A Hopeless Faith
By: Andrya Marí Maertz (Hershey)
Chapter One: Return to Hogwarts
Harry Potter stared out of his window, a bright smile on his face. This day was the first of September, the day he would be showing up at King's Cross, seeing his friends again, going through the secret magical entrance to the Hogwarts Express, and heading back to Hogwarts. Hogwarts was more of a home than Number 4 Private Drive, which made it a soothing thought that he was going back. Though, there were a few people he could do without, such as Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy. It was his last year at Hogwarts and it would be more memorable than the rest. He had a vague idea who his Defence Against the Dark Arts professor would be, and he was not that thrilled about it.
It was not that he didn't like Fera Lupin, it was just the fact she was very strict. "Mad-Eye" Moody and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix would be there shortly to pick Harry up and drop him off at the train.
Harry had had a fairly good summer. The Dursley's had not starved Harry in fear of Moody and the fact Harry was of age now, to use magic outside of Hogwarts. He had a feeling that this year would be the best, excluding anything having to do with Voldemort.
At the moment Harry thought Voldemort's name, Harry heard a loud bang downstairs. "They're here!" He exclaimed to himself then ran out of his room and down the stairs to see none other than Severus Snape, the Potions Master and Harry's worst nightmare. Snape was standing in the middle of the living room and Dudley was cowering in a corner. Snape took no notice of Harry and turned around and started speaking to someone Harry could not see.
"What are you doing?! You're about to get off probation and you just about threw your chance of that away! Do you want to go to Azkaban?!" Snape exclaimed. Harry raised a brow, clearly thinking Snape was insane.
"Professor Snape?" Harry asked, eyeing Snape a bit. Snape turned around slowly.
"Mister Potter," Snape sneered.
"What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to take you to King's Cross."
"But...why?"
"All the other members of the Order are busy, that is why," came an intoxicating female voice with an American accent. Harry looked around frantically, wondering where the voice had come from. "Do not bother trying to find me, Mister Potter. You will just be wasting your precious time." Harry looked back to Snape who rolled his eyes.
"Come out, Miss Winters. We haven't the time for games," Snape said in a loud voice. Harry thought he actually heard the woman pout.
"You're no fun, Professor Snape."
"Yes, that's why I'm a professor. Now show yourself or I will have to assign you a week's detention." Harry heard the woman give a cold mean laugh, which sounded vaguely familiar, but he had no idea why.
"Then assign it already! It's not like I'll show up anyways!"
"MISS WINTERS! SHOW YOURSELF THIS INSTANT!" Harry felt a cold chill go down his spine and looked to his right in time to see a large foggy mist take the form of a woman, who looked to be no older than Harry. She had long, dark brown, wavey hair, brown eyes, a relatively nice figure, and olive skin. She wore Hogwarts robes, a patch on the right breast pocket of her outer robes that had a snake on it and said 'Slytherin' and dark blue eye shadow and crimson lipstick, "Thank you," Snape said and the girl rolled her eyes. She then walked over to Harry and looked him over.
"He looked much more... what's the word I'm looking for? ...Ah, of course, he looked much more intimidating in the Daily Prophet. Now he's just... messy," she said as she continued looking over him, looking to his messy black hair as she said the word messy. She looked to Snape. "Can I?"
"As much as I'd like to say 'yes', Miss Winters, no. You cannot." She put on a pouty look then sighed and held out her hand to Harry.
"Name's Faith. Faith Winters. Pleasure to meet you Harry." She sounded much older than she was, and seemed the type to take charge and wouldn't do what she was told. She had an attitude, and Harry seemed to be attracted to her because of these things. The impressed feeling came, and there came the terrible knot he had when he had a crush on someone, like when he used to like Cho Chang. "Seventh year Slytherin." Faith looked over him again with raised eye brows. "You ok? You look like you're gonna throw up."
"No, I'm fine. I'm Harry, Harry Pot-" Harry started.
"I know who ya are. You're all the Ministry of Magic can talk about these days... 'Did you here about Harry Potter? He survived another attack by Voldemort! And that Pettigrew, he says he's alive. I believe him too,' 'Brave boy, that Harry Potter. He won the Triwizard Tournament!' Ya know, I think I'm sick of ya already and I just met you."
