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It was going to be one long, hot night. The only light on in the moonlit street was coming from the front of the second story of a modern, beige coloured house. A girl lay under her whirring fan on her bedroom ceiling of the room, wondering what her life would be like. She planned to be rich and famous like everybody elese did, and definately to do well at school, have plenty of friends, and have plenty of money. The only thing was, she doubted that would ever happen. Nothing interesting happens in my life, she thought. Im a dumb blonde in disguise, and a fat, overgrown one at that.
Chelsea Hunter wasnt very old. 13, in fact. She loved her school and friends, her long, thick brown hair, and her family, but she hated that she was stuck in boring australia with nothing to do. She was sure that living in another country would make life far more interesting. Sure, she had been on plenty of international flights to various countries around the world, but people did that all the time nowdays. The only part of life that gave her the adrenaline rush she needed was surfing. She loved it, and hoped that she could get good enough at it to convince her mum to buy her the surfboard she so badly wanted.
As she lay there, under the pink and white covers of her single bed, thinking about the aim of her life, she began to drift off. Her mind wandered to where it really wanted to be, to her dreams of being able to fly and do magic. She kept these a secret. Everyone had read Harry Potter, and she knew there were some that thought like her. Gradually, her mind started to slide slowly into the relaxing, peaceful feeling of sleep.
Suddenly, everything lurched. She sat up, heart beating rapidly against her chest. What Was that? The fan had stopped, and everything was silent. It all began to tremble. She shook, along with everything else in the house, things clattering to the floor as she held for dear life to the iron frame of her bed. Perhaps Perth was finally having an earthquake, she thought. Then, as soon as it had started, everything stopped moving. Chelsea relaxed slightly, but was even more scared as blackness closed in on her eyes and she began to feel the sensation of falling through air, the incredible rush of G-force going against her. She fell through the darkness, unknowing. Suddenly, everything was a whirl of colour, but the prominet force being white. She still fell, but this time through a snowstorm, heading rapidly towards the ground, the icy coldness biting deeply into her skin. Perhaps ill take up skydiving if I survive this, she thought blankly as she fell, arms and legs flailing helplessly in the night sky.
Thud. Pain, like nothing she had ever felt. The sound of a gunshot. The copper taste of blood in her mouth. Blackness, the never ending blackness.
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Chelsea woke under the starched covers of a single bed. She sat swiftly, wondering desperately where she was and how she got there. Fear was racing through her as she looked at her surroundings, smelling the familiar smell of a hospital, if that was really where she was. Dressed in a white gown, she looked at the curtains drawn beside her, then the scene infront of her. Another person was in a bed across the hallway, with a lady she supposed to be a relative or wife squeezing his hand. This had to be a hospital, no doubt. But how...? Her train of thought was brought to a halt as a nurse walked into sight, going to check on the man. She stopped, looking at Chelsea. Ill be with you in a minute dear!, she called cheerily to her, drawing the white-grey curtains together around the patient. Chelsea made a quick calulation of the nurses appearance, hoping that her subconcious might have picked up something she would recognize. The nurse was probably about thirty or more, red hair done tightly in a bun with black glasses framing her round, freckled, cheerful looking face. There were no badges on her, save her carrying a blue clipboard that was marked underneath with a crest that Chelsea didnt recognise, and HOSPITAL marked in white writing beneath it.
She lay back on the bed, trying to recall any previous events as to why she was there. She ran though all her details in her head, confirming she knew exactly who she was. The last thing she could remember was what had happened yesterday, up to going to sleep in her bed. Perhaps this is a dream, perhaps Ill wake up, and find myself back home, she thought. I might as well try it, she said to herself as she pinched herself hard, the classic reminder that it wasnt a dream. Oh well, nevermind, I guess Ill find out soon.
Sure enough, the nurse opened the curtains just as she was thinking it. She approached Chelseas bed, pausing to draw the curtains behind her. The nurse pulled up a chair beside Chelseas bed, who looked over to see what was going to be done. Hi! My name is Poppy! What might your name be? Poppy, the nurse, said. Chelsea responded, and soon, after telling the nurse her date of birth, adress and parents name and such, she asked how she had come to be there.
Well, sweetie, we found you outside in a big crater in the snow last night. Some one had seen you fall, and it seems you had been from quite a height, as it certainly made alot of noise. Both your left arm and leg are broken, but they are mending very fast. Poppy replied. Chelsea looked back up at the high, white ceiling again, wondering how the hell she managed to fall from her bed to here. What, and where is this place? Chelsea asked quietly. She was told it was the Huntingdon Hospital. Poppy then said that they would bring in the headmistress pretty soon, so that they could make for certain that Chelsea was a muggle. WHAT!! THIS IS A SCHOOL OF MAGIC???? Chelsea yelled, promptly fainting at the hugeness of the information that suddenly washed over her.
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Everything was slowly coming into focus as Chelsea woke up from what she thought had been one very real dream. The face peering down at her was one she recognized as Poppys, the other of a lady much older, but with the same twinkling blue eyes, who Chelsea assumed must be the Head Misstress. What... she begain, but was silenced by Poppy putting a finger to her lips. The two women sat, one on either side of Chelseas bed.
