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deke-rivers-1957 · 3 months

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Toby's First Day

Ah wake up an' Ah feel like Ah'm gonna throw up. But Ah feel a lil better 'cause Ah'm layin' down on ma bed an it's a whole lot less scary. Ah can't see anything. Ah try an lift mah head up an' Ah fall right back down.

"Ow."

Ah try an get mah head up so Ah can look at Trevor when he ribbits an' see how he doin', but Ah can't. Ah feel like Ah jus wanna curl up in a ball. Ah remember the things Ah said ta Jacklin an Ah wish Ah didn't. Mah head still feels a lil woozy so Ah think Ah'll just lie here an... uh... an...

Time Skip

Ah finally stop snorin' an' wake up a little. Ah sit up real slow an' Ah look at Trevor. He's jus' lyin' there in his tank an' it looks like he ain't moved at all since Ah last saw him. Ah'm a lil confused bout how mah stuff an Ah got here. Somebody musta brought 'em while Ah was sleepin.

"Ya doin good lil buddy?"

He ribbits so Ah get up real quick an Ah hobble on over ta Trevor's tank. Ah open tha door an' Ah feed 'em. Ah take tha blood worm outta tha fridge an' Ah put tha cold, bloody wormy thing inta Trevor's tank an Ah see em suck it up. It makes a real mess a his face. Trevor looks at me real concerned wit tha wormy mess on his face an Ah know Trevor's worried 'bout mah well bein' so Ah smile a lil for 'em.

"Didja see who brought ya an mah stuff up here lil buddy? Cause Ah sure dunno who did."

Ah pet Trevor’s head.

"Yer a good froggie, Trevor. Even if ya got a bloody wormy all over yer face. Ah'mma wipe ya clean."

Ah go ta get a paper towel but when Ah look at Trevor Ah see him cleanin’ tha worm offa himself. Ah giggle an get closer ta see what he looks like witout tha worm.

"Ya be a good boy, Trevor. Ah'm gonna be goin downstairs fer mah first day a wizardin' school. Be nice ta the other froggies."

Ah finish puttin' on ma uniform, pick up mah backpack an' head off ta tha Great Hall.

"Toby? Are you alright?"

Ah notice Jacklin an' tha cauldron. It doesn't look like Jacklin's had much sleep either, but Ah don't wanna say anythin' yet. Ah've gotta start tha day nice.

"Ah'm real confused bout wha happened last night. How'd Ah end up in mah new bed?"

"Our prefect carried you upstairs after I brought it to his attention that you fainted."

Ah nod then look at tha cauldron an' don't know what else ta say, so Ah ask a question.

"What ya do'n with tha cauldron?"

"I’m bringing it to our Potions class today. I don’t want Professor Snape to take points away because we’re not prepared."

Tha name "Snape" sounds like someone's mispronouncin' "snake." Like "Snakin' around" or somethin'. But Ah don't wanna say that to Jacklin jus' yet, since we jus' got up an' Ah wanna be nice ta Jacklin till m' day goes sour. Ah look "prepared" ta take tha class wit m' friend Jacklin.

"Ya sure do seem prepared."

"I also took the time to look through our schedule and put everything that you need in your strange human device."

Ah raise mah eyebrow cause Ah got no idea what she's sayin.

"Mah what?"

"Oh. That big thing there."

Ah look at where she's pointin an Ah realize wha' she means now.

"Tha's mah backpack. It ain't that strange. Jus bout every kid uses 'em."

"How do you use this?"

"Ah jus' put it on like this."

Ah pick up mah backpack an put it on carefully.

"Tha's how Ah do it."

"Marvelous."

Ah'm glad Ah somehow managed ta impress 'er. Ah ain't realized that showin 'er somethin simple like a backpack'd do tha.

"How'd ya usually carry thangs if ya ain't got a backpack?"

"I put everything in my cauldron. We're not allowed to use magic in the corridors here, so on Potions days I just use that. My wand and quill are in the pockets of my robe."

"So ya really gotta know what ya need fer what day."

She nods at me.

"Yes that’s why I carefully planned how to carry everything last night."

"Well... yer real smart."

Ah look at tha books an' cauldron an' think maybe it's a good idea.

"Ya know, Ah never woulda thought of tha."

"So where did you get this backpack? I noticed that it had a lot of little zippers on it and wasn't sure if it's common."

Ah look at mah backpack.

"This one's giv'n ta me by Pop. It's real tough. Ah could drop it out tha window an' it jus' wouldn't break."

"Do you think you can put your cauldron in there? I wasn't exactly sure how to get it to fit. Your books were easy enough to put inside since they're rectangular."

Ah shrug since Ah jus know she's tryna help me.

"Sure, Ah'll try it."

Ah open up m' backpack an' try ta make room for tha cauldron. There's a buncha' magic stuff in tha way but Ah move it around an' eventually manage ta fit tha cauldron in. When Ah finish Jacklin's lookin up at me wit these big eyes all lil girls get when they're 'mazed by thangs.

"That’s amazing. Humans are so crafty without magic."

Ah don't fully understand wha tha means, but Ah like tha sound of it.

"Yeah. We get crafty, tha's fo sure."

Ah close m' backpack an' get ready ta head on downstairs.

"I hope I don’t lose my balance going down these stairs, Toby."

"Why'd ya think ya'd lose ya balance?"

"I need to use both hands to carry this cauldron. It’s too heavy if I tried to use one hand."

Ah look at tha cauldron an' then look at Jacklin.

"Ah think Ah should carry tha cauldron for ya. Ya can jus' put yer hands in tha pockets of yer robe."

It ain't tha big a deal, but Ah don't want Jacklin fallin' down tha stairs. Ah hold out m' hands ta take pick 'er up an tha cauldron.

"Toby are you sure you can handle both me and your backpack?"

Ah manage ta carry tha cauldron, Jacklin an' m' backpack down tha stairs.

"Ah can handle it. Ah got big muscles in tha farm boy arms."

"Very well then."

Ah walk down tha stairs an' toward tha Great Hall as tha breakfast crowd parts ways for me an' Jacklin.

"Ah'm okay."

Ah like carryin' Jacklin an' tha cauldron an' don't think anythin' about it till suddenly Ah hear some'un callin' out my name loud.

"We're at the bottom of the stairs Toby."

Ah see tha Great Hall in front of m' an' hear Jacklin callin' me. Ah know Ah can't carry Jacklin an' tha cauldron much longer. Ah stop walkin' for a second an' set Jacklin on tha floor.

"Jacklin?"

Jacklin turns to me.

"Yes?"

Ah try ta catch m' breath an' lean against tha wall of tha Great Hall. Ah feel a little tired.

"Thanks."

Ah look at tha empty cauldrons in Jacklin's hands an' feel real foolish.

"Can Ah ask you a question?"

Ah'm wonderin' if Jacklin noticed somethin' while Ah was carry'n her.

"Ah know Ah'm a little slow, but Ah can't help feelin' like Ah done wrong while Ah was carry'n ya."

Ah look at Jacklin's face real close an' look for a sign tha somethin' bad happened.

"You didn't do anything wrong Toby. I just was worried about you getting hurt. I thought my Veela magic was making you want to impress me."

Ah feel relieved.

"Oh. Well, Ah was jus tryin' ta do the right thing."

Ah sit down an look tha table. There's a lot a kids here an' for a second Ah wonder if Ah'm even gonna find m' seat. Ah get a feelin tha Ah'm gonna say someth'in wrong or do somethin' weird an' it's gonna ruin tha day. Ah feel real worried about tha day an' want it ta go slow. Ah start lookin' real worried ta Jacklin 'cause Ah don't wanna make her mad an' Ah don't wanna make the day go bad. Ah can't stand tha not be'in in tha right seat feel.'

"I think those are our tables there, Toby."

Ah look in tha direction Jacklin's pointin' an' see tha tables. Ah feel good 'cause Ah'm findin' m' way an' Ah don't wanna get lost here.

"Let's sit down here. This spot's open for us."

"Okay."

Breakfast foods start to appear on the table. Ah look for tha pancakes an' eggs so Ah can start eat'n them.

"Do you have any special interests Toby?"

"Well, Ah like pancakes a lot, but Ah think tha's jus' normal."

Ah shove as much pancake as Ah can fit in m' mouth.

"Does that mean you like cooking? I was thinking that if you had any special interests you might be able to find classes here that relate to them."

"No, Ah'm not good with cook'n."

Ah shove tha rest a' tha pancake a' in m' mouth an' look around tha hall real worried tha Ah ain't been able ta ask about somethin' Ah need ta know about. Ah finally decide m' need ta ask m' question is so important tha it's like tha whole day depends on it.

"Jacklin."

Jacklin looks over at m' when Ah call her name an' Ah get a real good feelin' tha things are gonna go right.

"Yes Toby?"

"Well, how do Ah fit in here? Ah dunno how we even make it onta the platform ta get ta the train if we ain't spose ta be seen by humans. Ah think Ah jus ain't meant ta be here."

Ah feel like m' whole day's gonna jus' crash an' all tha bad feelin' jus' keep buildin' an' buildin'.

"Everyone in this part of the Great Hall are part of the Gryffindor House. That’s how you fit in. Not everyone here has to be a pureblood like me. I don't think the average wizard in general knows that Platform 9 and 3/4s is charmed so that only those with magic blood can even get near it."

Ah start ta calm down a lil bit. Ah'm a Gryffindor. Ain't so bad. Ah look around tha Great Hall an' most people are wearin' tha Gryffindor colors an' Ah think tha's cool.

"Thank yuh! Nice ta know."

But tha silence jus' feels so loud. Ah feel like tha food is gettin' cold an' tha food smells an' tastes diff'r'nt. Ah know tha's how Ah am an' it's tha way Ah am but it's jus' so quiet right now.

"Have you ever thought about what you want to be when you grow up?"

"Not really."

Ah feel bad 'cause Ah dunno whut Ah wanna do an' there's so much time an' so many things Ah don't know. Ah've been so worried this tha day was fallin' apart tha Ah jus' haven't had any thoughts 'bout tha future.

"That makes sense. It’s hard to figure out how to use your magic if you haven’t learned anything about it yet."

Ah clean m' face an' hands real good so Jacklin won't think Ah'm sloppy. Tha pancake was real good though.

"Do you want to read our Potions book together?"

Ah look at Jacklin an' she's got a book open an' she's sittin' right next to me.

"Okay. Ah don't know if Ah'm gonna understand it though."

"I think this first chapter is about our supplies and why we need them."

"Oh, that's good. Ah could use some supply learnin'."

Ah start lookin' at the book an' it looks like it's letter based. Ah know how to read, but tha letters are real small an' Ah gotta look real hard to know which letter's next. Ah also gotta think real hard 'bout how tha letter sounds.

"Did your Pop ever get your vision checked?"

"No. Do Ah need ta have m' eyes checked?"

Ah keep read'n m' letter very slowly an' Ah'm startin' ta feel a little better 'bout tha day. This isn't so bad.

"I'm not sure since I have no idea why reading this book is difficult for you."

Ah don't wanna give Jacklin tha wrong idea, so Ah try ta explain m'self. The more Ah talk, the more Ah realize tha Ah do have m' problems, but they're jus' part a me.

"Well, when Ah see tha letters Ah can see 'em fine, but Ah dunno. Ah get through 'em real slow an' sometimes Ah... sometimes Ah don't remember what tha letter sounds like an' Ah gotta go back an' re-read it. An' it jus' takes a long time ta... ya know finish."

"Oh. So it’s a reading problem and not a vision problem."

Ah look down an' Ah get a little nervous 'cause Ah notice tha everybody at tha table's watchin' m'. So Ah finish m' lett'der fast an' look up real quick.

"I never thought that a cauldron’s metal would make a difference in how fast a potion’s brewed."

"Well, tha cauldron sure looks real important."

Ah look at tha pictures again an' it looks like tha cauldrons are the place where all tha magic happens in 'potion making.' Ah feel interested an' tha books is startin' ta make sense. M' nerves seem ta be leavin' an' Ah relax jus' a little bit more.

"There's jus' so much tha m' brain's gotta know all at once. So how long d'ya think it's gonna be before Ah figure out tha right way ta use m' magic?"

"As long as we take notes and do all of our assignments through all seven years, our professors will give us passing marks. Magic can be easy as long as you try."

"But how do ya know when you're doin' it right?"

It feels like there's gonna be a lotta mess ups in 'potion makin' an' other magic usin'. It's jus' too much to figure out an' some of it doesn't make any sense so far.

"If you try to say an incantation and you’re saying it wrong, then nothing will happen. With potion making you have to read everything carefully. Each potion is different so a lot can go wrong. From what my father told me about potion making, smoke is normal but nothing should explode or boil over."

"Oh, yeah."

Ah picture m'self at 'potion class. Ah see smoke an' m' mind starts to wonder. M'self an' tha others jus' watchin' 'potion boilin' up an' down an' tha smoke's makin' things seem jus' a little bit different. An' m' body's startin' ta sweat jus' a little bit. Ah imagine the fumes from tha cauldrons makin' m' head spin jus' a little bit. Ah try ta hold it together bu' Ah'm jus' a little nervous about tha whole thing.

"That was the bell. I think we should leave for the dungeons now. Are you feeling better, Toby?"

"Yeah Ah'm ok."

Ah start walkin' but Ah see Jacklin watchin' me an' somehow tha makes me feel a lotta bettah. Ah don't know why really. It jus' does. Maybe 'er Veela magic's hittin me after all. Ain't so bad then.

"Let’s see. I have my wand, our cauldrons, my potion book, and I think everything else is in your backpack. Is that right?"

"Yeah."

It looks like Ah got the basics. Ah don't really know what all Ah'm gonna need yet, but Ah think Ah'm all set for the first potions class. It's scary but... it's ok.

"In that case, I think we can go right to the dungeons for Potions with Professor Snape."

"Why'd Mr. Snape wanna have Potions class down in tha dungeons?"

Ah try ta picture it an' Ah can't see it. All Ah can imagine is some creepy dark place down tha stairs with spiders an' bats an'... who knows what. Ah start gettin' a little nervous agin.

"You have to call him Professor Snape. The dungeons are a great place to teach potions. They’re well ventilated and also act as a storage space for ingredients that are sensitive to sunlight.

"Oh. Well, tha's okay then."

Ah try ta imagine those places better but Ah still mostly see spiders an' bats. Ah shake m' head an' try ta get rid of tha picture.

Time Skip

Ah'm lookin' round tha dungeons. It's dim an' Ah can't see far. Ah notice it's jus' stone an' dirt under tha ground. Looks cold, but it's quiet. Ah think Ah like it.

"It looks like we made it to class a little early today."

"How much time d'ya think we have?"

Ah look over tha classroom door an' Ah start wonderin' what's in the potions room. Ah guess it's the place where the potions class is gonna take place. Maybe it's nice like da classroom. Ah hope so, but tha whole potions class' too much ta figure out.

