Disclaimer: Whatever you recognize, I do not own. (:
A/N: Remember! I'm not following the books in this story. So that means Ron and Hermione aren't prefects and neither is Draco. (:
My 18th Birthday
By boobookeys
Chapter 3: First Experience at Hogwarts
"Wear it." He said coolly, before disappearing outside the compartment. Although surprised, Alesha thanked Malfoy's retreating back and threw the robe on. She then rushed out of the compartment and followed the sea of students out of the train.
What a birthday.
o0o
Alesha's POV
I got down the carriage with Harry, Ron and Hermione (whom I managed to catch up with), marveled at the sight before me. Hogwarts was looked even more awesome in reality than in the movies! We walked with hundreds of other students into the entrance hall and my jaw almost literally dropped. The place was ten times larger than what it looks like from the outside, and everything looked extremely grand.
"Ms. Haynes!" a stern voice called out from the doors of the Great Hall. I looked up and tiptoed to see who it was in the midst of all the other students, and saw that it was none other than Professor McGonagall, who was the Headmistress of Hogwarts (as the Trio told me). I waved goodbye to the Trio and pushed my way through the crowd, finding myself in front of the surprisingly tall woman.
"Ms. Haynes, I suppose? Come, follow me, Professor Dumbledore would like a word with you." She said, immediately walking off in another direction. "Hurry up, there is no time to lose! I still have to tend to the First Years when they arrive."
It seemed like an eternity until we arrived at a deserted corridor, in front of a statue of a gargoyle.
"Acid pops," McGonagall said, almost hesitantly. I presumed it was the password to Dumbledore's office and grinned at the childishness of it all. The gargoyle magically came to life and it started elevating, enabling stairs to appear from below it. "Go on," McGonagall prompted, before I nervously stepped onto the moving flight of stairs. This was all too weird, all this magic. I glanced back at McGonagall and realized she was already gone, and thus paid attention to where the stairs was taking me.
Once the stairs stopped moving, I found myself stepping into an amazingly large room. Shelves covered the walls, with probably a million books neatly arranged in them. I looked around and spotted a phoenix next to a desk, in the middle of the room. I never took my eyes off it as I walked to the stand that it was perched upon. I remember seeing it, in the second Harry Potter movie. Fawkes, was that its name? I stretched my hand out and stroked its feathers, smiling serenely. It was almost as if touching it made me feel like all was right at that time.
"Ms Haynes?" a voice slowly said. I turned and stared at the man before me. Dumbledore wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. He was wearing long midnight blue robes that swept the ground and seemed to emit a sense of authority, despite the kind and welcoming look he had.
I nodded my head and he glided to his desk, sitting down, while urging me to do the same. He took out his wand and just after a small flick, a chair appeared in front of the desk. My eyes widened as magic was done right before my eyes.
"It is just a simple conjuring spell. You could probably do it too." Dumbledore said, eyeing me. I took a seat and waiting for him to say something.
"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards. Alesha Haynes, are you not?" He said, smiling. I blushed - my name was measly compared to his, it was quite embarrassing really.
"Yes, um, do you mind telling me why I am here? 'Cause you know, I don't actually come from here and all," I blurted out. "One moment I was looking at a book of some sort, and the next moment I was on the Hogwarts Express! And now I'm here. Is there any way that I can go back home?"
"Well, Ms. Haynes, I cannot tell you exactly why you are here, because to put it simply, I do not know myself." Dumbledore started. "A book you say? That's very strange indeed. However, until we find out how, I do not think you will be able to go back to where you came from."
"But what about my family? My whole life! My life back in the real world!" I exclaimed, hopes of going back shattered as I heard what Dumbledore had said.
"I'm afraid I do not know, Ms. Haynes. But I'm absolutely positive that you being here will not cause any disturbance back where you came from. Also, before I say anything else, I think you should know that you, now, are 15 years of age."
"15?!" I said in disbelief. "But I'm 18!"
"Yes, but I'm afraid that the travel to this world has made your body result in some changes by going back a few years, 3, to be exact." I stared at him as I tried to process everything.
"So, if I have to stay in this magic place, then I'll have to learn magic as well? I don't know any magic!"
"Ah, I think you do, Alesha. Just by the fact that you can actually see Hogwarts, see your surroundings and see me, proves that you are, indeed, a witch. Yes, you may not have used magic before, but that doesn't mean you can't." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as I felt extremely confused.