The headmisstress began. It has been confirmed by Poppy here that you are indeed a witch. I probably know more about you than you do yourself Chelsea. I plan on telling you everything. You are currently nursing two broken bones in the Hospital Wing of Huntingdon, a school for Australian witches, located in Northen Territory, yet also Unplottable. You were meant to come here at the begging of this year, as all students start when they are turning thirteen. Somehow, no magical signals have radiated off you or your family, telling us you were a witch, but someone could have placed a spell on you as a child to prevent any accidental magic from happening. Now, I now this a ginormous amount of information to take in, but you are welcome to ask us any questions you like. Your parents will be contacted, and brought here if they wish to see you, and your two brothers aswell. Here, the headmistress paused, and Chelsea jumped at the chance to ask something, but was silenced again by Poppy. She looked back at the Headmistress, who began to talk again.
I think. actually, Ill start from the very beggining, when you were born. I was muh younger than Poppy here, and stationed by the Ministry at King Edwards hospital to watch for any Muggleborn children, long long before I became a teacher, then headmistress, at this school. When you were born,which as you know was prematurely, we noticed extremely strong magical signals coming from you. My partner, Dr. Jeff Natron, cast a spell on you to stop any magic from occuring till you were twelve. Unfortunately, that was far too strong a spell for such a tiny baby, and has lasted till last night, when you were drawn to here. As you might have guessed, your parents are muggles, and your brothers also, but we would test them for the spell if your parents wish. They would be sent to our brother school, Raymanton. There is not much else I can tell you, for that is all I know of your life. I will do the best I can to help, for I can imagine what a schock it must be. I reccomend you sleep now, for the brain always processes better while the body sleeps.
Chelsea was handed a cup filled with a swirling blue liquid. It is called The Shock potion, made especially by our potions master for those who have had to endure anything that may come as a large shock to them. It puts the person asleep, and speeds up the brain process incredibly so the person is very easily able to come to terms with it. Goodnight, and we will see you in the morning. Poppy told her. Chelsea swallowed the cherry tasting blue liquid, and was filled with a peaceful sensation as she drifted back to sleep, her last picture being of Poppy and the Headmisstress closing the curtains behind them. She was slowly pulled into a relaxing, warm sleep.
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The next morning, Poppy awoke early. She had been astonished to see the shield of magic that had formed around the crater when she and some of the professors had gone to investigate what the huge noise was. She had been the only one to see something fall out of the sky. They were all pretty shocked to see Chelsea lying in the crater, knowing that she had caused it and the shield around it. It had taken them several minutes, and all of them much magic, to disable the shield around Chelsea. In a way, Poppy felt sorry for the girl, having lived her entire life with Muggles and not having a clue who she really was.
She climbed out of the golden covers of her giant four poster bed. It was still early, and the sun cast a soft glow on the small coffee table as Poppy sat down to eat her breakfast. Usually, she would eat with the others in the Chambers, but today she knew she would have to answer the many questions the poor girl had.
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Chelsea awoke to find a breakfast tray already layed out on the small set of drawers beside her bed. She sat up, only just noticing the cast on her arm and leg. All night she had thought about what had happened and what had been said, but she was still confused. Hoping the feeling would wear off, twisted slightly so that she could try and bring the tray onto her lap.
Here, Ill help you with that sweetie. Poopy came over, dressed in the same style starched white nurses uniform and hat she wore yesterday. She lifted the tray into Chelseas lap, and sat down beside her. Chelsea began to butter the toast as she asked what had been planned for her.
Your parent are coming with your brothers to the school at about lnchtime, which is in 2 hours. Later today, we will be contacting your friends at your Muggle school to inform them of the reason why you change schools. I must go and attend to a few other patients now, but will be back when your parents come. Poppy left, but this time opened the curtians fully, allowing the beautiful sun ti cascade into the room. Chelsea stopped to look around. There were empty beds beside hers, and she noticed that the patient that had been across the ward was gone.
Soon enough, she finished her breakfast and just managed to place the tray back onto the table beside her. She lay down, thinking over everything, including how her friends would react, and what holidays the school had and when, if there was anything like Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley anywhere nearby, and if the school was anything like what JK Rowling had written in Harry Potter. She wondered about the spells she had remebered, and if they were real or just made up. She would definately have alot to ask the headmistress when she got out of the hospital.
Time flew by. Soon, it was half an hour before her family was due to come and visit. She was lying in bed, reading an old newspaper she had found the drawer. It had real moving pictures, just as described the Harry Potter books. She had been able to answer some of her own questions from this. Suddenly, there was a loud bang coming from one end of the ward. Raised voices were heard, but Chelsea couldnt quite make out what they were saying. Someone was runnning in her direction. Poppy flew in beside her, clanking down on her chair. Her hair a mess and face white, glasses askew, she squeezed Chelseas hand tightly. I have something to tell you, my poor, dear girl. Terrible, terrible news...
It was quiet now in the 7th ward of the Hospital Wing. The only sounds to be heard was the soft humming of a young girl. Nobody knew why she was there still, having heard that she had broken her arm and leg, but no casts were on them. Her long brown hair was in knots, face white. She had just been told by the nurse something terrible, they said. Nobody knew how terrible it all was, except for her.
