Just a silly little space for my silly little stories. Working on a book and needed somewhere to put all my distractions so they don't take up so much space in my brain.----------Posting here in chunks once weekly. Main acct. on Ao3 CJ_Writes_4_Fun
Diana, a young witch who was raised by her great, great grandfather attends Hogwarts and struggles to fit into her house and make friends by her own merits. When she loses her grandfather, she is forced to come to terms with her family history and choose whether to stand her ground or give into the pressure of relatives who would push her down a darker path.
Diana woke early Sunday morning, to a cloudy, grey sky and chilled, breeze. Worrying that it might rain later in the day, she decided to go check on Mercer before heading to breakfast. She had yet to figure out what to feed him, so she stopped by the groundskeeper, Hagrid’s hut and inquired about what to feed him for now.
“I usually bring up extra vitamin pellets fer all the school birds once a week to keep ‘em healthy, but since he’s young, I could give you a mouse or two; sure there’s some ‘round ‘ere somewhere.” The huge man rummaged around near a barrel and sure enough, three mice scurried out. “Quick! Stun ‘em ‘fore they get away.”
Diana did so quickly, but only managed to hit one. The poor little thing lay unconscious and Diana suddenly realized this would be something she’d have to do many times before her owl was competently hunting on his own. She cringed at the idea, as she carefully scooped the tiny mouse into her cloak pocket.
“Best to keep them alive so he’ll take them; most owls won’t touch anythin’ they haven’t killed themselves. Kinda morbid, I know.” Hagrid gave her a sympathetic look and a pat on the shoulder that nearly knocked her over.
Diana gave Hagrid her thanks then excused herself to the owlery. The mouse had just started to stir in her pocket as she arrived and she stunned it again, hoping she wouldn’t have to a third time before reaching the top of the stairs. However, as she rounded the first flight of steps, a blur of gray swooped down to join her; Mercer had glided down to meet her and was eyeing her pocket from his new perch on the low, stone wall.
“Want to give it a shot?” Diana asked the owl, who looked much better rested. Mercer bobbed and twisted his little head a bit before hopping onto Diana’s outreached arm, which she’d offered patiently.
When he’d settled comfortably, they went back down the stairs to a flat area beneath the owlery and the bridge that crossed a bit of lake into the clock tower courtyard. When Diana found a decent spot, she pulled the still stunned mouse out of her pocket and placed it gently in the damp grass. Mercer bobbed his head and hooted impatiently as Diana walked a few yards away to allow him distance to fly.
“Ready?” She asked as he continued to bob excitedly. “Alright; three, two, one!” Mercer launched off Diana’s shoulder and she cast rennervate to wake the mouse, hoping the spell hit its mark.
Whether it did or not, Diana could not see, and she was quite thankful for that, for Mercer swooped down upon the mouse and began gobbling it up whole. Diana hoped the mouse hadn’t had time to notice what was happening to it. Mercer, for his part, looked quite pleased with himself, and Diana was forced to eek out words of praise as he returned to her arm to be carried back up the stairs.
After leaving the owlery, grateful she’d only had to ascend the stairs once, Diana made her way down to breakfast and was almost immediately greeted by another owl. This one, however, was much older and grumpier; she was very familiar though, and Diana loaded a plate with several eggs, which the elderly owl ate greedily.
“Good to see you too, Regina.” Diana chuckled as she took a small letter from the short-eared owl. “How’s Great Aunt Elizabeth?” Great Aunt Elizabeth, was not an actual relative of Diana’s, though her brother Solomon was by marriage; however, both Aunt Elizabeth’s father and Diana’s grandfather had been very close friends and as such the family had remained close, until later generations began to grow apart.
Great Aunt Elizabeth for her part, though quite nosy at times, was always good about staying in touch, even after the death of her parents and brother. With all her own children and grandchildren now grown, she’d been more active than ever in doting on Diana, sending sweets and taking her to Diagon Alley for her school things so Twinkles could stay behind to take care of Diana’s grandfather.
Wondering what Aunt Elizabeth might have to say so early in the term, Diana tore open the letter. The flowing, purple-ink script took a moment to decipher, but Diana read:
My sweet, little Diana,
I do hope you have been enjoying your classes and I expect you will be studying diligently. I fear you might be getting a bit too grown for receiving candy boxes in the morning post, but do tell me when your first trip to Diagon Alley comes around and I shall send a credit to Honeydukes for you to pick your own assortment of treats.
Augustus and I have had word from your grandfather that he has finally seen some improvement in his health following a much-needed visit to a healer. We are pleased to hear he finally saw reason; after all, he’s got to see you grown and through school if he can. On that topic, I would just like to remind you that, should anything ever happen (Heaven forbid), whether you are still at school or not, you will always have a place to stay here with us. In fact, I have decided, when I next write your grandfather, to demand he put our names as next of kin. I do hate to bring it up, but I worry it may prove necessary one day. That said, please do not be concerned; as I said before, he does seem much improved.
On a happier note, our grandson, Reginold has just been accepted into an internship with the Department of Magical Maintenance at the Ministry. Do wish him luck, I fear he may need it. He’s been seeing some Muggle-born girl on his days off; she’s a sweet, pretty thing, but she doesn’t seem to fully understand the value of a ministry job and continues to urge him to explore other options.
Anyway, my dear; please, do write us when you have the time and tell us how things are at Hogwarts. Not a single day goes by that I don’t miss it terribly. Oh, how I wish I’d become a teacher.
Our love,
Elizabeth and Augustus
P.S. Be sure you keep a scarf and gloves with you next week; we’re going to see a terribly early cold spell.
Diana had indeed noted the chill in the air, though her basic senses were nothing compared to Aunt Elizabeth’s. She’d once told Diana that she thought she might have Seer blood, but that it only seemed to work for the weather. Diana, though she did not take much stock in Divination as a whole, found that she could respect the intuition of older Witches and Wizards when it came to things like health and the weather; she supposed it might be that they simply recognized the signs because they’d lived longer. Her aunt, however, could predict the weather with and astounding level of accuracy, and Diana made a note in her journal to do as she’d been told.
Once Regina had eaten her fill of eggs and allowed Diana a singular pet before nipping her hand away and flying off, Diana ate some breakfast of her own then waited patiently by the fountain in the main hall for Tonks and the others to arrive.
Using Hogwarts Legacy for castle layout and travel in Harry Potter fan-works
Does anyone else use the Hogwarts Legacy map to determine paths through or Hogwarts castle, or around the grounds, for their fan-works?
I've been using it a bit while also trying to adjust some of the classroom locations to better fit with the books. Some things though, like the pathways from the Great Hall to the Owlery are still very standard though, and the map works great to estimate how long it would take.
The only annoying part is that, although I've played the game through three times now, I still don't have the castle memorized very well. So, I've started running the pathways for my OC Diana several times before writing them and I feel like it's helped.
That being said, if anyone needs a path run for their own stories, I'm happy to give it a go. It might take a bit, and I'll have to learn how to post a video here (or I could just link it) but I feel like it would be good practice for me while helping others out who might not have the game or want to spend the time.
The air inside the space was cool and dry, and smelled subtly of cedar chips and mothballs. Diana’s wand cast light onto a small room filled with furniture hidden by white, dust-covered cloth. She took a hesitant step farther in and found a candle-less candelabra, which she lit with a flick of her wand.
The room was instantly filled with warmth and golden light; every other candelabra had lit itself automatically and even the fireplace, which Diana had not noticed until that moment, crackled with a large, warm fire.
What is this place? Diana wondered to herself as she crept about the room. She lifted the corner of one of the dust cloths to find a writing desk. It was ornated, but with the kind of subtlety that spoke of restraint and modesty. She ran her hands along a swirling pattern of vines and flowers, appreciating the craftsmanship.
Suddenly, there was a loud CRACK and Diana, startled, jumped backwards and tripped over the covered chair, falling to the ground and scrambling for her wand. When she’d found her feet, she looked around, heart pounding, to find the source of the sound.
“Twinkles?!" Diana squawked in confusion. The elf stood before her, arms crossed over her linen blouse, and face the picture of a scolding soon to happen. “What are you doing here?” Diana lowered her wand and walked over to sit by the elf.
“I could ask you the same, young lady.” Twinkles said in a tone that suggested Diana should know better.
“What do you mean? What is this place?”
“You shouldn’t be here. Your grandfather sent me to see what you were up to.”
“Why shouldn’t I be here?” Diana asked, curious now.
“Don’t ask questions; I don’t have all the answers. You know better than to go poking around places you don’t know.” The elf nudged Diana backup and began to shoo her towards the exit which had become a heavy wooden door, carved with swirling snakes, some intertwined and hidden amongst flowers and grass near the bottom, one climbing its way up the hinges as though it were set to ambush the next person to enter the chamber.
“I wasn’t poking around. I just saw a crack in the wall and it led to this place.” Diana defended herself.
“Yes, that’s called poking around.” Twinkles said contemptuously as she swatted Diana closer to the door.
“But Twinkles, how does Grandfather know I was here.” The though made Diana stop dead in her tracks and the elf collided with the back of her leg.
Twinkles paused, hands on her hips, clearly wishing Diana had not taken notice of the comment. She pursed her lips for a moment before tutting and saying, “Your grandfather knew about this room when he was at school. It’s been shut off for a very long time now, and for a very good reason. If he says you should not be here, you should listen.”
Diana’s eyebrows furrowed. “But-,” She had no time to ask more questions however, as Twinkles put her full weight into the backs of Diana’s legs and shoved, pushing Diana through the doorway as the door itself magically opened outward.