Faith was walking around the Dursley's house as she spoke, Harry not able to keep his eyes off of her. Faith glanced to Snape and smirked to see a grin on his face from her last comment. "Nice digs ya got here, Harry. Better than my place anyways... My mom loved Muggles, so I know exactly what you went through. My mom hid the fact I was a witch until I got my Hogwarts letter. She didn't want me to know and be disappointed if I didn't get in."
"You've been at Hogwarts... all these years and I never met you?" Faith nodded.
"Well, actually, I wasn't there a very long time. I do one little thing wrong and the Ministry thought I should be sent to Azkaban. I got off lucky though, they put me on probation and I wasn't to leave my house. So Snapey-poo here gave me home-schooled lessons on his free time. Mainly during summer, though." Faith glanced to Snape to see him glaring at her and she let out a quiet laugh. "Don't worry, Professor Snape. I'm sure Harry won't tell anyone I call ya that." Faith shot Harry a bone-chilling glare. "Will you, hun?" Harry felt his spine tingle and shook his head.
"No," Harry said simply. Faith grinned again and walked over to Harry and gave him a half-hug.
"That's what I thought. Poor Harry has to live with the Dursley's... scumbags," Faith said and made a move to kick Dudley but Snape put a hand on her shoulder.
"Now, now, Miss Winters... You know better," Snape said. Faith did a sure-whatever nod and glanced to the phone a moment before it rang. "I'll get it Harry." Harry reached out to stop her but the look Snape gave him stopped him in his tracks. "Dursley residence, this is Faith speaking," Faith said in a mocking secretary voice.
"HELLO?! CAN YOU HERE ME?!" Came Ron's shouting voice over the phone. Faith rolled her eyes.
"Yo, you're a wizard, you don't have to yell into the telephone," Faith said. She heard Ron laugh nervously over the phone.
"Sorry, just getting the hang of it... is Harry there?"
"Yes he is. Whom may I ask is calling?"
"...Ron. Ron Weasley."
"Ron! Short for Ronald, right?"
"Yes..."
"Name's Faith Winters, Harry can't talk right now."
"Why not?"
"Because he's busy packing to go to King's Cross. Which, you should be doing the same thing, Ronald Weasley." Faith looked to Harry and winked and he ran up to his room to finish packing. "You a Seventh year Gryffindork too?" Snape shot her another look, though she knew he thought it was funny. "Sorry, I mean Gryffindor. Forget the k."
"Yes, I am. I'm guessing you're a Slytherin?"
"Owe! You're hot, hot, hot, hot, hot! How'd you guess? It was the Gryffindork thing, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. Kinda made it easier to guess."
Harry came rushing down the stairs again, dragging his trunk behind him, holding Hedwig's cage under his arm. "Welcome back, Harry. Look, Ron, it's been fun talking to you, really. But, we gotta go or we'll miss the train. See ya on the train, luv ya, bye!" With that, Faith hung up the phone and held the door open for Snape and Harry. They went outside, and then Faith stopped at the door, looking back and winking at Dudley. "Don't let any strangers in, ya hear?" She laughed and slammed the door behind her.
"How come they chose me to escort you and Harry to King's Cross? Why not Lupin?" Snape sneered as he got into the passenger side of Faith's 1956 convertible mustang. Faith smiled brightly at him as she finished loading Harry's things into the trunk of her car, which was magically enhanced so hers and Harry's things could both fit.
"They chose you Snapey-poo, because I listen to you and Harry here would've been in pain if you weren't here," she said, sticking her tongue playfully out at Harry. Harry seemed a bit confused, but just smiled and nodded. Faith let out another laugh. "What I mean, Harry hun, is that if Snape hadn't escorted us today, I would've tortured you because I got so sick of hearing about you. And the fact you're a Gryffindork doesn't help." Harry nodded as if he understood, but the truth was, he didn't understand why someone would get all vengeful on someone they don't even know. Even if all the people around her did was talk about him, why would she despise him just for being in Gryffindor? Harry had never understood this, and probably never would. He wouldn't understand why just about all Slytherins hated Gryffindors, why they hated him the most; it just didn't make sense to him.
"This should be a very... interesting year," Snape said quietly to himself.
"Yeah, it should be more interesting than when Hogwarts held the Triwizard Tournament," Faith said, a bright smile returning to her lips.
"Why's that?" Harry asked a bit confused.