Chelsea sat up against the back of the bed, humming the tunes to her favourite songs, what she would now classify as muggle songs. Poppy, the nurse, had told her two days ago that Perth, Sydney and Canberra schools and public places had been simeltaneously bombed. Somebody had been sent to check for survivors at her school, but all there was left of it were ashes. She had recalled someone saying that fateful day that the reason why her parents were only coming at lunchtime was because the school had organized a Dance concert, which her whole family and many friends had gone to watch. Almost everyone she knew must have been there. She now wished she had died in that crater, or died with her family, and the thousands of others all over Australia. Having been given powerful doses of shock potion, she felt no emotion over it anymore.
She swung her legs over the bed, standing up slowly. She was as stiff as a board, as she had not been out of the bed for 3 days now. Walking slowly as she felt her joints come to life again, she began to head down the other end of the ward. She soon found two doors, both of a greyish colour. Opening the left one, she saw what looked like an office, except filled with various potions and first aid kits. Hoping to find Poppy, she closed the door again and tried to open the one to her right. It was locked. Thinking of a spell that might open it, she held it and focused completeley on it, saying, "Alohamora'. To her surprise, the door clicked open. Sliding through the gap, she found herself in another ward. It was bright and cheerful, and a few patients were asleep in thier beds. Many pictures were on the wall, and windows were open everywhere, letting the sunlight flood into the white ward, casting it in a soft golden glow. Chelsea stopped by one of the larger windows to peer outside. She gasped at the sight.
It was beautiful, to say the least. Mouintains covered in pine green forest capped with snow surrounded it. The sun was just coming over the mouintains, making everything look even more beautiful. There was a river below her, and Chelsea could see a few animals drinking near the waterfall that was partially hidden in the forest. Lush, green fields and hills were all around, with patches of snow here and there, reminding Chelsea of New Zealand. She decided then and there that she would get some clothes from her house and go down and explore. She wondered whether they would be apparating back to her house to get some of her belongings. Perhaps she could ask to, she thought.
Just then, Poppy came sweeping down the ward. "Hello dear!" she called. "I thought you might want to be up and about. Come back to your bed, and I'll tell you the news." Curious, Chelsea followed Poppy back through the door, back up her dreary, dull ward to sit on her bed.
"You have been given rooms here as you are now an orphan, but are welcome to stay with your relatives during the holidays. The Headmisstress has asked if I take you to buy your school supplies in the Oping market, so we will go in a weeks time, giving you enough time to sort everything out. In about an hours time, you'll take a portkey back to your house to collect any bleongings you might want. Your parents wills have been recovered, and, as you are now the only ofspring left, currently own all of the property. Here are some clothes for you to change into. I'll meet you in an hour with the portkey and a trunk."
Poppy left her with a pale blue t-shirt and cotton white pants, as well as a long white coat, with plain white thongs. Chelsea drew the curtains around her, and got changed, thinking about what to do with everything. She decided to sell the house, and many of the things in it will be given away, some sold.
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An hour later, Chelsea had written a huge list of everything she had to do. It had tken her a long time to get used to writing with the quill. No inkbottle was needed, she noticed, as the quill just kept on writing with her. Poppy drew open the curtains slightly, peeking in. "All ready?" she asked. She motioned to Chelsea to come out. Poppy had a very large trunk with her, and a football which she supposed was the portkey. 'Here, sweetie, I'll just shrink this for you. You say "Shrinkellus" to shrink the trunk, and "Expandero" to enlarge it again. Hold this." Poppy handed her the trunk, which was now the size of a dice in her hand, the she gave her the football.
There was a tug behind her navel, and Chelsea felt herself swirl and get pulled foward at the same time. Everything was whirling in colour for about a minute, until finally, she landed with a thud on her bedroom floor. Taking a minute to clear her dizzy head, she looked around. Everything was clean. Her mother had obviously made her bed. Her mum! She dropped the football, and ran down the stairs, frantically calling the names of her family. Soon, she stopped, knowing with the terrible, gaping hole in her heart that they would never answer. She sat on the stairs, wishing she could cry, but no tears came, only the weight of despair. She walked slowly back upstairs, and sat on her bed, wondering what to pack.
Some time later, Chelsea sat back and looked at the items in her trunk. Her mobile phone, wallet and credit card were there. Her teddy that she had had since she was little, many changes of clothes, her jewellery, perfume and makeup. She stood up, pulling her treasured doona off the bed. Holding it tightly, she closed her eyes and spoke, "Shrinkellus". The doona shivelled down to the size of a dice. She slipped it into the pocket of her coat, then tried closing the trunk. Managing just, she spoke "Shrinkellus" again, and put it in the pocket next to her pint-sized doona. She looked around the room, knowing that this could be the last time she would stay in it. It would cost far too much for a girl her age to maintain.
She had to place the money from her parents accounts into hers, then sell the house and most of the things inside. She would shrink anything she did not want to sell, and keep them with her. Most of the clothes and such would be given to St Vincent De Pauls, a charity nearby. There was much work to do, and she desperately needed help.
Picking up the phone in her brothers room, she dialled the number of her aunt, Annie. She knew that Annie and her husband were trustworthy, and could help her with her task. "Brrring Brrringg...." went the phone. She waited with baited breath.
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Several days later, she was having tea at her aunts house. Her aunt and uncle had come over almost as soon as she had rung them, and had taken very well the news that she was a witch, and had offered to help her in any way they could. They had been negotiating with the lawyers, who had sold off the house and other property they had, with the exceptions of the furniture and various items she had given away. Her aunt and uncle had come every day, helping to sell everything. It had all gone well, and they had helped her hugely. Only once, at the beginning, when she had told them what had happened to her, had they asked for prrof. She had shrunk her favourite painting down, and slipped it into her pocket. No questions were asked after that.
