Thank you guys so much! I do try to be descriptive, and I hope my writing will improve since Im taking Introduction to Writing Fiction right now in school.

If I went to Hogwarts, I'd definitely be taking nighttime strolls around the castle. I'd probably get suspended from doing it so much!!!

Hey, new reader. I felt id just post.
Funny, you reading my story, me reading yours.
Ive read the first page soo far, and ive subscribed so i can read the second page to catch up.
This is a really great story so far.
and i can tell its gunna be a fabulous on
cant wait to read the rest, and read a new chapter if there is one

Evangeline
x

Yay! New Reader!!! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the rest of it!

Hey finished reading all the chapter soo far!!
They were all great, and really well written
Cant wait for more!!

Thanks!!! Chapter 11 is almost done, but I'll be posting it in two parts... Look for it in the next couple of days.

I should have said next couple of hours. I have finished part one of Chapter 11. It is a really long chapter so that is why it is in two parts. There is a lot to cover, so I hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 11: The Winter Woes: Part 1

Clementine woke with a start. She sat up in the warm and cozy bed she was unfamiliar with and stared around the darkened room. Her sister was asleep above her; the bunk beds in the Potter’s house made a lot more room. She looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was showing 4:37 A.M. She yawned. She must have been dreaming about the scary werewolf attacks again.

She looked outside of the window. Snow was falling heavily. The sill was completely covered with snow, and it was building at a rapid speed. Her eyes were automatically drawn to the brilliant moon; it was full and unusually luminous. Her mind wandered to her poor helpless mother, sitting isolated in a hospital ward- a scary beast but with her own mind. Clementine forced the horrible image from her mind, and curled back up into bed.

Someone was moving downstairs. She could hear hushed voices making their way slowly up the stairs. She stared towards the door. She heard footsteps move toward Torr and James’ room, and their door opened.

“What… What is it,” she heard her brother ask groggily.

“Shhhhhh,” said a voice. Next, the footsteps were moving toward her room. The door opened, and light flooded the room. Ginny was standing in the doorway. Torr was behind her, his eyes half closed and his hand was covering his mouth to stifle an abnormally loud yawn.

Ginny walked over to where Clementine was pretending to sleep. Ginny shook Clementine. She opened her eyelids, and Ginny’s face was very close to her own. It looked mournful. Clementine bolted up, wanting to know, yet not wanting to know, what was going on. She got up so fast that Viktorya was awoken. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and said, “What time is it,” in a slow and cracked voice.

“It’s about your mother,” Ginny started. Every one of the Higter’s were now listening intently. “We just received word from a healer at St.Mungo’s. Your mother is in very serious condition. She has been becoming weaker and weaker over the past few weeks, and this last transformation did not go well. They can’t tell for sure how bad it is until she is back to her natural human state,” she said, with a tone of deepest sympathy. By the look of their faces, she added, “We can take you to St. Mungo’s now if you would like, or you can rest a little longer and we can go in the morning. We won’t know anything more until tomorrow, anyways.”

They just stared. They barely saw their mother a week ago. She seemed fine, but was losing her memory. She couldn’t remember their names, nor her own, but still recognized them as her children. They didn’t know what to say. Torr had sat in the chair at the desk. His face was covered with his hands. Clementine’s mouth was hanging open, and Viktorya sniffed.

“We’ll wait until tomorrow, then,” said Ginny, when nobody answered. “Lets hope for the best.” She hugged each one of them, and then motioned Torr back to his room. Clementine and Viktorya did not say a word to each other, but just slumped back into their beds and fell into an uneasy sleep.

They woke up after what seemed like only ten minutes. It was light outside now, and the snow had stopped falling. Clementine and Viktorya got up, stretching and yawning, and pulled on their Muggle attire. They went downstairs. They found James, Torr, Aden, Lily, Albus, Ginny, and Harry sitting around a very large dining table. They were eating a generous breakfast. Clementine and Viktorya sat, and helped themselves to some pancakes, eggs, and pumpkin juice. Finally, they finished, put on winter gear, and took a portkey to the entrance of St. Mungo’s.

