AN: And this officially makes for four chapters posted in one night. ^.^
wheeee..
This one is really long. This is what was going on with everyone else through the last three chapters.
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Justin lay on his back in the grass, his hands behind his head. The sun felt warm on his skin and he wanted to cast aside the heavy fall robes for something a little lighter. Hannah was not a few yards away, her shoes cast aside and her bare feet tip-toeing along the shore of the lake. Her eyes were held firmly down at the invisible tightrope she walked along as if to say to the lake waters: I dare you to get me wet.
He put his head back and closed his eyes against the midday sun. "Why do you suppose we aren't in classes yet? Do you think it has something to do with You-Know-Who?"
Shrugging a bit, she traced the outline of a shell in the water, the small rippling of the waves washing it away slowly made her think about his question.
"I'm not sure, Justin. I mean, a few students are missing, right?"
The boy propped himself up on his elbows and blew a few stray hairs from his eyes. "It just doesn't feel right without them here. I know we should feel safe at Hogwarts...but with the lack of teachers and students it feels kind of eerie. I wonder if something happened to them..."
Justin's words slowly softened until he barely heard them, let alone Hannah. He closed his eyes and tried to shake the thoughts of the other students from his mind. He couldn't imagine Hogwarts without any of them...
How lonely it would be.
Justin rose to his feet and stood beside Hannah on the shoreline. He knelt down and retrieved a smooth stone from the water, turning it over in his hand before whipping it across the lake. He watched the smooth stone make several skips before sinking out of his vision. He cast a sideways glance to Hannah, curious if she felt the same.
Pulling the bottom of her skirt up, she walked out into the water until it was just above her knees. Biting her lip, she started to splash at Justin, her eyes playful. She paused when she saw the look of remorse on his face and walked back to him.
"Justin," she started, placing her hand on his shoulder, "We don't know where anyone is. It gives me the creeps, but we cant do anything about it..." She stopped and a sudden thought hit her. "Dumbledore isn't even here!"
Justin brushed the water from his shirt and tried to look a little more cheerful when in all honesty, talk of Dumbledore made him feel worse. He scratched his elbow for lack of anything better to do. "Lets just hope they're beefing up security around here..."
Clearly the two Hufflepuffs had a lot on their minds dealing with secuirty matters and it was no suprise that a cracking of a stick caused them to jump. They even gasped when they saw the cloaked figure hurtling towards them, screaming "BANZAIIIIII!"
Ernie McMillan hooked his arms around the neck of Justin and Hannah, his weight and speed causing all three of them to fall into the lake water in a tangled mess.
Ernie was the first to rise from the chilling waters and grinned, wiping the moisture from his face. Justin was next to appear, and he was in the same good humor as Ernie.
"Not funny," he said, trying his best to look serious.
Hannah slowly rose out of the water, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders. Scowling, she pulled her wand out and pointed it at Ernie, then back at herself. With a simple charm, she dried off her robes and walked to she shoreline.
"Really funny, Ernie. Real funny.." She spat, eyeing her fellow Hufflepuff.
Justin laughed and trudged out of the water, wringing the wetness from his shirt. "C'mon, Hannah. It was....refreshing?"
A malicious voice caused the trio to turn their heads.
"I'd say some of you mudbloods are in need of a good cleaning."
Daphne Greengrass stood with a fist resting on her waist and a vicious smile playing at her lips. She slowly sauntered over to Hannah and took a piece of her hair between her thumb and forefinger, holding it up with a look of disgust.
"Looks like someone missed a spot."
With a quick shove she sent Hannah sprawling on the sandy banks of the lake. Daphne giggled and muttered a farewell before making her way back to the castle.
Mandy sauntered onto the grounds with a small smile playing. She surveyed the area, looking for anyone to talk to. She saw three people at the Lake, two guys and a girl, and saw another girl coming towards her to go back up to the castle. However, thinking the students at the lake were far more interesting, she merely passed the girl, who she saw was a Slytherin by her robes, giving her a light wave, at which she smirked at. Mandy rolled her eyes after they passed, thinking, *Oh, we have yet another Princess Slytherin. How fun.*
As Mandy came closer to the lake, she saw that the three people at the lake were three Hufflepuffs in her Potions class. She grinned at them, silently walking forward until Justin helped Hannah back up.