"Now, why don't we test out your magic then?" He continued. "I want you to concentrate. You may want to, let's see, maybe make something appear? A chair, most probably?"
"Don't I need a wand or something?" I asked, trying to evade doing this. All this was weirding me out! Me, a witch? Yeah, right. I knew I wasn't, but yet, I didn't want to prove it either. I then noticed Dumbledore's smile grow even wider.
"Alesha, you are no ordinary witch, or so I believe. I believe that you can use magic, yes, but you don't need a wand. All you need, is your mind. Which is why I hope you will co-operate in this little test to confirm this."
After moments of contemplation, I decided that no harm could be done in this, and nodded my head. I searched the room and finally, stared intently at an empty space on the wooden floor. A chair. Cushioned, big, blue and comfy. Then, a soft 'Pop!' sound could be heard and a chair, as I imagined it, appeared at the empty spot. Just like magic.
My mouth opened in an 'o', as I stared at the chair in awe. I made that appear. By myself. With magic! Dumbledore smiled at me calmly. He knew I could do it from the start, he only made me do it to convince me, not him.
"Now, you shall enroll here to Hogwarts, and you will need supplies such as books and school robes." He began. "On the other hand, I see you already have a school robe."
I looked down and remembered I had Draco's robe on.
"I presume that you will be returning that to Mr. Malfoy (how did he know it was Draco's?), but no matter, no matter. Your school supplies will be provided, you will see them in your dormitory later, along with your own belongings. Also, I believe we should get you a wand. We won't want to cause commotion amongst the students if they find out about your special skill, will we? A wand will be provided as well, I don't see the need to go to Diagon Alley to get a wand if you possess that special skill."
"Don't I need money?" I asked, wondering how I could possibly live without even a single cent, or Knut. Or whatever it is called here!
"I believe Hogwarts has some funds which can provide you with some. That too, you can find in your dormitory later. Anyhow, I think we should get you sorted now, no? Minerva has the Sorting Hat at the moment, so we will do the sorting differently." Differently? Maybe I have to go through some grand ritual or something. I waited anxiously as he told me how I was going to be sorted.
"Which house would you like to be in, then?" Dumbledore asked simply, eyes twinkling once again. I nearly fell off my chair as I heard that question.
"You're going to let me choose?" I said incredulously.
"I think you will make the right decision."
"Oh," I thought about what the Trio said about the houses and supposed it was the right choice. "Gryffindor?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Alright then, Alesha. You are now in Gryffindor. I suppose the Welcoming Feast has started, off you go then. If you aren't sure of how to get there, ask the paintings, they are rather friendly."
I bid him goodbye and turned back to walk out of the office.
"Oh, and Alesha?" Dumbledore said at the last second. I turned around and looked at him. "Everything is up for you to decide from now on." He continued with a small smile, before disappearing behind a door at the back of his office. With absolutely no clue of what he was talking about, I started to make my way to the Great Hall.
o0o
I got to sneak into the Great Hall without anyone noticing (or at least, not many), and joined the Trio for the feast. I sat next to Harry, across from Hermione and Ron. I looked to the front of the Great Hall and noticed Dumbledore was already seated. The man sure knows how to move fast. I concentrated on what was before me and boy, the movie really wasn't exaggerating with all the food. Every inch of the four (or five, if you include the teachers' table) long tables in the hall was covered with food, with students tackling it like savages.
"Sho wha di Dumblefore shay?" Ron said, in between mouthfuls of chicken.
"I got sorted, and got into Gryffindor," I replied happily, my answer as vague as possible. I wasn't sure whether I should tell them about my situation.
"Hey!" Ron suddenly shouted, pointing a drumstick at me. I looked at him, as if saying 'What?'. "Why are you wearing Slytherin robes?!"
Surrounding Gryffindors turned to look at us after that exclamation, and Hermione hit Ron at the arm ("Stop causing a commotion!"). After Hermione managed to get everyone back in their own business, she looked at me expectantly, also wanting to know the answer. I couldn't tell them it was Draco's robes - they'd fume!
"Uh, Dumbledore gave them to me. They're spares." I quickly thought up of an excuse. However, the Trio wasn't convinced.
"But you already had them on when we were on the carriage," Harry said, eyebrow raising. Ron and Hermione following suit and as much as I tried, I couldn't think up of another excuse. They got me!
"Fine! They are Dra-Malfoy's." I surrended. Another exclamation came my way, this time from both Ron and Harry, which caused them another hit on the arm by Hermione.
