I'M BACK! It stunk having no internet at my cousins house but she's been through so much, so I love being over at her house to help her. I hope you like this chapter, I had to look up stuff in so many of the Harry Potter books when I got back home.
I do not own Harry Potter or any of J. K. Rowling's characters. I do own, Devony, Winifred, and Vincent.
Chapter 4.
Red Heads Make Great Friends
The ceiling above the students illuminated the night sky. Stars were glimmering and you could even see dark, foggy clouds pass slowly in front of the moon. Instead of eating, Devony was mesmerized by the ceiling. She was about to go back to her plate when the orchestra music in the air stopped. Everyone turned to the Head Master. He stood from his chair, went around to the podium and began to speak.
"We have two things in store here at Hogwarts. We're pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank who will be taking care of magical creatures while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave. We also wish to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Delores Umbridge."
Dumbledore motioned to the only professor at the long table who didn't fit in with the crowd. The new professor wore a sickly bright pink, fuzzy jacket with a matching knit hat that screamed grandmother. She had a smile that wanted to make you trust her but seemed too cheery for anyone to put on. As Professor Dumbledore went on with his announcements, Professor Umbridge made a sound in-between a cough and a high pitched sneeze. Dumbledore stopped what he was saying about the care-taker to looked over at Umbridge.
With the same cherry smile, the professor rose from her seat and came around the podium next to Dumbledore. He pink heels clicked all the way over with her.
"Thank you, Head Master, for those kind words of welcome." She turned to the student body. "And how lovely to see all your bright, happy faces smiling up at me."
Devony turned to her right to see Fred and George who couldn't have looked more bored out of their minds. She must have rehearsed this speech in the mirror at home.
"I'm sure we're all going to be very good friends."
"Not likely," Fred and George mumbled to each other. Devony couldn't suppress a giggle. Fred noticed and smiled at her. Devony turned back to Umbridge to see she was giving the three a extremely stern look.
Umbridge returned to her uncaring smile. "The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. Although each Head Master has brought something new to this historic school, progress, for the sake of progress, must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved. Perfect what can be perfected and what was meant to be prohibited."
Devony's mouth was wide open in shock. What the new professor was suggesting made no sense and when Dumbledore started to clap, to make the rest of Hogwarts clap, Devony put her hands firmly in her lap. Fred and George rolled their eyes at Umbridge and did not clap either. As Dumbledore thanked Umbridge for the speech, Devony tuned out.
After the strange and creepy Umbridge sat down and Dumbledore finished, the students all resumed eating their feast. Devony on the other hand kept looking at the professor as she took quick steps toward her seat and then leaned over to the teacher sitting next to her. Umbridge whispered something, pointed at Devony, and the teacher next to her nodded. Umbridge looked at me looking at her and raised her big, brown eyebrows. A smile creeped up to her face and then went back to eating.
"Oi, are you alright?"
Devony looked to her front at Fred who was taking a bite out of a chicken leg.
"I'm alright," Devony said nodding. "That teacher, Umbridge, puts me off a bit, that's all." Devony looked down at the food on her plate and didn't know what to put in her mouth next. The roast chicken look mouth watering but the bacon, sausage and rice looked delicious. Eventually, Devony stabbed a piece of steamed broccoli and put it in her mouth.
"Harry says she was there when his trial went on. Says she's part of the Ministry," the read headed girl said beside Devony. Then, obviously, the Ministry was sticking their nose around Hogwarts were it shouldn't be. "I'm Ginny Weasley, their brother."
"I'm Devony Laurent. It's nice to meet you." The two girls shook hands. "Harry who?"
"Potter," the twins said together.
Devony's eyes got wide. Harry Potter, the boy who lived was in this very school. Everyone talked about him in the Academy when they came back from the Tri-Wizarding competition. Well, after the tragic news of another contestant, Cedric Diggory, had died down. Harry Potter was only fourteen when he entered his name into the blue fire for the competition and mysteriously got his name drawn. The girls at the Academy came back from the tournament and told Devony they all were best friends with the famous Harry Potter. Rubbish, Devony thought. However, they changed their tune when he became the Daily Prophet's number one most hated.
"As in the boy who lived, Harry Potter?" Devony lowered her voice. "The one who saw the Dark Lord himself?"