They arrived. They stepped into the entrance so as to get out of the winter storm, now blowing snow into the open door, but which dissipated as soon as it reached the warm indoors. It was jammed packed. Whether it was because of family members visiting loved one’s during the holidays, or because of an increase of needed health assistance, Clementine did not know. They already knew where to go, thanks to their many visits in the recent past. Floor One of St. Mungo’s held those who have creature induced injuries.

They entered the long corridor, with many doors to patient rooms along one side. They passed the room in which there mother had been held all the times they visited her. It was empty, and a healer was inside, waving his wand vigorously. Whatever spell he was saying was cleaning the room, which looked as if someone had decimated it. Clementine tore her eyes from the scene. She didn’t want her imagination to get the best of her.

They continued on their way, and finally met one last door. There was a small window on it, but it was obscured by a screen that had been pulled down over it. Clementine stole a glance at her sister. She looked harried, and she was twiddling her thumbs. The door had a large bone and wand, crossed, on it. A sign hung in the middle of it saying “Emma Higter”. The door was locked.

“Well, I think its safe to safe we should wait here,” Ginny said, looking at the Higter children.

Harry waved his wand and conjured enough chairs for them to sit. Moments later, the healer in the room their mother used to be in moved toward them, looking nervous. He finally reached them. He was short, bald, and was wearing robes of orange. He looked somewhat like a Buddhist monk.

“Hello, hello,” he said, not meeting their eyes.

Clementine’s stomach plummeted.

“We are tending to your mum very tentatively,” he said as he was fiddling with his hands. He addressed Torr because he was oldest. “She isn’t doing well. You, er, can wait in the first floor waiting room, just around the corner here, until we can disclose more information.” He left before anyone could say anything.

They silently walked around the corner, dragging the chairs with them. The waiting room was surprisingly empty. There were only two others inside. They gathered around each other, still as silent as can be. All of the Potter children were there. James sat next to Clementine. Torr eyed them suspiciously, but someone heading toward them caught his eye. A boy with shaggy brown hair, and big hazel eyes had entered the room, and cried “Viktorya!”

Viktorya got up and ran over to Gordon, who pulled her into a big hug, and lifted her off her feet. Torr rolled his eyes, crossed his arms and looked the other way. Clementine just put her head back down, when the nervous healer came back in the room, and asked for Torr. Harry looked at Torr as if he should go with him, but just nodded, and Torr got up and followed the healer around the corner and out of sight.

It was as if the clock was not moving at all and everything was suspended in that moment in time. Finally, Torr came back around the corner, with bloodshot eyes, and a sodden handkerchief. Clementine knew this couldn’t be good. They all looked up at Torr, imploringly. He shook his head, and Viktorya and Clementine simultaneously burst into tears. Their little brother, Aden, had silent tears running down his face. Ginny looked perturbed. Harry was holding and rubbing her hand, looking around at the rest of the kids.

James was comforting Clementine, Gordon was comforting Viktorya. Torr, Aden, and Lily were in a group hug. The healer, who had notified Torr of the news of their mother’s death, motioned them to follow him again. Ginny and the rest of her kids went down to the main lobby to wait for the others. Harry came with the Higter children, knowing that some kind of paperwork would need to be filled out with an adult.

* * *

After several days of learning about her mother’s death, Clementine could not shake the sinking feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. She hardly ate, no matter how much James and Torr tried to persuade her. Harry tried to talk to her, he knew what it was like to mourn, but she could not face dealing with it. Viktorya was quite cheerful despite what had happened. Gordon was staying with them for the remainder of the holiday.

A week after the death, they held a small funeral at a nearby church. None of them were very spiritual, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Their mother’s will was discovered, and in it, she declared her wish to be cremated. She left everything to her children, but they couldn’t do anything about it because they were all underage and had to be under adult supervision. When the ceremony had finished, and they were on their way outside, a Muggle man came up to Harry. He looked familiar, but Clementine could not put her finger on it. He was tall, had brown hair, and green eyes. He looked a bit shaggy, as if he were homeless, but not for long. Harry nodded his head and pointed toward where Clementine, Viktorya, Aden, and Torr stood. The man advanced toward them. He reached Torr first, and held out a hand to shake. Confused, Torr took his hand, and said, “Um, Hi. I’m Torr. And, you are?”

“Oh, right. Of course you wouldn’t remember me. You kids were so young. I regret it deeply,” he said. They still didn’t understand, and it was clear that he didn’t want to explain.