"Well, for one, I'm back. Two, my girls are comin' and their twins..." Faith gagged. "It's really weird, see, there's Hex, and her twin is Circe. Hex is a Slythie and Circe is a Gryffie. DeDre and Saffire are twins. DeDre being the Slythie and Saffire being the Gryffie. Then, last but not least, there's Beatrice and Sage. Beatrice is a Slytherin, and Sage is the Gryffindor. Three sets of twins, one of each set is in Slytherin, and the other in Gryffindor. Happy family, can't ya tell?" Faith was speaking very fast as she drove towards King's Cross, Harry barely catching every word she said. "Their mother is an Auror named Rosalia Hunter, their father..." Faith looked to Snape and he shook his head. "Their father is just an ass." Snape snorted, not objecting to Faith's choice of words.
"I don't believe that's the word I'd use... but yes, that'll do," Snape said with a bit of a smirk, looking out of his window. Faith smirked.
"Yeah, but the word I was thinking of wouldn't be appropriate... never know when the Ministry'll tape what you do or say and give it to little children to read or hear." Faith glanced to Harry and then looked back to the road, watching a certain turn as she drove farther from it. "Shit! That was my turn!" Faith did a quick U-turn, almost causing several cars to crash then drove straight and then finally, she turned the corner she had missed. "There we go. That's better."
"So... go on about those girls," Harry said.
"What, ya wanna ask one of 'em out, Harry?" She said jokingly. "Ok, so, mother good, father bad. Hex is just plain evil. She has it in for Draco Malfoy. Not that I don't blame her, he did something unforgivable to her."
"What's that? Pantsed her in front of her friends?" Faith snorted.
"No. He kissed her. In front of her friends when she had rejected him so many times. So now, when they see each other, I'm thinkin' one of 'em is gonna end up hurt. And it won't be Hex, that's for sure. So DeDre and Beatrice are gonna help hold him down, while she beats the crap out of him. No magic. She thinks that when it comes down to really hurting someone, magic is useless. You either gotta do it through things that make the person emotional, or brute force. She's goin' with brute force. Same goes for me. Gimme a big piece of wood and I'm five by five."
"Five by five?"
"Don't ask, Potter. You'll just get confused even more," Snape said as they arrived at King's Cross.
"Let's see... who else is comin' this year that'll make it interesting? It's mainly Slytherin chicks, just so ya know, Harry. Ya better watch your back because I'm not promisin' I'll be this nice the rest of the year. Christie Turner. She's mine and Hex's best friend. Then there's Falo. Her actual name is Gwen Raiden, but we call her Falo." Harry gave her a questioning look so she said, "Don't ask, Harry. Don't ask. Umm... Lilica McMillin, me and her go way back. She's gonna be doin' an article on the Hogwarts Quidditch teams. Then there's Lish Connell, she's a Hufflepuff. Surprisingly cool for people in Hufflepuff. And Grace McArthur, Ravenclaw. AuLaura Robins, Gryffindor. Cordelia Chase, Gryffindor. Daphne Anderson, Gryffindor. Kitty Maertz. Dunno what house she's in yet. She's a first year. I used to baby sit her. Phoebe Halliwell, Gryffindor. Rena Carmichael-"
"Professor Carmichael to you, Faith," a woman said coming up behind Faith and Harry with trolleys. Faith turned around and lit up. Rena Carmichael was a black woman, with short black hair with high-lights, dark brown eyes, and a decent figure. She wore her robes and looked Faith over.
"Rena!" Faith hugged Rena tightly then pulled away quickly. "I mean, Professor Carmichael. That sounds weird... you were like an aunt to me, a cool aunt, and now I have to call you professor." Faith loaded her stuff up on one trolley and Harry loaded his own on another.
"You had sugar this morning, didn't you, Faith?" Rena asked suspiciously.
"Yeah. I've been non-stop talking since I got in the car. Explaining why this year should be interesting."
"I can't believe you're actually wearing your robes before we even got on the train..." Rena held her hand out to Harry. "It's a pleasure to meet you Harry. Remus talks about you like your James, so I've heard quite a bit about you. Besides all the fake things I read about in the paper by Rita Skeeter." Rena looked to Snape and smiled fakely. "Severus."
"Rena," Snape said as civilly as he could. Harry shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you too, professor."
