Rating: PG13 (as there will be some cursing and suggestive topics)
Copyright: With the exception of a few characters the story belongs to the many who own Harry Potter. No copyright infringement was intended.
Maeve glanced back and forth for any sign of Filch. While, she did send him cookies every year after winter break he was always on edge. She clutched the basket of goods to her stomach as she tiptoed down the corridor. The castle was the same as she left it, the windows were bright and the breeze cool. The paintings were all looking at her; they always were grumpy when the students came back.
She was delivering a basket of gifts to the house elves. For some reason they always lost their hats and gloves when fall comes around. She made them things since first year. Her mother made her deliver them at first because mother always made them things when she was in Hogwarts. The first year when Maeve knocked softly on the pear painting she thought it was the most embarrassing moment of her existence. But the house elves turned out to be lovely people who always had extra rolls for good students. They thanked her all year for the simple act of kindness.
Maeve collided with someone all too familiar. She was so close to the Pear painting she could see it. "Maeve!" A voice exclaimed. His hands were on her shoulders. "Gregory!" she exclaimed, less genuine than he was. "I'm so happy to see you!" When Gregory smiled it looked like he was stretching his face too far. Gregory spoke, his hands still hadn't left her arms, "Did you get my owls this summer?"
She had. Every one of them sat in a locked drawer in her desk. She knew she had to respond but she didn't want to. When she looked at his chicken scratch handwriting and how he wrote her name with delicacy she felt nauseas. She procrastinated writing him for so long that there was no simple way to explain her absence. So she lied, "You sent me letters? I'm sorry! I moved over the summer."
He didn't miss a beat. He licked his lips and said, "Where are you going? I could walk with…"
"Actually! I was just heading to the lou, but I will see you soon!" His face turned somber. He tried, "I could wait for you I'm in not rush-" Maeve felt the sudden urge to get away from him. "No, I insist. Go on, I will see you!" Maeve took off jogging in the opposite direction. All of a sudden she forgot why she was going that direction any way.
Maeve entered the great hall with some others who straggled behind. Ginny, Ron, and the twins lingered together for the last time before the year started. Maeve joined them. "Hey! My favorite sister!" George said, taking her arm and taking the basket out of her hands. Fred took the other, "She's my favorite sister!" Ginny put her arm around Ron. "Ron you're me favorite brother." The twins groaned and ran over. Fred picked her up bridal-style and George fanned her with the basket. "Please Queen Ginevra, we are extraordinarily sorry." She laughed, "Put me down, peasants!"
Maeve grew up two houses down the road from the Weasley's, though she could always hear them. There was something about Mrs. Weasley's voice that carried with the wind. The first time they met Ginny was flying around her yard and Maeve introduced herself. Later that night they played night quidditch and Maeve was horrible, but she brought spiked lemonade so they let her stay. Ever since then they had been friends.
The great hall always had an effect on Maeve. The moment she stepped over the threshold into the hall every emotion that wasn't pure joy melted out of her. Now wasn't an exception. She smiled and waved to her friends. Pippa was a short girl with big cheeks and a bigger personality. Penny was thin with shiny blonde hair and a quiet demeanor. They both burst into smiles when they saw Maeve.
As she walked in her eyes trailed to the Gryffindor table. Her eyes landed on Neville Longbottom. She smiled at him and waved. He looked like a different person, well, so did she. He lost the majority of his baby fat and he even had some scruff lining his chin. He smiled back.
"Mae!" Pippa and Penny called and laughed as she sat down. Maeve greeted her friends. She had barely seen them over the summer because they both went to the beaches of France for vacation at Penny's aunt's cottage. Maeve was invited but she had to decline. Her parents were clingy, to say the least.
"How was France?" The two could stop laughing or smiling. Pippa looked at Penny knowingly and Penny was hiding something. And Penny had never been a good liar. Maeve had what felt like a hardened piece of metal on her side that burned with jealousy. The metal sizzled and smoked as they laughed about the trip. "Maeve, you won't believe it," Pippa cried. She waited for a moment to have extra suspense. "Penny got a girlfriend!" My mouth dropped. Penny smiled, humble as always. "She goes to Beauxbatons Academy, a wizard school in France and-"
Dumbledore called for attention. Maeve frowned, there was barely a time when Penny had anything she would talk at lengths about and the one time she wanted to talk she was interrupted. Maeve placed a hand on Penny's arm, "We'll talk." Dumbledore always seemed to age faster during the summer than he did all school year. Though this year he seemed happy about something. That was either going to be very good or very bad.
Hufflepuff earned many new first years, most of which looked scared out of their wits. Maeve was too when she saw the headmaster standing at his golden owl podium for the first time. "Salutations, students!" He beamed. He spoke the same optimistic tales from the year before and the year before that. He introduced the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher as Professor Moody. The professor had an eye patch and a flask filled with something that wasn't pumpkin juice.
"This year we are hosting the Triwizard Tournament! One student from each school will compete for the prize! That means this year students from Durmstang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic will join us!"
Maeve, Pippa, and Penny didn't hear the rest of the speech. Penny stared at Maeve with wide eyes. A blush flooded her cheeks. "Did you hear that?" Pippa asked. "Did he say Beauxabatons?" Penny nodded. She broke into a smile. Pippa and Maeve hugged her and were overjoyed. Penny hadn't been so happy since she received a special recommendation from Professor Sprout to attend a herbology internship in Austria. She laughed and covered her mouth with a delicate hand. She seemed to be bursting from the seams with excitement.
Boys from Durmstang flooded in. All of them wore manly fur and leather coats that stopped above their leather boots. They marched with precision, though some seemed to be eyeing the girls in the room. The boys deserved their reputation of being the most attractive school in Europe. They sat down in a separate table area that had been hidden to seem like a wall.
Finally the Beauxbatons Acamdemy girls walked in. They all looked magnificent, as if they were carved out of glass. They wore blue dresses that had a flap in the front. They swung their hips as they descended upon the great hall. To Pippa and Maeve's dismay Penny couldn't speak. She was undeniably awestricken. Pippa apparently forgot what the girl looked like and Maeve didn't even know her name. The only way to see which one she was was by following where Penny's bulging eyes pointed.
The girl she was looking at was the biggest of the bunch. She had the hips of a woman and the eyes of a fox. Maeve smiled at Penny. Penny had never seemed so enchanted. Once they sat down the girl's eyes locked with Penny's. Soon the headmaster's speech was over and Maeve could finally hear everything.
Her name was Giselle and they met on the beach. Giselle started talking and they never stopped. "I'm so happy for you!" Maeve hadn't smiled that much in weeks.
As Maeve walked the first years to their dorms Pippa and Penny trailed along. It was Maeve's first day as a prefect and she was already allowing her friends to break the rules.
The common room was as beautiful as always, with greenery everywhere and bright wooden chairs and paneling. They were stained with sunshine and the doors were circular. The large windows all around make the sunshine pool in. The first years barreled up the padded staircases into the cozy beds.
Maeve, Pippa, and Penny fell asleep underneath the worn quilts hours later. "Giselle seems like a big improvement compared to Maeve's last boyfriend." They all laughed lightly. Maeve had a weight in her stomach. She rolled in a ball to squeeze the darkness out. She couldn't get the feeling that someone was watching her to go away.
But per usual, she was correct. There was someone watching her.