Penelope and William walked into the room. It was dirty and damp, and the only bed creaked and groaned, even though it was currently vacant. Penelope dropped her bag of goodies onto the floor next to the washbasin. It was raining now, and Penelope was soaked to her bones. Her brother, William, was wet too. He lit the fire and moved a chair next to it. Penelope sat on his lap.
   "So, Penny. How are you liking Hogwarts?" he asked. 
   "I don't like it so much. All the Slytherins hate me, and I usually end up hurling all over the girls' lavatory every time I have milk. I have only made one friend, but I don't know him much." she said. As she talked about her new friend, she hoped she wasn't blushing.
   "Oh. Who's this friend?" asked William. 
   "Oh, his name is *******. We are just friends." she said. And we barely know each other. She added to herself.
    "Ok. Why do the Slytherins bully you?" He asked.
    "I have no idea. I just know everyone hates me! Dad is in the hospital. Mom's sad. William, what if dad-" her voice broke. 
    "What if dad what?" He asked.
    "What if dad doesn't make it?" she asked.  William was silent for a few moments. Then he said: "dad was very old when he fell off his broom. If he doesn't make it, it's understandable." 
    "But I-I- " she was about to say something when someone knocked on the door. William pulled his wand out of his pocket and stood up. He walked over to the door. 
    "Who is it?" He asked. 
    "It's housekeeping. We come bearing a message from St.Mungo's." said a man's voice from outside the door. William opened it. 
     "What is the message?" he asked. 
     "It's about your mother and father. They are both dead. Your father died because he didn't make it through the surgery, and your mother collapsed when they told her. The man turned and walked swiftly away. Penelope was angry at the man bearing the news, even though it wasn't his fault. She felt the lump in her throat coming back.
    "No! No. It can't be. William?" Penelope turned around. William had sunk down onto the bed. He was sobbing into his hands. William. Her strong William. Willam who had made it through Azkaban. He was sobbing uncontrollably. Penelope went over to sit down next to him. She gave him a hug and cried into his shirt. They were both completely alone. 

   When Penelope got back from her parent's funeral, she felt terrible. She had to go back to school soon, but she didn't want to! She dreaded what would happen. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving William, especially now that he was finally out of Azkaban. She went into her musty room. The fireplace was empty, and William was walking over to light it. It was starting to rain again, and Penelope felt like it reflected her mood perfectly. 
   "Well Penny, what to do now?" asked William, although he seemed to say it more to himself than to Penelope.
    "I'm dreadfully tired, perhaps we turn in early and rise late?" she said.
    "An excellent idea. But first, drinks." said William. He took off his tie and suit, and changed into his pajamas. He put on a "Weird Sisters" robe and walked out. He came back a few minutes later with 2 drinks in his hands. In one hand, he held a glass of fire whisky, and in the other a glass of butter beer.
   "I can't have that!" she exclaimed.
    "Why not?" asked William, putting the glasses down on a table near his chair.
     "It's alcohol! I'm not going to underaged drink!" she said, thinking about what her mother would say. This Brought her a pang of sadness.
     "Fine." she said stubbornly. Maybe Penelope could. William was her guardian and he did say it was ok. She picked up the cup and put it to her lips. It was cold, and when it was in her mouth, she felt it go straight to her head instead of her stomach.
      "whoa!" she said. She took another sip of the drink. It changed the way she felt, and it made the room around her fade. Somewhere in there she had sat down on her bed. She was exhausted from the crying she had done earlier, and before she even changed out of her clothes, she was asleep with her Butterbeer spilling all over her dress. William picked her up, cleaned up the butter beer, and lay her down again.

When Penelope awoke the next morning, her eyes were puffy and sore. Probably from crying.she thought to herself. Her stomach growled hungrily. She stepped onto the cold damp floor and looked out the window. It was dark and rainy, and she had no guess of what time it was. When Penelope checked her Mickey Mouse watch, it  said it was 6:00 on the dot. I'm still on my Hogwarts schedule. she thought.Penelope changed into a comfortable cotton ravenclaw sweater, some comfy leggings, slippers, and a ravenclaw headband. After Penelope had washed her face thoroughly, brushed her teeth, and brushed her hair, witch was very hard because of all the snarls, she left a note on the night stand for William that read:

Dear William, I am going downstairs to get some breakfast. When I'm done, I'm going to Diagon Alley to pick up a few things. If you really need to know what those few things are, its the skiving snack box, mine came half opened, some more nose bleed nougats, any books I can find at Flourish and Blotts, and some makeup stuff.See you l8ter!- Penny

and she sealed it with a kiss, and walked down the stairs.