"I believe we have just enough time to organize everything we could possibly need for today’s class."

Ah look back at tha potions table. Tha potions teacher probably starts teachin' right on tha bell. Ah don't want stuff in a mess when tha potions teacher walks in. Ah get busy try'n ta get tha stuff organized.

"Welp tha's all mah stuff."

Ah sit back straight in mah chair an' watch Professor Snape walk in. He looks real grouchy as Ah watch tha class sit down. Ah don't do anythin but jus' sit there lookin'. Ah figure tha's the smart choice right now. He starts lookin' over m' backpack an' Ah start feelin' kinda nervous again.

"We do not leave objects in the aisle. Move it to the other side of your chair."

Mah head starts ta spin as Professor Snape moves on. This potions class seems like it's gonna be harder than Ah thought. But Ah ain't gonna give up. Ah look around tha classroom an' notice tha other students all look like they knew to move tha object before tha potions teacher started teachin'. That's okay. Ah'm not like m' head's filled with a lotta magic like some of the others. M' job's jus' to get through tha potions class an' learn something.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes bewitching the minds, and ensnaring the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death."

Ah watch Professor Snape talk an' Ah feel a lotta magic words jus' fly into mah head. Ah wanna have m' own bottled magic.

"I can see some of you have brought all of the required ingredients and equipment as if you expected to produce a potion on your first day. Well done. For those of you who brought everything you will be given a point for Gryffindor."

Ah take a deep breath an' Ah get ready for Snape ta start teachin' me stuff. Ah think he's gonna like me.

"Now you all should have read the introductory chapter of the Book of Potions in preparation of todays class. So if I were to ask what the difference is between a brass, copper, and pewter cauldron I would assume you would all know the answer."

Ah know tha a copper cauldron is good as it'll melt tha metal at tha right temp. Ah know that tha pewter doesn't get hot enough. But that's all Ah remember about tha cauldrons right now.

"The difference is the brewing speed. First years normally use a pewter cauldron because it brews at the slowest speed."

Ah look over at Jacklin. Ah guess she knows all tha answers an' Ah can't remember what Ah already know. M' shoulders start ta relax an' Ah listen in. Ah think it'll be safe enough ta just sit back an' let Jacklin tell tha right answers.

"Correct."

Ah see that he looks like he's a little pleased wit tha right answer. Ah hope that Jacklin knows most a tha answers. Ah like her an’ Ah don’t wanna see her get yelled at.

"Turn to page 394. Our first lesson will be about making the Cure for Boils Potion."

Ah find tha page and Ah look up real quick when Ah see it.

"This is your first test to see if you have any skill in potion making. A beginner worth teaching will successfully make such a basic potion before the end of class. You will be working in pairs to complete this potion. I will not tolerate students who backpack off of others."

Am Ah skilled enough ta make tha potion? Ah don't wanna fail this first test. Ah get paired up wit m' friend Jacklin.

"How do you want to divide the work Toby?"

"Well, Ah can read everythang ta make sure we ain't doin nothin wrong."

"So you can read each step and get all of the ingredients together?"

"Uh huh."

Ah point ta m' potion book sittin' on m' table an start readin the first step.

"In that case, I can start the fire. What does the first step say?"

"Well, it says ta take out a pewter cauldron."

Ah see 'er get it.

"What do we need to do next?"

Ah know what tha next step is!

"We gotta add 6 snake fangs an crush 'em in the mortar."

Ah start countin cause Ah can obviously count ta 6 then start crushin 'em.

"How's this look?"

"I think you crushed them enough, Toby. They needed to be a fine powder and it looks a lot like dust."

Ah read the next step.

"All righ', four measures a' tha snake fangs."

Ah see Jacklin count out tha snake fangs an' get all four measures in tha cauldron.

"Alright then. We just finished measuring the crushed snake fangs and added them to the cauldron."

"Ok so now we gotta take the cauldron up ta 250 fer 10 seconds."

Ah see Jacklin turn tha fire up.

"1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Awright turn it down."

She turns down the heat an uses the potion makin spell wit 'er wand.

"Curious Boilus!"

Ah get a little nervous when Ah see the potion boilin'.

Time Skip

"I see the pink smoke. We did it Toby!"

Ah see tha pink smoke come outta tha cauldron an' Ah feel better an' better about mah first potions test.

"Pour the potion into the vials and clean up."

Ah listen ta Snape an' pick up the vials, fillin' em wit tha cure for boils potion. Ah'm a lil nervous bout what he'll say ta us.

"This is a textbook perfect potion. You and Mr. Kwimper will each receive 5 points for Gryffindor."

Thas it! Ah feel real proud when Snape takes tha vials. Ah notice that Jacklin's pretty happy too. She's lookin' over at me and she's givin' me a real nice smile.

"Class is dismissed."

Ah hear tha bell. We're done wit potions! Ah notice a couple a' kids givin' me funny looks when we walk out of tha potion room. Ah don' think Ah've ever got so much attention jus' from doin' potion work. Ah feel good walkin' out wit Jacklin.

"Let me see now. Defense Against The Dark Arts is our next class. We just need to go to the Transfiguration courtyard. The temporary classroom should be located on the ground floor level."

Ah'm so glad Ah'm with Jacklin. She's the only one who seems to understand where all tha stuff is. She looks at me an' then Ah feel like Ah understand too. Ah don't know how she does it, but Ah follow her.

"I hope the other boys weren't too distracted by my Veela magic."

When Ah hear her say "Veela" Ah remember one a' tha things she told me about what they can do. Ah try to think of her as jus’ normal Jacklin, even though Ah can tell tha boys were distracted an even a little scared by her.

"What did you learn today during our first Potions class, Toby?"

Well, Ah dunno much bout why we gotta use wha' we used. But Ah got a lotta experience in pickin' out non-venomous snakes. Like if ya wanna find a snake who ain't venomous ya don't wanna find no copperheads cause they got venom. Does tha count for somethin'?"

"Why of course that is an important skill to have. Especially when working across the world. I'm not familiar with a copperhead. What type of snake is that?"

Ah repeat everythang Ah know from mah book on snakes.

"It's a type a water moccasin tha looks a little different. They live mainly round the eastern coast a North America an round the Mississippi drainage. They're real common here an' compared ta others they're more likely ta bite if they're all scared. They're medium-sized an venomous, but they don't really kill people that much."

"What other snakes do you have there? We don't have a lot of snakes here in the UK or in Bulgaria where my mother's from."

Ah realize she ain't gonna know a lotta thangs Ah do.

"Oh, Ah'm from Florida, Jacklin. Full a snakes. We got big black ones. We got orange an' yellow ones. Ah even had a python in Pop's yard once, but it was only a lil one. They're not the real bad snakes, but they're not the good ones, either."

"So you know what a Common European Adder is?"

"Common European Adder? Yeah, Ah know ‘em. They’re mean little critters, but they ain't as dangerous as rattlesnakes."

"Just how dangerous are they? Adders are the most dangerous snake native to the UK."

Ah jus know this'll get ugly real quick cause she jus ain't used ta dealin wit nature.

"Yep, but they use tha poison in their bites. It don’t hurt as much as tha venom a dangerous kinda snake's got. Now tha rattlesnake'll kill ya deader-than-thou, but Adders ain’t as deadly. ‘Course, Ah ain’t sayin’ Ah'd wanna get bit."

"I understand why you know so much about snakes now, Toby."

Ah get a real nice feelin’ inside when Ah hear this from Jacklin.

"So how exactly do you know what an Adder looks like?"

"Oh Adders're dark. They got like a kind a "x" on their necks. They look mean, even if they really ain't. That's good, cuz Ah think snakes are real beautiful lookin’. They just don’t want no people hangin’ round when they’re sunnin’ themselves like Ah saw a few do in Florida. Snakes don’t like company."

"I don’t know what I would do if I ever saw a snake in real life."

Ah know if Jacklin's like a lotta girls she'd be screamin but Ah don't wanna tell 'er cause she'd probly get all mad.

"Well, if tha snake jus sees ya an' don't do nothin' ta you, then jus' leave it be. They get angry 'cause they're real scared of being stepped on. Jus back away from it or stand real still. Snakes wanna go where they're goin', but they don't bite less they get scared by somethin’. Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever been scared of a snake before, jus' annoyed by ‘em."

"That’s probably because you were raised in an area full of them."

After a little while, Ah notice that Jacklin has a kinda worried look on her face. Ah wonder what she's thinking so Ah ask her, 'cause that's what Pop always says Ah should do when Ah wonder.

"You okay, Jacklin?"

"They don’t have snakes that are as big as pythons native do they Toby?"

"Yeah Ah think there's a whole lotta big snakes in Florida, like the Burmese pythons. They can get as long as twenty feet. But that's jus a big snake in the wild. There’s also boa constrictors. They get pretty long, too. They got a lot more snakes than just pythons in Florida."

"Those are invasive species why are they in Florida?"

"Ah reckon some people wanna keep 'em as pets, an' then tha pets get out or let go. When they breed wit other snakes it can start a lotta trouble. Like, it could be real bad for tha other kinda snakes if they got mixed wit big python snakes. Ah guess someone shoulda thought a' tha before they tried to have tha big snakes for pets."

Ah see 'er try not ta shudder outta fear cause Ah know this' really freakin 'er out.

"What would you do if you saw something that big?"

Ah think real hard an' Ah can see that Jacklin is expectin' a real good answer from me.

"Ah probably wouldn't do much if Ah saw one in the wild... jus' walk real quiet an keep movin', or Ah'd stand still. Ah don't think Ah'd ever do anythin' tha's real dumb like touchin' it."

"So you can’t just run away from snakes?"

"Well, Ah guess Ah could try to run away. But Ah don't think Ah could get very far if a snake like tha was after me. They can move real fast when they want to. An’ they'll chase ya an’ swallow ya a lot of times. It's best ta leave ‘em alone or stand as still as Ah can an' hope they'll jus' move along."

"They can eat people?!"

Ah think Ah'm startin' ta make Jacklin worried wit all the snake talk.

"Yeah, tha big snakes can eat people. That's why they're always on the news when tha snake hunters catch ‘em. It's real rare for tha snakes ta eat people, though. Ah bet news stations go lookin' for big snakes so they can put ‘em on TV an get big ratin's. When they do, it ain’t real good for the snakes. A lot a' people get scared and they’ll want tha snakes killed."

"I hope you won’t take this wrong when I say I do not plan on visiting the States during our winter holidays."

Ah dunno if Jacklin just made a joke, so Ah try ta sound like Ah have a good sense a humor, even though Ah don't have much a one.

"Ah don’t blame ya. Snakes an alligators don’t make fer very fun winter holidays."

Sayin stuff bout gators jus seems ta scare 'er more.

"Alligators?"

"Yeah. We got gators in Florida, too. Ah think it's jus' cause Florida's a real warm place, so it's a real nice place for snakes an' gators. But they ain’t gonna bother you if you leave ‘em alone."

"How is that not scary to you? You have so many dangerous animals that we don’t even have here in the UK."

'Er eyes're gettin all big an Ah know she's freakin out.

"Well, they ain't dangerous if they ain't mad. They only want food an' a place ta rest. Ah gotta say, they're pretty fun ta see if they ain't botherin' ya. Ah do like ‘em better than snakes. You can see ‘em comin', ‘cause a gator don't slither round like a snake."

"Are there any animals you are afraid of then?"

Ah try to think of somethin', but Ah can't think a' nothin'. If Ah say snakes it'll seem like Ah'm afraid a' them, so Ah can't do tha. Ah gotta think of somethin'.

"Oh, yeah. Ah'm a little afraid of raccoons. They can be real mean if they get mad at ya. Most of ‘em are friendly an’ they leave people alone, but sometimes Ah gotta scare off a mad raccoon when it gets ta thievin' stuff or botherin' our chickens."

"What’s a raccoon?"

Ah oughta make a list a thangs we got in Florida an she's only got here.

"Oh. A raccoon's kinda like a cat, like Ah told ya, except it looks a little like a bear kinda, just real small an' wit a long tail. Ah see a lotta raccoons livin' in the woods. They get in places they ain't supposed ta be, so Ah get mad at ‘em for thievin' stuff an' then tha raccoons’ll get mad at Ah an' then we'll have a little war of words. That's why Ah'm a little afraid a' raccoons."

"At least it can’t eat you like a python can."

"That's right. You can probably out-run a raccoon, too. Just try ta stay away from tha young'uns, an' tha raccoons probably won't bother ya. Don't call ‘em "trash pandas" though. Ah mean, you'll be right ta call ‘em that, but they don’t like it at all. They get real mad."

Somethin bout wha' Ah said caused Jacklin ta raise mah eyebrow an Ah dunno why.

"How would you know that as if you can talk to them like a person?"

"Ah know ‘cause when Ah’m chasin' ‘em away from our chickens, Ah yell “you trash pandas,” an’ they act real mean after Ah say tha. Like Ah said, they're a lot like people. If Ah call 'em, “sweet little trash pandas” they don't get nearly as upset wit me."

"So you can talk to animals?"

"Well, Ah talk to the animals Ah like. Ah talk ta tha froggies an’ tha turtles an’ tha toadies, fer sure. Ain't nothin' really special 'bout talkin' ta animals. Ah think they like hearin' kind words, though. Ah know gators never say much, but they seem ta listen when Ah'm talkin' ta ‘em."

Ah dunno why Jacklin's lookin at me like Ah'm a dummy.

"Nothing special? Talking to animals is a rare skill for wizards to have. It can’t be taught."

"Really? Ah wasn't aware of tha'. How come tha's rare?"

"Wizards have to be born with that type of ability."

"Oh… well, then Ah reckon Ah'm special."

Time Skip

"Did you hear that Toby?"

Ah hear this weird hissin noise.

"Yeah Ah heard sumthin'. It sounded like a snake."

Ah listen real hard an' look around. Ah don’t see anythin’, but Ah hear the snakes hiss again.

"It sounds like it's comin' from 'em bushes over there."

Ah think tha snake is goin' ta try ta scare us by hiss'n again.

"Do you think you can try talking to it as we walk by Toby?"

"Ah can try. Ah can try talkin' real nice an' explainin' tha we ain't interested in startin' nothin' with tha snake. We just wanna get on by."

Ah see this big snake coiled up in tha bushes an' Ah start talkin' to it soft. Ah keep walkin' while Ah’m talkin', an’ Ah try ta sound as non-threatening as Ah can. Ah also try ta keep movin’.

"Here, Mr. Snake. Hey, here, here. We jus' wanna go on through tha door, tha one behind ya. We wanna keep movin' an' we don't wanna fight ya. Can we jus' move on, Mr. Snake?"

Ah don’t see any signs tha the snake's movin'. Ah keep talkin’.

"Mr. Snake, we don’t wanna be late fer class. We gotta be in class in ten minutes. Please move fer us."