As the door swung open, it seemed to vanish, and as Diana herself fell forward out of the doorway, she tripped on the invisible doorframe and fell onto cold, stone floor of the castle. She looked behind her for Twinkles and the door, but neither were there; the crack in the wall had also vanished. Diana picked herself up off the floor and dusted off, quite miffed. She now had more questions than ever and still nowhere suitable to riddling them out.
Throwing her hands up in frustration, Diana scoffed out a laugh and continued down the hallway. At this point, she might as well have simply returned the way she came and gone back up the Great Hall for an early dinner, but instead, she continued down the hallway towards a set of stairs that would lead her up towards the Entrance Hall and the long way around. She had too much on her mind to sit just yet, and she hoped she would run into Tonks or another of her new companions to distract her.
Diana found her way to the Great Hall without finding her friends or any other thing that might lighten her mood. However, she did find a delicious looking toffee pudding at dinner that she had been excited to try before Peeves had swooped past and broke wind on it. Diana was not the only one to express her disappointment, and thirty-five points had to be taken from Slytherin, along with many threats of detention, to end the onslaught of edible projectiles aimed at Peeves who, himself, had to be chased out by the Bloody Baron.
As she left the hall, bitter at the loss of the pudding and the points, Diana was taken by surprise as Tonks hurried up beside her, clapping her one the back and laughing hard.
“That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Sorry, you lot lost points though; if it’d been me in charge, I’d have given you some for that!” She lost herself in another fit of giggles which had become contagious. “I bet Peeves thinks himself a right genius about now. Did you see that poor first year that got in the way? Bless him, he’ll learn I suppose. Oh, by the way-,” Tonks paused her excited chatter and pulled Diana to a halt. “I brought you some from our table!”
Diana, still laughing at her friend’s babbling, looked down to see Tonks pulling a napkin-wrapped lump out of her pocket. She peeled the cloth away from the sticky sweet; it was slightly smushed and toffee glaze oozed down the side and covered much of the once white napkin.
“Good thing you didn’t save any ice cream.” Diana said, taking the sweet and pinching off a corner; it was indeed as heavenly as it looked.
As the two girls stood to the side of the doors to the Great Hall, pinching off bites of the pudding and still giggling about the chaos Peeves had caused and wondering if the Baron was still chasing him down, a group of little Slytherin First Years passed, laughing and teasing one of the boys among them.
“Good thing that wasn’t a Bludger!” One shouted
“Yeah, Flint, you’d better work on that if you ever want to make the team!” Another taunted
The boy – Diana noticed he was the same First Year that had been caught in the crossfire - looked slightly harassed, but laughed along with his friends, and returning their jabs with his own. As he turned his head to look back at one of his companions, Diana and Tonks saw that the entire left side of his face was plastered with icing from some desert or another.
Both girls had to turn away quickly to avoid bursting out in laughter at the poor kid. Tears were streaming from Diana’s face by the time the huddle of First Years had passed, and it took moment to recover enough to finish her dessert without choking on laughter again. She was loath to say goodbye once they’d finished, wanting very much to continue laughing and enjoying the company of someone pleasant. It therefore delighted Diana when Tonks invited her to spend some time with the same little group from the day before.
“We’re going to go watch the Gryffindor tryouts; Charlie is trying for seeker again this year. He was a walk-on last year and did really great.”
“I remember that! That was a really long game.” Diana thought back to the last game with Gryffindor the year before; Slytherin had beaten both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw by a decent amount, and the game with Gryffindor had gone nearly the same, but had lasted nearly six hours. They’d had to call for a break three times because of the heat as well.
Charlie, who Diana had noted seemed to have grown a lot since then, had been a substitute for the Gryffindor Seventh Year Seeker who’d had a mental breakdown leading up to his N.E.W.T.s and had been confined to the hospital wing by Madam Pomfrey until the exams were done. Charlie had walked onto the field as a last-ditch hope and walked off a hero to his team after misleading the Slytherin Seeker multiple times before pulling an incredibly close win just as Gryffindor made the final score that would allow them to tally a win.
Agreeing to meet with Tonks and the others in the main hall after breakfast, Diana bid her friend goodnight and the two parted for their common rooms. As she made her way back down the stairs to the dungeons, Diana found herself wondering what she might wear tomorrow. She hoped the weather would be nice; if it was, she could wear the pretty new blouse and skirt she’d received for her birthday.
Diana enjoyed the lovely day just about as long as one could expect for the time of year and location; around lunchtime clouds began to roll in on a chilly, breeze and by the time she’d finished a quick sandwich, the rain had begun pattering on the windows and roof tiles.
As she left to find a new study spot, Diana peered across the Great Hall, towards the Hufflepuff table, but she did not see any sign of Tonks. Craning her neck, she tried to see past that table and over to the Gryffindor table on the opposite end of the hall. It was hard to see past all the other students still gathered for lunch, however, so she was unable to tell if Charlie was seated among the rest of his house. Not that she would go over to say anything; they’d only just met after all and it would likely just take him off guard if she walked up to say hello. Diana decided it would be best to wait until she’d been invited to join them a few more times before wandering aimlessly up to any of her new friends, especially Charlie.
She left the Great Hall and turned towards the library. Though Diana expected it to be busy, it being a Saturday and all, and especially now with the rain, but she found it quite deserted for a change. Taking full advantage of the anomaly, Diana quickly found and secured a comfortable little corner, well away from Madam Pince, and near a cozy fireplace. It was a very desirable spot, and she knew she’d likely be pressured out by Seventh Years as the day went on and they came to retrieve books from the restricted section, which was nearby; nevertheless, she settled in and enjoyed the comfort and silence until well into the afternoon.
Having had enough time to organize all her homework and complete the assignments she’d need for her Monday classes, Diana didn’t complain when she finally became surrounded by older students. None of them said anything, but she heard a shuffling of movement as she rounded the corner to leave, and knew her seat had been immediately claimed by someone else. Laughing softly to herself, Diana wondered what she might do with the rest of her afternoon as dinner was still at least two hours away.
Thinking she might like to find a book, Diana wandered among the shelves, browsing thick, aged tomes of information. As she paced the aisles, she noted passing Johnathan more than a few times. He said nothing, but each time they passed, he would hurry off in another direction.
After a bit, Diana became annoyed, and the next time they met down a side aisle, she whispered angrily, “What do you want?”
Johnathan opened his mouth as if to respond, but closed it quickly and turned to rush away again. Diana, however, was quick and caught hold of his sleeve before he could get too far away. She pulled him back into the aisle and put herself between him and the exit.
Folding her arms and glaring at him, she demanded an answer once again, in a harsh whisper, “What do you want, Johnathan?”
“Nothing. I just- I’m just trying to find a book is all.” He fidgeted with his book bag nervously. Diana did not break her stare. “Ok, fine. I was trying to pass you a note; happy?”
“No.” she said bluntly. For she was not happy with the response; neither was she convinced it was the complete answer. She blinked, waiting for him to continue.
Johnathan huffed a sigh, and mumbled something under his breath about her being difficult and opening his bag to dig roughly through it. He pulled another note from his bag, giving Diana a sense of Déjà vu from their last meeting, and thrust it towards her grudgingly. She took it and began to unfold the square of parchment, but Johnathan reached out to stop her.
“Not here. Or at least, let me leave first. I could get into so much trouble doing this.” He seemed genuinely nerve-wracked, and Diana wondered why it was such a big deal.
However, she did not let him pass. Instead, she glanced at the aisleway behind her to ensure no one was near enough to pay them any attention before pulling her wand out. She pointed it first at Johnathan to ensure he stayed put, then flicked it at the aisle exit behind her mumbling a simple barrier spell to ensure a moment of privacy from any potential eavesdroppers.
Only when she had made certain no one had noticed did Diana speak again. “Pick a book and pretend to read it.” She ordered Johnathan. He looked at her blankly for a moment as she chose a book at random off the shelf and leaned up against the shelf to better see the aisleway. Diana gave him a gave him a sharp look and he followed suit.
They stood in the silence for a moment; each pretending to read or examine a page. Once Diana was certain the coast was clear, she placed the newest not into the crease of her book and unfolded it.
I cannot utter a single word about any of this, so please, please don’t try to ask me again. They made me swear. Writing alone is testing the limits.
28 Limbs on and old oak tree
Many more you cannot see
If to many branches grow too close together
They may end up weaker than ever
The strongest boughs end up broken and cracked
When too many times they’ve been pruned and hacked
But who decides which limbs to keep or to cull
The woodsman’s axe was always dull
If too many branches he mangles and severs
The tree will die; please be clever
Diana read the parchment twice, then spoke again. “Really? A poem?” She said with mild disgust.
“I didn’t know how else to tell you.” Johnathan said defensively. “I literally cannot say what I’m trying to tell you. I don’t know if that means I can’t write it or not, but I couldn’t really ask and I wasn’t taking any chances.” He slammed his book shut, no longer pretending to read. “Happy now?”
Her answer remained no, but she kept that to herself, choosing instead to say, “Next time, just tell me if you need to sneak me a note. Say you need to borrow ingredients or something.” She returned her book to the shelf and turned to remove the barrier so they could leave.
Before waving the charm away, she added, “And please, next time can we skip the rhyming? There has to be a better way for you to put down your cryptic clues.”
Diana left Johnathan standing in the little side aisle and exited the library. Though she was still thoroughly annoyed with his sneaking and his odd little messages, she got the feeling that he was trapped in very serious situation, though she still could not imagine what. The way he’d spoken made it seem like he’d been coerced into making an Unbreakable Vow. But what on Earth could require that of a thirteen-year-old Wizard, Diana could not imagine.
