The House of Black

Chapter 6 - First Year

Ara felt her eyes slowly open, as she looked around she saw she'd fallen asleep on Hermione's bed. Hermione was asleep on one side and Ara on the other.

"Morning" Hermione smiled up at her new friend, Ara smiled back.

"Morning 'Mione" Hermione looked confused at the nickname, Ara rolled her eyes before giggling. "It's a cute nickname and seeing as we're besties now we can give each other nicknames" Hermione laughed.

"Okay, I'll have to think of a nickname for you" The two girls laughed once again before getting ready for the school day.

"Morning Ara" Harry smiled, Ara smiled and waved at him as she passed and sat with Hermione.

"You should be sitting with them" she sighed. Ara rolled her eyes in response.

"Hermione, I'm sitting with you" she smiled, Hermione smiled back.

"Thanks" the two girls smiled and talked about everything, Ara even told Hermione about her dad. She said she didn't care who her parents were and that based on the evidence they couldn't prove her dad guilty so she thought he was innocent.

Soon enough it was time for their first lesson. Ara sighed as she walked into potions. Hermione looked at her confused.

"Snapes lessons are the most boring thing on earth, my cousin told me" Ara told Hermione, the curly haired girl nodded and they sat down next to one another.

Harry walked in and sat next to Ara on the other side, Ron sat next to Harry.

"Silence!" Snape boomed. The class quietened down. "Welcome to potions" he droned. Ara sighed, this was going to be a long lesson. "For those of you who excel in this class, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind. I can teach you to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death" Snape fixated his eyes on Harry. "But some of you have come to Hogwarts so famous that you think it's alright to not pay attention" Ara lightly whacked Harry's arm and he looked up from the parchment he'd been taking notes on. Draco laughed lightly. "Mister Potter could you tell me the main ingredients in a cure for boils potion?" Harry looked at him blankly. Hermione's hand shot up. "Or the main ingredients in a forgetfulness potion?" Harry still looked blank but Hermione was waving her hand in the air. Ara nudged Hermione and shook her head. The young girl put her hand down. "I would suggest you pay attention Mister Potter"
They all sat there and listened to him droning on for the whole lesson.

"Ara why didn't sit with me and Ron and breakfast?" Harry asked.

"I was sitting with Hermione, if you two were nice to her we could all sit together and hang out" Ara smiled back at her friend before catching up with Hermione in the corridor.

As they arrived at their flying lesson. Ara, Hermione, Harry and Ron all stood in a line. Madame Hooch instructed them on what to do.

Ara and Harry summoned their brooms on the first attempt, Ron and Hermione eventually got it. Next, they were instructed to attempt to fly. Ara smiled as she sat on her broom. Suddenly Neville started flying around before falling to the ground. Madame Hooch took him away to the Hospital Wing before Draco smirked and picked something up.
"If the fat oat had given this a squeeze he might've remembered how you fly" Ara rolled her eyes and scowled at him, Hermione and Ron scowled too. Harry seemed to want to kill him.
"Give it here Malfoy" he scowled, Ara put her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him. It didn't work.
"No I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find" he smirked, Ara looked at him.
"Dray..." she spoke but he interrupted.
"Not now Ara" he pushed past her a flew into the sky. The young girl fell backward, Ron caught her as Harry jumped on a broom to chase after Draco. Hermione tried to convince Harry to be reasonable but he still flew after the blonde.
"GIVE IT HERE MALFOY OR I'LL KNOCK YOU OFF YOUR BROOM!! AND DON'T PUSH MY FRIENDS!!" Harry screamed as Ron straightened Ara back on her feet. Draco laughed.
"Please I wouldn't hurt my cousin, not intentionally anyway. And come get it" he smirked.
The two boys chased each other round the sky, both pulling of amazing manoeuvres to avoid crashing.
After a while Harry got the Rememberall back.
"MISTER POTTER! Come with me!" McGonagall called, Harry landed and followed her away.
"Draco! Why did you take that!" Ara shouted at him as she walked over, he rolled his eyes at her.
"It's a joke Ara, calm down" he laughed, the girl rolled her eyes.
"It's not funny Dray, please don't do it again"
"I'll try, but I'm not making any promises" he smirked before walking off. Ron walked over and placed his hand on Aras shoulder, she smiled at him and Hermione joined them as they walked over to lunch.

"Hey Ara" Harry smiled as the three joined him, "Ron, Hermione" Hermione and Ron smiled too. They all ate the food that filled the plates. The four kids walked into Charms, Hermione pulled Ara to the front and Harry grabbed Ron as they followed.
"Welcome students" Flitwick smiled, Ara smiled so did Ron. Hermione seemed really excited and Harry seemed the happiest he could. Well, he was just happy to be at Hogwarts. "May I personally welcome you to Hogwarts, now can anybody tell me the wand lighting charm?" Hermione's hand shot up, Ara smiled and chuckled lightly as her friends arm passed by her head. "Yes Miss?"
"Granger Sir, the incantation is Lumos and the opposite is Nox" he nodded.
"Ten points to Gryffindor" Flitwick smiled broadly at Hermione's answer, Hermione and Ara smiled too whilst the rest of the class looked shocked.

When the end of the day finally arrived Ara and Hermione went straight to the library. After all, Hermione wanted to get ahead.
Nicholas Flammel, an incredible wizard who has discovered the gift of immortality.

"Hermione look at this!" Ara called, Hermione came over and her eyes widened in shock as she read it.
The two girls smiled and continued reading.

He is the only known maker of the Philosophers Stone.
"Somehow I feel this will be useful someday" Hermione smiled, Ara nodded in agreement as the girls left.

A short while later they were sitting in the Great Hall for dinner. Harry was trying to be friends with Hermione but Ron wasn't. He talked to her but it wasn't the friendliest.
"Hey are you okay Ara?" Harry asked, the girl nodded and continued eating.

The next few months were pretty quiet. Sure they'd all nearly died twice. But pretty quiet on the whole. Also they'd helped Hagrid smuggle a dragon to Romania. Christmas was great, Dora had made it great. The two were basically sisters. Everything was going great.

Eventually she was back at school and was really happy to see her friends again. Ron and Hermione were friends now.

"Hagrid, what is the dog guarding?" Harry asked as they visited him.
"How do you lot know about Fluffy?" He asked shocked.
"That thing has a name?" Ron responded.
"Yeah, enyway ow d' yer know bout 'im?"
"We found him a few months ago" Hermione answered.
"And we know he's guarding something" Ara added.
"What he's guarding is between Dumbledore and Nicholas Flammel" Hagrid told them.
"Who's Nicholas Flammel?" Hermione asked.
"Shouldn't of said that. I shouldn' of said that"
"But who is he?" Ara asked.
"Never you mind, shouldn you be off to class?" The kids sighed and walked away.

"Hermione, didn't we read something about Nicholas Flammel?" Ara asked her as they wrote their essay in Potions.
"Maybe, I'll look through the library. See if I can find it" Hermione told her and the two girls quietened as Snape glared at them.