breeze brushing past. She hadn't been outside properly in what felt like centuries.
Once they reached the station and fell casually through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, they were greeted by the sight of a very anxious Mrs. Weasley and Moody with a hat covering his eyes, all their luggage in the cart he was pushing.
Lupin, Fred, George, and Ginny were close to follow.
"No trouble?" Moody growled to Lupin.
"Nothing," Lupin nodded.
"I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore. That's the second time he's not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus," Moody muttered.
Lupin went around, shaking all their hands with a smile, "Well, look after yourselves. You too, Harry, be careful."
"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled. And don't forget, all of you -- careful what you put in writing," Moody told them, his blue eye fixed on Amisty and she shifted uncomfortably. "If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."
"It's been great meeting all of you. We'll see you soon, I expect," Tonks beamed, pulling Amisty into a tight hug.
The warning whistle echoed around the station, and everyone still remaining on the platform rushed toward the open doors.
"Quick, quick," Mrs. Weasley fretted, hugging them sporadically. "Write... Be good... If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on... Onto the train, now, hurry..."
Amisty grabbed her trunk, racing off and leaping through the door, Echo's cage almost catching the side before she adjusted in time.
"See you!" Harry called as the rest of them waved enthusiastically out the open window. Sirius was bounding alongside the train, tail wagging a mile a minute as the parents and guardians laughed.
"He shouldn't have come with us," Hermione wrung her hands, staring out the window worriedly as they rounded the corner and the station disappeared from view.
"Oh lighten up, he hasn't seen daylight for months, poor bloke," Ron shoved her lightly.
Amisty shuddered at the thought.
"Well, can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee," Fred clasped his hands and grinned as he headed down the right corridor with George. "See you later."
"Don't do anything illegal," Amisty called after them.
"No promises!" George shouted back, and they disappeared inside a compartment.
"Shall we go and find a compartment, then?" Harry asked.
Ron and Hermione looked at each other awkwardly.
"Er," Ron mumbled.
"We're -- well -- Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione explained quietly.
"Oh," Harry nodded, seeming slightly put-out. "Right. Fine."
"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey. Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time," Hermione added hastily.
"Fine," Harry nodded again. "Well, I-I might see you later, then."
"Yeah, definitely. It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather -- but we have to -- I mean, I'm not enjoying it," Ron stumbled over his words, a defiant look crossing his face, "I'm not Percy."
Harry grinned, "I know you're not."
The two of them grabbed their trunks, Pigwidgeon's cage, and Crookshanks's basket and disappeared down toward the engine.
Harry's grin faltered.
Ginny and Amisty traded glances.
"Come on, if we get a move on we'll be able to save them places," Ginny piped up, taking the lead and picking up her own trunk.
"Right."
It seemed to snap him out of his daze, and they trudged down the corridor in search of an empty compartment.
They all seemed to be full, which made sense considering how late they were to get on the train, and Amisty was starting to lose hope in finding one as they got closer to the end.
Neville was there, actually, struggling to drag his trunk and keep a hold of Trevor the toad.
"Hi, Harry. Hi, Ginny," He gave a heaving breath, shaking out his hair. "Hi, Amisty... Everywhere's full... I can't find a seat..."
"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, standing on tiptoe to peer over his shoulder at the compartment behind him. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here -- "
"I didn't want to disturb anyone..." Neville mumbled to the floor.
Ginny laughed, sliding the door open, "Don't be silly, she's all right."
They followed after her, and Amisty looked at the girl sitting there quizzically.
Her face was hidden by a magazine. An... upside down magazine.
Huh.
"Hi, Luna. Is it okay if we take these seats?" Ginny asked.
Luna looked up, and Amisty struggled not to jump.
Her pale blue eyes were very big and wide, her dirty blonde hair long and wavy and falling a few inches past her waist. A necklace of butterbeer caps was strung around her neck, and her wand was tucked behind her ear. She regarded them silently, pale eyebrows slightly raised, and then nodded. Luna was rather pretty, Amisty had to admit, other than her aura of... well... strangeness.
"Thanks," Ginny smiled, storing her trunk up on the luggage rack. Amisty followed suit, dropping down across from Ginny.
"Had a good summer, Luna?" Ginny asked conversationally.
"Yes. Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know," Luna replied softly, voice lilting slightly. "You're Harry Potter."
Harry blinked, "I know I am."
Neville laughed quietly.
"And I don't know who you are," Luna turned toward him, her eyes unblinking.
Neville shifted in his seat awkwardly, "I'm nobody."
"No you're not," Ginny scolded sharply. "Neville Longbottom -- Luna Lovegood. Luna's in my year, but in Ravenclaw."
"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," Luna sang, a giddy sort of smile on her face before she looked at Amisty, finally blinking. "And you're Amisty River?"
"That's me," Amisty beamed, holding out her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Luna. I like your necklace."
Luna smiled, seeming surprised at the compliment, "Thank you. I like your ring."
And her wide eyes disappeared behind the upside down magazine again as the train sped on.
The weather was strange, unbalanced. One moment they were in bright sunlight and the next shadowed by clouds.
"Guess what I got for my birthday?" Neville grinned brightly.
"Another Remembrall?" Harry suggested.
"No, I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago..." Neville shook his head. "No, look at this..."
He dug through his school bag and pulled out a very strange looking cactus covered in boils instead of spines.
It was a charcoal grey color, similar to the storm clouds they were passing under at the moment. It was pulsing.
Amisty scooted away the slightest bit.
"Mimbulus mimbletonia," Neville beamed. "It's really, really rare. I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."
Harry stared at it, "Does it -- er -- do anything?"
"Loads of stuff!" Neville exclaimed. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism -- hold Trevor for me..."
Harry grudgingly took Trevor into his hold, and they all watched as Neville lifted up the plaint to eye level and withdrew a quill from his school bag.
He turned the pot around, searching for the right spot, and prodded the plant with the nib of the quill.
Amisty barely threw her hands up in time to block the onslaught of disgusting green slime.
Just out of curiosity, if you're not here the second I update, what time do you usually read the chapters? Like is it at a normal time of the day, like at 4:00 or 5:00, or are you like me and finish everything but then read everything you need to at like... the witching hour when everything is quiet and no one can hear you cry? ...truth be told I've been reading some sad books recently. Oh, also, any book recommendations? Even though I really shouldn't be asking since I'm literally reading three right now and still have two more to start and have a pretty long list already... XD Guilty as charged. Okay, that's all. Thanks for reading!