A/N:
Thanks for giving me a try! I'm aware that this part is a little boring, but I felt I needed to make it like this to establish some relationships It'll get better, I promise! I have the whole plot for the story (or at least the first half) planned out, so I hope that I'll be able to get past the first few chapters. There are quite a few original characters, but I really don't think that any of them are Mary Sue's or Gary Stu's. And none of them get into a romantic relationship with our favorite characters, so don't worry about that! This story came to me in a rush and was one of the quickest I've ever written because I just have so many ideas for it! I think it will prove to be interesting. . . I'm quite excited to see how it turns out. Once again, thank's for giving me a chance! Sorry about spelling or grammar errors. . .
Disclaimer:
Why would I even claim that something as amazing as Harry Potter is mine? It belongs to JK Rowling and I am unworthy to be in its prescence, as all mortals are. But we can have fun tearing it into pieces in a cozy little corner of the Web I like to call FanFiction.net
Now that all of the technicalities are over and done with, here goes!
"Pemalea! Pemalea O'Leary!" Ginny called angrily, "You've been in my trunk again!"
A tiny girl with bright blond hair peeked out from behind the thick velvet drapes surrounding her bed. She had a sheepish smile on her lips and a demonic twinkle in her bright blue eyes. "So that was YOUR trunk? That would explain the lack of money, love notes, cosmetics..."
Ginny jumped off of the floor where she had been sorting through the large oak container. She fell on Pemalea's bed and punched the girl playfully, all anger faded. The comments she had made would have been infuriating, esspecially to a Weasley, if they had been made by anyone besides this tiny laughing girl. But for some reason Ginny had always had trouble being angry with Pemalea. She was just to light-spirited and kittenish.
"Pemmy, you brat!" Ginny said with as much seriousness as she could muster. "Just because I have enough natural beauty to not need make-up and choose to spend my time on school work instead of boys..." she refrained from making any reply to the comment about money, but Pemalea understood.
"School work is it? I was starting to wonder if you preferred girls. . . was thinking about starting to change in the bathrooms--" she was cut off by a small fist coming into contact playfully against her stomach.
"You know perfectly well why I don't date!"
"I honestly think that you need to move on. You don't stand much of a chance against Parvati Patil--" she was cut off again, this time by Ginny tickling her sides. Pemalea's one major weekness was the fact that she was undoubtedly the most ticklish person in the world, well fitting to her gleeful disposition.
"I DON'T LIKE HARRY ANYMORE!!!" She yelled over Pemalea's high-pitched squeaks.
"What's going on in here?" Olivia Saar had entered the dormitory without being noticed by the others and had lifted the curtain into the darkness inside Pemalea's bed. "Of course," she said with a sigh upon seeing the two girls furiously in battle. "Pemmy O'Leary and Ginny Weasley. Figures."
"Shut up Livy!" Pemalea called. Ginny and her had stopped fighting and were looking at her with a mischievous glint in their eyes.
"Unless... you want to join us?" Ginny asked seductively. Olivia sensed danger, but it was too late. Both of them had grabbed and arm and pulled her onto the bed. They had forgot about their feud and joined forces against her, and had now grabbed pillows from the head of Pemalea's bed and were in the beginning of what promised to be a good pillow fight, when the door was opened and a tall girl with long black hair entered. She had a disapproving look on her face.
"You three are making far too much noise, I can't possibly study," she said stiffly, "And I don't think that Professor McGonagall would be terribly impressed if every pillow in the room was ripped to feathers."
Pemalea whipped her head up and blew a strand of blond away from her face. "Why so stiff, Cilly? So we set up a silencing charm. And we won't rip any pillows."
"You can't be too careful." She gave them a dirty look. "I would prefer if you didn't call me that name."
"Sorry, Prissy."
"Priscilla, please," she said coldly.
"Right," Pemalea said as if confirming orders in a military fashion, and then put on a sophisticated voice. "Priscilla Sandra Spinnet." She resumed the military manner and saluted the taller girl. "I'll have to remember that next time, your PREFECT-ness." She winked. Priscilla gave them a haughty look and then turned around and walked out of the room. Pemmy could get under most people's skin when she wanted to, and looked back at the other two smiling.
"Thanks for getting rid of her!" Livy laughed. "She's almost as bad as Hermione-- and that's saying something!"
"Hermione's not that bad," Ginny said as she knocked Livy with her pillow.
"Whatever you say," she said, hitting her back. Pemmy, eager to be back in the spotlight, whacked Ginny over the hand getting a response from Ginny and re-starting the fight. A particularly hard blow on Pemmy's part brought Livy to the floor and the two, followed by Ginny, didn't bother to get back on the bed. Their fun was brought to an end when Ginny raised her pillow into the air and brought it down on Pemmy's back. Pemmy was unprepared and rolled over at that same moment. A large ripping noise accompanied a shower of feathers. Just as Priscilla had predicted, the white cushion had come apart and the room was a mess.
"Hmm. . ." said Pemmy, her head resting on her chin and a thoughtful look on her face. Ginny and Livy were looking terrified, but the other girl always found some way to keep out of trouble. At least, keep herself out of trouble. "That's a bummer."
They sat there and stared at the mess for a moment before a large girl entered the dormitory. Estella looked around the room with wide eyes. "What did you guys do?" She asked quietly, not out of fear or shock-- she was just shy and pacific.
"Ginny here ripped this pillow." Pemmy said with a sigh pointing her thumb at the mass of firey red hair next to her.
"I ripped the pillow!?" Ginny asked indignantly. "I believe YOU ripped the pillow!"
Pemmy grabbed the pillow she had been using as if to start up again, but Livy grabbed it from her. "Don't break another one!"
"Jeez," Pemmy said, her ever-present disregard for rules evident, "Should we call you Priscilla from now on?"
"I agree with Livy," Ginny protested. Pemmy may have been her best friend, but she definitely didn't have the same since of adventure. Certain events in her first year had driven her away from the unexpected. "We should stop before we're caught. What are we going to do about this one?"
"The house elves will take care of it! They'll be excited to get to do something so important."