"Why do you have Malfoy's robe?!" Ron spat, using an exceptionally disgusted tone of voice when saying 'Malfoy'. I told them that I wanted a robe to not get too much attention with my 'Muggle clothes' and asked him if I could borrow his. Plus, they were already gone so I couldn't ask for any of theirs. It was half-true, I guess. A white lie couldn't hurt anyone, right?
Apparently, the Trio accepted my answer and we started talking about our holidays. While listening to Hermione talk about her's in Egypt, I scanned the food on the table for something I could eat. Being a cheerleader since my junior year, it became a habit to be picky with food. I finally decided on some salad and mashed potatoes and dug right in.
Half an hour later, the food disappeared and dessert was served. Excitement filled the hall as the new selection of food popped out of nowhere. I was forced by Hermione to eat the crème brûlée, which I did (it was absolutely delicious!). That was going to cost me a two mile jog the next day, maybe three. After we all had our fill, the clanking of a wine glass could be heard from the teachers' table.
"Attention! Attention everyone." McGonagall started.
"I hope you've had your fillings." Dumbledore then stood up and announced. "All of you will now follow the Prefects of your houses to your respective Common Rooms. I wish you have a good night's sleep, and may I inform you that lessons begin tomorrow. Your timetables will be given at breakfast. Off you go!"
Groans resounded in the hall as the word 'lessons' was said, and everyone stood up and made their way to their Common Rooms.
o0o
The rest of the day went pretty well. I met most of the people in Gryffindor, and I must say they are one friendly bunch. Fred and George Weasley even held a party for all the newcomers, sneaking in butterbeer and other snacks for everyone to enjoy. Even after having the huge Welcoming Feast, everyone enjoyed themselves that night. To keep my situation a secret, I made up a few lies about myself. So, here are a few points on who I am:
1) I'm half-blood; dad's a wizard, mum's a muggle. Both have passed away in an accident.
2) I only enrolled in Hogwarts this year due to my parents' death, and before, my mum refused to let me leave home.
3) I went to muggle school before coming to Hogwarts, which explained my cheerleader uniform.
4) My dad taught me a few things about magic before so that I won't be totally clueless when I came to Hogwarts. (But actually, I AM quite clueless.)
I went back to my dormitory before anyone did to unpack my things in peace. I was sharing the dormitory with Hermione, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. I went to shower and got into a decent set of clothes to go to bed in (shorts and a tank top never fails me!). As for Draco's robe, I put it aside with my cheer uniform (Ron said the house elves will get our dirty clothes clean by morning).
I then started unpacking my luggage and kept the things that Dumbledore provided. I still had most of the things I owned back in the real world, to my surprise. Even my car was in the luggage! It was shrunk to miniature size of course, but I wasn't sure whether it could work in the 'magical' world. Hermione told me the magic in the air prevented anything electrical to work here.
Anyhow, I took out my iPod to see if it could work. It couldn't. "Darn, come on, I spent dollars on you! Turn on!" I demanded, still trying to turn it on. To my surprise, the iPod lit up and started working. Did it turn on because I told it to? I wonder…
Just then, the door of the dorm opened and Hermione, Lavender and Parvati came in. I quickly hid my iPod under my pillow and continued packing my other things. After chatting with my dorm mates for awhile, I slipped underneath the covers and drew the curtains, listening to my iPod and felt my eyelids drooping as I slowly fell into a deep slumber.
Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow to find out this is all just a dream. A very long, very confusing dream. And I'll be able to go back to Cerulean Heights and laugh it all off with Ellen. Maybe.
o0o
But of course, life had to be mean and I was still in Hogwarts the next day.
The alarm that I had set on my iPod rang at 5.30a.m., waking me up as loud music blasted in my ears. Why was I up at 5.30a.m., you may ask? Well, if you do remember, I promised myself a three mile jog yesterday. I really regretted it, but a cheerleader's promise to exercise is never broken!
Thus, I dragged myself to the bathroom and freshened myself up, slipping into a pair of track pants and a clean tank top. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and winced at my hair. What a disaster! I imagined a simple ponytail and with a "Pop!", I had the hairstyle just as I wanted it. I'm really getting used to this magic thing!
I then went out of the dorm quietly, making sure that no one knew where I was going (5.30a.m. wasn't exactly the time that I would like to converse to anyone). I wandered around the school, trying to find out where the field (or Quidditch pitch) was. Most of the people in the paintings were still asleep, and so I didn't think it was wise to disturb any of them.
