A/N: I was watching the Live Aid DVD and there was a moment where Midge Ure, Bono, AND Freddie Mercury were singing into the same mic together. I almost died, that's how extreme my fangirl spaz was.
DEDICATION: To Fionna Boyle, whoever you are, you've helped me heaps with this.
DISCLAIMER: I own Eloise's personality, and Shona and Marcus too. Anything else is Rowling's, duh.
Before class started, I had to run up to our dorm to check on Slice, who was sulking under my bed. Because Hogwarts is just that scary. Then I had to run back DOWN again, and i used up all the energy I would need for the rest of the day. There were so many!
The history of magic classroom was dim and dusty, but I suspected that all the classrooms would be. There were rows of two seated desks, and Ginny abandoned me to sit with her Hufflepuff friend with a guilty apology.
"I'll make it up to you in Defence!" She whispered across the aisle, but she hardly needed to bother, the ghost who taught this class didn't look like he registered that there were students in the room at all.
"That's okay, you'll want to catch up with your friends, don't mind me!" I said, while I thought -craaap, ill have to sit next to someone I don't know!
She was about to reply when there was a bang as a girl dropped her books down onto the table next to me.
"Quiet down" Muttered Professor Binns without turning around, he didn't even pause writing on the black board.
I looked up at a bubbly Hufflepuff girl, who grinned at me and plopped herself into her chair. I leaned back, just a little bit. Sure bubbly people are fun, just slightly dangerous at times.
"Hiya! I'm Eloise Midgeon, rhymes with pigeon!" She laughed cheerfully, waving enthusiastically to another Hufflepuff across the aisle. "I heard you were from Australia, and I just had to come over to get to know you."
I looked at her, and blinked a few times, she looked weird for some reason, but I couldn't put my finger on the problem.
"I'm Shona Edwards," I introduced myself. I seemed to be saying that a lot lately.
Professor Binns told us that we were going to be learning about the development of the Floo network, and I got my notebook out, settling down for a dull lesson. Yes, the class wasn't exactly exciting, but I liked history, so I would be able to get through it without falling asleep. But apparently Eloise didn't want to take notes. She was too interested in asking me every question there was to ask about myself and Australia.
"Yay! I love your accent!" Eloise squealed.
"I don't have an accent," I said, "It's the rest of you who do!" She didn't get it, my jokes were lost on that girl.
"So, you're a muggleborn, obviously," She giggled and her curly hair bounced. "I'm half myself, but I've always known about Hogwarts, I could never even imagine the shock, how you must be feeling. How did you get here, did your parents take you?"
"Dumbledore collected me from my house," She gasped, "And some dude from the ministry took me to Kings Cross. I haven't been here long at all really."
"Oh wow, you are so lucky" I raised my eyebrows in amusement, but she didn't notice.
"So what is it like in Australia? I went on holiday to New Zealand once but oooh I bet its very different. I heard it was really hot, and you have lots of cuddly koala bears in your back yard!"
She said the last bit in an excited whisper. That girl was really … Well, she was the classic high school gossip.
"Actually, everyone makes those mistakes. People think Australia equals desert which is hot, but at night those same deserts can be freezing. And koalas aren't bears. They're fat, smelly, heavy and have claws."
She giggled again, and I was wishing and wishing that we wouldn't have to stay in the same seats every time we had this lesson. But then, having a friend who's a gossip has its advantages…
"Eloise," I interrupted her rant about wanting a kangaroo for a pet. "What do you know about people like me coming to Hogwarts when they're older than eleven?"
"Oh well a few years ago they started coming at the beginning of the year, like you did. Sorted along with the first years. Around eight of them at the start of each year. All of the parents thought Dumbledore was mad, because the students weren't just British, they were from all over the place, see."
I nodded. So this had been happening for a while now. And this wasn't in the books. So why was it happening differently?
"Then they were coming in the middle of the year too. I guess there will be more this year too!"
That set her off on another excited rant, and I tuned out.
I left that lesson with Ginny, who had become my safety net. The castle was huge it would be AGES before I'd mange to get around without getting lost.
"I don't know, but for some reason there was something off about Eloise…" I thought out loud to Ginny.
She chuckled.
"That's because her nose is off-centre. She tried to curse her acne off a couple of years back, but got her nose instead!"
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I sat with Marcus and Luna on a staircase during break. If was fun because a couple of times it even moved, but we just sat there, letting it take us where it would. Marcus had been one of the first students to arrive in Luna's third year. For each holiday, he was Floo'd back to Singapore from Dumbledore's office. Headmasters office, that's red carpet treatment, I joked. He was one of only a few people who accepted Luna's oddities, and for most Ravenclaw-Gryffindor classes they sat with Ginny and sometimes Colin. And on Hogsmede trips, Neville came too, but from what I could tell, Marcus didn't like Neville much. So that was there little group.
As they walked me back to the Gryffindor common room, Marcus pointed out the trick step on the main staircase which caught people in its jelly-ness. I'll need to remember that, oh the trouble that could be caused! And Luna told me all about the infestation of some creature or other in one of the second floor paintings. I listened carefully – you never know!
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Ginny sat with me just like she'd promised for Defense Against the Dark Arts, we had it with the Slytherins, so of course she needed someone to sit with – Vicky was sitting with Lavender's friend. I was looking forward to that lesson, because of Snape. We would be his second ever class for Defense, he would be so happy! There was also the fact that I might be expected to actually do magic in the class, which brought butterflies up in my stomach, but didn't dampen my excitement.
Snape swooped into the classroom, and started a rant on how we would have to work long and hard to get our OWLS, which did effect my mood a bit. Damn those tests, I was going to have to work so hard.
He looked down at me and stopped his rant suddenly. I realized that I was grinning like an idiot, and straightened my face, even though it was really hard to – he looked just adorable when he was preparing to tell someone off!
"Ah yes. Class, I am required to mention that we have a new student, who will be behind the rest of you," His eyes glittered maliciously, and I choked down an adoring sigh. "And she might need a little more... practice, before achieving things up to standard."
I love this man, I thought. If he was trying to scare me into absolute obedience, he had only achieved in gaining an admirer.
The rest of the lesson we spent attempting to learn the spell used to repel something big and hairy that I couldn't pronounce. I asked Ginny, and even a Slytherin girl, but they didn't know how to either. Although, the Slytherin didn't really answer, she just glared and moved away. Lovely lot those snakes.
It was an okay lesson, because my failure to produce even a wisp of yellow wasn't noticed when the only person to get near it was Vicky. Snape didn't reward her any house points, of course, being the bat he is. Apparently she was the Hermione of fifth year, which I personally would have taken as an insult, but she seemed quite pleased.
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I ate the biggest lunch I'd ever had that day. It wasn't my fault – there was just way too much food! How could they expect me NOT to totally pig out?
"Honestly, I don't know how you guys aren't all fat!" I said to no one in particular, earning me odd looks from a seventh year.
Thinking of fatness made me think of Quidditch. That was probably how all these wizards worked off the carbs. Hmmm I wont have much time for quidditch this week, what with all the catching up and whatnot, but maybe I can bully Ginny into showing me a few moves on the weekend…
A/N: Anyone want a beta? Don't judge my grammar skills from this fanfic – I only write like that in this because its first person and that's how I actually think. My brain-voice (conscience) says things like "she'd've". As in, she-would-have. I know, that word doesn't exist.
Or if you think I suck as a beta, then get Marcus instead! His author name is Astarel! Go find him, go!