Oliver Dursley And The Secrets Of Hogwarts

Chapter 7: Ophelia Lovegood

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   The Hogwarts Express sped quickly out of the train station, and out into the country side, revealing rolling green hills beneath a clear sky. Oliver drug his trunk and owl along the hallway, until he found an empty compartment, where he took a seat. He looked out the window as the scene of green before him laid out, and he began to feel butterflies in his stomach again.
   "Ahem." A small voice said from the outside. Oliver jumped, a petit girl with long platinum blonde hair, and wide blue eyes was looking in. She wore blush pink robes, her hair pinned up by pencils, and layers of jewelry up her wrists. "May I sit with you?" She asked.
  "Of course, yes!" Oliver beckoned her in. "I'm Oliver," he said, holding out his hand.
The girl looked slightly dazed for a moment, "oh," she said, taking his hand, "I'm Ophelia Lovegood-Schamander."
Taken back by the formality of it all, Oliver rushed to correct himself, "Oliver Dursley." They shook, and Ophelia sat down.
"Are you a first year?" She asked, keeping such direct eye contact that Oliver started to fidget.
"Yes, you?"
"Yes. What house do you hope to be in?"
"House?" Oliver felt embarrassed for how little he knew, but Ophelia broke into a smile.
"Oh are you a muggle born?" She asked. Oliver nodded. "Oh how exciting, you must be so overwhelmed!"
"I am, yeah." Oliver admitted, blushing.
"That's okay," Ophelia said, her voice was so even and calming, Oliver believed her. "You'll learn quick enough. Each of us get sorted into a house based on our traits. The bravest go into Gryffindor, the cunning into Slytherin, those two are enemies, the loyal are sorted into Hufflepuff, and the most intelligent are put into Ravenclaw."
"Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, got it." Oliver repeated back. "So which one are you hoping for?"
"Oh I'd quite like to be sorted into Ravenclaw, that's where my mother belonged." Opheli took out a glass bottle from her travel bag containing a green liquid.
"What is that?" Oliver asked curiously.
"It's gillywater, mom says to drink one a day to cleanse my aura. Would you like one?" She pulled out a second bottle and handed it to Oliver who thanked her.
Oliver took a swig and immediately made a face. At first, it tasted herb-infused, then there was a smack of extreme tartness. He couldn't help but pucker his lips.
"It takes some getting used to," Ophelia said unbothered, taking another swig of hers.
As the train ride went on, Ophelia told Oliver everything she knew about Hogwarts. From the battle 19 years ago, to the teachers, to the rumors of secret passageways.
A plum elderly woman pushing a trolley came by and tapped on the window. "Anything from the trolley children?"
Ophelia's eyes lit up, "oh you must try some! I'll be right back!" She got up, conversed with the older woman, and came back with an armful of treats.
"Wow!" Said Oliver, looking at all the different colored packages. He picked up a tent shape striped box reading Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans.
"Be careful with those!" Said Ophelia, taking a bite into a pumpkin pastry. "They really are every flavor!"
Nervously, but not wanting to miss a thing, Oliver reached in and pulled out a safe looking pink speckled bean. "Let's hope it's strawberry!" He said popping it into his mouth. "Blegh! Soap!" He spit it back out as Ophelia roared with laughter.
She reached her hand in and pulled out a suspicious looking green one. She popped it into her mouth and chewed. "Mmmm!" Her eyes lit up and she swallowed.
"What flavor was that?" Oliver asked.
"Fresh cut grass! So earthy!" Oliver chuckled, she was quite odd.
He reached into the box again and pulled out a light blue one, and popped it into his mouth, shuddering a moment later.
"Salt water! Extra salt!" He gasped.
"Try one of these." Ophelia held out a round purple ball, "it's Drobble's Best Blowing Gum. You can blow the biggest bubbles, and they won't pop for days!"
"Here I go." Oliver said, taking the gum and chewing it. He blew his first bubble, and was shocked to find that it was blue. The bubble grew and grew, then detached itself and hung in the air. Ophelia reached out and pushed it aside so it hung by the luggage.
"Do another one!" Oliver did, and this time it was yellow. The two blew bubbles of all colors until their jaws were sore and the room was filled with colorful bubblegum bubbles.
They laughed and ate more pumpkin pastiest, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Oliver reached for a package he had not yet tried, it was blue, in an pentagon shape, with golden letters on the front that read Chocolate Frogs.
Oliver opened it, and out jumped a chocolate frog, right into his hand. "It's not real, is it?" He asked tentatively.
"Just a charm," Ophelia responded, looking at the frog, "it jump around then will wear off eventually, or you can just eat it now!"
Oliver was slightly put off by the realism of the frog, and gave it to Ophelia, who promptly but his head off.
In the back of the package was a collectors card, he pulled to find a woman who looked suspiciously like an older version of Ophelia. She had the same platinum blonde hair, wide blue eyes, and dazed yet screen smile on her face. "Luna Lovegood." He read, looking up at Ophelia, who seemed unphased by his discovery as she ate the frog legs.
"Is this your mother?" He asked. She crained her neck, and nodded.
"That's her!" She confirmed, reaching for her gillywater.
Oliver read the back of the card out loud "Luna Lovegood, esteemed Magizoologist, has classified over fifty new species in the past two decades, and participated in the Battle Of Hogwarts." Oliver looked up at Ophelia who was reading her own Chocolate Frog card now.
"This is so cool!" He said, watching Luna Lovegood scratch her nose. "I wish my parents were magical."
"I'm sure they're special in their own way." Ophelia said, handing him her card, "here, you can start a collection." Oliver looked down at this card, a deranged, shaggy looking man with a bulging, swiveling fake eye scowled up at him.
"Alastor Moody," he read, "most famous auror of his time, credited for the imprisonment of the most dangerous death eaters. Member of The Order Of The Phoenix."

