"What d'you suppose that was?" Lee asked their group of five as they shimmied up to one of the many horseless carriages.
"Dunno," George replied as he launched himself up and onto a seat, offering a hand to Cora. She gratefully took it and was pulled up beside him and, with a blush, sat adjacent from him.
"It was a right fright, though. Bet those first years are shaking in their trousers," Fred continued as he slapped his hand onto his brother's wrist, pulling himself onto the carriage more than anything. Lee followed and offered a hand to Katrina, but she politely denied and climbed up, seating herself beside Cora.
"I have a feeling this isn't the best year to start at Hogwarts," she mumbled just enough for her carriage to hear. They lurched forward suddenly, but none of them noticed as the carriage began to trudge up the road.
"Maybe Professor Dumbledore will explain at the feast?" Cora mused, though there was an anxious edge to her voice.
"I'm sure," Lee replied with a smile, easing Cora of her nerves. Katrina, however, still felt oddly numb about it all.
It had been such a sad feeling, whatever it was that had gripped them on the train. It was like . . . like she would have never been happy again. Silently, she thanked Merlin that the beast on the train hadn't decided to visit them.
Rumor was, though, that it had stopped by Harry Potter's compartment. Katrina frowned absentmindedly, looking off in the dense forest. They were saying he had fainted. Most were laughing about it, but in all honesty, she didn't blame him. The cloaked figure gave her quite a fright, as she was sure it had every other student.
"Katrina?"
Her gaze shot toward Fred at a blinding speed. There was surprise obviously written on her face, as if she had been caught thinking of something awful that they could not have seen. Fred smiled.
"Returned to Earth, I see?"
"Sorry," Katrina mumbled, looking down at her hands as she felt the all too familiar blush take over her features again. At least she was learning how to push it away.
"It's fine, love," Fred sighed as he leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms behind his head lazily, "Just next time bring me a souvenir, would you? I've always wanted a moon rock."
The rest of the cart laughed lightly, though Katrina found herself merely smiling at her hands. "I suppose I can try," the murmured, though nobody seemed to have heard her.
The Great Hall greeted the students back to school, back home, as warmly as ever before. Although the high ceiling was clouded over, like the sky currently above, the many candles floating in midair and the fire burning brightly from the mantle was enough to warm any student to the bone.
The boys were walking off toward the Gryffindor table, waving from over their shoulders. Cora quickly bid Katrina good-bye, then went to join her Hufflepuff friends, including Katrina's younger brother, Alex. Sighing, Katrina headed over to the Ravenclaw table, where she was more or less unnoticed. There may have been a few here or there (specifically a blonde, dreamy-looking girl) that smiled her way, but she was much too busy watching the twins bellow loudly from across the table.
As she sat down, her attention snapped to the doors. There was McGonagall, leading the horde of first years down the middle strip. They seemed awed, most of them, and she couldn't help but grin a little. The Muggle-borns were always so astounded by their first glimpse at Hogwarts, and it never ceased to raise Katrina's spirits.
Students watched with either glee or pronounced boredom (Katrina could hear Fred and George groaning from where she sat) as the Sorting began. The Sorting Hat was stood on its stool, singing its rhythmic song about the four houses: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. As it drew to a conclusion, each of the tables clapped and whooped, clearly hoping to get a good batch of new recruits.
Although the group of first years was rather large, the Sorting itself didn't seem to take long. New Ravenclaws were chattering happily with their housemates. The Great Hall, however, drew to a silence as the Headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore, stood at his podium.
"Welcome!" He began as always, "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast. . . ."
After he cleared his throat, the headmaster continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business." There was a pause as a few children gasped."They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave the school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises - or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student turns afoul to the dementors."
After looking seriously through the hall, Dumbledore continued, "On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year."
Katrina hadn't even noticed the new body at the faculty table. He was sickly looking, almost, but handsome and young. From here, she though she saw a few grey hairs atop his head, but paid them no notice.
"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." The Great Hall was filled with a few unamused and even worried whispers here and there. The position of Defense Against the Dark Arts had been rumored to be cursed, what with different teachers taking and leaving the role for the last so-many years.
"As to our second new appointment," Said Dumbledore, "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."
"Well, I think that's everything of importance," Dumbledore exclaimed, "Let the feast begin!"
There was a roar of approval as golden plates and goblets filled with delectable foods appeared magically on the four tables. Older students began to divulge immediately, while the new first years seemed baffled and awed. Katrina fought a grin as she took a rather hefty piece of Steak and Kidney Pie.
Plates were emptying fast. If you would have just walked in there, the Great Hall would have seemed filled with starved teenagers. As they all seemed to finish in unison, the plates and goblets of Pumpkin Juice disappeared and reappeared, glasses refilled and a fresh course of puddings waiting to be devoured.
The Treacle Tart was, as always, delectable, and Katrina found the Battenburg Cake exceptionally moist and fluffy. Finishing together once again, every student's plate and goblet disappeared, and they were dismissed to their dormitories.
