Flower Magic: New Beginning

I like how this chapter turned out so I hope you all do too. And yes, to answer the questions I am Australian and yes, hippies did spread this far. They're everywhere man!

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Chapter 2: A Change in Tradition

Marie had found the trip across the Great Lake rather enjoyable, despite the fact that she was surrounded by children three years her junior. She had travelled in a boat of her own, giving her ample opportunity to get a bearing of the size of Hogwarts and its grounds. It was so undeniably different to Womroodna Marie wondered how she would ever get used to it here after three years of schooling in Australia.

Before she knew it she had arrived on the other side of the lake, her boat gently bumping into the jetty. She jumped easily onto the wooden jetty having grown up on the coast in Australia and couldn't help but laugh slightly as she saw some of the first years scrambling out of the boats next to hers. One of them, a small blonde haired boy, looked a sickening shade of green despite the fact that the lake was flat.

They were greeted by a Professor McGonagall, a middle aged teacher who according to the whisperings of a first year taught Transfiguration and was the head of Gryffindor house. "Miss Harlden, if I might have a word before we proceed into the Great Hall."

"Yeah sure." Marie walked nervously over to the professor who was looking at her with a disapproving stare. She ignored the whisperings of the younger students as she passed.

"I'm not sure how things are run in Australia Miss Harlden but I can assure you that we expect more respect and obedience to the dress code here if I am to expect anything from your current behaviour. I know it might seem like you will be a novelty here and I can assure you for a few days you will but after that you will be just like any other student and you will be treated just as any other student from the moment you set foot in that hall." Professor McGonagall said sternly.

"Pardon?" Marie was really confused. What on earth is she talking about?

"I expect you read the school dress code?" Marie nodded, "Then why are you wearing that offensively noticeable scarf in your hair?"

"The scarf?" She reached a hand to her scarf and fiddled with it slightly. "What about it? It's just a scarf."

"Yes a scarf that is worn in obvious disrespect to this schools rules." The professor looked as if she was going to burst.

"I always wear a scarf, I can assure you that it's in no disrespect to this school."

"Well as I stated previously I don't know how things are run where you come from but here I must ask you to remove it at once." Grumbling Marie pulled the scarf out of her hair, letting her shoulder blade length hair hang free, and stuffed the patterned scarf into her pocket. "And you will address me and any other teachers here as either sir, madam, or professor."

"Yes, madam." Marie growled and Professor McGonagall sniffed disdainfully.

"If you will all follow me into the hall the sorting will begin. Miss Harledn, if you will stay ahead slightly. We will deal with you first."

The students to be sorted followed the Professor in single file across the entrance hall and into the Great hall, Marie a few steps in front of the first year following her. The magnificent oak doors swung open to reveal 5 tables. Four were occupied by students and she assumed that they must be divided into houses as the students were all trimmed in different colours depending upon the table. The fifth table ran parallel to the Entrance Hall and was inhabited by the teachers of Hogwarts.

In the centre of the table stood an elderly man with waist length grey hair and beard. He smiled down kindly upon Marie and the first years as they approached the teachers table. She passed what must have been the Gryffindor table as James, Sirius, Remus, Peter and Lily all waved energetically at her. Marie grinned back and she could hear the gossiping going on around her, about the 'new girl' that wasn't a first year.

Dead silence echoed around the hall as the old man who Marie assumed must be the Headmaster raised his hands. "Welcome, to another year at Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! For those of you who do not know me, or may have forgotten," A second year elbowed the boy sitting next to him who was blushing profusely, "I am Professor Albus Dumbledore and Headmaster of this fine establishment. This year, we have a slightly different procedure to what usually occurs during the sorting process. This year, for the first time in a very many years we welcome a student who as joined us at a time other than in their first year. She comes to us from the far, exotic," Marie snorted loudly and earned a glare from Professor McGonagall, "and from what I have heard outrageously hot country of Australia. I hope you will all welcome her warmly amongst yourself and she will soon be able to call herself a Hogwarts student with pride. Now, without further ado let the sorting begin."

