Being Different

Anne was sat in the common room on Sunday afternoon finishing the last of her Christmas books. She suddenly heard a slight coughing. Anne looked up impatiently from her book.

“Irwin!!!!” she screamed throwing down her book and crushing him in a hug

“Hi Anne, you can’t have missed me this much!” Irwin chuckled. He looked around the common room at the older students studying for their exams. “Actually, maybe yeah you can have with this lot!” Irwin said indicating one of the seventh years who had books spread out across two entire tables. “Ok, that’s it! The next time I have to leave you alone with this lot I’m taking you home with me!”

“Oh no I’ve been fine really! I’ve spent a lot of time Helena!” Anne enthused “and I’ve read so much!”

“I’m sure you have! Not exactly sure that spending your holiday talking to a ghost is the most normal thing to do!” Irwin said, “but you’ll be alright now everyone’s coming back today!”

“Please tell your mum the cakes were fantastic! I’ll be back in a moment I’m just going to go get my crochet!” Anne rushed upstairs and left Irwin looking around in shock. He knew that Anne would be lonely when they all went home for Christmas but from the looks of the other students who had stayed behind and hadn’t taken their heads out of their books since he walked in, he wasn’t surprised that Anne had started talking to the ghosts! He would have too!

When the other first years got back that night they found Anne sitting next to Irwin on one of the sofas patiently teaching him how to crochet.

“This is brilliant somebody get a picture!” joked Mandy.

“No!” said Anne “actually take one, there’s a camera on my bedside table.”

Mandy came back a moment later and took a photo of Anne and Irwin on the sofa learning how to crochet. They also took a photo of Lisa and Mandy playing gobstones, Terry and Anthony concentrating on a game of chess, and finally, Mandy managed to grab a photograph of Michael scowling whilst Padma and Persephone giggled braiding his long hair.

That night Anne proudly placed the photographs of all her friends on the front page of the photo journal.

The first charms lesson of the new year went very well. They were learning Lumos. Anne cast her charm and her wand shinned so brightly it was almost blinding and she earned five points for Ravenclaw because of the strength of her charm.

It was only January and the exams were not until June but the Ravenclaws on the first night of term drew up revision timetables and what needed to be covered on each day. They had scheduled five o’clock to six-thirty every day to do their homework and then six-thirty to eight o’clock every night for revision.

After revision every night they would relax for an hour before bed. Anne and Irwin would use this time to practice their crochet. They were making granny squares for blankets; Anne was using the pink and purple wools and Irwin was making blue and green squares. Every couple of days they would stop crocheting to sew some of the squares together. They had decided that their first two blankets were going to be for Averett and Aislynn.

Halfway through the second term, was the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match. This time the Ravenclaws decided not to go, firstly because of Anne’s reaction during the match last time, and secondly as Ravenclaw wasn’t playing it didn’t matter if they didn’t go. They found out at lunch that Harry had caught the snitch within ten minutes from the match starting.

Before the Ravenclaws knew it, it was the Easter holidays. They started studying for five hours a day doing a different subject each day going over the year’s curriculum. The History of Magic curriculum took three whole days as Anne and Irwin had to practically teach their housemates everything, they had learned that year. It was a good thing that Anne and Irwin had made such detailed notes!!

The Easter holidays came to an end and the Ravenclaws began to panic! The exams were only one month away! Anne and Irwin were disturbed from their routine one night by Hermione and Harry bickering.

‘I don’t know what we’re going to do?” whispered Harry

“It is getting big it bit Ron, we have to tell someone!” whispered Hermione

“It's illegal!” Harry said raising his voice.

“What’s going on?” asked Irwin

Hermione sighed, “Hagrid’s got a dragon.”

“Hagrid’s got a what?” asked Irwin incredulously.

“A dragon…” said Hermione

“Look I’ve written to Charlie and he’s got some friends coming to pick Norbert up tonight,” said Harry.

“We could maybe use a bit of help with Norbert he is quite big!” said Hermione.

“Ok!” said Irwin and Anne, always willing to help their friends.

The two Gryffindors and the two Ravenclaws carried the basket up to the astronomy tower. Charlie's friends arrived and attached Norbert to their harness, and they left having waved the baby dragon goodbye.

“Come on let's get some studying done, the exams start in two weeks!” said Irwin. Hermione and Anne agreed with him and they started their way down the tower.

“What do you four think you are doing!” Professor McGonagall screamed.

They had forgotten the invisibility cloak!

Quite honestly the four of them were lucky not to lose house points, it was a close call but they did all get given detention.

Their detentions came two days before the start of exams, and they were asked to report to Hagrid at eleven o’clock.

“Hello, you lot!” greeted Hagrid, “sorry to have gotten you lot into this fix!”

“That’s ok!” answered Harry, they all nodded.

“There’s been something attacking the unicorns in the forest, we are going to try and find out what it is,” Hagrid told them as they started to head towards the forest.

“Why would anyone want to attack unicorns!” asked Harry as they headed deeper in.

“Whatever it has to be a dark being or creature.” Said Irwin “grandpa says nothing pure should attack something as innocent as a unicorn.”

“Yeah well, your grandads right!” Hagrid replied they had come to a fork in the path both paths had unicorn blood down them. “Right, Hermione and Irwin come with me and Anne and Harry can take Fang alright?” they all nodded.

Anne and Harry started down the path with Fang. “Lumos!” they called, and their wands lit up.

“Sis, I’m sorry for getting you involved in all this,” Harry apologized.

“It’s alright!” she said quietly.

Harry and Anne continued through the forest. Anne was terrified not of the dark but of what was out there and what might be attacking the unicorns.

Anne heard a faint rustling. “What was that?” she stammered.

Fang began to whimper.

Their wands suddenly fell on a dead unicorn. There was a creature standing over the unicorn drinking the blood.

Anne stood frozen next to her brother. She could feel another panic attack coming already.

The creature began to fly towards where Harry and Anne were standing. Anne thought she could hear her brother shouting at her, but she couldn’t comprehend what he was trying to say!

Suddenly a centaur charged at the creature which ran away. “Are you alright?” asked the Centaur. Harry had been clenching at his scar, Anne had been frozen to the spot. They nodded uncertainly.

“My name is Firenze if you will follow me I will take you back to Hagrid,” said the Centaur.

“Excuse Mr. Firenze?” asked Anne quietly “what was that, Irwin and Hagrid told us that only dark creatures drink unicorn blood.”

“That is a good question, but that was no creature, if you drink unicorn blood you will have a cursed life a half-life,” explained Firenze.

“But, who would want such a life?” asked Harry.

“Can you think of no one?” asked Firenze.

“Voldemort!” whispered Anne. Firenze nodded solemnly.

They had now reached the main path and had re-joined Hagrid and the others.

“Anne! Thank god you’re alright!” said Irwin pulling her into a deep hug. Anne was as white as a sheet “Anne, is there something wrong?” he asked nervously. She remained silent.

When they got back to the common room Irwin fetched some chocolate from his room. “Go on!” he said holding out a piece.

Anne took it and nibbled at it slightly. “Better?” he asked. She nodded slightly.

“Now what happened in the forest?” asked Irwin.

“Voldemort was in the forest,” she started slowly. Irwin choked on his chocolate. “he's after the Philosopher’s Stone if Firenze hadn’t shown up when he did, me and Harry would both be dead!”

Irwin stared at her. “Are you sure?” he asked.

Anne nodded.

“You’re going to go after him aren’t you!” realized Irwin.

“He killed my parents! I have to!” Anne told him.

“Then when you go, I’m going with you!” Irwin told her firmly.