Ah see tha the snake is moving away from us. Ah keep up tha friendly talk as Ah keep movin’.

"Thank ya, Mr. Snake. Ah ain’t tryin’ to upset ya. You've been a real nice snake, an’ Ah think it's great tha ya got a nice cozy place ta relax an' keep warm, an' Ah hope ya have a good day, Mr. Snake. We gotta go now."

Ah hear the snake hissin an look back. Ah guess tha’s a kind a snake wave. Ah turn back ta the door an’ keep movin’ toward tha door. Ah notice tha tha snake ain’t in tha bushes no more, Ah think it moved off somewhere else. Ah smile 'cause Ah’m proud that Ah handled tha snake situation so good.

"Toby you spoke Parseltongue just now."

"What're ya talkin' bout? Me speakin' ta tha snakes?"

"Yes. You thought you were speaking English, but it just sounded like hissing sounds to me."

Ah stop dead in mah tracks. Ah stare at Jacklin like she's lost her mind.

"Ya mean tha’s really what Ah sound like?"

"That’s what it sounded like to me."

Ah'm stunned an' Ah can't think a anythang ta say.

"Tha's just... tha's... tha's... tha's... Ah don't know what ta say, actually. Ah got nothin' ta say ta that."

"We can talk about it later then. Right now we need to get to class on time."

Ah realize tha Jacklin’s right. Ah can't discuss this now no matter how much Ah wanna know tha answer. Ah pick back up on the walkin' as Jacklin an Ah make our way down tha path ta the DADA class.

Time Skip

"There's Professor Quirrell the new professor for this class."

We're right on time an Ah'm happy bout it.

"Than-thank you for be-being on time. Th-that's a p-p-point for ea-each of you."

Ah smile as we go an sit down.

"Than-thank you all for ma-making it. My na-name is Prof-professor Quir-Quirrell."

Ah try ta focus on tha professor but Ah can’t stop thinkin' 'bout tha snake talk. Ah look at Jacklin real quick ta see if she’s actin’ any diff'rent. Ah try ta read her face but Ah dunno if it's good Ah can’t read 'er face like Ah can a "regular person’s."

"Now to-today we're go-going to be ta-talking about Imps."

Ah know tha Ah should be payin' attention to tha lesson but Ah just can’t stop thinkin' about this thing with tha snakes. Ah just sit there lookin' at his weird scarf hat.

"M-make sure to-to copy th-this in your n-notes."

Ah start ta take some notes as Professor Quirrell stutters through tha assignment. By now Ah been so used ta it that Ah can understand him perfectly fine, even when he stutters.

"For ho-homework, please wr-write a short essay about the-the Knock-knockback Jinx. You ha-have until next we-week to fi-finish it.."

Ah’m not happy ‘bout the homework assignment. Ah know tha Professor Quirrell thinks it’s easy, but Ah can be a little slow sometimes. Ah can get stuck on one thing fer like... forever.

"Toby I was just about to ask if you wanted to start working on our essay during our free period after we get back to Gryffindor Tower."

Ah look up an see Jacklin in front a me.

"Well, Ah’d be happy ta meetcha in tha common room 'cause Ah don’t wanna waste no time. Besides, it'd be good to get the homework over an’ done wit."

"That sounds great Toby."

Ah smile 'cause Ah feel tha Jacklin's bein' real nice an' patient with me today. Ah ain't used ta people bein' all that nice ta me.

"Thanks Jacklin."

Ah keep walkin' an' Ah feel the stairs underneath me movin'.

"Be careful, Toby."

"Ah ain’t afraid o' tha stairs. It don’t even feel like Ah’m movin' much when tha stairs move anyway."

Ah feel tha sudden movement under mah feet when one a tha steps disappears. Ah almost lose mah balance, but Ah manage ta get back ta stable footin an' Ah ain’t at all bothered by tha missin step.

"See? It ain't no big deal, Ah tol ya Ah don’t mind the stairs movin’."

"Now if only we can say that going down the stairs."

Ah smile at Jacklin an' think it was a little joke Ah can laugh at. But Ah'm ready ta get tha homework done so Ah keep followin' Jacklin.

"Do you remember the password Toby?"

Ah think it's "Alohomora."

Ah smile real big when it opens an' go through tha door. Ah look fer Jacklin an’ see tha she's comin' in too. Ah just hope tha tha homework ain't too hard.

"Are you alright, Toby? You look out of breath."

Ah start ta take deep breaths cause Ah ain't used ta all 'em stairs yet.

"Yeah... Ah'm fine..."

Ah catch mah breath an start ta have a weird vision bout a floatin feather. It jus came an went real quick so Ah don't mind it.

Time Skip

Ah'm lookin at tha page with tha Knockback Jinx but Ah'm still stuck on it. Ah look over at Jacklin who's readin' tha DADA assignment like it's jus' normal speakin', but Ah know Ah'm not understandin' tha stuff even a bit.

"Do ya, do ya understand that Knockback Jinx stuff, Jacklin?"

"Yes. When you say the word "flipendo" and do the right wand movement, you can force your opponent to fly backwards away from you."

Ah'm thinkin' all this stuff Ah'm readin' looks like a bunch o' gobbledygook.

"Oh... Ah see. So, it's jus' one word an' then you gotta wave tha wand like this."

Ah make a wild, flickin' motion with mah wand.

"No Toby. It looks more like this."

Ah follow Jacklin's instructions with mah wand movin' down... up... then makin' tha U at tha end of tha movement.

"So, jus' say tha word an' do tha wand movement. Then they'll go flyin' away?"

"Yes it's an important spell to use when you're in a duel."

Ah feel like a total coward. A dark wizard might wanna duel an Ah might not even be able ta say tha word "flipendo" an Ah might be a total sittin duck.

"So, uh... if Ah was in tha middle of a duel wit a dark wizard an' Ah froze up, would that be a real problem?"

"Yes. You could end up getting killed."

Ah feel completely lost like Ah could puke. But Ah keep lookin at Jacklin tryin' ta hide how scared Ah am. Ah don't wanna be a total chicken in front of 'er, so Ah try ta keep myself together.

"So, uh... Jacklin, what's next with tha homework?"

"Now that we know what the Knockback Jinx does, we just need to explain why it can be used against Imps."

Ah think fer a second then say somethin tha sounds smart even if Ah'm guessin' a few words.

"Well, if ya think bout it, an imp's really small an' light like a rat. If Ah ever seen an Imp an Ah hit it wit a Flipendo... Ah mean tha Knockback spell Ah mean... well, it's like a real giant kickin' a real small creature. So, that'll knock tha Imp back an outta tha fight."

"That's right, Toby. Imps can't fly so we can use that to get them to fall into a hole or a cage."

Ah look at Jacklin an’ Ah'm amazed tha Ah'm sayin' tha things Ah'm sayin' an' knowin' bout stuff and even impressin' her. But Ah try ta keep tha positive feelings goin'.

"Oh yeah, tha'll work. Thanks fer lettin' me learn longside ya."

Ah look at Jacklin an' notice we both got it finished wit all tha homework done on it.

"Well, how're we gonna show tha professor that we learned it?"

"Next week we would turn in our scrolls and see if he asks us to do the spell."

Ah look over at 'er an Ah feel tha heat on mah face an hear tha poundin' in mah chest.

"Well it's almost time for lunch. I'm going upstairs to feed Tiger. How often do you need to feed Trevor?"

"Oh... 'bout once a day. But Trevor does like ta stay fed an Ah've been feedin' Trevor a couple times a day now, jus' so he's always full."

"Well, I'm sure your frog would love to see you for a few minutes before lunch."

Ah jump up outta tha chair up ta tha dorm an visit Trevor. Ah got some food an' Ah wanna check tha temperature an' make sure everythang's alright fer him.

"Hey there, Trevor. Ya doin' awright in here? Ain't too hot in here?"

Ah see Trevor startin' ta move round the corner ta me an Ah feel really happy tha Trevor responded.

"So, ya wantin' lunch? Is tha it?"

Ah smile when Ah see his tongue an' Ah realize tha's the best answer. Ah scoop up a few pieces a mealworm an Ah put it in the little area where Trevor is. Trevor jumps outta tha water ta grab the worm an Ah get tha feeling he's enjoyin' tha food.

"There ya go, Trevor. Tha oughta hold ya for a little bit."

Ah smile when Ah see his froggie eyes an' Ah feel like Ah did tha right thang by talkin' ta him. Ah notice tha it's time ta leave, so Ah turn tha light off an' Ah close tha lid of tha tank.

"Bye buddy. Ah'll be seein ya later."

Time Skip

Jacklin an Ah're walkin down the stairs wit our arms looped. Ah dunno why but it sure does help feel like we're friends.

"So uh... how ya likin Hogwarts so far?"

"Oh I love it. My father told me so many stories about his time at Hogwarts, and it's still so incredible to be here as a first year. The only thing I'm concerned about is my Veela magic. You haven't noticed any of the boys being affected by it, have you Toby?"

Ah don't want her ta feel awkward so Ah try findin a different answer.

"Uh… not really, no. It's like they're just happy ta see you. Sure don't wanna do anythin dangerous ta impress ya."

"That sounds good. My mother told me that it's common for the boys to feel the need to look at me."

Ah see tha boys round us as we walk. They're lookin at our linked arms an Ah know they're jus' wonderin' if a romance is startin'. But Ah know tha it ain't, cause Ah understand wha's goin' on. Ah'm too smart ta be fallin fer some girl Ah jus met.

"But that's just a... tha "charm" thang yer people got goin' on. It's jus' some kinda spell tha makes it so tha boys like you, tha's all."

Ah give Jacklin a lil smile as we approach tha door ta tha Great Hall.

"I wouldn't call it a spell. A spell would mean that it can be taught and Veela magic can't be taught like regular magic."

Ah stop an' look up at her before we go through tha doorway.

"So it ain't a spell then. But, uh... it's still somethin' tha ya do a lil naturally an', uh... Ah don't really know how ta put it. Ya gotta have some kinda magic goin fer ya if ya look like one a 'em chubby naked angel babies.

She looks real confused by wha Ah said an ta me it's better than feelin like Ah said somethin mean.

"A what?"

"Ya know in 'em paintin's. Ah think they're cherubs but Ah call 'em chubby naked angel babies cause they look like 'em."

"And how on earth do you think I look like one?"

Ah dunno if she's mad or jus confused so Ah think Ah gotta be honest bout it.

"Ya got one a 'em soft chubby faces. Specially in yer cheeks. Ain't like it can't be pretty but it ain't like yer so perfect like ya say Veela can be."

She starts ta laugh an Ah feel better now cause Ah woulda thought a girl'd be sayin Ah'm a dummy fer callin her chubby.

"Now I know for sure I can trust everything you say Toby."

"Why's that cause Ah'm jus tryna be honest?"

"I can trust you because I know no other boy would ever be able to say something like that. They would only talk about how pretty I look because of my magic."

Ah'm startin' ta understand a little better how all tha Veela magic works.

"Well whatever works fer ya."

Ah still feel awkward talkin' bout it, so Ah switch the subject.

"So what'd we get assigned next after lunch?"

We go over ta tha lunch table where Ah see tha other Gryffindors sittin' down. Ah give tha Gryffindors a little wave ta let them know Ah'm comin' ta sit by 'em.

"After lunch we only have Magical Theory today. Once we finish that class, we have a free period all the way until dinner. I can go over our full schedule later today if you want me to, Toby."

"Ok. Tha sounds nice. Ah don't know what tha Magical Theory's gonna be like tho. Ah hope it ain't as hard as DADA homework."

"I think a lot of it is reading and note taking. As long as you pay attention and read the book, you should get an O in that class."

Ah start to feel a little bit better now. Ah feel like tha day is turnin' out right after all. Ah smile an' Ah listen ta Jacklin.

"Tha sounds like an easy class ta get tha O."

Ah'm tryna figure out wha' ta eat fer lunch an look round the table.

"Could ya do me a favor, Jacklin?"

"What is it, Toby?"

"Ah was wonderin' if ya could grab me a bowl a tha chicken noodle soup. It's all the way down by ya an Ah can't reach it."

Ah know it sounds a lil foolish since Ah ain't sick or nothin', but it looks good ta me.

"Oh. Of course I can."

She gives it ta me an Ah notice 'er eatin a weird lookin sandwich.

"Whacha eatin?"

"Oh this is a cucumber sandwich."

Ah raise mah eyebrow at 'er.

"I... gather you don't eat these in the States do you. No matter. This is meant to be a light snack usually eaten during the afternoon. I'm so used to eating them for afternoon tea that I suppose it was out of habit."

"Oh Ah weren't judgin ya Jacklin. Ah jus ain't seen a cucumber sandwich. How's it suppose ta fill ya?"

Ah see she's lookin a lil better an Ah think it's cause she knows Ah ain't thinkin she's weird.

"It doesn't. Since it's meant to be a tea sandwich, it's only a snack meant to hold you over until supper. I'm sure not everyone does this anymore since we're no longer in the 1800s."

"Well if yer one a 'em wizard princesses Ah guess it makes sense ya still do thangs old people do."

She smiles a lil an Ah'm happy Ah ain't made 'er mad.

"Well this really turned out ta be tha perfect lunch fer me. Ya wanna know why?"

"Why is that, Toby?"

"Cause a tha chicken noodle soup ya got me."

Ah raise tha spoon and take another sip of tha soup. Ah let tha spoon down an' look at Jacklin.

"Why, Ah woulda been too stubborn ta try an' eat it until tha end a the day if ya hadn't give it ta me. But a got a little soup in me, an' now it's actually startin' ta taste good. Plus Ah ain't melted yet so maybe tha's how yer Veela magic's treatin me so thank ya."

Ah see 'er smilin an Ah realize tha first day a school ain't turnin' out half bad after all. So Ah try ta say somethin' ta make a joke.

"Guess what, Jacklin?"

"What, Toby?"

"Chicken butt!"

"What?"

Ah hear the confusion in 'er voice an' Ah look up at 'er again. Ah give her a lil laugh.

"Ya know... chicken... chicken butt. Nothin'.

Ah go back to eatin' tha soup. Ah realize tha Jacklin keeps lookin' at me like Ah'm a lil crazy from tha joke.

"Ain't it a joke 'round here?"

"I don't believe it is."

Ah feel bad 'bout tha joke now. So Ah think bout the next thing tha Ah want ta ask Jacklin.

"Well... Ah was wonderin'... could ya do me another favor, Jacklin?"

"What is it?"

"How do ya send people letters here? Ah wanna write mah Pop an tell 'em Ah'm doin good."

Ah see 'er eyes light up.

"Oh! We can go to the Owlery. There's plenty of owls that can send your letter."

"So ya can show me how ta get there?"

"Of course, Toby. We can write our letters after Magical Theory."

Ah'm glad Jacklin's game fer tha idea a writin' letters together. Ah smile at 'er again an' Ah get back ta eatin' soup.

