The Return of the Dark Witch

P.O.V – Becky Sinclair

How on earth did I manage to land an in with Harry Potter’s friends? I thought to myself, as I followed slowly after Ron and Hermione, butterflies beginning to make themselves known in my stomach.

“Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I’m starving.” I heard Ron say longingly, as I reached the compartment door, pausing outside it to examine its occupants.

Along with Ron and Hermione, there was a rather round faced boy with blonde hair clutching a…was that a toad? Sitting beside him was a girl wearing large oddly shaped sunglasses clapping her hands around aimlessly in the air. Across from her, sat the boy I had seen early with the snowy owl. A lightning shaped scar clearly visiable at this distance.

I blinked, lightning shaped scar? I looked again, yep. It was there, just like it was supposed to be.

Harry Potter. The boy who I had heard about non-stop from both Mrs. Lankins and Mrs. Figg, and the one who had defeated Voldemort when he was just a baby.

His hair was messier than I had expected.

“Uh, Ron,” I heard him begin, leaning closer to his friend, a controlled expression on his face, “Who’s that?” He inclined his head slightly towards me. I blushed.

“That’s Becky Sinclair,” Piped up Hermione from Ron’s left, as she gestured for me to enter, “She just recently learned she could do magic.”

I entered the compartment tentatively, fully aware of all the eyes on me, as I sat down across from Hermione.

“I didn’t know that could happen?” Harry asked, frowning, turning to look at Hermione.

“Not often, but occasionally.” Replied Hermione rapidly, “There’s a whole department in the ministry devoted to the subject.”

Silence filled the compartment for a moment, as all eyes turned to me once again. I almost felt on display, when the girl with the odd sunglasses broke the silence.

“You seem to have a Turbatio floating around your head.” She leaned closer to me, the glasses only amplifying her stare, “However did it become attached?” She asked curiously, a certain sereneness to her voice.

I leaned back, away from her, anything to get farther away from those bizarre glasses, “Um…”

“So, Becky…” Began Harry hurriedly, I turned to look at him, he had a certain wide eyed expression about him as he stared at me and the strange girl, “I’m Harry,” Duh, “That’s Neville Longbottom over there,” He gestured towards the chubby face blonde boy, who gave a small wave upon his introduction, “And that’s,” He motioned towards the girl with the glasses, who had not moved an inch from me.

“I’m Luna Lovegood.” She finished for him, brightly, “What’s your name?”

I blinked, “Becky.” I replied slowly, backing even further away from her, and they say I’m insane.

“No, that’s not it.” She replied, shaking her head as she frowned.

“Maybe it’s short for, Rebecca.” Supplied Neville.

“No, it’s just Becky.” I replied, shooting him a grateful smile, before it faded away under Luna’s scrutiny.

“So…how did you find out you could do magic?” Asked Ron, breaking the tension.

Adjusting in my seat a little, I turned from Luna to look at Ron.

I honestly have no idea how to answer that question. ‘Well, you see, the orphanage, yes, I’m an orphan, was having this big banquet. Everything was fine, until this guy took me aside and offered to convince a family to adopt me if I, you know, ‘earned it’. I got upset, and before I knew it, the whole orphanage was on fire. After that, I was declared insane, sent to a mental institution, and the rest is history.’

“I, uh, broke my mother’s vase.” I lied swiftly, giving them all a weak smile, “I was mad at her for some stupid reason and it just,” I slapped my hands together in the air, “smashed.”

The compartment was silent for a moment.

“Oh.” Replied Harry, a blank expression on his face, before opening his mouth again, as if he was about to say something, when Ron spoke.

“I almost forgot to tell you, Harry. Malfoy’s not doing prefect…” That’s what the P meant, “duty. He’s just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him when we passed.”

I watched as Harry straightened in his seat, “What did he do when he saw you?”

“The usual,” Said Ron rather indifferently, as he demonstrated a rude hand gesture, “Not like him, though, is it? Well, that” He repeated the gesture, “is. But why isn’t he out there bullying first years?”

“Who’s Malfoy?” I asked, feeling completely lost in their conversation.

“He’s a prefect for Slytherin…” Began Hermione before she was cut off by Ron.

“He’s an arrogant, slimy, git, is what he is.”

Hermione frowned slightly at Ron, before nodding her head slowly, and turning back towards me, “That too. But most importantly, he’s a prefect, Becky, and because of those…” She paused, staring at a Ron for a moment, seemly at a loss for words, before she resumed, “reasons so aptly put by Ron…”

“Watch out for him.” Interrupted Harry, a serious look on his face.

Frowning, I opened my mouth to reply. What about this boy was bad enough to warrent this kind of reaction?

Suddenly, the door of the compartment slid open, and a small breathless girl stepped inside.

“I’m supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter,” She said faltering as she saw Harry, her face turning scarlet. As she held out two scrolls tied neatly with violet ribbon.

With confused looks on their faces, Neville and Harry reached forward to take a scroll each from her. Allowing her to stumble, beat red, out of the compartment.

I watched as Harry began to unroll his scroll.

“What is it?” Demanded Ron, as he leaned over Harry’s shoulder to read the parchment himself.

“It’s an invitation.” Replied Harry.

“Who’s Professor Slughorn?” Asked Neville, clearly confused as he limply held his own invitation.

Finally, someone who else who doesn’t know what’s going on.

“New teacher.” Replied Harry, standing up, “Well, I suppose we’ll have to go, don’t we?”

“But what does he want me for?” Asked Neville nervously, acting almost as if he was being summoned to his own execution.

“No idea,” Said Harry, reaching towards a large trunk beside him, “Listen,” He began, opening the trunk and withdrawing, what looked like, a silvery cloak, “let’s go under the Invisibility Cloak, then we might get a good look at Malfoy on the way, see what he’s up too.”

And with that, Harry and Neville left the compartment.

I turned to look at Hermione, “There’s such a thing as invisibility cloaks?”