"Yeah, let's just hope that they find out before McGonagall." Ginny reasoned.
"Or Priscilla," Estella said in a fearful tone. She was deathly afraid of Priscilla due to her commanding nature contrasting with Estella's passive one. Estella was the perfect kind of person to get walked all over by Priscilla. "I just came up to get my Transfiguration. I have to do that Double Backwards Switching Spells On Non-Organic Materials Project. Hemione promised to help me."
"Maybe Hermione could help me too!" Live yelled, jumping off the floor and heading out the door.
"What doesn't Hermione do?" Pemmy asked under her breath, but Estella and Livy didn't seem to hear. She had grabbed her book and was already headed out the door.
"Why do you have so much of a problem with her?" Ginny asked earnestly. "She's really nice, even if she's a little. . . straight."
"I don't have a problem with her!" Pemmy replied defensively. "Besides the fact that she's a Goody-Two-Shoes. Straight doesn't do her justice."
Ginny rolled her eyes, but didn't pursue the subject. Pemmy was always making comments like that about Hermione, and Ginny knew better than to get into an argument with her. For some reason Ginny always came off in the worse.
"So why were you in my trunk anyway?" Ginny changed the subject, sensing the charged atmosphere that was building. Hermione was a touchy subject to her friend. The blonde broke out into a wide grin.
"I was looking for a diary."
"You know that I don't keep a diary! And if I did there wouldn't be anything in it that I don't tell you." Pemmy shrugged uninterestedly.
"Such is life."
"Such is life? What does that have to do with anything. Honestly, Pemmy, sometimes I think that you can't stand being speechless so you say stupid things that make no sense, but they don't sound stupid coming out of your mouth. You just make others feel stupid because they don't understand what you mean. Too bad I know you too well for that to work."
Pemmy had distracted herself by pointing her wand at her nails and performing polishing spells.
"So what do you want to know that you'd look for in a diary?"
"Hmm. . ." She though out loud. "Well, for one I'd like it in writing that you still like Harry."
"But I don't!"
Pemmy had set her wand down and was leaning forward to Ginny interestedly. "So then who do you like? Collin? Sedge? Timmy? Pim? Draco?"
Ginny, who had been keeping her composure and looking indifferent almost choked on her own spit at this last comment. "Draco? As in Malfoy?"
Pemmy gave her a mock-pitying look. "No, Draco as in Potter." She said sarcastically. "How many Draco's do we have in our school?"
"But-- Malfoy?"
"I'll take that as a 'no'." She laughed at the sour look Ginny gave her. "Oh, come on, he's hot!"
"Yeah, if you like that drowned rat look!"
"Oh, he's not THAT bad. Honestly, I think your love for Harry has blinded you to all of the other wonderful beauties of our school."
"I'm not as interested in boys as you are. And NO, I'm not interested in girls either." She added at the look that Pemmy gave her.
"This conversation is getting no where." Pemmy said, not bothering to hide her disappointment. "Let's just go do homework or something."
Ginny perked up at the thought of getting away from being interrogated by her persistent friend. "Good! I have this Wizard-Lit report to do. Have you started on yours?"
"It's not due until tomorrow! Why would I want to do it before break next morning?'
"It's a wonder you get good marks."
"It's a wonder I put up with you, Hermione."
\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/ \
The common room was crowded as always. Timothy Sedgewick sat playing chess with Collin Creevy, and he was loosing badly. Timothy had never been very good at chess, and today was no exception. He let out a sigh as his last rook was brutally kicked off the board.
Collin, sitting across from him, grinned broadly. "I believe that's… check mate?"
Timothy made a futile attempt at studying the board, trying to find some last move. As if sensing defeat, the black king fell and the white pieces moved back onto the board and started breaking the marble thoroughly. Collin watched for a couple seconds in amusement, before calling the pieces away. Magically, the king repaired itself.
"One more game?" Timmy pleaded.
"You've already lost three in a row! Just accept it—I'm not doing your Potions homework!"
"Yeah, but you know I can't do anything in that class! If you do that for me I'll do your Transfiguration."
"Already done it."
"Divination?"
"Done."
"Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"Done it."
"Muggle Studies?"
"I don't take Muggle Studies!"
"Neither do I…"
"Look, Timmy, I've already done all my homework!"
"If you've already done your Potions why can't I copy!?"
"It's and essay. Snape will be able to tell that it's copied. The deal was, we play chess and if you win, I do your homework. I won three times in a row! Do your own homework for once."
"But I'm already failing that class!"
"How can you be?" Collin asked in bewilderment. "You copy everything off of me, and I'm not failing!"
"I don't copy everything…" Timmy muttered. Collin raised one eyebrow.
"Go do your homework." He ordered like a parent to a child. "Now." He added due to the lack of response.
Slowly, Timmy pulled himself up from the comfy armchair and headed for the fifth year boy's dormitory. Potions was hands down his worst subject, and he always dreaded the classes. According to him, it was pointless to even try when Professor Snape was the most malicious man to walk the earth since Vlad the Impaler. His essay could probably say nothing but, "I have no idea," and it would get the same grade as it would if he had spent hours on it. Maybe he'd get Gryffindor's unofficial tutor, Hermione Granger, to help him, he mused to himself. At least he'd get some credit.
The room that held his bed was completely empty. He quickly grabbed his books and ran back downstairs. Being alone in there always gave him the creeps for some reason. Maybe it was because there could be something invisible abroad. That was the kind of thing Peeves the Poltergeist would do—spy on kids while they were alone and use it against them later.
Collin was looking pleased with himself when Timmy returned, but he couldn't tell if it was because he had beaten Timmy three times in a row at chess or if it was because he had finally got him to do homework. Timmy really didn't care at the moment. He threw his books on a tiny wooden table with more force than was necessary and landed in a chair using all of his weight and an annoyed grunt to tell Collin that he wasn't pleased. Collin caught the drift.
"Oh, come on Sedgewick!" Collin sighed. "You would have had to do it anyway."
