Chapter Three: Adjustment
The girls that Amelia shared a room with were far too social for Amelia's liking. She was pleased the night before when everyone was too nervous to talk to each other and hoped that it would be that way for the whole year. But she should have known better.
In the morning, one of the girls started talking to another and that set them all off. Amelia was the only one who hadn't spoken yet and was sitting uncomfortably on her bed. But she listened to them all introduce themselves, curious as to who each of them were and where they came from.
The girl who slept to her right was very pretty with tanned skin and pretty brown eyes. She hadn't stopped smiling all morning. She introduced herself as Carmen, a half-blood from Spain.
"My family moved to England three years ago when my parents decided they didn't want my sister and I to go to the wizarding school there. It's not nearly as good as Hogwarts. My sister's in Ravenclaw and likes to think she's the smart one between us."
Another girl with bouncy auburn hair made a sound of disgust, "Typical sisters. My oldest sister acts the same way. But now I'm the only witch in my family so now I have something to brag about." She giggled, "I'm Joyce."
The girl who slept on the other side of Amelia boomed with laughter, "My brothers do the same thing." Her accent was rough, Scottish maybe. Amelia didn't think her father would like her very much. "We Turners have been magical from the very beginning, half in Hufflepuff, half in Gryffindor. I'm Daniella, by the way."
Joyce muttered under her breath, "I wonder if we can trade them."
Violet Parrish, their last roommate, explained in a very eloquent way that she was also a half-blood, the daughter of the Ancient Runes professor at Hogwarts and a university professor of History at Cambridge. Amelia was incredibly intimidated by this.
"What about you?"
Amelia looked up. All four of the girls were looking at her expectantly.
"Well?" Joyce said, "Aren't you going to tell us about yourself?"
"I-I'm Amelia." Amelia finally mustered out. "Amelia Malfoy."
Recognition dawned in Daniella's face. "I've heard that name before. My brother's told me all about someone named Draco. Is that your brother?"
Amelia looked down at her hands.
"I thought all Malfoys went to Slytherin." Carmen said, "What happened with you?"
Fresh tears formed in Amelia's eyes, "I don't know." She wanted to scream and cry and throw something. But there was no way that she could without looking absolutely ridiculous.
The other girls exchanged unsure looks before quietly continuing their conversation. This was good. The less they cared about her, the better. Amelia silently left the room, swishing her school robes behind her, and made her way to the Great Hall.
When she arrived, her eyes went immediately to the Slytherin table in search of her brother. Maybe he had some good news for her. But when she made eye contact with him, he looked at her sadly and then returned to his breakfast.
Amelia's heart sunk as she went to join the other Hufflepuffs. She took a seat a little ways away from everyone else. She cautiously looked at the food and picked at what she could stand.
She was almost done with her meal when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw a chubby woman with wild, curly hair looking down at her.
"Are you Miss Amelia Malfoy?"
Amelia swallowed her food. "Y-yes."
"Wonderful! I'm Professor Sprout, the head of house for Hufflepuff. I teach Herbology, which you'll have tomorrow. I have your schedule right here. If you have any questions, ask one of the older students or come find me."
Amelia scanned the schedule quickly, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the immensity of it. She was already terrified of Friday afternoon, when they'd have their first flying lesson with Ravenclaw.
"Thank you." She said quietly, then looked back down at her plate.
Professor Sprout stood there for just a moment longer before moving down the table to where some older students were chatting away the morning.
"Amelia." Draco startled her. He sat beside her and smiled, "How are you feeling today?"
She shrugged, "A little better I guess. Have you heard from Father?"
He avoided her eyes, "I wrote to him immediately last night and I received a reply this morning. He says he's disappointed that you didn't end up in Slytherin, but he's not angry at you. The Sorting Hat's word is final."
Amelia felt herself begin to cry, "But I don't want to be in Hufflepuff, Draco. You've said before that only the idiots and wimps get put here. How are you supposed to think of me now?"
"Stop it! You're neither of those things." Draco said, defensively. "That was stupid of me to say. Hufflepuff is fine. I just wish you were with me. Are you nervous at all being alone there?"
"Only because I don't know anyone. Everyone is friendly and lovely." She sniffled.
Draco raised his eyebrows, "That sounds like you. Maybe the Sorting Hat made the right choice after all."
"Don't say that." Amelia said, "I would rather be in a place I didn't fit in if it meant I was in Slytherin with you."