Finally, after 10 minutes of walking around, I found myself outside the Entrance Hall, walking towards the Quidditch pitch. It was certainly bigger than the field back in Cerulean heights, I thought. 10 rounds should do it.
I was already sweating like mad during my sixth round. My shirt was soaking with perspiration, and so I took it off and tossed it aside (don't worry, I was wearing a sports bra!). While jogging on the side of the pitch that was closest to the building, I spotted someone looking over from there. I shook the distraction out of my head and continued with the rest of my jog. Probably a hallucination. I collapsed after finishing my tenth round, laying on the grass in the pitch. How dirty.
"How dirty," a voice mimicked my thoughts. I recognized that voice – it was Draco Malfoy's. I stiffened. Does he always have to be there when I look like…crap?! He was probably the person I saw before.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, not making a move to look at him. I could almost picture him with a smirk as he kept quiet after that.
"I like to have some alone time, away from the other idiots back in the Common Room," he replied calmly.
I felt him take a seat on the grass next to me, and I sat up, brushing my hair to make sure no grass was stuck in there. Still, I didn't turn to look at him, and stared at the sky in the horizons. The sun was starting to rise, so it was probably around 6.30a.m.
"Do you come here often?" I asked, twiddling with the grass at the area between him and I.
"Sometimes. Good place to think, especially in the morning, before everyone wakes up." I laughed after hearing him say this. I turned to look at him at last and scrutinized his face. He had a pale, pointed face, sleek platinum blond hair, and light grey eyes. Strangely, he and I looked quite alike, though not to the point where it was seemingly obvious.
"Sorry, it's just that. Compared to what I heard about you, you're completely normal. Nice, even." I said, excusing my sudden laughter. "Aren't you supposed to be the King of Slytherin - almighty, mean, and arrogant?"
Draco looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. I smiled.
"Okay, I guess I'll go back to my dorm, before anyone sees me with you. It may cause quite a stir. King of Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, sneaking around with new Gryffindor girl!" I said. "Gossipers will have a whirl of a time." I stood up and brushed the grass off me, Draco doing the same.
"Bye then."
But not before a few steps, Draco grabbed my arm and pulled my sweaty body against his. I let out a gasp as every inch of our bodies touched.
"You forgot your shirt," he murmured the random sentence into my ear, smirking, before letting go of my arm and walking off. Even then, I froze in place due to the shock. Was he hittingon me? Or just playing around? I shook my head and pushed that thought to the back of my mind. Just being a Malfoy, I guess. I heard from Lavender and Parvati that Draco was quite a player, and a ladies' man (for most ladies, I guess). I quickly went to pick my shirt up and returned to the dormitory.
o0o
"Where have you been!" Hermione exclaimed as I walked into the dorm. "I was so worried! Come on, go wash up, you look terrible! Did you go for a jog? Nevermind, go on! First day of lessons – I can't wait! Wonder what our timetables will be like…" She rambled on breathlessly as I went to take a shower. "Pop!", I heard the soft sound once again. I grinned in accomplishment as I looked at myself, fully dressed in uniform and hair nicely braided to the side, in the mirror. Awesome!
"Alesha, hurry up! Harry and Ron are downstairs already!" Hermione shouted from outside. I rushed out of the bathroom, grabbed my robes and went downstairs with Hermione where we met Harry and Ron. The three of us made our way to the Great Hall and once again, a breakfast buffet was laid out. Not many students were there yet as it was only around 7.10a.m. I looked over to the Slytherin table and saw Draco already seated, with Pansy Parkinson clinging onto him even as he ate. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle sat close by, stuffing food into their mouths. Draco and I locked eyes for a second, before I looked away and took a seat with the Trio. Pouring myself a cup of tea, Professor McGonagall walked swiftly towards us, handing us our timetables.
"Wicked! Harry and I got free periods till 9.30!" Ron said, extremely thrilled, while comparing his and Harry's timetables.
"Then it's Charms with Hufflepuffs, Transfiguration with Ravenclaws and Herbology with Hufflepuffs again…followed by lunch. Mine and Ron's are the same! What do you two have?" Harry continued, leaning over to Ron to compare their timetables as well.
Hermione handed over her timetable to him and said, "Almost similar to yours, except for the free periods – I have Arithmancy. How about you, 'Lesha?"
