Chapter Text
When thinking of Venus Legna, it was hard to think of anything less than a pink fluffy bunny.
While Venus hated stereotypes, she couldn't help but fall right into the Helpful Hufflepuff stereotype. If Venus wasn't spending her free time helping teachers plan lessons, or younger students practice spells, she was in the library, studying about all the animals she wanted to help once she got the chance.
Her dad and mum were wizards, but they split up, and now Venus, Hanna, Mike and Seb spent every summer with their mum and step dad, Graham.
Hanna was the type of Gryffindor that hung out with boys all the time. She was going into her seventh year, and was undoubtedly the hottest girl in her year.
Mike was the Ravenclaw quidditch team. He was the best Keeper they had had in years. He was only a year older than Venus, going into his fifth year.
Sebastian was only ten, so he wasn't in Hogwarts yet, but all he talked about was quidditch and getting into Hufflepuff. He always adored his sisters great attitude.
Graham was a muggle, one who wasn't very open minded about anything magical. Ana, their mum, fell madly in love very quickly. So quickly, that if Graham wasn't a muggle, Venus would have thought he put her under a love potion.
Every year, their father, Charles, would take the three kids to Diagon Alley to shop for their school supplies. Over the years, the two older kids learned it was better to shop on their own, as Venus spent half the trip helping store owners when they were short handed. It warmed Venus's heart to see the look on someone's face when she offered them help.
"Come on, sweetie." Her dad had to drag her out of the pet store before she offered to clean all of their cages.
"I know it annoys you when I take so much time in the stores, but you should see their faces, dad. They're so grateful." Fourteen year old Venus kicked a pebble with her green shoes.
"I'm not annoyed. I just wish you wouldn't do it for free I mean, this book alone costs two galleons." CHharles laughed, tossing the book back in the cauldron.
Venus loved being in groups of people. Watching everyone push past each other in search of the right store. Every one there had their own life story. A new experience everyday that Venus would never know about.
It was fun to think about, but she had to go get the rest of her materials, leaving her thoughts behind her.
Charles had promised to give the children ice cream after they finished shopping, and Venus made sure to get an extra chocolaty one for Sebastian.
Hanna and Mike came into Venus's room and held out a box for her, with giddy smiles on their faces.
"What's this?" She asked them, putting her how to care for a fwooper book away.
"Its a present. For you. To open." Mike said stupidly. Hanna slapped his arm and handed Venus the beautifully decorated box.
Venus giggled and tore the lid off of the box. She gasped at the small creature that popped out.
"Its a Grigglypuff! They look like cats but are so much better!" Venus said letting the Grigglypuff step out of its box. She had three books on how to care for them, and they don't like new people touching them.
"So what are you going to name it?" Mike asked, readjusting his glasses.
"Well, Grigglypuffs main use are for sniffing out the use of dark magic. Maybe Aurora. Like she's an Auror."
"Cute. Well I'm glad you like her. She was a hassle trying to get out of the store. Scratched me up to bloody peices she did." Mike shook his head.
As Venus's siblings left, Aurora looked at the door to where the people just left and hissed. Unlike their cute exterior, Grigglypuff's were vicious.
Venus pulled out her old book on Grigglypuff's and read it again while Aurora tore her old teddy bear to pieces.
"Are you sure you have everything?" Her mom asked her as all of her children, except Seb, were gathering their luggage for Hogwarts.
"Mum, if I forget to pack another pair of socks, I'm sure you can owl them to me." Mike tried to push his mum away from his trunk.
"I know, I know. But I worry. Venus, did you pack some extra... you knows?" Her mum asked, failing to be discreet.
"Mum. Please shut up." Venus whisper-yelled at the clueless lady. When Ana finally let all her kids be done packing, she apparated to the train station with all of them in tow.
"I love you all. And please watch your sister. She is still so young!" Ana called out to them, making other students snicker. Venus quickly waved goodbye and jumped into the train to avoid more embarrassment.
She found an empty compartment next to the bathroom that she found cozy. Lots of people passed her compartment on the way to the bathroom, and she liked watching all the familiar faces.
When the doors shut, she let Aurora come out of her carry bag and explore the new surroundings. Venus just hoped that none of the teachers find out that Aurora is not a cat.
"Excuse me." Someone said to Venus, making her turn her head up in surprise.
Lily Evans stood by her compartment door with a greasy looking boy beside her. "Can we sit? Everywhere else is full."
"Of course. Watch out for my... cat. She can be quite mean." Venus added to the pair as they sat in the seat opposite of Venus.
