The Loyal and Just

Chapter Two

[First person, Aran's point of view]

I missed Hogwarts. Hogwarts was the only place where I could have freedom, where I could actually preoccupy myself. Where I can avoid people. Sure, the company of others can be amazing at times, but mostly I just want to stay in my room and write. I had adopted my dad's favorite hobby. Writing allowed me to all of the freedom I wanted. If I wanted to write about a person wrongly accused of murder and their journey to break out and bring justice to her name, I could. If I wanted to write a drama between friends, I could. If I wanted to write about my adventures at Hogwarts and sell it as fiction, I would make billions of dollars. Now I can see why my dad loves it so much.

Another thing I did in my room was to do homework. Most kids hated homework, hell, I hate homework. But when it came down to the summer, it reminded me of magic and of Hogwarts and I embraced it as much as I could. I hated when I finished an assignment. Crap, I'm turning into Hermione. I would think oftenly. Hermione Granger was a muggle-born witch who went to Hogwarts with me, and she was addicted to school work.

Another thing that bothered me often was Sirius Black. According to my mum, Sirius is my cousin, probably second or third cousins. In my first year, during Christmas, my mum shared her beliefs about him, and I took them as my own. It's been difficult. After all of the press the criminal has been getting, all of my friends have been sending me letters about how dangerous he is and how I should keep away from him. In reality, the only thing I want to do is to meet Sirius. I've heard so much about the guy.

"Aran! Come in here!" My mum calls from in the living room.

"Coming!" I shout after her. I sigh, fold my computer down and place it on my bed. I retreat into the room.

"What is it, mum." I sigh.

"Hogwarts letters have arrived." She holds up my letter, joined by my sister's. Kitty squealed when she saw them, nearly grabbing it out of my mum's hand.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!!!" She ripped the envelope open and pulled out the letter. She screamed in joy and read the entire thing out loud in one breath. I looked up at her, she had tears flooding her eyes from her pure happiness.

In the meantime I opened my own letter up, it said the usual, except for the fact that there was another piece of paper in. I read it.

Third year students at Hogwarts are allowed to go to Hogsmeade, the local village that's purely wizards.

"Hey mum," I say after reading the letter, "this says the Third Years can go to Hogsmeade, and it's got a permission slip."

I looked up at mum. She was grinning.

"Well, hand it here, then."

I gave her the slip and she signed it while I was being entertained by Kitty who was still freaking out her the letter. Before long she started chanting "I'm not a squib! I'm not a squib!" I had told her about squibs, people born from a wizarding family but didn't have magic themselves, to scare her a bit. Mum obviously saw through this and wasn't impressed.

"We'll go to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get your things" Mum grinned at Kitty, "And I'm sure you need some new stuff and probably some new robes as well." She directed this at me. I nodded my head violently. My mum sighed, "Too bad Roger has to work tomorrow."

Mum and I spent all day telling Kitty more story about Hogwarts and she continued to freak out.

~✯~

The next day we traveled with Floo Powder to Diagon Alley. We almost lost Kitty on the trip. When we arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and activated the wall in the back, Kitty fainted. She had never come to Diagon Alley. The closest she's ever been to anything magical related (not including the times she had unpurposefully done magic) is the games of exploding snap I played with her.

Mum and I dragged her to Gringotts. When she woke up, she nearly passed out again. I can't blame her, Gringotts has always looked absolutely stunning. We got some money out of our vault and went to get robes first, and I got new robes as well (finally getting trousers instead of a skirt!!). Then dropped her off at Ollivanders as mum and I went to get all of her potions stuff (including a few ingredients for me as well), we bought her a cauldron, some scales, a telescope, a loads of parchment. I also got her some ink bottles and few quills. We met up with Kitty again, she almost passed out again when she got her wand, and had to ice cream.

"So, what are the houses?" Kitty asked me. I had told her the basics of the houses and and rules of Hogwarts, but I wanted to save the details for her to find out on her own.

"You just have to wait a month to find out." I tell her.

"Come on!" She moaned, "I've waited for two years! Can't I hear all about it now?!"

"Araminta..." Mum said, warningly.

"Fine." I give in, "So there are four houses. Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff." I glanced at Kitty, she was staring at me intensely, "Slytherin is the house of cunning and ambition, Gryffindor is all about bravery, Ravenclaws are super smart, and Hufflepuffs are loyal and just."

Kitty was obviously trying to sort herself into the houses,

"I bet I'm going to be in Gryffindor!" she claimed, "I'm, like, the bravest person here!"

I scowled.

"I believe that all of the houses can be brave," I say, "it's not like if you have an ounce of bravery, you go to Gryffindor, and that the rest of the houses are cowards. Gryffindors just value courage, all of the other houses value other things."

"Very wise," My mum approves.

"Another thing is that the Gryffindors are insanely brave." I add, "Like seriously, Harry killed a gigantic snake that was about to kill him! If I were in that situation I would've ran for my life."

"But weren't you there?" Kitty asks,

"I was there," I state, "But I wasn't the one killing the thing."

"So what houses are you guys in?!" Kitty says,

"I was in Hufflepuff." Mum says,

"I'm a Slytherin." I shrug "And dad was Ravenclaw, right?"

Mum nods.

"So if I was in Gryffindor," Kitty says, "Everyone in our family would be in different houses."

Huh... I never thought of that. I think to myself.

"Hey mum," Kitty continues, "You know how Aran got to get a pet when she went off for Hogwarts?"

"Uh huh" She murmurs.

"Can I get one?!"

Mum grins.

"Go pick out one, sweetheart."

Kitty rushed to store where I had bought Buffy, mum walking after her. Maybe ten minutes later, they returned, Kitty holding a cage carrying a ferret.

"I thought the school didn't allow ferrets" I said with confusion at her chosen pet.

"Shhhh." Kitty responded playfully. "His name's Warren."

"Well Warren looks awesome." I grin