Timmy just gave him a dirty look. He was being rather like a pouty two year old. Collin almost laughed at the resemblance. Timmy pulled out his heavy Potions using annoyed sharp movements. "I," he slammed the bag down, "Wouldn't" he unzipped in it one motion, "Have to," he plunged his hands inside the bag, "If you," He gripped his book, "Did it for me." He had meant to pull the books straight out and make his point firmly, but his Transfiguration book got caught in the edge of the bag. Instead of pulling it our smoothly, he had to tug several times before it came loose. Collin laughed. Timmy couldn't help it--he laughed too.
"I can't do this here," he finally said, after having a fit of giggles that were even more reminiscent of a two year old than the pouting. "I guess I'll go to the library."
\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/ \
Draco lazily drummed his fingers on the heavy oak arm of the deep green velvet chair. Pansy was chatting mindlessly about something or other, but he wasn't even bothering to feign interest; Pansy wouldn't notice anyway. She had the hardest time accepting that whatever she said wouldn't leave everyone hanging on her every word. He had heard pieces of the conversation that was turing out very one-way, but none of it seemed to interest him. Something about Blaise saying something to Crabbe about her and Crabbe telling Bulstrode. Just stupid, idiotic gossip.
His mind had been wandering to the Quidditch match that weekend against Ravenclaw when his train of thoughts was interrupted by Pug-Mug asking him a question. "What do you think Draco?"
He didn't have an idea in hell what she was talking about.
"I don't give a damn." He replied blankly. Pansy took it as a joke.
"Oh, Draco! You're do funny!" He didn't care to set her right. That would just cause more questions. Better to look interested and have her not say anything that required a response than actually to have to pay attention. Listening was over-rated. Draco started thinking about the match again when a word she said got his focus.
". . .Potter, but she said that I had obviously said it. She told everyone!"
"What about Potter?" He asked with sincere interest. "Draco! Haven't you been listening to a word I've said?" He didn't reply, but the look her gave her told her very clearly. She sighed, but knew better than to scold Malfoy. Talking to him was like walking on eggshells.
"Blaise has been telling everyone that I like Potter!"
He looked at her in a cynical way. "You mean that's it? Anyone with any brain should know that you detest Potter. You really care?"
Pansy looked affronted. "But! I-I-- Potter! She said I like POTTER!"
"So get over it. Don't ever talk to the bitch again and tell Daddy. Easy enough."
"You just don't understand!" She cried.
"I guess I don't. Too bad I don't care, either."
"You're so mean!" She smiled slightly. "I can't be mad at you!"
"Please be."
"You're so funny!" What an idiot. He was totally throwing her down and she thought he was joking. What an idiot. He had to get out of there--he may have been a heartless bastard, a fact that he was rather proud of, but he was not stupid. he could practically feel his I.Q. lowering as Pansy talked about such stupid things.
"Yeah, whatever." He replied unenthusiastically. "I've got to go. . .you're being stupid and pointless again."
"You're so funny!"
Draco didn't turn around. Pansy was always able to get him in the worst of moods. Heading towards the library he felt ready to kill the next thing that stepped in his path. Hopefully it would be a Weasley.
/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*
The library was unusually cold. Ginny had wanted to take her cloak, but Pemmy had called her an "old hag" and she had decided to leave it behind. Madam Pince refused to allow anyone to light a fire in her precious library, even a migically controlled one, for fear that it would catch one of her books. Ginny was beginning to regret allowing Pemmy to talk her into not wearing her cloak. A cloudy November Saturday and a non-heated, immense, cold room didn't exactly mix-- it tended to cause blue lips and goosebumps. She pulled her cloack tighter about her.
Pemmy, of course, was perfectlly fine. She was flirting carelessly with Timmy Sedgewick with her robes set loosely on her shoulders, not seeming to be cold at all. Ginny couldn't tell if that was because she really wasn't cold or if she just didn't want to be wrong about not needing a cloak. Pemmy didn't like being wrong. Ginny looked down at the book in her hands and sighed. This library may have been good for research, but if there was one thing the Hogwarts Library lacked in it was fiction. Ginny was taking a Wizard Literature class, and for all the Potion-making and Herbs and Migical Beasts, she couldn't find a decent book to do a book report on.
She rose slowly carrying with her the book and headed back to the shelf where she had found it.
"Another book?" Pemmy asked, annoyed and seeming to have found something interesting enough to draw her away from putting her charm on poor Timmy. "That's like, the fifth one. Just grab a book, does it really matter what its called?"
"There's nothing good in this Library!"
"Well, just check out the Restricted Section."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "We're not allowed in the Restricted Section!"
"So?"
"You need a pass! There are enchantments and stuff blocking you."
"So? I don't see what the big deal is. I have a pass."
Ginny looked at her skeptically. "Do you? And how long did it take you to sign it perfectly?"
Pemmy mocked being taken aback. "You suggest that I would do something like that?" Timmy laughed out loud, and Pemmy turned and shot him a dazzling white smile before turning back to her friend. "Seriously, though, I do have a pass."
"How did you get one?" Ginny asked, still not believing that it would be valid.
"Professor Wilehelme gave it to me." Professor Wilehelme was the assistant teacher that had been selected as a aid to Professor Flitwick. "I told him that I wanted to look some stuff up about self-repeating charms, or something like that. I don't quite remember."
"Your joking!" Ginny cried. Professor Wilehelme was also very young; he probably just wanted to get in Pemmy's good favor. Guys were always doing that kind of stuff for her best friend. He had just given her one because she had wanted it--she tried to imagine what he would say if she had asked for that. Probably laugh at her.
"So do you want it or not?" Pemmy asked carelessly.
Ginny had an internal battle. If there was anything in the Restricted Section, it was probably there for a reason. But it couldn't hurt to look around, could it? Curiosity got the better of her. "Yeah!"
Now that there was rule-breaking involved, Ginny had Pemmy's full attention. Pemmy immediately started to plot out how they were going to find a good book without Madam Pince getting suspicious. It wasn't going to be very hard because of her pass, but Pemmy still had to have every detail worked out.