Chelsea sat on the soft couch, thinking about how she could help her aunt and uncle. She was dressed in black pants and long jacket, sipping on the hot tea slowly. Everything she did not want had been sold, including the house, and she had shrunk everything to dice size, filling her trunk with it, becoming hundreds of thousands of dollars richer. She decided then that she would buy them a souvenier from the Oping Markets, and give them plenty of money. She would forever be debted to them.
Tommorow, she would be going back to the school and moving in.
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Chelsea stood in the centre of the Oping markets. Nobody would have suspected that the quaint little cottage in the middle of the exotic park filled with flowers of all kinds and fouintains galore would really be the entrance to the fantastic 40 story everything you could buy skyscaper, the largest wizarding market in Oceania. Exotic smells, whirls of clour, snatches of conversations and glimpses of unfamiliar faces drifted around her as she looked towards the skylight many levels up, clear blue sky showing through. Each story flashed signs advertising the products they sold, and the magical elevators coursed up and down both sides like black snakes, wriggling here and there with their many passengers. Not knowing where to start, she turned to Poppy, only to find herself lost in a crowd of many multicultural people, dressed in all sorts of flamboyant outfits and many colours. Suddenly, she was tugged forcibly through the crowd by her brown coat, kicking and screaming. Feeling the pressure suddenly stop, she flopped into a heap. Quickly scrambeling up again, she found herself face to face with a large man with the same red hair and freckles as Poppy. She wondered if they were any relation. The man smiled briefly, then sat down onto one of the many chairs at a restaurant. Unmoving, he motioned for her to sit. Not knowing what to do, she did so as the man spoke.
"Sorry to drag you out of there, but its so easy to get dragged along with that horrid crowd. Im Ron Weasley, Poppys husband. She sent me here to help you, as she has some urgent buissness to attend to." Rons voice was cheerful, and Chelsea was estatic at meeting the real character out of a book. "Are you really THE Ron Weasley? The one who was Harry Potters friend?" Ron grimaced when she said 'the one who was Harry Potters friend', but then answered her. "No, sorry to dissapoint you, but that was my great grandfather, who I was named after. The trio died not long after I was born, so, unfortunately, you are not able to meet them." Ron said this in a tone that was like a machine, probably used to being asked Chelsea question hundreds of times before. "Anyway. I've brought your school supplies list." He handed the list over to her. She scanned the list, mentally noting the few books she would like to read before the holidays finished. As she read, Ron spoke up again. "Firstly, before we start your shopping, you'll need to change your Muggle money. I trust youve brought your card?" Chelsea nodded."Okay. Lets go then." Ron stood at the same time as Chelsea. She folded the parchment, putting it into one of her deep coat pockets. Ron linked his arm into hers, explaining that he needed to hold onto her or they would lose eachother.
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Hours later, Chelsea and Ron were sitting at the same table as before, but his time accompanied by many and various bags and packages. They were both tucking into a delicious chicken stirfry each, as Chelsea thought back to where they had shopped.
They had taken the snake, or elevator, to the top level of the bank to change her money. Ron had opened an account for her there, arranging for her school fees to be paid automatically, also withdrawing a very large amount for her school items. She had eneded up with plenty of money, as the exchange rate was very low at the moment, as Muggle money was in high demand.
They had taken the snake again to the middle level, where the bookstore was located. Chelsea was rather dissapointed by the ride on the elevator, for, instead of the adrenaline rush she had imagined, they had sat down in bus-type seats and felt like she wasn't moving at all. Ron had warned her not to look outside, btu she looked anyway. Evevrything was rushing past at high speed, coming to a stop every now and then when they had to drop of passengers. It was really rather nauseating.
They had managed to find the books, quills and parchment she needed, plus a few extra on Animagi and Metamorphagi. They then went ot the next level up to buy her school uniform and robes. Huntingdon had white robes enchanted so that they would not get dirty. They were close-fitting at the top, then flared out at the bottom, a blue, white, red, gold, silver and bronze emblem emblazoned on the left hand side. Chelsea noticed the two animals holding it up were a panther and an emu. The school uniform had a grey pleated skirt and white blouse with the school crest on the pocket, but no tie. The jumpers were either blue, white or red, and that was when they realized that Chelsea had not been sorted into a house yet, so they were forced to buy her one of each.
This had taken them until lunchtime. They had eaten silently, and Chelsea was just finishing when Ron said, "All thats left is your wand, and a pet. Students are allowed owls, falcons, or eagles. We will collect your wand first." They stood up, and chelsea decided to shrink her purhases. She had shrunk one, to Rons amazement, when he stopped her. "I didn't know you could do wandless magic. Here' I'll show you a spell to shrink many things at once. Shrivvellus!" he said. All the bags shrink down to little cubes on the floor. Chelsea bent down to pik them up, and placed them in her pocket. Ron then Linked arms once again.
