Thread: Character: The Phoenix - Sa13+
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Old 01-06-2011, 01:24 AM   #7 (permalink)
Wonderstruck
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Hogwarts RPG Name:
Jeremy Bradford
Fifth Year
Default Chapter Two: Odd Behavior
"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you are not."

Thanks Connie Sorry for so long without a response, but I have been a bit busy and a bit uninspired. However, I have come up with the first part of Chapter Two. Enjoy!!

I awoke the following morning to the sound of pounding downstairs. I rolled over to see Harry, his glasses slightly askew on his face and his mouth hanging open, his bottom lip slanting towards one side. Ron was completely sprawled out on his bed, one arm flopping over the side lazily, with his hand conveniently close to Hermione's shoulder. Hermione was lying completely still on her back, looking rather peaceful if I did say so myself.

I stealthily got up, stepping over Harry before closing the door shut gently behind me. I went down the stairs to the kitchen to find Mrs. Weasley smacking the counter forcefully and repeatedly with an oddly colored rolling pin. She didn't look particularly angry, more worn out than anything, but I couldn't help but wonder what in the world she was doing.

"Um, Mrs. Weasley?!" I said, yelling slightly so that she could hear me. She stopped instantly, swinging around with rolling pin in hand looking slightly surprised.

"Oh, sorry dear, did I wake you?" she said apologetically.

"Oh, no, it's alright. I was pretty much awake anyway," I said with a soft smile. "May I ask what you're doing?"

"Ah...I am flattening out the dough for some bread I am making. An old trick my mother taught me when I was a little girl in order to help the bread rise better."

My eyebrows went up slightly. I had never heard of such a trick before but Mrs. Weasley was a very good chef and I figured it was best to just let her do her own thing.

"Are we still planning on going into Diagon Alley today?" I asked, taking a seat at the large kitchen table.

"Of course dear. Mr. Weasley should be back from the Ministry relatively soon and then we will be on our way! I figured we might as well take the Floo Network since there are so many of us...plus it is probably safer right now than anything else," Mrs. Weasley replied with a look of unease coming across her face. She wiped it off quickly though before resuming to her bread beating.

Deciding that I didn't want to start my day off with a headache I slipped on a pair of boots and went outside. The air was still warm but I could feel the new chill of fall starting to come into the air. It was the perfect day for flying, but I knew Mrs. Weasley preferred that I didn't. It was very rare my ability to transform into a phoenix, and the death eaters knew I was capable of it. She was concerned I would stray too far by accident and possibly get hurt or lost. I had been fortunate that she had let me transform as much as she had, and given the stories in the newspaper getting worse I figured I shouldn't push my luck.

I took a couple of steps towards the garden where the usual garden gnomes were wandering about, muttering under their breaths. I took a couple of steps towards one who froze instantly, a rather large flower in its dirty little hands.

"Drop it," I said, giving the gnome a rather dark stare. The gnome dropped the flower instantly before running off. No one understand how or why but for some reason the pesky gnomes that his family had spent years trying to rid from their garden actually listened to me.

I continued over to the wooden fence that surrounded the backyard of the burrow and leaned against it, some of the morning dew that had been caught on the surface of the wood seeping into my pajamas. I closed my eyes, reaching out with my mind to all the quiet subtleties that people without my ability often missed. I was partially listening to what a mother bird was chirping to her children when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I had been so into the sounds around me that I had completely missed Harry coming out of the house.

I jumped, instinctively swinging around and taking hold of Harry's arm before twisting it around behind his back. He let out a groan of pain and I released him instantly.

"Oh my god Harry I am so sorry!" I said loudly, quickly taking hold of his arm to make sure it was okay.

"No, no, my fault. I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that!" Harry said, giving his shoulder a rub.

"No, I shouldn't be so off in my own thoughts, especially with all things considered," I said, angry at myself for hurting the main person in this world that I was trying to protect.

"And what were you thinking about?" asked Harry with raised eyebrows.

"Oh you know, the usual," I said with a little shrug.

"Ah, so Voldemort trying to kill us and death eaters trying to take over the world."

"Yeah, that," I said with a little chuckle.

Harry smiled and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me against his chest.

"We're going to figure out how to beat him," Harry said into my hair.

"Dumbledore definitely seems to have something planned out," I mumbled into his chest, enjoying the warmth of it.

"Hey, come on you lovebird!!! Breakfast is ready!!"

Harry and I turned to see Ron in the doorway, giving us a lopsided smile which faded quickly as Hermione punched him forcefully in the arm.

"Honestly Ronald, couldn't you have just let them be for a moment?"

"What, they're excited to see Fred and George's shop! The quicker we eat and get ready the quicker we'll be there!"

Hermione rolled her eyes before turning around and going back inside. Harry took hold of my hand and led me inside, where Mrs. Weasley was placing a bowlful of oatmeal, scrambled eggs, toast, muffins, and an assortment of beverages. We ate quickly, Mr. Weasley arriving just as we had finished looking rather worn out. He mumbled about having a busy morning but not wanting to talk about it. I had plucked from his mind that they had found three of the missing muggles, all of whom were dead, their deaths brought about by the killing curse.

"Are we ready to go?" asked Mrs. Weasley with a smile. "Now remember dears, you need to speak clearly and say Diagon Alley. Wouldn't want anyone getting lost now would we?" She turned and gave a little wink to Harry, whom in our second year had landed in Knockturn Alley by accident.

I was the last person to go before Mr. Weasley, who gave me a smile as I dropped the floo powder and spoke out the word, "Diagon Alley" very clearly. I landed in the familiar doorway that led out into the street where I found Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley all standing in a little huddle.

As I took in Diagon Alley for the first time since the summer's incidents I couldn't believe that this was the same cheery place I had gotten my school supplies at for the past five years. Most of the shops were abandoned, some with their windows completely smashed out. Mrs. Weasley had started to move us along instantly after Mr. Weasley had stepped through the same doorway I had just come from. I felt my mouth turn into a frown as I recognized the smash out window and broken doors of what once was Mr. Ollivander's wand shop.

"It's awful isn't it," said Hermione with a frown.

"Yeah, it is," I said, turning my attention towards the building that had a small crowd around outside it.

"Oh my god," said Hermione, spotting the shop the same time I had. "Is that...?" she started, unable to finish her sentence.

"Oh you know Fred and George. Never one for subtlety," said Ron with huge smile.
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