Ravenclaw Tower was as wonderfully regal as ever: Vaulted, midnight-blue ceiling decorated with sparkling stars, tall arched windows that allowed three hundred and sixty-degree views of the grounds, blue and bronze silks hanging from the walls, many bookcases, lavish furniture, and finally, the life-size statue of Rowena Ravenclaw. Passing by this statue and glancing at the crown atop her head, the diadem, Katrina could just read the phrase "Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure." Pride surged through her veins for a brief moment, and she then walked through the door leading to the girls' dormitories.
The beds in her dormitory were just as magnificently royal as the chairs in the common room. They were four-poster and adorned blue-and-bronze curtains, bedsheets, and pillowcases. The walls were white stone and the windows were large and again arched. On her bed was a set of fresh robes, ties, scarves, and other school clothes, each decorated with either bronze and blue or silver and blue. On the desk beside her bed, the one beside the window that pointed toward the lake, Katrina's large owl cage was open and empty. At the foot of her bed and on top of the chest sat there was her black briefcase.
There were four other beds in the room — and, at that moment, Katrina's roommates arrived. Amelia Felix, Ferra Fairview, Matilda Leggington, and Bernadette Whiffletail. She greeted them cheerily, having grown with them over the past five years, and they began to unpack sharing stories of their summer.
Her roommates were still quite asleep when Katrina awoke the next morning. As she stretched and rose out of bed, she saw the sun just barely over the lake horizon in the distance. The watch she was slipping onto her wrist had two thin, black hands pointed at the word SLEEP, which as soon as Katrina laid eyes on it, melted and reappeared as MORNING.
Breakfast wouldn't start until 7:30, and it was surely half an hour until then. Katrina opened the chest at the foot of her bed and pulled out her talking mirror. Her hair was still the bright aqua she had gone to bed with — the color was beginning to grow on her. Slipping the mirror back into the chest before it could speak, Katrina dressed into her school robes and headed off to familiarize herself with the castle once again.
Although she could remember every corridor, every tapestry, and every suit of armor in great detail, a good walk through Hogwarts in the morning was always welcome to Katrina. The Hall of Hexes was magnificently lit by the rising sun and further raised her spirits. She was only a bit shocked when a light dinging interrupted her gazing at the blue sky.
Staring down at her watch again, Katrina saw the words GO, TO, and BREAKFAST blink at every chime. Was it already that late? She shrugged to herself mentally, then walked down the hall and back to the Grand Staircases, which were moving around as much as any other year, easily trekking her way down to the Great Hall.
Buzzing filled her ears. It was already nearly eight, when Katrina usually had breakfast, and most students had left their dormitories for a meal before the first classes of the year began. Katrina gazed over at the Ravenclaw Table for a moment, sifting through the heads one by one. Most of them were from her house, but here or there, rarely, there would be somebody in yellow- or red-accented robes. Then, in the middle of the table, was Cora.
She was waving animatedly at Katrina, ushering her over with a wide grin. In her other hand were two pieces of parchment — their schedules. Hardly stifling her grin, Katrina quickly walked over and plopped down beside Cora, who immediately passed her a plate of eggs and bacon along with her schedule.
"We've got Herbology first, together," Cora chimed, cutting up one of her sausages in half and eating it rather briskly. "And Divination tomorrow, and Care of Magical Creatures Friday. Otherwise, I'm afraid I've got classes with the Slytherins." She frowned a bit, but Katrina failed to notice as she was skimming her classes.
"Hufflepuffs and Slytherins this year? Suppose they're trying to keep the twins away from them — I'd really hate to see their Gryffindor spirit show around them." This made Cora smile and continue eating with a bit of a happier air about herself. Katrina eagerly bit into a piece of Bacon, and then frowned deeply.
"Oh dear," she groaned as she saw from the corner of her eye two redheads emerging from the doors, "That means I'll have to deal with their antics."
"Whose antics?" George asked as he slipped in beside Katrina despite the nasty looks other Ravenclaws were giving him.
"You wouldn't be talking about us, would you?" Fred continued, situating himself between a disgruntled fourth-year and Cora, who had begun to grin as Katrina, suddenly grumpy, played with one of her over-easy eggs.
"Wotcher, boys," she mumbled, closing her Schedule and shoving it into her schoolbag somewhere. "What brings you here? Thought you'd surely stick to your own table —"
"Well, we would've, but it's our brother, see," Fred began.
"He won't believe that we've met a metamorphmagus — you —" George said.
"Says that he 'would surely know if such a person was attending Hogwarts, what with him being such an important figure', the git —"
"And you know how competitive we are, Kat —"
"I've known you for a day," Katrina reminded him, shooting George a dangerous glare. He merely smiled.
"About three days now, love," Fred grinned.
"I am not going to go gallivanting around with you two as if I were some trophy —"
"But Katrina!" George grasped her hand, and she fought to snatch it back, "Don't you realize? He's saying that we, your friends, are liars!"
"Which we're not," Fred added.
"For once," Katrina hissed, finally pulling her arm out of George's grip and staring coldly at Fred.
"Oh, come on, Katrina!" Cora pleaded, pulling her hands to her chest and looking positively giddy. "It'll be fun! And look, Lee's waving for us! See?" She pointed over to the Gryffindor table where, indeed, Lee Jordan was beaming and motioning the twins and them over. Before him sat a foul-looking boy with a large pin attached to his chest. Katrina's frown deepened.
