*** Here's a short chapter. I'll put up another one of proper length soon. Oh, and by the by. If anyone would like pics - The Poison Dagger used on Hermione, Hermione's scar, and the dress she wore to the Fall Dance you can send me an email. Put "DP pics" in the subject line and I'll send them. ***
A young girl with shoulder-length sandy-blonde hair put her chin in her hand and sighed. She would be sixteen years old this coming June and was small for her age. She looked across her room with blue eyes at all the books she had read and contemplated reading one of them again. But she just didn't feel like it. She didn't feel like doing much of anything. What she wanted to do was go outside and enjoy the cold air. Even a brisk ride on a broom would be wonderful. But she knew that would never be allowed. Especially since she had just had another sick spell. Life was so boring without the visits from her private tutor who had already left on Christmas Holiday. Jen was the very youngest child of Eugene and Rosemary Hanson, pure-blood wizard and witch. Her name was actually Jennifer but no one ever called her anything but Jen. Her older brother and sister were grownup and married. Her sister had two little boys of her own. Jen smiled at the thought of her two nephews Chad and Willie, six and four respectively. She sighed again at the thought of two more weeks until family started showing up for Christmas. Bored, bored, bored.
"Miss Jen would like to play cards?" came the squeaky voice of a house-elf wearing the remnants of a faded blue shirt cinched in with a worn leather belt and plain silver buckle.
"No Scott, I don't feel like it."
"Scottsdale knows how to play poker." The house-elf rocked his eyebrows above large round hazel eyes. Jen smirked but didn't respond otherwise. Scottsdale picked up various objects scattered around Jen's room and started making them magically glide through the air. An old sock, a book not put away, a used handkerchief, an empty used glass, a feather duster, a well used quill. The items kept multiplying, all hovering and gliding around Jen's room.
"Stop it Scott. I'm not a child anymore. I'm not amused so easily." The corner of Jen's mouth turned up slightly even as she turned away from the sight. She reflected inwardly and thought about going to school with other kids. She wondered what it might be like to have a boyfriend…to have her first kiss. She doubted that any boy would be interested in someone who was always getting sick and spent so much time in a floating chair. She reminded herself that a floating chair was still much better than a muggle wheelchair.
Jen's pondering thoughts were interrupted as something cold and moist bumped into the side of her head and started purring.
"Charlie!" said a startled Jen. "Wha- .' Jen was surprised to see her cat floating in the air next to her head and instinctively pulled the kitty to her. Charlie was a soft grey shorthaired kitty with a white streak down the middle of her forehead. Jen's mum and dad teased, from time to time, that her misnamed cat had rubbed its head against some white paint. Charlie purred louder now that she was on Jen's lap and rubbed her head lovingly against Jen before taking interest in a sight that Jen was gaping at.
Scottsdale let out a wet sounding snicker that sounded very much like a young child trying to hold back laughter in the middle of doing something they shouldn't. Scottsdale had continued putting everything in Jen's room to a levitated state about eye level. Briefly, Jen felt like she was looking at an asteroid belt of room debris. Not receiving any further attention from Jen, Charlie had jumped to the floor and was taking a tail twitching interest in the floating feather duster overhead.
"Scottsdale! Put this stuff away now!"
Scottsdale snapped his fingers and everything was magically put away in the blink of an eye. Scottsdale looked as disappointed as Charlie who had just leapt at the feather duster that whisked away out of her reach.
"What's gotten into you Scott? I swear." Jen started to turn away again just as Scottsdale snapped his fingers charming a stuffed Raggedy-Ann doll, almost his own height, to animated life.
"Scottsdale dances for Miss Jen," he said grinning toothily.
Scottsdale and the charmed doll started dancing gaily around the room. Jen thought, 'Scott dances rather well. Silly house-elf.' Still she turned away after watching him a few minutes. She knew what Scottsdale was really trying to do but she just wasn't in the mood to be cheered up.
