At first the days at Hogwarts were slow. The classes went by quickly enough. Finn enjoyed levitating feathers and pillows in Charms. History of Magic was fascinating because it enable him with a chance to learn about the history of witches and wizards without outing himself to his fellow Slytherins as a Muggle-born. Flying was . . . well, it wasn't exactly his favorite. Finn couldn't fly to save his life, but the awesome feeling of his heart pounding against his chest while he took off sort of made it worth it.
So although his classroom life was progressing quickly, his social life was what kept dragging on. It was hard to make friends in Hogwarts, Finn thought. Most of his Housemates had been friends since childhood, and although he and Ben had remained friendly, and Finn did consider him a friend, he was found more often than not in the presence of Hux and Phasma. Still unsure about those two—add in the fact that since the Hogwarts Express, neither had even glanced his way—Finn tried to find friends outside of his own House. However, as soon as other First Years saw the green and silver colors of his tie, they quickly decided they wanted nothing to do with him and, with noses turned up to the sky, would quickly walk off. After almost two months of this behavior, and the sluggish passage of time, Finn resigned himself to a slow, lonely life at Hogwarts.
Everything changed, though, during the school's Halloween feast. Not even taking one step into the Great Hall, Finn stopped dead in his tracks and stared forward with eyes wide and mouth agape. Illuminated Jack-o-Lanterns floated high towards the invisible ceiling where dozens of bats flew through the night sky. Blinking, and slowly pulling himself out of his daze, Finn continued to walk towards the Slytherin table. He was about to sit down at an empty seat between two different friend groups when a voice shouted out, "Trooper!"
Looking around with surprise, Finn looked for the source of the voice that called his surname. It took him a few seconds to realize it was Hux who'd called him out. The skinny, pasty boy sat a few seats down, Phasma on his right and Ben across from him, with a tight smile on his lips and his hand partially raised in greeting. Gulping, Finn nodded to the other boy and when Hux motioned for him to come closer, his brows raised so high on his head that Finn worried they'd raised right off. Walking over towards them and standing next to Ben's sitting form, Finn waited for whatever Hux had to say. "Sit down, Trooper," Phasma ordered. Finn was sure it was meant to be a request, but also figured that Phasma didn't understand the meaning of the word.
Confused, but not questioning their motives just yet, Finn sat down on Ben's right and across from Phasma. He played with the edge of the table with the tips of his fingers gingerly as he waited for something more to be said. "So, Finn," Ben started, his eyes flickering up to make eye contact, "have you started your Potions essay yet?" Then, after turning beet red, bit down on his lower lip and continued in a rush. "I'm half way finished. Same with Hux. Phasma's finished—" Hux made a snort like sound, "—and we wondered if you wanted to work on it with us," he nodded his head towards Hux.
"It's only practical, really." Hux drawled, as if it had been his idea all along. "Studying in groups makes the work go by faster, after all. Ooh," he reached over Phasma and plucked a large, black and orange lollipop from inside a decorative cauldron.
"Professor Ackbar is the worst, isn't he?" Phasma said with a sigh. She picked at some of the food on her plate before continuing. "Imagine, him giving us a fifteen inch essay our first year. It's ludicrous. I cannot believe he's allowed to teach here."
"Well considering who the Headmaster is, are you really all that surprised?" Hux asked rhetorically with a roll of his eyes and sucked on a portion of his sweet.
Finn looked up to the head table where all the professors sat and quickly found the Headmaster sitting in the middle. Headmaster Obi-Wan 'Old Ben' Kenobi. Finn hadn't had much interaction with the man, and all he knew was that Kenobi used to teach History of Magic and was a Ravenclaw back when he was a student at Hogwarts himself.
"What do you think, Ben?" Hux's voice drew Finn's attention back to the table. "When do you think the old man will retire?"
"You're uncle Luke is the Deputy Headmaster, right? He should know," Phasma added.