Finally, when Ginny was about ready to forget even getting in the Restricted Section before the library closed, Pemmy finally decided that she was ready. Ginny couldn't see for the life of her what had needed so much planning. Timmy and Pemmy had done most of the work while Ginny sat in the corner wondering what they were doing. But then, Ginny guessed, she shouldn't complain about Pemmy's work. If Ginny had tried to do it, Madam Pince would have found some way to detect their plan.
Pemmy grabbed Ginny's hand and started pulling her towards Madam Pince's desk, and Ginny started having second thoughts. What if someone noticed that they were using the Restricted Section for something other than Charms? Professor Wilehelme wasn't totally stupid, he had made sure that she could use the pass only for Charms work. Pemmy wouldn't take any of the blame--it'd all be on Ginny.
But it was too late to persuade Pemmy that she had changed her mind; the girl had already taken her up to the front desk and asked for Madam Pince.
"Yes," Madam Pince said in her stiff voice upon coming out from the back sorting rooms.
Pemmy flashed her trademark smile. "We need you to verify our pass to enter the Restricted Section to finish our Charms homework."
She raised her eyebrows, taking the pass from Pemmy's outreached hand and examining it. She gave a grunt of distaste when she saw that it was written by the teacher's aid: Madam Pince didn't like the idea of them giving out Restricted Section permits. But she didn't have any power to reject them, as Pemmy very well knew.
"This pass," she stated after looking at it for several minutes intensly, "Is only for one person. Which one of you is Pemalea O'Leary?"
She raised her hand. "But I need Ginny to come with me. I don't know what the book is called and she'll recognize it. She was just in there a couple of days ago. So can she come?"
"Only one of the two may accompany you," she said with a piercing glance at Timmy who was standing slightly behind Pemmy as if for protection.
"Thank you!" Dazzling smile. "We'll get the book and be out in a jiffy!"
Madam Pince gave a snort of disgust, but went back to the back room where she had been before. Pemmy gave a Ginny a smile that said, "That wasn't so hard, was it?" and then grabbed Timmy's hand and started pulling him into the Restricted Section.
"Pemmy!" Ginny hissed. "Only two of us in there!"
"Oh relax," Pemmy sighed, not bothering to keep her voice down. "She's not going to see!" She waved her had in the direction Madam Pince had disappeared. There was no one else in the library. Before Ginny could consider this, she had reached for her hand and had pulled her into the Restricted Section. "Which one?"
Ginny glanced at the long lines of books and decided that she had been stupid to assume that she would be able to get anywhere from here. There were tons of books, but almost all of them were in some different sort of language, and they didn't look like fairy stories.
"Maybe," Ginny said in a tentative voice, "We should just . . . leave?"
"Don't be a baby! I want to have a look around." Pemmy scolded, "Here, take this one." She threw a heavy leather volume in Ginny's direction, but the tiny redhead missed it and it fell to the floor with a loud 'clunk.' A very loud 'clunk.'
"What are you DOING?" Madam Pince yelled, coming out of her office. She had no doubt heard the book drop with her sharper-than-a-hawk's ears. "Having fun with the invaluable selections of my library? I demand you leave the Restricted Section at ONCE!" She ran past the velvet rope separating the sections and shooed the three out. "If every you feel the need to play catch with MY books again, you will undoubtedly find yourselves in detention!"
She re-hooked the leather rope and magically the Restricted Section sealed itself. Muttering about "Kids today," she returned to her office.
"Nice one, Ginny!" Said Pemmy. "You got us kicked out!"
"I didn't get us kicked out! YOU got us kicked out!"
Ginny didn't continue the argument, knowing very well where it was headed. She switched suit. "Now I'll never find I good book for my report!" She moaned.
Pemmy smiled demonically. "Why not use. . ." she pulled the book from the Restricted Section out from behind her back. "This one?"
Ginny was torn between amusement and shock. Pemmy had managed to outsmart even Madam Pince! "How did you get that?"
"I summoned it as she was leading us out." She said carelessly. "Let's see what's in it!"
She dropped the book onto one of the studying tables and Ginny sat down in front of it. The other two hunched next to her and looked eagerly to see what a book like this contained that would place it in the Restricted Section. Ginny turned over the heavy dark cover to reveal yellowing pages. She went past the opening pages and credits and finally found the story. "Once upon a time. . ."
/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*
Draco pushed past some third year Hufflepuffs and made his way into the library. It was cold in there, but no worse than in the dungeons and Slytherin common rooms. He really didn't have anything to do in the library, but it was better than sitting and listening to Pansy. He figured that he would revise his Potions essay about reversing the effects of Engorgement Potion.
There were very few people inside, besides the third years there was only a group of three fifth years sitting in a corner. One a closer look he recognized one as Ginny, the youngest Weasley; he didn't know the other two, other than the fact that they were Gryfinndors. They were all hunched over some book. Draco wondered what they were looking at--it obviously had to be something good if they were the protective of it.
Silently, he walked over where they were sitting, careful to be unnoticed. Just as he was right behind them, still not detected, Ginny started reading out loud. "Once upon a time," she began, and Draco seized the chance.
"There--" She continued. Draco took the chance to bend over her shoulder and say,
"Can't anyone have some peace while they're trying to study?" But didn't get past "Can't--" when the room went a blinding shade of white. Everything disappeared, except for the book, the three Gryffindors, and himself. He felt as if there were some kind of vacuum holding him to Ginny at the spot where he had brushed her shoulder in leaning over her. She was stuck to the book, Pemmy and Timmy were stuck to her also.
There was no jerk behind the navel like when traveling with a Portkey. There was no spinning like when you traveled with Floo Powder, and there was no crashing onto some cold hearth. Instead, the blinding white faded to black, and the four felt themselves being thrown onto something soft and cool.
All face down, they heard a strict-sounding voice say, "It's about time! Well, then, you'd better come inside."
A/N:
Oooh! A cliffie--I wonder where that's going. . . I guess you'll just have to wait and see! Tune in next time for more!
Love you guys!
Manissetan
P.S. The title happens to be in four different languages-- one is in Dutch, one in Afrikaans, one in Japanese, and one is in Swahili. But which is which? Hmm . . . You'll see soon enough. I'm sure some of you can translate some of them . . .
P.S.S. If you hurry and review, I'll hurry and post!
