Of Mysterious Personalities and Hatred
"Welcome Harry Potter!" The muffled voice that had been heard from the door was now calling out to him, welcoming him into her welcome arms.
He stood frozen for a moment, as though a spotlight had been placed on him mid-crime. The applause that represented thunder to his ears seemed to shock him into his senses. His foot managed to figure out the way toward movement. He made his way forward, following his foot, as though it was a magnetic force.
Harry glanced around him; faces were shining up at him, all beaming with pleasure that seemed to reverberate off the walls. He could sense their pride. He was oddly numb as he continued to walk through the hall but felt as though he were going nowhere. It was halfway along the table directly to his left, facing him and as far away as she could get. A single familiar face.
Kaya brought her hands together once or twice but otherwise, her arms were folded over her chest. A blonde girl next to her was clapping enthusiastically, her face seemingly glowing. She leaned in to whisper something in Kaya's ear. Kaya frowned as she listened before staring at her with a sort of confusion and misunderstanding. The blonde was biting her lip as she gazed at her as though willing her to understand.
Kaya then grinned before leaning in to whisper something back, covering her lips with her hands so that either the blonde could hear better or to make sure no one had a chance of hearing. The blonde threw a glance at Harry before gazing at her friend in obvious disappointment. Kaya shrugged and turned to watch as Harry made his way up to the High Table, just passing her point at the table.
He focused his attention on the table coming within reach. For the first time he looked at the owner of the booming voice. A pale skinned witch with dark hair in long, elaborate curls was positively beaming at him. Her navy eyes matched her long, sweeping robes. Even from here he could tell she had long dark eye lashes that framed her almond eyes with a beauty that could not be described. Her thin frame was tall and strong. Her arms were held wide open with an air of trying to grasp something to huge for human possibility.
The staff was all stern looking. They all applauded the celebrated hero as he made his way toward their table. But Harry could tell that they did not entirely want him there. He did not blame them. The castle was beautiful, but it wasn't England.
He missed his cozy flat, the butterbeers from Madam Rosmerta, and the increasingly lonely strolls through Hogwarts as he made his way to see his former headmaster. But aside from little details that would mean little to anyone else, there honestly was no reason for him to stay there. He needed to move on and a new castle, new people, new country, and new everything was just what he needed.
He made his way around the table, scooting behind pushed back chairs and avoiding eye contact with the heads that swiveled to get a better view. Harry found the only empty seat at the High Table, right next to the Headmistress. He pulled the chair back slightly so as to get a better chance of getting in without tripping. The professors all sat down and Harry did the same.
The students were still standing and clapping. A couple of the girls screamed and laughs broke out from parts of the tables. He hadn't noticed the robes before, all the girls he had seen were in the same color: tan. The different tables had different color robes to match the banner above their table.
Ashanti held out her arms, welcoming them as if she hadn't seen them in years. The girls all sat down. They all watched their Headmistress as she took in the scene around her. They weren't very subtle in throwing him glances what felt like every five seconds. Madam Ashanti clasped her hands behind her back before addressing her students.
"Our guest has finally arrived! Now, I am sure his journey was long and tiring so he is not to be hassled. I am sure he will answer your questions but only on his own time," she said smiling somewhat sternly before beaming down at Harry. She continued, "Now, I do believe that our feast is ready. So please, enjoy!" She sat down and the students applauded.
Chatting broke out immediately. It was oddly scattered, as though the attention was somewhere else. There weren't any golden platters to fill up with random food. There was a menu spread along every four people.
Ashanti was gazing at the one in front of her. "Ah," she said. And then there were chicken legs on her plate. She looked at a particular spot on the menu and then there were mashed potatoes and some sort of long vegetable on her plate. She smiled at it: Harry gaped at it. She glanced at him and smiled at his disbelieving stare. "Just choose what you would like for the night and think of it. I do suppose that shall work for you as well."
Harry scrunched his nose in disbelief and at her odd choice of words. He gazed at his menu and chose turkey and honey glazed carrots. He picked up his fork and smiled at his over filled plate. The food was delicious and so similar to Hogwarts.