Soon, they were at the Wands level. Towering, dark and dusty shelves of small boxes lined the walls, and were set up in ailes. She stood there in amazement at the sight, when a dwarf sized man waddled over. "Heello! My name is Mr. Kokodu, and I will be your host. Which is your wand arm?" he squeeked up to them. Chelsea held out her right arm, and a tape measure appeared out of thin air, measuring her arm, giving her a little shock. Mr Kokodu clapped his hands and it dissapeared. Her arm suddenly began to glow a whiteish colour, causing Chelsea to step back and look at it in horror. "Dearie me! Its quite all right, dear. Thats just a little test to give us an idea where to start looking." Mr Kokodu squeeked. Chelsea relaxed when the glow faded. "Follow me"
They were headed down what she thought was the darkest isle for what seemed at least 5 minutes to her. Coming to a stop, Mr Kokodu clapped his hands once more, and a long, thick wooden ladder appeared, leaning against the shelves to the left. He scrambled up the, till Chelsea could only just see his tiny feet. She just heard him say, "Ahhh, here. Pegasus feather," before he slid back down the ladder with an armful of boxes. He put them all down before carefully handing one to Chelsea. She opened it slowly, wondering what the wand would look like. It was about 9 inches long, of a deep mahogany brown. Its most distinguishing feature was the two stripes down the center. One black, on white. "Come, give it a swish dear. This one is made of Claw of Panther and Pegasus feather at exactly 9 inches." Chelsea swished it, left to right. White and black sparks flew out, making her jump a little in surprise. "Wondeful! Absolutely Wonderful!," Mr Kokodu exclaimed. "Congratulations! We found your perfect wand on the first try."
A while later, Chelsea was in the Menagerie/Potions level. Almost every type of creature was for sale here, and every single one of them seemed to be making a protest at her and Ron. They had bought her her Potions kit, and had just enough money left to get her a bird. Having looked at the owls, she had decided she didn't want them. She spent an hour looking at the various eagles and falcons until Ron had called out that it was getting late and she had better decide quickly. None of the birds seemed to appeal to her. Chelsea called out above the noise to the shopkeeper. "Do you have any others?" The shopkeeper told her there was only one other, and told her to wait at the desk while she got her. The man brought out a small, scruffy, strangely blue eagle, with large green-brown eyes and silver beak on his gloved arm. "Nobody wanted her because of her colour, and most said she was too small. Poor things been here for about a month, and was being attacked by the other birds, so we had to take her out back." he said. Chelsea replied, "I,ll take her."
She was given a large cage, one packet of never-ending Eagle feed, and a special pair of gloves. She paid for them, and, as they were heading towards the elevator, she shrunk the items, putting them into her pocket. She left out the gloves,putting them on, and the eagle flew and perched on her shoulder, nipping her ear affectionately. "I can see she likes you" Ron commented as they sat down on the snake-elevator.Soon, they were back on the ground floor. Arm in arm, they headed against the jostling crowd towards the door. A heart-wrenching scream pierced the thick air. Evryone stopped and turned to see what it was. As they were near the front, Ron and Chelsea could see clearly.
Seven injured and bloodied men were standing there, one carrying a womain in the same state in his arms. The front, who Chelsea recognized as the security wizard, spoke up in his deep, gruff voice. "Death Eaters have the markets surrounded." At this, several screamed and many gasped, but he continued. "I have managed to seal all possible entrances that could be acessed by them. It seems they had planned on destroying this building from the inside, and hopefully think they have us trapped here. No, you cannot Apparate. The only way out of here is through the roof."
Chapter 3.
From before: "Death Eaters have the markets surrounded." At this, several screamed and many gasped, but he continued. "I have managed to seal all possible entrances that could be acessed by them.It seems they had planned on destroying this building from the inside, and hopefully think they have us trapped here. No, you cannot Apparate. The only way out of here is through the roof."........
Instantly, everyone moved. Hundreds qued to get on the escalators to get to the top. Ron had pulled Chelsea through and squeezed onto one. Some had the brilliant idea of buying brooms from the Quidditch level, so they stopped off there. Chelsea shoved past the crowd to get to the brooms. She grabbed the nearest ones, and yelled abouve the racket to the shopkeeper to charge them to Chelsea Hunters account. He nodded and wrote it down. Soon, They were out on the balcony with others who had brought brooms. As one, they hovered, and kicked off, twirling like hundreds of human sized bees heading towards the skylight. Someone had thankfully managed to make a hole in the many layers of glass, and Ron and Chelsea were the first few to shoot through it. She followed Ron, wobbling slightly, for about 20 minutes until they were past the gardens, thankfully not being trailed by death eaters, who seemed to be intent on getting inside the building.
Ron began to slowly pull into a dive, and motioned for Chelsea to do too. Following suit, she headed towards the ground, pulling up to a stop. Ron was off his broom,so Chelsea swung her leg over the back, managing sucessfully. "Are you allright?" Ron asked her. She nodded. "Gosh! You are a natural at flying! I take it youve done it before?" he said enthusiastically. She shook her head. "I think you better try out for the Qudditch and Qriangle teams then. Youre fantastic!" Chelsea blushed deeply. "Okay.I think we'd better apparate bak to school. 'Shrivvellus!' " Ron said to ther brooms. Picking up the pint-sized brooms and putting them into thier pockets, Chelsea then took Rons outstreached hand. "Hold on tight. Ready, one, two, THREE!" Ron said. Chelsea felt a wave of dizzyness and nausea come over her as they landed with a small thud on the grounds. As her head cleared, she gazed around at the paradise-like grounds. She had landed beside the river that she had seen out of the Hospital window that very day. Fresh, crisp air was all around with lush greeen grass underneath. Chelsea hoped that she would get a chance to explore these grounds, for they were even more beautiful than the gardens surrounding the Oping Markets. She wondered if they had managed to escape. As they were walking towards the castle, Ron told her a little about the grounds around the castle. "These grounds are enchanted to have the weather that teh school feels like. The default weather is as normal, but occasionally it will snow in spring and rain in summer. " He paused, and Chlesea thought, 'Thats why I landed in a snowstorm in the middle of summer!". She would have to read the book about the school that all first and second years were required to have. As they neared the moat that was fed by the river that surrounded the castle, Ron spoke the password. As the magnificent drawbridge swung down on its thick metal chains, and the iron criss-crossed gate pulled up, Ron explained about the castles initial use as a hideout then fortress against Grindelwald. The moat was filled with many magical sea creatures made to attack any who tried to get in with an evil will against the school.