“Well, uh,” he continued, turning bright red, “I am your father. I’m John Orion. “

They just stared. It was evident they never thought that they would meet their father again. Noticing their silence, John talked again.

“I heard about Emma, er, your mum. I came here to make sure you were all… alright. I figured you were staying with that man over there,” he indicated Harry.

“Well, yes, we are,” said Clementine, clearly voicing her dislike at the man who had left their mother to raise them by herself. Viktorya wouldn’t even meet his eyes.

John noted all of this, and he said, “Look, since the day I left your mother I thought of nothing but you kids. But she kept you so well hidden; I could never come near you. I don’t understand it myself. It was like magic, or something.” He stood there scratching his head, as if he were in deep contemplation. Clementine, Viktorya, and Torr all caught each other’s eye.

Clementine whispered into Torr’s ear, “Did he not know our mother was a witch?”

Torr merely shrugged, and looked back at his father.

“So, er, you didn’t know our mum’s secret, then?”

“Secret? What do you mean,” John said, baffled.

“Well,” said Torr slowly, wondering if he should tell him. He decided to. “Our mother was a witch.”

John laughed. “You were always the mischievous one, you were.”

“He isn’t joking around,” cut in Clementine, angrily. “Our mum was a witch, and we’re all students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Except Aden, he is too young, but he’ll be starting next September.”

John still laughed and looked from Clementine to Torr. “Looks like you picked up a thing or two from your brother.”

Viktorya walked away dragging Aden by the hand with her. She marched over to Harry, told him something, and he came back with them.

“Hello, sir,” said Harry, “I’m Harry Potter. And, you are?”

“Oh, er, right,” said John, “I’m John Orion. I am their father.”

Harry looked shocked, but shook his hand.

“So what seems to be the problem here,” Harry said, looking around at the children.

“He doesn’t believe we’re wizards,” said Torr, looking at Harry.

“Kids these days. Can’t believe half of the rubbish they come up with, huh, Harry,” John laughed, clapping Harry on the back. But when Harry did not laugh back, his smile faltered. “You can’t… Can’t, be… serious…” he stammered. Harry nodded his head. Harry pulled out his wand, picked up a stick, and made it tap dance on his hand.

“Blimey! Magic? But… Well, that does explain a lot,” he said, as Harry stowed his wand back inside of his cloak. “Well, er, kids,” he addressed them, “I would like for you to come visit me sometime. Er, as long as you want too. Um, I don’t have a place to live at the moment, but, er, when I do, you are welcome to come stay with me.”

“Our mother left us her house. I’m sure you remember where it is. I think, since you’re homeless, you could live there, until you get situated,” said Torr, determinedly.

“Really,” said John, hopefully. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You wouldn’t be. We’re staying with Harry for now. We can’t live there without an adult anyways,” said Torr, as he handed his father the keys. John took them without hesitation.

“You kids won’t regret it! You could live in the house now. I’ll be there, I’m an adult.”

“Well, there is a week left of winter vacation. I would like to stay with Harry for that, but I can see us definitely coming home for summer with you,” said Torr, and John’s face lightened up, and he looked a little bit less shaggy.

“I can’t thank you enough. I can’t wait to see you kids,” he said. He gave them all a hug, and waved good-bye.
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Hope you enjoyed. Part 2 should be coming soon! Comments appreciated! Thank you for reading! hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Great post Stef, I just don't know what to think of John. He seems nice enough, but, what was the reason for his leaving his wife and kids? Him not knowing about his wife being a witch probably sheds some light on the situation and maybe can be a reason to reconcile with his children, but still, I don't know. You've done a good job with making us wonder about things till your next post. Very nicely done.

He left due to "irreconcilable differences". He was basically a mooch, didn't want to support his family, Emma wanted to take care of her children at home, but John wouldn't and couldn't get a job. So he left because he didn't want to get a job, and help out. Emma was then able to get a job at the ministry working with Magical Creatures.

John, has now been living on the streets for more than a month, after his parents wouldn't let him mooch anymore. He is getting his act together, and he will be a good dad now (I'm thinking). I won't really go into more detail about him during this fanfic. They won't see him again until summer, and I doubt I am going to go that far with this fic since I have another fanfic in mind.

I think the next part is much more interesting

Thanks for reading, and thank you for your comments, I always enjoy them!