"Wait, Professor Luke is your uncle?" He asked, looking at Ben.
Ben's brows furrowed, almost making him look like he had one uni-brow, "Yeah, I told you about his, didn't I? On the train?"
"Oh," Finn stalled. He could feel his cheeks darkening with embarrassment. He remembered Ben mentioning his weird uncle, but Finn hadn't connected the dots from 'weird uncle Luke' to Professor Luke. "Oh yeah," he said. "I remember now." Turning his gaze down to the table, Finn busied himself with piling food onto his plate.
"I'm surprised the Minister of Magic hasn't had him removed already, to be completely honest," Hux said offhandedly. "My grandfather says Minister Palpatine has put considerable thought into it."
"How would he know?" Finn's eyes widened as he realized what he said and immediately began stuffing food into his mouth in hopes of shutting himself up.
Sitting up even straighter than he already was, Hux preened and seemed absolutely pleased at the chance to explain who his grandfather was. "He's a close friend, and on the school's board of governors. Moff Tarkin, I'm sure you've heard of him . . ." at Finn's wide, blank eyes, Hux's lip curled and he finished with, "even if you don't recall at this very moment."
"Er, anyway," Ben stepped in, and tried to change the subject, "have you two gotten any new Chocolate Frog Cards? I'm still looking for Mopsus."
After that all conversation circled around lighter subjects and less around politics that Finn knew he'd never understand. Once the stakes didn't seem so high, Finn was able to learn more about Hux and Phasma. After a while, they didn't seem so bad to him. Yes, he conceded mentally, they were sharp with their words, cruel with their smiles, and generally rough around the edges, but that was mainly directed towards their enemies—or those they considered enemies. Somehow—and Finn didn't know how, though he suspected Ben had something to do with it, for which he was grateful—during the Halloween feast, Finn was offered the hand of friendship, and he took it.
After that night, time began to fly by so quickly Finn barely knew what to do with himself. Autumn turned into Winter, and Winter eventually turned into Spring, and before Finn knew it final exams were breathing down his neck. Before that, however, was the last Quidditch match of the year. Finn had fallen in love with the game the moment he first saw the players push up off the ground and into the air on their brooms. Although the last game for the Inter-House Cup wouldn't showcase Slytherin, as their last game had been two weeks earlier, Finn was still excited for the game nevertheless. Unfortunately, since Slytherin was dead last in the Cup rankings this year, most of the other Slytherins did not feel the same way as he.
Hux wanted nothing to do with the match, instead deciding to spend his time studying in the Slytherin common room. Phasma, who'd been more than prepared for her final exams since before May even began, had shrugged at Finn's request to come and watch the game, stating she had nothing better to do. Ben was the easiest to convince. He didn't want to stay cooped up in the castle studying and he loved the game almost as much as Finn. Almost.
The match was Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw and the stadium was packed with students wearing scarlet and blue. "Sure is packed," Ben remarked amicably behind Finn who was trying to push his way towards a few empty seats he saw off to the left.
"Sure is!" Finn agreed immediately, shouting over his shoulder so his friends could hear him. "Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor for the championship! Neither team has lost a game yet, you know." Finn muscled his way through a gaggle of Ravenclaw girls. "Whoever loses will get second—well," Finn paused and scrunched his nose up as he reconsidered his words, "so long as the loser doesn't give away more than three hundred points, that is. If they do that, then Hufflepuff will weasel their way into second."
Ben snorted, "Appropriate."
Simultaneously, Phasma said as monotonously as a robot, "And Slytherin will still end up fourth."
"Someone's got to," Finn responded with a cheeky smile that only made Phasma raise a brow at him. Finally trudging through their last group of students—a blend of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw this time, taking bets, apparently—they finally reached Finn's intended destination. A large group of Slytherins sat further to their left, but Finn knew it'd be almost impossible to find a space large enough for the three of them there. Not to mention that their current seats were better for viewing. So what if Ravenclaws sat behind them and Gryffindors in front of them? They still got the stink eye from a few Gryffindors before they sat, but Finn couldn't care less. He was all abuzz, bouncing up and down on the bench with unadulterated excitement.