"I'm Lily Evans and this is my friend Severus Snape." The red headed girl introduced, though Venus already knew who she was. When she mentioned the boy next to her, Venus saw as Aurora stared deeply at the boy, eyes changing from her natural green to a reddish hue.
Aurora jumped onto the boy, clawing at his face while Venus tried desperately to pull her off of him as he screamed looking at the killer cat. Venus quickly shoved the devil back into her carrier and apologized before looking for another compartment. Lily was right, none of them were empty.
Knowing she only had another hour to go before she reached Hogwarts, Venus stumbled into the first compartment she saw.
"Can I sit here until we get to Hogwarts? The last people had some issues with my cat." Venus asked the three boys that were occupying the compartment.
The black headed boy in the corner nodded, while the other two were laying peacefully on top of each other.
"Thanks. I'm Venus Legna." The girl introduced herself, setting the cat carrier onto the empty seat.
"I'm James Potter. Are you a fourth year too"
"Yeah. I'm a hufflepuff." Venus said, which James seemed to like.
"So are you a clichè nice hufflepuff, or a clichè im-tough hufflepuff?" James asked, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Definitely the first one. So what's the deal with these guys?" She gestured to the two guys on the other bench cuddling.
"That's Remus on top. He's really smart and way too kind to be in our group, but he grew on us. And the one he is cuddling is Peter. He's very shy."
Venus let out a laugh as Peter stuck a thumb into his mouth.
"Can you watch my cat, Aurora, while I go change into my robes?" When he nodded she added, "don't take her out of her carrier unless you want to get viciously attacked. "
Coming back from the bathroom, Venus made sure to hide her face walking by her old compartment. As she stumbled into her new compartment, the first thing she noticed was the empty cat bag lying in the corner.
"Holy Merlins beard on a popsicle stick." Venus stared wide eyes at the scene in front of her. Aurora was on James' lap, purring as he scratched behind her ears, while the other two boys hiding on the other side of the compartment.
"Holy Smokes! How did you get her to be so calm?" Venus asked James.
"I didn't do anything. I just opened her container and she attacked Remus and Peter. When I went to pick her up she calmed straight down." He explained, rubbing Aurora's stomach.
When Venus walked over to pick up Aurora, but was clawed at as soon as Venus touched her.
"What in Merlin's name happened while I was gone." A semi-familiar name sounded behind her. Finally, Venus realized who's compartment she was in.
The Marauders. She hasn't realized until the iconic Sirius Black walked in, but once he did she recognized all the other members.
"I'm sorry I didn't realize I was in your guy's compartment. I'll take Aurora and get out of your hair."
"Bark."
Everybody's head turned to the small 'cat' in Venus's arms. It wiggled itself out of her clutch and strutted back over to James. Venus was internally face palming. How could she forget? Grigglypuff's mimic the sound of other animals.
"Did it..." Peter started.
"Bark?" James finished.
"I think it did, lads." Remus answered, all heads turning to the cat's owner, who just stood very still.
Venus took a deep breath before picking up the young grigglypuff, despite its biting and clawing, and walking calmly out of the compartment in search for a new one.
Every year her best friend Rosie sits alone in the far back compartment and asks everyone not to disturb her. She says she need some alone time before she has to spend the whole year with imbeciles.
Her other friend Thea, lives in Hogsmeade, so she doesn't ride the train to Hogwarts.
"Come on, Aurora. Please don't get us kicked out of another compartment. " Venus groaned.
"Thanks Merlin's sweet buttocks." Venus sighed in relief as she saw Rosie once the train boarded and everyone exited.
"I'm guessing the ride was less than okay?" She laughed, giving her friend a hand into the nearest empty carriage.
"Oh it was horrid. Aurora decided to attack the first person I shared a compartment with, and then she totally gave her secret away when we had to share a compartment with the bloody marauders!"
"Wait. The Marauders? The hottest boys in school?" Rosie asked, wiggling her eyebrows. "Which one do you fancy?"
"Oh please. As if I had any time to even consider that question before Aurora attacked and barked." Venus rubbed her temples trying to push away the headache that was forming in her head.
Rosie deadpanned. "Your cat... barked?"
"Shoot, did I not tell you that Aurora was a grigglypuff in the letter?" When Rosie shook her head no, Venus sighed and tried her best to explain what a grigglypuff was.
Her fourth year had started off in the worst way possible, and the only thing Venus was looking forward to now was meeting up with Thea at dinner.
