Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, I do not own
A/N And now we've reached the final chapter of first year. I hope you all enjoy. The chapter with the beginning of second year (or at least the summer between) will be posted soon. As always, please review and tell me what you think of the chapter, the story in general or anything else!
Hope made her way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. She had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving her one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Gryffindor colors of gold and red to celebrate Gryffindor winning the house cup. A huge banner showing the Gryffindor lion covered the wall behind the High Table.
When Hope walked in, there was a hush as everyone stared. She rolled her eyes and slipped into a seat between next to Cassie.
"Who knew killing a teacher would cause me to be so popular." She joked. Cassie looked appalled, but then laughed.
Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.
"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts... Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, but first there are some last minute points dish out. First, to Ms. Regina Weasley..."
At the Gryffindor table, Regina went purple in the face; she looked like a radish with a bad sunburn. Her brothers turned in their seats to look at her in surprise and she sank down further in her seat in an attempt to hide from everyone's gazes.
"...For the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Fred and George cheered the loudest, whistling, whooping and shouting her name at the top of their lungs. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects:
"My sister, you know! My baby sister! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"
At last there was silence again.
"Second, to Mr. Hermes Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Ravenclaw fifty points."
Hermes buried his face in his arms; his ears were red with embarrassment. Ravenclaw's up and down the table were cheering for him.
"Third, to Ms. Cassiopeia Malfoy... For thinking far beyond her years, I award Slytherin house fifty points."
For once, people were cheering the name 'Malfoy'. Cassie looked exactly as proud as Hope had expected. Or maybe more. After all, there was hardly a limit to Cassie's pride.
"Fourth, to Ms. Hope Potter..." The room went deadly quiet. "For pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Slytherin house fifty points."
Hope couldn't help but smile at that. Slytherin's cheered for her for once and Cassie hugged her.
"There are all kinds of courage." Dumbledore said, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Hufflepuff for Ms. Nadine Longbottom."
Nadine, who had never once won a point for her house, looked shocked. People cheered for her. At the Gryffindor table, Regina whistled for her.
"And I think tonight we'll make an exception regarding the house cup in honor of houses standing together to defend the school." He clapped his hands. In an instant, the the scarlet hanging turned into scarlet, green, yellow and blue hanging. The Gryffindor lion was joined by the Slytherin serpent, the Ravenclaw eagle and the Hufflepuff badger. Some people groaned at the sharing of the house cup, but most cheered at the change.
It was the best evening of Hope's life, better than Christmas or knocking out mountain trolls... She would never, ever forget that night.
Hope had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, both she and Regina passed with good marks. Hermes, of course, had the best grades of the first years. Cassie was right behind him, but Cassie felt it was better for her health if she didn't beat Hermes. Even Nadine scraped through, her good Herbology mark making up for her abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Crabbe and Goyle, who were almost as stupid as they was mean, might be thrown out, but they had passed, too. It was a shame, but as Regina said, you couldn't have everything in life.
And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Nadine's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these." Fred Weasley said sadly). Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake and they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier and eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns. They pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats. They were pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.
It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles. People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:
"Bye, Hope!"
"See you, Potter!"
"Still famous." Regina rolled her eyes at her friend.
"Even as a Slytherin?"
"Even as a Slytherin." Regina agreed.
The four of them passed through the gateway together.
"There she is, Mom, there she is, look!" It was Gavin Weasley, Regina's younger brother but he wasn't pointing at Regina. "Hope Potter! Look, Mom!"
"Be quiet, Gavin, and it's rude to point." Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them. "Busy year?"
"Very." They all said in near comical unison.
"Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley." Hope added.
"Oh, it was nothing, dear."
Fred, George and Percy made it over to them. They said their goodbyes and the Weasley's departed. Hermes spotted his parents, very nervous looking Muggles huddled together in a corner, said goodbye to the girls and rushed over to them. Cassie spotted her own family, a group of pale blonde people, her younger brother dressed in a crisp suit that probably cost more than spending a month in the Leaky Cauldron inn. Cassie hugged Hope one last time and hurried over. Hope pretended not to notice Cassie's father giving Hope a look of distaste over Cassie's head. She also pretended not to notice how he didn't greet his daughter at all, but instead turned and walked swiftly away as the rest of his family followed behind.
She pushed her trolley out of the station herself, then unloaded her trunk, shoulder bag and Crookshanks' carrier. Pulling her trunk along with her free hand, she started off towards Number 12 Grimmauld Place.