"Oh! And there are two more people who're gonna make this an interesting year. Arianna Weasley, yes, Weasley. She's their cousin on Arthur's side. Gryffindor. And my main man, Angelus Antonio Ecks. Though we just call him Angel. He's gonna be the first ever Hogwarts Councilor. Albus thought that Hogwarts needed one this year. After all, from what I've heard, Hogwarts has been quite... interesting these past six years." Harry nodded as they leaned casually on the barrier and went through to Hogwarts Express, closely followed by Rena and Snape who seemed to have shared one of those awkward silences.
Most of the students who looked to the barrier to see who came through just instantly looked away, not caring very much, but there were some students who took one look at Faith and Harry and pointed for their parents to see, who then hurried their children onto the train. "Seems like some people actually remember me." She smirked as Hermione and Ron rushed over to them. "Hey, Ron. Hermione."
"You must be Faith..." Ron said.
"How'd ya guess?" Ron rolled his eyes, and Hermione, hoping to make another friend, instantly pushed Ron aside and shook Faith's hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Faith... how do you already know us?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Me? I'm psychic." Hermione and Ron gave her a yeah-right-whatever kind of look and she shook her head and laughed. "Look, if ya don't believe in psychics, you're in the wrong school." Faith peeked over Ron's shoulder to see several girls of every house, more than likely the ones Faith mentioned, huddled in a corner. "Well, I'll see ya guys later. Nice meetin' ya, Harry, Ron, Hermione." With that Faith rushed past them with her trolley and over to the group of girls. Harry could hear her hollering to them, "GUESS WHO'S BACK!" He then saw her turn around and cup her hands over her mouth to make her voice louder. "BOYS YOU BETTER WATCH OUT BECAUSE THE FAITH HAS RETURNED!!!" Some of the boys just stared at her strangely, but Draco seemed to heed this as a warning and look to his father with pleading eyes.
Draco wasn't standing that far away and the group could hear him asking his father to take him home. "No. It's your last year, it'll pass by soon," Lucius replied.
"Obviously you haven't spent much time with Faith, Hex, and Christie!" He exclaimed.
"Just stay away from them and you'll be fine." Harry, Hermione, and Ron broke into a fit of laughter and boarded the train. They finally found a compartment towards the back of the train, though it already held one person. The man was rather handsome, he was a bit pale, had short, dark brown hair and wore black robes, neither like any of the professors' or students'. He was sleeping and Hermione seemed to already have crushed on him.
"Who do you suppose that is?" Ron asked. He paused. "Wow... this kinda reminds me of our third year."
"Yeah... With the chocolate. I remember lots and lots of chocolate that year," Harry replied. Hermione and Ron laughed quietly, so as not to disturb the young man.
"Wow... just think, this is our last year here. I kind of wish it weren't over yet... I wouldn't mind starting over again so I wouldn't have to leave," Hermione said. Just then Draco rushed into the compartment, sliding the door closed behind him. He hit his knees and looked to the trio with pleading eyes.
"You have to help me! She's out to get me!" Draco explained. All three of them exchanged looks.
"Why should we help you?" Hermione sneered.
"She'll get you next, Granger! Just wait! But you have to hide me!!" He yelped. Just then they could here a light humming of a soft, kind of creepy, tune coming from just outside the compartment.
"Drraaccooo... come out and play with me," said the voice in a sing-song-like tune. Harry looked to Draco to see him flinch.
"I dunno... I'm kinda enjoying this," Harry said.
"Me too," Ron added. At that moment the man awoke and glanced around the compartment, then to the cowering Draco on the floor. The man rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Hex or Faith?" The man asked Draco with an Irish accent.
"Hex... Are you going to help me, Ecks?" The man shrugged.
"Why not? Haven't spoken to either of them in a while... might as well convince Hex to stop trying to kill you." The man stood up and slid the compartment door open where a seventeen year old girl stood. She had shoulder length, dark brown, curly hair, black eyes, and pale skin. Faith then appeared behind her.
"Did ya get 'im yet?" Faith asked then saw Ecks. "Guess not." Faith seemed disappointed for a moment then a bright smile appeared on her face. "Mah main man, Angelus!" she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him in a tight embrace and then let go, glancing to the trio. Hex hugged Angelus next and then they hopped into the compartment, followed by Angelus and a blonde girl who came around the corner. "Ya'll, this is Angelus Antonio Ecks, a.k.a. Angel. That's Hex, and that's Christie." Faith smirked and looked down to the cowering Draco. "What do we have here? A cute little ferret!" Faith looked up to Angelus. "Can I kill it?"