"T sent me a letter a few days ago saying she had a surprise for us." Rosie told the girl as they walked into the great hall.
"Hmm. Wonder what it is." Venus replied, but stopped as she saw her other best friend, Thea, at the Hufflepuff table.
"Oh.. my.. grigglypuff."
"Hey guys. Notice anything different?" Thea asked the two girls.
"Since when in hell did you get boobs?" Rosie asked the small hufflepuff.
"That's what you're worried about, Rosie? What in Merlins shoe did you do to your hair?" Venus asked in shock.
Last year, Thea was known as the Lily Evans of Hufflepuff. Best grades in the house, always focused on work, and never one to go breaking rules. The last time Venus had seen her, her hair was a brown straight bob. Not even three months later, Thea let's her hair grow out and dyes it some faded blonde.
Venus also notices the change in product on her friends face. She never was a makeup person before this year.
"Well I have to go to Slytherin table. Merlin kill me now." Rosie said dramatically and placed her butt as far away from Avery and Mulciber as she could get.
Venus took this time to analyze her friends new qualities. She had a piercing in her left and right ear, which wouldn't be as bad if Venus didn't know that Thea's mother was against piercings. She also saw the outline of a hickey on her friends neck.
"That's it, T. Why do you look like a biker chick magazine threw up on you." Venus bit her lip hoping Thea wouldn't take offence to her comment.
"I know it's a little much, Vee. But I don't want to spend the rest of Hogwarts known as a book-geek." She answered semi-honestly, not wanting her best friend to know of the person she was hoping to impress this year.
"Are you sure? I just don't want you to change too much of yourself and end up losing the best part of you." Venus grabbed her friends hand across the table, whom offered her friend a warm smile before turning to the headmaster at the front table.
"I want to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Mr. Gillespie," most of the school rolled their eyes at this, "and welcome back all our other professors."
The speech drowned on and on and Venus was getting anxious to dig into some of Hogwarts famous mashed potatoes and gravy.
"The feast may now begin." Venus almost squealed when all the food appeared in front of her. She rushed to the potatoes and gravy before someone took it all, as it always happened every year. She stuffed corn and peas onto her plate to balance out the unhealthiness.
"How can you live your life without meat. It's so delicious." Thea moaned into her half eaten chicken leg. Venus' face scrunched in disgust.
"I'm sure it is, T, but it's not worth the death of an innocent chicken that was only trying to feed it's chicklets." Thea rolled her eyes as Venus started telling the same old story she told every time one of her friends mentioned her Vegetarian ways.
Thea made eye contact with her crush across the room and tried to hide her blush as they waved to her. By the time she recovered, Venus had finished her story.
"And that's why I never eat meat anymore."
"Fascinating."
After dinner, they said goodnight to Rosie as the two girls went to the hufflepuff common room.
"Oh how I've missed you, Common Room." Thea got down on her hands and knees to kiss the carpet.
"T, the first years are staring."
"Let them stare, I'm quite beautiful." She laughed still kissing the carpet, but quickly got up as she spit out a piece of hair that wasn't hers. Venus pulled the grouchy girl up the stairs into the dorm they shared with one other girl.
"Aurora doesn't like many people does she?" Thea asked Venus as she let the menace out of her bag. the creature stretched its legs out and plopped down on the window sill.
"Its not that. Grigglypuff's are supposed to protect their owner at all costs. Once she warmed up to me a bit, she hasn't let anyone near me without a thorough check that they were safe. You should have seen her on the train, though." She let out a laugh, remembering when the fur ball had chosen James over her on the train.
At her friends confused looks, she explained,"On the train, Aurora chose James Potter and tried to claw me when I tried to take her away."
"Hold on. The James Potter? One fourth of the Marauders? Best friends of Sirius, Remus and Peter?" Thea's eyes lit up. Venus nodded and Thea took a gasp of excitement.
"I can't believe my best friend talked to James Potter. Was his jaw sharp enough to slice meat? Was Sirius' hair more majestic than a centaur's? Was Remus' scars even sexier up close? Is Peter even dorkier than imagined?"
"Merlin's beard, T. You're more obsessed with them than that girl that got a Sirius tattoo. And yes to all of those. Remus and Peter were cuddling, too.'' Venus gossiped to her friend as she squealed in her bed.
"Shut up, you bloody figs. Go to bed before I stick a a dungbomb down your throat." Their roommate, Clare yelled at the two giddy girls who quieted down immediately.
The girls whispered their goodnights and went to bed, dreaming of the feast and future classes.