"Thank ya, Jacklin."

Ah take a lil sip a soup while watchin' Jacklin eat as tha two of us sit together at tha Gryffdor lunch table.

Time Skip

"Lunch is over. We need to find Class 67 for Magical Theory."

"Ok. Ah got mah backpack an Ah'm ready."

Ah finish up tha last of tha soup an stand up.

"Do ya wanna go first, Jacklin? Ah dunno where tha Magical Theory room is an' Ah don't wanna get us both lost."

"I think my father said it was on the 4th floor in the Astronomy Tower."

Ah give Jacklin another nod before Ah start followin' her up tha stairs ta tha Astronomy Tower for tha Magical Theory class.

"The stairs are moving again Toby."

Ah look up tha stairs, but Ah still keep walkin' wit Jacklin up them. Ah kinda try ta ignore tha fact tha stairs are movin' in tha way they are, but Ah wonder why they have tha stairs movin' like that.

"Well, Ah don't like tha stairs, but Ah like tha walkin' wit ya."

"All we have to do now is go up the stairs to the 4th floor."

Ah follow Jacklin up tha stairs to tha 4th floor an' Ah notice tha doors to tha Magical Theory class. Ah see a sign on tha door tha says: "Magical Theory" an Ah follow Jacklin through 'em into tha class.

"I wonder if our first lesson will be on Adalbert Waffling."

Ah look at her curious. Ah don't know nothin' bout Adalbert Wafflin. So Ah ask tha question tha way Ah always ask 'em.

"Who's Adalbert Wafflin?"

"Adalbert Waffling was a famous wizard who created the idea of magical theory. It’s because of him that we even have this class."

"Oh. Is tha why it's called "Magical Theory" Jacklin?"

"Yes. This class talks about how magic is created and who can use it."

Ah nod my head, but Ah don't really understand all tha much about it.

"Ah guess Ah'll find out bout all this magical stuff, huh?"

"Of course. It’s important to understand this topic if you want to learn how to use spells and make potions."

"Well, hopefully Ah can learn ta take care of mah self with tha spells an' potions, but Ah gotta tell ya tha Ah don't really plan on usin' tha spells too often. Ah mean no harm ta anybody, Jacklin, so Ah really don't want ta be usin' any spells tha do 'em harm. Does tha make any sense?"

"Yes Toby."

Ah take up a seat just as tha teacher steps up in front of tha class and Ah can feel Jacklin sittin' right beside me. Jacklin startin ta write. Ah see her writin' an' Ah can see she's writin' pretty fast. Ah try ta write mah own notes tha' best Ah can.

Time Skip

The bell goes off an we start ta leave.

"Can you believe it, Toby? We just finished our first day of classes and can do whatever we want until dinner."

Ah nod mah head an' Ah close mah books.

"You know, Jacklin, Ah'm really startin' ta like tha idea a writin' that letter ta Pop, but Ah'm not so sure what Ah'm gonna say."

"We can write our letters in the common room and go to the Owlery in the West Tower together. I can show you how to give your letter to the owl."

Ah get this big ol' smile on mah face. Ah didn’t know Jacklin was tha kinda gal tha liked ta do somethin' like tha.

"That’d be great."

Ah look at Jacklin then see tha Slytherins comin' up behind her. Ah realize she may not see 'em. So Ah tap her on tha shoulder an warn her bout tha Slytherins.

"Hey Jacklin, be careful. There're some Slytherins comin' up behind ya."

"Oh. I see. That's Draco Malfoy, Toby."

Ah can see Malfoy look like he'd like ta punch me, but Ah ignore tha look an' Ah try ta be friendly wit tha other Gryffindors and tha Slytherins alike.

"Oh, uh, howdy there Malfoy."

Ah extend mah hand ta shake his.

"Well what do you know? He actually has manners."

Ah'm glad tha Malfoy accepted ma hand an' Ah shake it, while lookin' over at Jacklin. Ah try ta speak in a way tha won’t be too dumb.

"Yeah, Ah figured Ah'd come over and say howdy ta all, uh, tha folks in tha other houses too, 'cause Ah mean no harm ta none a 'em."

"I see the Veela's sullying the Gryffindor name and all pure-bloods everywhere as usual. Can't even go five minutes without hypnotizing some poor boy that comes your way."

Ah notice he jus ignored me like he was talkin ta jus Jacklin.

"Godric Gryffindor wanted children of all magical backgrounds to study magic. I’m carrying on the traditions and values of the Gryffindor family just fine. Just because you developed a tolerance after all these years doesn’t mean others are completely helpless Draco."

They go inta this back an forth while Ah'm jus standin there.

"Well, uh, that's exactly what Ah was just thinkin' about. Ya know... how everybody should have an equal shot ta get ahead round here, 'cause Ah think all the kids at Hogwarts should do good, regardless of what house tha belong to. Ah mean... Ah can understand how a person can get inta a house jus' by bein strong or the brains they got, but what really matters' how good a person is. Ah mean... Ah really hope all the folks in tha Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin families could all be good friends."

Malfoy turns ta leave. His friends are still starina at me. He yells fer them.

"Crabbe! Goyle! Let’s go!"

"Ah was jus' tryin' ta say "howdy" is all. It's really hard not ta get nervous around some of tha Slytherins, but Ah really wanna make friends wit 'em. Jacklin, Ah gotta know... Do ya think it's possible ta get tha people at Hogwarts ta like ya more, despite ya bein' a, uh, a Veela?"

She looks a lil sad after talkin ta Malfoy.

"I can never know for sure Toby. Draco is able to resist it because we practically grew up together."

"Well, uh, thanks fer tha explanation. Anyway, Ah'd like ta spend more time wit folks like ya, who ain't gonna look at me funny or treat me like a loser. Ah mean, Ah know ya said tha Slytherins got all these ideas bout how we oughta be, but Ah wanna try ta get ta know some people, even if it means tha Slytherins'll hate me forever."

Ah just laugh at tha idea tha Slytherins would hate me. Ah wonder ta mahself if tha's really true.

"A lot of Slytherins are half blooded or human born just like the other Houses. It’s just that except for the Gryffindor family all of the powerful pure-blooded wizards went to Slytherin and believe children like you shouldn’t be allowed to learn magic. Even if you were pure-blooded like me, you were raised as a human."

"Really? Ah didn’t know tha, Jacklin."

Maybe Ah don’t know as much ‘bout Hogwarts as Jacklin do, but Ah’m pretty glad she’s takin' tha time ta explain tha history of tha Houses ta me while we walk together. Ah think that’s mighty kind a 'er.

"I’m not sure if I can go to the Owlery right away, Toby."

"Oh, okay. Ya mean, we won't be goin' ta tha Owlery today at all?"

"No no. We can still go today. Just not as soon as I originally planned."

"Oh? Why's tha?"

"I have a longer letter to write than I thought."

Ah nod Ah see. Ah feel it'd be best not to ask too many questions, so Ah just follow Jacklin along da path, takin' advantage of the time Ah'm with her to ask a couple things here 'n there bout 'er personal life.

"So, you gonna write a longer letter ta ya folks?"

"That’s right. I’m sure you have a lot to write to your father too."

"Oh, yeah, Ah figure Ah got a lot ta say ta Pop. They been waitin' a long, long time to hear what Ah got ta say. So Ah guess Ah'll be writein' a pretty long letter too."

Ah smile at Jacklin an Ah can't help but wonder what it is she has ta say ta her father in tha letter she's writin'.

"I’m going to my room to write it. How long do you think it will take to finish your letter, Toby?"

Ah think for a quick second 'fore Ah answer.

"Well, it usually takes me most of tha day ta write a letter tha long, but Ah could probably get it done sooner if Ah work real hard. So Ah figure it'll probably take me most of tha day. Why'd ya ask, Jacklin?"

"I want to make sure we can go to the Owlery together without having to wait for the other to finish. We should be able to finish our letters at the same time."

Ah nod at Jacklin an' Ah give her a big ol' smile.

"That's a good idea, Jacklin. Ah can work hard at writin' mah letter faster if tha's whatcha wanna do. Ah'm sure Ah could get mah letter done pretty soon if Ah just work hard at it."

"In that case I’ll meet you down here when we’re finished."

Ah turn ta walk off ta start writin' the letter but Ah stop just fer a quick moment cause Ah know Ah shoulda asked what she was sayin' on tha letter she was writin'. Ah turn back around.

"Hey, uh, Jacklin, jus' wanna ask... whatcha writin' yer folks 'bout anyway? Is it important?"

"Yes there’s a lot of important information I need to tell them."

Ah think bout it for a moment, but Ah know it don't do no good ta pry. Plus, Ah'm jus' too grateful ta be spendin' some time wit Jacklin. So Ah figure Ah'll jus' let it be.

"Ok see ya when we're done."

Ah go up ta mah room an sit on mah bed. Trevor ribbits when he sees me.

"Hi buddy. Ah'm gonna write Pop a letter."

He ribbits in a way tha' tells me he's ok wit it.

"Ok. How do Ah start mah letter?"

Ah try writin thangs tha'll make sense ta Pop.

"Dear Pop, Ah hope this letter finds y'all doin’ okay. Ah’m doin’ real good mahself. Ah jus got ta school las night, an Ah ain’t bein’ picked on yet, which Ah’m real glad about. Ah been takin’ tha subjects they teach here, 'cause all Ah want's ta learn as much as Ah can 'bout tha world an how it works, an so far people say Ah'm doin’ okay with tha spellin' an' stuff. Trevor's doin good too an ain't gotten in trouble wit the other froggies an toadies here."

Ah think Ah'm doin real good by mahself.

"As far as school goes, Ah gotta tell ya that it's like gettin' two schools in one wit how the four families got split up. Ah got sorted inta Griphindor, along wit some of tha really cool people who awready took me under their wings. Ah thought tha teacher who sorted us wanted us ta get ta know each other, 'cause tha more ya know more yer prepared fer tha surprise thangs life throws at ya. Oh, an Ah met this one girl."

Ah realize Ah dunno how ta spell 'er name.

"Her name is... J-A-C-K-L-I-N. An she tol me she's a... uh, V-E-L-A. So some folks keep sayin' she's gonna control me with her womanly ways. Ah ain't too worried 'bout it really, 'cause Ah think she's gonna be more' like a big sister ta me, 'cause when Ah think about it, she sorta reminds me a little bit of tha older sister Ah never had. It ain't like she's awready a woman cause she's only 11 like me an' got one a 'em chubby baby faces some girls got. Ah figure it's jus gonna be good ol' fashioned friendship."

Ah smile an' Ah write tha question down. Ah realize tha's pretty important if Ah wanna know wha the folks think about havin' a Veela at Hogwarts.

"How do ya think folks’ll feel if Ah tell 'em Ah met a Vela girl? Think tha teacher might've known what she was doin' when she sorted us in tha same house? Hope Ah ain't lettin' tha family down cause it turns out we're suppose ta be enemies."

Ah sit fer a moment tryin' ta figure out what else Ah wanna say 'bout Hogwarts. Ah get an idea an' Ah know this is gonna be a little embarrassin ta write, but it's important 'bout how tha folks think of me.

"Okay... so there's one thing more Ah should write 'bout tha girl Ah meet at Hogwarts. Ah ain't exactly bein' treated like tha boy Ah used to be back in Florda. Jacklin well she keeps touchin' me. Ah ain't mad bout it, but Ah dunno if it's somethin only Vela girls do or people're right bout 'er. She ain't been mean ta me none but she jus thinks we gotta be holdin arms when we're goin down the floatin stairs. Kinda weird ta me, Pop."

Ah read tha letter over to mahself an Ah’m pretty satisfied it says everythang Ah wanna say.

"So that's pretty much it fer this letter anyways. Ah'll write ya somethin' later, an' Ah love ya an Ah hope tha folks are takin' care of 'emselves. Say hi ta everyone back home."

Ah sign tha letter, and Ah fold an' seal it up and Ah get ready ta take it down ta tha Owlery as soon as Jacklin finishes her letter. An' Ah hope that'll be very soon.

"Hey, Trevor. Is it okay wit ya if Ah take tha letter an’ head down ta tha Owlery now? If I don't hurry up, Ah might get in trouble for comin' back too late.

Trevor jus' blinks at me a few times. Ah figure tha's as close ta a "Yes" as Ah'm gonna see from mah froggie. Ah take tha letter an' Ah head out ta tha hallway.

"Oh, hey, Jacklin. How's it goin'? Ah figured Ah'd take a trip ta tha Owlery so Ah could mail tha letter off ta Pop like Ah said Ah would. Ya ready fer tha trip yet?"

"Oh yes. I finished my letter."

"That's great! All that writin' must be wearin' ya out. Ya sure ya don't wanna take a rest first?"

"I sat long enough writing the letter so I’m fine, Toby."

Ah nod at Jacklin.

"Fair nough. Well, Ah guess Ah'll just head on down then, so ya won't have ta rush. Ah'm gonna run it down ta the Owlery right quick so Ah don't get in any sorta trouble."

"It’s only 3:00 pm. We have a few more hours before dinner."

"Oh, yeah. So Ah member ya was talkin bout tha West Tower. Do ya really have tha Owlery up there? Ah mean... ain't tha too high up fer tha owls? Ain't they bein' bothered by tha wind or anythin' like that?"

"The owls need the wind and height so they can be able to fly. They can just glide on it and save energy."

We start walkin ta the West Tower an Ah didn't realize it's gonna be real far.

"Ah ain't thought a it that way. So, there ain't no problems wit tha owls not bein' able ta read what people write?"

They’re trained to understand directions so long as you tell them where to go. My family has their own owl so I can simply say “Gryffindor Manor” and Arthur would be on his way.

We get ta the door an Ah'm a lil outta breath.

"I know that this is different than what humans do so be careful trying to find an owl."

Ah nod as Ah start ta worry a lil bit cause Ah got no experience tryin' ta find an owl.

"So Ah jus' gotta look round for tha right one? How'll Ah know tha right one?"

"It depends on where you live. The Gryffindor Manor is in Godric's Hollow, which is in Cornwall, England. Since we're all the way north in the Highlands of Scotland, Arthur was bought because he's Eagle Owl."

"How's Ah gonna know if tha right one's a Eagle Owl or some other kinda owl?"

"You can use one of the school's Eagle Owls, Toby. As long as you tell them your address, it should be able to make it to your house."

Ah look at Jacklin wit real excitement 'cause Ah had no idea Ah could do tha. Ah had no idea there's an easy way ta get this done.

"Well, Ah guess Ah better be startin' already. Hope one a these owls can make tha trip."

Ah start lookin around tha Owlery fer a owl ta talk ta. Ah figure it’s gotta be one tha's awake. Ah find a owl an' Ah walk over ta it. Ah notice it's jus' sittin' on tha perch. It looks real cute and Ah feel like it's the right one. Ah approach tha owl slowly an Ah kneel down in front a it. Then Ah member tha instructions Jacklin gave me an Ah decide to give it a try.