She wound her way through the main hallways and past a courtyard where it still rained heavily. Diana paced the halls until she found herself back at the Slytherin Common room. It was still a while until lunch, but she did not want to spend it in a crowded space. In fact, she was keen to pick apart the poem, even if she had nowhere to start. She turned and walked down one of the dungeon hallways that would lead back around and up to the upper floors and towers.
As she wandered along the hallway, Diana noticed a little crevice that seemed to shimmer and disappear as she passed. She paused and took two steps back; it reappeared. Checking to be certain she was alone in the hall, Diana walked over to where the crack had appeared in the old, but otherwise pristine stone wall. The crack itself seemed to widen as Diana approached it; like a door opening to greet her.
Hesitantly, she peered into the void beyond but found nothing. She took a graphite stick from her bag and stuck it into the blackness. When nothing happened, she tossed it fully in. She heard the soft plink as it hit the stone floor, but nothing else happened. Diana looked around once more, then pulling her wand from her bag she cast Lumos and stepped through.
This would have been the last time that Harry and Draco squared off until Harry was brought to Malfoy Manor in Deathly Hallows. It stands to reason why he would be so nervous once Harry is free. Draco could have very easily attacked Harry, but he kind of just chickens out. (At least as far as the movies- I really need to re-read the books). His last memory of Harry "all bright, shiny, and new" was when Harry almost killed him.
It's a detail that may not necessarily have been put in the films with that entertain, but it definitely works.
Diana hurried from bed, throwing on a skirt and jumper, and all but ran to breakfast. She only just made it in time for the morning post to arrive, and to her great relief, there was finally something for her. A small Tawny Owl fumbled a landing, barely dodging her porridge and toast. Though it’s landing was rough, the bird itself was quite lovely. It hooted softly and extended its left leg to offer her a bundle of four letters.
Diana took the letters, patiently untying them from the owl’s leg as it flapped and wobbled, struggling to stay balanced. It was clearly very young, but excited to prove itself. Once Diana had unfastened the letters, she made room for the little owl to take off, moving her cup and bowl; however, it remained, ruffling its feathers and preening. She left room for whenever it decided to take flight, and began opening her letters in the order they were written.
September 1 :
My dearest Diana,
I do hope your ride back to Hogwarts went well. It was my intention to surprise you with this gift on your first day back at school, however, it seems the young creature was having a bit of trouble… digesting. As soon as he is well, I shall have Twinkles send him along. You will need to give him a name and, I dare say, a lot of attention and care. The clerk at Eyelop’s gave us great assurances that the bird will grow to a more dependable size, though I think he should never be too large as to be ostentatious. Do write us to say how he manages.
Wishing you the best.
With love,
Your Grandfather.
Diana placed the letter aside, smiling and reaching out to pet the bird gently. “I suppose we shall have to name you then.” The bird closed its eyes, enjoying the attention. “We’ll work on that later.”
The second letter was from September 2nd, and it read as follows:
My dearest Diana,
I was glad to hear your train ride this year saw some improvement in company. I do hope you enjoyed your first week of lessons; I was notified by the Deputy Headmistress that revisions were made to your schedule – is anything the matter?
Regarding your second letter: I may have lost quite a bit to age, but I remain quite sensible and your most recent writings home left much to be desired by way of encouragement.
Please, if you need to speak with me, do not hesitate.
With love,
Your Grandfather.
Diana laughed quietly to herself. She’d have a much less depressing letter to send now that she had something good to share. She couldn’t wait to tell him about the friends she’d finally made; though she wondered if she should share it so soon, for it seemed like bad luck to do so. Either way, at least she would have a more positive tone now, when writing about her week.
She turned over the third letter; it was also from September 2nd:
Miss Diana,
You should know that your grandfather finally consented to seeing a specialist and we visited St. Mungo’s yesterday, after you left. He was given a mild tonic for his bones and was encouraged to continue moving about and spending a time outside when the weather is mild. The tonic seems to be providing some relief and he even insisted on visiting Diagon Alley after. Please write back soon to tell us how the owl is doing; I had my own private concerns about the feather-ball.
I hope you are in better spirits and taking care of yourself. Do not give me reason to come check on you.
Twinkles
Diana beamed. Finally, some good news about her grandfather! She had lost count of the number of times she’d begged him to see a healer. Though whatever tonic they’d given him seemed only to help with the pain, she was glad, at least, to hear he was feeling a bit better.
The final letter, Diana noticed as she turned it over, was made from a different stationary than the others. She opened it curious to find:
5, September,
To the recipient of this owl and its letters,
Your bird was found harassing the Muggle Postman at his office here in Blairgowrie on Wednesday. Poor thing must have come from a seller that taught it old offices; this one’s been closed for near on a decade. It’s still a common enough occurrence though, and the wife and I pose as bird specialists to help manage the problem.
We took good care of the wee dear until he was ready to continue. Be sure to let him grow some more before sending it clear across the country again. They can be eager to get to work, but Tawny’s can struggle a bit when they’re young. Be sure to give him a few treats now and then.
Mr. and Mrs. Mercer
Diana looked back up at the owl. He was now bobbing his head and ogling the bits of food along the table. Diana offered him a sliver of bacon, a boiled egg, and a piece of toast, none of which he seemed at all interested in.
“Guess I’ll have to get you some mice or something.” She petted the bird again and wondered what she might name it. Would it care what name she chose? She’d heard that owls usually had a preference, but wasn’t sure if that was more relative to adult birds. She decided to test a few.
“What would you say to being called Felix?” Diana asked the owl, who only ignored her. She tried again, “Silas? Merlin? Sebastian? Oh, come now, those are all good names!” She defended herself when the owl turned its back on her. “If I can’t think of a good one, I guess I’ll have to send you back to be a Mercer.” The owl turned its head back around to face her, and hooted again, gently. “Really? Mercer?” Another hoot. “Guess it could be worse. Mercer it is then.” Diana shook her head, grinning, and the owl turned back towards her to receive another pat which he returned with an affectionate nibble.
With breakfast finished, letters read, and owl named, Diana took Mercer and walked with him on her arm up to the owlery. He did not seem to keen on being left alone there though, and it took a few tries to detach him from her sleeve. She promised to return with something for him to eat around nightfall and he finally settled into a corner roost to rest. When she was certain he was asleep, Diana fished a quill and stationery from her bag and scribbled a quick letter home which she sent furtively with a school bird.
Dearest Grandfather,
Thank you so much for the owl; he really is a beautiful bird!
She briefly recounted the letter from the wizarding family in Blairgowrie.
And so, that was how we settled on his name, “Mercer”. I left the poor thing to rest a bit longer, hence the school owl.
I was glad to finally receive your other letters and to hear you have been feeling a bit better. Hearing so was a welcome addition to a week of fluctuating levels of positivity. This first week started off a bit rough, but you will be glad to hear that things have improved greatly. I am truly enjoying my new classes, though the homework will take some effort to manage. Professor McGonagall was kind enough to sort out a problem with my schedule, and now I am able to enjoy both the classes I like and the classes that Professor Snape thought I should take.
I hope to have more good news for you next week, though I may not be able to send letters as often until Mercer grows a bit stronger. The first trip to Hogsmeade is usually the first week of October; I shall be sure to visit a shop there to procure supplies and advice for his care.
With love,
Diana
After she’d sent her letter off and ensured her own owl remained comfortably asleep, Diana left the owlery to hike back down to the school for a day of study. She often found solace in the safety of the library’s enforced behavior and silence. This time, however, she found herself with the desire to sit out on the lawn and enjoy the sun and songbirds. It was a lovely day and Diana was in the best of spirits; she’d even forgotten all about the odd note from Johnathan, which she’d meant to write about in her letter home. It wasn’t until that evening that she would be reminded of the warning and finally understand its meaning.
As Bob Ross once said, "There are no mistakes, only happy little accidents."
Although I'm not incorporating Hogwarts Mystery as a hard reference, it came to the rescue in finding someone to help me correct my accidental early introduction of Percy. All chapters involving Percy have now been modified to incorporate Virgil Fowler and interactions have been adjusted to manage that as well. I apologize for any previous or future confusion. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story, and I promise Percy will return.
It appears I have made an error in working out ages and years. When I originally sat and worked out all the dates, I had Diana a year younger than tonks and Bill. However, when I decided that I wanted Diana and Tonks to become friends a bit sooner and be in classes together I forgot to take into account that that would put Percy coming to school a year early.
There are other plot lines that this will cause me to have to adjust later on to make certain things work, but for now I'm just going to be rewriting the scenes with Percy to make him a different character. This should not affect anything that is already written and will only cause some minor adjustments moving forward.
Don't worry though, I have a plan! Sort of. I think.
Diana met up with Tonks and her friends beside the lake, just after five thirty. Besides Tonks, whose hair had finally returned to its usual shade, there was also another Hufflepuff, who introduced himself as Billy Maeven and spent most of dinner apologizing repetitively for damaging Tonks’s Potions essay. There was also a Ravenclaw named Penelope Mayworth, who was a Fourth Year, but had grown up with Third year Gryffindor, Melody Hutchison, as neighbors. Penelope – or Pen, as she liked to be called – was a Half-blood whose father had died during the war and whose mother had raised her in the Muggle world, hoping to keep her safe. Melody was a Muggle girl that lived down the street and the two had become great friends when they’d each discovered the other could do “magic tricks”. The two girls were initially a bit hesitant of Diana, as she had not had time to change out of her Slytherin robes, however, after sharing her own stories of playing with her Muggle neighbors and entertaining them with her own accidental displays of magic, Pen and Melody’s attitude warmed a bit.