Thanks for giving me a try! I'm aware that this part is a little boring, but I felt I needed to make it like this to establish some relationships It'll get better, I promise! I have the whole plot for the story (or at least the first half) planned out, so I hope that I'll be able to get past the first few chapters. There are quite a few original characters, but I really don't think that any of them are Mary Sue's or Gary Stu's. And none of them get into a romantic relationship with our favorite characters, so don't worry about that! This story came to me in a rush and was one of the quickest I've ever written because I just have so many ideas for it! I think it will prove to be interesting. . . I'm quite excited to see how it turns out. Once again, thank's for giving me a chance! Sorry about spelling or grammar errors. . .
Disclaimer:
Why would I even claim that something as amazing as Harry Potter is mine? It belongs to JK Rowling and I am unworthy to be in its prescence, as all mortals are. But we can have fun tearing it into pieces in a cozy little corner of the Web I like to call FanFiction.net
Now that all of the technicalities are over and done with, here goes!
"Pemalea! Pemalea O'Leary!" Ginny called angrily, "You've been in my trunk again!"
A tiny girl with bright blond hair peeked out from behind the thick velvet drapes surrounding her bed. She had a sheepish smile on her lips and a demonic twinkle in her bright blue eyes. "So that was YOUR trunk? That would explain the lack of money, love notes, cosmetics..."
Ginny jumped off of the floor where she had been sorting through the large oak container. She fell on Pemalea's bed and punched the girl playfully, all anger faded. The comments she had made would have been infuriating, esspecially to a Weasley, if they had been made by anyone besides this tiny laughing girl. But for some reason Ginny had always had trouble being angry with Pemalea. She was just to light-spirited and kittenish.
"Pemmy, you brat!" Ginny said with as much seriousness as she could muster. "Just because I have enough natural beauty to not need make-up and choose to spend my time on school work instead of boys..." she refrained from making any reply to the comment about money, but Pemalea understood.
"School work is it? I was starting to wonder if you preferred girls. . . was thinking about starting to change in the bathrooms--" she was cut off by a small fist coming into contact playfully against her stomach.
"You know perfectly well why I don't date!"
"I honestly think that you need to move on. You don't stand much of a chance against Parvati Patil--" she was cut off again, this time by Ginny tickling her sides. Pemalea's one major weekness was the fact that she was undoubtedly the most ticklish person in the world, well fitting to her gleeful disposition.
"I DON'T LIKE HARRY ANYMORE!!!" She yelled over Pemalea's high-pitched squeaks.
"What's going on in here?" Olivia Saar had entered the dormitory without being noticed by the others and had lifted the curtain into the darkness inside Pemalea's bed. "Of course," she said with a sigh upon seeing the two girls furiously in battle. "Pemmy O'Leary and Ginny Weasley. Figures."
"Shut up Livy!" Pemalea called. Ginny and her had stopped fighting and were looking at her with a mischievous glint in their eyes.
"Unless... you want to join us?" Ginny asked seductively. Olivia sensed danger, but it was too late. Both of them had grabbed and arm and pulled her onto the bed. They had forgot about their feud and joined forces against her, and had now grabbed pillows from the head of Pemalea's bed and were in the beginning of what promised to be a good pillow fight, when the door was opened and a tall girl with long black hair entered. She had a disapproving look on her face.
"You three are making far too much noise, I can't possibly study," she said stiffly, "And I don't think that Professor McGonagall would be terribly impressed if every pillow in the room was ripped to feathers."
Pemalea whipped her head up and blew a strand of blond away from her face. "Why so stiff, Cilly? So we set up a silencing charm. And we won't rip any pillows."
"You can't be too careful." She gave them a dirty look. "I would prefer if you didn't call me that name."
"Sorry, Prissy."
"Priscilla, please," she said coldly.
"Right," Pemalea said as if confirming orders in a military fashion, and then put on a sophisticated voice. "Priscilla Sandra Spinnet." She resumed the military manner and saluted the taller girl. "I'll have to remember that next time, your PREFECT-ness." She winked. Priscilla gave them a haughty look and then turned around and walked out of the room. Pemmy could get under most people's skin when she wanted to, and looked back at the other two smiling.
"Thanks for getting rid of her!" Livy laughed. "She's almost as bad as Hermione-- and that's saying something!"
"Hermione's not that bad," Ginny said as she knocked Livy with her pillow.
"Whatever you say," she said, hitting her back. Pemmy, eager to be back in the spotlight, whacked Ginny over the hand getting a response from Ginny and re-starting the fight. A particularly hard blow on Pemmy's part brought Livy to the floor and the two, followed by Ginny, didn't bother to get back on the bed. Their fun was brought to an end when Ginny raised her pillow into the air and brought it down on Pemmy's back. Pemmy was unprepared and rolled over at that same moment. A large ripping noise accompanied a shower of feathers. Just as Priscilla had predicted, the white cushion had come apart and the room was a mess.
"Hmm. . ." said Pemmy, her head resting on her chin and a thoughtful look on her face. Ginny and Livy were looking terrified, but the other girl always found some way to keep out of trouble. At least, keep herself out of trouble. "That's a bummer."
They sat there and stared at the mess for a moment before a large girl entered the dormitory. Estella looked around the room with wide eyes. "What did you guys do?" She asked quietly, not out of fear or shock-- she was just shy and pacific.
"Ginny here ripped this pillow." Pemmy said with a sigh pointing her thumb at the mass of firey red hair next to her.
"I ripped the pillow!?" Ginny asked indignantly. "I believe YOU ripped the pillow!"
Pemmy grabbed the pillow she had been using as if to start up again, but Livy grabbed it from her. "Don't break another one!"
"Jeez," Pemmy said, her ever-present disregard for rules evident, "Should we call you Priscilla from now on?"
"I agree with Livy," Ginny protested. Pemmy may have been her best friend, but she definitely didn't have the same since of adventure. Certain events in her first year had driven her away from the unexpected. "We should stop before we're caught. What are we going to do about this one?"
"The house elves will take care of it! They'll be excited to get to do something so important."