He ate in silence for five minutes, taking in everything around him. He didn't know anything about what he was to do here, where he was going to stay or who he was supposed to be here for. He now realized the only reason he had agreed to come here was because of Dumbledore. If it hadn't been for the portrait, he'd still be in England doing who knows what.
It was as though she had sensed his thoughts. She smiled understandingly at him. "You have befriended Miss Nilai, have you not?" Harry stared. How on earth would she know that? "I have my ways Mr. Potter. I do think that she would be an ideal person to show you around. She and her friend Miss Flowers will be able to inform you of everything you should desire to know. I don't think the professors would mind if you sat in back of the classes. No, I do not believe it is a good idea to tell you exactly why you are here or who I wish for you to assist. I shall be as Dumbledore was when I say that I am entering a world of guesswork but unlike Dumbledore I do not feel it wise to tell you until I can be utterly sure." She smiled at his odd feeling of her being similar to Dumbledore in many ways. She looked at Kaya, who was laughing at something with the Flowers girl, before continuing, "The two of them know where you are staying and will be able to take you there after dessert. I shall let you know when I have more information which I have a feeling is soon."
The fact that he couldn't learn everything now was oddly disappointing, and he didn't see the point in being here right now if he couldn't start this journey immediately. There was nothing he could do at the moment. He didn't feel hungry anymore and as if on cue, a smaller menu appeared in front of him. Desserts, he thought to himself. He didn't want anything. His plate vanished. He took a sip of his pumpkin juice. Life gets more interesting by the year.
Harry stared aimlessly at the wall across from him. He hardly noticed when Ashanti stood up again. "Now, as wonderful as this night may have seemed, I cannot say that it gets better by not having classes tomorrow because you do. Which is why we shall all get to our comfortable beds and drift to our own worlds of fantasies! So pip pip and off to bed now!" She sat back down and nodded at Harry before turning to a conversation with a professor on her other side.
Taking this as his cue to leave, he stood and headed to the table at which Kaya and her friend were still seated. The friend looked up at him and beamed when he arrived. Kaya kept on plowing on with her argument on nifflers, ignoring him to the best of her ability. "… which is why nifflers would make the best fluffy and adorable pets!" Kaya exclaimed, still not looking up.
The friend grinned at him before standing up. He grinned back and she blushed. "I'm Sam Flowers by the way," she said, holding out her hand. He grasped it briefly, noticing how her fingers were cool yet her palms were warm. "Ignore her. She's no good with new people," she muttered under her breath as Kaya stood up, fiddling with a strap on her bag.
"Shall we trot on to our jolly good beds and slippers?" Kaya asked in what could be heard as a British accent that wasn't trying too hard, linking her arm through Sam's.
"Yes! We shall trot on to our slippers and jolly good beds," Sam said in the same lame try at the British accent. They then skipped in step out the door, leaving a bemused Harry behind. Sam came back in a second later, ginning sheepishly, and grabbed his wrist to drag him out the door. The turned left along the moonlit corridor.
Kaya was waiting for them at the end. They went up the staircase identical to the one he had gone up merely hours before in silence. It was a slightly awkward silence.
They had gone up five floors on the stairs, pushing their way through crowds easily, when they stopped at a mirror. This school might as well be the school of mirrors, he thought to himself. Kaya ran her hand along the side, searching for a spot. She smiled and must have found it because the mirror opened to reveal a wooden door behind. Kaya beckoned him towards her.
"See this little dent in the frame of the mirror? Push in to it and it opens," she said, showing him what she meant. He nodded and was about to turn the handle to the door when she spoke again. "We'll be two floors down. We can show you the common room later. See you tomorrow at breakfast I guess. Unless you are still asleep because we are five hours behind what you are used to." She turned and walked away without another word.
Sam and Harry gaped at the odd girl. Harry could tell she would be one to get used to. "I think she hates me!"
Sam sighed. "Like I said, ignore her. Well don't completely ignore her because that just encourages her. Just ignore most of what she says. Well, goodnight!" She said brightly. They were both just as weird as the other in his opinion.
He muttered to himself before walking in to his room, "Oh yes. This year will definitely be oddly interesting."