The five of them had only just finished introductions and begun setting out the food each person had brought, when another member of the group appeared. She knew him from double lessons with Gryffindor, though they’d never spoken; his name was Charlie, and he was the seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He sat and introduced himself properly, shaking her hand after dumping his own sack of pilfered goods onto the picnic blanket Melody had laid out. His hand was warm, and Diana felt her neck flush under her hair.
“Your brother was in our flying lesson.” Tonks said to Charlie, who laughed in response.
“Yeah, Bill still thinks he can get a job at Gringotts. Dad tells him all the time to manage his expectation, but Mum recons he’ll give up on it before he graduates anyway.”
“Bill is your brother?” Diana asked, feeling stupid for not having realized that. They both had the same red hair, though Bills was quite straight and long compared to Charlie’s short mess of curls.
“Yeah, he’s the oldest. There are actually six of us, plus Jenny. Percy is the next, after me; he'll start next year.” He passed out bottles of iced Pumpkin Juice as he spoke.
“He’s a Prefect too, isn’t he; I met him on the train.” Diana laughed as she recounted her interesting interactions on the Hogwarts Express.
Bill rolled his eyes and laughed, saying, “Yeah, that’s Bill; always playing big brother and embarrassing someone. And to think some kids think he’s cool. Poor First Year, hope his first week has gone alright. If I had a Galleon, I’d put it down that Bill has checked on that kid at least three times a day.”
The party sat by the lake till nearly nightfall. They chatted about classes and about how their summers were. Charlie teased Tonks that if she made the Hufflepuff team, the House Cup would be an easy win for Gryffindor; Diana interjected to point out that Gryffindor had already lost sixty-five points that week and were currently in the negative. He only laughed, saying it was for a worthy cause. Whatever that meant, Diana would have to ask later; the clock tower rang out, marking seven thirty, and they all swiftly collected their refuse and hurried inside, calling out goodbyes as they each went off to their common rooms.
Diana hurried alone, down to the dungeons and made it into the Slytherin common room, just as the clock struck eight. She hoped the others all made it in time. Passing the sofas and cushioned chairs, she made her way into her dormitory. The three of the four other girls that inhabited the dorm were still out in the common room, it seemed. The last was in bed, emitting little puffs of smoke from her ears; Diana thought it was a bit early for flu season, but quietly snuck over to her own bed and trunk, careful not to disturb the sleeping girl.
When she’d gathered the things she’d need for the showers, she slipped back out, locking her school bag into her trunk before leaving. She showered, brushed her teeth, and plaited her hair back for bed. Looking in the mirror, she caught sight of her eyes and looked away quickly. It wasn’t that her eyes themselves bothered her, she just could not look at them, no matter how hard she tried. When she did, she got a terrible feeling deep in her stomach and that made her panic about fears she couldn’t quite place. A floor covered in dark liquid, the smell of musty, old wood, the feeling that she had forgotten something very important. It made her want to cry, it made her want to scream, it made her want to forget. So, every time Diana saw her eyes in a reflection, she’d look away, wondering why it was she felt that way for a few moments before involuntarily losing focus on the matter.
When she’d finished in the washroom and returned to her dorm, Diana retrieved her satchel from her trunk and slipped into the warm, soft sheets of her bed. She pulled the curtains closed, leaving only a sliver for light, and pulled Johnathan’s note from her bag. She did not want to read it; she did not want to worry more. But she knew he’d only pester her until she did, and a wry part of her wanted to know what was being said about her. She uncrumpled it and flattened it across her lap to read:
The adults are discussing where you’ll stay. They know about your grandfather. They know about your name. You need to start making friends now. The Ministry is corrupt; it will not take your side.
Diana read and reread the note several times. What on Earth could it possibly mean. She folded it in quarters and tucked it into her bag which she returned to her trunk and which she locked securely before returning to bed. The line about her grandfather was obvious. He was ill and had been for a time; it was nothing new, and anyone who knew him could tell. He refused treatment at St. Mungo’s time after time, and Diana knew he was deteriorating faster now than ever. But what could Johnathan have meant by, they know about your name? Her name was Smith, which was, admittedly, an odd name for a Pureblood Witch, though she simply assumed somewhere along the line there had been a Muggle to marry in; it wasn’t unheard of, after all.
Perhaps he meant to indicate that? And the line about the Ministry being corrupt was little more than a joke; every one knew that! But why would adults be discussing where she would stay? Her gut twisted, thinking of her grandfather and lack of letters from home. What if something had happened, and she had simply not been notified yet? But then, why hadn’t Twinkles come to tell her? The Elf would never have left Diana in the dark if something had befallen her grandfather; Diana worried now that something may have happened to the both of them.
Also on Ao3
Curling up into a ball beneath her downy blankets, Diana squeezed her eyes shut and focused on her breathing. She would not cry again. Crying did nothing but give others something to talk about, and worrying only made her feel sick. She could not help but worry though, and though she tried her best to relax and get some sleep, she spent most of the night in restless discomfort, thinking of all the terrible things that might have happened. Sometime in the early morning hours, she finally drifted off, and when she woke, the sun was well into the sky.
After making her way to the Muggle Studies classroom, dallying along the way so that she would not be too early, Diana took a seat in one of the more normal looking desks, though it still felt more like the tables at the muggle restaurants. Around her, the class filled up and a few classmates turned around or leaned over to tease about Diana’s embarrassing incident from the previous class meeting. Diana laughed with them and was delighted to feel included in the humor for a change, and not just the center of the joke.
As Professor Quirrell joined them and everyone settled into silence, Tonks slipped in and joined Diana at the little table-desk. This surprised Diana, though she did not let it show. She said nothing to Tonks, but when the girl gave her a sad, puffy-eyed smile, she returned it sympathetically.
Class began with Quirrell scribbling a lot of nonsense words on the chalkboard and reading them aloud. As he read each one, he tapped the board with his wand and a definition appeared next to the word. He gave brief summaries of each, taking small pauses to further elaborate and answer questions, and even getting side tracked once or twice. Diana took notes silently and Tonks did the same.
At some point, while clarifying the difference between telegraph, telephone and television, Professor Quirrell got distracted and went down a rabbit hole explaining all the different ways muggles had learned to communicate over long distances without magic. “They did use birds at some points, as well. They were a bit less reliant, but, admittedly a good bit faster in most cases.”
The class took notes as he rambled on, happily answering questions and never once losing his patience at the frequent distractions. A few times, Diana noticed Tonks’s attention wandering, and during one of Quirrell’s tangents (this time resulting in him pulling out a chart to show how a bicycle worked) she felt a tap at her elbow. She looked down and saw Tonks holding out a small scrap of parchment, folded in half. Though she wasn’t accustomed to passing notes in class, Diana took the note and found a moment when Quirrell’s was turned towards the bicycle diagram to risk reading it.
It read,
Thanks for the sandwich.
Diana glanced over, but Tonks had her head resting on her hand and was looking forward, with a look of mild boredom.
Diana penned a response,
Anytime.
Pausing, she decided to add,
I’m really sorry about earlier. I should have said something.
Then she folded the scrap again and passed it back, careful to do so discretely.
It took a few moments for another response, each participant taking a few notes in the interim. Finally, Diana felt another tap and took the note again.
Don’t be. It’s not like Snape would have listened. It probably would have only made things worse.
Anyway, I’m meeting up with a few other friends at dinner. I’m going to lift some stuff from the kitchens so we can eat by the lake. If you want, you’re welcome to join.
Diana risked another glance over. Tonks shot her an encouraging smile, which was returned by Diana’s own timid smile and nod of agreement. She hadn’t been invited to join other kids since before Hogwarts. A spring of excitement bubbled up inside her at the idea and she quickly jotted an extra line onto the now cramped parchment scrap.
I’ve got one more class after this (flying), but I think I can get back to my dorm before dinner; I’ve got a load of sweets I’ll never be able to finish alone.
Tonks grinned and scribbled back.
I’m taking flying lessons again this year too! I think I might try out for quidditch again. Glad I’ll have a friend to practice with.
After that, the two girls returned their full focus to the class at hand and Diana noticed that Tonks’s hair, though not entirely back to its usual shade, had lightened a good bit. Diana made a mental note to ask about it one day; she hoped it wouldn’t be a rude thing to ask.
………….
When Muggle Studies ended and Professor Quirrell had taken up their homework and assigned them their work for the next week, the Diana and Tonks walked together down to the courtyard lawn where their flying lessons would take place. Normally, students only took the elective as a mandatory class in their first year – or second if they did not pass the aptitude test as first years. However, the elective was not a commonly chosen one after that, and as such, the lessons would now have them combined with students from older years, mainly older students looking to satisfy future job requirements by learning advanced maneuvers.
Diana and Tonks, along with Johnathan Mason, and a Ravenclaw named Samridhi Thakkar were the only Third Years. They were the youngest by three years and found themselves huddled together as the rest of the students milled about. Diana noted that one of the Sixth Year Gryffindors was the same older boy who’d inadvertently rescued her from the little First Year, Virgil, on the Hogwarts Express. Bill, he said he was called.
As the four Third Years lingered on the outer edge of the class, they exchanged a few mild attempts at conversation. Tonks chatted happily to Diana about how she was hoping the class would improve her chances at making the Hufflepuff team; Diana thought the class itself might get in the way of practice, but Tonks quite confidently assured her the team always met in the mornings on weekends.