Jen's attention was brought back to Scottsdale once more by an all too familiar mischievous snicker. Jen sucked in a long gasp before she let out with, "Scoootsdale! What are you doing to my doll?!" Scottsdale snickered all the more. Jen grabbed a nearby seat cushion and started swatting at him. "Bad Scott! Baaad Scottsdale!" Jen shouted before erupting into laughter and dropping the cushion beside her now limp non-charmed doll where Scottsdale had dropped it avoiding Jen's attempted swats. Jen laughed so hard she had to wipe away a couple of tears and looked into large round hazel eyes. Scottsdale was looking very pleased with himself which seemed to contradict his next words.
"Scottsdale must now be punished."
"No. Absolutely not," Jen said sternly. "You made me laugh and that's no reason to be punished….even if you did…." Jen snickered recalling what Scottsdale had done.
"Scottsdale musts be punished Miss Jen. It's our way," he pleaded.
Jen squinted in exasperation. It was no use he was determined to be punished and she knew he wouldn't let up until it was done. "Very well - the feather."
"Noooo, not the feather!" Scottsdale wailed in mock horror running circles and clutching his head.
Jen held out a feather but jerked it away just as Scottsdale reached for it. "One minute."
"Hour," squeaked Scottsdale.
"Two minutes," Jen shot back. After some bargaining, five minutes was agreed upon and Scottsdale took the feather. He placed it solemnly on the floor and with a snap of his fingers; it came to life tickling Scottsdale incessantly. A squeaky laughter ensued that was contagious enough to make Jen laugh with him.
The door to Jen's room opened just a crack and then closed again.
"Looks like Scottsdale managed to cheer her up," smiled Mr. Hanson.
"That's good, I hate to see her feeling bad again this close to Christmas. At least she's on the rebound for the time being. I do hope Chad and Willie won't wear her out."
"They'll be fine Rose. But I think what she really needs is to be with boys and girls her own age. I think
we need to give some thought to enrolling her again. The Salem school couldn't handle her needs and we've been
traveling so much to get her treatments."
"Do you think Hogwarts will take her Gene, with all her - problems? I've heard that the Headmaster is partial
to muggles, not to mention some bad blood between him and the Minister over the Potter boy. Do you really think
it's a good idea?"
"I hear what you're saying and I've had my own misgivings as well. I have done some checking around and mostly I've heard this Dumbledore is a fair wizard, maybe too fair. Look at it this way Rose we'll tell Jen we're going to owl Hogwarts about her attending next year. You know it's what she wants to do and it would make her so happy to tell her that for Christmas. Then if Hogwarts turns her down…it won't be because we didn't try."
"The school will have to take Scottsdale as her personal caretaker or she won't be going," Rosemary said adamantly with a jerk of her head.
"Quite right, I'll be sure to put that in the owl I send 'em. We'll also have to see how she's doing after we get back from India, and her treatment, this coming summer."
It seemed the matter was settled for now and Eugene was looking forward to seeing his daughter's smile, at Christmas, when they told her about the owl to Hogwarts. 'Scottsdale,' he thought to himself. 'Strangest house-elf I've ever met, though I haven't met too many. Sign of a good house-elf is not to be seen,' he told himself. 'But this Scottsdale is, well, different. Yes, best thing that ever happened for us, and Jen, was coming across that house-elf looking for a master.'
"Five minutes are up."
Scottsdale clutched his sides in relief and hopped up from the floor where he had been rolling in laughter.
"Miss Jen play cards? Poker?"
"So you think you know how to play poker. Uh huh, well we'll see. And just what are we playing for?"
"Butterbeer," Scottsdale said grinning almost from ear to ear.
"What? But house-elves get high on butterbeer," Jen said with big eyes. Then she asked, "And what do I get? A sickle? A galleon?" Jen asked knowing full well Scottsdale didn't have any money.
Scottsdale thought hard, and then offered with a raised finger. "A story. Miss Jen gets story. Story 'bout Mr. Daniel. Scottsdale tell story to Miss Jen while Scottsdale has butterbeer. If Scottsdale lose."
"About Daniel Blevins?" Jen said excitedly. "Oooo you haven't told me a story about Daniel Blevins since I was little. Now you are definitely going to lose. Hold on - you can't lose and win - still getting your butterbeer," Jen said eyeing Scottsdale. Scottsdale grinned innocently.
Jen rolled her eyes and said, "Best seven out of twelve then."