"Same as Harry and Ron, except I have Potions with Slytherins instead of free periods." I responded, handing over my timetable to Ron and Harry as well.
"Urgh, I pity you, Alesha. Snape andMalfoy at the start of the day? First day, in fact!" Ron said, grabbing another pancake from the platter in front of him, it was probably his fifth one already! I'm surprised he still can remain the same size as Harry. I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could say anything, Draco walked over with Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle behind him, and beat me to a response.
"Better than being with a Mudblood and two blood traitors." Draco spat, using a totally different tone of voice then when I spoke to him that morning. "Glad to know that I'm not seeing any of you three scums at the start of the day." With that, he sauntered out of the Great Hall. However, he stopped suddenly.
"And Haynes, I still expect my robe to be returned." He said, before making his way outside the Great Hall. Ron took out his wand and got ready to curse him mercilessly, before Hermione snatched his wand away and forced him to take his seat.
"Can't he just drop dead for once! Let the world be a better place!" Ron complained, stabbing his pancakes as if it was Draco. Hermione, Harry and I let out a laugh as we enjoyed the rest of our breakfast.
o0o
At 7.35a.m., Hermione and I said goodbye to Harry and Ron and went back to our dormitory to get things for our lessons. I grabbed Draco's robe and stuffed it into my bag before following Hermione out of the Common Room, trying to remember her directions to the dungeons, where Potions was held. We went our separate ways and I rushed off to my destination, wanting to take a good look at the place first.
Reaching the dungeons, I almost regretted going in early, even if it was only a few minutes. The place was dark, smelly and completely different from the rest of the places that I've seen in Hogwarts. There were several tables for two, neatly arranged in straight rows with cauldrons next to them. I spotted Draco sitting at the front of the class with a good-looking black boy, whom I supposed was Blaise Zabini, one of Draco's closer friends. Crabbe and Goyle were sitting together, and Pansy with a girl called Millicent Bulstrode (Hermione told me she didn't like her very much). A few other Slytherins and several Gryffindors were also already seated. I then spotted Neville Longbottom, sitting nervously by himself, flipping through the Potions textbook. I was on good terms with Neville, I got to know him at the party in the Common Room the day before.
"May I sit here?" I asked, after walking to his table. He looked at me and nodded, before returning to his textbook. He looked extremely nervous, and it kind of worried me a bit. "Is anything wrong?" I asked.
"Hermione isn't in this class, is she? I'm doomed! I will never pass this class without her! She's the one who always saves me from failing!" Neville bursted, clutching his hair.
"It can't be that bad, can it?" I tried to assure him, but to no avail as he attempted to cram his notes into his brain. "Don't worry, Neville. I'll try to help, okay? Just take a deep breath and calm down." That seemed to do the trick. Neville turned to look at me and let out a deep breath, smiling gratefully after doing so.
"Everyone take your seats," Snape's voice resounded as he slammed the door of the room shut. "Mr. Finnigan, if you fail to obey the rules of my class and stop stuffing food down your throat, you will be removed. 50 points from Gryffindor." I sat in shock at Snape's ruthlessness towards Gryffindors. That was just too mean! And unreasonable.
"Today we will be making the Draught of Peace," Snape drawled on. "You will be working alone for this potion, as it is particularly simple. Instructions on the board, I expect nothing short of spectacular in this class, except for maybe, Longbottom." A few Slytherins sniggered at that point, as Neville slid down his seat.
"Unfortunately, this year you will not be sitting or working with a partner of your choice in my class." Snape continued. "A list has been given out to all the teachers, and you will be sitting with your allocated partner for the rest of the semester. You will be required to work together in the case of extremely difficult potions. There will be no changes." I heard Neville groan softly and I patted him on the back. I had a feeling none of the students in the class will be very happy with their partners.
"Ms. Bulstrode, with Patil."
"Mr. Crabbe, with Finnigan."
I saw the pattern immediately, and so did everyone else. Gryffindor with a Slytherin, great. I held my two hands together and hoped I would be partnered with someone nice (Draco!).
"Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, as I looked up and waited to see who his partner was going to be. Draco looked up as well, turned back, and glanced at me. Please be me, please be me… I chanted in my mind.
"Please make your way to Longbottom's table at the back."