"Heeeey, buddy."

Ah give tha owl tha ol' head rub while Ah speak ta it.

"Wha's yer name, fella?"

Ah wait in eager anticipation, but tha owl don’t respond. Ah try ta give tha owl a pat, so Ah’ll know for sure tha he’s gettin' attention.

"Tha's okay. Ah’m sure yer a good owl in any case."

Ah smile as Ah finally hear from tha owl. Ah decide ta try one more time as Ah speak ta it again.

"That's a pretty neat name, Buckbeak. Ah reckon Ah could call ya Buck for short. Ya think Ah could be use your help?"

Ah watch as Buckbeak looks at me an’ Ah'm not sure tha he's gonna say anything.

"Hooo-oot."

Ah get excited once Ah get tha impression tha Buckbeak's agreed ta carry tha letter. Ah find tha letter Ah wrote an Ah hold it out fer Buckbeak ta pick up wit his beak.

"Buck? Ya wanna take this letter for me?"

Buckbeak looks at me all confused.

"Right. Sorry. So Ah'd like tha letter ta go 59A, S. Road, Croom, County Limerick, Ireland.

Ah look over at Buckbeak to see if he's startin' ta get it or not.

"Hooo-ooot."

Ah look down an smile at Buckbeak. Ah hold tha letter up fer him ta pick up wit his beak. As Buckbeak picks up tha letter, Ah feel a real sense a relief, but tha next concern Ah have is whether Ah’ll ever see Buckbeak again. Ah mean… Ah kinda like tha fella now.

"So that’s all Ah needed ta do?"

Ah coulda swore he nodded at me as he gets up. Ah decide ta wait an watch Buckbeak make his way out tha window. Ah watch Buckbeak slowly get smaller in tha distance an’ then Ah see him disappear.

"Take this to Gryffindor Manor please, Arthur."

Ah nod an' Ah smile again at Jacklin as Arthur starts flyin away.

"Thanks fer tha help, Jacklin. Do ya know when Ah'd be gettin a letter back."

"I think you should be able to get a reply by Friday since you live in the Southern Mid-West of Ireland."

"Ah can’t wait ta hear from Pop. Ah'm gonna tell ‘em bout Buckbeak when they write back."

We leave the Owlery an go back ta our Tower.

"Do you need a break to catch your breath Toby?"

Ah nod my head an’ Ah try ta catch my breath. Ah feel like Ah’ve been runnin all day just ta get tha letter delivered.

"One times one is one… two times one is two…"

Ah look up at Jacklin.

"Ah… Ah feel a little nervous… Ah need ta go lay down… Ah think it’s gonna help."

"I understand, Toby. It’s only our first day of school and we have about two hours before we need to go for dinner."

Ah head fer tha dorm room.

"Ah jus' need ta spend a little time by mahself... jus' quiet time... Ah can start feelin a little normal again."

"Croak."

Ah look over at Trevor as he ribbits. Ah try to calm myself down by lookin' at him. Ah smile at him.

"Ah appreciate it, Trevor. It was a nice ribbit.

Ah lay back down an look back at tha ceilin. Ah close mah eyes ta try ta force mah muscles ta relax.

"Zzzz."

Ah find mahself wanderin' in a field. Ah got tha feeling that Ah know tha way back to tha homestead, but as Ah look around, Ah notice tha field don't look the same. It seems tha grass has been overgrown and tha sky is much darker than normal. Then Ah hear a rustle from tha trees behind me and Ah look behind, Ah notice a dark shadow stalkin me.

"Who's there?"

Ah quickly back away from tha shape. Ah know Ah shouldn't be here an Ah don't understand how Ah got here, but Ah still need ta get out of here quick. Ah make tha shape out a little more and see tha figure standin' there in tha darkness wit its arms behind its back… lookin' like it's watchin’ me.

"Nyakoĭ ni nablyudava."

Ah feel kinda funny. Ah can't understand anythang an Ah realize Ah don't got many choices. Ah step forward ta tha shape, not sure if Ah’m makin’ a mistake or not.

"Zdraveĭte."

Ah'm caught a little of guard by how beautiful tha figure is. Ah step backward, but tha Veela keeps comin' forward. Ah notice tha Veela is still talkin' to me even though Ah still can't understand tha words.

"Do not be scared of me little boy."

Ah smile when tha Veela speaks ta me in English. Ah'm a lil scared, but Ah feel comfortable round tha Veela now tha Ah can understand tha words she's sayin'.

"I am friend with Jacklin's mother."

Ah listen well, cuz Ah'm really feelin' lost here in tha dream. Ah notice one thing Ah feel comfortable wit tha Veela. Ah think maybe she kinda likes me too. Maybe Ah'm just lonely, but it seems like tha Veela cares about me. Ah smile ah bit at her. She smiles back.

"What you normally dream of?"

"Usually Ah dream of livin' wit Pop. Ah don't dream much, but Ah guess if Ah do dream, it's usually just a lil more comfortable place than everywhere else."

"Why dream of open grass?"

Ah think about tha question for a little bit. Ah see that tha Veela look like she wants me ta answer, an' Ah don't wanna let her down.

"So Ah wouldn't have to worry bout anythin' in tha field. It's jus comfortable, ya know."

Ah get a feeling there's somethin else Ah could say, but Ah figure tha's fine for now.

"I have no need for dream. No energy to fuel powers here."

Is it okay if Ah ask a question before ya go?

She nods.

"What's yer name?"

Ah ask tha question even though Ah feel kinda funny askin'. Ah think she's been so nice ta me Ah wanna know her name.

"Sonia. You tell Jacklin I visit you."

Ah smile back.

"Sonia... tha name suits ya. Ah’ll be sure ta tell Jacklin. Will Ah ever see ya again?"

"Visit Bulgaria. I live in Veela village."

"Bulgaria? Tha's a long way away but Ah'll visit ya if Ah can."

Ah see tha Veela is startin to fade away. Ah don't want her ta leave, but Ah also don't want ta hold her up.

"Well, Sonia, it was real nice meetin' ya."

"Ding dong."

Ah slowly raise mah head and look around ta see if anyone else's up. Ah check tha time and notice the bell just tolled. Ah know dinner's gonna be soon. Ah get up an stretch out. Ah can't wait ta eat somethin.

"Awright, Ah'm gonna go, Trevor. Ah'll be back later when Ah get a chance. Go on an eat yer worm like a good froggie."

Ah walk out the door an Ah notice tha castle's real quiet. Ah walk down tha hall and Ah'm in tha mood for somethin to eat, so Ah make mah way towards tha Great Hall.

"How was your nap, Toby?"

"It was good. Ah jus' needed a chance ta rest. Ah'm feelin' better an' tha dream was real nice. Ah can still see tha Veela in my mind. She's pretty. She was nice ta me. Ah even asked her her name. It's Sonia. She said ta tell ya hi."

"Sonia is my mother’s friend from Bulgaria. She has the powers of a succubus."

Ah pause for a second when Ah hear tha word succubus.

"What’s a succubus?"

"They’re magical women who feed off of men’s dreams. You're 11 years old and wouldn’t have the right dreams to feed her."

Ah feel confused when tha word “feed” is thrown in there. Ah don't really understand how dat works.

"So... they feed off men's dreams?"

"Well they feed on what comes from those dreams."

She turns a lil pink an Ah dunno wha' she means.

"What comes from those dreams?"

Ah start ta blush an' Ah look away when she tells me in mah ear. Now Ah know why Veela get called dangerous. They can really give ya ticklin feelins in yer tummy.

"Ah, ok. Ah gotcha."

Ah can feel tha blood runnin’ through mah ears.

Time Skip

"Do you eat roast beef in the States, Toby?"

Ah nod now tha' we're at tha table.

"Yeah a lotta people use it fer sandwiches."

"I can slice a piece for you if you want to try it tonight."

"Uh, sure. Sure, Ah'd like that."

Ah try ta make mah smile a lil bigger.

"Just tell me how big you want your slice to be, Toby."

Ah look at tha roast beef an Ah try ta guess how big Ah should ask fer. Ah notice Jacklin is lookin' at me, so Ah just ask fer whatever Ah think Ah can handle.

"Ah, uh... could ya give me a small piece? A lil piece?"

"Of course I can. Now hold your plate out so I don’t drip gravy onto the table."

Ah hold mah plate out ta tha side an Ah notice Jacklin's cuttin' tha meat real close an' Ah get a little nervous. Then Ah see gravy dripin' from da roast beef but Ah don't wanna look stupid, so Ah don't move mah plate. Instead, Ah take mah fork and catch tha drops of gravy and lick dem off. Ah hope Jacklin doesn't notice, but she does an she laughs a little bit. Tha laugh makes mah stomach do a flip, but Ah still don't wanna move tha plate so Ah can catch all tha gravy.

"There you go, Toby. If you want another piece, I can pass the tray over to you."

"Ah, no, no. This is a lot."

Ah start ta eat tha meat and Ah notice it’s really good. Suddenly, Ah want more, but Ah still dunno if Ah should ask fer any or not. Ah start ta fidget a little bit an Ah look over at Jacklin, as if she might be able ta help.

"Do you like the roast beef or the gravy that’s on it, Toby?"

"Ah like the gravy Ah think. Maybe ya can gimme some more."

"Oh yes, I can pass you the sauce boat."

Ah look back at tha roast beef an Ah notice tha gravy drippin' on the plate. Ah can tell that this gravy's the best thin' Ah've ever tasted an Ah wanna drown every piece a meat Ah get in it.

"That’s a mushroom gravy and goes well with roast beef since it has beef stock in it."

Ah nod an’ Ah start ta eat.

"Mmmmmm. This stuff… is reaaal good. Mmmmmm. Ah like this. Mmm. Mmmmmm. This gravy is… mmmm. Ah gotta have some more."

Ah keep shovelin' tha gravy an' tha roast beef inta mah face and Ah notice Jacklin's lookin' at me in that way Ah can't quite describe. Ah look up and realize Ah’ve eaten tha roast beef in a couple bites. Ah feel real stupid, but Ah gotta have some more of that gravy.

"Do they have mushroom gravy like this in Florida, Toby?"

Ah pause fer a second. Ah swallow tha gravy down.

"Naw, this ain't nowhere near tha food in Florida. They jus eat grits an' shrimp an' catfish an’ Ah gotta have more gravy. Ah’ll finish all tha roast beef so Ah can have more gravy."

Ah start tha process again pourin' gravy over tha meat Ah jus ate. Jacklin still looks real interested. Ah start ta wonder what she's seein' that's so interestin.

"What are grits?"

Ah pause a second, as Ah try ta explain what grits are.

"Well uh... they're a kinda porridge. Like oatmeal, only it don't got any sugar. An' uh, usually they put a lotta butter wit tha grits. We eat 'em fer breakfast a lot. They make 'em outta cornmeal."

"That would explain why I never heard of it. We don’t really use cornmeal in any food here in the UK."

Ah nod an' Ah keep eatin' tha gravy an' tha roast beef. Ah notice Jacklin is back to eatin' chicken an Ah feel a bit better. Ah look down at tha roast beef an' tha gravy. Ah make a huge mess, but Ah finish tha meat an now Ah got all tha gravy tha Ah want. Ah hope Jacklin notices a big boy like me can eat a lot. Then, Ah see tha desserts comin'.

"What do you want to try tonight, Toby?"

Ah look up at Jacklin an Ah clear mah throat.

"Ah always thought chocolate cake was tha best kinda cake, but Ah dunno much 'bout cakes. So could ya tell me what yer favorite cake is?

Ah take tha risk an Ah look at Jacklin. She looks up from tha dessert table an Ah notice when she looks at me Ah feel real good, but Ah also feel real scared. Did Ah say the right thing or the wrong thing?

"I suppose if I had to pick one that was originally made here in the UK it would be a Victorian Sponge Cake."

Ah nod a couple times, even though Ah don't know anythin' bout tha cake she's takin' about. Then Ah take a bite of a chocolate cake.

"Mmmm. This is pretty good. Mmmmm. What kinda cake's this?"

"Oh that’s technically not a cake. It’s a bombe glacée. That top layer you’re eating keeps the ice cream on the inside from melting."

Ah notice the cold ice cream under tha chocolate. Ah swallow tha chocolate an then Ah look at Jacklin an' Ah feel like a big dummy.

"This is a fancy dessert that I wouldn’t expect the average person to know. I wouldn’t expect you to have something like this in the States since it's very famous in France."

"Could ya tell me bout tha cakes from France? Ah thought tha ice cream was cake.

Ah look at Jacklin an’ Ah hope she don't think Ah'm too stupid ta listen to her. Then Ah take another bite of tha chocolate and then Ah wait for Jacklin to tell me all she knows about tha French cakes.

"Yes well this cake right here is exactly what I want. It’s an Opera cake which is an almond sponge cake."

Ah nod an’ Ah look at Jacklin an’ Ah wonder what she means about an opera cake.

"Why's it called an opera cake?"

"Look at the layers, Toby. The cake is so tall because of the number of thin layers. The cake was called an Opera Cake because the layers look like an opera house."

Ah look at tha cake an Ah understand why the layers remind Jacklin of an opera house.

"Is that a... is tha cake somethin' ya would make on... on Valentine's day?"

"I suppose you could since it’s a complicated cake to make and it would be considered something special."

Ah nod an’ Ah look at Jacklin. Ah feel good that Ah asked that.

"So what kinda cake would ya make on Valentine's Day?"

"I suppose I would make a tarte Tatin. Then again warm apples is more of an autumn treat so that might not be in season in February. I have to think about it."

Ah nod a couple times an' Ah feel a little bit better. There didn't seem ta be any problem wit tha tarte Tatin. Of course, Ah dunno what a "tarte Tatin" is.

"Do you know what Crêpes Suzette are, Toby?"

Ah shake mah head an make that dumb look Ah’m so good ta make.

"Nope. What're those?"

"A crêpe is a very thin pancake. Crêpes Suzette use citrus fruits as the sauce. Citrus fruits like oranges are in season during February so it would perfect for Valentine’s Day if someone doesn’t like chocolate."

Ah keep makin’ tha dumb look and Ah try ta think of a question ta ask.

"Hey, Jacklin... how do ya make tha tarte Tatin apple cake wit warm apples?"

"The apples are warm because you cook them in a pan of caramel before baking it."

Ah nod a little bit like that makes sense.

"So what kinda cake would ya make if ya don't use tha tarte Tatin or tha Crêpes Suzette?

"If those don’t work out I guess I can always make some petit fours."

"What's tha difference between a petty four an a cake?"

Ah look at Jacklin an' Ah don't wanna get Jacklin angry by askin' too many questions.

"A petit four doesn’t necessarily have to be a small cake. It can be sweet or savory."

Ah hear Jacklin say somethin' about them bein' small an' Ah realize she might be talkin' bout small cakes.