When at last Madam Hooch appeared and called the class to order, the four of them joined the class, careful not to get in the way of their senior classmates who were keen on taking the better brooms. Samridhi grumbled something about getting left the trash brooms and Johnathan grunted his agreement, but none of them protested. Once they all had brooms, they followed Madam Hooch to an area of the lawn that seemed to be sorted into sections, each containing a different obstacle or portable chalk board with a diagram of what they should do.
“Alright, everybody. Here’s how this is going to work!” Madam Hooch spoke with unquestionable authority. “This elective is different than any other you might take here at Hogwarts. You all have different levels of experience and capability and as such, you will each be assigned different tasks specific to your own strengths and weaknesses. Now, which of you are here for Ministry requirements?” She turned her focus towards the older students, particularly the Seventh Years.
A few students raised their hands and she ushered them over to begin the basic course, watching each of them complete it quickly before sending them down to begin the complicated-looking obstacle course at the far end of the field. The Sixth and Third Years waited patiently for her to return, fidgeting with brooms and whispering amongst each other.
“What all kind of talent could you possibly need on a broom to work for the Ministry?” Tonks thought aloud. “I mean, it’s really mostly desk work, after all.”
“There are plenty of jobs that require advanced flying skills,” someone said.
Several heads, Diana’s included, turned towards the speaker. Bill was squinting down the lawn, observing the trials the Seventh Years were now attempting, one at a time, under the careful eye of their professor.
“Like what?” Johnathan asked from the other side of Tonks.
“Well, there’s Aurors for a start; got to be mad skilled all around to be one. Any field job with Magical Law Enforcement, really. Pretty much the entirety of Department of Magical Games and Sports, although they usually get former quidditch players, and they don’t need this class. Department of Magical Transportation, obviously, even if they do spend most of their time in the office.” He trailed off, clearly focused on the wild maneuvers happening across the lawn.
“Is that why you’re taking the class then?” Tonks asked, curious.
“No, I don’t think I’ll work for the Ministry.” He turned to give them a mischievous grin. “I want to be a curse breaker.”
A couple of his peers snickered or rolled their eyes. One of his fellow Gryffindors said, “You’ll still end up working for the Ministry doing that,” sounding as though he’d told Bill this many times.
“Not if I work for Gringotts.” Bill said, equally as stubborn.
“I’ve said it before: they’ll never hire a Wizard. They don’t think were good enough.”
“Still gonna try.” Bill shrugged, smiling. His friend rolled his eyes again, shaking his head.
Tonks opened her mouth to speak again, but Madam Hooch was already back. She organized the Sixth years into groups based on their own goals, and set about getting them started on their own course. Diana and her fellow Third Years watched patiently and waited for her to return again. When she finally did, she guided them over to the chalkboards and had them do repetitions of basic exercises from their first flying lessons until she was satisfied with their competence. Only then did she break down the new set of exercises on the chalkboards and leave them to practice while she made rounds checking on each of the three groups.
The next hour and a half were filled with shouted corrections, several failed attempts, a few good bruises, and quite a bit of laughter. The four of them, though they may not have otherwise talked, found themselves coaching each other through exercise after exercise, and giving both good advice and bad – though the bad was not intentional – and when the bell rang for the end of the class period, they all staggered back towards the castle together.
As they entered the main hall, Diana and Tonks paused to chat for a moment about what sweets Diana should bring and where she would find the others. On her way back down to the Slytherin Common room, however, Diana was intercepted by Johnathan, who was waiting in a quieter part of the hall. As soon as he noticed her, waved her over quite hurriedly; she obliged, joining him in a corner, where a statue was tucked into the stone wall.
“Did you get my note?” He whispered, sounding a touch frantic.
“Note?” Diana parroted, before remembering the crumpled lump of parchment from earlier that morning. “Oh, your note! I did. Though I hadn’t fully assumed it was for me.”
“You didn’t read it then?” He sounded slightly annoyed. “I’m trying to help you out here.”
“What do you mean by 'help', exactly? I saw your last note, and it didn’t make any sense.” Diana crossed her arms.
“Just read the new note.” Jonathan fussed, glancing about for any eavesdroppers.
“Why can’t you tell me what it says now? If it’s so important, just tell me what it is I need to worry about.” Diana could feel her temper rising.
“I don’t have time. Just read the note,” he pleaded and then turned to go, leaving her in the little divot beside the statue.
Also on Ao3
Annoyed, Diana waited a few moments, to ensure he was gone, before following him down the hall and into the Slytherin Common room. She knew her mood would likely be ruined if she read Johnathan’s second note. So, wanting to maintain her high spirits for her meeting with Tonks’s other friends, she hurried into her dorm, gathered up the agreed-upon treats, and ignored the note in her satchel entirely. She could worry about it later.
The rest of the day, and even the next passed quite uneventfully, to Diana’s great relief. Charms was a normal affair, though there was a lack of accidents, and dinner came and went without further humiliation by Snape. After Double Transfiguration on the following afternoon, Professor McGonagall spoke briefly to Diana to ensure she felt she could manage with the extra class, to which Diana assured her she would be fine, though she knew she’d need to stay highly focused on her coursework lest it begin to pile up.
After classes on Thursday, Diana had her supper early and snuck off to sit by the Black Lake for a bit before dark. The squid was unusually active and many students were amusing themselves by tossing bits of food to it to see what it might like. Toast was what school lore said it preferred, but it seemed perfectly happy to accept some of the soggy offerings of cake thrown in by a few Ravenclaw first years.
Diana jotted down some of her thoughts on the foods she’d tried in Muggle Studies, then went on to revise her Potions essay; she’d finalize it once she got to the common room and had a better space to work. A chill was already threatening the Highlands, and soon they’d have little to no daylight to enjoy after dinner. Diana wanted to take advantage the last of the warm weather while it lasted so she stayed until the last of the students had gone in, and the final rays of sun where behind the mountains surrounding Hogwarts. She left just enough time to make it to the Slytherin common room before curfew, hoping the more troublesome of her peers would already have gone to bed, or at the very least begun to focus on their own last-minute assignments.
However, when she arrived, the common room was still quite full though thankfully, quiet. She was unable to find a writing desk to herself, and so Diana joined a few older students studying diligently at a larger table. They wasted no energy noticing her, and she set about penning her final revisions of Snape’s assignment. She did notice, though, a rather snobbish-looking group of students huddled together across the room and whispering with their heads close together, all the while looking over in her direction. Her stomach twisted nervously as she remembered the warning she’d received from Johnathan; she’d nearly forgotten about it after the fun she’d had that afternoon. Diana hoped they were discussing someone else. She finished her essay as quickly as she could and hurried off to bed.
…………….
Diana rose early again the next morning and went down to breakfast early. She lingered only briefly to see if an owl would arrive for her; when none did, she made her way down towards the dungeons, dejectedly awaiting Double Potions. She wondered whether everything was alright at home, and her stomach knotted, threatening to return her bacon and toast.
Diana sat along the cool and quiet, stone corridor near the dungeon classroom, shivering slightly at the chill. Her thoughts of home, which had followed her down, were interrupted along with the silence, when someone called out.
“Wotcher!” Diana easily recognized the bright pink hair and cheerful personality of the girl she’d met in Muggle Studies.
“Hello, Tonks.” Diana smiled as the bubbly Hufflepuff joined her on the floor.
“You get the essay done alright?” Tonks asked as she began rummaging through her school bag, which Diana noticed was covered in doodles and little hand-stitched creatures.
“I think so. And you?”
“I did, but then Billy Maeven decided it would make for a nice enchanted paper bird and it ended up in someone first years breakfast.” She pulled out a stained and folded bit of parchment and began flattening it out. “I should have time to copy it down again.” She mused, checking her watch.
Diana smiled in sympathy, knowing that Tonks would absolutely need to fully copy it onto fresh parchment before class if she wanted any marks at all. Snape had no patience for untidy work and had a reputation for simply disposing of anything he found a waste of time, be it rubbish, a misplaced ladle, a potion gone wrong, or disheveled homework.
The two sat in silence, Tonks scribbling away on fresh parchment, and Diana reviewing her own essay for any errors, until the hall began to fill with their fellow classmates. Johnathan Mason stood nearby and Diana eyed him warily from her peripheral. He showed no attempts at trying to get her attention, but Diana noticed him rolling something over and over in his hand, though she could not make out what it was past his sleeve.
When Snape finally opened the classroom door, everyone who’d sat down to work on their essay began to pack up. Diana rolled her parchment up neatly and sealed it with a tap and stood, while Tonks scrambled to finish the final lines of her copied essay. Several others were doing the same, some finishing their first attempt, some crossing things out to make changes, and some blatantly copying off a friend. Snape, however, to ignore the cheating and made a direct line toTonks.
“Miss Tonks.”
The pink-haired girl cringed and paused her frantic writing. “Yes, professor?”
“Do you find thinking difficult?” Snape Spat
“Sir?”
“Do you find it difficult to think? Can you not form your own ideas?”
“I-um…what?” Tonks looked as though Professor Snape had asked her if she was in fact at Hogwarts. Diana could see the girl struggling to figure out what Snape meant and what answer he might like.
Before Tonks could respond, Snape flicked his wand and both copies of her essay floated up hover in front of him. “If you insist on cheating, please attempt, in the future, to do so with more discretion.” And with that, he tapped his wand to the two sheets of parchment; they caught fire, and were reduced to ashes before he’d fully turned to leave.