"Hey guys," she said cheerfully. "Looks like you three had some problems with yet another Prissy Princess of Slytherin." She looked at the three, but only Ernie seemed to have a smile on his face.
Balling her hands into fists, Hannah sent a spiteful glare at the Slytherin girl.
"Yes, and how unfortunate for us that the whole school is defunct, that we have no headmaster or house heads to control her lot!"
Spitting with aggravation she sat down on the grass, twisting the water out of her hair.
"So what brings you here, Mandy? Had enough of the stuffy castle?"
Justin nodded his head, signaling Ernie to follow as he trudged up the banks before plopping down next to Hannah. He nudged her and smiled encouragingly. "We'll get 'em one of these days."
Mandy smiled at Justin's comment before addressing Hannah. "Oh yes. There's barely anyone up in the common room except Cho, Luna, and Flitwick." She took the liberty of sitting across from Justin, creating a badly formed circle. "Well, about the heads. We have a least one, though," she grinned, "Flitwick's not exactly the most respected head of house here at Hogwarts. However, Professor Lupin's back, so maybe he can bring some order here until Dumbledore comes."
Ernie let out a slight chuckle. "Flitwick? The teeny little charms teacher?" He paused, realizing what he said was unkind. "Nice fellow, but how much can he do?"
Mandy looked thoughtful. "I thought I heard about four years back that he was a champion dueler? Some kind of rumor. I think some Gryffindor said it. Anyway, as I said, he's not the most respected teacher in this school." Mandy looked at Ernie. "And that's a problem since only three professors are here. One's a dwarf, one's a werewolf, and one's a fraud. What fun!"
Ernie's eyes widened only slightly as he gasped, "A champion dueler! Thats a little far fetched." He propped himself up on his elbows and attempted to smooth his wet hair. "But I guess I would rather have the Fraud be Trelawney than Lockheart. He was just annoying."
He changed his glance to the girls in the group as if waiting for their lustful sighs.
"Well I don't suppose its that far fetched. His greatest weapon could be the element of suprise. People underestimate him. And if he was really that bad, Dumbledore wouldn't have made him charms master." Justin lay back and grinned. "Speaking of duels...what a spectacle that would be. A werewolf, a fraud, and a dwarf."
He sat up and rummaged through his pockets, pulling out a few coins.
"My money is on the Dwarf."
"Gambling, Justin?"
The students all looked up to see a disheveled, tired-looking, but smiling Profesor Sprout. A large, dirty carpetbag was at her side.
"Don't give up on your teachers yet, children. It may take some of us longer than others, but we will be here."
Smiling up at Professor Sprout, Hannah's brown eyes lit with hope. Brushing a bit of sea-weed off of her shoulder, she hoped to get in a few questions.
"Professor, have you heard from our fearless leader lately?"
Professor Sprout looked thoughtful.
"Dumbledore? No, dearie. I only just arrived myself, you see." She gestured to her carpetbag. "Is he not here yet?"
Ginny walked briskly out onto the grounds, enjoying the fresh September air. She looked around her and spotted a group of people on the other side of the lake. Curious, she began to walk towards them.
Justin turned the coins over in his hands and when Professor Sprout's back was turned, he mouthed to Ernie: "My bet's the dwarf."
He grinned and glanced at the figure headed their way. As she neared he could make out her red hair and small form...
Must be that girl Potter's been chasing...
He raised his arm and waved to Ginny, inviting her to join them.
Not knowing why he even left the common room, Harry walked aimlessly around the halls, staring out the windows of his home. Shocked, he noticed a small cluster of students by the lake along with Professor Sprout. He noticed Ginny along with a few Hufflepuffs and decided that he would make his way out, for nothing more than a breath of fresh air.
Heading down to the entrance doors, Harry noticed a small piece of yellow ribbon on the floor.
Must be one of the Hufflepuff's, he thought, bending over to pick it up. As he stood up, he put the ribbon in his cloak and pushed the door open just enough just so he could get out. Walking down the steps, he had to shield his eyes from the mid-day sunlight.