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   The train traveled on, and night fell outside. The two were stuffed from so many sweets, and Oliver was now attempting to pop the bubblegum bubbles, afraid he may be leaving them behind for someone to clean up.
    They compared wands, Ophelia's was oak wood, 11.5 inches long, with a Phoenix core, their pets-Ophelia had a white kitten named Calliope, and traded reviews on the sections of textbooks they had read. Ophelia extra excited about Magical Herbs and Fungi which, Oliver admittedly hadn't yet opened.
   He was starting to get anxious again, when Ophelia said "we better put on our robes now, I think we're almost there." At this, his stomach dropped.
   Oliver fumbled with his robes, pulling his arms through the sleeves, and sticking his wand inside.  Minutes later the train rolled to a stop, and the two gathered their trunks and pets, and stepped out onto the platform.
   An impossibly large man with a wild beard and an overcoat carried an oil lamp and called "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Oliver could have sworn her saw this man at the Leaky Cauldron just weeks ago.
   "I think my mom told me his name is Hagrid!" Ophelia whispered excitedly, "he teaches Care Of Magical Creatures!" She clutched Calliope's carrier to her chest. "Oh I wish we could take his class this year!"
   "Firs' years, follow me this way! Leave your luggage, it will be by your bed tonight!" Hagrid called, leading them away from the rest of the students. They walked downhill for a few minutes, Oliver worried that he would stumble in the dark, and arrived at a large black lake, small wooden boats lined the shore.
   "Three to a boat!" Hagrid called, and Ophelia and Oliver scrambled into a boat. Behind them, a dark skinned boy with short curly hair and a photograph worthy smile climbed in.
   "May I share this with you?" He asked. The two nodded. "Thanks, I'm Daniel Vane."
   "Onward!" Hagrid called, and the boats lurched to life.
   "What house are you two hoping to get into?" Daniel asked.
   Oliver shrugged, "I don't care really," He didn't want to explain why he didn't care, so he quickly added "but Hufflepuff sounds nice."
   Daniel snorted in amusement, and Ophelia cast him a disapproving look. "Hufflepuff is a perfectly fine house." She piped up, "but I would quite like to be in Ravenclaw, like my mother."
   "I want to be in Gryffindor like my mum," Daniel said, "but Ravenclaw would be nice too. As long as it's not Slytherin."
   Ophelia nodded in agreement. Oliver was about to ask what exactly what wrong with Slytherin, but at that moment, a unified gasp came from the students as they rounded the corner. Ahead, a grand castle stood, with large pillars and ornate edges, light windows all over showed that there were over 200 rooms.
   "Welcome to Hogwarts!" Hagrid shouted over the students now talking excitedly. "Your new home!"

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