Soon, they were standing in front of the giant iron and wood door which had begun to open with a second password. When they stepped inside, Poppy was waiting anxiously, looking like a ghost. She flung herself on Ron, kissing him and telling him amongst sobs that she thought they might have been killed by Death eaters. After a minute or two, she turned to Chelsea, giving her a tight squeeze. Chelsea blushed, not expecting it. She hugged back for a split second before they broke apart. Poppy, still sobbing, said, "I must go and inform the headmistress of your arrival. Its time for you to be sorted. Follow me." She turned on her heel, others following behind.
Soon, after spending what seemed to Chelsea an hour of weaving through vast black stone corridors, past moving portraits and a few polished suits of armour, they reached a painting of what seemed to be a view of the grounds, with various animasl running across to drink at the river. Poppy spoke the password. "Rallentundo". The picture swung open, revealing a door. "Crescendo" Poppy spoke again, and the door opened. They stepped inside.
The room was bright with candles on the shelves, tables and desks and a fire. Portraits of Huntingdon and the grounds lined the walls, with various gold framed ones holding pictures of old headmistresses and two headmasters. The winddows were large, but closed, showing the now fading evening. A few stars had begun to shine. As Chelsea took in her surroundings, a voice spoke. "Come, dear, it won't hurt. You will be sorted into one of three houses. Tatantula is white with bronze, Luawaloli is blue with silver, Sayqenta is red with gold." Chelsea hadn't even noticed the Headmisstress sitting at her desk, dressed in emerald robes. "Looks just like MCGonigall in the movie,' she thought, as the Headmistress began to speak again. "I will place the Halo around your head, and it will tell us what house you belong to. We'll get this done, before my talk to you. Here, sit there." The headmistress pointed to a chair infront of her. Chelsea sat down as she went over to a large white cupboard, saying an incatation in what Chelsea thought was Latin. The cuboard clicked open, emitting a soft golden light. The headmistress took out a shining gold ring, and Chelsea gasped quietly at how stunningly beautiful it was. The Halo was placed gently on her head.
"Ah. I know you are destined for greatness. " A deep voice inside her head told her. "You are made of qualifications from each house. It will take me a while to determine which." At that, the voice began to hum a beautiful tune. Chelsea felt her soal swell in joy at the crescendo, her heart filled with happiness at the sheer beauty of it. No words could explain it after. Chelsea was so wrapped up in the song filling her, she had not noticed that her whole body had begun to glow a soft golden colour, the Halo shining so blindingly on her head that the two women in the room had to shield thier eyes.
Slowly, after what seemed like a beautiful eternity to Chelsea, the song stopped, the glow fading with it. Opening her eyes, she saw the two shocked faces. Looking around rapidly, she saw no signs of danger, so she looked back at them, waiting to hear what was wrong.
The Headmistress spoke up first. The only recorded instance of that happening was when the Heir of Huntingdon came to this school 300 years ago, 300 years after the school had been founded by Huntingdon herself. Perhaps you are the heir. At that, the Halo spoke again. You are indeed the heir of the great Huntingdon, my master. I will place you in Luawaloli, house of Pegasus and Panther. At its words, a silver ring with a blue stone appeared on her ring finger of her right hand. Ah. I see you have been placed in Luawaloli. All students are given a ring with thier house colours as a sign of thier loyalty. She paused, moving over to her chair to sit.
School will start in 4 weeks time. You will have to work very hard this year and spend as much time as possible studying for you have missed a whole year of schooling. You will sit in the Great Chamber with the other Luawaloli students once you have been announced. I reccommend you read the book about the school and a few spell books before then. You will have a bed in the common rooms with the other students, and will only be permitted to enter your rooms with the permission of Poppy here. Pack all that you need into your trunk in 6 days, and you can move it to The Headmisstress dismissed them, and Chelsea began to head towards her rooms. Poppy stopped her.
Hangon a sec, sweetie. I want to talk to you. Chelsea turned towards her. You all right? Chelsea nodded. That was rather scary there, with you glowing all golden and everything, and that light nearly blinding us. Chelsea asked her what she meant by this, and told her about the beautiful song she had heard from the Halo. Poppy told her a story as they walked back to Chelseas rooms. It was about how Auror Huntingdon had kept a Pheonix that could talk, and that one day it had died, for real, (as Pheonix birds are normally immmortal, and after a period of time, explode into flames and are born again from the ashes.) Huntingdon was so heartbroken, she fashioned the Halo, and called the Pheonixs soul to keep it there. Only her heirs would hear its song.