As he reached the bottom he remembered how nice the grass cushioned his bare feet, he had left without his shoes. Striding over to the group, he slowly sat down behind a blonde Hufflepuff girl and waved.
"Hullo, everyone!"
"Sorry to crash your party, guys." Ginny added apologetically, plopping down next to Hannah. "Good afternoon, Professor."
Leaning back to rest on her elbows, Hannah's back came in contact with something warm and soft. She left out a scream and her friends laughed and pointed at the scraggly boy behind her. Blushing furiously, she turned her body to face Harry Potter. Trying to muster a reason why she leaned on his foot. Blinking a bit, she realized that she must have been staring because Harry's cheeks were flushed a bit. She tried to smile and motioned to sit between her and Ernie.
"Harry, all you had to do was ask!" she said, smiling.
As he sat down, she couldn't help but look him over: his black hair was a little longer that year, almost past his ears and his emerald eyes shone a little darker. Turning her head, she smiled at Justin and did a little dance in her head.
Ginny smiled to herself, watching from Hannah's other side.
*Ooh. Someone's interested in Harry. 'Bout time, now maybe the rumors about Hermione and me will go away...*
She searched both faces.
*I'm going to have to keep an eye on this...*
The Professor smiled at the antics of the students. Ah, to be young again, she thought. She re-adjusted her grip on the carpetbag.
"Well, children, I must be going. I have to unpack and clean out my office before classes start. Good day to you all."
Inclining her head in farewell, the dumpy little Hufflepuff professor turned and made her way to the castle.
As Professor Sprout moved out of sight, an uneasy silence settled on the group. Ernie cast a glance to Justin and the two moved their eyes to Hannah and Harry, who stood there, red faced and speechless. It was about all Ernie could stand. He cleared his throat, trying to resume their previous conversation.
"That's the biggest crock I've ever heard. Picture Professor Lupin, sharp fangs, thick fur...foaming at the mouth!" Ernie got to his knees and his face contorted, his hands waving animatedly. "He'd tear Professor Flitwick to pieces!"
Justin laughed, trying to ease the tension as well. "I'd like to see that. Maybe we can convince them to duel. In any case..."
He got to his feet and breathed in deeply. "I think I've had enough air for one day..."
With one last glance to Hannah he shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way back to the castle.
Neville smiled as he briskly walked towards the group at the lake.
"Oh, so here's where everybody is!" he cried, feeling a combination of happiness and relief. "I was wondering where you went. Ron, Dumbledore, and everyone else must be here too," he said, looking around hopefully.
But the now-grim faces of those present told him it was not so.
"Oh."
Noticing Neville had joined the group, Harry sent a small nod his way. It wasn't usually his place to talk to other students than Gryffindors, and when he sat there surrounded by his peers, he felt somewhat anxious. Trying to turn his attention somewhere else, he turned sideways and saw the look of disapproval on Justin's face as he walked away.
"Surely Justin doesn't think that Hannah likes me.." Harry thought, absentmindedly pulling a piece of grass out of the ground. Frowning a bit, he turned his head back and focused on the rippling water in the lake. A strand of blonde hair flew into his face and he blew it away, smiling at Hannah's giggling.
"Oh, sorry, Harry! My hair has a mind of its own!" she said, lowering her head.
Ginny looked around, studying the faces of the young men and women around her. Every House was represented, except Slytherin. And no one was looking at anyone else. They all seemed to be afraid to talk to one another.
*This is stupid.*
Ginny smiled brightly at her classmates. "Look, guys, this is dumb. We're all in this together, right? The least we could do is act like a school, and not a set of houses."
Hannah heard Ginny say something about coming together and burst into a fit of giggles. Almost guiltily, she looked up at Ginny and flushed a shade of magenta.
"You're right, Ginny. We shouldn't be separated by houses. At least any Slytherin aren't here.. It's a nice change!" Smiling, she nudged Harry a little bit and smiled.
*When did he get so good looking?* she thought, a dirty smile playing at her lips. As he nudged her back, she grinned and sang a little song in her head.