Im already disliking their father, sorry to say, leaving them!!! What a way to come back into there lives....
Anyway other then that i thought his chapter(part 1 of course) was great, and i cant what till part 2
mmmm....Wonder whats gunna happen
x

Great chappie! I really like the great effort and detail put into this! Your a very talented writer!

Thank you so much! Part 2 isn't nearly as long, but it should be interesting enough (at least I hope). I am not a fan of John either... But I think it is very courageous that he finally stepped up (even if it was out of desperation). ::

That you so much! That means a lot!

Your welcome...i really do like this fanfic and i dont mind how long they are...mine arn't long..not really.
Yeahhh i agree.....gutta have some annoying person on hand...i have a feeling he's gunna do something really bad though...i can just feel it!!!
x

Thanks. And, I'm not sure that I'll add anymore about John in here... But maybe I will. We'll see.

I finished part 2 much quicker than I had anticipated, so I'll post in now, before I head off to my Storytelling class. I hope you enjoy part 2.
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Chapter 11: The Winter Woes: Part 2

Their last week of winter break seemed to be flying by. It was Friday; two days before they had to head back to the castle. The Higter’s seemed to be doing a lot better, though having lost a parent, but gaining one at the same time. Gordon was keeping Viktorya preoccupied, so she had hardly anytime to dwell on the melancholy atmosphere. The snow let up, and the kids spent most of their time outdoors, throwing snowballs at each other, and building snowmen. Rose came by, and was spending the last weekend with them.

“This is quite fun,” she said, forming a large snowball in her gloved hand, and aiming it right at James’ face. She threw it and it hit him square in the back of the head. He turned around, and had many snowballs and was pelting them directly at Clementine and Rose, who dove for cover behind a mound of snow. James laughed, but was hit once again, unexpectedly, by his accomplice, Torr, who had staggered to the ground because he was laughing so hard. James, stunned, still had snow on his face and was spitting some out of his open mouth. He had one last snowball, and he threw it at Torr, but it missed.

Later that night, Teddy Lupin, Victoire, Ron, Hugo, and Hermione Weasley joined the Potter’s and Higter children for dinner. Teddy, with neon green hair and a very mischievous grin, announced that he and Victoire were engaged to be married. They had a celebratory toast. Victoire’s long chic strawberry-blonde hair glittered in the dimmed light, and she was smiling graciously. James was boasting loudly that he knew they would get married ever since he caught them kissing at Kings Cross Station.

“Forgot to mention the other bit of good news, sweetie,” Victoire said to Teddy. He grinned at her, and kissed her on the cheek.

“Ah, yes. Although its happy for me, its not so good either,” he said, in a somewhat strained voice. The kids at the table looked at him inquiringly. So he continued. “Well, your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lamond, has gone missing, and the ministry hasn’t been able to uncover where he might be.”

The atmosphere at the table changed. Harry did not talk about work much because many disappearances have been happening and he wasn’t allowed to give out information.

“But, the Prophet hasn’t said anything about it,” cried Rose, who was very fond of Professor Lamond.

“Of course not. They don’t want to mention it quite yet, as it has only been a couple of days,” said Harry, looking displeased. They all knew how much he despised the news portion of the Prophet, but couldn’t say anything outwardly about it because Ginny was employed in the Sports department with them.

Ron shifted in his chair and said, “We’ve been working around the clock on it, but since there are hardly any clues to go by, the ministry, and Hogwarts has had to think quickly.”

“So,” said Teddy, continuing off of Ron’s response, “They have had to replace him for the meantime, and I was offered the job! I accepted, of course. I wanted it since I graduated two years ago, but Lamond wasn’t going to retire, and McGonagall said I was much too young.”

The dining table erupted in noise as they all congratulated and patted his back.

“How wonderful, Teddy,” exclaimed Hermione. “Your father was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we,” she indicated Harry, Ron, and Ginny, “ever had! You’ll be amazing, I just know it!”

Teddy beamed at the room. After everyone had finished dessert, the Weasley’s and Teddy bid them good night, and jumped into the emerald green flames and out of sight. At very bad timing, Albus had sudden inspiration to ask Teddy about Blake Snape, but he was gone before he could ask anything.