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At midnight, Chelsea was lying ontop of the newly silver fur quilt cover of her double fourposter. She had been studying the Encyclopedia of Spells, Grades 1-2. Being a very quick learner, she studied hard the spells in the book, then used the ones she had found that were for interior designers, and those who wished to redecorate. Deciding to have a good look at her room, she slid across the bed and looked around.
It was a large, circular room in the Luawaloli tower, as she had found out earlier. The bed was in the center of the room, with an almost floor-to wall sized window directly in front of it on the other wall. Candles lined the walls at different intervals, and a beautiful candelabra was in the centre of her room. To the right of the window was the perch her blue falcon, which she had named Quicksilver, was asleep, his silver beak tucked under one wing. His cage below it. On the left wall was a large wardrobe, where also Chelsea kept her trunk when not in use. To the left of that again was the ensuite bathroom, quite large with a bath/shower type thing, and it was decorated in white and chrome. On the very right of her bed was a mahogany desk, with a candle above it and several drawers down either side where the chair was. Across from that was a small table with a single chair where she would have breakfast, lunch and dinner. She had arranged for it to be sent to her room, as she did not like the idea of sitting with the proffessors for each meal.
Tommorow, she decided, as she put her pyjamas on, she would learn as many spells as she could without a wand. Summoning spells, banishing spells, conjuring spells, flying spells and shield spells would all be good, she thought, plus one that you could do to dress yourself and put makeup on with. That would certainly be handy.
As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about exploring the castle, then the grounds. She would make up map like the Maurauders did, and become an Animagus like them, she thought. I think Ill begin by looking through the spell books and practising the ones I want, then the book on the school, which was rather big and would take her till lunchtime. She would spend the afternoon out in the grounds beside the river, either practising flying on her broomstick, which she had found was actually a Nimbus 04, the newest availible, or beneath one of the large oak trees learning how to be an Animagus. Soon, she was fast asleep, a smile on her face as she thought of it all.
Chapter 4.
Authors Note: This Chapter is to help you understand the story more. Please read, otherwise itll be very confusing for you.
From before: As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about exploring the castle, then the grounds. She would make up map like the Maurauders did, and become an Animagus like them, she thought. I think Ill begin by looking through the spell books and practising the ones I want, then the book on the school, which was rather big and would take her till lunchtime. She would spend the afternoon out in the grounds beside the river, either practising flying on her broomstick, which she had found was actually a Nimbus 04, the newest availible, or beneath one of the large oak trees learning how to be an Animagus. Soon, she was fast asleep, a smile on her face as she thought of it all.
Chelsea settled into this routine quickly. She had become quite practised at several different spells for shields, summoning, banishing, conjuring, and levitation spells rapidly as the days past. She would spend the mornings doing those, then have a picnic in the grounds in the afternoons, often flying around the forest for a while, twisting and turning, and often rolling over and under her broom to advoid the low branches. She had learnt much about the school, and enchanted a map that would appear when the password was said, and dissapear when it was said again. It filled up quickly as the days past, with her knowledge of how much of the school she had explored. Fortunately, each corridor and classroom was labelled, so she couldnt get lost easily.
After about 5 days, she decided she would run each morning to get into shape, and spend an hour at lunchtime tanning. There was a beautiful spot hidden in the forest where a little pond was, and where the sun would shine through each day. It was perfect for privacy, as she would only be in her bikinis there, and it would be very embarrasing if one of the male professors would come along and see her there.
She also read as much as she could about Animagi and Metamorphanigi. She had found out that Metamorphanigi were Animagi except were able to hold two forms of creature. Chelsea had already decided two animals she wanted to be, being the Pegasus and Panther, the emblems of her house and the two key ingredients of her wand, besides being two of her favourite creatures. She had managed to, so far, change her hands and legs into the silver and purest white of the Pegasus hooves. The books said (Some of which she had borroed from the library, courtesy of Madam LeBu), that she was a natural Animagi if she could transform that fast. It had only been just over a week.
A few days a week, Chelsea would go to Ron and Poppys rooms in the castle. She would tell them all that she learnt, but kept her Metamorphanigi training a secret. They commented every 3rd visit or so how fast she was learning, how tanned and fit she was appearing, and how amazed they were at her ability to do all that magic wothout her wand. She had become great friends with the two over the month she had stayed at Huntingdon, but was terribly lonely.
Time past rapidly. Chelsea had learnt most of the spells off by heart and some of the potions formulas required, and was able to do a full transformation. She would stay in her hideout in the forest while she tried it.
When she could hold it for a full 50 minutes, she decided it was time to fly. Heading out into the open grounds, she spread the silvery white wings out above her. She marvelled at the sight. Falling into the instincts of the animal, she began to flap as she ran ful speed across the lawns. Soon, she had lifted.
It was amazing, to say the least. Nothing was like it. An incredible, incredible feeling of weightlessness as she felt the strong wings glide along the air currents and hot air that pushed her up even higher. She soared over the forest, legs tucked underneath her as she gazed out over the land. Nothing would ever beat this, she thought. Not even flying on a broomstick. That didnt even come close.
In the next few days, Chelsea spent her time studying more about the school and the two sports it played. She sometimes flew as a Pegasus over the forest, once even going to the mouintain and back. The excrutiating pain that had come with transforming at first had dissappeared to a dull ache, and she was now able to ignore it altogether, spending as much time as she wanted as the creature.