"Yeah, let's just hope that they find out before McGonagall." Ginny reasoned.
"Or Priscilla," Estella said in a fearful tone. She was deathly afraid of Priscilla due to her commanding nature contrasting with Estella's passive one. Estella was the perfect kind of person to get walked all over by Priscilla. "I just came up to get my Transfiguration. I have to do that Double Backwards Switching Spells On Non-Organic Materials Project. Hemione promised to help me."
"Maybe Hermione could help me too!" Live yelled, jumping off the floor and heading out the door.
"What doesn't Hermione do?" Pemmy asked under her breath, but Estella and Livy didn't seem to hear. She had grabbed her book and was already headed out the door.
"Why do you have so much of a problem with her?" Ginny asked earnestly. "She's really nice, even if she's a little. . . straight."
"I don't have a problem with her!" Pemmy replied defensively. "Besides the fact that she's a Goody-Two-Shoes. Straight doesn't do her justice."
Ginny rolled her eyes, but didn't pursue the subject. Pemmy was always making comments like that about Hermione, and Ginny knew better than to get into an argument with her. For some reason Ginny always came off in the worse.
"So why were you in my trunk anyway?" Ginny changed the subject, sensing the charged atmosphere that was building. Hermione was a touchy subject to her friend. The blonde broke out into a wide grin.
"I was looking for a diary."
"You know that I don't keep a diary! And if I did there wouldn't be anything in it that I don't tell you." Pemmy shrugged uninterestedly.
"Such is life."
"Such is life? What does that have to do with anything. Honestly, Pemmy, sometimes I think that you can't stand being speechless so you say stupid things that make no sense, but they don't sound stupid coming out of your mouth. You just make others feel stupid because they don't understand what you mean. Too bad I know you too well for that to work."
Pemmy had distracted herself by pointing her wand at her nails and performing polishing spells.
"So what do you want to know that you'd look for in a diary?"
"Hmm. . ." She though out loud. "Well, for one I'd like it in writing that you still like Harry."
"But I don't!"
Pemmy had set her wand down and was leaning forward to Ginny interestedly. "So then who do you like? Collin? Sedge? Timmy? Pim? Draco?"
Ginny, who had been keeping her composure and looking indifferent almost choked on her own spit at this last comment. "Draco? As in Malfoy?"
Pemmy gave her a mock-pitying look. "No, Draco as in Potter." She said sarcastically. "How many Draco's do we have in our school?"
"But-- Malfoy?"
"I'll take that as a 'no'." She laughed at the sour look Ginny gave her. "Oh, come on, he's hot!"
"Yeah, if you like that drowned rat look!"
"Oh, he's not THAT bad. Honestly, I think your love for Harry has blinded you to all of the other wonderful beauties of our school."
"I'm not as interested in boys as you are. And NO, I'm not interested in girls either." She added at the look that Pemmy gave her.
"This conversation is getting no where." Pemmy said, not bothering to hide her disappointment. "Let's just go do homework or something."
Ginny perked up at the thought of getting away from being interrogated by her persistent friend. "Good! I have this Wizard-Lit report to do. Have you started on yours?"
"It's not due until tomorrow! Why would I want to do it before break next morning?'
"It's a wonder you get good marks."
"It's a wonder I put up with you, Hermione."
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The common room was crowded as always. Timothy Sedgewick sat playing chess with Collin Creevy, and he was loosing badly. Timothy had never been very good at chess, and today was no exception. He let out a sigh as his last rook was brutally kicked off the board.
Collin, sitting across from him, grinned broadly. "I believe that's… check mate?"
Timothy made a futile attempt at studying the board, trying to find some last move. As if sensing defeat, the black king fell and the white pieces moved back onto the board and started breaking the marble thoroughly. Collin watched for a couple seconds in amusement, before calling the pieces away. Magically, the king repaired itself.
"One more game?" Timmy pleaded.
"You've already lost three in a row! Just accept it—I'm not doing your Potions homework!"
"Yeah, but you know I can't do anything in that class! If you do that for me I'll do your Transfiguration."
"Already done it."
"Divination?"
"Done."
"Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"Done it."
"Muggle Studies?"
"I don't take Muggle Studies!"
"Neither do I…"
"Look, Timmy, I've already done all my homework!"
"If you've already done your Potions why can't I copy!?"
"It's and essay. Snape will be able to tell that it's copied. The deal was, we play chess and if you win, I do your homework. I won three times in a row! Do your own homework for once."
"But I'm already failing that class!"
"How can you be?" Collin asked in bewilderment. "You copy everything off of me, and I'm not failing!"
"I don't copy everything…" Timmy muttered. Collin raised one eyebrow.
"Go do your homework." He ordered like a parent to a child. "Now." He added due to the lack of response.
Slowly, Timmy pulled himself up from the comfy armchair and headed for the fifth year boy's dormitory. Potions was hands down his worst subject, and he always dreaded the classes. According to him, it was pointless to even try when Professor Snape was the most malicious man to walk the earth since Vlad the Impaler. His essay could probably say nothing but, "I have no idea," and it would get the same grade as it would if he had spent hours on it. Maybe he'd get Gryffindor's unofficial tutor, Hermione Granger, to help him, he mused to himself. At least he'd get some credit.
The room that held his bed was completely empty. He quickly grabbed his books and ran back downstairs. Being alone in there always gave him the creeps for some reason. Maybe it was because there could be something invisible abroad. That was the kind of thing Peeves the Poltergeist would do—spy on kids while they were alone and use it against them later.
Collin was looking pleased with himself when Timmy returned, but he couldn't tell if it was because he had beaten Timmy three times in a row at chess or if it was because he had finally got him to do homework. Timmy really didn't care at the moment. He threw his books on a tiny wooden table with more force than was necessary and landed in a chair using all of his weight and an annoyed grunt to tell Collin that he wasn't pleased. Collin caught the drift.
"Oh, come on Sedgewick!" Collin sighed. "You would have had to do it anyway."
