1. Harry Potter (Panda's version) -Featuring Janet Hayden - Chapter 29

     In the dormitory, the girls found Su sitting on her four-posters, knees folded up under her chin staring at a square box in front of her with her pigeon hopping around, keeping her company.

     Lisa moved towards Su’s four-posters ahead of Janet and asked softly, “Su, are you ok?”

     Apparently, Su did not hear her and didn’t answer.

     Lisa moved closer and patted Su on her shoulder which made her jump with shock. Su’s pigeon was startled by the sudden movement, fluttered its wings, flew off and perched on the window instead. Su looks up at Lisa and Janet, her eyes red and tear stains on her cheeks.

     “Is something wrong?” Lisa asked in a concerned voice sitting down on Su’s four-posters while Janet sat on her own that was beside Su’s. Su shook her head and remain silent.

     Janet then move from her four-posters and sat next to Lisa on Su’s four-posters, “It is Mandy, right?”

     Su looked and Janet and tears filled her eyes immediately.

     “Did I say something wrong? Don’t cry,” Janet panicked when she saw tears trickling down Su’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. Don’t cry.”

     Su shook her head and stopped crying but she still kept quiet.

     “If there’s something bothering you, you can tell us, we can help you,” Janet comforted.

     “Yeah,” Lisa added, “We’re friends.”

     Su turned to Lisa after hearing the word “friends” and asked, “We’re friends?”

     “Of course we are! We were sorted into the same house and sleeping in the same dormitory,” Lisa assured while nudging Janet, hinting her to continue.

     “Yeah,” Janet struggles to find something to add on, “We… We will be each other’s company for our coming years in Hogwarts.” She continued, stammering slightly.

     “I thought you don’t like me,” Su said to Janet.

     Lisa gave Janet a rebukeful look.

     Feeling shocked that Su thought this way, Janet quickly respond in her defense, “What? No, I did not! I never said that I didn’t like you.”

     Su looked unconvinced and did not respond.

     “Ok, maybe I sounded a bit unfriendly yesterday morning but it was purely because I didn’t approve Mandy’s methods of taking credit for something she didn’t do. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings I would be happy to be your friend,” Janet continued defensively.

     Su still did not say anything but she smiles as a response of accepting Janet’s apology.

     Feeling relieved, Janet was going to invite Su to join Lisa and her for breaks when Mandy walks haughtily into the girls’ dormitory with Morag behind her. “Ha, what’s the matter, Su Li? You are getting English lessons from Hayden and Turpin? Hayden looks a bit like your kind there; I doubt her English is any better.” Mandy sneered at Su, Janet and Lisa.

     “What did I do?” screamed a voice within Janet. As far as she remember, she had never stepped on Mandy's toe, not even once, she tolerated with her boasting and  tried to let her be that she took credit for things that she didnt do, "What gives her to right to fire at my appearance?" She thought angrily and stood up, “What do you mean our kind? You have a problem with our kind?” Janet shot back, feeling insulted that Mandy derided her appearance.

     “I believe you heard me. The two of you are clearly not entirely from an English descent. You DO know that, do you?” Mandy said as-a-matter-of-factly.

     “What makes you think you can insult us because we look different?” Janet moved towards Mandy daring Mandy for a fight but was pulled back by Lisa who whispered, “Don’t drop to her level.” Janet stopped moving forward as a sign of agreement to Lisa’s advice. Janet’s dark eyes glared at Mandy, so hard that it might bore through Mandy’s skull.

     “Well, in case you have not noticed, it is a fact that she could not even speak properly…” Mandy argued.

     This time, it was Lisa who stormed towards Mandy, “So? What gives you the right to laugh when you can’t even turn a match into a needle?” Lisa cuts Mandy off from her sneering.

     Mandy stared at Lisa blankly, surprised at what Lisa have just said, “What are you talking about?” Mandy demanded, “I did turn that match into a needle and got 10 points for Ravenclaw, in case you have forgotten, Turpin.” Mandy sneered back to her defense.

     “Oh, really?” Janet spoke again, “That was not what I saw. I remember my small eyes, which were not English in your point of view, catching you exchanging your incomplete form of a needle with Su’s perfect one.”

     Mandy glared at Su, “well, you saw it wrong then. It was MY needle. I did the Transfiguration. Right, Su?”

     Su stared back blankly at Mandy; she didn’t know what to say.

     “You tell them, Su. Who turned the match into a perfect needle?” Mandy glared at Janet who was smirking. “Or we shall put it this way, who thought she turned a match into a perfect needle?” Janet added sarcastically.

     “You!” Mandy fired at Janet angrily.