*Potter makes the world go round
My world go round
our world go round... *
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Review!!
This one is really long. This is what was going on with everyone else through the last three chapters.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Justin lay on his back in the grass, his hands behind his head. The sun felt warm on his skin and he wanted to cast aside the heavy fall robes for something a little lighter. Hannah was not a few yards away, her shoes cast aside and her bare feet tip-toeing along the shore of the lake. Her eyes were held firmly down at the invisible tightrope she walked along as if to say to the lake waters: I dare you to get me wet.
He put his head back and closed his eyes against the midday sun. "Why do you suppose we aren't in classes yet? Do you think it has something to do with You-Know-Who?"
Shrugging a bit, she traced the outline of a shell in the water, the small rippling of the waves washing it away slowly made her think about his question.
"I'm not sure, Justin. I mean, a few students are missing, right?"
The boy propped himself up on his elbows and blew a few stray hairs from his eyes. "It just doesn't feel right without them here. I know we should feel safe at Hogwarts...but with the lack of teachers and students it feels kind of eerie. I wonder if something happened to them..."
Justin's words slowly softened until he barely heard them, let alone Hannah. He closed his eyes and tried to shake the thoughts of the other students from his mind. He couldn't imagine Hogwarts without any of them...
How lonely it would be.
Justin rose to his feet and stood beside Hannah on the shoreline. He knelt down and retrieved a smooth stone from the water, turning it over in his hand before whipping it across the lake. He watched the smooth stone make several skips before sinking out of his vision. He cast a sideways glance to Hannah, curious if she felt the same.
Pulling the bottom of her skirt up, she walked out into the water until it was just above her knees. Biting her lip, she started to splash at Justin, her eyes playful. She paused when she saw the look of remorse on his face and walked back to him.
"Justin," she started, placing her hand on his shoulder, "We don't know where anyone is. It gives me the creeps, but we cant do anything about it..." She stopped and a sudden thought hit her. "Dumbledore isn't even here!"
Justin brushed the water from his shirt and tried to look a little more cheerful when in all honesty, talk of Dumbledore made him feel worse. He scratched his elbow for lack of anything better to do. "Lets just hope they're beefing up security around here..."
Clearly the two Hufflepuffs had a lot on their minds dealing with secuirty matters and it was no suprise that a cracking of a stick caused them to jump. They even gasped when they saw the cloaked figure hurtling towards them, screaming "BANZAIIIIII!"
Ernie McMillan hooked his arms around the neck of Justin and Hannah, his weight and speed causing all three of them to fall into the lake water in a tangled mess.
Ernie was the first to rise from the chilling waters and grinned, wiping the moisture from his face. Justin was next to appear, and he was in the same good humor as Ernie.
"Not funny," he said, trying his best to look serious.
Hannah slowly rose out of the water, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders. Scowling, she pulled her wand out and pointed it at Ernie, then back at herself. With a simple charm, she dried off her robes and walked to she shoreline.
"Really funny, Ernie. Real funny.." She spat, eyeing her fellow Hufflepuff.
Justin laughed and trudged out of the water, wringing the wetness from his shirt. "C'mon, Hannah. It was....refreshing?"
A malicious voice caused the trio to turn their heads.
"I'd say some of you mudbloods are in need of a good cleaning."
Daphne Greengrass stood with a fist resting on her waist and a vicious smile playing at her lips. She slowly sauntered over to Hannah and took a piece of her hair between her thumb and forefinger, holding it up with a look of disgust.
"Looks like someone missed a spot."
With a quick shove she sent Hannah sprawling on the sandy banks of the lake. Daphne giggled and muttered a farewell before making her way back to the castle.
Mandy sauntered onto the grounds with a small smile playing. She surveyed the area, looking for anyone to talk to. She saw three people at the Lake, two guys and a girl, and saw another girl coming towards her to go back up to the castle. However, thinking the students at the lake were far more interesting, she merely passed the girl, who she saw was a Slytherin by her robes, giving her a light wave, at which she smirked at. Mandy rolled her eyes after they passed, thinking, *Oh, we have yet another Princess Slytherin. How fun.*
As Mandy came closer to the lake, she saw that the three people at the lake were three Hufflepuffs in her Potions class. She grinned at them, silently walking forward until Justin helped Hannah back up.