“What was it you were going to ask Teddy, Al,” asked Harry, wondering why his son wouldn’t confide the question in him.

“Well, it was about a kid at school,” Albus started, but Ginny interrupted him.

“Is it that Scorpius? I knew he was bad,” she said, looking at Harry.

“No… Well, sort of. Its really about a kid he has been hanging out with,” said Albus. “Well, I was looking at the Marauder’s Map and I noticed something peculiar. It showed Scorpius moving toward us, but he wasn’t alone. The dot next to him was labeled Blake Snape.” He was looking at his dad, who just furrowed his brow. When he didn’t answer, Albus continued. “I wanted to ask Teddy if he knew anything about it because he works in that department at the ministry. He would know if a wizard with the surname Snape was born.”

“That’s very strange. Snape is an uncommon surname, and there is no possible way Severus could have had a kid. Yes, maybe you should write to Teddy, I’m quite interested now, myself. Go ahead and take Whisper, she knows where to find Teddy.”

Without another word, Albus, Clementine, and Viktorya rushed up to the room, and began to write the letter. The finished product was nearly perfect, and they tied the parchment to Whisper’s leg, and let her out of the window.

“There. Hopefully, he’ll get back to us soon,” said Albus, clearly exuberant.

“Well, if he doesn’t get back to us this weekend, then we still won’t have to wait long since he’ll be at Hogwarts now,” said Clementine. “Perhaps we should send a letter to Rose telling her what we did so that she won’t be lost when we get a reply.”

“Good idea,” said Albus, unrolling another bit of parchment, and scribbled hurriedly across it.

“There,” he said, blowing on the ink for it to dry. He rolled it back up, and set it on his desk, waiting for Whisper to come back. Clementine and Viktorya said goodnight, and left the room.

The weekend was over before they knew it. James, Torr, Gordon, Albus, Viktorya, and Clementine were by the fireplace, waiting to return to Hogwarts. They each grabbed a pinch of floo powder, and disappeared, one by one, into the emerald flames.
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Thanks for reading! Stayed tuned for Chapter 12. I'm not sure when it will be done. Thanks again, and as always, comments appreciated!

Great post Stef! I don't understand why your new posts don't register in the envelopes. You know, the ones to the left of the title. They have paper stuffed in them if there's a new post. Well, it doesn't always show the envelope that way. It shows it shut, like I just read it. So, I've just started checking the thread whenever I see your name as the last one to post. Anyway, I enjoyed your post, and it seems like it's over before I'm ready for it to be. :hourglass:Nice call back. Yeah, and I don't blame him. Oh Goody! Now hopefully we'll get somewhere with finding out who this boy is. School breaks are always over too soon! Great post Stef, and I'll be checking for your next post.

Great chapter!!!
Ohhh i wonder about this Snape kid
WELL DONE TEDDY!!!!
I cant wait for more!!!
x

I love this chappie!
One of my faves so far!

Thank you! I know, its been awhile for the Snape boy... We'll be learning a bit more about him soon... As well as Dane

Thank you! I am glad you are enjoying it. Can't wait for you guys to find out more!

Thanks!

Thank you all so much for sticking with me and reading. This smiley is for you :

Aww, that's so sweet!

Me either...i shall bounce up and down in my seat...while i wait!!
Lol
*Bounce Bounce*

Just for you!!

Cant wait for more!!!!

Hey all! I finished chapter 12 much quicker than I had predicted! Its quite long, actually, but i wanted this part out of the way! I hope you enjoy it!
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Chapter 12: The Detention Shack

The school week started with excitement. The news that there was a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher spread quickly over the holiday. James and Clementine, however, felt quite the contrary. They were not looking forward to the week, because they knew that at weeks end, they would have to complete their detention. Viktorya and Gordon, who had completely forgotten about it until they reached the school, avoided Clementine and James as much as possible, so as not to associate themselves with such rule-breakers.

The only thing Clementine was looking forward to was hearing more about Blake Snape. Albus and Rose were excited too, and the three of them looked at Teddy imploringly every time they went to class. It wasn’t until Wednesday, however, that they got a response.

“Next week, we’ll begin our research of minor hexes and what we can do to repel them. I want a 12-inch essay on a hex of your choosing and tell me the best way to shield yourself from it. Due no later than Monday,” said Teddy, the scrapes of many chairs sliding across the floor almost swallowed the last part. “You three,” he indicated Albus, Rose, and Clementine, “I want to talk to you when the room clears.”