A grubby looking man stepped forward and placed a stool with an ancient looking wizard hat atop it. He sneered as he surveyed the new batch of first years and scurried aside. Professor McGonagall stepped forward and spoke to the new enrolments, "Now, when I say your name please come forward, sit and place the Sorting Hat on your head." The first years looked around nervously, some giving small waves to relatives amongst the older students. McGonagall glared pointedly at Marie's pocket were part of her scarf was hanging out in, the colours in stark contrast to the black of her robes. Marie stuffed it hurriedly into her pocket and stepped forward as her name was called.

"Harlden, Marie."

Hush had descended once more as she stepped forward and placed the old hat on her head before sitting down nervously. She could feel her hands shaking as they gripped the stool tightly.

"Well hello there!" The hat said and Marie jumped what felt like a foot into the air, she wondered if any of the other students had noticed. "This is different I must say, haven't done this in a very, very long time. Well lets get on with it shall we. Your smart, but not outrageously so, so I won't go putting you into Ravenclaw. Your brave, but one could think otherwise after seeing you jump when you put me on." Marie blushed, "Gryffindor, maybe, maybe. Hmm… You can be sneaky, o yes, very sneaky and sly too. Hmm… But I'm not sure that would be right for you." The hat paused again for a moment before shouting, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Hall rang with the Gryffindors cheers, the other tables all seemed to look slightly disappointed. She guessed that she must be considered a novelty to the other students. Grinning she walked over to the Gryffindor table where Lily had made her friends move over so she could squeeze in.

"I'm so happy you got into our house! I was dreading that you might be put into Slytherin or something like that but you really didn't seem the type." Lily beamed and the other girls around her smiled at Marie curiously.

"Congratulations Marie!" Yelled Remus from a few students along.

"Yeah congratulations!" Called James and Sirius. Peter looked nervous.

McGonagall clapped her hands for attention and the hall slowly quietened again, no where near as quickly as it had for Dumbledore though. The sorting continued through the first years, as did the curious glances Marie kept receiving. All in all there were ten other students added to Gryffindor's swelling ranks.

When the sorting was completed Dumbledore stood again and declared the feast begun, food materialised on the gold plates before them and the students began to dig in. As Maries was dishing herself up some Shepard's pie the questions began.

"What is Australia like?" "What was your old school like?" "Why did you come here?" "Do you really ride flying kangaroos rather than broomsticks?"

Some of the questions were quite sensible but others were so out there she wondered if some of the students even knew where Australia was.

After the puddings and other deserts were cleaned away Dumbledore rose to give his final speech of the evening. He was a good speaker, Marie couldn't deny that, he somehow managed to command the attention of everyone in the hall, both alive and dead. After giving an outline on the banned substances by order of Mr Flitch (the seedy looking man who had brought out the Sorting Hat) he wished all the students a good night and the hall was filled with the sound of scraping benches.

"Follow me Marie!" Called Lily over the deafening chatter as she pushed her way through the crowd and into the entrance hall. "I'll show you how to get up to the Gryffindor common room and dormitories."

The Marauders took this as their opportunity to pounce and they too pushed their way through the crowd and after Marie who was now replacing the scarf on her head. "Didn't really get the chance to congratulate you on getting into our house back there." Said James as he walked a few steps behind Marie and Lily.

"Yeah, Lily got to you before we could, had a feeling you'd end up with us though." Added Sirius who was walking next to James.

Lily rolled her eyes and pulled Marie forward when she showed signs of wanting to stop and talk. "Come on you don't really want to hang around with them do you. All they do is cause trouble."

Marie came to an abrupt standstill. "Sorry man, but I thought they actually seemed alright. Why shouldn't I speak to them? You do."

"Yes, well, you don't know them like I do."

"Oi! Evans! Stop whispering bad things in her ear and let us speak to her. We found her first." Yelled James who was ruffling his hair.

"Yeah but you guys didn't know what a hippie was." Retorted Lily. It became apparent to Marie that this sort of thing happened regularly between the two.

Remus caught her eye and then rolled his own, motioning for him to follow her. Marie agreed, she didn't particularly want to be stuck between the arguing couple, and neither, it seemed, did anyone else.

Once they had gotten ten or so meters away Remus explained. "They have been arguing like that over anything and everything since they first met as first years."

Sirius jogged up on Marie's other side, "It's a whole lotta sexual tension if you ask me."