I instantly turned to look at Neville – his eyes widened and his face turned pale as he heard who he was partnered with. I took a look at Draco, who was scowling. He, too, was disappointed at the choice of his partner. But he looked more appalled than afraid. He hesitantly stood up and sauntered his way over to me and Neville. I packed my things and Neville looked at me nervously, as if telling me not to go.
"It'll be alright," I whispered, patting his back to reassure him. Someone coughed roughly from behind me and I turned around. "Sorry," I apologized, moving away from the table to let Draco take his seat. I looked around the classroom to see who was left as Snape continued reading out the list of partners.
"And finally, Haynes, with Mr. Zabini. Take a seat at the table in front of Longbottom."
I sat down at the table (making sure that I'm in front of Neville so he can ask for help at anytime) and eyed Blaise Zabini as he walked over. I never saw him anywhere, so I really had no idea how he was like. Most probably mean, just like most of the Slytherins. Before he took a seat, however, he gave me a small smile and it lifted my spirits a little. At least he's a bit nice, I thought. Draco coughed again from behind and glared at Blaise. All he got back was a smirk and Blaise turned his back on Draco, sitting down next to me.
"You have until the end of the hour to successfully complete this potion, I will be back by then. You may begin." Snape announced, before making his way out of the classroom.
o0o
After 45 minutes, my potion was turning out alright, and I was just waiting for it to simmer. Making it was relatively easy for me, as I found it oddly similar to cooking, which was one of my favorite past times (other than cheerleading). However, behind me, Neville went wrong at one point, and his potion smelled like the poop of some animal and the stench was becoming worse by the minute.
"Bloody hell, Longbottom, can't you do anything right?" Draco cursed, redoing the spell that he has done to block out the stench from his nose. He had already finished with his potion, and was leaning on the back two legs of his chair, feet on the table. Neville fumbled with his ingredients anxiously and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Draco completing his potion is possibly making him even more nervous. I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to think of what went wrong with his potion so that I could help him - I promised him that I would! I compared my potion with his and finally realized what went wrong with his potion.
"Neville," I whispered, turning back. Neville looked at me hopefully, wanting to make his potion right before Snape came back. "Did you add the hellebore syrup?" Neville then realized his mistake and rushed to the shelves to get his missing ingredient. "You only need to get a small amount of syrup, too much will make the potion smoke up. Use the knife and press down on the hellebore so that you can get the liquid, careful not to touch it for too long, it's poisonous." I instructed him, looking at the door of the room once in a while to make sure Snape doesn't come back and see me helping Neville. I noticed Draco staring at me, the edge of his lips curled down into a small scowl.
"Snape's back," Blaise hit my shoulder gently to alert me. I quickly glanced at Neville's potion again to ensure that his potion turned out alright, before turning to face the front of the class.
"Time is up, fill up the vials with your potions, label them with your name and put them on my desk." Snape ordered. "Leave once you have done so." Mumbling amongst the class started as Snape dismissed us, and many hastily got away from their partners. I told Neville I'd meet him outside the dungeons once I remembered that I had to return Draco's robe. But when I turned to give it to him, he was already gone.
"He never sticks around after class, you know." Blaise said from beside me, packing his things. My shoulders slumped as I heard what he said. "You were going to return his robe, weren't you? You can hand it to me, I'll be seeing him for the next lesson as well."
"Oh, thanks then. I don't think I've introduced myself – I'm Alesha Haynes." I responded, smiling. I liked Blaise, he was nice, even in public.
"Blaise Zabini. I think I should go before Draco murders me," Blaise said, grinning back. "It was nice to meet you, Alesha."
I followed Blaise out of the dungeons and met up with Neville outside, who started thanking me profusely for the help before. I found out he had Charms next as well, and we went off to search for Harry and Ron, who were in the Great Hall playing wizards' chess. Hermione, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas soon joined us as we all waited for our next lesson to start at nine-thirty. Dean, Seamus and Neville started talking about the Potions class we just had, complaining about their partners.
"I never thought someone could be so dumb until I saw how he handled his knife!" Seamus said, referring to Vincent Crabbe, whom he was partnered with. We all laughed as he imitated Crabbe perfectly, right down to facial expressions.
We joked around for the next 10 minutes before going to Charms class with the Hufflepuffs. Hogwarts was quite alright, I thought. I was just starting to enjoy myself then.
A/N: Please review! (: Just to let you guys know, I don't know where this story is going (not even the pairings), so I'm just writing it as it goes on. If you want to see anything happen or something, tell me, and I may be able to add that in somewhere. :D