Timmy just gave him a dirty look. He was being rather like a pouty two year old. Collin almost laughed at the resemblance. Timmy pulled out his heavy Potions using annoyed sharp movements. "I," he slammed the bag down, "Wouldn't" he unzipped in it one motion, "Have to," he plunged his hands inside the bag, "If you," He gripped his book, "Did it for me." He had meant to pull the books straight out and make his point firmly, but his Transfiguration book got caught in the edge of the bag. Instead of pulling it our smoothly, he had to tug several times before it came loose. Collin laughed. Timmy couldn't help it--he laughed too.
"I can't do this here," he finally said, after having a fit of giggles that were even more reminiscent of a two year old than the pouting. "I guess I'll go to the library."
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Draco lazily drummed his fingers on the heavy oak arm of the deep green velvet chair. Pansy was chatting mindlessly about something or other, but he wasn't even bothering to feign interest; Pansy wouldn't notice anyway. She had the hardest time accepting that whatever she said wouldn't leave everyone hanging on her every word. He had heard pieces of the conversation that was turing out very one-way, but none of it seemed to interest him. Something about Blaise saying something to Crabbe about her and Crabbe telling Bulstrode. Just stupid, idiotic gossip.
His mind had been wandering to the Quidditch match that weekend against Ravenclaw when his train of thoughts was interrupted by Pug-Mug asking him a question. "What do you think Draco?"
He didn't have an idea in hell what she was talking about.
"I don't give a damn." He replied blankly. Pansy took it as a joke.
"Oh, Draco! You're do funny!" He didn't care to set her right. That would just cause more questions. Better to look interested and have her not say anything that required a response than actually to have to pay attention. Listening was over-rated. Draco started thinking about the match again when a word she said got his focus.
". . .Potter, but she said that I had obviously said it. She told everyone!"
"What about Potter?" He asked with sincere interest. "Draco! Haven't you been listening to a word I've said?" He didn't reply, but the look her gave her told her very clearly. She sighed, but knew better than to scold Malfoy. Talking to him was like walking on eggshells.
"Blaise has been telling everyone that I like Potter!"
He looked at her in a cynical way. "You mean that's it? Anyone with any brain should know that you detest Potter. You really care?"
Pansy looked affronted. "But! I-I-- Potter! She said I like POTTER!"
"So get over it. Don't ever talk to the bitch again and tell Daddy. Easy enough."
"You just don't understand!" She cried.
"I guess I don't. Too bad I don't care, either."
"You're so mean!" She smiled slightly. "I can't be mad at you!"
"Please be."
"You're so funny!" What an idiot. He was totally throwing her down and she thought he was joking. What an idiot. He had to get out of there--he may have been a heartless bastard, a fact that he was rather proud of, but he was not stupid. he could practically feel his I.Q. lowering as Pansy talked about such stupid things.
"Yeah, whatever." He replied unenthusiastically. "I've got to go. . .you're being stupid and pointless again."
"You're so funny!"
Draco didn't turn around. Pansy was always able to get him in the worst of moods. Heading towards the library he felt ready to kill the next thing that stepped in his path. Hopefully it would be a Weasley.
/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*
The library was unusually cold. Ginny had wanted to take her cloak, but Pemmy had called her an "old hag" and she had decided to leave it behind. Madam Pince refused to allow anyone to light a fire in her precious library, even a migically controlled one, for fear that it would catch one of her books. Ginny was beginning to regret allowing Pemmy to talk her into not wearing her cloak. A cloudy November Saturday and a non-heated, immense, cold room didn't exactly mix-- it tended to cause blue lips and goosebumps. She pulled her cloack tighter about her.
Pemmy, of course, was perfectlly fine. She was flirting carelessly with Timmy Sedgewick with her robes set loosely on her shoulders, not seeming to be cold at all. Ginny couldn't tell if that was because she really wasn't cold or if she just didn't want to be wrong about not needing a cloak. Pemmy didn't like being wrong. Ginny looked down at the book in her hands and sighed. This library may have been good for research, but if there was one thing the Hogwarts Library lacked in it was fiction. Ginny was taking a Wizard Literature class, and for all the Potion-making and Herbs and Migical Beasts, she couldn't find a decent book to do a book report on.
She rose slowly carrying with her the book and headed back to the shelf where she had found it.
"Another book?" Pemmy asked, annoyed and seeming to have found something interesting enough to draw her away from putting her charm on poor Timmy. "That's like, the fifth one. Just grab a book, does it really matter what its called?"
"There's nothing good in this Library!"
"Well, just check out the Restricted Section."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "We're not allowed in the Restricted Section!"
"So?"
"You need a pass! There are enchantments and stuff blocking you."
"So? I don't see what the big deal is. I have a pass."
Ginny looked at her skeptically. "Do you? And how long did it take you to sign it perfectly?"
Pemmy mocked being taken aback. "You suggest that I would do something like that?" Timmy laughed out loud, and Pemmy turned and shot him a dazzling white smile before turning back to her friend. "Seriously, though, I do have a pass."
"How did you get one?" Ginny asked, still not believing that it would be valid.
"Professor Wilehelme gave it to me." Professor Wilehelme was the assistant teacher that had been selected as a aid to Professor Flitwick. "I told him that I wanted to look some stuff up about self-repeating charms, or something like that. I don't quite remember."
"Your joking!" Ginny cried. Professor Wilehelme was also very young; he probably just wanted to get in Pemmy's good favor. Guys were always doing that kind of stuff for her best friend. He had just given her one because she had wanted it--she tried to imagine what he would say if she had asked for that. Probably laugh at her.
"So do you want it or not?" Pemmy asked carelessly.
Ginny had an internal battle. If there was anything in the Restricted Section, it was probably there for a reason. But it couldn't hurt to look around, could it? Curiosity got the better of her. "Yeah!"
Now that there was rule-breaking involved, Ginny had Pemmy's full attention. Pemmy immediately started to plot out how they were going to find a good book without Madam Pince getting suspicious. It wasn't going to be very hard because of her pass, but Pemmy still had to have every detail worked out.
Finally, when Ginny was about ready to forget even getting in the Restricted Section before the library closed, Pemmy finally decided that she was ready. Ginny couldn't see for the life of her what had needed so much planning. Timmy and Pemmy had done most of the work while Ginny sat in the corner wondering what they were doing. But then, Ginny guessed, she shouldn't complain about Pemmy's work. If Ginny had tried to do it, Madam Pince would have found some way to detect their plan.
