Crystal the Half-Ghost Witch

Chapter 10

Crystal couldn't believe the changes in her aunt and uncle. It had been a few weeks since she confronted them with the Goblins' help. There had been a few bumps along the way, but she had expected that.

One such bump occurred right after the Goblins seemed to have left. Her uncle didn't wait another second before lunging at her, attempting to strangle her. Unfortunately for him, her Goblin friends hadn't actually left. They canceled their disillusionment charms, which made Vernon freeze and go pale.

Grinlast had warned that anytime he tried to attack Crystal, an extra one thousand pounds would be added to their debt.

After that incident, Crystal was moved into Dudley's second bedroom and was given the amount of food a growing child needed. Sure, her aunt and uncle glared at her, and she was almost certain that her uncle was planning something to get ahold of her money, but things were better.

Crystal had even gone out and bought a bunch of normal clothes. Sure, she had a few thanks to Sam, but she had always wanted to buy her very own clothes. She bought several dresses, shirts, pants, skirts, shorts, socks, underwear, a few bras, and some shoes.

Now it was time for her to head off to Hogwarts, and she was excited. She had read every book she could get her hands on. She sent owl orders with her new owl, Hedwig, to the bookstore to buy more books.

Speaking of animals, she was currently sitting in the last compartment on the train. She had arrived early, thanks to the Goblins telling her where the platform was. Her cat, named Spooky, was sitting on her lap, and she gently ran her hand through his fur. She had named him Spooky—a bit unoriginal, she knew, but she couldn't think of a better name for a black cat that belonged to a half-ghost. She had sent Hedwig ahead to school; she didn't want to keep the poor owl in a small cage for the entire train ride.

Crystal was reading a book on ancient runes that could be used to power spells and wards. She wouldn't be able to take the class until her third year, but that didn't mean she couldn't study the subject in her spare time. She wondered if she could find a way to make magic work with electricity. If she could manage that, she planned to create some gear for fighting both ghosts and humans when she went out crime fighting.

Too soon for her liking, the train began to fill up and left the station. About half an hour later, someone opened the door to her compartment.

He was tall, thin, and gangly, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose. He had bright red hair and blue eyes. His clothes looked old, and his robe was a bit too small for him, not reaching his feet and therefore showing off his tattered shoes.

He took one look at her and the scar on her forehead and smiled. "Mind if I sit here? Every other compartment is full." Without waiting for an answer, he barged in and sat on the bench across from her.

Crystal tried not to let it get to her. She knew that most boys, including her cousin, could be rude. "I guess not, since you've already invited yourself in." She couldn't help but mumble under her breath, feeling embarrassed when the boy's face and ears turned red to match his hair.

"Well, I'm Ron, Ron Weasley. What's your name?" Ron asked.

Crystal couldn't believe it. This was one of the people who had been stealing from her—indeed, the boy she used to have that illegal marriage contract with. She was thankful she had found out about this before today. Who knows if she would have become friends with the thief?

Still, it wouldn't do to be rude. "I'm Crystal Potter. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She had to grit her teeth when Ron gasped. "Do you really have the scar?"