"If ya don't mind explainin', what other kinda cakes might ya make?"

"A nonnette. Around Christmas. It’s basically a gingerbread cake."

Ah look at Jacklin an' Ah wonder bout this cake. Ah don't know what tha word means, so Ah'll get to tha bottom of dis once and for all.

"What makes that cake unique from any other cake?"

"It’s filled with orange marmalade or honey. You would also pour a glaze over it that’s made of egg whites, sugar and lemon juice."

Ah nod a couple times, just to let Jacklin know Ah'm listenin' good.

"Sounds nice."

Ah look at Jacklin andAh feel like a dummy 'cause she's startin' ta eat again. But Ah don't wanna ruin it fer Jacklin an Ah'll just be satisfied tha Ah gotta learn a bit more bout cakes.

"This' a real nice dessert. Ah really like tha way it gets all creamy."

Ah notice Jacklin's cake is almost gone. Ah think that's what tha girls do when they wanna end a conversation or a date.

"So... so do ya like talkin' 'bout cake?"

"I like to share a lot about what I learned from my family’s travels. When your father is an ambassador for the British magic world, you have to travel a lot."

Ah nod an’ Ah feel a little relieved tha Jacklin is sharein' so much about herself.

"Sounds like ya travel a lot an get ta do a lotta fancy eatin' an learn a lot bout other countries."

Ah think that was a pretty good compliment.

Time Skip

"Jacklin wha's our classes gonna be tomorrow?"

"Oh. Have a look at this. It's our weekly schedule for the year."

Ah look at tha' paper she hands ta me. She's real organized cause Ah can understand all this real well.

"Thank ya. Ah think Ah know how ta divide everythang. Ah'll get mah books fer tomorrow."

"Great. I already have everything organized so I can help you make sure you have everything in the right day."

We go through everythang an now Ah'm in a chair readin mah Charms book wit Jacklin. Ah'm real happy she ain't ever said Ah was bein a dummy.

"Now Charms is similar to Defense Against the Dark Arts in that it relies a lot on spells. You have to be able to know how to pronounce the incantations and memorize wand movements."

"Ok. Ah think Ah can do that."

We keep readin through the book 'till Ah start yawnin.

"Gettin tired Jacklin."

"Yes it is close to lights out. I think we better start getting ready for bed."

Ah yawn agin an close mah book.

"Ok. Ah'll see ya tomorrow then."

"Alright then. Good night Toby."

"Night Jacklin."

We go ta our dorm rooms an Ah look at Trevor one last time.

"Night Trevor. Yer a good froggie. Ah'll feed ya breakfast in the mornin."

He ribbits an Ah turn his light off. Ah get changed an go ta bed. Ah fall asleep an start dreamin bout seein Jacklin flyin round on a broom. She's real good at it an Ah'm happy she ain't gonna fall any time soon. It's a real good dream.

AN: Thanks for sticking with this story. This is a really long chapter lol.

Tag list: @arrolyn1114, @aliengoth3, @vintagepresley, @comebackep, @thetaoofzoe, @presleysgirl6, and @bigdaddyelvislover.

#toby and the veela #ecu fanfiction #toby kwimper

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ankhisms · 1 day

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my favorite part of kamen rider wizard was when haruto went its wizardin time and wizarded all over the place

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jediflipjim · 8 months

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wizardin

#wizard #shadow wizard money gang #shadow wizard grindset

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thinbug-nest · 6 months

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silly hawwowen necromancy, lotsa of wizardin, witching even, arcane banished arts of arcane silliness

#silly #spooky #necromancer #witch

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radiarelish · 1 year

Note

i DID avoid the curse (#class of the bearowlwolves SWEEP, love yall) but unfortunately my body is made up of multiple small lizards and geckos as a side effect of a senior prank. so maybe not the most responsible wizardin' goin on, but all things considered its alright. All the kids love me on halloween cuz I always dress up like the geico gecko.

What fun!!!

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mariesdeluluworld · 2 years

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𝙈𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙞𝙖 |𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙤 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙛𝙤𝙮 𝙭 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧|𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐆𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭

Hagrid immediately noticed that something was wrong with the twins. For one, they were rather quiet. Nothing like their usual selves this morning, asking question after question about the Wizarding World. Secondly, Y/n was staring off into the distance with a faraway look in his eyes with a flush creeping up his neck to the tips of his ears, while Harry was eating his ice cream solemnly when he should’ve been more enthusiastic about the ice cream since he never had any at his Aunt and Uncle’s, due to Dudley eating the pint in a day.

“Alright, ‘tat’s enough,” muttered Hagrid before clearing his throat and looking at the twins with a cornered gaze. “What’s up?” Y/n snapped out of his trance and noticed his cone of ice cream was melting, getting chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts all over the ice cream parlor’s tables.

“Nothing,” Harry lied. “Yeah, it’s nothing Hagrid.” piped in Y/n, as he wiped up the ice-cream mess. “We’re just a little overwhelmed, that’s all.” Harry nodded his head in agreement, thankful that his twin piped in because the look in Hagrid’s eye told him that he didn’t believe Harry when he said nothing was wrong. “Alright, but if somethin’s the ‘atter, you can tell me.”

“We well Hagrid, thank you,” Y/n gave the giant and smile before licking a stripe of his ice cream, moaning in delight at the flavor. “Oh, this is excellent. Thank you, Hagrid. Tis delicious,” Hagrid smiled before sniffling and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

Once they finished their ice cream, they stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote, while Y/n almost bought out the entire shop―color changing ink, rainbow ink, pastel ink, feather quills, peacock quills, raven quills, thick parchment, a pack of different color parchment, thin parchment, stationary cups and holders, and a quill/ink cleaning kit―and Harry had to drag him out of there before he could spend more.

When they had left the shop, Harry asked, “Hagrid, what’s Quidditch?”. Y/n looked up from his purchases and looked at Hagrid, his eyes lighting up in curiosity. Hagrid looked at Harry with an aghast face before shaking his head and mumbling: “Blimey, Harry, Y/n, I keep forgettin’ how little yeh know — not knowin’ about Quidditch!” He shook his head once more that reminded Y/n of a wet dog.

“Don’t make me feel worse,” mumbled Harry before He and Y/n told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin’s.

“— and he said people from Muggle families shouldn’t even be allowed in —” exclaimed Y/n, with a slight shake of his head. “Yer not from a Muggle family. If he’d known who yeh both were,” Hagrid made a gesture with his hands before continuing. “— he’s grown up knowin’ both of yer names, if his parents are wizardin’ folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh.” The memory alone made Y/n blush in embarrassment.

“Anyway, what does he know about it, some o’ the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in ’em in a long line o’ Muggles — look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!” At the mention of their Mother, Y/n and Harry exchanged a look of sadness. A flash of green eyes and red-hair flashed before Y/n’s eyes, making his heart clench.

“So what is Quidditch?” asked Harry, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

“It’s our sport. Wizard sport. It’s like — like soccer in the Muggle world — everyone follows Quidditch — played up in the air on broomsticks and there’s four balls — sorta hard ter explain the rules.” Harry nodded his head, the wheels in his head turning.

“And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?” asked Y/n, his eyebrows were drawn together on his forehead as his (e/c) watched the giant.

“School Houses.” Hagrid and the twins walked around a large company of witches sporting matching jumpers with a crest on their left breast. The crest, Y/n noted, had a wand raised up with a vial, with the words: “Sanitatem, Cinium, Herbis.”. Below the crest was: St. Mungo Witch's Institution, written in a fancy script.

“There’s four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o’ duffers, but —”

“I bet I’m in Hufflepuff,” said Harry gloomily, making Y/n glare at his brother.

“Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin,” said Hagrid darkly. “There’s not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn’t in Slytherin. You-Know- Who was one.” Y/n narrowed his eyes in suspicion as Harry spoke.

“Vol-, sorry — You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?”

“Years an’ years ago,” said Hagrid with a shake of his head.

“So anyone could potentially be a bad witch or wizard? Regardless of their house?” asked Y/n as they walked down the cobblestone street. “Well, er, I suppose so. But ‘tat would be ‘ery unlikely,”

“Why would that be unlikely, Hagrid? I believe everyone has the potential to be “evil”, even the best of us can be turned to the dark side. To be tempted by it.” Hagrid blinked at the eleven-year-old boy, shocked by his words. Harry gave his twin a glare before returning his gaze back to Hagrid.

“Where to next Hagrid?” he asked.

Together, all three went to buy Harry’s and Y/n’s school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all.

Y/n was in heaven at the magical creature section of the bookstore. He bought several books about dragons and other magical creatures. Poor Harry had to drag his twin away from the aisle before the (h/c) boy had a heart attack. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these, though Harry as he dragged his twin away from the fully stacked shelves. Later, Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Counter-curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian, while Y/n looked on in awe.

“I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley.” Harry tried to explain as Hagrid sent him a disapproving glare. “I’m not sayin’ that’s not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances.” Harry looked away, his bottom lip slightly out in a pout. “An’ anyway, yeh couldn’ work any of them curses yet, yeh’ll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level.”

Hagrid wouldn’t let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either (“It says pewter on yer list”), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope (Y/n was extremely excited about the telescope and shouted “I’m a pirate of the seven seas!!” in the store, which caused them to get many funny looks in the store.).

Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. Harry wasn’t fond of this store at all, while his twin was giddy; rocking back and forth with a smile on his face as his eyes were lit up with so many questions and awe.

While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for the twins, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).

All while Y/n was right by Hagrid, asking the wizard behind the counter question after question about the different herbs and items they sold.

Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry’s and Y/n’s list again.

“Just both of yer wands left — oh yeah, an’ I still haven’t got yeh a birthday present.”

Y/n and Harry felt themselves go red.

“You don’t have to —” started Harry but was interrupted by Hagrid.

“I know I don’t have to. Tell yeh what, I’ll get yer both an animal. Not a toad,

toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh’d be laughed at — an’ I don’ like cats, they make me sneeze. I’ll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they’re dead useful, carry yer mail an’ everythin’.”

Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been

dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn’t stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell. Although Y/n was a bit bummed that cats made Hagrid sneeze, he was extremely happy with his choice of owl. Y/n carried a cage that housed a sleeping barn owl, its face was white with deep brown eyes that carried wisdom and curiosity. It’s feathers on its body were brown with little spots of grey and other shades of brown. His name was Patroclus.

“T-t-thank you s-s-so much H-h-hagrid!” stuttered Harry as he looked at the giant with gratitude in his eyes. “Don’ mention it,” said Hagrid gruffly. “Don’ expect you’ve had a lotta presents from them Dursleys.” Hagrid gave the twins a smile of his own, and in his eyes, you could see the joy brimming in them. He was happy. Happy to give them their owls.

The giant cleared his throat before speaking again.

“Just Ollivanders left now — only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand.”

A magic wand . . . this was what the twins had been really looking forward to.

The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Y/n felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.

“Good afternoon,” said a soft voice. Both Harry and Y/n jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.

An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.

“Er -- hi,” greeted Y/n, he lifted his hand and gave a little awkward wave, as he sat Patroclus in his cage down.

“Hello,” said Harry. He too was extremely awkward. His eyes drifted to his brother for a second, before following suit and placing his own owl down as well.

“Ah yes,” said the man. “Yes, yes. I thought I’d be seeing you two very soon. Harry and Y/n Potter.” It wasn’t a question. “You have your mother’s eyes, Harry. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work.”

Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Y/n watched as the old man looked at his brother, and he wished the old man would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.

Finally Mr. Ollivander tore his silvery eyes away and placed them upon Y/n, chilling him to the very bone with his blank stare.

“You, on the other hand, have your father’s statue . . . and his eyes . . . but you have your mother’s curiosity . . .” Mr. Ollivander trailed off, as he stared into Y/n’s e/c eyes. Y/n did not know what to think about the man in front of him. He had his father’s eyes?? No one -- not even his aunt and uncle had told him that. Although, they never spoke about their parents. Not until yesterday.

“Your father, on the other hand,” said Mr. Ollivander, who finally snapped out of his stupor and turned to look at Harry; his eyes never leaving Y/n’s twin. “--favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it — it’s really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course.” As he spoke, Mr. Ollivander had started leaning his face close to Harry once more, and he had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose.

This man . . . (or was he really a man at all?) scared Y/n.

“And that’s where . . .” Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry’s forehead with a long, white finger. Before turning to Y/n and doing the same to his forehead, making him flinch.

“I’m sorry to say I sold the wand that did it . . . to both of you,” he said softly. “Thirteen-and- a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands . . . well, if I’d known what that wand was going out into the world to do. . . .”

He shook his head and then, to both Harry’s and Y/n’s relief, spotted Hagrid.

“Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again. . . . Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn’t it?”

“It was, sir, yes,” said Hagrid.

“Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?” said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.

“Er — yes, they did, yes,” said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. “I’ve still got the pieces, though,” he added brightly.

“But you don’t use them?” said Mr. Ollivander sharply.

“Oh, no, sir,” said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.

“Hmmm,” said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. “Well, now — Mr. Potter. Let me see.” He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. “Which is your wand arm?” He said looking directly at Harry.

“Er — well, I’m right-handed,” said Harry.

“Hold out your arm. That’s it.” He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, “Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard’s wand.”

As he said this, Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own, all while Y/n watched in awe at the sight of more magic being done. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes. “That will do,” he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor.

“Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave.” Harry took the wand and waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.

“Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try —” Harry tried — but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.

“No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out.” Harry tried. And tried. Y/n had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for.

The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.

“Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we’ll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple.”

Harry took the wand. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped, as Y/n cheered and hugged his brother. Harry made a oof sound before smiling and wrapping his arms around his brother.

Mr. Ollivander cried, “Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well . . . how curious . . . how very curious . . .” He put Harry’s wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, “Curious . . . curious . . .” Y/n’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion at the mutterings of the old wizard.

“Sorry,” said Harry, “but what’s curious?”

Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare. “I remember every wand I’ve ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother — why, its brother gave you and your very own brother that scar.” Harry and Y/n swallowed. Y/n’s stomach curdled at that relation.

“Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. . . . I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter. . . . After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be- Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great.” Y/n shivered. He wasn’t sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. Harry paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, before Mr. Ollivander turned his sights onto Y/n.

“Hold out your wand arm,” said Mr. Ollivander. Y/n held out his arm as the tape in the old wizard’s hand began to measure him like it did with Harry. Once Mr. Ollivander received his measurements, he started digging around in the many boxes for a wand.

Mr. Ollivander turned on his heel and placed a couple of boxes down on the counter. A spark was lit in his eyes. “If you’re anything like your brother, Mr. Potter, you too will probably be a tricky customer.” He opened one of the lids and pulled out a wand.

