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.