The Slytherin Princess and the Gryffindor Prince: The Sorcerer's Stone

3. Quidditch and a Near-Death Experience (or 2)

Jade's POV

November 1st, 2006

My mother's loud, shrill, angry voice was not something I should be hearing down the hallway at my boarding school in Scotland, when my mother belonged halfway around the world on St. Simon's Island.

But I knew that was her; I recognized the country accent and slang that was spewing out of her mouth. My face quickly began to burn; how many people had already heard her yelling?

Suddenly, another loud, angry, certainly male voice joined hers, a voice that I vaguely recognized.

"Oh, Merlin, that does not sound good."  Harry's voice made me jump. He noticed this and let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh, ah, sorry. I should have said something a little sooner, but, you know, the yelling."

"Yeah." I gulped. "That woman sounds like my mother."

"And that man sounds like one of my fathers." Harry sighed. "I am probably going to be going home and getting yelled at four different times tonight."

"Four?" I asked. "Do you live with all of them?"

He gave me a look.

"Sorry, er," Oh God, how do I come back from that? "Dumbledore gave me these books before I came to Hogwarts. I remember reading about how Remus and Sirius adopted you before you all realized your parents were alive. God, uh, that sounded creepy before. I'm sorry."

"Oh." He ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, that's how you and Hermione know so much about me. Huh. Can I borrow those books sometime? I want to see what they got right, what they got wrong, what I need to correct you two on. But yeah, we all live together. And they're all pretty...overprotective."

I nodded. "My mom is, too, but I couldn't imagine four of her. That kinda sounds like it sucks, Harry."

"Sometimes." He smirked. "But they're actually pretty great. I'm really lucky. There were some other relatives I was put with when my parents first went missing. My parents say I probably wouldn't be here today if I'd stayed there longer than a few years." As the door to the Headmaster's office opened, both of us gulped. "But that's a long story for another time," he rushed.

It was my mother who stepped out of the office first. She still looked incredibly agitated, and my first instinct was to back away slowly. I didn't know if she was angry with me or not, and, to be honest, I feared her a bit. I didn't know what kind of punishment to expect with her--in all of my eleven years I'd never really done anything deserving of punishment.

And, though I really didn't do anything this time, I wasn't quite sure she would be ready to believe it.

I watched as she and Sirius spoke for a minute, wondering what they could be talking about as Lily stepped out of the office.

All three parents looked over at us in that moment, and mom looked more frightened than angry. But, when she noticed that I was very close to running away, she spoke in a low voice.

"Hannah Jade." She started. "Do not make me come after you."

I gulped and made my way towards her, my entire body shaking and face flushed in embarrassment. She hadn't used my full name in a long time. When I got to her, though, I was immediately gathered into a hug.