Hex and Christie seemed to have been thinking the same exact thing and both looked up to him as Faith did. Angel rubbed his temples and shook his head as if saying he didn't care. Then he spoke. "No you can't. Faith, you're still on probation, and Hex, Christie, if you do you'll end up in Azkaban with Faith by your side just because she was there." Faith sighed.
"Probation sucks. Poor, Faithy. Can we... kick him at least?" Hex asked with a Transylvanian accent and puppy-dog eyes.
"No!" Angel then looked to Draco and picked him up. "Here, Draco, let me help escort you out." Draco blinked as Angel threw him out of the compartment and closed the door behind him. "There, no ferret to kick." Harry, Hermione, and Ron were staring in shock. Why hadn't they ever done that?
"So... umm... how 'bout that chocolate?" Harry asked after a long silence. The compartment broke into laughter.
"Have we made your day interesting yet, Harry?" Faith asked with raised brows.
"Guess you could say that."
"By the way, Faith... how did you do that whole mist thing out of nowhere?" Harry asked.
"What? You mean this?" Faith seemed to fade into a fog of mist, still shaped like Faith but just endless grayness.
"Yeah... that." Ron and Hermione stared in awe at the misty figure. The mist seeped down to the floor, Faith's voice coming from all angles as it had in the Dursley's house.
"It's a secret," came Faith's intoxicating voice. The mist then reformed into Faith's figure, and then solidified to reveal Faith. "Neat though, huh?"
"Wicked..." Ron said, still amazed. Faith smiled.
"Yes I am. Well, we better be getting back to our own compartment now-" Faith was cut off when Hex tugged lightly on her robes. Faith turned around to face Hex. "Yes, my little Queen of Darkness?" Faith said jokingly. Hex whispered something to Faith, her eyes on Ron. Faith shook her head and then whispered something back. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked to them, wondering what they were talking about. Finally they broke into laughs and stopped whispering.
"Well, it was nice meeting you all! But... I have to-" Hex cut herself off and ran out of the compartment.
"Yeah, and I have to help her with the...-" Christie started then ran out of the compartment as well before finishing her sentence. Angel had an 'Oh, no' look on his face. He stood up and looked to the group.
"I have to make sure they don't..." Angel left the compartment as well and they could hear him calling after Hex and Christie. Faith shrugged.
"Well, bye!" She said and left as well. The trio, still in the compartment, seemed very confused.
"That was... interesting," Hermione said.
"Ron..." Harry started.
"Yeah?" Ron answered.
"When do Hermione and I get to meet Arianna?" Hermione's face flushed with confusion and cluelessness and Ron's seemed surprised.
"How'd you know about Arianna?"
"Faith. I never thought Slytherins were able to talk that much... or know that much, for that matter. D'you know what she calls Snape? Snapey-poo." Harry looked to Hermione who looked like that if she were drinking something; she had just spit it out in shock and laughter.
"Snapey-poo?" Ron asked then he and Hermione started laughing hysterically. On the rest of the train ride, Harry told them every little thing Faith had said or done, including the part where she had scared Dudley and almost kicked him. They were flushing red with laughter.
"Then... she said that Angel guy, he's the Councilor. I wonder why Dumbledore waited until now to hire one. With all that's happened these years, I'm guessing someone needs serious therapy." Hermione laughed as Harry said this. "Then there was Professor Carmichael. I'm guessing she'll be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts or Care of Magical Creatures. After all, those are the only two positions left." Ron yawned then looked out of the darkened window to see the castle.
"Hogwarts! I hope there aren't too many announcements. I'm starving!" Ron exclaimed. Harry nodded in agreement, as did Hermione. "I still can't get that look of the begging Draco out of my head. It was hilarious!"
"I know. But, we're nice... we're not going to tell anyone." Harry looked to Ron and Hermione then all three of them broke into a fit of laughter. "I'm telling the first person I see that's not a Slytherin." Ron looked to Harry and shook his head. "What?"
"More than likely, you won't need to tell anyone, Harry. If Faith is how you say she is, the whole student body probably already knows. Even the first years," Ron said. Harry sighed.
"I know... how disappointing. Oh well. C'mon! I want to get a good carriage." Harry led Hermione and Ron to the carriages, patted one of the Thestrals, and then hopped into the carriage with Hermione and Ron right behind him.
The trio hardly spoke a word to each other on the trip up to the castle. They were so hungry, and from all that talking about Faith, they were sure they had lost their voices.