They looked at each other, wondering if they were being held back because they did something wrong or because they were going to find out a little bit more about Blake Snape.

The room finally cleared out. Clementine, Albus, and Rose were still sitting in their desks waiting for Teddy to speak.

“Dane, can you please wait outside while I speak to these three,” said Teddy, kindly, and Dane, who the three had not noticed, stepped outside without a word.

“You may have been wondering why it has taken me so long to reply to your question you sent me over winter break,” he said, and when they simply nodded, he continued. “Well, the reason is because I can’t really remember, and because I no longer work in the wizard registry at the ministry, so I can’t just go parading in and asking about some kid.”

They looked highly disappointed, and Teddy clearly saw this.

“Now, now. Don’t be disappointed yet.” They looked up at him, curious as to what he was going to do. “It just so happens that I do remember reading a register I thought was peculiar because of the surname Snape. I don’t know the exact details, but I have to return to my old office this Friday to retrieve my belongings. This gives me an excuse to be there, and I can inquire further.”

The three of them looked exuberant. They couldn’t have asked for it to be much better.

“One more thing,” Teddy said, as they made to leave. “I won’t write it in a letter to you. Just meet me in my office Saturday night, around 7:00 p.m. I can tell you then. Off you go. You must eat lunch,” and he shooed them out of the room. Dane entered as they left, eyeing Rose. When she caught his eye, he turned his head quickly, and before he disappeared into the room, Clementine thought she saw him blush.

“Can you believe it,” asked Albus, a satisfied smirk on his face.

“Well, its not like I’m going to be around to find out,” said Clementine, through gritted teeth.

“What are you-“ started Albus, but Rose cut it.

“Oh no! You have that detention, don’t you?”

“Yes,” said Clementine gloomily.

“Well, don’t fret, we’ll tell you when you are done,” said Albus.

“Oh, alright,” said Clementine. She wanted to find out from Teddy but this was better than not finding out at all.

“What was up with Dane seeing Teddy? That’s the second time I’ve seen him stay after class this week,” said Albus.

“Isn’t it obvious,” asked Rose, and when Albus looked at her interested, she didn’t go on, and he didn’t press the issue.

They ate their lunch and headed to Herbology. Clementine enjoyed the lessons they had with Professor Longbottom. He always talked so excitedly about plants. Clementine had always had an interest in plants, especially because she was great at potions, which encompassed the use of many of the plants they were studying. Today, they were working on a type of fern that had little red berries on it.

“Good afternoon, class,” said Neville.

“Good afternoon, Professor Longbottom,” they replied.

The trio was fortunate to meet Neville and Hannah’s newborn child the previous summer. They had a kid much later than the rest of their parents, but it was great nonetheless.

“Today, we’ll be replanting these magical ferns. Usually, ferns do not have flowers, but this one is different. The red berries are used in many potions and can be eaten raw,” he addressed them. “I wouldn’t eat them though,” he said as one boy put one in his mouth and he turned a delicate shade of purple. “They tend to cause the person who eats a raw one a different color, and they are extremely bitter. When they are stewed in a potion, the ingredient, lasire, is dissipated so it does not have the color side effect. It is extremely useful in cold remedies, as well as remedies for bone health. Ten points to Hufflepuff for Jason demonstrating unwillingly for us.”

As Neville was the head of Gryffindor house, he took pleasure in awarding the Gryffindor’s points whenever possible, but could not help himself award points to others when an unyielding first year made him laugh.

Class ended on an enjoyable note, as Clementine and Albus dared each other to eat a berry. Albus turned a baby blue color, while Clementine turned a deep crimson that made her turquoise hair pop. Rose looked unsupportive, but laughed as the baby blue developed into patches, so that Albus looked like a strange spotted leopard.

The rest of the week passed by; the students entertained themselves with magic snowball fights. Rose wondered if the berries from the fern they were studying in Herbology could be used as paint, so Albus and Clementine loaded their pockets with them, and headed for the snow. They each grabbed a rock and crushed them, releasing the inner juices, and dropped the berries into the snow. Suddenly, giant portions of the snow would turn a magnificent color. The first patch was lime green, the next a heliotrope. Soon, the entire ground looked like a rainbow, and each snowball that hit someone would color them as if they had been hit with a paintball.