"No," she said flatly. Fred defiantly set his jaw.
"Get up," he demanded as he and George stood. Cora followed in suit, and Katrina looked, completely bewildered, up at Fred.
"What?"
"Get up, you twit, I'm introducing you to my brother,"
As he reached for Katrina's arm, she swiftly recoiled. "You're not making me do anything! Do you expect me to just follow your every order?"
She expected Fred to look harsh, angry even, but was surprised when he began to smile again. "You're lonely, I can see it. Now get up, you're going to make friends this year whether you like it or not."
In Katrina's befuddled state, Fred and George successfully pulled her to her feet and pushed her over to the Gryffindor table, where their brother and Lee were waiting for them.
"Well?" said their brother, and Katrina snapped back to reality. Her face flared scarlet and she felt her scalp boiling, but ignored it, set the thought of blinding white fire out of her mind as quickly as it came, and faced the twins with undisguised determination.
"In front of the whole school? I didn't want you to know, and you think I'm comfortable in front of the whole school?"
Fred and George grinned. Katrina exclaimed a sort of growl of frustration as she turned toward their brother,who has raised a single eyebrow in curiosity.
"If you tell a sole like your idiot brothers, I swear on Merlin's beard that you will not walk out of this school with ten toes. Do you understand?"
His eyes flashed for a brief moment, fear was etched on his face, but he regained his composure quickly. "Go on, then."
In frustration and fierce furiosity, Katrina allowed her scalp to prickle all it wished and could visibly see the new, pearly-white of her hair reflected in every eye that had suddenly landed on her stiff figure. Mr. Bighead Boy looked like he had been hit in the face with a brick, while Fred, George, and Lee grinned stupidly all around. Cora's good mood was wiped from her face as she approached Katrina slowly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Happy now, you insufferable pricks?" she grumbled, glancing at the twins from the corner of her eyes. Their smiles had faltered. "I do hope you're enjoying yourselves. And you," she rounded on Percy, who was as white as her hair, "Be a little more considerate of what you say and put that damned foot of yours in your mouth."
And then she stomped away. Cora, stuck between apologizing to the boys and running after Katrina, stood and looked between them, obviously torn. Exhaling shortly and giving them all an apologetic look, she bounded after Katrina, leaving the twins and Lee with mouths agape.
"Katrina!" she yelled as she caught up with Katrina, "Katrina!"
"What?" Katrina mumbled. Her hair was returning to its familiar blue.
"They didn't mean it," Cora began.
"I don't care," Katrina continued in a soft voice. "It wasn't that many who saw. It was what he said that I was lonely, of all things! Lonely! I'm not lonely, am I?" she turned to Cora, who was now staring at the floor.
"Well," she shuffled a bit, gripping her fingers together. Katrina raised her eyebrows incredulously.
"How could I be lonely, Cora? I've got you! I've got Alex, Mum and Dad! I'm quite far from lonely, I would say!"
"Katrina," Cora replied, gazing back at her friend with far-from-subtle desperation, "Your confidence is nonexistent! You've got magnificent abilities, Katrina, you really do, but you think that — that — that people are going to laugh at you."
Her face was burning again, Katrina could feel it.
"They won't laugh, Katrina, look at the twins! They laugh at everything, and not once have they laughed at you because of it, have they?"
"I suppose. . . ." Katrina murmured, continuing to walk with no purpose.
Cora was silent for a few minutes, as if she was waiting for Katrina to continue. Then she said, "You should really open up, you know. You're a brilliant friend, I know you are, and sometimes I think. . . . Well, I think that you're strong, Katrina. You know how to stand up for yourself and you can't stand injustice, can you? It's just that — that you've got such a lack in confidence and — and Katrina, I really think the twins could help."
"The twins?" Katrina's voice rung clearly through the deserted hall. She sounded nearly disgusted.
"Yes, the twins! They're practically the definition of confidence, aren't they? They could help you, Katrina, I really, really think they could. Could you just — I don't know — accept them? Put that in that barrier your surround yourself in?" As Katrina didn't reply, Cora frowned. "I think Fred's got a liking of you. George too, but Fred mostly. I think they know how brilliant you are."
Katrina snorted. "Nobody besides you likes me, Cora."
"That's because you've got this wall! This wall that you're completey antisocial and — and — weird and quiet and you want to look like that! You want them all to think that you're invisible, don't you, so they won't alugh at you, when in all reality they would look up to you, if you would just let them see how wonderful you are!"
Again, Katrina looked at her friend. This time, her face was stern and set. Briefly, in the back of her head, she wondered how Cora knew her better than she knew herself.
"We've got Herbology in a half hour," she said quietly, "and I completely forgot my Sugar Quills. I'll meet you there."
Cora let her go, even though she knew perfectly well that Herbology would not require a quill for anything.
END OF CHAPTER THREE
So uhm? I'm not very sure about this ending? And like wow I really suck Katrina literally just goes to breakfast in this chapter i suck at this whole writing thing sorry uwu