"Yes, but he doesn't really like to talk about it." Ginny's voice got low as she talked as well when a couple of first years were straining their ears to listen to their conversation.
"I understand," Devony said nodding. "With everything the papers are saying, it must be hard to still have at least one friend."
"Practically all of his friends have turned their backs on him already," George said, pointing with his fork to Harry Potter down a ways in the middle of the table. To the left of him was a large gap were people had avoided sitting next to him. They didn't avoid staring at him, even so. "It's a pity."
"Real pity," his twin echoed.
"He's a good kid."
"He stood up for our little brother on his first day here."
"And gave us a share of his Tri-Wizarding reward money."
"That's Ron with the red hair," Ginny pointed to a bright red head (of course) sitting across from a girl with curly brown hair. "That's Hermione Granger sitting next to Harry."
"It's good he still has two mates," Devony said sipping her goblet full of pumpkin juice. "Poor thing would look completely alone without them." Ginny and Devony didn't speak of the subject anymore given that it was a delicate discussion. Instead, Devony told Ginny how it was at the Academy and in return Ginny told everything she would need to know about Hogwarts. The tall, dark haired man that had led Devony to the great hall was the Potions class master, Severus Snape. He wasn't the friendliest of sorts and was very strict. He sounded much like Professor Blanche Rowland, Devony's Charms professor.
The woman who had introduced Devony and lead the first years in the great hall was Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher. She was a firm head mistress and was no nonsense kind of woman but if you got on her good side, she was very kind and generous.
"Excuse me," someone behind Devony asked. She turned around to see an almost transparent man with clothes that look like something straight out of Medieval England. "Did my ears deceive me, or did I hear that someone transferred out of Madam Maxim's Academy and started school here at Hogwarts."
The ghost did not surprise Devony seeing as there were ghosts as the Academy as well as other wizarding schools. This ghost, however, was a very kind ghost compared to the ones at Devony's old school who would barley interact with the students.
"That would be me." Devony pushed her dirty, honey blonde hair out of her face.
"How do you do, my lady. May I introduce myself? I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, resident ghost of Gryffindor tower." The ghost gave a pleasant smile and bowed toward her.
"Nearly Headless Nick!" The twins cried out.
"Lovely to see you again," Fred said.
"How did the vacation treat you?" George asked
Sir Nicholas gave a small glare at the two Weasley's, a playful look, and turned his attention back to Devony. "Ignore those two and that blasted nickname they insist on calling me. You may call Sir Nicholas or Sir Nick, whichever you like."
"Thank you Sir Nicholas," Devony said smiling.
"Tell me," Sir Nicholas floated down to Devony's height, "have you heard of a certain Duchess Guinevere?"
Devony raised her eyebrows at the familiar name of the ghosts at the Academy. "Yes, she wanders around the towers of my old school, the last I remember. A little shy but one of the friendliest ghosts I've encountered."
Sir Nick smiled with pure delight. "Swell! She was one of my very good friends before, well, you know. If you happen to write any of your friends at Madam's Academy, please tell I said hello."
"Of course!"
"One more thing I must ask. Do you play Quidditch?" Sir Nicholas raised a transparent eyebrow.
"I used to. At the Academy I was a chaser, but I haven't played for a while…"
"That's a shame, my dear. I made a few bets with some of the other ghosts on who would win the first game and I very much want to prove the Bloody Baron wrong."
Sir Nicholas nodded his head to a sinister looking ghost floating silently up and down the Slytherin table trying to scare as many first years as he could. Devony noticed Vincent and his friends were laughing at a first year Slytherin girl who's face was pale as a sheet from the Baron scaring her.
"I'm sorry I can't help," Devony said to dead night.
Sir Nicholas bowed again and went over the other tables, introducing himself to the other first years.
"Nearly Headless Nick?" Devony asked turning back to the twins. Ginny was talking to one of her Gryffindor friends in her year.
"Everyone calls him that," George said.
"Everyone but you," Fred teased. Devony swatted him playfully across the table and then finished her plate. After the main course left and the desserts followed shortly after once Devony had her full of chocolate covered strawberries. Once the food had left, the hall fell silent as the old bearded Professor stood up for more announcements.
