Hi guys, please don't kill me!
I'm sorry I'm sorry, life got in the way this time. The only reason I had time to write this was because I've been sick in bed for the past three days! And I have tests and exams and homework I should be doing/studying for right now! AH LIFE'S A MESS! Also, I've recently become a convention addict. Meaning if there's an anime convention I could possibly get to I'm there! Except for Fan Expo this weekend because my damn self decided to be sick! If anyone was at Sakura con, message me to see if we ever met up over the weekend.
Enough Rambling, on with the story!
LS
After they all were settled the wizened witch raised her black-clad arms and silently commanded the attention of the hall.
"Now before we enjoy our delicious feast I would like to welcome you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am the Headmistress McGonagall, and I am obligated to let you know that all school rules will be in effect at all times. Seniors, please remember that this does include staying out of the Forbidden Forest. Also, the grounds between the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake will be home to our temporary Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Bondrous Bingleby's griffin. Please don't approach this creature, we prefer to have all our students in one piece as much as possible. Now please, enjoy the feast," McGonagall waved one of her arms in a sweeping wave at the end of her short speech and instantly the gold platters in front of the students were filled with heaping piles of delicious foods. Everyone tucked in quickly. No chatter could be heard above the noise of cutlery scraping on plates for several minutes at least as the students and staff ate hungrily. The sky above them wheeled with stars and though the light from outside dimmed the hundreds of candles seemed to keep the hall as bright as a summer's morning. Al hardly even noticed when the ghosts came in, he was so engrossed with the rich foods in front of him. One in particular drifted down the length of the Gryffindor table towards the first years, occasionally nodding at or greeting one of the older students. Al didn't notice until Rose stiffened that something out of the ordinary was going on. Cautiously, he raised his dark head and gazed at the smoky feet of the ghost. Slowly his eyes traveled up the ghost's body, taking in the outdated by several centuries clothing and the goatee and wild hair. Al didn't even know he had stopped breathing until James started talking to it.
"Hi sir Nicholas. How was your summer? Scare anyone badly?"
"I do not 'scare' anyone badly. I may on occasion take a wizard by surprise but never do I purposefully frighten anyone. And since you asked, my summer was once again, dismal. The headless hunt is still rejecting me," replied the ghost.
"Well," Scorpius piped up, "I don't see why you would be, you clearly have your head attached to your shoulders."
"Only by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin." Sir Nicholas -or as Al now realized, Nearly-Headless Nick- then seized his hair and yanked, revealing the fact that he did not have a head as much attached to his shoulders as stubbornly clinging on by a mangled morsel of flesh.
Al felt himself go green, but was pleased to note that James had also gone a few shades whiter himself. The horrific display also ended any chance of Al having a slice of treacle tart for dessert, or really eating anything else that evening. All of the Gryffindors who had seen Nick's gory display sat quietly at the table without touching the rest of their food and trying to avoid watching those who were still eating.
Eventually the meal was over, and the golden goblets were once again gleaming and spotless. The students sat back on the benches content and with full bellies. Quiet chatter filled the hall until professor McGonagall once again stood and came forwards.
"I know you are all eager to get to bed, but there are some announcements I need to make. First years, please note that the Forbidden forest is out of bounds at all times. For all the rest of you, please note that Professor Buggle's griffon will be staying at the castle this year while his home is remodeled to accommodate. For this reason the grounds between the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake are strictly out of bounds to all students who do not wish to be ripped apart. Goodnight."
Immediately chatter filled the hall and Al was nearly thrown off the bench as everyone stood around him and tried to press their way to the entrance.
"Gryffindors follow me! First years, this way please!" A girl's voice rose above the din.
Rose and Scorpius yanked Al back to his feet and they ducked and dodged to get closer to the phantom voice leading them forward.
Eventually they found themselves clustered at the bottom of the staircase in front of a girl a good head taller than the largest first year. Her bushy red hair was contained in an enormous braid that trailed halfway down the back of her robes and her large brown eyes surveyed them.
"Before we head up to the common room, I should probably warn you that the staircases like to change, and there are trick steps you should all watch out for. Now, come on, follow me" the girl began to lead the way up the stairs, exaggerating which ones to skip so no one got their foot stuck in a step. Up they went, past portraits of people who peered inquisitively out of their frames at the passing first years. A couple people gasped and pointed at the pictures in amazement as they were lead up the stairs through the castle.
"Look, another ghost!" exclaimed Rose.
She was partially right, as the thing floating towards them wasn't alive. It was a poltergeist. Peeves the poltergeist to be precise. He was zooming down the stairs at an alarming pace with something concealed in his hands.
"I don't think that's a ghost…" Al replied nervously with a strong feeling of dread. His brother had told him all about Peeves and his love of nasty pranks. The sense of foreboding in his belly made Al think that he was about to be introduced to these pranks firsthand.
