Sasha Liliana Jackson & The Secrets of Hogwarts

Chapter Two: Returning To Hogwarts

Sasha and Nicholas were both taken to the train station with their trunks and familiars. Last month, Nicholas had been adopted by Sasha's family and Nich's poor excuse of a father had been sent to Azkaban. As soon as they had arrived to the hidden train station, Sasha was overjoyed to see her friends from school. Rowan Khanna was giving her Indian eagle-owl to one of the workers on the train, who put the caged owl away in the owl compartment. Penny was hugging her younger sister, Beatrice, before she turning towards her parents. Ben was talking to his gently encouraging parents. Lastly, Bill and Charlie Weasley were both being smuggled by Mrs. Weasley and their younger redheaded twin siblings.
"Hey!" Sasha exclaimed excitedly. "There are my friends. Rowan! Penny! Ben! Bill!"
Sasha was immediately pounced by her friends' hugs. The three and two girls barely noticed that Mrs. Haywood had took a picture of the five friends (well, six since Sasha pulled Nicholas into the hug). Sasha and her friends quickly say their farewells to their families before they had boarded the train. Bill had to go up to the Perfects compartment, since he had became a Perfect and had received a golden Perfect badge from Professor McGonagall.
Sasha, Rowan, Penny, Ben, and Nicholas all went into an empty compartment together. They were soon joined by both Tonks and Tulip. Ben had sat with Nicholas just sat across from them, but they listened to them.
"Guys, I want to try a new and more advanced potion," Penny whispered excitedly and caught Sasha's eye. "It might help you track down the Cursed Vaults and your brother."
"Really?" Sasha titled her head, she felt her curiosity kicking in again. "What type of potion is it?"
"It's called the Animagus Potion," whispered Penny. "It could transform ourselves into any type of animal we want. But it requires special requirements in order to do so."
"That sounds odd," Sasha said. "But I like the idea of a good challenge."
"Do you have all of the ingredients?" Rowan looked as curious as everybody else, only Ben looked absolutely terrified about the idea of it.
"Yes." Penny gave them sly smirk. "Remember that little dare I want you guys to do?"
Sasha and Rowan both muffled their groans, Tonks and Tulip both grimaced at the reminder, and Ben looked a little green in the face.
At the beginning of January, Penny had dared each of them to hold a mandrake leaf in each of their mouths for a whole month in a game of truths and dares. Sasha was stuck having a nasty bitter taste in her mouth for a while till she was unable to taste it anymore.
"It's part of becoming an Animagus. Sasha, you remember Talbot Winger, right?" Sasha fought to hide her incoming blush at Penny's question, but she nodded. Tonks saw it and she gave a slight smile. "He'll might be able to teach you how to do the spell, then you can teach the rest of us."
Sasha raised an eyebrow at that statement before she asked, "Why can't he teach us how to do it himself?"
"He's a little bit of a loner," said Penny with a smile. "But he's really friendly once you get to know him."
"Okay." Sasha had grew up as an outcast, maybe she should try to make more contact with him or so.
"Anyways, did Merula overheard us you two?" Penny asked Tonks with a small and nervous smile.
"Nah, she's a bit busy at the moment." Tonks smirked and pointed to the compartment in front of their compartment.
Tulip also gave a mischievous smirk and started giggling a bit before she calmed down and said, "I've left behind a parting gift for her."
Sasha gave them a wary and suspicious look, she raised an eyebrow at them before asking, "What type of gift you had left behind?"
Tulip shushed her before doing a hearing gesture to her ear, clearly saying, "Wait for it..." That's when the craziness had came from the compartment in front of them. They all heard screaming, yelling, and cussing from the compartment. Sasha and her friends all bursted out laughing, she shook her head and looked at the two class pranksters.
"What did you two do?" asked Sasha as she wiped a tear from her eye and tried to keep a straight face as she looked at them.
"We may or may not have snook a Dungbomb into Merula's bag," Tonks had managed to say between her giggling.
Sasha looked up at the sound of the door sliding opened, she was stunned to see half of the second-years and third-years starting to file into the seats of the once quiet compartment. Sasha made a quick sniff before anyone had spotted her, she caught a quick whiff of the Dungbomb. She gagged as soon as she caught whiff of the stinking scent, now she understood why half of the second and third years looked sick to their stomachs and slightly green in their faces.
"Goodness gracious!" gasped Sasha, she quickly closed the door after everyone had filed in. "That stinks as bad as cooked garlic mixed in with rotten eggs and baked in dirty diapers."
"That's mildly putting it," Rowan muttered as she tried wave the stink away with the Animagus book she had been reading.
"Isn't that what we've put in our Dungbomb?" Tulip asked Tonks, who just shrugged.