     “Yes, I am talking. Su couldn’t answer because she is too nice for her own good. So, I thought I should help her,” Janet jeered at Mandy.

     “Whatever. You know what, I don’t have to prove anything to you,” Mandy rolled her eyes, “and you,” she faced Su, “You and your friends can stick together and mind your own business.” And she stalks out of the dormitory. Morag, who was watching the whole bickering, quickly followed behind her.

     “There goes the Queen and her minion,” Janet shouted at Mandy as she slams the door.

     “Don’t! She is not that bad,” Su tried to defend Mandy.

     “She doesn’t sound good when she pick on us because we looked different,” Janet argued. “You still think that she treats you as a friend, do you?”

     “She does not deserve a friend like you, Su. The way she talks to you, that is not a way to talk to a friend,” Lisa second Janet.

     Su smiled weakly and drooped her head with disappointment, slightly regretting her actions that made her lose someone she considered a friend.

     Lisa guessed Su’s feelings and said, “You can always join us if you like.”

     “Thank you for accepting me as friend,”

     The word “friend” reminded Janet of Anna who was still not talking to her since she revealed that she was a witch and will not be able to go to Queen Anne’s with her. Not that she had the chance anyway; they have lost contact ever since Janet came to Hogwarts. She has been through so much in Hogwarts that she would really want to share with Anna.

     Janet’s thoughts were interrupted by a nudge from Lisa. Janet snapped back into reality and saw Su opening the square box on her bed, there were four brown blocks carved with interesting patterns on top of them.

     “Moon cakes,” Su pointed at the four blocks.

     “Moon cakes?” Lisa looked into the box curiously, “These are cakes?”

     Su smiled at their curious faces and took one moon cake out from the box. She took her wand and drew a few strokes on top of it, “We Chinese eat moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn celebration, which is around this time of the year” the moon cake split into four slices and Su gave Lisa and Janet each a slice.

     “Mid-Autumn, I think my grandmother celebrates something similar too. It’s a day when the whole family gather and eat food that resembles the moon,” Janet said excitedly.

     “Yes!” Su replied, surprised that Janet actually knows about her culture. “How do you know? Your grandmother is Chinese too?”

     “I’m part Japanese. My maternal grandmother is from Japan. Didn’t Mandy say I don’t look like I am from an English descent?” Janet answered while eating the moon cake.

     “I thought she is just saying it, I don’t expect it to be real,” Su replied.

     “I would not have been so angry if it was not true.” Janet said.

     “Oh, what do Japanese do during Mid-Autumn?” Su asked curiously.

     “We will just get together at my grandmother’s place and eat rice dumplings, called Tsukimi Dango.”

     “So, you never eat moon cakes before? How is it?” Su asked as she faced Lisa, “How is it, Lisa?”

     “Uh?” Lisa was too engrossed listening to Su and Janet talking about Mid-Autumn that she forgot that she was holding a piece of moon cake and was supposed to try it. She took a bite, “Mmm, not bad. What is this made of?”

     “Lotus paste, made by lotus seeds,” Su explained.

     “What else do you do during Mid-Autumn?” Lisa asked. She was never exposed to Asian cultures, everything sounded interesting to her.

     “Everybody from the family will gather at my grandfather’s house. We eat moon cakes and just spend time together.” Su explained and the three of them talked about Mid-Autumn and moon cakes until bedtime.

     From that day onwards, Su joins Lisa and Janet for classes and most of their free time.

1. Harry Potter (Panda's version) -Featuring Janet Hayden - Chapter 28

     “I think you should wave your wand first before saying the spell,” Janet suggested as she looked at her pointy needle that was a match minutes ago. They were practicing Transfiguration during their Saturday afternoon.

     Lisa did as Janet suggested and her match finally turned into a sharp pointy needle. “Finally!” Lisa cheered with joy. “Mandy got it right during her first few tries in class, she’s really good.” Lisa was concentrating on her spell in class to notice that it was not Mandy who managed to turn her match into a needle.

     “She did not,” Janet said in a low voice.

     “What do you mean?” Lisa stopped admiring her needle and turned to Janet, looking surprise, “She did turn it into a needle. Professor McGonagall examined it and awarded her points for that.”

     “She did not do that on her own effort, she took credit for something she didn’t do, from someone who deserved the credit,” Janet said with a tone of dislike.

     “Janet, you’re influenced by Terry. I know Mandy can be a bit boastful at times but you have to admit that she…”

     “She exchanged her needle with Su’s. Su’s needle was the perfect one. Mandy just took it from Su and left her imperfect one in front of Su. I saw that,” Janet’s tone of dislike increased.