Diana stood, along with several others in the hallway, shocked and gaping at the professor’s back as he entered the classroom. Tonks remained sitting on the floor, still looking quite confused and now quite upset. She looked around as though looking for someone to start laughing and tell her it was only a prank, but no one said anything. Some left without saying a word, keen on keeping Snape off their own backs; the two Slytherins who’d been copying off a friend hurried past guiltily, knowing they’d only gotten off because Snape had someone else to attack. Others cast Tonks a sympathetic look and hesitated a moment before ultimately deciding to also leave without a word.
Diana stayed and waited for Tonks to pack her ink and quill and stand before saying, “I’m sorry.” She couldn’t look at the now dispirited Hufflepuff. She knew there was nothing she could have said or done to stop Snape, but she still felt guilty somehow.
“Not your fault.” The girl mumbled, though she wouldn’t meet Diana’s eyes.
As the final members of the class where leaving the hallway, Diana glanced about where she’d sat to ensure nothing was left behind, she noticed a ball of crumpled parchment between where she and Johnathan had been. She glanced around to ensure no one would notice before snatching it up and shoving it into her bag. Then she followed Tonks and the others into the uneasy silence of the Potions classroom.
………..
Diana and Tonks each sat at their usual tables and class passed as it usually did. After their double lesson was over, Diana hoped to catch the other girl to further apologize, though she still wasn’t sure what she might have done. However, Tonks left quickly and as she slipped out the door, Diana noticed that her usually vibrant hair had turned a wine-colored shade of burgundy, though she did not know how.
Johnathan, said nothing after class either. Diana had a mind to pull him aside as they went up for lunch, but figured that might look odd, so she followed him along with the others up to the Great Hall, where she ate her lunch and said nothing. Instead, she glanced across the Ravenclaw table to see if she could find any evidence of pink hair or even burgundy hair. When she saw none, Diana finished her sandwich quickly, then packed a second one into her satchel and slipped out into the main hall and made her way to the Muggle Studies classroom.
She was making her way past the library when she heard something that made her pause. A sniffle, like someone was crying. Diana turned to look around and saw the strap of someone’s bag poking out from behind an ornamental vase that sat beneath a short staircase. She knew from experience that the area beneath the staircase was charmed to have an undetectable, extended space. Even with the charm, it wasn’t a large space, but many first years found it suitable when hiding from bullies or dodging Peeves, as once you entered, it could nearly hide you from view.
Diana knew whoever this was, likely wasn’t a first year, given that the vase seemed to have been moved to allow entry. As she neared, she noticed the bag strap was covered in little stitches of magical beasts. She paused, wondering if she should approach. After all, they hardly knew each other; they certainly weren't friends yet.
Also on Ao3
Thinking it might be better to allow her classmate some space, Diana pulled the extra sandwich from her bag, cast Locomotor, and floated it over to hover just outside the hiding space. Then, she quietly continued on to class, wondering if they could still become friends.
Diana was met with a cozy room, lit by warm golden bulbs hanging from various ceiling decorations. Instead of the usual wooden desks, there was an eclectic collection of various, chairs, cushions, and odd chairs with arms that extended from one side only and wrapped in front to form a sort of attached desk. There were only about a dozen other students, mostly Hufflepuffs, and all of them were milling about looking as though they wanted to investigate and touch everything but were scared to do so.
Diana had only taken a few, timid steps into the classroom when a Hufflepuff girl noticed her and gave her a nasty look before whispering to her friend. Ignoring the entirely expected reaction, Diana inched farther into the room, searching for a spot along the wall to await the teacher and instructions. Finally choosing a lumpy, blue cushion that was quite worn, she sat down with her school bag in her lap and pulled out her copy of ‘Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles’.
She was soon joined, however, by another student. This girl, also a Hufflepuff, had a mop of offensively bright, neon pink hair that shot out in all directions, and put Diana in mind of sweet shops and sour candy.
“Smith, right?” The girl put out her hand, which Diana only blinked at in surprise.
“Diana.” She said, regaining her composure and shaking the girl’s hand.
“Tonks. Just Tonks is fine. Everyone calls me that, even my friends. Teachers try to call me by my full name, but I really just prefer to go by Tonks.”
Diana smiled a little and laughed nervously as she tried to keep up with the pink-haired girl’s words. She seemed nice enough, but her bubbly introduction had admittedly taken Diana quite off guard.
“You’re in Slytherin.” The girl continued, pointing out the obvious green lining on Diana’s robes. “Why are you taking this class. I mean, not that you can’t, but what made you want to? I don’t get to spend too much time with my dad’s folks; they’re muggles, see. We visit on holidays, but it’s just hard to hang out with cousins who don’t really understand our way, you know? I just wanted to be able to seem more normal for them, I guess.” She paused her chatter for a moment, and Diana realized she was waiting for Diana to share her own response.
“Um.” Diana hesitated, wondering how much harm it could do to be honest about her interest in the class to others taking it. “I have some muggle neighbors.”
The girl continued to smile and wait patiently for further elaboration.
“I um, well we used to play together, as young children. But it’s been hard to talk much in recent years.” Diana spoke quietly, worrying about eavesdroppers purely out of habit.
“Yeah, bet they think you’re a right wierdo, huh?” Tonks giggled. “My cousins do; that’s for sure! Mind you, you don’t see too many muggle kids getting to express themselves so freely.” She pointed to her hair and made a mocking face.
Diana laughed quietly again. She had to admit the girl was right. Her old neighborhood friends had indeed treated her more and more like she was something strange over the last two years. Tonks began to say something else, but a door in the back of the room opened and a youthful and earnest looking teacher called the class to attention.
“Welcome! If everyone could just gather around, up front here. You can put your books and things along the walls; we won’t be needing them today. Yes, that’s right. Just here.” He gestured them all over to a long table, quite like the ones in the Great Hall, but much smaller and lower, and with little chairs instead of benches. As they gathered around, they became aware that the delicious smells that permeated the room were coming from little boxes, packages, and carafes that were spread along the table. A few of her peers voiced their interest in the scents.
“Alright then.” The class grew silent and tore their attention away from the table to look at their new teacher. “Hello everyone. My name is Quirinus Quirrell. It’s always a pleasure to see a good, full class.” He nodded around the room, acknowledging them all; he paused and blinked upon seeing Diana’s emerald-lined robes squeezed in next to Tonks’s golden-yellow ones. Or perhaps it was Tonks’s hair; either way, he recovered immediately and finished his little round of silent hellos.
“Now, I know you’ve all just had lunch, but I do love making the first class an interesting one, and, as I spent most of my own summer holiday traveling to enjoy Muggle cuisine, I thought I might share some with you.” He gestured to the spread of containers in front of them. “You’ll find each item is labeled; please take a plate at the end of the table and make a pass along the buffet.”
He shuffled over to a rolling chalkboard and turned it to face the class. “Feel free to try as much or as little as you like, but please take notes on the things you decide to try. As much fun as this might be, it’s still a lesson,” he said, smiling conspiratorially and wagging his finger at the excited bundle of students that had begun to congregate around the mismatched stack of plates. “Homework is to write 10 inches on the items you try today; how are they different from common wizarding cuisine? How are they the same? And what were your thoughts on the things you tried?” He ticked off each requirement, then added, “Oh, and one more thing! Please, do take note of the ingredients list on each item; can’t have any more bad reactions or Madam Pomfrey will put an end to this little parties.” He chuckled nervously.
Taking that as dismissal to investigate the array of delectables presented to them, students began taking plates and utensils and filing down and around the table. It only took a few plates before the students realized some were made from different materials, and they soon realized the some of the utensils were too. Diana had eaten at the little food stalls that sometimes stopped at the park near her house and knew from experience that Muggles sometimes ate with plastic dining ware. Most of her classmates would have only seen plastic used for toys or packaging, so it was indeed a point of interest for some of them to see the unusual items.
Taking turns, they passed along each side of the table. There were some things that Diana recognized, like the food stall styled fish and chips, Muggle Ice cream (which was already beginning to melt), and fresh lemonade, which wasn’t strictly a Muggle drink, but was less common in the wizarding community. She also saw many things she had seen before, but never tried, like the cans of soda and bags of crisps. Then there were the things she’d never even heard of: Pizza, a circle of flattened bread, spread with a tomato-based sauce and sprinkled with meat, cheese, and little fish. Pop Rocks: a muggle candy similar to Fizzy Wizzies, though it uses “chemistry” instead of magic. Beef Jerky: Muggles have learned to de-hydrate their food to better preserve it; this is a type of seasoned, de-hydrated meat.
Diana found herself taking a small sample of everything, except the “pizza” which she could not bring herself to try due to the smelly little fish that lay, dried out and wrinkly atop it. Her stomach growled louder than ever, and she counted herself very lucky that this quirky professor had decided to assign food for their first class, even if it came just after lunch. Professor Quirrell had not told them to sit anywhere specific, so everyone had simply spread across the room to sit in little bunches. Diana quietly loaded her own plate and slipped back to her little seat in the corner where she was surprised to be joined by Tonks again.
“Oooh, got some of everything to, eh?” She stuffed a piece of toast covered in a layer of brown sludge into her mouth, froze, and spit it out unceremoniously.
Diana cringed in disgust but laughed despite herself. “No good?” She asked, to which Tonks shook her head emphatically, looking for something to chase the flavor down with. Diana pulled her own sludge-slathered toast off her plate and set it aside on a napkin. “Here,” she said, pointing to a small, wispy fluff on Tonks’s own plate. “Try that. It’s like Doxy Floss, only sweeter.” She pinched off a bit of her own and ate it to show it was safe.