Pemmy grabbed Ginny's hand and started pulling her towards Madam Pince's desk, and Ginny started having second thoughts. What if someone noticed that they were using the Restricted Section for something other than Charms? Professor Wilehelme wasn't totally stupid, he had made sure that she could use the pass only for Charms work. Pemmy wouldn't take any of the blame--it'd all be on Ginny.
But it was too late to persuade Pemmy that she had changed her mind; the girl had already taken her up to the front desk and asked for Madam Pince.
"Yes," Madam Pince said in her stiff voice upon coming out from the back sorting rooms.
Pemmy flashed her trademark smile. "We need you to verify our pass to enter the Restricted Section to finish our Charms homework."
She raised her eyebrows, taking the pass from Pemmy's outreached hand and examining it. She gave a grunt of distaste when she saw that it was written by the teacher's aid: Madam Pince didn't like the idea of them giving out Restricted Section permits. But she didn't have any power to reject them, as Pemmy very well knew.
"This pass," she stated after looking at it for several minutes intensly, "Is only for one person. Which one of you is Pemalea O'Leary?"
She raised her hand. "But I need Ginny to come with me. I don't know what the book is called and she'll recognize it. She was just in there a couple of days ago. So can she come?"
"Only one of the two may accompany you," she said with a piercing glance at Timmy who was standing slightly behind Pemmy as if for protection.
"Thank you!" Dazzling smile. "We'll get the book and be out in a jiffy!"
Madam Pince gave a snort of disgust, but went back to the back room where she had been before. Pemmy gave a Ginny a smile that said, "That wasn't so hard, was it?" and then grabbed Timmy's hand and started pulling him into the Restricted Section.
"Pemmy!" Ginny hissed. "Only two of us in there!"
"Oh relax," Pemmy sighed, not bothering to keep her voice down. "She's not going to see!" She waved her had in the direction Madam Pince had disappeared. There was no one else in the library. Before Ginny could consider this, she had reached for her hand and had pulled her into the Restricted Section. "Which one?"
Ginny glanced at the long lines of books and decided that she had been stupid to assume that she would be able to get anywhere from here. There were tons of books, but almost all of them were in some different sort of language, and they didn't look like fairy stories.
"Maybe," Ginny said in a tentative voice, "We should just . . . leave?"
"Don't be a baby! I want to have a look around." Pemmy scolded, "Here, take this one." She threw a heavy leather volume in Ginny's direction, but the tiny redhead missed it and it fell to the floor with a loud 'clunk.' A very loud 'clunk.'
"What are you DOING?" Madam Pince yelled, coming out of her office. She had no doubt heard the book drop with her sharper-than-a-hawk's ears. "Having fun with the invaluable selections of my library? I demand you leave the Restricted Section at ONCE!" She ran past the velvet rope separating the sections and shooed the three out. "If every you feel the need to play catch with MY books again, you will undoubtedly find yourselves in detention!"
She re-hooked the leather rope and magically the Restricted Section sealed itself. Muttering about "Kids today," she returned to her office.
"Nice one, Ginny!" Said Pemmy. "You got us kicked out!"
"I didn't get us kicked out! YOU got us kicked out!"
Ginny didn't continue the argument, knowing very well where it was headed. She switched suit. "Now I'll never find I good book for my report!" She moaned.
Pemmy smiled demonically. "Why not use. . ." she pulled the book from the Restricted Section out from behind her back. "This one?"
Ginny was torn between amusement and shock. Pemmy had managed to outsmart even Madam Pince! "How did you get that?"
"I summoned it as she was leading us out." She said carelessly. "Let's see what's in it!"
She dropped the book onto one of the studying tables and Ginny sat down in front of it. The other two hunched next to her and looked eagerly to see what a book like this contained that would place it in the Restricted Section. Ginny turned over the heavy dark cover to reveal yellowing pages. She went past the opening pages and credits and finally found the story. "Once upon a time. . ."
/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*/\*\/*
Draco pushed past some third year Hufflepuffs and made his way into the library. It was cold in there, but no worse than in the dungeons and Slytherin common rooms. He really didn't have anything to do in the library, but it was better than sitting and listening to Pansy. He figured that he would revise his Potions essay about reversing the effects of Engorgement Potion.
There were very few people inside, besides the third years there was only a group of three fifth years sitting in a corner. One a closer look he recognized one as Ginny, the youngest Weasley; he didn't know the other two, other than the fact that they were Gryfinndors. They were all hunched over some book. Draco wondered what they were looking at--it obviously had to be something good if they were the protective of it.
Silently, he walked over where they were sitting, careful to be unnoticed. Just as he was right behind them, still not detected, Ginny started reading out loud. "Once upon a time," she began, and Draco seized the chance.
"There--" She continued. Draco took the chance to bend over her shoulder and say,
"Can't anyone have some peace while they're trying to study?" But didn't get past "Can't--" when the room went a blinding shade of white. Everything disappeared, except for the book, the three Gryffindors, and himself. He felt as if there were some kind of vacuum holding him to Ginny at the spot where he had brushed her shoulder in leaning over her. She was stuck to the book, Pemmy and Timmy were stuck to her also.
There was no jerk behind the navel like when traveling with a Portkey. There was no spinning like when you traveled with Floo Powder, and there was no crashing onto some cold hearth. Instead, the blinding white faded to black, and the four felt themselves being thrown onto something soft and cool.
All face down, they heard a strict-sounding voice say, "It's about time! Well, then, you'd better come inside."
A/N:
Oooh! A cliffie--I wonder where that's going. . . I guess you'll just have to wait and see! Tune in next time for more!
Love you guys!
Manissetan
P.S. The title happens to be in four different languages-- one is in Dutch, one in Afrikaans, one in Japanese, and one is in Swahili. But which is which? Hmm . . . You'll see soon enough. I'm sure some of you can translate some of them . . .
P.S.S. If you hurry and review, I'll hurry and post!