Timetables

Olivia and Amelia sat together eating breakfast while Isabell had just received a letter from her parents. She looked at it, turned around for a while and looked like she was wiping tears. She didn’t touch her food, then crossed her arms.

‘Do you think she’s ok?’ said Olivia, squirting some ketchup on her sausages. 

‘I’m sure she’s fine, or at least she will be once I talk to her-’ said Amelia, cutting her cheese stuffed omelette.

When she saw them speaking to each other, Isabell turned around and joined some other girls. One of them was called Padma Patil, twin of Paravati Patil. 

Their head of house, Professor Flitwick (the charms teacher who was very short and had a bushy moustache) handed them parchments.

‘Ah, timetables,’ said Olivia eagerly as her eyes focused on the paper.

‘We have potions first thing,’ Amelia sighed.

‘What’s wrong with potions?’

‘Don’t you know Professor Snape? He is the Slytherin teacher… My dad knows him pretty well,’ Amelia said as she glared at a man who had greasy black hair and dull black eyes on the other side of the hall. 

He was wearing a cloak and had broad shoulders. Amelia was then gaping at the man. She thought she could see his eyes were slightly wet-

‘Oh,’ Olivia said.

‘Well, we have charms after that!’ Amelia said cheerfully, trying to forget about Snape.

‘Professor Flitwick teaches it I suppose?’ Olivia asked.

‘Yes,’ grinned Amelia.

Isabell glared at them in anger.

‘What?’ Olivia said when she noticed Isabell glaring.

‘Nothing,’ Isabell said quietly.

‘Isabell, we noticed that you were glaring, looking at us in anger and not eating your food, what’s wrong?’ asked Amelia.

‘Amelia-’ Olivia began. 

She had seen through Isabell’s eyes.

‘Oh, nothing’s wrong. And now you’re talking to me? After you saw me crying?’ she said sarcastically while sniffing.

‘I wanted to talk to you, but you didn’t want to talk to me!’ Amelia said, looking shocked. ‘You walked away and sat near Padma and her friends!’

Isabell muttered something they didn’t hear.

Professor Dumbledore started talking. 

‘Owl post has just arrived, more owls will come soon and later it’ll be time for your lessons, see you at lunch, thank you,’ he said in his calm voice.

Olivia studied him carefully. Why was he familiar? 

‘Potions,’ groaned Amelia and Olivia.

Isabell however, didn’t react.

‘Isabell, please eat your breakfast before you starve to death,’ Olivia said calmly.

‘What?’ Isabell jerked her head around.

Amelia realised that there was a shower of owls coming into the Great Hall.

‘Wow,’ Olivia exclaimed.

‘Bianca! That’s weird, my stepmother and my father would never bring me anything,’ said Amelia, confused.

Bianca was holding something very heavy. Amelia reached for it as Bianca nibbled her fingers affectionately.

‘Well, open it,’ Olivia said, eagerness in her eyes.

‘Oh, it isn’t from stepmother or father, it's from… Mrs. Malfoy?’

‘What? How?’ Olivia looked surprised. 

‘It’s a- a… broomstick?’ Amelia gaped at the broomstick.

‘Oh, how lucky you are,’ said Isabell sarcastically, looking really sad.

Amelia and Olivia ignored her.

In the package was a letter, and Amelia read it aloud:

Dear Amelia,

I am pleased to give you this Nimbus 2001 as a reward for giving my dear Draco an amazing birthday present.

Thank you, 

Mrs. Malfoy

‘That’s strange,’ Olivia said.

‘What d’you mean?’ asked Amelia.

‘I read in a book that we are only allowed to have our own brooms if we are accepted to be in the Quidditch team.’

‘Already knowing about the Wizarding World?’

‘Yes,’ Olivia said as she looked at the polished broomstick.

She saw Isabell give a sad smile.

‘Wonder why she’s acting like this, I mean she was incredibly cheerful yesterday and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and-‘ Amelia joked.

‘Ok ok, I get the point!’ Olivia laughed.

Suddenly, Amelia felt an electric shock, and she glanced at Isabell. She found herself falling into a pitch black hole. 

Where am I? Amelia thought, looking terrified.

She continued to walk into what seemed to be an endless black room. She saw a blue glow a few feet away from her. Amelia cautiously approached the shimmering glow, as if it was manipulating her to touch it. She was two feet away from the glow now. She finally approached it. Her face was glowing from the sparkling ball. She touched the blue ball, only to find herself falling once again on a… ghost? The ghost looked like a man who had wavy hair and wide eyes. Amelia squinted ahead to see someone staring at the ghost. Isabell?

‘I-Isabell, wh-what is this?’

But Isabell continued to look at the ghost. Amelia realised that they were in the girls’ dormitories. It was midnight. Amelia stared at Isabell, then at the ghost. 

‘D-dad? How are you here?’

‘Isabell, this a patronus, I will explain later. I’m afraid I have dreadful news.’

A tear went down the man’s cheek.

‘Y-you’re mother d-died. In a car crash. I-I’m so s-sorry Isabell.’ 

Isabell stared at the man, fat tears sliding down her rosy cheeks.

‘N-no, th-this c-c-can’t be!’

‘I’m sorry Isabell.’

‘NO!’

Isabell was throwing books and kicking her bed.

‘N-no, she can’t be gone.’

‘I’m sorry Isabell.’

Her father started fading, leaving Isabell in a pool of tears.

‘N-no…’

Amelia wanted to run to her, only to find out she was being dragged up… up… up… back into her seat. She was still holding the broomstick. What just happened? 

What has my mother given you?’ smirked Draco as he approached the Ravenclaw table with Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. 

Amelia looked confused, then realised the broomstick in front of her. 

Oh, right. Mrs. Malfoy gave me a broomstick, thought Amelia.

‘Your kind mother bought for her a broomstick, that’s what!’ Olivia grinned. 

‘What! She didn’t get ME a broom and she got one for YOU?’

He snatched the letter Amelia was holding and read it carefully.

‘I gave you a broom for your last birthday if you remember, and as a reward-’ started Amelia.

‘Well, I will send her a letter, maybe someone sent it to you by my mother’s name,’ said Draco confidently.

‘Now, that’s very likely to happen,’ said Amelia sarcastically.

‘You’ll see, I’ll prove you wrong!’

‘Oh geez, now we are frightened to death!’ giggled Olivia.

Isabell just gazed at them, she seemed interested in the conversation.

‘What are you listening to?’ asked Draco.

‘Nothing,’ Isabell muttered.

‘Oh, it is you! The one with a mudblood mother! You were the one who insulted me!’ laughed Draco.  

Olivia pushed Draco so hard that he collapsed to the ground.

‘That is what you get for insulting halfbloods,’ Olivia said aggressively as she pushed him again when he started to get up.

Isabell looked shocked yet happy.

‘YOU-’  began Draco.

‘Draco, what happened?’ asked a cold voice.