“Thanks,” the pink-haired girl said as she shoved the entire clump into her mouth. “Hey, that is good! How’d you know what it was?” She poked around for her next sample.
“Like I said, I grew up in a Muggle neighborhood. There was a park nearby, and there were always a few portable food stalls set up. Sometimes they sell savory food and sometimes they sell sweets. Better eat that ice cream fast, it doesn’t stay frozen like ours.” She noted the puddle that had formed on Tonks’s plate.
“So, you must already know a lot of these then. Why get so many to try?”
“I’ve only tried a few.” Diana paused, deciding whether or not she trusted the dried meat and finally giving it a go and deciding it was quite delicious. “But I skipped lunch, so everything smells pretty good.”
“Except the fish peeza or whatever it’s called. That stuff reeked!”
Diana nodded her agreement and the two continued sampling things on their plates.
About halfway through her own plate, Diana decided to try the Pop Rocks; she loved Fizzy Wizzies and was excited to try the Muggle version. However, instead of fizzing gently and making her mouth tingle, these little crystals popped aggressively in her mouth and even into her throat, making her cough.
It took both girls to figure out how to open a can of soda so Diana could wash the candy down, but it turned out that was not the best choice. The soda burst all over them both, foaming and spewing everywhere and when Diana was finally able to take a sip, it foamed even worse in her mouth, reacting to the candy and even dripping out her nose.
She’d never been more embarrassed, but she’d also never laughed so hard. Her ears were pink, and she was overcome with hysterical giggles. Tonks’s own laughter, filled with snorts and much wheezing, did not help things and it took them both a few minutes to collect themselves. Nearly half of the class had witnessed the soda running down Diana’s front, and by the time she and Tonks had righted themselves, the entire class was laughing alongside the two.
All in all, it was a very fun class, and helped a great deal to improve Diana’s spirits. For the first time since she’d been sorted, she felt like she was welcome. Maybe she didn’t quite belong yet, but at least she no longer felt like a stranger. Even the girl that had given her a nasty look at the beginning of class laughed along at the "soda fountain" retelling when they all helped clean up. And Diana was surprised even further when Tonks, as they left the classroom, called out “See you in Potions tomorrow. Hope we don’t stink up Snape's dungeon!” then turned down a hallway, cackling like Peeves.
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Diana made her way to Charms, feeling a little less hungry, and far happier than she had since arriving that term.
Seething, hungry, and with nowhere else to go, Diana left the Great Hall to sit in the library until her next class. She dreaded dinner, which she doubted she’d have the strength to miss, having had little to eat at breakfast and no chance to eat at lunch. She knew her classmates would have plenty of questions and she only had two class periods to come up with good answers to queries yet to be placed.
She sighed and found a quiet corner near Madam Pince’s desk, where no one else would care to sit. Diana dumped her things beside one of the little study cubicles and plopped onto the seat, letting her head drop down onto the desk. The stern librarian gave her a reprimanding look, so Diana sat back up and pulled out some parchment, a quill, and some ink to make herself appear busy. She dipped her quill into her ink bottle, swiped it across the lip, and held it over the parchment. No thoughts would form, however, and the ink only dripped onto the page and dried into a little black dot. Diana put her quill down and let her forehead rest in her hands. She’d only be able to stay in the library if she had something to keep her busy. Madam Pince did not literate loitering of any kind, even quiet, unobtrusive loiters.
Diana sat for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts into anything beyond complaints. She would not send another letter full of negativity to her grandfather; she was determined to hold herself to this. But venting was what Diana felt she needed, and she could not think of anyone else with whom she could share her honest feelings.
This is pathetic, she thought to herself. It’s not even been a week and I’m pouting like a spoiled child. It’s really no different than first or second year. Snape’s always behaved like he’s just eaten stink sap. And it’s my own fault there are rumors; I dodged all the questions from my housemates in first year, and then went and…
That was it! Diana sat up, only to lean back into her chair and smack her palm to her forehead, earning another look of warning from the librarian. Diana ignored the witch, however, for she’d just realized what the “rumors” might be about; she’d made the mistake of claiming her blood status to Sara on the train. Of course, she’d been raised not to bother herself over such petty things, and in her first year, she’d politely dodged the question several times, to the point people in her house had just made the assumption she was a half-blood and stopped asking. Most of the half-bloods in Slytherin either openly disowned their muggle heritage (many of these were at least a generation or two removed from any non-magical relatives), or were simply quiet about it, especially in the case of having one muggle parent.
Diana realized her mistake in having overshared with the prefect now, but knew, thankfully, that it would be a simple matter to manage. Her housemates would likely be trying to figure whether it was her mother or father that had come from a magical family, and whether one of them might have more distinguished relatives by more respected names. The whole idea was silly of course, Diana knew her family had been magical for as far back as her great, great, grandfather’s parents on her mother’s side, and that, at least as far as she was aware, had only married other magical people. Of course, that was only based on how her grandfather had spoken of them.
Her father, she also knew, had not been muggle-born, at least. She had no real memories of him, as she’d been very young when her parents had died. In fact, she had no real memories of either of them, or of any of her other family members. She’d never asked but knew it was very likely they’d died during the war.
Another idea sparked, like someone had cast lumos just above her. Both of her parents, being magical, would have attended Hogwarts, which meant they, along with any other magical ancestors, would be listed in some student log or school graduate listing somewhere. With that in mind, Diana gathered her things again, and tip-toed over to where the ever-watchful librarian sat at her desk, checking a stack of returned books for damage.
Any hope Diana might have had of finding any valuable information on her parents was dashed rather quickly. Madam Pince had been kind enough to point Diana in the direction of a book that contained a list of every Hogwarts student ever to attend the school, but Diana was unable to find either of her parents, and had seen no better luck in her search for any of her other known relatives. She was surprised, in fact, when she was unable even to locate her grandfather, as he’d spoken so highly of the school and his own time there. She knew for a fact that he was one hundred and two years old, as she and Twinkles had given him a good laugh when they’d been unable to fit that many candles onto his cake at his last birthday and had to make him blow out fifty-one of them twice. However, she tried a few years on either side just to be safe, but no student by the name of Simon Hessen in any year from 1880 all the way through 1895.
“Excuse me, Madam Pince?” Diana nearly whispered, careful to keep her voice meek so as to appeal to any sympathy the notoriously stern witch might have. “I was wondering if you could help me find something?”
.........................
Frustrated, Diana flipped through as many years as she could. She searched her grandfather’s name, Hessen and found nothing, then tried her mother’s maiden name, Edevane and found nothing their either. Smith was an astoundingly common name, but she found very few in her father’s potential school years, none of which looked familiar. That's just great; one more thing to worry about! She thought to herself. By the time the bell rang ending lunch break, Diana had become increasingly annoyed, and she had begun penning at least three angry letters, all of which she threw out, demanding her grandfather provide some answers.
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She was finally forced to pack her things, return the logbook and leave for class, but her mind continued to write and re-write ways of asking her grandfather for more information without sounding rude. She realized she had distracted herself from her worries about Muggle Studies when she found herself faced with the door and her anxiety returned. She’d also, it seemed forgotten about having missed lunch, but was quickly reminded of that as well, when her nose smelled a myriad of sweet and savory scents. Brows furrowed, she swung the door open and stepped into the small classroom.
Chapter 6, chapter 7, and chapter 8 available now!
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Diana, a young witch who was raised by her great, great grandfather attends Hogwarts and struggles to fit into her house and make friends by her own merits. When she loses her grandfather, she is forced to come to terms with her family history and choose whether to stand her ground or give into the pressure of relatives who would push her down a darker path.
Diana did her best to catch Johnathan for a moment at dinner, but he seemed to be actively avoiding her. She hoped he was just dodging what he thought might be retaliation, but as the evening wore on and she began to notice the groups of whispering Slytherins and the way people went silent when she came too near, Diana’s gut began to twist with anxiety. Even in her dorm, the girls seemed to be filling the final half hour before sleep with forced conversation, and Diana was taken a bit off guard when they tried to include her in their discussion of Rita Skeeter’s most recent smear of some famous Quidditch player who’d fumbled a shot with the Quaffle when playing against an opponent Keeper with whom she’d been seen having dinner the previous evening. Diana offered a quick agreement that there must be something going on between the players, just to appease the other girls.
The situation became even more noticeable the next morning at breakfast. She was there early, having sent two letters home, back-to-back to back and one about the scheduling debacle, Diana was quite expecting a full letter of advice back. It was just as likely that her grandfather would scold her for going behind the back of her head of house as it was that he’d laugh and praise her for her determination. Either way, she sat impatiently at the breakfast table, waiting for an owl to swoop past and dump a letter into her cereal. After nearly an hour of waiting though, the only thing that arrived was several groups of sleepy students and more stares, which were much too obvious by this point to dismiss as a coincidence, so Diana left her cereal half-eaten and made her way up to Ancient Runes early.
The class was filled mostly with students from other houses, mainly Ravenclaws, so Diana saw a bit of relief from the mysterious whispers and observation. However, by lunchtime, whatever rumor was being spread seemed to have made its way around to the rest of the third-year students and even a few from other years. Not to mention, the entirety of Slytherin House seemed to be thoroughly filled in on some secret information about Diana that even she did not know.
Owing to the fact that each Herbology class now required a shower afterwards before heading to lunch, Diana had to once again make the decision of where to sit that might be the least bother to her. She’d just begun to wonder how much she could smuggle away from the table without getting caught, or whether it might be better to just suck it up and squeeze in with the first years again when she caught sight of Professor Snape making his way down the aisle between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables. Diana swore under her breath and turned to leave the hall.