She had found out more about Qriangle, and had decided to try out for it instead of Quidditch, which seemed boring in comparison. Qriangle was a game played on broomsticks with swords. Each player was to itself usually, but the house games had been modified to having 3 from each house, making it 6 in a field. At one end of the field was 3 hoops, one for each team. The aim was to try and score as many goals as possible against the other team. Each would have one Goalie defending thier goal, and one defenders, one attacker. The defenders were to help the Goalie against oncoming attacks from other teams, attackers to score goals, working together as one. The most interesting part was that the game was played using swords, over a field of lava. If hit by an opponents sword, you were out of the game for a full ten seconds. Chelsea was still confused as she read, but, when she turned the page, was confronted by a real moving image of the Huntigdon House game.
A spitting square field of lava, which was about 100meters in length and width , was edged by huge rock faces roughly 200 meters up. The players would aim for the holes spaced 25meters apart. Chelsea could see duel upon duel with swords, and noticed a sign under the picture saying, No wands allowed. I dont need a wand, she thought. It sure didnt say no spells allowed.
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It was the last week of the holidays. Chelsea had invited the Weasleys to a picnic at her 2nd favourite spot, under a huge old oak tree beside the river. She planned to show them her Animagus form, including a quick fly.
It was 15 minutes before they were due to arrive, and Chelsea was running down from the castle, wearing her long beige skirt and tall boots, with her long brown coat. It was a rather grey day for spring unfortunately, but everything was still just as beautiful. Arriving at the spot, she quickly conjured up a mat of blue and white checks, and a very large picnic basket complete with food, plates and cutlery, with drinks and cups aswell. Wondering how hard the ground was to sit on, she sat down, instantly springing up again to put a cushioning charm on it. Much better she thought as she sat down again, watching the two redheads approach in the distance.
As they sat, Ron, who was the groundskeeper for Huntingdon, asked Chelsea whether she may have seen a whiite horse somewhere around her. She shook her head, but said. I have something to show you. With nods of approval from the two, she stood up, backing away by about four steps.
Concentrating hard on the change, she clamped her teeth down as the pain swelled, then faded to a dull ebb as she became the beautiful animal. It had a golden horn and her hazel eyes, with silver hooves and tail. Its fur and the feathers on its wings were of the purest white, so no-one who was evil minded and spirited was able to touch it.
She sprinted along the river, taking off into the air. Doing a quick u-turn in the sky, she soared back down to land beside the mat, transforming back into a human. (AN: For those of you out there with vivid imaginations, yes, Animagi do transform with clothes on.)
My god Chelsea! Your a Pegasus! I never.... Ron exclaimed. Poppy was rather schocked, and did not speak for a while. Ron began again. My, have you really leant to be an Animagus in 4 weeks? the fastest time was 2 months, for goodness sake! What else have you learnt?!? he said. chelsea felt an unfamiliar surge of pride as he said these words. She worried about showing them the extent of the magic she had learnt over the holiday, not wanting to shock them even more. She wondered now, as she had thought learning spells was simple, and being an Animagus was natural. She would go and consult the transfiguration teacher, Ms. Johnkinson, and perhaps Magical Beasts teacher Dr. Vector.
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It was the day before term started. Chelsea had packed her trunk, having spent almost all day on it. She looked in the mirror, now ready to make sure she was ready for tommorow. With a schock, she realized she'd hardly looked into the mirror, and couldn't belive it. Tan! Oh, beautiful glorious tan!...AHHHHHH!!!....toned stomach! NOW, i can't beleive it, she thought estatiscally. Her hair had blonde tint to eat due to her time outside. She guessed her form must be from running everymoring, and working so hard on her magic. Still, the rest of her body wasn't perfect, and she was fine with that. After all, she had thought that there was no way she was gonna lose weight, as she had thought she had tried everything, but obviously not. Now, she really lookes properly Australian.
,Having shrunk practically everything in her room, (Including her bird by mistake, which she thought was soo cute that small, but had to enlarge it when it bit her finger) , she laid out her uniform on the bed. Tommorow, as told to her by the Headmistress, who she had found out was named Professor Yalex, she would put her trunk and any other belongings into her house common room, then wait in a room off the hall, for when she would be announced infront of the school along with another transfer student in her year, and then sit with her house. She would recieve the usual booklet about events for the year, and start classes the next day.
Looking at her uniform, she picked out a silver chain to go with her blue and silver jumper. Putting this on, with the rest of her uniform, then a touch of blush and a little concealer to smooth out her skin tone, she looked in the mirror. The white coat of the school suited her, but she still thought it was a bit plain. Thinking about what to do with her hair, she decided on a french braid. Finally, making sure her appearance was perfect, she clapped her hands to send her trunk of belongings off to her bed in the Luawaloli Tower. She picked up her map of the castle, which she would always keep with her, and then spent 5 minutes convincing her bird to allow itself to be shrunk so she could keep it in her pocket. Locking her room with a sealing charm, she headed down to the Chambers, into the room ajoining it.
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She peeked out of the dim, small room through the door that led into the Great Chamber. The Headmistress had come and made sure that she could hear from there with a spell, also telling her not to come out until she was announced. Chelsea couldn't bear it, and finally glanced into the huge room. The maginificance of the Chambers was lost when the door was slammed shut outside, and Chelsea was thrown into darkness........
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