Saturday was upon them before they knew it. At 7:00 p.m. James, Clementine, Albus, and Rose exited Gryffindor tower and headed toward their respective places. They broke away and James and Clementine walked silently together toward Crow’s office.

They reached the room. Viktorya and Gordon were already standing hand-in-hand outside. They glared at James and Clementine, who merely rolled their eyes and waited with them. Moments later, the rickety wooden door to Crow’s office opened, and he limped his way out.

“What happened to you,” said James, with obvious restrained laughter.

“Some second year girls thought it would be funny to release a niffler with a dung bomb attached to its leg into my office. Needless to say, I slipped when I entered and was pelted by the little thing as it went running amok in the castle making the place more dirty,” he said. He had obviously wanted tell someone.

James shifted guiltily where he stood, still suppressing laughter. Clementine just shook her head, smiling to herself, and Viktorya and Gordon just stared at Mr. Crow as if they felt sorry for him.

“That doesn’t matter now,” he said harshly. “You have detention to complete. You will follow me now.” And he proceeded to move toward the staircase. They followed Mr. Crow down the stairs and into the Entrance Hall. Clementine was on the verge of asking if their detention was going to be in the dungeons, when Mr. Crow moved toward the giant oak front doors.

“We’re going outside,” Clementine whispered to James, who shrugged.

They went out of the doors and onto the grounds. Not to far ahead, the saw a very large silhouette that soon formed into the shape of Hagrid.

“Yes! Hagrid,” shouted James, so loudly that Clementine, Viktorya, and Gordon startled.

“Oh, you think you’ll have a great time with Hagrid. But just you wait,” said Mr. Crow, a hint of glee in his tone.

“Hello,” Hagrid said, as they approached.

“Bye, bye,” said Mr. Crow, and he left the kids with Hagrid as he head back up to the castle.

The moon was bright and nearly full again. The ground was still icy; random patches of color still lingered where Clementine, Albus, and Rose had put the red berries.

“Well, lets get this over with. Please follow me,” said Hagrid, much more reserved than usual.

They followed him to a giant tree with bare branches. It was swaying lightly, but it wasn’t just it branches. Was the whole tree moving?

“Hagrid, we aren’t doing anything with the Whomping Willow, are we,” asked James nervously.

“Well, yeh broke the rules didn’t yeh,” he asked in return.

“Well, we were actually just making sure these two didn’t get caught,” said Clementine matter-of-factly.

“That is why you wouldn’t be in Ravenclaw,” said Gordon smugly, Viktorya looking shocked.

“Don’t call my sister stupid,” she told him angrily.

“Well, she should have thought about what she was doing, then we would have been the only ones to get in trouble,” said Gordon.

“Well,” retorted James, getting angry, “maybe you shouldn’t have been in Ravenclaw since you thought it wise to run amok in the castle oodling her sister!”

“Hey, stop it. Yeh have an hour tergether in the Shrieking Shack, so no fightin’,” boomed Hagrid. They stopped at once.

“The Shrieking Shack,” asked James, looking at Clementine and Viktorya.

“O’ course,” he said, as if it needed no more explaining. “Yeh’ll be cleaning up the main room. Hogsmeade wants it cleaned up since it’s been silent fer so long. Yeh’ll be dustin and nailing in loose floorboards. I’ll be outside since I can’t fit.”

He took his wand (which replaced his old pink umbrella, since his name had been cleared), and made a twig touch a knot that was at the base of the tree. The sway ceased immediately.

“In yeh go,” he said.

They entered through the trunk. It was a small narrow passage. They were just short enough to fit. They made their way down until they reached a shabby wooden door. James went first, wand drawn as if something would flock at them.

“Lumos Maxima,” he said, and a ball of light shot from his wand and it hung in mid air. The room was very dingy. Dust coated ever inch of the room. It was obvious nobody had been inside for years.

“How are we supposed to clean this,” said Clementine, and before any of them could answer, a giant silver bear came into view.

“No magic is to be used. Only what you find in the bucket.” It vanished.

“What in the world,” started James, but Gordon cut him off.

“That was a talking patronus,” he said. “It must have been Hagrid’s.”