"DUCK!" yelled a girl behind Al and he felt Scorpius yank on the back of his robes and pull him down just as the poltergeist released several water balloons onto the heads of the first years.
Immediately there was high pitched shrieking as the cold water dripped from their hair into their robes and down their backs. The first years jumped about trying to avoid more water filled rubber missiles from the cackling Peeves. Some, like Al were trying to wring the wetness out of their robes without much luck as the poltergeist kept up his bombardment. The Prefect who was leading them up to the common room was dripping, but murder was in her glare.
"Peeves!" she yelled, "you have three seconds to stop before I call for the Bloody Baron. How fast do you think he can get here, ten, twenty seconds? You better start running Peeves!"
The poltergeist released one last balloon that landed smack in the middle of the Prefect's face before zooming away, his cackles echoing down the corridor.
"Sorry about that. That was Peeves, best to avoid him if you can, he likes trouble and loves being the one to cause it."
"Like we hadn't picked that up," Scorpius whispered in Al's ear. Al grinned at the sarcasm and passed the comment on to Rose, who smiled as well. They continued dripping along the corridors until they stopped at a portrait of a very large lady in a pale pink dress that was two sizes too small. She smiled at the first years and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the prefect.
"Password?" the Fat Lady asked with her painted lips in a grin.
"Nubblestank."
The picture -gilt frame included- swung forwards revealing a small hallway into a bright room decorated completely in scarlet and gold. Squashy armchairs and couches surrounded a roaring fire on one side of the room and desks with quills and parchment rested on the other. Students were milling about in the common room, though some it seemed had already retired to bed.
"Sally, what happened?"
"Yeah Belbush, decide to take the first years for a swim before coming up?"
Older students questioned the Prefect and took their first good look at the new first years. Al blushed under their scrutiny as Sally Belbush quickly explained the Peeves incident, complete with foul language and wild gesticulations.
"All right, you lot! Boys' dormitories are up the stairs and down on your left, girls it's the same on your right. Get some rest, lessons start tomorrow" Sally finished and turned to her friends, leaving the first years free to explore.
Al had just turned to talk to his friends when he was tackled off his feet by something that hit hard and heavy: his brother.
"James, please, I can't breathe!" cried Al from beneath his brother.
"See, I told you it would all work out okay, you worrywart! Why did you run into Peeves? Didn't I tell you to avoid the nasty bugger? Isn't the Gryffindor common room great?" James' mouth ran at a mile a minute and he had no volume control. Al could feel his face getting red from both the lack of oxygen and the stares from the students watching the scene. Scorpius and Rose stood nearby, Scorpius with an apprehensive look on his face. Rose had expected something like this from the more boisterous Potter and was edging away, knowing it was her turn next.
"Cousin Rose! You're here too!" too late, James had flung himself off of the now sputtering for breath Al and caught her in a massive bear hug. "All the Weasley-ness makes us get into Gryffindor so I wasn't worried! You have to keep an eye on this little blighter here! Gets left behind if someone doesn't, you know that!"
Al had stood and grabbed Scorpius' sleeve and began edging towards their dormitory to escape his brother when the attention was turned once again on him.
"And who's this?" James came bounding up to Scorpius.
"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," said Scorpius, proffering his hand.
James however didn't want to shake Scorpius' hand. He rolled the name "Malfoy" around in his mouth for a few moments before the proverbial light bulb went off.
"Ah! You! You're the son of Draco Malfoy!"
"I am," said Scorpius, who was very confused and a little scared of James by now. Al had the suspicion that this was not going to end well, just himself remembering who exactly the Malfoys were.
"How the hell did you end up in Gryffindor?"
"James, it's unwise to judge someone on their parentage. You should know that," piped up Rose.
James deflated a little at that, and went to go huff in a corner with some of his friends.
"Come on, lets go to bed" said Al, leading the way up the spiral staircase to the dormitories.
Their belongings were already laid out, and Al's own patchwork quilt was lying overtop of his four-poster bed. Two of the boys were already asleep, but one was sitting in the window between his and Al's bed looking out over the grounds.
"Hello" the blonde boy had a high, dreamy voice, "I'm Lysander Scamander."
"I'm Scorpius Malfoy, and this is Albus Potter."
"Call me Al," added Al quickly. God he hated his name.
"Why, you look exactly like your father don't you," said Lysander, who stood and peered at Al. "It must be hard, being an exact copy of the greatest wizard of our time. Anyway, Goodnight."
Lysander turned around and crawled into his bed and in less than twenty seconds was fast asleep and snoring.
"Strange bloke," said Scorpius as he got himself ready for bed.
Al remained silent. Lysander's comment about his appearance struck a chord. He was always being compared to his father, unlike James. His first day at Hogwarts had ended with such an unhappy note he prayed that tomorrow would go better. It took him a long time to get to sleep that first night, accompanied only by the moon as it reflected across the smooth surface of the Black Lake.