As the two teams took the pitch, the crowd went wild. The student body screamed so loudly that Finn and Ben had to cover their ears and even Phasma looked disgruntled by the noise. "Hey, wait a minute!" Finn began to object, pointing out towards the pitch. "Gryffindor's got a new player! Look—look!" He shouted half furiously to his friends. "They've got a new Chaser!"
Phasma looked straight at him, a bored expression on her face. "So?"
"So!" Finn exclaimed, eyes wide and arms flailing wildly around him. "So, who is he?"
"Poe Dameron," Ben supplied. His tone was clipped and his expression dark. "He's a First Year, like us."
A girl sitting in front of them glanced back over her shoulder, overhearing their conversation. Her stern expression and three bun hair style giving away her identity: Rey Plutt. Neither Ben nor Phasma paid her any mind, however, and so Finn decided he wouldn't either—although that was very difficult for him, seeing as how he blushed hotter than a red sun whenever he saw her. Shaking distracting thoughts out of his head, Finn asked, "What happened to Netal?"
"I heard she broke up with her boyfriend," Ben shrugged, still glaring at Poe Dameron's small frame. "Had an emotional breakdown or something."
"Or something," Phasma rolled her eyes.
"How do you guys know this and I don't?" He asked, two steps away from being indignant.
"The breakup happened yesterday afternoon," Phasma explained. "The switch must have happened yesterday evening."
"Oh," Finn said, then returned his attention to the pitch where Snoke—the creepy, skeletal looking man that accompanied Finn for his school shopping—had the team captains shake hands and then blew the whistle, signaling the start of the game. "Whoa!" He exclaimed as he watched Poe Dameron take off on his broom. "Look at him fly!" Dameron flew like he was born to. He glided above the rest of the players, bobbed in and out with the Quaffle, and scored Gryffindor's first goal within the first five minutes of the game. Palms turning hot ans sweaty, Finn watched Dameron with utter awe. Every time he flew up high, Finn's heart fluttered up to his throat, and ever time he dipped low, Finn's heart dipped into his stomach with him. His body tingled with second hand adrenaline. "He's amazing!" Finn said, because it was true.
"The best flyer our school's seen in a century," Ben snapped, his voice unnaturally low and condescending, as if he were mimicking someone. His shoulders were hunched inwards and his bottom lip jutted out in an unattractive pout. This time, when he furrowed his brow it really did make it seem like he had a uni-brow.
Phasma seemed unphased by his behavior, so Finn tried to ignore it as well. Who knows, Finn thought, maybe Ben had eaten something bad during breakfast and that's why he was acting so crabby. "I don't understand, though," he started slowly, trying to watch both Ben and the game at the same time, "if he can fly this well, why hasn't he been on the team the whole season?"
Ben simply hunched over more, but thankfully Phasma had an answer. "He probably didn't try out. First Years aren't allowed a broom, remember?" Her lip curled up slightly in thought, "They must have made an exception because of Netal." Finn looked up at the game again. Gryffindor was up fifty points to zero. If Dameron had played the whole season, he thought as he watched Dameron steal the Quaffle from a Ravenclaw Chaser, the other Houses wouldn't have stood a chance.
The game continued on in that manner. Poe Dameron stole the show and barely allowed Ravenclaw to score fifty points. He was like a one man team. The students from the other Houses groaned towards one another. With Dameron in the game, it looked like Gryffindor would be Cup champions for the next seven years. Eventually, once the Gryffindor Seeker caught the Snitch, the game finished and the students began to stand—some even began settling their debts.
"Looks like Hufflepuff will weasel their way to second after all," Phasma stated matter of fact like with a dry grin.
