Hazel MacMillan Yr.2: Chapter 2

Instructions

I woke up in the morning with the sun shining through my blue curtains. Sleepily crawling out of bed, I pulled on my robes —Auntie had taken me to Diagon Alley in the summer— and scuttled down to breakfast. At the table, I spotted the new Hufflepuffs: Hannah (Elizabeth’s cousin), a girl I recognised as Susan Bones, a Muggle boy whom I believe was called Justin Finch something and a boy with dirty-blond hair and green eyes. “Who is that?” I whispered to Elizabeth. “I don't recognise him.” My friend’s face screwed up. “No way,” she breathed. “That’s Ernie MacMillan. Which means…” “That he is part of my extended family!” I finished. I looked again. Ernie had a bored-looking expression on his face, but then laughed at the boy named Justin’s joke. “I’ve never seen him, though. Plus, Dad only has one sibling, Uncle Raveno. He’s Teddy’s dad, but he’s too poor to take me in, so I stay with Auntie Pomona.” “Miss MacMillan!” Flitwick’s voice jerked me out of my trance. I’d been thinking so deeply about Ernie, and Dad and a whole lot of other things that I accidentally set my desk on fire. With a swish of his wand, Flitwick extinguished the fire, and peered at me sternly. “Please refrain from setting things on fire in my class, Miss MacMillan.” “Yes, Professor. Sorry, Professor,” I mumbled, following my schoolmates out the Charms classroom. Daliyla, Emily, Ruby and Elizabeth caught up with me in the corridor. “Still thinking ‘bout the MacMillans?” Daliyla asked. Evidently, Elizabeth had told my other friends. “Yeah, ‘spose so.” I raised an eyebrow. “I have no proof, though.” We were silent for a moment, until suddenly, an identical-looking girl and boy rushed up to us. They had platinum blond hair and emerald eyes. “Carina!” Emily cried, grinning at her sister. “And Draco! I was just wondering where you were. How’s your day going?” “Fine,” scowled Draco. “Yeah, okay, I suppose,” shrugged Carina nonchalantly. I noticed that she looked just like a miniature version of Emily. The twins walked off, and Emily said to us, “They’re not exactly the most talkative, I mean I’m not very either, but they’re good-hearted. Well, Carina is. I saw Draco bullying the Potter kid last night. Told him off.” At break, we went into the library, since Daliyla had the idea of looking in the MacMillan Family Tree book to see whether Ernie was my cousin, or second cousin, or whatever. Suddenly, I vividly remembered the Sprout family tree Dumbledore had shown me last year, to prove that Auntie Pomona was actually my aunt. Soon, we found the book titled The Noble House of MacMillan: Sapientia est Potentia. “Oh,” I said. “Dad once told me that sapientia est potentia means ‘wisdom is power’.” We leafed eagerly through the pages, and at last stopped. A line connected James Henry MacMillan(great-grandpa) and Queenie Bones(great-grandma) and they had two children, Kirilius and Gatio (grandpa). Gatio’s children were Roberto (Dad) and Raveno (Uncle) and Kirilius had Frances after him, whose son was…..Ernest (Ernie) MacMillan. “That’s him!” Ruby whisper-shouted. Her voice was so loud that Madam Prince glared at her, and she turned the same shade of red as her auburn hair. “That’s who?” A boyish voice made us turn. There, peering out from the corner bookcase, was Ernie MacMillan.