“Here’s a nine-and-a-half inches, maple wood, and a dragon heartstring core. Slightly springy.” He handed the wand to Y/n and he gripped it firmly in his hands. Y/n tried to give it a wave but the magic that burst out of it was not pretty indeed. A gust of wind blew out from it, making a stack of papers sitting on the far corner of the counter spill onto the floor. Mr. Ollivander hummed, snatched the wand out of Y/n’s hands and used his own to place the papers back on the counter.

“No . . . that’s not it. How about . . .” he grabbed another wand from the stack. “Here, ten inches, Yew wood, and a unicorn hair core.” Y/n barely had a grip on the wand when Mr. Ollivander snatched it away . . . again. Muttering under his breath, Mr. Ollivander finally pulled another wand out.

“Here, Mr. Potter, try this one. Fourteen-and-a-half-inches, hawthorn wood, with a phoenix feather core -- like your brother -- and it’s slightly springy and flexible.” Y/n turned to look back at Harry, his eyes wide with nervousness. Harry gave him a small nod of encouragement and Y/n took a deep breath before wrapping his hand around the wand’s handle, gripping it tightly.

He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. And a bright, glowing light spewed out from the tip of the wand. Y/n gasped in amazement as the light lit up the dusty and dark shop. Y/n could feel a connection, a spark, between him and the wand. As if the wand laid a claim on him. As if it chose him.

Once the light dimmed down, Harry and Hagrid clapped joyously. “Bravo Y/n!!” said Hagrid, as Harry smiled brightly at his twin. Y/n’s cheeks redden in embarrassment.

“Yes, excellent Mr. Potter.” Mr. Ollivander plucked the wand from Y/n’s hand and examined it. “It appears you and your brother have a close connection with the phoenix.” His grey eyes twinkled before he placed his wand back in its box and handed it to Y/n.

Y/n paid Mr. Ollivander eight gold Galleons, all while smiling and thanking him for his help. “Oh . . . you’re welcome . . .” he looked startled, as if no one had ever thanked him before. But Y/n continued smiling at him, even as they all walked towards the door (of course not before picking up Patroclus’s cage and reminding Harry to take his owl as well) and Mr. Ollivander bowed as they left his shop, with a smile on his old ancient face.

The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Y/n,Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Y/n was happy as ever, a smile was still glued on his face as he talked and babbled to Hagrid, speaking of all the things he couldn’t wait to see. Patroclus even looked as if he too was listening and understanding what his new owner was saying.

While Y/n was excitedly talking, Harry didn’t speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn’t even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry’s lap, and Patroclus asleep in his own cage on Y/n’s lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.

“Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves,” he said.

He bought Y/n and Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around, while Y/n ate his burger in content. To Harry, everything looked so strange, somehow.

“You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet,” asked Hagrid, concern dripping his gruff tone. Y/n even turned to look at his twin, worry in his e/c eyes. Harry wasn’t sure he could explain. He’d just had the best birthday of his life — and yet — he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.

“Everyone thinks I’m -- we’re --- special,” he said at last. “All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander . . . but Y/n and I don’t know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? We’re famous and we can’t even remember what we’re famous for. We don’t know what happened when Vol --, sorry — I mean, the night our parents died.”

Y/n’s mood immediately changed and his shoulders slumped. He didn’t realize that his brother had all this on his mind. He didn’t realize that Harry was right. They weren’t special. All they had was cool scars on their foreheads and they somehow killed a dark wizard (okay that is pretty cool, but that’s not the point). So why was everyone thinking that they were indeed special. They acted like he and Harry were King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. But they weren't. They were just two orphan boys whose parents had died and by some magical reason they survived a dark wizard attacking them.

Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile. “Don’ you worry, Harry. You and Y/n will learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you’ll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it’s hard. Yeh’ve been singled out, an’ that’s always hard. But yeh’ll both have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, ’smatter of fact.” Y/n gave Hagrid a weak smile, but his mind was still raging with thoughts. How could they be special??

Hagrid helped Harry and Y/n on to the train that would take them back to the Dursleys, then handed him and Harry an envelope.

“Yer tickets fer Hogwarts,” he said. “First o’ September — King’s Cross — it’s all on yer tickets. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with one of yer owls, they’ll know where to find me. . . . See yeh soon, Harry, Y/n.”

The train pulled out of the station. Y/n and Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; they rose in their seat and each pressed their face against the glass of the window, their hot breath making it fogging and their noses were against the window -- which wasn’t the best feeling in the world --, but Y/n blinked and Hagrid had gone.

Well, hello there! It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry I haven't updated in a bit. I've been busy with life (projects, holy crap), and hadn't had the time to write for this story. I've been writing my own original stories while consuming all the fanfiction and manga I can get. But I'm here! I'm still active and will update, but for the meantime, due to my muse being a bitch---updates will be whenever I get the vibe. However, I am excited about this series and I can't wait to show you all the oc puffs I've created to be (y/n)'s friends!! I love you all and please take care of yourselves! Also!!! Please respond to this post to be added to the taglist i'm creating!! Thx!

#metanoia story #draco malfoy x male reader #x male reader #male reader insert #harry potter fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #everyone is gay #lgbtq #harry potter #draco malfoy

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magicalhideoutengineer · 8 months

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Jude Law: ‘Jo Rowling made it clear many years ago that he’s gay. I asked her straight out and she confirmed that he is. It’s not so much whether he’s gay or not. It’s more who he’s in love with. That’s part of what’s unpicked in this film.’

#fantastic beasts #crimes of grindelwald #coginterview #jude law #albus dumbledore

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shapeshivvter · 9 months

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FUCK IT$ WIZAED TIEME

ITS WIZARDIN TIME

*WIZARDS ALL OVER THE PLACE*

#shapeshivvter talks #worst joke of my career

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pmwritesandpoems · 10 months

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A Timeless Hogwarts Legacy: Why do You Have to be so Mean? (2/16)

Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy Main Title: A Timeless Hogwarts Legacy Pairing: Ominis Gaunt/Original Female Character Tags: Romance; Hurt/Comfort; Angst; Fluff; Friendship; Mutual Pining

Chapter: 2/16 Title: Why do You Have to be so Mean? Word Count: 4,537

Last Chapters: AO3 (All Chapters): AO3 Tumblr: Chapter 1

Last Chapter Preview:

“Enchanted to finally meet you, Mr. Gaunt.” Evelyn said with a smile.

“Enchanted to meet you too as well, Ms. Rose.” Ominis responded. Comforting silence accompanied them as they smiled at each other. Until Ominis cheekily continued, “Although, I must remind you again to not. Tell. Anyone. About the secret place you so stumble upon yourself.”

Evelyn laughed. She hoped that this interaction was the very first page, not where her story with him line ends.

Reminder:

I won't mention the main character house, you could choose her house yourself

You could change my original character name with yours, I’ll try my best to not mention her skin, hair, and eye colour so you could match it with your own.

I am no expert of the Victorian era, the use of the calendar system, etiquette, and many other things from the said era are changed as I see fit to support the story. Several insertions of modern era culture will be present as well to support the story.

You could also read this on AO3.

Enjoy!

2. Why do You Have to be so Mean?

Late Autumn 1890

It was freezing. Evelyn started to move in the direction of the staircase that led down from the upper astronomy viewing deck while still feeling the chill of the late-autumn air in her already trembling body. Since the shivering became greater with each stride she made, her steps are a little shaky. She hated the cold so much.

“Merlin, I never thought Professor Shah would actually make us observe the stars in this weather.” She complained to herself while trying to get more warmth by rubbing her hands.

“Yeah, she tends to do it.” A voice came from nowhere.

“Ah!” Shocked, Evelyn accidentally bumped into the girl beside her. “Sorry.” She apologised to the Slytherin girl, who was clearly annoyed that her stargazing was interrupted.

“But, isn’t it fun? You could see the stars clearer in winter,” The boy who surprised her continued.

Evelyn rolled her eyes, “Yes, it is a bit fun. Until the cold seeps in and hypothermia kicks in.” She then shied away from the girl she bumped into earlier, who was still giving her the killing glare even though she had already apologised. She sighed, “Or die because of someone’s death glare.”

Evelyn continued her way down in search of warmth. She needed something warm to drink or eat. Maybe the dinner hadn’t finished yet in the great hall. Oh how she wanted the—

“Sorry for that.”

Evelyn’s steps halted when she heard the boy talking again. She almost forgot about him. She sighed again and hugged herself before finally turning to see the boy who had surprised her. At least he has a friendly face. Evelyn knew him. From potions, if she remembered correctly.

“Hello again! I can't believe we haven't met again. I'm Amit. Amit Thakkar? We met in potion class.”

Evelyn nodded. She was right. “No need to be sorry.”

“I like Astronomy better since there’s less explosions,” he joked, probably to lessen the mood.

She smiled at the joke and hugged herself tighter due to another chilling wind passing through her. Her voice was low, “Well, I prefer potion with its explosions over freezing to death, thank you very much.” Amit laughed, and Evelyn continued, “Nice to meet you again, Amit.”

“I couldn’t help it. I love astronomy.” He smiled, curiosity in his voice, “Anyway, did I hear Professor Shah say that you don’t have your own telescope?” Sheepishly, he continued, “I... have a spare one you could borrow for the rest of the term.”

Evelyn was shocked by the boy once again. Her eyes went wide and both of her eyebrows shot up. Giving his old telescope? Isn’t it too much?

But with the Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment being out of reach in Diagon Alley and her economic situation entering a period of obligatory frugality, Evelyn eventually decided to accept Amit’s overly kind offer. However, she decided to ask Amit again for his willingness to give her his old telescope. “That’s very kind of you, Amit. Are you sure you won’t need it?”

“I’m certain. It’s my old one.” Amit spoke confidently. He began to talk animatedly. “I finally got my hands on the new Celestia Contemplor. You’ve heard of it. I assume? I mean, of course you have. It’s only the pinnacle of all personal stargazing implements.” He smiled with so much pride and then cleared his throat, “But my old model’s not too shabby either. Goblin-cut glass, first-rate optical enchantments... Hate to think such a fine instrument is just collecting dust.”

With her brain thinking only about how to get warm, Evelyn had a hard time listening to Amit fully. But thankfully, she still got the gist of it. Amit was giving her probably the best telescope in the world—well, second best after his. “Well I—um, I—thank you, Amit.” She said sincerely.

Amit shook his head, “Think nothing of it. Anyway, the telescope’s in the storage room right underneath us. You can’t miss it.”

Evelyn nodded. Storage room, below. A telescope that probably looks brand new.

Amit nodded as well and nervously continued, “I have some, uh, reading to finish on the lower deck. Come find me there afterwards—and bring the telescope. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Evelyn felt there’s something he hadn’t said yet, but she ignored her doubts as she saw the boy leave her behind. Even if there’s a catch to the telescope, it wouldn't be as hard as the keeper's trials, would it? She then walked to the opposite side of Amit's direction, where the stairs to the storage room were. Still hugging herself, Evelyn stepped down the stairs and found Amit’s telescope lying neatly on the desk beside the last step.

Astonished, Evelyn took the practically shining telescope, checking in from one end to the other, asking herself, “This was his old telescope? It’s practically brand new!” She grinned, “Called it.” She then tucked the telescope in her pocket and began her way back up.

“Now where is the snake constellation?” Evelyn heard a boy grumble as she took her third step up. She had a hunch about who was speaking. What was his name again? The one who was helping her in her first herbology class? Ah, yes, Prewett. Leander Prewett.

“Do you mean Serpens?” Another boy spoke. Now that’s a voice Evelyn definitely knew. She couldn’t be wrong to recognise the one who got her into trouble in her first class of potions. The red-headed ‘my aunt is the deputy headmistress and I am her pain in the arse’ Garreth Weasley.

With frustration in his voice, Leander answered, "I don't even know, Garreth."

“Hurry Leander. M-My brain is beginning to shut down because of the cold. Professor Shah’s just about as cold and distant as the bloody stars she wants us to chart.”

Evelyn giggled at Garreth’s comment. Well, she herself was also beginning to shut down. It was nice to know that she wasn't the only one who thought the professor was cruel. Even though Garret’s remark about the stars being cold was completely wr—

“Well if she assigned us to find a snake in Hogwarts, we would’ve probably been in our dorm room by now. It’s obvious where the snakes at Hogwarts are.”

Leander's fuss made Evelyn stop her thoughts. She obviously didn’t like his accusation, but decided it was none of her concern. She began her way up to the upper astronomy deck, taking the steps with a shiver.

“I-If it is a joke, I can’t laugh a-at it right now. M-my mind is fr-freezing.” Evelyn heard Garreth's frustration between his shivers.

“Well, you do know there is a house at Hogwarts that has a snake symbol on its crest? The house of cunning snakes and soon-to-be dark wizard hangout.” Evelyn's steps halted just as she arrived at the upper deck. Her eyebrows raised as she heard what the taller Gryffindor had said.

Leander then focused himself again on his telescope, probably still searching for the serpent in the sky. Before continuing with a tone full of accusations, “Even the direct descendant of probably the father of the dark arts is there. Surely the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. His ‘depression’ in being a Slytherin is obviously a farce. He’s probably practising the dark arts in secret and Merlin knows what he’s done with all the secrets he knows, being Salazar Slytherin’s descendant. I’ve even heard rumours that he even found a secret chamber that contains a dangerous beast that only submits to pure blood who understands snakes.” Leander stopped stargazing and chuckled at the other redhead beside him, “He might be planning something ominous. Get it?”

Garreth stayed silent at his friend’s joke, probably not expecting all the things that came out of Leander’s mouth.

Leander shivered and complained, “Ugh, maybe he could find this damned serpent constellation sooner than us…” He snickered, “But, then again, how could he?” And then swayed one of his hands in front of his eyes.

“Did the cold get into your b—”

“Why do you have to be so MEAN?!” Evelyn’s shout could be heard throughout the observation deck. Everything became silent. Even the wind stopped breezing.

Garreth, who was cut before he could give Leander a piece of mind himself, slowly stepped away, seeing how the new fifth year student was angry. He saw how Evelyn stormed towards the Gryffindors and shouted at Leander. Still shivering but reluctant to go as he wanted to see how Leander would end, Garreth stood approximately five steps away from them. He had been the recipient of Evelyn’s wrath before—the first potion class accident—and he didn’t want to be in that position. Ever. Again.

Startled, Leander stammered as he answered, “W-what?!”

"You heard me," Evelyn said, still in a high voice. Why you have to be so mean?”

“Mean?” Confusion could be heard in Leander’s voice.

In a matter-of-fact tone, Evelyn answered, "Yes. You’re mean. You pointed out and made fun of other people's flaws.” Anger then made her tone go up, “It is not a flaw in the first place!”

“I did—”

Evelyn was furious, saying, “How dare you?! Mock others behind their backs, ridiculing who you found different, and giving Merlin knows what gestures, while knowing that he, can’t, see it!” Evelyn then poked Leander’s shoulder in every word, “How, dare, you!”