"All because of that stupid Dameron," Ben sneered, his upper lip pulling back far enough that you could see some of his teeth. Rey, who still sat in front of them, straightened her shoulders. She seemed to be bracing for something.
"Ah, Ben," Finn tried to warn, eyeing Rey suspiciously.
"It's completely unfair," Ben continued, not heeding his friend's words. "Gryffindor always does this, too. Breaking the rules when it helps them win, but judging and degrading others who do the same. They claim to courageous, but really they're just self righteous, and Dameron's the prime example of that."
"What have you got against Poe?" Rey asked from below them. Her voice, which should have been drowned out by the background noise of the stadium, carried up to their ears with perfect clarity. She'd stood up while Ben ranted and turned towards them, giving them the best view of her glare. Finn now understood the phrase 'if looks could kill'. If they could, he was sure Ben would have been burned alive right where he stood. "The entire game you've been complaining: Dameron this, Dameron that. Well? What's your problem?" She placed her balled up fists on her hips and looked Ben in the eyes, expectantly.
Mouth puckering like a caught fish, Ben stared at the girl before him. She was something fierce, and at first Ben didn't seem to know what to do with her. After two blinks and a gulp, though, he regained his composure and stood up as well so he could tower over her. Rey didn't step back though, nor did she seem fazed by their height difference. Her confidence struck Finn in a way that gave him the impression that she had stood up to taller bullies before—and won. "What are you? Ben asked, a slight smirk to his lips. "His girlfriend?"
Phasma barked out a laugh and stood up to also stare the Gryffindor girl down. "Or a groupie," she added with a smirk of her own.
"Yeah?" Ben smiled fully now. A mean one. One that showed only teeth and no friendship. "Want me to get an autograph for you? How should he sign it? For my number one fan: triple bun?" He and Phasma laughed cruelly. Finn grimaced when he saw Rey's face turn red with embarrassment, but stayed seated where he was. He found it was always better not to get involved when his friends got like this.
"Triple bun?" Rey repeated, her red face turning deadly serious and losing all signs of anger. "Are you making fun of my hair?"
"Yeah," Ben pushed out the last of his laugh. "What are you gonna do about it?" He glanced gleefully at Phasma. "Cry?"
Ben and Phasma began to laugh again, and Finn could see this was their mistake. Or, more importantly, Ben's. Tilting his head back to laugh fully at Rey's expense, she took that vulnerable moment to rear her arm back and sack him right in the stomach. Eyes bulging wide, Ben made no sound as he sucked in the air around him. His legs seemed to give out underneath him from the shock of the blow. Bending down to his knees, Ben let out a high pitched whine and curled into himself, his arms protectively covering his stomach. He began to dry heave as his stomach attempted to empty its contents.
Face as serious as ever, Rey looked down at Ben's crippled form and told him plainly, "Don't make fun of my hair." Phasma and Finn watched in frozen shock as Rey, without another word, walked away from them with her head held high. Once she was gone—and Finn had a sneaking suspicion Phasma actually waited until Rey was out of hearing range—Phasma sneered, "Typical Mud-blood behavior, throwing their fists like barbarians instead of using wands like civilized people."
Ben moaned lowly, bring Finn and Phasma's attention back to him. Grimacing Finn kneeled down to get a better look at him. "You might want to get Mister Epeayo," he told Phasma. "I don't think Ben's gonna be getting up anytime soon." While Phasma went to fetch the school's nurse, Finn's eyes strayed to Rey's retreating back and he gulped as his heart began to flutter wildly in his chest, pounding harder, even, than during Flying class.
A/N: Poe as the greatest flyer the school has seen in a century gives me life! And don't worry, this is still a StormPilot fic!
Reviews are always welcome! And if anyone has any suggestions of how to fit Anikin/Darth Vader into this story please tell me because I am all ears! (Idk, maybe deputy minister if that's even a thing? Or works in the Department of Mysteries? Or as an Auror?)