     Lisa let out a gasp of surprise, “Really? Are you sure?”

     “Positive.” Janet nodded firmly.

     “And Su didn’t say anything?”

     “Nope, she would let Mandy do anything to her as long as Mandy brings her along everywhere she goes. Su thinks that Mandy considered her as a friend.”

     “She does, doesn’t she? They always go to classes together,” Lisa said. It was true that Mandy would always appear in class with Morag and Su by her side, they followed Mandy around like little minions which was really silly in Janet’s point of view.

     “She had them around because they were the only one who would listen to her stories. You don’t see me in her clique, do you?” Janet asked sarcastically.

     “Well, her stories are not the most interesting thing to listen though, but poor Su, she would just let Mandy step over her like that?”

     “She certainly didn’t mind at all. She told me that Mandy was not stepping over her,” Janet recalled their conversation during the morning.

     Just then, the door of the Ravenclaw common room creaked open and Su walks in. Janet and Lisa sat upright guiltily seeing Su walking in.

     “Hi,” Su greeted dully and walks straight into the girls’ dormitory.

     Janet and Lisa smiled back awkwardly and watched Su disappeared through the door of the girls’ dormitory.

     Lisa waited till the door was tightly shut and anxiously shook Janet’s hand, ”Do you think she heard us?” she asked.

     “I don’t think so,” Janet answered trying to hide her guilt with all the effort she has to remain a calm voice. “The door opened after we stopped talking.” Janet tried to convince Lisa and herself that Su did not hear that they have been talking about her. “She could not have heard anything from outside.”

     “But… she did look quite sad, didn’t she?” Lisa still feels guilty.

     “She did? I’m not so sure, I wasn’t paying attention, I was just curious that she came back alone,” Janet answered.

     “What do you mean?”

     “I mean, she would usually stick with Mandy and Morag. They went down to breakfast together, remember?” Janet recalled.

     “Maybe she decides to come back first? I don’t see anything wrong with that,”

     “The thing is, Mandy will never move around the school without Morag and Su by her side, haven’t you notice that? It is her way of saying that she is popular and how she would always have people by her side.” Janet elaborated; she has stereotyped Mandy as the attention seeking, self-claimed school princess she has seen in her muggle primary school. Who will usually travel in cliques shrieking with laughter or chattering away just to prove that they are popular, which, in Janet’s opinion was really annoying. So, Janet thought there was no way that Mandy will let her “clique members” out of her sight when she is in public.

     “Now that you have mentioned, I suppose so,” Lisa replied uncertainly, she was quite surprise how attentive Janet was about Mandy; she never notices that Mandy never moves around without Morag and Su by her side. Her eyes lingered around thinking of something else to change the topic of the conversation. A small piece of parchment lying on the floor caught Lisa’s attention, “Janet, that piece of parchment wasn’t there just now, right?” she points at the piece of parchment lying in front of the door to the girls’ dormitory,

     When Janet stretch her neck to get a closer look, Lisa walks over and picks up the parchment, she flips it over and saw the contents where written in characters that she did not recognize. “I don’t know what’s written here, it looks like another language I have never seen this before, look,” Lisa passes the parchment to Janet.

     Janet takes a look at the parchment, the characters on the parchments did seem familiar to her, “It looks like Japanese though,” she muttered. Although Janet could not really read Japanese but she could tell that the characters are similar to the Japanese Kanji character that her Japanese grandmother has taught her when she was younger, “But,” she hesitated and looks closer, “I think it is not Japanese, it might be Chinese.” Being part East Asian, Janet has been exposed to the Japanese and Chinese from her grandmother’s side.

     “Chinese?” Lisa tilted her over towards the parchment for a closer a look, “I wonder whose it is?” Lisa looks at the characters with interest.

     “I think I know to whom this belongs to,” Janet suddenly remembered Su mentioned that she was previously staying in China.

     “Who?”

     “Su,” Janet answered.

     “Her? Oh well, she does look Chinese. If I were to guess, she would be the first person to come to my mind too,” Lisa mumbled. “Should we give it back to her?” Lisa looks at Janet for a respond.

     “Er…” Janet hesitated. She did felt guilty about talking about Su behind her back.

     “Come on. Let’s return this to her and we could also check on her. If she did hear us say something that  have hurt her, we should apologise,” Lisa stood up and tugged Janet’s arm to make her follow suite.

     Janet stood up as a sign of agreement and they open the door to the girls’ dormitory.

 

1. Harry Potter (Panda's version) -Featuring Janet Hayden - Chapter 27

     “You travelled the muggle way?” Lisa finished her toast and swept the crumbs off her hands.

     “Yes, we used the Tube.”