"As you will all depart to your corridors and houses for a good nights sleep, I will give you all a few last words before you head up. First years should know that the forest is forbidden to all those attending Hogwarts. And I do stress everyone." The old professor turned to the Gryffindor table to look at Fred and George who just smiled cheekily. "There will also be no use of magic between lessons and in the corridors. If you wish to try out for Quidditch, trails will be held in the second week of the term. Off to bed."
"Wicked," Devony said to Ginny as the marble stairs under their feet began to move. She waved to some of the Gryffindor boys who were all the way in the back of the girls' group. The Head Girl, Allison Thorn according to Ginny, had gone first through the Great Hall doors and the Head Boy, Scott Gruff, shortly followed after.
"Boys can be so predictable," a girl said behind Devony and Ginny's back. They turned around to see Hermione Granger.
"Hi, Hermione," Ginny said.
"Hi, Ginny," Hermione said with a friendly grin. She turned to me.
"I'm¾"
"Oh, I know who you are," Hermione said. "You're the girl who infested Beauxbaton's with toads. I hope you don't plan on doing that with Hogwarts."
Devony shook her head. "It was a one time thing and I'm here to finish school."
Hermione smiled and turned back to the boys. Some of them were still watching the girls as they ascended more of the moving stairs. "I bet you gets loads of this attention."
"It's weird; I started waving at Ginny's brothers and then the whole lot started to wave back. All year I'm at the Academy with girls and for break I'm with my parents or relatives. I don't have much experience with boys so I have no idea why it's me they're looking at. Hogwarts has very good looking girls like yourselves."
"Not as good looking as Madame Maxime's girls. Last year, all the boys were mopping up their drool when they came through the door. I mean, you have beautiful blonde hair and, what's that, gray eyes? Your gorgeous," Ginny said giggling. Allison said something to a portrait and all the first years gasped as it swung open. "Why aren't you with the other seventh years?"
Devony looked up at the older looking girls ahead of the three. Some were glaring at their boyfriends and some were glaring at Devony. She looked away awkwardly and down at her black shoes. "I don't think they want to be my friends at the moment. It doesn't matter; it would be rude if went to talk to someone else."
It came Devony's turn to go through the hole in the wall and into what was probably the Gryffindor common room. The round room was full of deep red arm chairs, a sofa, a blazing fireplace, and enough space to fit two of my bedrooms in. Allison lead all the girls up a spiral staircase and to a long hallway with the doors wide open. On the left side of every door was a list of five last names indicating which rooms everyone was in.
Hermione looked through the list on the second door and saw her name fourth on the list. "I guess I'll be seeing you two later," she said with a small wave. Ginny and Devony went down the hallway, searching for their names until they made it half-way and saw Devony's name first on the list. She also noticed Ginny's name last on the list.
"Wow, it looks like we're room mates," Devony said cheerfully. The two entered the room with five, four post beds along each side of the room with dark, red velvet drapes hung on each side. Everyone's trunks were at the foot of the bed and other things on their beds, waiting to be un-packed. Devony's things were on the right side of the room under a frosted glass window. Ginny's things were nearest to the door and across from Devony. The rest of the girls were already in the room, who were mainly sixth years and up, were not making eye contact with Devony. They were the girls who were glaring at their boyfriends for waving at Devony.
Devony sighed and went over to Ginny.
"I have a bad feeling about this room," Devony whispered.
"Why do you say that?" Ginny asked, taking out her cat.
"They were glaring at me on the stairs and now they won't even look at me."
Ginny bit her lip and glanced over at the trio. "Wow. They really do hate you."
"Yeah, thanks," Devony said sarcastically.
"Try and talk to them in the morning. Maybe their grumpy because they're tired," Ginny whispered. Devony thought it was weird for a girl three years younger than her to give her advice but shook the thought off.
Devony walked back over to her trunk and pulled out her night clothes. Once she had finished dressing in the bathroom and washing her face, when she reached under the covers of her new comfy bed and her head hit her pillow, she was out like a light.
What did you guys think? Was it good? Bad? Did it make you change your perspective on life? Probably not but write what you guys think about the story so far in a review box please! I love reading about what you guys think, especially good reviews. I love you all so much!
- Ellie -