"You're being ridiculous." Draco rolled his eyes and looked at the clock. "We've got to get going to our first classes. What's your timetable look like?" Amelia handed him the piece of parchment. He whistled, "You've got Lockhart first, I see. Lucky duck. I'll show you to the Defense classroom since it's on my way."
Amelia was glad to have this time with her brother, as limited as it was. Without him, she would have certainly gotten lost in the castle and probably wouldn't have been found until the end of the year.
While they walked, she noticed that several people watched them with distrust in their eyes. Draco didn't seem to notice this at all but Amelia definitely did. What had she done to deserve their hatred?
"Looks like you've got class with Slytherin." Draco said when he stopped outside a classroom with a tall door. "Blaise's younger brother is in there, you know him. Julian?" She nodded. "Try to have fun, alright. Good luck."
He took a quick glance around before placing a light kiss on her forehead. Then he was off, as if this moment had never happened.
Amelia was surprised at how large the room was. Cages were filled with various creatures; diagrams covered the stone walls; and books littered the floors. The other students in the room were talked quietly amongst themselves, still not used to their new surroundings.
She settled for a seat beside Daniella, although she would have much preferred one alone or with another one of her less talkative roommates. But since she was late, she was stuck.
"There you are! I didn't see you at breakfast." Daniella spoke loudly above everyone else.
"I decided to sit by myself today."
Daniella continued as if she hadn't spoken, "I'm nervous for this class. No one in my family has ever been good at Defense. What about yours?"
"They're okay." Amelia blushed, knowing full well that rather than defending himself against the Dark Arts, her father preferred to embrace them. "I don't think I'll be very good at this though, either."
Before Daniella could respond, Gilderoy Lockhart himself cleared his throat and stood up abruptly.
"Good morning, pupils! I'm sure you all know you I am," he winked at them, "and that I am to be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. This year I plan for you to delve into places that have so far been left uncovered for generations. You will learn more about the concentrated art of defense than you would have ever thought possible. All of this you will learn from me, a certified master in protecting the innocent from evil."
He finished off his speech with a flourish of his wand, earning a hearty round of applause from the unsuspecting first years. Even Amelia had to admit that she was impressed and curious.
"Now, if you would all please open my book, Break With a Banshee, to page three, you will find a forward followed by the first chapter. You should all read this before we begin our first practical lesson. I would like you all to write a short response to the opening of my tale. This will be due at our next meeting. For now, let's have an open question and answer session."
Immediately, dozens of hands shot up. Amelia, not taking much interest in participating in a discussion, chose to read a book instead. She snuck out one her favorites, Sense and Sensibility, a Muggle book that she had found in Flourish and Blotts. She bought it with the help of a house elf and only read it when her parents weren't at home. If they knew that she was reading Muggle literature, they would have her head.
Despite having read it many times before, Amelia read hungrily, not bothering to keep track of time. It was easy to lose herself in the story that she had learned to cherish so deeply. She probably could have stayed there forever, had a finger not poked her sharply in the shoulder.
"You're going to make us late." Daniella said, I would hate to miss Transfiguration. That's what I'm looking forward to the most!"
Amelia looked up in alarm. "When did class let out?"
Daniella shrugged, "About five minutes ago. I didn't think it would be very kind to just leave you here like this. And it's not like he would've noticed anything." She nodded toward Professor Lockhart, who was admiring himself in a mirror.
"Thank you." Amelia said bashfully.
"Forget it," Daniella said, rolling her eyes. "Let's get moving."
She gathered up her things and scrambled out of her chair. Together, she and Daniella walked swiftly through the large corridors until they reached the Transfiguration classroom.
Daniella smiled at her as they entered, "You don't seem like you're as awful as your brother."
"Thanks." Amelia said under her breath.
"You know what I mean. You just actually seem approachable, is all. My brothers say Draco isn't exactly the most pleasant all the time."
She giggled, "I guess that's true."
"Anyway," Daniella looked away uncomfortably as they sat down together, "I was thinking maybe we could stick together. I'm not exactly the most popular here either."
Amelia's heart twinged a little. She could completely understand why Daniella wasn't the easiest to get along with. She was loud and obnoxious. But did that mean she didn't deserve friends?
"Alright." She said, "I'd like that."
Daniella's face broke out into an ecstatic grin, "Great! Not like I would've given you a choice anyway!"