“Miss Smith. A word, before you go.” Snape called out, nearly even with her now.
Diana’s shoulder slumped and she grimaced before composing herself just in time to turn to face him. “Yes, Professor?” She tried to sound unbothered, but her voice wavered, and she was met with a sneer.
“It seems you wish to go above and beyond this year.” He spoke just loud enough that students sitting at both tables nearby could easily listen and those down the way were leaning around for a better view, hopeful to hear a bit of whatever Snape had to say.
“Three electives this year?” He continued. “And flying as well! My, my, don’t tell me you’d like to try for the Slytherin team as well? You’d never have the time for practice.” A few Slytherins nearby sniggered.
“Of course not, Professor. I was told I could benefit from the time outdoors and I suppose I could have taken Care of Magical Creatures. It’s just that I preferred to smell after classes as little as possible; but as Herbology and Potions were required I couldn’t do much about those.” She hadn’t meant to say it. But her wit had been fast and her mouth faster, and she’d vocalized the thought before her common sense had a chance to catch up.
The look on Snape’s face told her she’d given him exactly the type of reaction he’d hoped for. Diana braced herself for the punishment sure to come; she lamented the loss of her perfect record, but figured it was as good a reason as any to receive her first detention.
But Snape’s cruel smile just lingered a moment before he responded. “Well, I do hope you don’t change your mind. After all, you’ve yet to smell all of the wonderful things in your next class.” He smiled maliciously once more, then returned to the staff table, leaving Diana alone, surrounded by nosy classmates wanting to know what her next class was.
She could feel her ears burning under her hair, but refused to let the color run to her face. Glaring at Snape’s back as he made his way back up the aisle, Diana knew now that he’d set her up to trigger her own demise. All she could do now was double down and maintain her composure. If she could just make him the fool for trying to embarrass her… But she knew the damage was done. It was a topic to discuss, what class she’d be in, and though she might get some sympathy from muggle-borns in other houses, she would certainly find herself the center of nasty gossip within her own house.
As she turned to leave, chin held high, she made eye contact with Sara again. The prefect did not laugh, nor did she whisper with her friends. The look on her face was not one of judgement, but neither was it one of pity. Her eyes held Diana’s for a moment before she looked away, disappointed. Diana understood perfectly. She’d been warned by the older girl. She’d been offered a favor, an out, and she’d refused it.
Diana’s positive outlook only lasted through the morning. As it turned out, making time to get down to the common room to clean up after Herbology took up quite a bit of her lunch break, and she had to squeeze in between some first years to find a spot at the Slytherin table. They asked a bunch of nosey questions until she called them out, quite snippily, for it. The rest of the day wasn’t too bad, but that evening the girls in her dorm questioned her over the schedule situation from breakfast.
“I just marked down too many classes.” Diana lied with a shrug and a laugh to put them off her case. She wasn’t the best student in her year and house, not by far, but she’d been known to be studious enough and though she certainly didn’t care for some of her classes, she had certainly never put them off as useless. And, when viewed in the light of her being in Slytherin house, Diana had never had trouble, as most of her housemates simply assumed she either had family standards to uphold, or a future job already in mind.
Her answer, which had done well enough to satisfy the other girls, would soon prove entirely truthful and Snape, as it turned out, was very keen on pointing it out, though his intentions were anything but sympathetic.
Tuesday, afternoon, after a quick lunch, and a trip to the library to make some notes from her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, which was being taught this year by a wonderfully friendly witch who’d once been a curse breaker for Gringotts, Diana made her way to the dungeons for Double Potions. She’d already readied herself in the event that Snape had decided to take McGonagall’s alteration of Diana’s schedule personally. Her head of house had said nothing of it at lunch the previous day, nor at dinner, and though he had passed her twice this morning, had not so much as given her a nasty look. This did not comfort Diana.
She entered the dungeon classroom quietly and found a seat; she was soon joined by a boy from her house named Johnathan Mason. Though they had never really spoken outside of Potions classes, Diana knew from other students’ conversations that he was a half-blood and would do just about anything to prove himself worthy of being in Slytherin House. He had always been cordial enough to work with, however, and Diana had the sneaking suspicion that he was bullied by his “friends”. They’d been table partners their first two years so it was subtly comforting to have him join her again. Diana hated having to make small talk with new people.
The pair brought out their supplies in silence and without as much as a nod of acknowledgement towards one another, and waited for class to begin. Professor Snape, to Diana’s surprise, gave no outward indication that he might have been offended by McGonagall’s changes and in fact, treated Diana quite normally. Of course, normal for Snape, was to ignore students, and Diana thought perhaps that should comfort her, but it only served to make her worry more. Surely, if he was choosing to ignore her now, he had some sinister plan to embarrass her sooner or later. There was no possibility he didn’t know about the changes.
Diana did her best to focus during the class, taking notes, measuring ingredients, but inevitably counting the minutes. She wasn’t the only one who seemed more than ready to leave. Johnathan sat next to her, fidgeting and tapping his foot. She wondered what his personal distraction was, but did not dare ask. They’d never made friends exactly, and she doubted he’d take kindly to the abrupt intrusion. She did her best to ignore him too, and went back to counting the minutes as she repetitively checked she’d completed all requirements for that day’s assignment. When the bell signaled the end of the period, Snape swished past, collecting everyone’s stoppered attempts at the Cure for Boils he’d insisted they must have forgotten over the summer, as several members of the class were in desperate need of a few sips.
Diana had just begun packing her things when she noticed some of her ingredients were missing. Her bottle of Wiggentree Bark was missing. She glanced over and saw that Johnathan had pulled it over with his things.
“Sorry, I think you’ve got one of mine.” She pointed out, politely. He did in fact have both bottles, and likely would have noticed, but Diana was quite ready to get to lunch.
Johnathan looked to where Diana was pointing. “Oh, sorry.” He laughed softly as he picked up each bottle and eyed them. “Here, this one looks like it has more; must be yours. I remember, I used too much in that assignment last year.” He smiled and set the fuller of the two bottles into her ingredients kit.
“Thanks, but I’m not certain I had all that much either.” She continued packing.
The boy shrugged. “Mum’ll send me a whole new one for Christmas anyway. I break too many bottles and loose too many corks. She sends a new one every year.” He said it lightly, but the look on his face told Diana he’d much rather receive something else. She couldn’t blame him, but having worked as his Potions class partner for so long, she could also easily understand why he got a new kit every year.
Diana said nothing more, and the two continued to pack in silence. Johnathan did not seem as keen on the organization of his own things as Diana was, and he was gone before she’d finished putting her things away. When she went to secure her potions kit, she realized the lid would not close properly. She pulled the bottles out and replaced them so that the taller ones were in the deeper rack. The bottle of Wiggentree Bark Johnathan had given her did not want to fit where it normally did. Certain now that it was his bottle and not hers, she moved the bottle here and there, trying to make it fit somewhere, at least for the time being.
However, as she turned it over, trying to find it a temporary spot, she noticed something that did not belong wedged in amongst the bark shavings. She did not have time to think much on it though, as the room was nearly empty and Snape was beginning to lay things out for the next class. Making the decision to check it later, Diana shoved the tiny bottle into the pocket of her robes, latched her kit closed, and left for her final class of the day.
If you asked any Hogwarts student, current or former, what the most boring class was, they’d all say, without a moment’s thought or hesitation, that it was History of Magic. Diana agreed with the sentiment. However, being the most boring class, most students tended to find secondary things to do while either doing their best to focus on what the ghost Professor Binns had to say, or simply found a more amusing way to pass the time. Several times throughout the class, Diana found herself distracted by the flask in her pocket. While she did her best to maintain her feeble attempt at a look of attentiveness, she found herself thinking of different ways she might check what was smuggled in the bottle. She couldn’t risk emptying the ingredient onto her desk or lap, and without knowing what was hidden among the bark, she worried that something might happen.
She didn’t exactly suspect Johnathan of being the type to attempt a prank, but she didn’t have much reason to have any particular level of trust in him either. His group of friends were known to pull pranks on other students, some of which could be quite nasty. While Johnathan had never directly involved himself in their schemes, he had occasionally found himself a test subject. Diana wondered if, perhaps, this could be the reason he’d swapped their ingredients, recognizing or fearing a prank, the same as Diana was now. She decided she’d find a good, empty space to check the flask after class. She’d yet to fall pre to a prank or public humiliation, and she did not plan to fall victim to either any time soon.
She found a quiet spot beneath some stairs just off the main hall between class and dinner, cast a quick spell to deter any eavesdroppers and tucked herself just out of view. She was relieved, however, when nothing happened at all. She unstopped the flask and emptied the contents onto the stone floor. Among the bark shavings, Diana found the misplaced item, a small piece of parchment. It had been folded so that it blended in almost perfectly with the bottle’s contents. Praying her singular protective enchantment held in the event the little piece of parchment was something like a howler, Diana unfolded it.
Someone is starting rumors. Watch your back. They think you’re hiding something.
It was, thankfully, not a howler, but it did seem to be a warning. Diana wondered what rumors anyone might be spreading about Johnathan. Sure, he might not hang out with the kindest of peers, but he was genial enough, and Diana thought he might one day age out of his clownish group. She packed the Wiggentree Bark back into its bottle and returned it to her pocket. She thought, she might still return the note, even if it might only be something silly. She had no patience for rumors, even if they were just petty pranks. But one thought lurked in the back of Diana’s mind, poking around for weak spots in her confidence. What if Johanthan had put the note there? What if the warning was for her?