Clementine and James rolled their eyes in unison, and found the bucket the patronus had mention. There were two hammers, a giant box of nails, and two feather dusters.

“Those dusters are not going to work in this mess,” said Viktorya, emphasizing not.

“Well,” said James, “Hagrid is outside. How is he going to know if we use magic or not?”

“Are you saying we should cheat,” ask Viktorya, looking disapproving.

“Well, unless you want to get really dirty. You could just say Tergeo to remove the dirt. I’m not sure about how to nail the floorboards to the floor, so we’ll have to do that manually,” he said, knowledgeably.

“Tergeo,” Gordon whispered, pointing his wand at a chair that sat covered in dust and cobwebs. Most of the dust had siphoned off and onto the floor.

“Look,” said Clementine pointing at it, “It’s green. It just looked like a musty grey before!”

James laughed. “Okay, Clem and Vikki, you take the dusting, while Gordon and I nail the floorboards back into place.”

Gordon scoffed. Clementine shot him a dirty look. She moved toward James, grabbed the extra hammer and a handful of nails and then moved to a corner that had its floorboards ripped apart, and set to work.

“You know, I meant for you and Vikki to have the easy job,” said James, grabbing the boards and putting them into place. Clementine grabbed some from his hand, brushing it sensually. Their eyes met, but Clementine looked back down straight away, and began to hammer the floorboard into place. The noise was profound as it ricocheted off of every wall and echoed throughout the room and the tunnel. It helped Clementine clear her mind, until James bent low and looked her straight in the face.

“Listen,” he said, “Clem, I like you. A lot. I know you like me. Why don’t we just go out?”

Clementine looked away. She was wondering when James would finally just say it, and all of the noise with the hammering gave him the perfect opportunity.

“I can’t. I already told you. Vikki would scoff, Albus would probably de-friend me, and Rose. I don’t know what she’d do. Plus, I am only twelve.”

“And I’m thirteen. Age shouldn’t be our excuse,” he retorted. He brushed her turquoise hair from in front of her face to behind her ear. “We won’t have to tell anyone. It could be a secret relationship.”

Clementine considered him for a moment. It’s true. She did like him. But secretly dating? That wouldn’t be much fun. Or would it? It would be adventurous.

“Okay,” she said after several moments silence, except for the loud bangs of her hammer hitting the nails into place. James smiled broadly, whipped around to see Viktorya and Gordon’s back turned, and planted a kiss on Clementine’s lips.
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Thank you for reading! I hope you all have a wonderful day! Comments are always appreciated!
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P.S. I just want to add that Howard Zinn died today at the age of 87. If you don't know who he is, that is fine, but to those who do or want to know, he is a wonderful man who contributed greatly to the world. It is sad to see him go, but may he forever rest in peace! You could call him somewhat of a Dumbledore- He was controversial, yet very firm on standing up for everyone's rights.
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Stef, so glad you re-instated Hagrids standings, and allowed him to have a wand. I always thought it was wrong of JK to keep Hagrid in dishonor by not allowing him a wand back. And I love his Patronus being a bear. Nice way to keep us in suspence about Dane and the Snape boy. Very nicely done indeed. Great chapter, and can't wait for the next post.

Ohhhh great chapter!!!
Ohhh Hagrid got a Wand!!!
Haha i love there detention...well it's not nice...but great idea!
Wow...tension between the couples!!!
Ohhhh Wonder what Teddy's gunna say
James and Clementine....aww its sweet!
I love this chapter
Cant wait for more!!!
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Thanks! Yes, I always thought that Hagrid deserved a wand! And he learned new stuff (like the talking patronus) soon after Voldy's fall (because he was never properly educated). I thought a bear would be great because Hagrid is big and tough, but also comes off as very sweet and loveable, which is the same thing with a bear (to a certain extent). Thanks. You'll find out more about Snape in the next chapter And I wanted James to be a little mischievous kid, but I also wanted him to have a sweet side. So, I figured a girl could bring that out in him!

Ohh yeahhh i agree with the Bear....brings out Hagrids personality really well!
Ohhh James with a soft side...haha i love it! And a girl could defently fill that!
Ohhh i cant wait for the next chapter


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Oh that's a great chappie Stef!
Oh... Hagrid got a wand! Cool!