"Hey guys," she said cheerfully. "Looks like you three had some problems with yet another Prissy Princess of Slytherin." She looked at the three, but only Ernie seemed to have a smile on his face.
Balling her hands into fists, Hannah sent a spiteful glare at the Slytherin girl.
"Yes, and how unfortunate for us that the whole school is defunct, that we have no headmaster or house heads to control her lot!"
Spitting with aggravation she sat down on the grass, twisting the water out of her hair.
"So what brings you here, Mandy? Had enough of the stuffy castle?"
Justin nodded his head, signaling Ernie to follow as he trudged up the banks before plopping down next to Hannah. He nudged her and smiled encouragingly. "We'll get 'em one of these days."
Mandy smiled at Justin's comment before addressing Hannah. "Oh yes. There's barely anyone up in the common room except Cho, Luna, and Flitwick." She took the liberty of sitting across from Justin, creating a badly formed circle. "Well, about the heads. We have a least one, though," she grinned, "Flitwick's not exactly the most respected head of house here at Hogwarts. However, Professor Lupin's back, so maybe he can bring some order here until Dumbledore comes."
Ernie let out a slight chuckle. "Flitwick? The teeny little charms teacher?" He paused, realizing what he said was unkind. "Nice fellow, but how much can he do?"
Mandy looked thoughtful. "I thought I heard about four years back that he was a champion dueler? Some kind of rumor. I think some Gryffindor said it. Anyway, as I said, he's not the most respected teacher in this school." Mandy looked at Ernie. "And that's a problem since only three professors are here. One's a dwarf, one's a werewolf, and one's a fraud. What fun!"
Ernie's eyes widened only slightly as he gasped, "A champion dueler! Thats a little far fetched." He propped himself up on his elbows and attempted to smooth his wet hair. "But I guess I would rather have the Fraud be Trelawney than Lockheart. He was just annoying."
He changed his glance to the girls in the group as if waiting for their lustful sighs.
"Well I don't suppose its that far fetched. His greatest weapon could be the element of suprise. People underestimate him. And if he was really that bad, Dumbledore wouldn't have made him charms master." Justin lay back and grinned. "Speaking of duels...what a spectacle that would be. A werewolf, a fraud, and a dwarf."
He sat up and rummaged through his pockets, pulling out a few coins.
"My money is on the Dwarf."
"Gambling, Justin?"
The students all looked up to see a disheveled, tired-looking, but smiling Profesor Sprout. A large, dirty carpetbag was at her side.
"Don't give up on your teachers yet, children. It may take some of us longer than others, but we will be here."
Smiling up at Professor Sprout, Hannah's brown eyes lit with hope. Brushing a bit of sea-weed off of her shoulder, she hoped to get in a few questions.
"Professor, have you heard from our fearless leader lately?"
Professor Sprout looked thoughtful.
"Dumbledore? No, dearie. I only just arrived myself, you see." She gestured to her carpetbag. "Is he not here yet?"
Ginny walked briskly out onto the grounds, enjoying the fresh September air. She looked around her and spotted a group of people on the other side of the lake. Curious, she began to walk towards them.
Justin turned the coins over in his hands and when Professor Sprout's back was turned, he mouthed to Ernie: "My bet's the dwarf."
He grinned and glanced at the figure headed their way. As she neared he could make out her red hair and small form...
Must be that girl Potter's been chasing...
He raised his arm and waved to Ginny, inviting her to join them.
Not knowing why he even left the common room, Harry walked aimlessly around the halls, staring out the windows of his home. Shocked, he noticed a small cluster of students by the lake along with Professor Sprout. He noticed Ginny along with a few Hufflepuffs and decided that he would make his way out, for nothing more than a breath of fresh air.
Heading down to the entrance doors, Harry noticed a small piece of yellow ribbon on the floor.
Must be one of the Hufflepuff's, he thought, bending over to pick it up. As he stood up, he put the ribbon in his cloak and pushed the door open just enough just so he could get out. Walking down the steps, he had to shield his eyes from the mid-day sunlight.