     “What’s a tube?”

     “It’s like a train that runs underground,” Janet explained.

     “Are you talking about the muggle underground thing?” Terry Boot appeared in front of them. Although Janet and Lisa did not realise Terry’s arrival but they have gotten used to him appearing in front of them during breakfast and join their conversation.

     “Yes, the underground,” Janet replied while filling Terry’s goblet with pumpkin juice.

     “Thanks,” Terry drank a few mouthfuls of pumpkin juice and continues, “Underground, I know that. Have you seen the map? It is so complicated. If only they showed the trains moving so that we can tell the stops along the way.”

     “You can differentiate them with the different colours, it’s not that hard, just follow the colours,” Janet explained while Lisa listened attentively, trying to imagine trains with different colours that goes different directions.

     “My uncle somehow knows the routes by heart. He is a muggle, so we would usually ask him which train to take and what stop to get off to get somewhere,” Terry said while stirring his cereal.

     “So, you’re a half?” Lisa asked.

     “Yes, my dad is a muggle born wizard, the rest of his family are muggles. What about you?”

     “My grandfather is a muggle, but he is used to magic. He sometimes disapproves granny using magic in her cooking. He claims that food tastes better without magic,” Lisa chuckled.

     “I disagree. The food here in Hogwarts definitely were prepared using magic, it still tastes good.”

     Janet looked around for the source of that reply. It was Michael Corner who was sitting beside Terry. He would usually carry a dark glum look and he hardly speaks or smiles. Janet assumed that he was not a very friendly person and has not taken the initiative to talk to him before.

     “You have a point there, Mike,” Terry agreed.

     “I can’t really tell the difference though,” Janet said.

     “You’re a muggle born, Janet?” Terry asked.

     “Nope, I am a pure but I have tried muggle cooking before,” Janet explained. This was the first time she used the term “pure”, she learnt that a pure comes from an all wizards’ family; a half means either parent is a muggle or a muggle born; and a muggle born is technically someone born in a muggle family. Janet’s parents and grandparents are all wizards which makes her a pure.

     “So you’re like Mike. He is a pure blood too,” Terry nodded at Michael and Michael responded with a solemn nod. “However, most of the wizards now will have some muggle blood in them; we can’t just keep to ourselves too much. We might end up marrying our own relatives in the end.”

     “Good morning,” Anthony Goldstein joins the group. He then noticed that the group has stopped talking, “I’m sorry. Did I interrupt the conversation?”

    “No, Tony. Just…” Terry paused to think of a way to string his words together, “Do you know that today is Saturday?”

     “Yes, I am aware of that,” Anthony answered.

     “Then, why are you all dressed up? What’s the occasion?” Terry asked curiously while he surveyed Anthony from top to toe. Anthony had his gold blonde hair combed neatly to the back of his head. He wore a white shirt with a tie and a gray vest buttoned up, gray slacks and black leather shoes polished shiny that you could see light reflecting from it. The sight of Anthony made Terry and Michael who were both in their T-shirt, jeans and trainers looked much underdressed in comparison.

     “It is my family practice to dress formally when you’re out of bed, no special occasion,” Anthony laid a napkin neatly on his lap. “Continue your conversation. May I know what the topic was?”

     “Our blood statuses. What’s yours, Tony?” Terry consciously sat up straighter than he was previously.

     “I am a half blood. My father is a muggle and my mother is a witch,” Anthony replied while scooping ketchup onto a saucer.

     “You’re like me! My dad’s a muggle born too,” Terry said excitedly.

     “My father is not a wizard, he is a pure muggle, he is a lawyer,” Anthony cuts his sausage into bite size and spreads some ketchup on it before eating it.

     “A lawyer? Which firm is he in?” Mandy has arrived at the Ravenclaw table for breakfast.

     Terry rolled his eyes when Mandy sat down beside Anthony and started a conversation with him, distracting him from the others, “I can’t imagine how you girls could stay in the same dormitory with her. She is beyond annoying,” Terry grumbled.

     Lisa smiled, “If you were to roll your eyes every time you see her, your eyes will reach the back of your head soon, Terry.”

     Janet giggled and Terry glared at her, she tried swallowing her giggles down and kept a straight face. “Well, we will just ignore her. She does not talk that much in the dormitory anyway,” said Janet.

     “What does she know?” Terry grumbled with frustration.

     “She definitely knows more than me, though,” Lisa said and Terry looked at her skeptically, “She is a muggle born. She would have known more about muggles than we do.”

     “Oh, really?” Terry replied sarcastically, “More things for her to boast about, great!”

     “Just ignore her, Terry,” Lisa said.