Remus laughed.

"So do they like each other then?" Marie asked curiously.

"Well obviously." Sirius looked exasperated, "What do you think James was doing the whole hair ruffling thing for?"

"Well I don't know man. Maybe it was just a habit, like a twitch or something."

"It is, he doe-" Sirius was cut off by Remus who informed the new girl that they had arrived.

They stood before a large painting of a very fat lady. "Password?"

"Midnight sol solis." Said Remus and the portrait swung forward, revealing a large hole behind it that led into a comfy looking room.

"Welcome to Gryffindor Tower. This is the common room and the stairs to the left lead to the male dormitories, you will find the ones to your right will lead you to the female dormitories." Sirius put on a fake posh accent and gave a mock bow.

"It's all very red isn't it?"

"Red and gold are the Gryffindor colours. Yellow and black are Hufflepuff, Blue and bronze are Ravenclaw and green and silver are Slytherin." It appeared to Marie that Remus was the most intelligent of the lot as he seemed to be giving her all the information on everything. He and Lily that is, but Lily was currently absent, more than likely still arguing with James.

"So where will all my stuff be? Do I have to go down and get it?"

"You stuff should already be in your dorm. You should go up now if you want to avoid more questions."

"Is that just a nice way of getting rid of me? 'Cos man, it ain't working." Marie laughed and stepped further into the common room. The other Gryffindors looked up and their eyes seemed to be brimming with questions, noticing the truth in Remus's words Marie couldn't help but agree with him. As a second year stood and began to make his way over Marie hastily changed her mind. "Actually man, that seems like a pretty good idea. Goodnight everyone!"

The others noticed the boy who was now looking slightly crestfallen and laughed a goodnight.

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The dormitory was crowded with five four poster, curtained beds. The curtains were coloured red and gold, as where the sheets and bedspreads. Miranda felt sure she would be well and truly sick of the colours by the time she graduated. To her relief her trunk and guitar case were all safely stashed at the end of her bed, as were the other inhabitants of the room's. No one else was there currently so Marie took advantage of the time to unpack.

A few minutes later, however, she was interrupted by a flustered looking Lily. "That James Potter! I swear, one day I'll kill him!" She threw herself down on her bed.

"Violence isn't the answer man." Came a startled Marie.

Lily grumbled something into her quilt before beginning her own unpacking. She pinned up a poster of David Cassidy next to her bed.

"Whoa man. You can put up posters here? I thought it would be too strict for that!"

"Yeah of course you can. We have to have some freedom of expression in our own rooms don't we?" Lily continued to pin up another poster, this one of some famous wizard Marie didn't know.

"Awesome. I'll have to get mum to send me some of my stuff to put up then. Where do we get owls from?"

"Up in the owlery, I'll take you there tomorrow if you want."

"Thanks man, that'd be great."

"Sure, no problem."

The two continued their unpacking uninterrupted until another girl burst in. "Lily! I've been looking for you everywhere, you just took off with the new girl and completely forgot about us!"

Marie could see two other girls standing behind her in the doorway. She recognised them as having sat next to her during the feast. Marie coughed politely, alerting the others to her presence.

The girl in front blushed, "Oh, sorry. I didn't realise you were here. I'm Margaret Carroll. This is Emma Robertson and Mahdi Nass." She gestured to the petite blonde and tall and slim dark girl behind her.

"Pleased to meet you."

"Same to you." The other girls took to their beds and began to unpack. Marie's bed was between Margaret and Mahdi's.

"I guess you must be sick of being questioned tonight?" Mahdi asked conversationally as she pulled out some of her new textbooks.

"Yeah pretty much. I never knew how hectic it would be, coming to a new school. It's crazy man." Marie and Mahdi both laughed and continued to unpack their trunks.

After half an hour all the girls decided to have an early night in preparation for the following day. Marie drew the curtains around her bed and fell asleep, dreaming of what would come to past on her first, proper, day at Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

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Well I hope you all enjoy this new update. It will be my last for two weeks as I'm off to Fiji. YAY! I'll try and update as soon as I get back though.

Please press that pretty little button in the corner and REVIEW! Thankyou very muchly.

Pagan