As he reached the bottom he remembered how nice the grass cushioned his bare feet, he had left without his shoes. Striding over to the group, he slowly sat down behind a blonde Hufflepuff girl and waved.
"Hullo, everyone!"
"Sorry to crash your party, guys." Ginny added apologetically, plopping down next to Hannah. "Good afternoon, Professor."
Leaning back to rest on her elbows, Hannah's back came in contact with something warm and soft. She left out a scream and her friends laughed and pointed at the scraggly boy behind her. Blushing furiously, she turned her body to face Harry Potter. Trying to muster a reason why she leaned on his foot. Blinking a bit, she realized that she must have been staring because Harry's cheeks were flushed a bit. She tried to smile and motioned to sit between her and Ernie.
"Harry, all you had to do was ask!" she said, smiling.
As he sat down, she couldn't help but look him over: his black hair was a little longer that year, almost past his ears and his emerald eyes shone a little darker. Turning her head, she smiled at Justin and did a little dance in her head.
Ginny smiled to herself, watching from Hannah's other side.
*Ooh. Someone's interested in Harry. 'Bout time, now maybe the rumors about Hermione and me will go away...*
She searched both faces.
*I'm going to have to keep an eye on this...*
The Professor smiled at the antics of the students. Ah, to be young again, she thought. She re-adjusted her grip on the carpetbag.
"Well, children, I must be going. I have to unpack and clean out my office before classes start. Good day to you all."
Inclining her head in farewell, the dumpy little Hufflepuff professor turned and made her way to the castle.
As Professor Sprout moved out of sight, an uneasy silence settled on the group. Ernie cast a glance to Justin and the two moved their eyes to Hannah and Harry, who stood there, red faced and speechless. It was about all Ernie could stand. He cleared his throat, trying to resume their previous conversation.
"That's the biggest crock I've ever heard. Picture Professor Lupin, sharp fangs, thick fur...foaming at the mouth!" Ernie got to his knees and his face contorted, his hands waving animatedly. "He'd tear Professor Flitwick to pieces!"
Justin laughed, trying to ease the tension as well. "I'd like to see that. Maybe we can convince them to duel. In any case..."
He got to his feet and breathed in deeply. "I think I've had enough air for one day..."
With one last glance to Hannah he shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way back to the castle.
Neville smiled as he briskly walked towards the group at the lake.
"Oh, so here's where everybody is!" he cried, feeling a combination of happiness and relief. "I was wondering where you went. Ron, Dumbledore, and everyone else must be here too," he said, looking around hopefully.
But the now-grim faces of those present told him it was not so.
"Oh."
Noticing Neville had joined the group, Harry sent a small nod his way. It wasn't usually his place to talk to other students than Gryffindors, and when he sat there surrounded by his peers, he felt somewhat anxious. Trying to turn his attention somewhere else, he turned sideways and saw the look of disapproval on Justin's face as he walked away.
"Surely Justin doesn't think that Hannah likes me.." Harry thought, absentmindedly pulling a piece of grass out of the ground. Frowning a bit, he turned his head back and focused on the rippling water in the lake. A strand of blonde hair flew into his face and he blew it away, smiling at Hannah's giggling.
"Oh, sorry, Harry! My hair has a mind of its own!" she said, lowering her head.
Ginny looked around, studying the faces of the young men and women around her. Every House was represented, except Slytherin. And no one was looking at anyone else. They all seemed to be afraid to talk to one another.
*This is stupid.*
Ginny smiled brightly at her classmates. "Look, guys, this is dumb. We're all in this together, right? The least we could do is act like a school, and not a set of houses."
Hannah heard Ginny say something about coming together and burst into a fit of giggles. Almost guiltily, she looked up at Ginny and flushed a shade of magenta.
"You're right, Ginny. We shouldn't be separated by houses. At least any Slytherin aren't here.. It's a nice change!" Smiling, she nudged Harry a little bit and smiled.
*When did he get so good looking?* she thought, a dirty smile playing at her lips. As he nudged her back, she grinned and sang a little song in her head.
*Potter makes the world go round
My world go round
our world go round... *
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Review!!