Déjà Vu: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Revised. Chapter 1: The Hearing

Nicole Black sat at her appointed desk in the Ministry of Magic Courtroom, her feet comfortably rested on the cleanly-polished top, showing off her new, bright-red high-tops. She was enjoying herself while gazing at her tattooed dragon swim up and down her arm. Her impatient and quick-tempered boss, Cornelius Fudge, tapped his pudgy fingers broadly on the top of his desk. No one understood how hard it was being minister. To make matters worse, that wild and crazy teenager, Nicole, was outsmarting him at everything. 1

Suddenly the old creaky doors opened to reveal a skinny black haired boy. His face proved he was feeling edgy at the moment, but she could see a determined fire in his eyes. There was something familiar about his face… oh, that face. Nicole’s tense muscles relaxed a little. She sunk down in her chair and started chewing on the tip of her quill. He was the boy in her recurring dreams as an infant. But where’s his mother? Most parents accompany their children, She thought. Then, she saw a thin bolt of lightning etched upon his forehead, peering out from underneath a mess of black hair. A bit of drool escaped her mouth while staring blankly at Harry Potter, the boy who lived. 2

“NICOLE! Pay attention.”3

“Wha…” Nicole rustled in her seat. 4

“Do you have the document?”5

“Yessir.”6

Nicole trudged over to the podium. There was dead silence, and her high tops were squeaking loudly. She felt Harry’s gaze follow her to the podium and back to her seat. Their eyes met for one brief moment, and they both looked away, blushing. Nicole stubbed her toe hardly on her seat, and she swore very loudly (and colorfully.) Harry appeared to be sniggering softly. All forty eyes were resting upon her. Fortunately, they were all distracted by the wooden door creaking as Albus Dumbledore entered. 7

Nicole’s train of thought fell off track. Look at that spider on the wall. How interesting. She turned her gaze and fixed it on Cornelius Fudge’s several bald spots. Oh look, she thought. He’s done it in a combover again. Always hated it. I wonder what brand of gel he uses. If it’s the stuff I use, I’ll have to burn it. I wonder what it would smell like… 8

Finally, her gaze fixed on Harry Potter. His eyes are so green, she thought. I can see his soul through his eyes. He’s so… so…9

“NICOLE! I won’t tell you again!” Fudge looked like he was about to turn a more dangerous shade of mauve. I sat up quickly and tried to look remotely interested in anything anyone was saying. Then, she heard it again. “Nicole! What do you think? Is Harry innocent – or guilty?10

“Innocent.” She said a little too quickly.11

“What is your proof?”12

“That house elf… what was his name? Dobby?”13

“Yes, Nicole. We are already aware of that.” Fudge sighed.14

“Oh. Alright,” Nicole said softly as she laid back in her comfortable chair.15

Dumbledore kept rambling on for what seemed like ages until Harry was cleared of all charges. Everyone started talking again, and everyone in the Wizengamot was bustling around, trying to escape the crowded pulpit. Nicole started to make her way downstairs when she started seeing purple shapes. Her vision was clouded and she had an immense craving for coffee. 16

“I’m not feeling… well… get me a coffee, will you…”17

She swayed on the spot, and then, 18

Black.19

Before she knew it, she was in Fudge’s office. “Nicole, are you alright?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Nicole, I’m worried about your habits. “20

“MY habits?! YOU’RE the one who’s giving me all the work!”21

“Not those habits. I’m talking about your… muggle pants and muggle shirts, jewelry, sometimes you don’t even wear robes, just muggle clothes! It’s a disgrace to the Ministry! And what’s worse, you have that horrid tattoo on your arm!”22

“It is NOT a tattoo, for your information… it happens to be a… very large… birthmark.” 23

“Really. Why does it keep moving, then?”24

“You must have been overworking last night!” She felt her dragon slither up her arm and onto the back of her neck, hidden from Fudge’s view.25

“You’re also here because I’ve noticed a change in your work patterns. I don’t think your work is efficient enough, I need you to add a few extra hours to your day, you know, to get all the work done.”26

“Do these HUGE bags under my twitching eyes, and my shaking hands from too much caffiene mean ANYTHING to you?” Nicole shouted standing up to eye level with Fudge to feel more powerful. 27

She slammed her hand on the table. Hard. There was a splinter and the desk cracked in two. Fudge winced. “If you take away this job, you take away my LIFE! I don’t even get paid that much!”28

“You get paid well compared to most salaries at the ministry. This meeting is over!”29

“I’m NOT done yet! I want a pay raise, or I’ll… I’ll… I’ll take over the ministry!30

“Nice try, Nicole. OUT! And take these with you.” He gave her a fresh stack of papers.31

She saw a glimmer of fear inside Fudge’s eyes, knowing that she held all the power, and he the authority. Nicole wore a satisfied grin and strode out of the office, heading towards the stairs. 32

Meanwhile, Harry Potter was being escorted up from the dungeon by Mr. Weasley. What a pretty girl, he thought. What was her name again? Nettie? Naomi? Oh, well. Too bad she’s not going to Hogwarts. She must have graduated already. It’s funny, she looked my age. Indeed, he was right about her –she wasn’t going to Hogwarts. She had already sailed through her O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s with the highest marks possible when she was only ten, and she was his age now33

He became so distracted, he bumped into someone. A huge stack of papers went flying all over the stairway. Harry bent down to help her scrape up the loose paper. He looked into her eyes, her familiar black eyes. Where had he seen these eyes before? The question tormented him as he clumsily shuffled through the papers. The girl flicked one finger and the papers assembled into a neat stack in her arms. 34

Wow! How did she DO that? Harry thought.35

“Thanks…for uh…helping.” Nicole stuttered, walking swiftly down the hallway.36

Harry wanted to call down the hallway, to make her come back. He searched desperately for the words to say, but his mind was blank. All he could think of was those big black eyes.37

Before he could think properly again, the girl had already rounded the corner and was out of sight.38