Stunned and awkwardly stepped back with every poke he got, Leander responded in panic, “I—”

Full-on rage Evelyn ignored him, “You dare to call him something he is not. You dare to accuse him of something he certainly didn’t and won’t do. And you dare to spread rumours about him, when you don’t even know who he is! Do you even talk to him? Have you ever tried to have a conversation with him?!”

“Ominis and—”

“Don’t you dare say his name.” Evelyn cut off the boy's attempt to explain. She then continued sceptically, “Did you really see he was faking his depression? Did you really see him practising the dark arts? Hmmm?” Seeing Leander's face becoming red, her scepticism quickly turned into sneering, “Or did you just hear it from Merlin knows where since your ear is soooo big, it must catch all the gossip. Even from the merpeople of the black lake!”

Satisfaction came to Evelyn when she heard Garreth chuckle and saw Leander’s face beginning to redden even more. But it was not enough. “And about the secret chamber, maybe you’re the one who found it? You can certainly listen to all the whispers in this school. Even if it’s nonsense.”

Leander’s face was as red or even redder than a tomato. Desperately, he said, “I didn’t me—”

“Stop with your excuses.” Evelyn cut the poor boy again. Stern in her voice made it more prominent, “The more you talk, the more I know how lonely and pathetic you are. You called and picked on a man you thought was weaker than you. Never realise it was yourself who was weak.”

Evelyn paused. She held her head high in pride, “Ominis will be one of the greatest wizards of the century.” And then she narrowed her eyes to Leander, “And all you're ever going to be, is mean.” Her gaze contained so much repulsion that it made Leander cower. “Mean, old, man, who is alone in life, drunk all the time, and could only grumble to his own pathetic self.”

“I—”

“I’m not done yet.” Another cut from Evelyn. Solemnly, she warned, “If you still have even an ounce of conscience in yourself, you listen here and listen to me well, Leander Prewett. Stop with all your nonsense thinking about Ominis and Merlin knows, anybody else you got a whiff of rumours about. Purge yourself of this pathetic way of living. If you really want to insult them, at least do it in front of their face. Not behind them like a coward.”

With his face already more scarlet than his own ginger hair, Leander just stood there after hearing what the new fifth year had said. Five steps aside, Garreth was doing all he could to suppress his laugh. Which was failing as he snorted two times in a row. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, scared to ruin the solemn mood. This was better than Garreth ever imagined. The cold he felt clearly paid off. It was the best astronomy class session ever.

Evelyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Calmly, well, as calm as she could be, she continued, “So, Leander Prewett.” Her eyes looked straight into the embarrassed ginger’s eyes. “Why do you have to be so mean?”

“I….have no excuses.” In defeat and guilt, Leander sighed, “I am sorry.”

Content with his answer, Evelyn finally calmed down completely. She spoke softly, “Tell it to the one you insulted.”

Still rooted to his spot, Leander said meekly, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.”

Evelyn nodded and walked away, continuing her way to the lower deck. Not realising the other ginger followed her to the lower deck until he finally spoke jokingly, “I'm glad that I wasn't the one making you angry this time.”

Evelyn shrugged. “Well, I never thought he’s such a mean.”

“Leander sometimes doesn't think about what he’s saying.” Garreth said matter-of-factly. He then quickened his pace so he could face Evelyn as he spoke. Two steps ahead of her, looking straight at her, he teased, “But, he might not be in the near future. After what I dare call ‘a magnificent to watch scolding’ you gave him.”

Evelyn stopped when she’s at the same step as the ginger. Her eyebrows raised, she questioned the boy seriously, “I see that you want some scolding as well?”

His body rigid, Garreth replied, “No ma’am.” He continued seriously, “Sorry ma’am.”

Evelyn broke out in laughter after seeing Garreth’s antics. Garetth laughed with her as well, and they started to descend more. The laughter ceased at the bottom of the stairs. Seeing Garreth’s smile, she suddenly remembered what he said earlier. “Actually, stars are very hot.” Evelyn said.

“What?”

“The stars.” Evelyn gestured at the sky and said, “When you’re complaining and making fun of our professor? You said that she’s as cold as the stars.”

“Uhh….” Confused, Garreth scratched his head as he tried to comprehend what Evelyn just said.

“It was actually hot. Like the sun. The star of our solar system?”

“Ooookay…?” Still confused, Garreth decided to change the topic, “Anyway! This is not how I wanted to spend my evening. But thanks to you, it was quite entertaining.”

Evelyn smiled and bowed like an actress after her performance. “You’re welcome.”

Garreth smiled and put his hands in his pocket. Playfully, he asked, “So...if someone said mean things about me in front of you as well, would you come to defend me too?”

“Well—”

“Or is it just Ominis?”

Evelyn felt blood rush to her cheeks as soon as she heard what Garreth had said. She really didn’t find the answer to Garreth’s question. Of course she would stand up for her ginger friend as well, but to that extent? To the point where she also insulted the preparator?

“No comment.” She muttered, turned away immediately, and took rapid steps away from the ginger. She didn’t care where she was going. She just wanted to get away from Garreth and avoid further shame as soon as possible.

Garreth smirked and began to run to catch up with the running new fifth year, “Hey, Eve! Wait for me!”

Evelyn was walking down to the great hall after finally escaping Garreth when a playful voice came out of nowhere.

“Soooo…you think Ominis will be one of the greatest wizards of the century?” Sebastian caught Evelyn off guard. She stopped walking, making the brunette bump into her.

“Oof!” Sebastian distanced himself a bit from Evelyn, rubbing his impacted chest. “Are you that surprised that I know everything?” He said with a smirk.

Evelyn rolled her eyes and turned to him, Oh, please.” With her hands crossed in front of her chest, she continued, “Do tell me where you get that nonsense.”

“Leander suddenly apologised to Ominis when Ominis and I passed him a couple minutes ago. He is still listening to Leander as we speak. It was so awkward that I had to step away.” He shivered. “Look! My hair stands up when I remember it.” Sebastian gave Evelyn a clear view of his arm, its hair, indeed, was standing up. "I believed it might shower frogs soon," he said, trembling. But then the tremble stopped and a grin began to appear on Sebastian’s face, growing wider as the seconds went by, “Until I bumped into Weasley and finally knew that you’re actually the cause.”

Evelyn swore to herself that if she could, she would rip the grin off Sebastian’s face. But she couldn’t, so she turned and began to walk away with annoyance from the grinning brunette, quickening her pace as she went, wanting to get away as soon as possible.

Sadly, two steps Evelyn took were basically just one step for Sebastian, who has longer legs than her. Evelyn's attempt to get away failed quickly, as he caught up to her with just two strides. He continued to tease the poor girl, “I saw what you did to Weasley in the previous potion class. So I know how scary you are when you’re mad.” With disappointment, he said, ”Though I’m sad that I didn't get to witness you in action this time.”

Evelyn stopped, making the brunette surprised and halted late, just a few paces in front of her. “Continue to bother me,” she said, giving him a death glare, “and you will be the next one.”

Continuing her steps, Evelyn threw her head in a different direction as she walked past him. However, her threat wasn't perceived as one by Sebastian, who then chuckled and continued his steps until he took his previous spot on her left, and continued his teasing, “Cooome ooon, you’re practically a hero!”

Sebastian placed his hand on Evelyn's left shoulder, bringing them both to a halt. He turned Evelyn around to face him. With a straight face and in all seriousness in the world, he said, “Protecting and defending someone,” his eyes looking straight at hers, “when they didn’t even know they needed it.” His voice became more emotional, “You made me proud.” Then he annoyingly feigned to be touched and cried out of one eye. His hand wiped the imaginary tears.

Irritated, Evelyn shoved his hand off her shoulder and exclaimed, “I just did what a good. Human. Being would do!” She pouted, “Don’t taunt me about it!”

Sebastian laughed at her reaction. “I am sorry, but this is simply too good. I mean, you even made Leander tell Ominis what he did and apologise for it!” He exclaimed. Sebastian laughed more, making Evelyn sulk even more than before. “He never did it before!” He added.

Evelyn could only cross her arm, waiting for his annoying laugh to cease and for him to continue. Sebastian took a deep breath. "Okay, okay. I’m good. I won’t laugh again. I promise.” He proceeded to put his hand on Evelyn’s shoulder, “You really are a Hero.” He grinned and added, “At least to me. Thank you for the much needed laugh.”

For the second time today, Evelyn wished she could punch Sebastian as hard as she could. But, lucky for him, she took the high road and a deep breath. “Just stop bothering me, please.” She pleaded tiredly.

Another jesting voice came out of the blue, “Yeah Sebastian, quit harassing our saviour."

Evelyn groaned when she realised who it was from the softer tone the voice had. There’s only one person she knew who has that soft yet firm, sumptuous yet humble voice. You know, the one for whom she stood up so valiantly before? Yeah, that one. The one and only, Ominis Gaunt.

“Ugh, you’re just as awful as he is.” Evelyn grumbled as she turned towards the blonde on her right.

“I am only giving back what I received.” He joked with a smile making its way to his face.

“Ah, here he is, the damsel in distress who was rescued by our valiant hero.” Sebastian teased.

Ominis rolled his eyes. “Well, I never listen to the rumours since I don’t care about what people think about me in the first place. People already judge me with whatever prejudice they have when they hear my last name.” With sarcasm practically dripping from his voice, he chuckled, “I wouldn’t stand a chance of changing the spotless reputation of Gaunt that has been built hundreds of years ago. A gleaming reputation, which I should thank for helping me gain numerous acquaintances throughout my youth.”

Evelyn's heart wrenched when she heard it. It must be difficult to be judged solely on the basis of your name. People might be avoiding him unintentionally since Gaunt's name had long been associated with cruelty and the dark arts. Ominis, on the other hand, was not like that. He might be rough at first…she wouldn’t lie about it. But she found that he was a good person. With him assisting her with the schoolwork—begrudgingly, Evelyn noted, since he always scolded her first before showing her the correct way—and navigating the halls of Hogwarts whenever he found her as lost as a blind kitten—again, Evelyn perceived he did it reluctantly because he always complained about it for the entire journey to her destination—for the past few months since their first full conversation in front of the Undercroft entrance, Evelyn believed he must be a very good friend. Not to mention how much he cared for Sebastian. Evelyn could only hope she would have the honour to have him as one in the future.

Trying to clear the air from the bleakness he created himself, Ominis cleared his throat. He stepped closer to Evelyn and moved his body towards her before saying softly with a smile, “But, it is nice to know that someone has my back.”

Evelyn felt her stomach flip once again. She didn’t know why, but the combination of his soft voice, his genuine smile, and his body gesture that made her sure he was talking to her and her only made Evelyn feel... warm. Even though he didn’t really see straight into her eyes. And Evelyn thanked Merlin he didn’t. She couldn't bear the thought of him seeing her in her flushed state.

“Hey, I've got your back too!” Sebastian, who was in the middle, joined the conversation and ruined the moment.

Ominis chuckled and took a step back, giving space to Sebastian. Evelyn felt sadness as she saw the distance between her and Ominis grow wider. He then responded to the brunette sarcastically, “Well, I am glad that someone else has my back. Someone whose solution is not necessarily a duel.”

“I can’t help it when someone practically begs for a battle with the best duelist in the school.” Sebastian boasted.

“Are you?” Evelyn said, frowning.

“Our last duel in the defence against the dark arts class was a fluke.” Sebastian replied smugly to the frowning girl. “Your victory was pure coincidence.”

Infuriated, Evelyn turned towards Sebastian and answered with her voice raised, “Oh, really?”

“Meet me at the clock tower entrance in the afternoon, and we’ll see who’s the best,” Sebastian smirked.

Evelyn attempted to rise to his challenge, but she thought it was an empty one and changed her mind. She shrugged and turned away from the brunette. “You simply cannot accept losing.”

Smirking, Sebastian taunted her, “And you’re too afraid to show that your last triumph was not. Blind. Luck.”

THAT struck a nerve. Evelyn took a step towards Sebastian and said menacingly, “Oh, it’s on.”

“Yeah?” Sebastian teased.

“Yeah!”

Ominis shook his head while he put his hands between the bickering pair and broke them up, “Sometimes I wonder how I could be friends with you both.”

Evelyn’s anger vanished as she realised what Ominis had stated. “I’m your friend?” She said, surprised.

“Well, after your performance at the astronomy tower, I would be an awful person to not consider you my friend.” Ominis said with a shrug. He then turned towards her, practically blocking all things from her view except himself because he had already stood so close to her when he stepped between her and Sebastian.

“I…” Evelyn was flabbergasted. Evelyn could hear her heartbeat increasing at an alarming pace with him so near. She tried to calm herself down, but when she looked up and saw him smiling, her efforts crumbled.

“Thank you, Evelyn.” He spoke tenderly.

And once again, ladies and gentlemen, Evelyn Rose felt her stomach churn. Her breath was taken away. Standing so close that her nose almost touched his, all she could focus on was his eyes…blue like the misty sea... Wake up, you moron!

Evelyn shook her head in an attempt to clear her head. She lowered her gaze and looked back up at him from under her lashes. Smiling shyly, she answered, “You’re welcome, Omi.”

Ominis smiled and something flipped again in Evelyn's stomach. Upset with all these new sensations, she concluded that there had to be something wrong with her. She decided to go to the hospital wing to check it out after this.

“Ooohh, a new nickname for Ominis.” Sebastian excitedly barged in and yet again ruined the moment. He continued animatedly over Ominis’s shoulder, looking delighted to both of his friends finally becoming friends, “Could I call you Omi too? Ominis is too long for me—I will call you Omi too from now on.”

“Don’t.” Ominis spoke sharply.

“Omiii,” Sebastian teased while shaking Ominis’s shoulder.

“Stop, or I will throw you into the black lake.” Ominis threatened. His wand pointed directly at Sebastian’s face without him turning his body.

Evelyn giggled at both of her friends. She was brimming with happiness as she saw them continue to squabble. She was glad that Ominis had finally accepted her as a friend. Hey, maybe she could finally ask about his wand! It was the purpose of her chase for him in the first place. It wasn't so much that she wanted to become friends with him only as to inquire about that. But it was more to...that’s the first thing she found intriguing about him.

“Excuse me,” A voice came out of the blue and stopped Evelyn’s thoughts. It was Nerida Roberts, the Slytherin girl who attended the same astronomy class as Evelyn. “Amit told me to notify you that he’s still waiting at the lower observation deck of the astronomy tower.”

“Eve? Are you okay?” Ominis asked Evelyn worriedly after hearing her sudden intake of breath.

“Merlin, I forgot!” She exclaimed, didn’t even realise the nickname she got, and ran as fast as she could back to the astronomy tower. Leaving two confused Slytherin boys and one Slytherin girl behind.

A boy in a Ravenclaw robe was seen standing on the lower deck of the astronomy tower. His breath made a misty cloud as he paced back and forth in hope of gaining warmth in the cold.

“Where is she?”

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