"I think that's we had put in there," said Tonks with a smirk and slipped her arm over Tulip's shoulders.
"Oh brother." Sasha rolled her eyes before sharing the Animagus book with Rowan.
"Hey Sash, do wanna try out for the Quidditch team?" Penny's question had took Sasha off-guard. "I've heard of that's there's opening spot for a Chaser after the last one had gotten injured before school."
Sasha looked away from her friends' gazes and whispered, "I've never played Quidditch before, nevermind hearing about it."
"What!? Why?" exclaimed Penny, sounding both sympathetic and stunned.
"I..." Sasha gulped before she was able to calm down her racing heart. "I never played Quidditch before, there was too many Muggle witnesses around the neighborhood. Besides, the Ministry had banned my family from doing any major magic near there."
"WHAT???!!!" Sasha jumped at the sound of almost everyone's voices. They all seemed pretty angry at the Ministry and sympathetic towards Sasha's lack of knowledge in Quidditch or the disability to have magic at Sasha's home.
Sasha gulped and inched closer to Rowan, who had looked up from her book at the commotion and started helping Sasha calm down. Rowan shooed away the onlookers, looking slightly annoyed with them.
Penny sighed and said, "How about I'll tell you what Quidditch is all about." Penny soon started explaining all about the four balls and positions of the seven players, describing famous games she had seen with her family and adoration to the Parkin family. She had also explained great (and really expensive) broomsticks that were usually used during Quidditch and she had explained some key words during Quidditch.
After Penny was done explaining everything to Sasha, she felt a instinctive thrill of excitement and curiosity about Quidditch going through her.
"I mean... seriously, you should know this." Penny was shaking her head sadly, but she caught Sasha's skeptical look. "Didn't your parents tell you any of this? Your father was the captain and Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, while your mother was one of the Chasers of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team."
"They were?!" Sasha yelped in shock. "They only told me that they were both Head Boy and Girl, not to mention that they were friends with Aunt Lily and the Marauders." Sasha sighed softly and shook her head. "Remind me to give them a good word with them once this year is over."
"Are you going to try out?" asked Tulip curiously.
Sasha shrugged uncertainly as she leaned back into her seat once again with a stiff sigh before she said, "Maybe. But I barely know how to even fly on a broomstick."
Sasha soon perked up as she heard a tapping sound against the window and Tulip opened the window to show a barn owl flying in with a piece of parchment in his beak. The owl landed in front of Sasha and gave the envelope to Sasha. She smiled at the owl as she took the message and gave the barn owl a owl treat.
“Dear Sasha,
I can't wait for you returning to Hogwarts.
Even Fang can't wait for ya return.
But once you'll return, I need some of ya help with some of the critters. I'm afraid it also includes some dragons.
There's also something bothering with Stripes and Rain, the two wild Kneazles in the Dark Woods.
Ember the Fire Crab had been acting out again.
Slimmer the Flobberworm had a little incident in the river.
Sundancer the Niffler is getting hyper and disturbing the other Nifflers.
Thowra misses you pretty badly and wants to see you again.
Lastly, Scorch is getting more restless than usual lately.
All the best, Hagrid.”
Sasha felt a wave of worry and concern about the mentioned magical animals. Sasha gotten out a parchment and a silvery gray feathered quill before she started writing a quick response to Hagrid: “Dear Hagrid,
Don't worry. I'll help you as soon as we arrived...”
"Hey, can I come along?" Penny asked excitedly.
Sasha raised an eyebrow before she asked, "Are you sure? It can get a little... risky."
"I can handle it," protested Penny. "So can I?"
Sasha looked at Penny before thinking through it. Penny loves animals just like Sasha, including magical animals. Penny is always eager to learn more about magical critters, while Sasha has some experience with magical critters during her time in the forest.
"I guess that'll be okay." Sasha turned back to her message and continued writing, “I mean, we'll help you. Penny wants to help us just as well. We're going to meet you by the fields.”
Sasha gave the message to the owl and the owl flew out of the window. Sasha felt Elsa getting restless in her basket, she turned to them before saying, "My parents had bought me an early parting present before we separated. Is it okay if I take my pet cat out?"
All of her friends nodded and watched as Elsa jumped gracefully out of the basket. Sasha chuckled softly as she started petting Elsa, and her cat started purring as she rubbed her sleek body against Sasha's chest. Nicholas sat down next to her and also started petting Sasha's new feline friend. While everyone was talking about their preparations for the next Cursed Vault, becoming Animagi, and Quidditch bets, Sasha remained silent throughout the rest of the trip as Nicholas went back to his seat.
The conductor had announced that they'll be arriving to the train station in five minutes. Sasha cracked a small smile as soon as she caught sight of Hogwarts Castle. Maybe she can rest a bit and focus on her studies before anyone can disturb another Cursed Vault.